வைரமுத்து கவிதை - இது போதும் எனக்கு

I spent yesterday with my dad. He is on leave. I told him to take rest the complete day, but he was very thoughtful about the bills of the month to be settled. He can't contain any work that is to be done. It will destroy his peace. Yes, and thinking about this I said ok but we two will go and settle all bills, he won't send me alone too, we have 3 to settle, 1 EB and 2 airtel. It was so hot outside he ordered me not to come. An interesting thing about my family is, we 4 of them won't hear any of the other 3's words. This was discovered by my brother. I said, we two will go else you stay at home, I give you two options, you choose one. He said, 'Vandhu tholai, veyilaa irukaennu sonna' (ok come, I told bcoz it was so hot outside, he said in a strong tone). I laughed and said, "Athu".

I well know my father likes to take me outside but not if I'm gonna suffer even a bit. But it doesn't matter for me than my dad. We went to post office to pay our EB bill. Three of them were on their place with no of the customer standing, it was empty. Only 4 of the staffs were there, 3 of them sitting in their places.

We went to the first counter, she was a lady sitting in her chudithar. I usually have a tendency to observe almost everything esp. people. Her appearance on first glance stated she is so lethargic and she proved it in the next second. My dad asked her so politely whether EB bills are convenient to accept this time. He usually is so kind and polite to others. I hate being so polite where its not mean. Being kind and polite is good but I won't be in the situation where people react so irrespecting. She acted so, she didn't even answered my dad, but suddenly a man near her answered, 'yes sir'. I got anger at her but the man's response subsided me. Then she received the card and without any responsibility to make it complete for the customer, she was talking about the current cut and the inverter to the man sitting beside. She was stirring my anger, but the only good thing about my anger is I will wait to show it in the right time and in the right tone, but the worst thing about that is, i'm so brutally honest. Usually I have myself in control if I'm with someone because my response would hurt them. I kept quite but I was staring at her without my eyes off. She was murmuring with the man standing beside her for mins and the man took leave. Then she was typing so reluctantly in system and settled the bill. She was having the coin box before our eyes on her table and asked my dad the change. My dad usually forgets and this day it was hard for him to concentrate on other things so he forgot and I too. He said sorry I have forgot to bring change and then she reluctantly picked up the coins and placed strongly in the desk above. I hate it, what was she paid every month? Postal departments are now replaced with mobile messages, emails, video conferencing etc.. so they should be so active to work for the negligible amount of customers who come there once in a while.

While coming down I asked my dad, 'Why are you bending more than your backbone's flexibility?'. He answered, 'Being polite is not wrong'. I said, 'Its wrong for such people, you make their backbone rust'. He said, 'Yes she is so lethargic but we have to bring the change amount, its our responsibility to be perfect'. I said, 'Its not just about the change but its her attitude talking to her colleagues, why can't she do that after everyone is off (though we are the only people there)'. I added, 'We have many duties out in the sun to accomplish, but she has this only job in the shade why can't she do that with at least a small percent of sincerity?'. Dad answered, 'I think hot atmosphere made you so hot as well' and he added, ' If you show what you have, they will trouble you, then it will turn a problem for you and its a total waste of time in the end'. I said, 'I will in the right tone and in the right time'.

Then we headed along the path while dad said, 'See how good it was to have you coming with me outside, come with me, if you come with me, I can so proudly show the world, 'Enakoru magal irukaal' ( I have a daughter - that MGR song revisited). I laughed.

He then too me to airtel shop. He already told me that one girl there speaks with dashing her eye lashes so often thinking its so style but he hate that behaviour. I first said it would be some disorder, my dad smiled and said, 'The way she do that is like disorder only'. I smiled.

While reaching there I remembered this and asked my dad, 'Is that girl here?'. He said, 'Yes, you remember it well'. We entered. There were 3 staffs, two girls and one boy. All of them were with 2 customers. My dad went to the boy. Again my instinct of observation said, he is sincere. He proved it. He sent one customer complete and started taking bill amount for the next customer who had 2 bills to complete. He made it a bit late for getting the phone numbers he was on call. So the boy turned to my dad and asked, 'Whether shall I finish yours, tell me your number'. That time the previous customer ended his call and turned to the boy. My dad said, 'Complete him and we shall see mine later'. The boy said in a polite tone, 'Shall I finish that before you, ok'.

In the middle, I was observing all the other staffs and customers. The girl sitting next to the boy and the girl sitting next to her was acting like heroines on the interview. One old man with all white in his head was bending before the girl and asking so ignorantly, 'what happened why I can't make calls?', she was responding, 'your validity has ended'. I understood that he didn't understand what she said, but she didn't made an effort to make him understand what was the problem and what he can do to rectify it in the future. The girl beside her didn't take any customer to solve by herself instead she told in a strong tone to the next girl's customer who asked a doubt, it implies that she knows what it was and she is tired of making him understand. Then why for they tend to get customers who were not updated to all the techs they knew? If you want customers from all phase, you should have the patience and politeness to make them comfortable with what you provide. In the mean time, one guy who came there went off and none of them thought it was a loss.

Anyways, then one call came and seeing that number she got anxious and said its the same number he is asking why his balance amount didn't pile up even after recharging it before half an hour. The boy said, 'it will in the evening'. The girl asked, 'then why are you saying it will in 5mins. The boy said, 'Dont leave the call unanswered take it and say it will in the evening'. She didn't. When the boy completes ours, he was having 10rs to return to us, he didn't have it so asked the near by girl, 'Madam, can you give me 10rs, I have to pay this customer'. He was asking so politely but she didn't responded. Lately she said, 'Irunga' (Wait). She was having it right before her and she was not even doing an important job.

Then a new girl came as though she had went out for having lunch. By mean time I was thinking between the two girls whether she is the one dad said. Later I found in a glance that the girl entered was so. She acted like the master of the other two. The boy completed it and we left.

While taking scooty my dad asked, 'You were so obeserving inside, what did you observe?'. I said, 'Nothing, how they work'. My dad smiled back. I said, 'You know I play a game cake mania, in that game all the customers were heading in queue, I have to make the cake so faster to make them satisfied and should not leave anyone without cake, it will affect the next amount of customers I have and the faster I satisfy the more amount I earn and I have to gain more customers to complete the day's target'. I said, 'We have to make them play that game once. Then they can know in what place they were sitting'. My dad said, 'That game can be in the interview they take'.