Our Corporate lives taught us from day 01, and one of the 1st things I incorporated was adding this last line to this beautiful stanza that my grandfather introduced to me during my childhood:

दाने दाने पर लिखा है खाने वाले का नाम, खाने वाले है लाखों देने वाला एकराम ||

पर कैसे खाएं बेचारा इंसान, जब बीच में आ जाए दफ़्तर का काम ||

For those who didn’t understand, the English Translation is under:

Every grain has the name of the person who is destined to eat it written on it. The count is endless; however, the giver is Almighty. But how can the poor chap eat when the official work has come in between?

You might be wondering where I’m headed with this. I felt since food is such an important aspect of our daily lives, why not bring it to the centre stage in this edition of “Adventures of my Official Life” and take your views on this philosophical dilemma – “Do we work to eat or eat to work?”

“To begin the day in a relaxed manner is what Heart wants, but to rush every morning is my job says the Brain” – By yours truly () 

I feel this dilemma between the heart and the brain is identical for most of us. From chasing the alarm to the last snooze possible to getting ready in a span of a few minutes, from eating breakfast in a single breath to navigating my car drive as if playing a videogame to reach the office on time, it is in this fashion that my normal day commences. Summing up my daily morning routine in toto.

On my way, I surpassed 3-4 fruit vendors carrying raw and green Guavas on their cycle carts and believe me, I have tried a lot but couldn’t find the same quality in any of the fruit shops nearby. Thus, every morning, I felt like stopping on the way to get them and then considering my tight office schedule and the nuances of parking my vehicle on the busy roadside, I tell myself, “Let’s leave it for now but, I’ll surely come on the weekend to get these guavas.” 

And then comes the weekend, when I try to compensate for my much-lost sleep during the whole week, and thus, those delicious guavas never reach my place, making it an infinite loop.

I genuinely feel that because of our work priorities, we often ignore food. However, it is our taste buds that sometimes drive not only our body clock but also our professional workspace. Here’s a small anecdote that beautifully captures this feeling.

Once, during a recruitment exercise in Chennai, we were going through the feedback forms submitted by the applicants who had undergone selection processes like Group Tasks/Group Discussions/Personal Interview. The majority of the feedback was either positive or made some suggestions on making the whole recruitment process more user-friendly. Then, I found one that absolutely caught my attention that specifically wrote about our Lunch Thali – “It is shocking to find that even though the selection process is being conducted in an office based out at Chennai, however, the lunch arranged for the candidates doesn’t have Sambhar in it.”

I still remember the hearty laugh that my colleagues and I had after reading this. But to date, whenever I think about that feedback, it reminds me of that one candidate who went out to mention his food preference amid a critical recruitment exercise.

Lastly, a narrative that is very close to my heart as it not only made me question the love that we all have for food but also made me compassionate while dealing with some really tricky issues. During my first posting in Gujarat, I met many engineers who were involved in shift operations. For those who can’t envision shift operations, it is primarily linked to those set-ups that work non-stop for 24 hours and thus, manning rosters are prepared to ensure continuous working in rotating shifts.

One day, Diljeet, a young engineer who has recently joined us fresh from campus, met me while having a walk in the township area. Born and raised in the Northern part of the country, it was his first stint outside the north. Seeing him, I could sense there was something he wanted to talk about, but I never knew that he would put me in a fix like this. I’m sure you all would also want to know this interesting conversation, and this is how our conversation went:

Diljeet – Hello sir.
Me – Hi
Diljeet – Sir, I’m in the operations department
Me – Yes, I know Diljeet. How are you?
Diljeet – I’m good, sir. One of my colleagues mentioned that you are very helpful, so I wanted to speak to you.
Me – Please go ahead, Diljeet.
Diljeet –Sir, actually, I’m from Punjab and staying here all alone. I mean not that I’m scared. What am I saying? Sorry sir, it’s an absurd issue. In fact, I should rather not ask. I will sound so stupid in front of you.
Me – Calm down, Diljeet. I’m not here to judge you. Please speak about whatever is bothering you.
Diljeet (in a nervous tone) – Sir Chole Bhature
Me – What? Chole Bhature? Do you want me to order them for you?

Diljeet – No, sir. This is not what I meant. Being a Punjabi, I’m a die-hard Chole Bhature fan and always cherish them as they make me feel closer to home even when I’m so far away. Now, the catch is every Saturday, the breakfast in the township mess is ‘Chole Bhature’ however, I couldn’t have them because of my duty roster as I’ve to perform the morning shift on Saturday and therefore, every week, I miss this opportunity.

I was totally perplexed. I still couldn’t believe that I was having this full-fledged conversation on ‘Chole Bhature’ and of course, I didn’t know how to react to it. Nonetheless, I politely asked Diljeet what I could do to help him. To which he replied, “Sir, I spoke to the Mess Manager, but he said it’s as per HR policy, and so I got confused as to whom I should contact to resolve this issue of mine.”

I almost laughed at hearing this. The Mess Manager has given him a tactical answer, and this boy who is still on his Campus-to-Corporate journey didn’t know what to do.

Although I was not dealing with that area, I asked the canteen team if they could find some solution to it. And gladly, my persuasion worked and based on a survey from all the employees availing mess service, a new timetable was conveyed, and Chole Bhature was back on Diljeet’s plate.

Let me leave with these words by Famous American Filmmaker George Orson Welles that always astounds me – “Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”

And last weekend in the chilly December morning in Delhi, I specifically went out with this one agenda and got those raw guavas for me.