Our boss was truly an expert at making us “chew iron nuts,” as the Hindi idiom goes—meaning he knew exactly how to make life tough for his employees. His philosophy was simple: if an employee looked relaxed, the company must be in danger. Every morning, he would stride into his cabin so briskly that it felt like a military inspection was underway. His shoes sparkled, his tie was perfectly knotted, and his expression suggested that the fate of every deadline in the world rested solely on his shoulders.
His eyes scanned the office like surveillance cameras taking orders from him. If someone dared to yawn, a meeting would be scheduled immediately. If anyone glanced at their phone, an “urgent task” would magically appear on their desk. One day, I sneezed lightly, and he said, “Looks like you have extra energy—why don’t you handle these two additional projects?” From that day on, we practically learned to seek permission before sneezing.
He loved motivational quotes. Each day brought a new line: “Work hard today, and success will knock on your door tomorrow.” The only difference was that it was always our door being knocked on—with more assignments. Lunch breaks felt like secret missions. We watched the clock as if waiting for an exam to end. Once, he even had the chairs removed, declaring, “If you stand, you stay active.”
Yet, truth be told, we never truly disliked him. He was always the last to leave the office, correcting our smallest mistakes and defending the team in front of clients. On Fridays, he would secretly order samosas to lighten the mood. At the end of the year, that same stern-faced boss would quietly hand out bonuses—with a rare but genuine smile.
Today, when we look back on those days, we can’t help but laugh. Yes, he drove us hard and made us sweat, but in doing so, he also made us stronger, more disciplined, and a little wiser.
RAJEEV VERMA 