CALLING IT A DAY...

          “Come home this weekend, at least. Else, don’t come even for the semester holidays. Neighbors would be asking who you are.” This was mom’s mock – anger in phone. To be frank, I wanted to get home at the earliest. But, the festivals kept on coming, as it is the case during even semesters and I didn’t want to miss anything.  For hostellers, getting back home becomes a prestigious issue. People who tend to go home every weekend are seen as toddlers usually. Hence, I also wanted to live up to it and controlled my curiosity. Over three to four weeks, this yearning continued to dwell and finally, I decided to go, telling my roommate, “Dude, I don’t want to get back there at all. It would be futile and boring. However, mom wants me to come. There’s no way out.”

          After a tiring bus travel, the dinner satisfied me. And, mom informed me that the next day (Saturday) was going to be her last working day at LIC, Cuddalore. Yeah, she had been promoted and was transferred to Vrudhachalam. She asked me to come to the farewell party the next day since dad wasn’t in a position to attend it due to his work commitments.

          In the morning, mom wore a new silk sari which her women colleagues had gifted her. She told they wanted her to wear it that day. Her words came out in a fancily emotional tone. She reminded me to come in the noon and left along with dad. I had my own agenda for the forenoon and went there at about 1:30. Mom was in a hurry without having any valid reason. She walked from one corner of the office to the other in a frantic pace. I could see the vehemence in her movements and she was constantly telling me, “Go and eat. Lunch is being served in the other room over there.” The usual calm woman in mom had disappeared and she became tensed unnecessarily for shortage of plates, which would have been handled in a placid way. To some of her mates, she asked more than thrice the same question. “Have you eaten? Was the menu okay?” Since it was a half – working day, customers had left by then and only the employees were present.

          Finally, when lunch session was over, the formal meeting started at around 2:15. There were almost 50 people gathered in the hall and one man started addressing them. Mom was seated at the centre but she seldom faced the people. Her trademark smile was missing and she kept seeing emptily towards the ground. Five or six spoke one by one, appreciating mom for her active involvement in multifarious activities. Mom’s usual broad grin in response to such kudos with some marked shyness was visibly absent. She was evidently controlling tears and her eyes were soaked in red as if applied with too much glycerin.

          Many people, from the range of mutual acquaintances to very close ones, gifted this or that to her. She had earlier asked me to take some photographs and as I focused the crowd, I could see an extra – ordinary calmness in there. Nobody stood, moved or conversed and some could be seen wiping their tears and trying to smile falsely for the photo. When all started praising her for the immense service she had done during Tsunami relief, I cursed myself for thinking her as a useless person wasting time in good – for – nothing activities.

          Finally, when mom spoke in acknowledgement, I came to know that she had joined duty in the year 1991. 24 years at the same place! Exactly the same period that Sachin Tendulkar was active in the cricket arena. “My life for 24 years between 22 yards, it’s hard to believe that that has come to an end”, echoed in me. The only difference was that was Sach’s retirement while this was mom’s relieving function. As mom uttered a line or two, one of the women sitting amongst the crowd, closed her mouth with a towel and left the place in a hurry. When she came back after 10 minutes or so, it was clear she had cried a lot. Her face was wrinkled badly and she seemed to have come out of continuous insomnia. By then, mom was crying even more. She pressed her teeth very hard so that the words came out in an effective manner and was thanking all her compatriots again and again.

          After the vote of thanks, there were some informal pictures to be snapped. When two ladies came near to congratulate mom one last time, they hugged each other and wept uncontrollably. They had become a family and the branch was mom’s home for almost half of her life till now. Mom apparently wished to prolong the sentimental day by distributing some old files and documents to the people concerned. She kept checking her bag repeatedly for something. She walked towards the place where lunch had been distributed and asked the peon to disburse the vessels to the catering people properly. He nodded, staring at me. She must have told him the same thing, I thought.

          In the present scenario of industrialization, globalization and so many other tions, is it possible to work with the same organization for more than 5 years? People want to belong to the society of elite and keep switching jobs every now and then. The end result would be luxury with loneliness and monetary benefits with mental problems. Can one gain this type of hug and emotional farewell in this corporate world?

          On the flipside, I thought about my college life. Almost half of it has flown by without me noticing the count of days. Mahn, two years have gone and in the next two years, I would have to leave CEG. I don’t know how it would be. A thought of getting debarred and starting afresh so as to enjoy it right from the beginning went through my mind. If one woman can arouse these many feelings, it’s going to be the parting of almost a thousand people at a time, on the same day. Tears fell of my eyes and I wanted to forget it. The only way of consolation is WHWEREVER WE GO, LET’S BE IN TOUCH.