Waste Of Time

Narayan Prasad Ghimire

One of my colleagues informed me that a programme was being held in memory of a socialist thinker in the federal capital last week. With the impression of the late thinker I had, I readily decided to join him to attend the commemorative function. I was thinking that it would be a good moment to learn more about the thinker, a voracious reader, from different perspectives, as it had been quite a while I did not attend any such a programme physically.

Yes, the hall was packed. There were more than 600 participants from diverse professions and age groups. The number of participants was huge, as the day was a public holiday. 

I did not know whether it was a strategy of the event organisers or the same sclerotic habit of the guest speakers that the programme was delayed by one and half hours. We, the media persons, reached the venue at 1:00pm and the programme kicked off at 2:30pm. 

Now, I calculated - 600 persons’ 1:30 hours each - results 900 hours. Out of the total hours wasted to wait for speakers, one and a half hour was of mine and rest of others. Interestingly, the speakers to address the event, whom the announcer was terming guests and chief guests, were 'coming' and we, the attendants, had to have patience for some more minutes. Such announcements were made at least for three times. 

Impatient to listen what the speakers would say about the late thinker, I had no option but to wait as others did. It was disappointing to hear that some of the speakers scheduled to address the programme failed to turn up at the last moment. And it was announcer’s duty to inform us again: two leaders confirmed as guests to speak could not attend the programme because they 'fell sick'. I was surprised by the notice that one of the speakers 'became sick' while coming to the programme venue and he had to assign his subordinate to address the event on his behalf. 

What a sheer indifference and disrespect to the participants! Already wasted one and half hour in a packed hall where the AC did not suffice to maintain cool due to overcrowd, the people around me were also sharing the chagrin that both the organizers and addressors were grossly ignoring time, and disrespecting audience. 

The programme was about an honest and influential thinker whose erudition might have enticed most of them, as was to me, to stay chair-locked despite the protracted wait.  

The glaring fact that why those whom general people call senior and leader and pay huge respect fail to pay heed to biting reality that hundreds of people had to waste time only for their timely arrival. Why don't our most of the leaders do not arrive at programme venue on time? However, some few leaders are exceptional that they appear at the venue on time. Even the leaders who arrive on time must have felt boring to wait for others.

Or, was it the foolishness of the programme organisers to collect participants first, jam pack the hall and call the leaders finally to address them? 

The one and half hour may be nothing for some, while it is significant for many. I again calculated the 900 hours into the working hours - 8 hours in a day - and the result was 112 working days. Count, it is over three months! See, how we are fated to spoil the precious time just for waiting!