Part 2, Sequel - The 90-Hour Work Week Debate: S.N. Subramanyan Strikes Back (With Tamilian assistance)

Setting:

A Tamilian dining room in Chennai, where the aroma of filter coffee mingles with the sharp tang of sambar.

The debate is about to intensify as Ms. Ranganathan, a fiery Tamilian matriarch, calls a meeting to address the slander against the 90 hours per week Tamil work ethic. Chatterjee Babu and Mehul Patel are invited to defend their regional pride. Mr. Iyer, of Kerala but now running half of Middle East hears about the debate and shows up to prove his point. The L&T Chairman, SN Subramanyan, makes a guest appearance, while the rest of the world watches in sheer astonishment.

Act 1: The Tamilian Intervention

Scene: Ms. Ranganathan presides over the table, a jug of steaming filter coffee in one hand and a ladle full of molten-hot sambar in the other.

Ms. Ranganathan:

"So, Chatterjee Babu and Mehul Bhai, I hear you’ve been discussing work ethic over your dhokla (undefinable) and mishti doi (sweet yogurt) and behind our Tamilian backs. Let me remind you, Tamil Nadu doesn’t just work; we engineer the future! Subramanyan sir's 90-hour week is not a suggestion; it's a way of life!"

Chatterjee Babu (defensively, spooning his mishti doi):

"But, Madam, is it even human to work 90 hours a week? Bengal's philosophy is clear: Work smart, not hard. And occasionally nap. But for you Tamilians, rumors are swirling of something suspicious in your coffee? All of you don’t just work 90 hours – you thrive on it. There must be...perfornance enhancers!"

Mehul Patel (smirking):

"Coffee doping? Brilliant! Imagine: 'Filter Coffee Max? – Brewed for Brilliance!' IPO incoming! In fact, I propose we patent your Tamilian LLM - Long-Life Metabolism. Your filter coffee clearly contains performance-enhancing compounds. 50% of India's IITians, Chess Champions in their diapers, 90 hour weeks...this is not caffeine...it is rocket fuel!"

Ms. Ranganathan (brandishing her coffee jug):

"Performance enhancers? How dare you? This is pure! Brewed with pure Tamilian dedication, unlike your Gujaratis, who turn everything into a mixed mutual fund. No wonder you popularized that undefinable mixture called Bhelpuri. Now, Don't make me pour this coffee over your head!"

Act 2: Enter the Chairman

(The spirit of L&T Chairman SN Subramanyan materializes, looking serene but with a hint of impatience, as though he's just paused a 90-hour week to address this chaos.)

Subramanyan (looking down at the table):

"Everyone, calm down. I’ve heard enough about my 90-hour week. Do you have any idea what it took to build L&T into what it is today? I started working here in 1984, and in these years, my 90-hour weeks and the overtime I put in have clocked over 200,000 hours. That’s more than what 2,000 Bengalis manage in a lifetime - including their tea breaks!"

Chatterjee Babu (aghast, clutching his heart):

"Chairman saab, 200,000 hours? Even Lord Ram took a break after crossing the ocean! The Pandavas – they fought the Kauravas for 18 days but still retired daily from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM! And Ravan, even he took time off to read the Vedas! This is no work-life balance; this is work-death balance!"

Subramanyan (looking at Chatterjee with a...wanting to strangle expression):

"Chatterjee Babu, the 90-hour workweek is not about balance; it’s about ambition. India’s future depends on hard work. Tamilians exemplify it. Even the Chinese are admiring us. It’s only the Bengalis who are dragging national productivity metrics into the bottom of the Hooghly river!"

Patel (pumping his fist):

"This is exactly why L&T stock is a buy! Subramanyan Sir, finally someone speaks the Gujrati language! Productivity equals progress... and we Patels love it."

Ms. Ranganathan (with a shy smile, looking admiringly at Subramanyan and blurting out lovingly):

"Subbu, we Tamilians should lend our genetic code and coffee code to the rest of India. Tamilians work 90 hours because we are disciplined. Even the Chinese are watching us, shocked at our success. Our own Gukesh, although he has some Telegu in him, beat their world chess champion, and they are now offering us Tamilians H2C visas (Hike 2 China) to steal our brains, filter coffee, idli recipes and maybe even our genes!"

Chatterjee (groaning, throwing up his hands):

"See? Even the Chinese know there’s more to Tamil coffee than caffeine! It’s time for an investigation. I demand a parliamentary committee into Tamil Nadu’s secret brain boosters!"

Act 3: Ms. Ranganathan’s Verdict

Ms. Ranganathan (with the commanding tone of a judge):

"Brain boosters! Enough! Let me set the record straight. Tamil Nadu doesn’t need boosters, we just work smart and hard. Remember, we gave the world the Mars Orbiter Mission – on a budget less than one Hollywood movie!"

Chatterjee Babu (adjusting his dhoti smugly):

"Ah, Mars, nice. But Bengal? Bengal gave the world brilliance in bulk. Nobel Prizes, madam! Tagore, C.V. Raman, Mother Teresa, Amartya Sen, Abhijit Banerjee… Shall I go on? Even your precious Tamilian C.V. Raman had to come to us to find his inspiration and took his quiet stroll along the Ganges sipping a cup of chai...not filter coffee. And Bengalis gave the world Satyajit Ray who awaits his noble prize! And we did it while taking naps. What’s your point, madam?"

