The Japanese are known for their hardworking nature. It is said that they call a strike in a peculiar manner - they overproduce the goods, so that dispatching the goods becomes a headache for the management. Now, have a peep inside 'Mantralaya' or for that matter any government workplace anywhere within India. What you'll see is files moving at an ultra-slow pace, every 'babu' doing his best to extract maximum 'malai' from a common man; peons asking for 10 Rs. to simpy shift a file. Unless you lighten your wallets and fill their pockets- those files disappear. As if nothing can escape, even the light, from a blackhole.

On the other hand, those working in the highly competitive corporate world, give their best shot in pursuit of their 'Career', achieving promotions & perks. The realm: where incentives rule the vigour with which you work, total burnout one day is guaranteed. A large sector of so called crude or unorganised labour in india was never given a chance to raise a voice & demand their needs. All communist parties will always yell about the torture 'a common man' has to endure for such long years. According o them, a common man is a 'slogger' & the fruits are eaten only by the rich. It's like 'Rich becomes richer' and 'Poor becomes poorer' - that sort of thing. (We all accept that the system- the machinery that is running our society - has caught some rust) Can "We" change this? If yes, change to what? At what level can the change be brought about? What'll be it's use?

Yes, 'we' can certainly change this. Change to something that has better 'work values'- where the drive to work is different; where mere 4,000 increments per annum won't drive you crazy; where you won't gratify yourself by harassing others by quoting from your protocol, and then conveniently bending these protocols, when you are given 'Chai-Pani'.

It is said in one of the Vedas: ' Yogaha Karmasu Kaushalyam' i.e. 'Doing your work in the best way is akin to being in contact with God.' It is this belief that'll make a world of a difference. When you do a job assigned toyou in the best way with your body, mind and intellect all for it, you get 'JOB SATISFACTION'. Believe me, it is as fulfilling an experience as you can get. But remember, job satisfaction is a byproduct. Our main value system should be to serve society, and thereby serve ourselves.

But can such a change in our value system bring about such a drastic change?

I would like to narrate a small story for that. A chronic alcoholic in Kolkata tried every medicine, every trick in the book to achieve abstinence from alcohol. Nothing worked. One of his friends suggested to him the name of 'Swami Paramhansa' (the Guru of Swami Vivekananda); he was told that Swamiji was no less than a God and nothing was impossible for him. With all faith in his heart, this drunkard fell unto the feet of Paramhansaji & pleaded to bless him, so that he wouldn't be able to drink any more. To his surprise, Swamiji told him that he could drink freely, but only on one condition - the only thing he had to do was that whenever he drank himself, he was supposed to 'offer' some alcohol to God too. This man agreed and when he reached home and sat for his next 'session', he tried to mentally picture himself offering alcohol to God. He could not. The only thought that came to his mind was, 'how could i offer liquor- such a vile thing - to God?' That prevented him from offering, and thus, drinking. Thereafter, that man never touched liquor again.

Now analogically, with so much talent, zeal, energy within us, how can we offer sub-optimal service to society, which is also aform of God? It is this value that has to seep into our mind and get absorbed by our consciousness. No matter what you do, even if you are the CEO of any petrochemical industry, or the President of India, a rickshaw driver or a painter, do your job in the best way. If you are a sweeper, sweep in a way that God wants you to - the best way! No work is small work.

In World War II, England had a terrible time initially. The war lasted for too long. Poland was swallowed by Germany. France was crumbling under immense attack. America wasn't on the scene. (They rise only when their butt feels the pinch an they call it 'keeping peace and cracking down on terrorism' instead of 'buttscratching'). England was going through a gruelling period, when one day the news came - all coal miners had called a 'Strike'. The then England Prime Minister Mr. Winston Churchill went to the scene. He told the coal miners that digging the black coal day and night was what was keeping their giant artillery production factories ticking. It was because of their hard work that the fuel for the factories was supplied -which in turn worked to produce artillery used to defend their country and attack their enemies. Hadn't it been for their presence in the 200 metre deep mines, working in ill illumination, craving for air, fighting health problems, none of their fighter planes would have soared in the sky. Every coal miner was as precious as the Prime Minister to the country. (It's called the Law of the big picture - many small pieces complete a larger picture puzzle). Hearing this, every coal miner wept and realised how important he was for his country. Their hands never stopped digging till England achieved victory. What citizens! and what Leadership!

Such a leader is situated in all of us and we don't have to motivate the mob like Churchill did, only ourselves. When a grocer adultrates his grocery, a common man is the victim. An autorickshaw driver tampering with his rickshaw meter and overcharges the passenger- again a cmoon man is a victim. But wait a minute, can't the common man looted by the grocer be an autorickshaw driver? And in the 2nd instance the common man conned by the autorickshaw driver be a grocer? Very much can. Infact it is. We are all interrelated in that way. (In our school days, in civics when we learned that society is like a fabric, i couldn't comprehend the depth if the statement. Now i can.)

We try to make some extra bucks by dishonest means to unweave a few threads of the social fabric. Some get a tight slap in return, but most turn a deaf ear to it. Next time, before you cry foul play, see to it that nobody is crying the same in your name.

Replacing your work values will go miles in achieving a healthy working environment, the most important being psychological, reducing stress and anxiety. The workload will be shed faster. people will admire you not for being the CM or PM or any official on the high post, but for being a humble server and they will try to take a leaf out of your book.

A prosperous society is in the end a byproduct, where every thread in the fabric is strong enough. You cannot beat the quality of such a fabric.

This is the only way in which our current 'Worm culture' can be transformed into a 'Work culture' that we can be proud of.

Any takers?

-Kaustubh.