Work from Home

 

‘Attend C’ or ‘Sick in Quarter’ were the most sought after categories sought from the Doctors on duty, during our Academy days or even as a youngster whenever there was an event which was to be skipped for some reason. What heavenly bliss it was, everyone dressing up and getting on with their daily drudgery, while the supposedly sick was cooling his heels in the bed, relaxing with a thermos full of tea and a couple of buns, listening to music on his transistor or walk-man. Alas, even that pleasure stands withdrawn now, Covid has brought upon untold miseries but the worst part is the ‘work from home’, with ubiquitous connectivity and availability of unlimited data… the last refuge too stands exposed and one is suddenly naked. After all home had privacy and no work; barring of course the files which the inefficient carried home after office hours(!)

Work from home sounded too good to be true, everyone presumed that their performance would get a fillip with this lockdown, as they could deliver more from the relaxed environs of home sweet home. There would be Tea/Coffee snacks available always, one could take a break as per convenience and the best part was there was no overbearing boss breathing down our neck with the unattainable deadlines. It started off alright, everyone was relaxed, the spouse too was happy to have help at hand for daily chores, especially after the maids too were working from their homes and they couldn’t do it virtually. Man of the house was happy to help, being chivalrous and the Gen X person, who was not overly concerned about the gender bender issues. So while the dishes were handled post meals in perfect harmony with almost clockwork efficiency. The mopping was a chore but had to be endured and could be managed even with alternate day effort, Jhadoo or the broomstick did become the personal weapon or accessory in days to come and no wonder, this tool was assigned as the ride of the witches, after all if you keep at it for too long, anyone would become one….Laundry was relatively easy, what with fully automatic machines ensuring even most of the drying effort too, not to forget ironing. As though this was not enough the battle with the groceries, milk, vegetables, eggs, bakery, although home delivered had to be waged and waged with the purifiers...each item had to be cleaned and sterilised…… most of us were already ready to get back to the regular office.

Well, the trouble had just started, now it was the turn of the office to ping for the video conference, which were now a daily affair which would just go on and on…..presentations, discussions, brain storming, virtual workshops dressed in our jockeys with just the upper torso visible, some wardrobe malfunctions when the camera played truant left some of us quite naked and embarrassed. At the end of the day, there was no brain left to be stormed, with no output…… as they say in Hindi, “Nau din chale aur dhai kos…”  having walked for nine days one moved just 2.5 kos which is approx. 7.5 kms, some speed and efficiency.

Even the poor students were not spared with on line classes and tests galore, the boundaries had blurred, home was school with the teachers on the screen and Moms hovering around, they were literally caught between the devil and the deep sea…..as to who was the devil, I will let the readers decide. We in the Armed forces, were spared this agony, for once we had the last laugh. With our age old procedures, there was no way we could work virtually, so we had to be there physically, even if in reduced strength or alternate days. We would proceed to our respective workplaces all decked up with the masks on observing social distancing….but thankfully not working from home!