The Crab Mentality...

"Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian" better known as King Triton's right hand man... eeerr... Crab and Ariel's appointed overseer... his theory is never let children get out of hand... "give dem an inch and dey swim all over you" he says...

He tries his best to follow his King's orders and keep Ariel safe and away from everything foreign... but when all fails.. he grudgingly follows the princess on her adventures above the sea... and slowly becomes Ariel's lovable guide & wellwisher....

However not all crabs can boast of this attitude... in fact have you ever noticed crabs which have been caught and put together in a large wicker basket? Probably they all know that they are going to die... But when one of them refuses to accept his impending fate and makes an effort to get out of this deathtrap... the others carefully watch it try to escape and just at the point when it is about to scale the top, they quickly grab his last leg and pull him back in. If they cant have their freedon to live... they all have to die together!!

That my friends is called the 'crab mentality'... something I am very sorry to say that middle class bangalis excercise with utmost precision, especially at workplace...

I say 'middle class bangalis' because the SEG lower than that is too tired, fighting their odds in life to have any interest in all these issues... and the upper echelon of bangalis have their hands full with their lifes upkeeps to bother their well-coiffured heads with such petty issues...

While, the middle class snubs the ones below them and tries to ape all they can from the lives of those above them in the society...

They while away their precious time in vicious gossip... scheming... and harmful mechanisations.

I am really appalled at the current nauseating odor of crab mentality that has seeped into the corporate culture of a workplace...

Any other caste would love to have more people of the same caste working with them... (which is understandable & acceptable...) But NOT the MCBs (Middle class Bangali). They will never be happy to see someone of their caste climb the ladders and do well for themselves... NO Sir... no way!! You have to be like them... stay like them... miserably satisfied with their lot...!!!

The snickers, the looks, the whisperings, the exchange of hurried glances... the gossip mill runs over time till the object of discussion... furious, frustrated, disheartehed, demoralized decides to call it a day... then there is a sudden lull... one can almost fell touch of the mental high fives & the silent jubilations that runs through... Yess... the MCBs have done it again...

The company loses a good manpower to Crab mentality!!!

(My heart felt apologies to all my friends & some people I now who may be middle class Bangalis, but does not give in to the provocation of following this mentality.... Sorry guys.. but I think you know the point I am trying to make here.... Cheers!!!)

A Break-through... A tiny ray of hope....

I joined Big Music in the month of Jan 08, I was very happy about getting back to my own industry...Event management...
An awesome office... good colleagues...I was all set to enjoy my sparkling new job...
It got off to a good start.. with a couple of events... However... it was not to be....as time went by... there were no events happening...
The management was obviously not amused...!!!
On top of that people I thought to be my friends .. did a 'volt e face' ... as if that was not enough...I heard people complaining about me on issues which were alien to me...
While I was grappling with these issues, I got to know that the person whom I respected & trusted the most... was actually behind the whole scheme of things...
Disillusioned & disheartened, I withdrew... putting up my defenses... almost like a tortoise... I stopped interacting with everyone... just went to office... rushed to meetings... made presentations & cost sheets...
Nothing seemed to be materializing... I was in utter despair...I had really started feeling tensed about the whole thing I lost sleep and was slowly getting into a state of depression...losing confidence in my ability...
I couldn't share this with my parents, because I knew it would worry them... & I couldn't tell my brother either ... the poor guy has enough on his plate anyway...

A colleague of mine who knew the whole story, realised what was happening and told me..." Dont withdraw into yourself this way... you will just push people away... thats a very negative approach.. you will suddenly become lonely..."
That was when I decided.. I was not in office to win a favourites contest... I had to prove my mettle....I was not a loser... I needed to fight back...

Thats exactly what I did... I kept working... calling & meeting prospective clients ...
In office... I slowly worked on interacting normally with my co-workers...Colleagues are colleagues not friends... (something new I learnt... coz in organizations I had worked earlier had yielded me a few very good friends...)

And then it gave... A sudden break-through... my sincere hard work paid off...
I just hope I am not saying this too soon.... but I think that I have atlast broken the jinx...!!!
I got My first work order after joining BIG MUSIC!!!

I think I should take this oppertunity to thank a few of my friends who pulled me out of the 'wallowing in self -pity mode' .... "Always remember,You are the best!!!" they said..." keep faith in yourself... all will be well..."
Thank you Dada... Thank you Mozz...God bless you...
I also remembered something my Ma, (who is an ardent fan of 'Sant Kabir') keeps telling me... "Sab din jaat na ek samana" meaning that there will always be ups & downs in life .. all days will not be the same... one should neither be too overconfident nor lose hope...
Ma... no matter how much we agree to disagree on certain issues... I am grateful to the Almighty for gifting me such an 'irritatingly wonderful' mother... (muuuuuuuuuaaaaah!)
As for Papa... he can never believe that his tomboyish daughter can ever... EVER lack confidence.... Love you Pa!!