What do you do?

By Sandeep Datta, May 6, 2011

The very first question that everyone asks to any man is how does he manage his living. It turns the most uncomfortable question when it is put to a person who is unemployed. The reason may be many and may not serve any purpose of the interviewer, but still it is asked.During college days or when you may have just passed out it gradually turns the most traumatic of all problems of the day.

Almost everyone, daring to survive on his or her own guts, may have faced the similar struggling time in life, but still people turn insensitive to its impact on the person's psyche. At times, it just evokes disgust, as many a times it is asked to make fun of someone's bad phase of life. It is surprising, such a question is most often asked by so called highly educated or successful people and not the uneducated individuals out of ignorance.

Another shade of the question 'what do you do' is when it is asked to those who are into some advance or a bit little known jobs or profession. Or, especially when some one is holding a profile not usually known by common people. One such question was asked to me on the day of first meeting of my sister's would be in-laws. A group of women accompanying by brother-in-law wanted to know what do I do? They were told I was a journalist. Hence, I could understand their curiosity.

It, however, felt a bit challenge to easily make them understand my job profile at the foreign desk of a news agency. After I told the name of my present employing organisation and the nature of work I have to do, I was somehow asked again: 'Basically, what do I do'. I was at pains to make a group of inquisitive housewives in their late 30s to tell them briefly in a drawing room where so many other family members were sitting.

I opted to narrate how a reporter and a desk person do different works. How does a news agency, where I worked, is not any newspaper but a contributor to many newspapers across India and the world. I used the very old formula of stating about organisation's role in common man's language: Our organisation is like a manufacturing factory which supplies its product to retailers. And, why am I in that journalistic job? I said: "Simply, because by mistake or over enthusiasm I studied too much and to vomit it out and satisfy my addiction of learning something new and important, I had no option but to become a journalist.

Every one of the ladies laughed and said OKKK. But did I do the 'two year course' to join journalism was the next question. I said, "Yeah I did two PGs in journaism". But did you do a regular course (as if to mean if I attended a regular college or usually demeaning the correspondence course) was the next question? I said: "I did part-time." Part-time? They looked as I talked of some object unexpected to have taken place on planet earth. I added: "It is usually done by working people side-by-side their regular job by attending evening classes instead of morning to evening classes for something which can be taught in less than two hours of classroom teaching."

And what exactly I do, was the next question? Well, I deal with international politics and other related stories, I replied. "Okss", came the reply.

I felt relieved that finally our conversation reached the "Okss".