The Coffee Break

Dazed after one hour of car horns, sweat and people yelling at each other, I reach the air-conditioned office entrance. There is a long queue for the lift, so I take the side entrance. Three flights of stairs later, I sigh as I open the bay doors. A familiar face waves at me, or someone just smiles, or mumbles a "Good Morning". I wave back, smile or get into a quick chat.

I reach my desk, almost in time for the scrum call of the day. There is always the-latecomer, the-one-who-has-already-fixed 2 issues for the day, and the just-in-time one. I arrange my desk with utmost care so much so that someone watching me would lose patience. Forty-five minutes of essay questions, rapid fire rounds and irrelevant laughter pass by.

Then comes the favorite part, coffee break. 

But, not yet. 

First the headphones come down and the snacks come out. Then the leg pulling happens. There is always the-one-soft-target. Stuffing our faces while already talking about lunch, we walk towards the breakout area, hoping to find it empty. Gossip of the day, oh-did-you-know, the new pub in town, the new food joint, all very important topics are discussed while we fill our cups one by one.

Then the-enthu-cutlet speaks up and reminds us all to get back to work, or rather, start work.

Back at our desks, every 15 minutes, there is a work discussion, every 40 minutes comes a topic where everybody has an opinion. Our discussion solves nothing, but it is very important to make your point. The oh-please-let-me-work tells us off and we get back to work.

 The too-many-questions, the-funny-face, the-logic-brain, the-food-fanatic, the-movie-buff, the-always-annoyed, the-shy, the-witty, the-strict, all have something to say, all have something to discuss.

 Work gets done! Food gets eaten! Opinion gets shared! Emotions get expressed!

 And now, I wake up, and I start work!

Entrepreneur is a big word

I attended a meeting on behalf of my aunt today. 

It was a simple meeting to explain a change in the invoicing process of a company.

Half an hour meeting. 

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So why am I writing about it?

Here's why!

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There's not a day that goes by without hearing the word entrepreneur.

Business development specialists, digital marketers, freelancers, tech startups, everybody is using this word.

Everyone wants to be Self-made! Self-sufficient! 

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In this call were 30 "entrepreneurs" who have been left behind in the technology race.

They started with nothing and built their brands in an age when mobile phones were non-existent.

They walked, changed buses and trains to get customers, to expand their businesses.

They did not become Tatas or Birlas, but they have struggled too, they have stories too.

I felt their confident stride, their voice and their air of achievement quaver a bit as they tried to understand all these big, fancy terms.

I suppose most of them would be on the brink of their retirements.

Do they really need this now? 

Most of the self-made people I know wish to make money and retire by 40 and live in a condo by the beach drinking beer, making barbecue. 

And then there are these people - still learning, still growing, still eagerly catching up with the fast moving world.

They didn't even know the word entrepreneur back in their time.

They made themselves, their families, the dreams of their children, and are still making a living!

Does self-made seem a good enough word for them?