'Only a rat knows tricks to win this rat-race!'

"Only a rat knows tricks to win a rat-race!"

My contribution in today's HT as a slap on the face of our daily competitive grind..

When I first learnt about its presence, I was petrified. Imagining the sight of a big, fat, ugly looking, hairy and possibly infected rat hopping from one cabin to another sneakily to find a cosy corner, jumping or passing over one’s feet as roadblocks in a race, or hiding in the cupboards trying to rummage through the food bits disgusted me to the core. “Fearing my well-bred Punjabi frame and a thumping gait, I would be the last one it would ever try to brush up with”, I recklessly flaunted in front of my colleagues, secretly not meaning the same for my lunch-box, which I started leaving in my car till lunch time from then on.

Once the news about its arrival broke, everyone was on an alert. No matter what business activity was happening at the workplace, the rat would never fall short of its public appearances. From nibbling the doormat, green tea bags, incense sticks to scratching the aluminium partition board; it would just not stop leaving its footprints everywhere. Over the days, the rat had become audacious enough to make frequent appearances on office’s red carpet at the reception area.

Very soon, it garnered even more paparazzi among the office staff when one fine day, its taste buds tempted him to try his luck on a newly ordered, freshly delivered hand bag of my colleague as it laid unattended in office pantry for over five hours. To this day, I appreciate the poor girl who almost screamed in horror realising the extent of damage and still put a brave face before initiating the impending ‘Chuha bhagaao abhiyaan (Leave our land, you rat!)’.  The men joined us since they were too worried about the unlimited high-speed internet supply cables. No wonder, ‘Different folks have different strokes’, and here the genders dealt with it suitably.

Over the following days, supposing it to be a domestic rat and not wild one, which can grow exponentially in numbers within few weeks; we started tempting the rat with small treats. Both, the rat catcher cage and the Sticky tape board were daily decorated with leftovers of biscuits, Jaggery, Fried rice and loafs of garlic-bread hoping and assuming that the combination of pungent smelling garlic and cheese would effortlessly bring the rat to trap. It would not be an exaggeration to say that all out attempts met a dead end and we incurred the loss of food baits daily. And then, we had to turn savage by adulterating his daily baits with rat poison, for which he turned out to be too smart than an average IQ.

Like everyone, it met its own tryst with the destiny during the first long weekend in February this year which marked Punjab elections on a Saturday followed by Sunday. Everyone in the office was too caught up in wrapping up tasks, meeting deadlines and suchlike before venturing on a long weekend. None cared to leave any food bait on the rat cage; probably because the rat’s presence didn’t bother anyone anymore.

The following Monday started with a heavy heart when the tiny soul departing and leaving foul smell and guilt of self-centeredness in our hearts. Under the sofa, he was found resting in peace after possibly getting choked to death by nibbling on to a metal can. With eyes wide open, tail etching an arch shaped figure, lying on its side and staring onto the unknown, out from the world’s rat race, rest assured, God had better plans for him!