Meeting and Noting
Meeting and Noting
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By Hiranya Borah
Copyright 2017 Hiranya Borah
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Preface
It is written for humour only without any intention to tarnish image of anyone. I am trying to visualize, in a serious meeting how a group of members of the meeting can think. This is a fictitious description, nothing to do with reality. So if you find any resemblance with any character in the write-up, it is pure coincidence only.
Thanks to my readers and friends and above all my family for their constant support to write something usual and unusual. I am also thankful to those readers who review my books and give few encouraging words. I love them all.
Author
Chapter I: The Young Lady Officer
Anindita looked at the Chairman, a seventy plus fat man with some difficulty in movement. He would be at least ten to fifteen years older than her father. Then she looked to other members of the committee. All are old. She thought all the ladies probably attained menopause and all the men must have erection problem. On thinking those odd things, a wild smile went off from her lips.
She was sent by her boss to attend this high level meeting. All the male members of the Committee either her father’s age or few years away to the either side of her father’s age. She felt sorry for her thinking about the old guys few hours ago.
Similarly, ladies are mostly of her mother’s age. She is aware of the fact that her mother attained her menopause few years ago and stopped sleeping with her father. Last few years she observed that her parent’s fighting has increased manifold. However, they were united when two month’s back her marriage was solemnized with Ankit against their will. Thankfully, now they have accepted Ankit as their son in law.
She looked again to the members of the Committee, all are looked serious. From their faces it appeared, they had been entrusted a duty through which they would pull out our country from all miseries. She wondered, whether, these people are really serious or looked serious?
Anyway, she had to be remain in the meeting so that after the meeting she could be able to brief her boss about the decisions taken in the meeting.
Chapter II: A Middle Aged Member
A middle aged person was looking at the only young lady in the room for some time without any specific reason. Her age might be of her elder daughter’s age. He wondered why she was there. On the next moment, he thought, her boss might have sent her just to inform him/her on her return what were discussed. The girl was cute. She must have a husband or a lover. He is also in search of a qualified beautiful girl for his son. He removed his eyes from her fearing, she might think, why the old hack was looking at her.
He looked all other members. Most of them are of his age. All are looked very serious for a serious discussion. He knew, every member of the Committee would try to showcase his / her knowledge in front of others. Everyone would try to convince others that his/ her point of argument would carry more importance to the cause of the targeted group. But were they serious about solving the real problem?
Once, he asked his very learned boss, an expert of poverty alleviation, ‘Sir if poverty is eradicated from the earth, what will happen to us?’
His answer was very candid, ‘Many of us will be unemployed. There will be no lavish dinner at any five star hotel for us. But do not worry, we experts will never allow you to be unemployed or will allow to attain a situations where there will be full stop for lavish dinner in five star hotel or first class air travel for experts. Do you know, poverty alleviation itself generates lot of employment, particularly in hospitality sectors, like hotel and air travel?’
The middle level officer nodded his head and appreciated the candid answer of the learned boss from his heart.
Chapter III: The Chairman
For last few years, he was requesting all his juniors who are now holding top level posts to consider his name for Chairman or member of any Committee so that he can hold his head high before his nagging wife and his children. Otherwise his wife and children started thinking him as a toothless aged tiger who does not have any practical value in the society. Is it limited to society or beyond that?
Anyhow, the present boss of this organisation, who worked under him for few years and had a good relation with him, heard his request and made him Chairman of this Committee. Knowing his indecisive nature, the boss of the organisation told him categorically that the committee must submit its report within six months. The cunning old Chairman knows, the life of each Committee is always extended for at least another six months.
He tried to recall, when did he last time enjoy sex with someone, not necessarily with his wife. He forgot. But one thing he remembered, it was not with his wife; but with someone professional and it was a shameful experience. The lady who was at least forty years younger than him, taunted him for his dysfunctional instrument.
Now looking at the middle aged ladies who might be at least twenty years younger, he heaved a sigh. He did not to look at the young girl who might be at least fifty years younger than him.
He tried to concentrate on the subject of the meeting. He immediately could not remember the subject. But he was confident, once the member secretary would welcome him, in his speech he would definitely mention the subject and objective of the meeting. He smiled at himself.
Chapter IV: The Middle-aged Lady Officer
Today morning she had a bitter fight with her daughter in law for a trivial reason. She is known in her fraternity as a subject expert. But home? Her son and daughter in law think, she is nothing but a quarrelsome old lady who was divorced by her husband for her non-compromising attitude.
Today why they fought for? From yesterday, she had an indigestion problem, so she wanted boiled rice in her breakfast. She conveyed her mind to her daughter in law in the early morning. But at the dining table she was served with ‘puri subzi’ soaked with oil. When confronted the daughter in law curtly said, her husband wanted that and she did not have time for two types of breakfast.
After a big fight, she had to come to office without a proper breakfast and with a bad temper.
At office when her Assistant told her that power point presentation would take another ten minutes, though meeting was scheduled after one hour, she blasted the young lady. The young lady was virtually in tears, which gave the middle level officer some solace.
Chapter V: The Meeting Attendant
The young man of twenty four was angry from the morning due to two main reasons, one there was a big fight with his mother for his late rising from bed and he got another scolding from his boss for coming late to the office.
He does not want to come to office, because he happened to be the junior most official in the office. He has to obey everyone’s order, but he cannot give any order. In his family also being the youngest son, he has to follow everyone’s dictates, but he cannot reply to anybody, except his mother, who tolerates his tantrum up to some extent.
