Nisha Advani's Blog

May 8, 2020:  A very special day. I’d turned in my final assignment in the wee hours of the morning and managed to catch a few hours of sleep amid the churn of anticipation leading up to my crowning moment. The celebratory fervor in the auditorium was palpable; excited murmurs were audible, as proud family members from all over the world waited for their freshly minted MBA graduate to walk the stage. I adjusted my cap and straightened my robe for the umpteenth time. I felt a surge of adrenaline as my name was called and I walked onto the stage – confident, proud, and very conscious of all eyes on me. I beamed, skimming the crowd in a futile attempt to locate my parents. I waved at my professors, grateful. The resounding claps reached their peak, everyone sharing in my moment of glory, before fading into the distance as I exited the stage…   “Nisha Suresh Advani”   My laptop screen welcomed me back from my subliminal trip.  My photograph and name on a slide marked the...

A familiar sense of ennui settled like a blanket over my heavy heart as I pulled into the parking lot. The work blues were easing their way in again, smirking at having found a ready victim in my already downcast state of mind. A cold gust of wind sent a shiver through me and the bleak sunshine delivered but little warmth to pull me out of the doldrums. The now mundane routine ostensibly assumed a life of its own as my mind wandered beyond the robotic regime. The "beep" of my i-card against the reader marked my entry, making me feel rather like a component in an assembly line. The "ping" of the elevator was a momentary distraction in my languorous reverie as my feet mechanically found their way in. Meanwhile, my eyes assimilated a fading i-card hanging off the belt of a tall gentleman; its barely visible employee id signifying that its owner had easily served more than a decade at the company. The intelligent sharp eyes of the wearer were fitted with a pa...