Tu bolta kyun nahi, re?

Another in my infamous character sketches about He Who Does Not Talk

I cannot over-emphasize how important communication is, in the IT industry, what with Indian companies working almost exclusively for foreign clients. The issue has been taken up and there are periodic soft-skills training courses. However, some guys are able to escape the training sessions altogether, through some ridiculous excuses and continue to operate in the IT world brazenly, inspite of their mediocre to abs. pathetic comm skills.


Today, however, I am going to talk about a guy, who is above any censure. Not because he is master of the spoken word, but because talk he doesn't. Not even little. No, not teeny weeny bit. Not even mono-syllablic. He just nods. And nods (to show agreement). Never yods (to show disagreement).


Least you think, I am insensitive, inconsiderate victimizer of the disabled, hang on! (I may be, but what I write atleast shouldn't bear out that conclusion). No, the guy can talk. He does say things like 'Hi', 'What's the score?', 'Chalo'. But all these words have to make a gruelling effort coming out of the rather dark black holesque larynx.


Now, if the guy was a developer or in a support project, it would not have been a matter of concern. But he is a Tech Lead, holy Zarquon! In a project, that it fraught with major issues, swooshing deadlines, and more change requests than a bus conductor can handle, its a crime to be a passive spectator. But, in the midst of a bloody warzone, he sits unhassled, untroubled, unconcerned - with a benign smile (no teeth, least a word might escape) like an omniscient Buddist monk.


If there are issues, he doesn't get blamed. People aren't aware that they have a monk in their midst (poetic am I), if they are, they don't know what his role is (senior monk) and if they know his role, they know all about his dignified, sombre and quiet nature (A consummate senior monk), so never go near the Bodhi tree. In the Business As Usual scenario, well - no one wants to seek enlightenment, unless something's drastically wrong, do they?


Life in Indian software industry has thought me that, even if you are a net-zero or even negative contributer to the team, you can survive and indeed thrive. Am I getting cynical or what!


I must admit, it has been the first project, with more than 20 people in the team. But still the concentration of the samples just scares me.


Probably some meditating under the Bodhi tree will calm my disturbed mind.