With mercury levels
reaching out to Himalayas for salvation in Summer, we are left to reconcile
with the uncomfortable, sweaty truth of our cities that dawns the moment we
turn on the Air Conditioner that hasn't been powered by electricity. Material
comforts are illusory unless they are powered by higher forces. That everything
is uncertain is perhaps the only true wisdom chronic power shortages will demonstrate
religiously every day to our lives.
You may find it hard to
believe this. While several people fume, fret and agonize at the realization of
not able to carry on their regular routine during power cuts, I am one among
the few, I would love to believe, who savor each and every moment of it. Thanks
to the grueling summer and woeful Indian administration, I have had several
occasions to enjoy this moment when I lived in Pune. What makes this moment
special?
Well, you can never
predict it! It arrives as the first droplet of rain, to soothe the parched minds
running like 24 x 7 News Channel in our lives. No ugly debates on the state of
our affairs and no ticker of thoughts trying to gain attention. Isn’t Power Cut
the holy whisper of the divine to drop whatever you are doing at the moment and
simply be yourself for a while?
You wake up from the slumber
of work and begin to look around. You realize night is actually dark, free from
the evil machinations of those wicked inventors who invented everything needed
to make humans work anytime and everywhere. Whatever you were doing for so long, which
occupied your mind until now, isn’t important anymore! A fresh surge of relief
spreads in the air. You come out in the starry night to notice the moon which
never caught your attention. The moon seems to be in bliss, wallowing itself
happily over the flotilla of clouds. You realize how sometimes, doing nothing
can be joyful. It suddenly dawns that it has been a while since you spoke with your
beloved. The talk suddenly sounds so real and intimate. Those sweet exchanges
of banter make you realize why moon has been the ultimate host for romance
since time immemorial.
As I am writing this, my unplugged
mind begins to think of wicked possibilities. Perhaps, every multinational
company whose HR teams pursue wishful dreams of camaraderie and bonding inside
cold, life-less cubicle spaces should declare certain periods of time as Power
Cut hours. Nobody is supposed to do anything during this hour. They are free to
do anything other than work. Imagine the rich dividends companies would reap
from these no-cost investments! X%[insert your favorite number] increase in
employee productivity that would emerge from real conversations with
co-workers, unhindered by technology. Who knows? It might even remind them that
their business is actually run by people and not technology.