From Pocket Money to Salaries

Revisiting a memory of our college, we realise how things have changed. Settling in life then meant getting a job and being able to manage our own expenses.

But no one ever told us about those impractical deadlines and peevish bosses that were waiting to make our life hell.

Here we are in conversation with some discontented Punekars who miss those good old days when they got pocket money than rebukes from their bosses.

“I report to an irritated lady every day, says Ritika Solanki, a designer at city’s leading boutique.

“As someone rightly said that a woman is a woman’s best enemy, this proves apt for me. Every morning, a lady at her 40-something greets me with a manual containing outfit details from various clients. And she expects me to complete two designs daily.

“Every day I too wait for a new designer to join the boutique so that I can leave her and take off to the Himalayas,” she adds.

Chinmay Joshi who thinks of his office life as a scene from a Bollywood masala movie, says “Everyone would agree with me that life after college is living to make ends meet and pay bills. And on top of that if you have colleagues and bosses like mine, it typically resembles a scene from the movie Sholay.

“Our Sardar (boss) is no different from Amjad Khan in the movie, ready to slash everyone with his belt (here the incentive); that always has a Sambha, buttering his derrière. And I, like the rest from the troop struggle my life out in the insecurity that I might be the next who will be killed (kicked out) for laughing aloud (any damn reason).

Preity Desai, a finance associate, says, “I always wanted to work in the corporate sector. Dressed in formals, giving presentations and enjoying team outings. But it was only after four months that I realised the evils of being a corporate employee.

“It’s like being a bonded labour of a Hitler who leaves no stone unturned to insult you in public. Paying me peanuts, he expects me to work ten hours impressing his U.S delegates with a skilfully prepared financial report that will eventually be thrown in trash because they won’t like it and I have to work on it thrice before they pitifully accept it.”

Speaking about his own experience, Sahil Ranpara, says “Soon after completing graduation I took a job in a leading conglomerate. It was huge for me. But soon I realised those salary credits, incentives and allowances were not pleasing any more. My associates at office, now appeared devils to me and my boss topped the list. I decided to get out of the vicious circle and study further. I was sick of the daily drill.

“Now I do work part-time because I have to pay my bills in dollars, but at least I enjoy what I do rather than weakening my eye-sight in front of a computer and trust me this feeling is revitalising than working nine-to-five.”

Folks, we all are caught in the vicious circle but only some blessed souls get a chance to relive those golden memories.

 

Loveleen Kaur