Circa 2012, freshly out of Business School, I was completely smitten by the world of Advertising. 6 months into the industry, I had written the following poem describing the life at an ad agency.
Cut to 2021, I wouldn’t change a word!
Who are we?
A thought here and a thought there,
Just amazes me how people are running everywhere.
Who are these people? Where have they come from?
Acclimatized to confusion, chaos seems to be the norm.
They are different people but yet just like me,
What is the common thread that binds us – is what I still can’t see!
We fight, we laugh.
We work, we party.
We win, we lose.
Yet time and again, the very same profession we choose.
They call us crazy and they aren’t completely wrong,
Our ability to handle mayhem is what makes us mentally strong.
Noise is silence and fights are a medium of discussion,
We will make it to your Friday night party – a wrong assumption.
We are some strange humans that can work round the clock,
Our families are shouting – “come home on time or our doors are locked!”
Emotional hurricanes we all face but deadlines are always met,
“I am working on a Sunday” – a fact our friends can’t accept.
We may have forgotten some contacts but the take-out number we remember,
Do we work for money? Wait, salary is just a number!
Common sense is what we must possess because clients are deprived of it,
Power Point is our best friend because we are thriving on it.
Each one has a peculiarity but strangely we are all the same,
Don’t know what keeps us here….this question makes me go insane!
It’s our office or our room? We can’t really tell the difference,
But at times home feels alien…don’t know what to give preference.
What are we doing in life? Is it even worth it? These multiple questions keep flashing,
Job satisfaction or money – these priorities keep clashing.
Yet when you look into the eyes of any co-worker, a gleam of enthusiasm you see,
A strange sense of passion, a common goal, you hear an echo of “WE”.
Personal grudges exist yet united we stand,
When clients turn devils, their criticism we withstand.
We may hate each other yet we are family,
We celebrate festivals together – whether we are Hindus or believe in Christianity.
Who are we really? This answer I can’t really find,
We willingly chose this career, we surely must be out of our minds.
A personal – professional balance is what we strive,
Yet cheerfully sing a daily anthem of ‘Our Work is Life’.
If you dare to ask our advice there is only one thing we will tell you,
No matter what the world says, do what you love and love what you do!

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