Waiting for Godot

WAITING for GODOT

‘Waiting for Godot’ is a play by Samuel Beckett, who composed the original in French, between 1948 and 1949. The premiere was in 1953 in Paris. The English language version was premiered in London in 1955.

In this play, two characters are waiting on a country road by a tree, for a third, namely Godot, to arrive. Very little happens, and during their long wait the men talk about their lives.  Godot never arrives, and while waiting they engage in a variety of discussions. The play suggests that life has no meaning and is full of suffering.

 “Waiting for Godot” as a phrase has carved a place in the English language. It has come to denote in our language usage as waiting for someone who has given a time of his arrival but does not come; or something to happen but it never takes place. We keep waiting, hoping that he/she shall come, or the expected thing shall happen,  but does not.

Usually all of us have faced a situation where you wait for something to happen or wait for someone to come but it does not happen. A most frustrating necessity is when you are in need of some service or repair personnel at your home, such as Electrician, plumber, delivery men for gas or courier etc., etc. We postpone our other chores to be present when their lordship shall arrive, but hours of waiting, phone calls only gets assurances that they are on their way. At long last after half a day of waiting, they deign to answer that they shall visit the next day.

A day gone in waiting, other works postponed and all to no avail.

Of course this does not happen in a couple of cities where persons are more professional. There, if a serviceman has given a time of arrival he shall stick to it. Maybe some more cities are coming up to the mark in this regard.

Why this apathy?

Is it lack of enough servicemen/ repairmen to go around ?

Or lack of proper skills training ?

Or lack of civil behavior/ manners ?

Or is it just plain cussedness ?

Or is it just ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude?

Or it could be ‘I am earning enough, I don’t want to exert more’ attitude?

Whatever it may be, it could be one or combination of more than one of the above. We keep waiting for them… “Waiting for Godot”

This is a situation most of us have faced some time or the other. We feel helpless, cheated, belittled etc., etc.

What could be the cure ?

Skill development or Skills Training is receiving attention from all quarters, and hopefully some effort of the government shall percolate down, to make a better skilled army of technicians available for the thousands/ lakhs of people wanting a better technician than the one they have to put up with now.

The problem in metro towns or most State capitols is not so bad as better quality workforce is available. The situation in smaller towns is rather bad, although all the technicians have migrated to the larger town from that very small town !

As regards their behaviour towards customers – who pay and are their livelihood-  it all depends on the technicians nature. They receive no training in ‘Customer Satisfaction, or ‘Ethical behaviour’. Expecting ‘Customer Delight’ as the Japanese have taught the world is something farfetched.

Most of such servicemen have learned their trade from some friend whom they shall refer to as guru. They have not had any formal training in any apprenticeship school or ITI. That is why they lack proper skills on the human behavior front. Maybe they feel that earning money by giving shoddy service is a done thing and have no qualms about it. Cheating is an easy way out and has become a way of life. Lack of proper training in the ethical front leaves a person in the role of Godot who doesn’t care.

Maybe only when there is enough competition among the technician, such values may grow. Till then Waiting for Godot.

Well, I am Waiting for Godot the electrician who hasn’t come !!