The Super Hero

(Text and sketches by D.B.)

While walking through a crowded market space, street or a commercial ‘hub’, we seldom notice an uncommonly capable race of Super heroes – The Office-goers! The breed is extensively available and is very ‘normal’ in appearance. They look like any other person walking down the lane. They wear no badge or ‘sign’ on their chests nor do they wear their underpants over the trousers. They don’t have laser beams striking out from eyes nor can they fly off like a bird. Still they beat out everyone on the list of Super Heroes. What they actually posses is the immense will power; power to work under any circumstance. Be it any season, any weather condition, any emergency, until unless there is a national holiday (that too, not applicable for BPO employees); ‘The Office-goer’ keeps on working.

The Carriage of the 'Hero'

He wakes up every morning with the list of ‘things-to-do’. Daily, he carries with him the load of work which he couldn’t complete the day before. He rushes from his place before time so as to catch an early bus (his carriage) so that he can reach office tidily. The moment he leaves his place, his struggle to thrive in this cruel world starts. He faces a tough competition at the bus-stand itself. There are many others just like him. He finds that he’s not alone in the world. Like him, there are many, who want to board the bus. He manages to stand one step ahead than others in a hope that the bus would stop just before him. As soon as he gets the first glimpse of it he gears himself up for a ‘clash’ that would decide whether he is a good employee or not. (Remember, it doesn’t matter how much hard working you are, if you are late, you are dead!) The clash becomes difficult when he realises that his conveyance is already overloaded! He brings up all his powers and steps into the huddle. The moment he steps in he senses one ‘shoe-mark’ on the left side of his ‘properly-ironed’ black trouser. After a second or two, he’s been dragged by someone through his shirt damaging the crease on his right. His bag is being pulled by someone continuously. His pen (in shirt’s pocket) is almost ready to jump off. The lens of his specs is being ‘disabled’ with some oil deposit from someone’s head. Those who have the ‘average’ height, senses the ‘aroma’ of different kinds of hair oils and hair gels. This is possible only in the morning. That’s the only time when one can sense the fragrance of the Super Heroes.

The Super-Bus after the crowd enters

The slaughtered Super hero realises his importance and grabs a nook in the bus. His whole journey passes in attempting to reach as closer to the window as possible which, he discovers, is jammed (due to the rust that was deposited in the last rain). Signs of efforts to open that pane could be seen easily on the hook that is being bent and thrashed by the members of the same race, earlier in time. Our hero, now, has the responsibility to open that window so as to relieve the human race from the heat that is being built up inside the bus. He draws together all his powers and opens the jammed pane followed by appreciations & gratitude flowing in from all sides. Once again, he saved the human race.

As he reaches his destination, his fight with the time begins, again. Why the bus took three minutes extra at the last traffic light? Why the ticket collector had to stop this bus only? Why don’t humans understand the value of time? Why the roads are so narrow? Why the buses don’t use the BUS LANE? With such thoughts in mind and an eye on his wrist watch, the Hero starts rushing towards the office. On his way, he notices many other heroes, but as he is late by three minutes, he ignores all his mates and moves on.

Finally, he reaches the place where his own powers are of no use. The place where there are other heroes but they too lose their powers; the place where his heroic deeds and stories are ‘too common’; the place where his efforts to save the humanity are futile and ineffectual; the place which is headed by a Higher spirit, not good, not decent, for sure. As soon as the hero enters, he’s welcomed by the messenger (another hero in his own sense) of the ‘Higher Spirit’ with a message, “Come late by five minutes, again, and you’ll be marked absent!” Thus, the Hero & his heroic deeds are shunned off and he loses all his powers. The place is ‘The Office’ and the higher spirit is ‘The Boss!’

And thus once again our Super Hero works and prepares himself for another battle! Battle with time & submissions.