JOIN USI fell in love with the caption, ‘Made with love and no preservatives’ on the label of a home-made jam bottle. The lady in question had taken full responsibility for the ware she was marketing. My friend has left her native land in Europe for India but fortunately she has brought with her her national habit of meticulous attention to details.
This made me think that perhaps we also should make a habit of taking full responsibility for what we do, at home and outside. ‘Made with love’ means ‘made with care’ because when one loves someone or something, one always puts one’s best foot forward while doing it. In one’s domestic and official work may be love should be an ingredient! Preposterous as it seems, to think of love and care while pen-pushing some dusty, musty files, but what a difference it would make if we do our official work with care.
Once I was talking to a man who is working in a tyre factory. In the course of the conversation he told me that while making tyres they were supposed to check one out of five or so of the tyres coming out of the line, for manufacturing defects. ‘But we seldom do that.’ he said casually.
I was alarmed and said they should be careful since tyres are so important for road safety and he may, surely get into trouble if some faulty tyre causes an accident. What he replied shocked me. ‘No one will know who did the checking and anyway accidents may happen only sometimes, he said with a shrug. Obviously he has no care or responsibility in the work he does. And if some accident should result in some skidding or bursting of tyres, no one will know who did the checking! And another shrug! .
Once, a foreigner, a high flier who is also a ‘plain speaker’ saw a mal-functioning switch and laughed and said ‘It must have been made in India.’ It is surprising to note that we in India make the most advanced machinery and make it well. The nuclear advancements we have made are mind-boggling. No one complains about that. But it is in trivia that we often fail thinking they are not that important and we pay less attention.
On a lighter note, during the frequent swearing-in of the ministers the word ‘conscientiously,’ a real tongue-twister is included that has tortured many a minister-to-be.
They fumble and mumble and some even swallow part of the word. It might be better if you substitute the word by the words... “with due care and sincerity” while doing their ministerial work. And if they do that, why! they may even be spared the grilling they may get by the CBI at later stages in their careers.