But he does not want to leave his job either. Now a days, getting a job by an eight drop out is next to impossible. Thanks to his cousin, who is holding a very good job in this organisation, he got this job. Though the salary is not very good, he is one of the highest paid boys among his peers.
When his boss told him that he had to arrange lunch for the meeting, his anger was somewhat subsided. He knew that after the meeting, he was going to get a good lunch. After all, though these old people would not cher
ish the lunch, he and his friends would definitely like such heavy oily food.
Chapter VI: The Decisions
The meeting lasted for three hours. Even during the lunch time the meeting went on. Everyone was coming with a new suggestions; no matter those are implementable or not. Sometimes even irrelevant discussions were carried on for hours.
The Chairman, who is not listened by his family for a single minute, grabbed the opportunity to speak majority of time during the meeting. Normally, if a serving officer is made Chairman of a Committee, he or she seldom speaks; but is able to take concrete decisions. But whenever a retired person made a Chairman is made Chairman, there is a likelihood, he/ she speaks a lot; the middle aged man thought. In the present case, the middle aged man thought, the Chairman sometimes was talking irrelevant issues mostly. The tragedy is that, in such a situation, one has to hear all the nonsense and after that, one has to praise the old man also! The middle aged man tried to have a nap. But he could not do that, as the Chairman was known to him for a long time and occasionally he was asked comments on his (Chairman’s) ‘short remark’.
The middle aged officer was praying to God to do something to end the meeting. Finally, meeting was summarized.
After a marathon meeting, no concrete decision had emerged except the following decision, ‘The final decision of the meeting was to have another brainstorming meeting in the next month so that all the members can give more and practical suggestions on the subject. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.’
The Chairman gleefully left the meeting with a hope to deliver another long lecture in the next meeting also. His importance in the eyes of his family members had been extended for another month or so.
The members of the organisation were unhappy as they have to arrange another meeting for the same issue. Particularly, the young officer who has to prepare the minutes of the meeting, was very annoyed to prepare another useless minute without a decision.
The middle aged officer, told to himself, ‘I am not going to attend the next meeting to hear all these nonsense from the old hack, who did not do any justice to his job when he was in service. I shall send a junior officer for the next meeting.’
The young lady officer was wondering what to report to the boss after her return to her office. However, she was not adverse in attending another meeting, where she can think many things (?) not related to her office work.
The middle aged lady officer thought, ‘At least, I could ventilate some of my frustration in the meeting. The old Chairman also showed some interest on my view points. Definitely, I am looking forward to the next meeting.’
The young attendant was thinking, when he is going to get another free lunch for such a terrific and engrossing meeting among the learned people.
The author is a Government servant and a man of vivid experiences derived from his official postings across the country, travels across India and numerous visits outside India. He is presently placed at New Delhi.
His earlier publications are:
1. Random Thoughts through a Coloured Prism
2. Dilemma of a Young Mind
3. Funny Statistics and Serious Statisticians
4. Melody of Fragrance
5. Akhadya
6. Few Cities through the Lens of Hiranya Borah
7. Guilt: Gift of Winter Spring
8. Beautiful Ghost
9. Great Fighters: Grace of God
10. All Blurred
11. Putting kids to sleep
12. How to become unpopular
13. Soulmates
14. My grumpy Face
15. Love and Worries
16. Discussion of own Birth: A Taboo
17. Interview
18. Indecent Love Affairs
19. My Fair Lady
20. Waiting time
21. Two Stories
22. My Mother: Dashami Borah
23. Parineeta
24. Manorama
25. Unwanted
26. First Attempt
27. A father
28. The Portrait
29. Snapped Thread
30. Only He Knows
31. The Stupid Mother
32. The Same Old Story
33. The Old Scoundrel
34. Third Attempt
35. Some of my First Days and First Nights
36. Snubbed Twice
37. Have You Met the God
38. Frequent Flier
39. Messiah
40. Forgive and Forget
41. To Win or to lose
42. Call Girl
43. Beyond Blood Relation
44. Lady with a Black Car
45. My wife
46. Complete Woman
47. Diwali Gift
48. Romance with a Lady
49. Open Heart Surgery
50. My First Love
51. Replacement
52. Pebbles on My Way Home
53. My First Bengali Book
54. Murder Mystery
55. Niharika
56. Swapping
57. Make a Habit to Thank God
58. Killing of a Bird
59. The Hero
60. Fantasy versus Reality
61. The Party
62. Road Rage
63. Death of a Friend
64. Cannot Live with Memory Only
65. None Cares for Me
66. A Tribute to My Guru
67. Two Professionals
68. The Choice
69. The Elusive Spouse
70. First Encounter with A P
71. Plane Crash
72. Plane Crash Part-II
73. Plane Crash Part-III
74. Abducted
75. A Bag of Currency
76. Suitable Groom
77. Head Hunters
78. My Dear Sister
79. Selection While Waiting at the Airport
80. Oh Shit
81. Perverse
82. He Got Back His Wife
83. Beautiful Faces
84. Elder Sister
85. Good Morning
86. Prey
87. Pass on your Death to Someone Else
88. Colour of Holi
89. Why blame others
90. A Forbidden Issue
91. Hat-trick of Failures
92. Agony of Writers
93. Contrasts
94. Three Directors
95. An Unusual Love Affair
96. Birth Day
97. Do not Tell Anyone
98. Anupama
99. Late By Ten Years
100. Murder in a Foreign City
101. Strange Life
102. I love You Darling
103. Falsehood
104. Lady in the Park
105. Do Anything, I Shall comment
106. Professionalism
107. Art of Flirting
108. Are We Human
109. Old man and a Dog
110. Relation with Relatives
111. Sun and Cloud
112. My Second Lover
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