If there is such a thing as work-life balance, I am yet to discover it. It is as yet unclear if that is a "me" problem, or a "system" problem. Why not explore both?
23lakh Indians are directly or indirectly employed by the great Indian IT machine. A 53.7 Billion $ machine.However the numbers do not stagger. There is an utter lack of imagination in the work that gets done. Although i'm sure its good business sense to develop a document that sets in stone exactly what is expected out of a service company, adhering to that document as pontifical instruction seems to paint a dull picture. If people are employed in a service whose model is based on repetitive, unimaginative serviceline stuff, pretty soon that quality reflects in their personality. I may be grossly generalizing, but thus far i have been proved more often right than wrong. So quite possibly a gloom and doom atmos might be to blame.
Having taken up an apartment pretty close by to work, along with people who work in the same company, i also eat there, my day is consumed by "work" life. There is no separation between work and life. A few hours of guitar a day maybe the only escape from routine. I hate routine. I hate meeting the same people day-in, day-out. It may be that i eventually don't really get close to anyone,and noone really knows me. But i can bear that albatross. There is a dull knowing when you meet people you met just a short while back. There is no impetus to be creative, imaginative, or at the very least, interesting. Of course, for me, it's impossible to be in a situation where i meet new people everyday. Maybe there are people like that. I envy them.
Beyond a certain point, everyone is the same. The only thing that differentiates people is the people we meet and the books we read. I suppose reading more books can, atleast temporarily move me to a different world. I think i crave that. Alternate reality. The stuff Indian cinema is made of.
I suppose this rant draws to a conclusion when i realise i need more cinema in my life. But the problem is surely more deep-seated. More soul-searching will ensue.
