Sitting Idle

I suddenly had a thunder and lightning revelation. That a lot of people are just sitting around the whole day, doing almost nothing. And that might well be what they are supposed to do, in some cases at least.

Single shop owners in a mom and pop store, restaurant cashiers, chowkidars (watchmen or 'security' as they are mistakenly addressed), and so on. These guys are sitting around all day, except when a customer/visitor disturbs them. Maybe in the newer organised retail stores, they stand rather than sit. Or re-arrange the inventory, or clean the shelves.

Drivers is another category: their lives must be boring as hell, when they are not driving. Imagine having to sit and wait for hours. They can't go anywhere, in case they are needed. But if they aren't? Just wait endlessly.

If we count this population as a percentage, it might be substantial. Maybe the ipods (or their local counterparts) are a solace to some of them, if they are interested in music. But I cannot even begin to understand what the rest of them do.


4 comments:

Meghna said...

Drivers, I have seen, play cards and exchange crucial gossip about their employers.

Diamond Head said...

some exult in IDOL worship as they IDLE..on a separate or somewhat related note (cannot make up the mind - no mascara) the name SIT-ARAM may have been well chosen

Rajendra said...

Yes, that might be a way to keep information available democratically, Meghna.

Ha, ha. Sit-aaram indeed. That's brilliant! Was there a subliminal message in the Ramayan too?

Diamond Head said...

don't think so in a R(e)am-a-Ya(w)n

XLRI Doctoral Colloquium 2024

 Pics from a well-organised event.  With TAS Vijayaraghavan, my classmate and XLRI prof., and Dr. Prashant, host. My talk on Building Academ...

These Were Liked a Lot