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Never try to underestimate the significance of these rituals in social life. Many educated people show utter disdain for these social rituals. Even to show such disdain has become almost a ritual. In reality we do not wish to do anything in a disciplined manner. Whether it is a ritual of filling the Batch Card, or performing Puja or starting and closing meetings on schedule, it is anathema to us. We used to have Dasara Puja in our factory. Workers used to insist on our Works Manager to hold the Aarati in his hands at the time of Aarati. Singing of Aarati was prolonged as much as possible. He used to get tired of holding the Aarati plate with full decorum. The accumulated anger against him over the year was expressed in this small action. I wrote about this mischief in the Bulletin and then it stopped. Legally speaking there was no misconduct which could be invoked for charge-sheet or warning. Every social activity takes its own form. Once you know that strike or go-slow is a form of expressing resentment then you approach towards it accordingly. Your solutions differ. Once you know that Strikes, Fasting unto death, stopping work are only forms of expressing dissent. Even if it is sanctified by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle, you can use it only sparingly in a democratic society. Fasting unto death to achieve your item of agenda has no place in a democratic society, is not understood by many. Many Gandhians have castigated Vinoba for not using this weapon often enough. Workers in Mumbai have realised that having multiple Unions in the industrial Units is legally possible. Unions have become industrial peace supplying contractors like marriage event contractors. They pay the paltry Union subscription to any or all unions to keep Unions happy. There is no loyalty to a Union or ideology. They are not worried about a class war. Their class identity is a matter of convenience. One who can get better deal is followed and there is enough competition in the Union field which is made possible by the Industrial Disputes Act. There must be many people who must have accumulated different and even contrary experiences in their working life. I wish that they record their experiences and publish them and then we will have a compendium on Indian Management. All those experiences need to be collected and collated. I therefore do not consider this as a last chapter of the book on Indian Management but the first chapter. In that sense I have emphasised the distinct basic thoughts of the Indian society in relation to management. I have used those insights in my working life. I have written in detail about my personal background and experiences only in order to highlight the external me as was seen by the people. That led me to think about my inner 'me' or self. I do not wish to propound an exhaustive philosophy of Indian Management. These are experiences of 79
