Only work & no play

Is the IT sector's decision to work on bandhs a political gimmick or sign of the state's improving work culture?
Last Monday was a bandh. It was an extended weekend of sorts that kept the festive spirit going for most Kolkatans. However, even as most of the city remained in deep slumber enjoying the last holiday on that Monday morning, not all was quiet on the eastern fringes of the city.Sector V in Salt Lake or the IT hub of the city, as it is popularly known as, was bustling with activity as hordes of employees made their way to work as early as 5.30 in the morning to beat the 12-hour bandh called by the Trinamul Congress. The place was choc-a-bloc with company buses, pool cars and the like.
While one could not help but appreciate this almost 100 per cent turnout even in the wee hours of the morning for perhaps the first time, there was another question silently doing the rounds. A week and some retrospection later, one wonders whether this truly is the beginning of a new era of work culture in the city or just another hyped up political gimmick by the state government to prove a point to the October 4 Bangalore bandh where the IT sector and the BPOs came to a standstill by participating in the same? From what we gathered, the opinions seemed clearly divided.
"This almost 100 per cent attendance does not, in any way, prove the emergence of a new work culture in the city. If it is the work culture we are so concerned about, then why was it that only the IT sector was made to work? Is it that only the IT sector incurs losses and others don't? Attendance at the Writers Buildings was sparse. There was no pressure on people working in banks to come to work. We can give thousands of other examples. The IT sector is targeted always because the government has a point to prove. Not that we are grumbling that we had to come for work. But this is no reason why we should take it as an example of the work culture having changed in Bengal. It is the vested interest of the government that gets reflected here," says Rakesh Sengupta working for an IT company in Sector V.
Echoing his view is Alolika Nandy who works for another reputed IT company and had to report to work as early as 5.30 in the morning. "There is absolutely no complaining that we had to come in for work that early on a day that was supposed to be a holiday for most. Who likes to sit back at home on a Monday morning? But if you were to ask me about whether this is an instance of the emergent work culture in the city, I would say no. The real success of the government would have been if it had got people in other sectors to work as well instead of getting only the IT sector to work."
A young techie on conditions of anonymity says, "The fact that there was so much of hue and cry falls flat in the sense that after a packed early morning, work was pretty slack all day long. Everyone seemed to be in a party mode. A large number of companies even lured their employees to work with promises of an office sponsored party and the like. Would you call this the emergence of a work culture? Getting the entire IT hub to work is according to me is only a political gimmick."
However, most employers had a different tale to tell. Refusing to buy the logic that employees were forced into coming to work, they preferred to stand by the government. Sandip Banerjee, administrative head of a software firm, says, "Ours is a 24X7 global industry and each person involved with this sector understands the blow a day could cause to the business. Losses could result in crores. It's very good that the government has realised the importance and made the necessary arrangements. Instead of finding fault with the ways of the government, why not look at the brighter side? Maybe, the attendance percentage would actually set examples for other sectors to follow in future."
In a state where the shadows of a bandh always loom large and the next one not far away on December 14, the question that is uppermost in most minds is why can't we do away with bandhs itself ? Well, that's a subject of debate and will probably take sometime to be resolved.
riddhima.seal@timesgroup.com