Ms. Ranganathan (sighing dramatically):

"My point, Chatterjee Babu, is that you can sit here sipping your doi, but the future of India belongs to those who hustle. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some filter coffee to brew and another mission to plan!"

Mehul Patel (chiming in, attempting diplomacy):

"Madam, exactly, I deeply respect Tamil hustle. In fact, I’ve got an idea: Filter Coffee Energy Bars! We’ll call it ‘Tamil Turbo.’ Perfect for those 90-hour work weeks!"

Ms. Ranganathan (sambar spoon now raised like a weapon):

"Energy bars? With filter coffee? Patel bhai, are you out of your Gujarati mind? You are all tradition destructors having left our country for the US and UK. What’s next, rasam-flavored khaman shakes? I’ll take this sambar and pour it on your head. Do you want to be known as Mehul Sambaram!

Act 4: The Kerala Factor

(Not to be left out, Mr. Iyer, a Mallu CEO originally from Cochin, having heard about tbis debate, and now based in the Middle East, materializes in the room. He’s dressed in a spotless white mundu, wielding a coconut in one hand and a steel filter coffee cup in the other. A faint scent of coconut oil wafts through the air.)

Mr. Iyer (sternly):

"Ah! So this is where all the hot air is coming from. I heard Tamil Nadu talking about work ethic, but let me remind you, Kerala isn’t just about backwaters and Kathakali. We’re the ones who handle 100-hour weeks and an afternoon nap in the same day. And need I remind you, our coconut oil has fueled more revolutions than your Tamil-style slow to drip weakened filter coffee, Ms. Ranganathan!"

Ms. Ranganathan (smirking and ignoring the coffee comment):

"Coconut oil? Revolutions? Please! Stick to frying banana chips and making local fermented liquors for your toddy shop gossip sessions."

Mr. Iyer (unfazed):

"Toddy? Madam, its Single Malt now. Pure, and unadulterated. You call yourselves hardworking, but while you debate who works harder, Keralites quietly run your hospitals, your IT helpdesks, and half the Middle East and doing our part to help with the foreign exchange. All abroad but yet patriots unlike the Gujratis that now want to run the FBI. And let's not forget, we even made communism work in a democracy. Let’s see you try that!"

Chatterjee Babu (nodding approvingly):

"Ah, now that’s a good point. Communism with democracy - it’s like a perfect rasgulla dunked in sambhar. Remarkable, Mr. Iyer. Very, very remarkable. You know, Bengal and Kerala - brothers in red, comrades in ideology!"

Mr. Iyer (grinning):

"Finally, someone with good taste and better logic! You see, Chatterjee Babu, we Keralites have also perfected the ultimate KPI: life expectancy. And we do it with fish curry and appams - maybe we add some fancy mishti doi to this!"

Act 5: Subramanyan’s Moment of Glory

Scene: A grand international awards ceremony, a lavish stage in Geneva, where Subramanyan is set to receive the "Global Workaholic Laureate Award." The audience is filled with global leaders, industrialists, and curious bystanders who heard rumors that the recipient clocks in more hours than a Tesla Supercharger.?

The Host:

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we honour a man who embodies dedication, ambition, and the terrifying power of Tamil filter coffee. Please welcome the winner of the 'Global Workaholic Laureate Award,' Mr. SN Subramanyan!"

(The crowd erupts in applause. Subramanyan walks up the stage, looking as sharp as ever, despite visibly carrying the weight of his 90-hour workweeks.)

Subramanyan (accepting the award, with a smug smile):

"Thank you, thank you! It’s an honor to receive this award. People often ask me, 'Subramanyan, how do you manage to work 90 hours a week?' My answer is simple: Filter coffee and relentless Tamilian determination. While others are counting sheep, I’m calculating organizational attendance. When others take holidays, I interrupt their vacations. This, for me, is patriotism! Always...country before self"

The Host:

"Mr. Subramanyan, your achievements are truly inspiring. Tell us, is it true that your team once accidentally tried to book you vacation leave, but you converted it into an 18-hour brainstorming session on green hydrogen?"

Subramanyan (chuckling):

"Accidentally? That was intentional sabotage! I let them think I took the vacation - then turned it into a global energy summit. Efficiency, my friends!"

The Host:

"And now, as part of this recognition, we’re thrilled to announce that Mr. Subramanyan’s name will be etched onto a special Indian satellite, orbiting Earth, as a tribute to his monumental contributions to the engineering world. This satellite will also stream Tamil music and inspirational quotes selectively to the Bengalis to help motivate them to add to the GDP! Remember...country before self is the motto!"

Subramanyan (nodding):

"I appreciate the gesture, but couldn’t the satellite be designed to beam productivity reminders? Imagine this: every morning, it sends a global message – 'The future is built by those who skip sleep!'

Back in Chennai:

Ms. Ranganathan (to Chatterjee Babu):

"There you have it! While you debate the merits of your tea breaks, our Subbu and my fellow Tamilians are inspiring the galaxy. Admit it, Chatterjee - filter coffee is the fuel of the Gods!"

Chatterjee Babu (grumbling, extracting more mishti doi from the pot):

"Gods or workaholics - He can have his orbiting satellite; I just want a nap."

?

Final Scene:

As the camera pans out from the awards ceremony, the satellite inscribed with Subramanyan’s name begins to orbit Earth, beaming the phrase, “Work harder, dream bigger, sleep later,” across the skies in a glowing Tamil script.

And somewhere in space, even the aliens nod in approval!