Dozing off and waking up in fits of boredom induced stupor, it was difficult to ascertain what was real and what was imaginary. The ambiance had played a perfect foil to eliminate whatever little chances there were of keeping awake and alert. The centrally air-conditioned conference hall lit comfortably and in a sleepy tenor by chic fashionable lamps coupled with a comfortable chair far away from the main speaker who had an extraordinary capacity to maintain a singular drone gave a perfect setting to doze off and fly away from what i was 'officially' supposed to do - attend a presentation by the Chief General Manager of MEBI as part of an JRS delegation on a study tour of Capital Markets.
It is incredible how bureaucracy has increased my patience and my capability to tolerate and survive hours and hours of conferences, seminars, presentations and other such members of that horrible array of nouns used to describe a group of people often sitting and wasting a lot of productive time , the net result of which is a big CIPHER.
Initially as I sat through one of the many seminars and meetings that we were regularly supposed to attend I would feel suffocated and after a point of time I would feel a total loss of control over my motor abilities and find myself on the verge of a violent and uncontrollable outburst. I would feel an irresistible urge to pounce on the main speaker and beat him to pulp or strangle him.
Needless to say it often led me to wonder whether I was suffering from some mental malady, especially since a couple of times after an interminable monologue by an 'expert' on some esoteric topic of finance , I had felt the urge to bite him and claw him.
But gradually over a period of time I was conquered by that iconic dulling process which is such a voracious predator that hardly any member of the bureaucracy survives unscathed.
Thus, I developed an ability to sit through absolutely motionless broken only by regular intervals of knowing nods and informed glances through hours and hours of acoustic torture. I also developed quite a few more enviable skills, the best among which was undoubtedly the ability to sleep with my eyes absolutely open.
Needles to say, it has stood me in very good stead ever since.
Disclaimer : The work is to be treated purely and completely as (il)legal fiction and the author suitably distances himself from any opinion or the lack of it evident from the piece.
It is incredible how bureaucracy has increased my patience and my capability to tolerate and survive hours and hours of conferences, seminars, presentations and other such members of that horrible array of nouns used to describe a group of people often sitting and wasting a lot of productive time , the net result of which is a big CIPHER.
Initially as I sat through one of the many seminars and meetings that we were regularly supposed to attend I would feel suffocated and after a point of time I would feel a total loss of control over my motor abilities and find myself on the verge of a violent and uncontrollable outburst. I would feel an irresistible urge to pounce on the main speaker and beat him to pulp or strangle him.
Needless to say it often led me to wonder whether I was suffering from some mental malady, especially since a couple of times after an interminable monologue by an 'expert' on some esoteric topic of finance , I had felt the urge to bite him and claw him.
But gradually over a period of time I was conquered by that iconic dulling process which is such a voracious predator that hardly any member of the bureaucracy survives unscathed.
Thus, I developed an ability to sit through absolutely motionless broken only by regular intervals of knowing nods and informed glances through hours and hours of acoustic torture. I also developed quite a few more enviable skills, the best among which was undoubtedly the ability to sleep with my eyes absolutely open.
Needles to say, it has stood me in very good stead ever since.
Disclaimer : The work is to be treated purely and completely as (il)legal fiction and the author suitably distances himself from any opinion or the lack of it evident from the piece.
