Until a few years ago, office-goers would dread negotiating heavy traffic jams. Even around a decade ago, traffic jams would not just trigger high-decibel sighs, but also get one’s mercury levels rising.
From biting of nails, and moaning and groaning to head-scratching or rolling your eyes — nothing could really articulate one’s exasperation inside an auto-rickshaw or a car.
Music and FM radio did its bit to help, but there was always that gnawing sense of guilt because there was so much to be done.
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But things have changed today and there is so much you can do. Smart phones have changed the life of office-goers. From WhatsApping, doing online courses, kicking up a storm on Facebook to updating your playlist, doing research for your next meeting, there are infinite options today.
Shalini Patra, a senior sales executive at a digital initiative, points out: “I keep aside a list of to dos that I try to achieve when I am commuting, provided I am not driving, which I often do.”
Ms. Patra’s list is not exactly a short one. From listening to the latest TED talks to checking her e-mails and responding to the urgent ones, browsing news websites and WhatsApping with her daughter in Bangalore, she does all this and more.
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Her travel time from GK-II in South Delhi to Noida is about one hour, though the online map shows an ambitious 31 minutes “depending on traffic”.
“I remember two years ago I would get very worked up during traffic jams. Now, I feel productive and this is my personal profile enhancement time.”
While some derive a sense of productivity, for others like Akanksha Vaisht, this pocket-time is an absolutely necessity. A 23-year-old MBA student, she has taken a range of online courses to add to her skills.
“Currently, I have enrolled for a Coursera programme, which gives me a theoretical understanding of international organisations’ management,” she says.
Since her parents gifted her a smart phone a couple of months ago, Akanksha makes it a point to listen to the video lessons en-route to her institute in an auto-rickshaw.
Not many are good at focusing on-the-go, so they prefer the lighter stuff. While 18-year-old Shaan Aggarwal updates his iPod playlist in the bus, people like Vidisha Sen dabble in creativity.
With her own costume designing initiative in South Delhi, she browses a range of blogs and websites for new ideas.
“If I come across something interesting, I immediately share the link on the WhatsApp group. Sometimes, we have taken a few decisions by the time I am in office. That is immensely helpful.”
Not to forget bikers. Vishaal Sharma, a sales executive who has to go around the city for his assignments, a Spanish lesson works fine.
“I have an MP3 player in my pocket and my target daily is one lesson. Earlier, I wasted nearly 45 minutes on red lights in between my assignments. Now I manage to complete my target nearly everyday.”
The trick, he says, is to play the lesson when the signal turns red and pause it till until the next red light.
While it works as a great incentive for him, there are people who just cannot function when caught in a jam.
They feel, though commuting is no longer entirely a ritualistic ordeal, a clear road tops the list when it comes to the simple and little pleasures of life.