It has been long overdue and now the time has come to replace the saying "Man is a social animal". Man, in all roles and capacities is a POLITICAL animal. The social characteristics exhibited are merely radiations of a clandestine political agenda.

A few weeks back I had attended a social event organized by our Company. One of our Sr. Managers gave me a lift while returning home. He had bought his daughter along. So we sat in the car and he began to drive. Suddenly his daughter innocently asked him, "Daddy, is this uncle your friend?". He replied, "No beta he is a colleague". To this I asked him "Is there a difference". And he said, "You are new right? You'll find out soon enough".

To my dismay what I dismissed as rumblings of a frustrated old timer turned out to be pearls of wisdom gained from years of chafing with colleagues. Evolution from a peoples person to a misanthrope is never desired and even less actively worked towards but it seems so natural and inevitable.

Having recently joined a corporate I have been exposed to just the epidermis of corporate politics. People willing to stop at nothing to get something as miniscule as an appraisal leaves me flabbergasted.The whole idea of friendship has evaporated and "SOCIAL NETWORKING" is the residual waste. The bonding in a relation has no consequence,

what is important is the efficacy of it.Sad but true.

Office is a big masquerade ball with each participant armed and ready for a stealth attack.

Mistaking any colleague for a friend results in an instant head shot.But why can't your colleagues be your friends.You try your best to do a root cause analysis but to no avail. May be its the competition, may be its the job pressure, may be you are just too sensitive or may be its just human nature.

So with abjuration and some respect for Darwin I arm myself with a confident handshake and a plastic smile and go parading in swadeshi with a flag in my hand and a political cap on my head all ready to make new colleagues.

JAI HIND.