One who works is not extolled, complains the gatekeeper of our complex. The disease he refers to obliquely is pretty widespread, so his allegation fails to raise our collective eyebrows. It will rather be surprising if instead we find everything in order.
There is an old saying that Bengalis love addas neglecting work, and there is a recent saying that addas after all are not that bad, if not at the cost of work. Doctors say they are good stress-relievers because they help in forging bonds. True, but what is important is striking a balance between work and engaging in adda. Most people understand this and appreciate that in workplace, it has to be work-now-talk-later.
The gatekeeper though hints at something else. His statement actually means that those who do not work are not hauled up. To take the argument further, one may say that those who do not work actually do other works that are totally unrelated to their jobs. This is the disease I refer above.
In a Star Ananda exposè couple of days back, it is revealed that it is possible to obtain false birth certificate by bribing KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation) officials. Their investigation also tells us that there are employees in Alipur court, who are in league with the wrong-doers in KMC in such cases.
If not engaged in wrong-doing, many office-goers routinely come late either out of habit or for the reason that they do other works to have extra earnings. It’ll not be uncommon to find employees busy doing other works even in office, which means that their attendance serve no meaningful purpose.
Needless to say, the pleasure of not working is a huge drag on government’s resources. And if bribe-taking for unlawful works is considered, it is outright dangerous for the society at large, happening ironically at government’s expense.
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