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The work magazine that went home

10/1/2017

16 Comments

 
On the second Saturday of 2017 (just four days away as I write this) about 100 ex-employees of a company will meet for a reunion dinner. They were brought together by WhatsApp. And the name they chose for the group was born long before phones turned mobile and smart. When I was invited to join the group, what struck me was the name they had chosen for the group. It was the name of a beloved house magazine, synonymous with the people who worked in and loved that company.
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The last time this house magazine figured in a conversation was when a new friend called me from my old company. Once upon a time, they had recruited me to launch and edit their house magazine. Now, after nearly three decades, my friend had been asked to revive the same magazine.
Same? I began writing for the magazine hammering away, two-fingered, at a borrowed typewriter. Now, he was trying to figure out how to use social media and the company’s intranet to bring the magazine digitally alive on laptops and smartphones.
We used to send each copy by first class mail to every employee’s home, I told him. He could hardly suppress a chuckle. “Mail? You mean as in post office?” He tried to explain it to me, speaking slowly, “We are talking of some 20,000 employees.”
I was fortunate that the number was just a little over 1000 then. Made it easier for me to know almost every name and face I communicated with.
I had joined as a proud writer, confident of bowling them all over with my clever writing. And they taught me that communication was not about English but about listening and sharing—sharing experiences, memories and moments.
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Fish for cats
Ekvir remembered a day of torrential rain when he had to wade through waist-high water to reach office. Why? The magazine revealed the answer. “There were six cats in the pharmacology department, surviving solely on fish. With the floods, the poor creatures faced starvation. Therefore, Ekvir waded all the way to the market and floated back with the fish. Whatever the cats thought of this, he did win the admiration of a group of boys, who had followed him during the journey.”
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The cycle walker
For the sake of getting the job, Rao lied to the manager that he could ride a bicycle. For several days, he suffered the ignominy of walking beside his cycle. At nights, he practised. Soon, he was delivering the company’s products to every nook and corner of the city. Yes, on the bicycle!
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The dancer in stores
And who would have thought that the shy, silent Sudeep from stores was an accomplished dancer, until the day he agreed to a graceful lunchtime performance for the magazine’s camera!
The serious scientist in the lab transformed into a garrulent numismatist in his apartment.
The flautist and the violinist staged impromptu concerts at home, with the family joining in.
It was all for the sake of the magazine that belonged to all.
Made quarterly, retained forever
There were also people like Prakash who ensured my ego did not get mixed up with my job. “You may be the editor. But it is our magazine,” he would remind me every time he disagreed with something in the magazine.
Yes, the quarterly did carry plenty of corporate reports. But, the employees made the magazine home to some unforgettable moments of their lives. They truly took the house magazine home.
Some months ago, I ran into Usha, who, at that time, was still working with the same company. “Do you remember me?” I asked her. She looked at me for a few minutes, her face blank. Then she screamed the name. No, not my name, but the magazine’s.
I felt honoured.
16 Comments
Dr Vinay Nayak
10/1/2017 03:50:34 pm

Down the memory lane with same flair for writing

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Vijay link
10/1/2017 04:07:54 pm

That was fast, as fast as Vinay always was! ! Thanks for reading!

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S V IYER
10/1/2017 07:42:23 pm

Vijay kumar at his best as always. Nostalgia is very soothing.

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Vijay link
10/1/2017 08:38:12 pm

Thanks, Mr Iyer. You were my prime mentor so your kind words mean a lot. Someone once compared nostalgia to an old blanket. Frayed and faded but familiar and, as you put it, soothing.

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Amin Roy
10/1/2017 08:47:16 pm

I agree with Iyer Sir, it was so powerful and perpetual that many articles and information is very relevant for us even today. It added a lot value to our archive and we are cherishing it still through our social media handles.

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Vijay link
10/1/2017 08:57:14 pm

Thanks, Amin! When the readers are the soul and provide the substance, I suppose the communication will stay relevant across time and media.

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Dnyanada Deshpande
11/1/2017 10:04:52 am

Very well put, Vijay! Stories shine by their own merit! It always shows regardless of the fluency of the language in which those stories are wrapped in. They shine brighter at times, when they are unpolished and at times editorial tweaking helps them to convey better.

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Vijay link
12/1/2017 03:07:06 pm

You are right, Dnyanada. Long time ago, one of my teachers told me the best editor is the one whose work is invisible.

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Hiren Kumar Bose link
11/1/2017 09:46:16 pm

Vijay it's always a pleasure to read your pieces, this included. A wish, do write more often.

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Vijay link
12/1/2017 03:09:15 pm

Happy and humbled to have loyal readers like you, Hiren! The intention is there to be more regular; working on the execution part now!

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Colette
14/1/2017 12:40:10 am

Beautifully written Vijay. Fond memories of Ciplog

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Vijay link
17/1/2017 10:47:02 am

Thanks, Colette!

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Joseph St. Anne
17/1/2017 08:48:27 am

Enjoyed your post. Much.

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Vijay link
17/1/2017 10:47:51 am

Thanks for reading, Joseph!

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Khyati Patel
7/4/2017 01:21:55 pm

You were rightly introduced to me - 'very brilliant!'
I am thoroughly enjoying your articles.

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Vijay link
7/4/2017 06:15:30 pm

Thanks for reading, Khyati! Always a pleasure to have a discerning reader drop in. And, I must specially thank our friend for that generous introduction.

Reply



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