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It is now more than 5 years since I retired, left IIT KGP, and started living (physically) in this metropolis called Hyderabad.
I regret to say that I still feel very much a square peg in a round hole or the other way round.
In their work culture Hyderabad and IIT KGP are poles apart.
They generate enormous real wealth here continuously day and night. By this I mean cash, houses, cars, gold ornaments, brick and mortar, fruits and vegetables, flowers, and goods and services required for real wealth generation. Everyone works here; even the traffic signal beggars and vendors and the benign policemen that look the other way.
In IIT KGP we had none of these; but I guess we did generate lots and lots of virtual wealth. By this I mean mostly gas, useless but interesting knowledge (like cosmology, not to be confused with real-wealth-generating astrology), published papers (good for thonga industry; i.e. lifafa or paper bags), some little-known degrees, prizes, awards, and hundreds of twinklings of understanding in thousands of youthful eyes...amidst mosquito bites....
Of that life Shakespeare knew well:
It is now more than 5 years since I retired, left IIT KGP, and started living (physically) in this metropolis called Hyderabad.
I regret to say that I still feel very much a square peg in a round hole or the other way round.
In their work culture Hyderabad and IIT KGP are poles apart.
They generate enormous real wealth here continuously day and night. By this I mean cash, houses, cars, gold ornaments, brick and mortar, fruits and vegetables, flowers, and goods and services required for real wealth generation. Everyone works here; even the traffic signal beggars and vendors and the benign policemen that look the other way.
In IIT KGP we had none of these; but I guess we did generate lots and lots of virtual wealth. By this I mean mostly gas, useless but interesting knowledge (like cosmology, not to be confused with real-wealth-generating astrology), published papers (good for thonga industry; i.e. lifafa or paper bags), some little-known degrees, prizes, awards, and hundreds of twinklings of understanding in thousands of youthful eyes...amidst mosquito bites....
Of that life Shakespeare knew well:
Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
this our life exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.I would not change it.
Honestly, I have nothing against work: As Harris said: "I love work; I like to watch others work".
But here they don't let me watch it: they sermonize. And for one who sermonized for his living for 40 years at IIT KGP, it is tough to be at the wrong end of the stick.
I try to pull a long face, avert eye contact, walk alone, sip tea alone in pavement stalls and hide myself away from the public eye.
All this unusual behavior makes them suspicious and I am a bit of a talk at the pensioner's linked-in working groups here; and I am told so. About half a dozen strangers did succeed in breaking my repulsive barrier and tried to encourage me.
Let me dump them in one group and call them Workaholics Anonymous (WA).
Here are the occasional snatches of our Conversation all rolled into one:
WA: I am told you retired from IIT KGP. What was your subject?
gps: Physics
WA: Very paying. My neighbor's son left IIT Chennai Physics and started coaching here. He is busy from 8 AM to 10 PM and earns a lot of money
gps: Good
WA: He says he needs Helpers badly
gps: I can understand
WA: Shall I suggest your name?
gps: No thanx..I forgot all Physics
WA: How do you spend your time?
gps: Fine
WA: I mean what do you DO?
gps: This and that
WA: Like what?
gps: I keep writing
WA: Lots of money in Physics writing
gps: Yes
WA: On what subject do you write?
gps: Mostly reminiscence
WA: What is that?
gps: Memories of childhood and IIT KGP
WA: One should not live in the past. One should live in the ever-present
gps: Sometimes in the future too
WA:What do you mean?
gps; I worry about day after tomorrow's blog
WA: What is blog?
gps: It rhymes with log, slog, frog, bog, cog, dog, fog, hog, jog, smog..
WA: Do you write poetry?
gps: Occasionally
WA: What poetry?
gps: Limericks mostly
WA: What is limerick?
gps: It rhymes with brick, thick, wick, flick, prick, stick...
WA: Is there lot of money in them?
gps: Pots
WA: I am too old to work, but I do social service
gps: Me too
WA: But I see you always shuffling along the road and sipping tea here and there
gps; That is my social work
WA: How?
gps: Encouraging small-scale Industries
WA: Do you live in a rented house or your own?
gps: My son pays the rent; I only live
WA: Here is my Business Card. Can I have yours?
gps: I have placed an order....I shall give one as soon as I get
WA: Very interesting and fruitful discussion. We must meet often.
gps: Yes
WA: Do you like Tea or Coffee?
gps: Yes
WA: Light or strong?
gps: Yes
WA: Are you a devotee of Tirupati Balajee or Shirdi Sai Baba?
gps: Yes
WA: I must be going.I have a meeting of Rotary Club to attend
gps: Yes, yes, yes, yes...
...Posted by Ishani
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Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
this our life exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.I would not change it.
Honestly, I have nothing against work: As Harris said: "I love work; I like to watch others work".
But here they don't let me watch it: they sermonize. And for one who sermonized for his living for 40 years at IIT KGP, it is tough to be at the wrong end of the stick.
I try to pull a long face, avert eye contact, walk alone, sip tea alone in pavement stalls and hide myself away from the public eye.
All this unusual behavior makes them suspicious and I am a bit of a talk at the pensioner's linked-in working groups here; and I am told so. About half a dozen strangers did succeed in breaking my repulsive barrier and tried to encourage me.
Let me dump them in one group and call them Workaholics Anonymous (WA).
Here are the occasional snatches of our Conversation all rolled into one:
WA: I am told you retired from IIT KGP. What was your subject?
gps: Physics
WA: Very paying. My neighbor's son left IIT Chennai Physics and started coaching here. He is busy from 8 AM to 10 PM and earns a lot of money
gps: Good
WA: He says he needs Helpers badly
gps: I can understand
WA: Shall I suggest your name?
gps: No thanx..I forgot all Physics
WA: How do you spend your time?
gps: Fine
WA: I mean what do you DO?
gps: This and that
WA: Like what?
gps: I keep writing
WA: Lots of money in Physics writing
gps: Yes
WA: On what subject do you write?
gps: Mostly reminiscence
WA: What is that?
gps: Memories of childhood and IIT KGP
WA: One should not live in the past. One should live in the ever-present
gps: Sometimes in the future too
WA:What do you mean?
gps; I worry about day after tomorrow's blog
WA: What is blog?
gps: It rhymes with log, slog, frog, bog, cog, dog, fog, hog, jog, smog..
WA: Do you write poetry?
gps: Occasionally
WA: What poetry?
gps: Limericks mostly
WA: What is limerick?
gps: It rhymes with brick, thick, wick, flick, prick, stick...
WA: Is there lot of money in them?
gps: Pots
WA: I am too old to work, but I do social service
gps: Me too
WA: But I see you always shuffling along the road and sipping tea here and there
gps; That is my social work
WA: How?
gps: Encouraging small-scale Industries
WA: Do you live in a rented house or your own?
gps: My son pays the rent; I only live
WA: Here is my Business Card. Can I have yours?
gps: I have placed an order....I shall give one as soon as I get
WA: Very interesting and fruitful discussion. We must meet often.
gps: Yes
WA: Do you like Tea or Coffee?
gps: Yes
WA: Light or strong?
gps: Yes
WA: Are you a devotee of Tirupati Balajee or Shirdi Sai Baba?
gps: Yes
WA: I must be going.I have a meeting of Rotary Club to attend
gps: Yes, yes, yes, yes...
...Posted by Ishani
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