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I
am told that banks in the US don't have any special holidays
where services are closed to customers and hear this -Good
Friday is not one of the observed holidays in the US! I am
also told that colleges in America don't have any declared
religious holidays. They just have midterm breaks, semester
breaks and then summer holidays. Thanksgiving is the only
long weekend (our Sankranti).
Three
months into the New Year, we already had three unscheduled
holidays in 2002. January 22nd was election holiday, and the
day Speaker Balayogi died and on his funeral day. This is
apart from the declared five religious holidays so far.
It's
not just holidays that bother many of us. It's the general
work culture. For a tropical country we start work very late
in the morning. Again its not that we are late risers. We
wake up very early in the morning, discuss the problems of
the entire world and country and then leisurely get ready
to go to work. Maybe one of the major problems of the country
would be solved if we discussed less and worked more. In the
Western countries where the weather is unbearably cold and
snow is a big problem and there is very little daylight, offices
start work at 8.00am. and people leave by 6.30-7.00 and quite
a few leave earlier than that. And here in India with bright
light from 5.00am our work day begins only at 10.00am or later!
A
few years ago I spent 15 days in the Netherlands. I had to
take early morning bus to office. The bus driver was always
on time - to the minute. Its not that he lived next door.
He had to travel 200kms every morning. Rain or hail, he was
always on time, never late and always cheerful. This kind
of predictability and professionalism is what makes work a
pleasure for everyone. We can then plan work properly and
avoid a lot of anxiety and pressure.
Whenever
a major public figure - present or past - is ill, all that
most officials and employees can think of is the holiday declaration
in the event of his death! And when employees do come to work,
they rarely get to work!
Hyderabad
has a double disadvantage - as a State capital and as a laid
back city with a languid style. Wealth creation is a function
of work, resources, skills and brains. There cannot be economic
growth without hard work. Our politicians, for all their faults,
do work tirelessly. But much of their work is so unproductive,
or even counterproductive, that they do not set an inspiring
example. What we need is hard work combined with productivity.
Can we make meaningful work itself enjoyable, without having
to look forward to a break from work at the drop of a hat?
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