Mad Among The Millions

Although I dreaded using electronic gadgets, I never thought an ordinary electronic wristwatch would take me for a ride. It all happened on that fateful day when, as usual, I was too busy browsing through the morning papers to notice my three-year-old daughter tampering with my wrist watch and needless to say, when I took it in my hand, it was broken beyond repair. I rushed through my morning rituals and shouted from the bathroom asking for time to wife. She barked back that the clock has stopped a week ago and despite repeated reminders, I am guilty of not bringing the battery to bring it back to life; adding insult to the injury was the fact that I forgot my mobile phone on the table!

Misery awaited me at the Borivali railway station when I entered to catch the local train; a smashed railway clock. The platform was jampacked with people as there was a delay and I was desperate to find out how much late I would reach to the office; but before I could ask someone for the time, the local train chugged on to the platform.

I rushed along with hundreds of others, barely managed to cling on to the handrail, used all my strength and squeezed my body inside the local train. The compartment was so overcrowded, that I could hardly see any faces. Instead, my clouded mind only saw wrists wearing different types of watches as I was anxious to know the time.

Sensing an opportunity to find the correct time, I tapped the shoulder of the nearest commuter and asked him the time.  He looked at his wristwatch and kept looking for what seemed to me be an eternity, and finally, shook his head negatively. Perplexed, I asked him what happened, and in reply, he showed an antique watch which showered 3.20! He had forgotten to wind it!

Exasperated, I started hunting for another wrist. Then I saw an expensive gold plated and beautifully crafted watch – must have cost a bundle – and blessed my good fortune. Gently tapping – fearing retribution – I asked him for the time. Without even bothering to look at the wristwatch, the gentleman replied, without an iota of apology, that he had not put in a new battery and the watch was dead. 

Losing whatever control I had, in desperation, I just twisted the next available wrist towards me and peeked. The man exploded like a bomb and enquired what was I up to? When I told him that I was looking at his watch for the time, he looked shocked. Said he, “Oh I see, you were just twisting my arm to look at the watch, weren’t you? And next time, when you want change for hundred rupees, what would you do? Put your hand in my pocket?

While the whole compartment erupted into laughter, an old man seeing my plight consoled. “Arre bhai, why do you want to know the time while travelling by Western Railway? To know when you will reach your destination, you actually need a calendar”! While compartment erupted in laughter once again, I tried burying my head!

Finally, arriving at the office – obviously quite late – I was wondering how to find the right time when the peon, with a mischievous smile, told me that my boss wanted to see me immediately and did not even allow me to sit in my seat.

My boss is very finicky about time and hated anyone who came late. To discourage late coming, every day, he would write the names of latecomers on the whiteboard he kept on the walls of his cabin. I reluctantly crawled into the boss’s cabin and stood there while he furiously signed a number of papers lying on his desk. 

I saw my name written in bold letters indicating that I was late for the office. But my clouded mind was desperate to know how late I was.

Without even bothering to look up, he asked, “Do you know the office timings?” “Yes Sir” I replied trying to match his tone and the boss gave me a cold stare and then looking at his expensive wristwatch, said, “Do you also know, “that you are late by exactly 17 minutes and 50 seconds?”

“Thank you, sir,”, came the reply even before I could control my tongue. Looking up sharply, the boss said, “Shouldn’t you be saying sorry instead?

 

How could I tell the boss that in this mad city of millions for a person who was searching for time, he was the only guy who told me the correct time!