Introduction to The Gita
For a spring morning, it was ferociously hot. The dust kicked up by the hooves of the thousands of horses felt like baked hot wooden sphincters puncturing the face but this was war, and it hadn’t begun yet. Two massive armies stood facing each other gauging the others’ might before the conch is blown to signal the start. They would fight until sunset.
But one brave warrior stood atop his chariot, at the center, bisecting the space between the armies. He looked ahead at his cousins, his teachers, his ancestors, his relatives… He was going to kill them all if he was to survive. He turned around to see his brothers behind him. Each of them eager to fight and prepared for the struggle.
The lone warrior wiped the sweat from above his brow, and raised his armoured left arm to reveal his gold plated Piaget sundial, and sighed as he spoke.
“Keshav, there is just six hours to sunset. I’m afraid if we don’t begin the fight soon, this sundial will be of no use.”
The charioteer smiled a wry smile and spoke with firm conviction demanding the listener’s complete attention.
“Arjun, my friend. Don’t be in haste. I have something to tell you…”
Or you may as well call it Manufacturing. But not to be confused with another term that spells the same and refers to something that the Politicians and babus of this great nation are found lacking in.
What I am venturing out to say is that what you see as a whole, being rolled out of an assembly line is more glossy than the sins hidden underneath. I have acquainted myself with these sins and, I admit to have also sinned just to avoid additional rework (like we don’t have enough to deal with already!). Cables getting stuck at the ‘U’ Bolt at the rear axle can only be replaced by removing the tyres and the brake drum and the dust covers – a process that can take up to two hours including re-fitment. Or I could just snap the wires and make a new joint with the use of a wire-cutter and bits of insulation tape – a process that takes a mere four minutes. I think if one is a regular jolly good fellow of the species, one would choose the latter solution. It saves time, effort (and therefore is efficient) and is not easily noticed by inspectors especially if the vehicle in question passes all the functional tests which it is bound to (after all, nothing’s wrong with it). So much for engineering and design for assembly. Ethical cheating – no harm done.
My last week was pathetic and pathetic is the word that best describes it. Quite a contrast to the present one where I am able to find time to notice that the abdomen actually swells up when I inhale and recedes when I exhale (have you noticed this?).
There is an opening next year to get into Human Resource and Welfare which is something I could be considering (should be). It is the life of bliss I’ve been looking for and totally outside of all the struggle. The opportunity rests on the retirement of a particularly charming personality. The retirement is certain but the uncertainty lies in yours truly getting appointed to take the gentleman’s place. God, we need to have a chat, say what?
Just an update: CFSFN now costs 23 smackers. If you had bought one soon after I reviewed it (see ‘Chocolate Sunday’), you could have saved some money and if you liked it, you could have saved upwards of 30 bucks!
