Rethinking Freedom

I have been really fond of the Independence Day……may not be as much during childhood; but definitely as I grew up. And well, that is not because it is a holiday. No doubt, for a working person, any holiday is welcome! However, for me, India’s Independence Day is extremely precious, in more ways than one. The national fervour and patriotism, the goose bumps and the welled-up eyes, as we sing the National Anthem and hear the songs belted out loud, over microphones, throughout the day, the reminder of the sacrifices of the freedom fighters then and the jawans now……well it is indeed an extremely powerful day! But, for someone born 24 years after we got our independence, as a country, it has essentially been an alignment to and celebration of the national fervour.

Come 2020 and on our 74th Independence Day this reality may have changed, for me, forever. It was a day of a major paradigm shift. I woke up that day to the reminder that our housing society (a large gated community) had called only the office bearers for the flag hoisting ceremony. All others were requested to join in the ceremony from the balcony. There would be no cultural programmes, no speeches, no greeting one another and proudly displaying our badges, as we waited for the flag to be unfurled. Just a longing to be a part of the Independence Day that saw a thronging to the balconies; to say nothing about those who could not witness the event, as their balconies faced the other side.

The sight of the flag unfurling and the National Anthem sung in scattered voices, across various balconies, somehow really got me thinking. It made me realise that for some freedom is just a context, for others it is a national fervour and yet, somehow, we never appreciate its existence in our individual space. This article is my attempt to understand what it means to me on the professional and personal fronts…and urge others to do the same.

Those of us who work full time, whether for a living or as a passion, spend most of our working hours in the office. And thus, whether we like it or not, there is bound to be an effect of it on our being and consequently on our personal space. Freedom in the organisational space can thus have a huge impact. I, for one, would like to see freedom, in the professional space, mainly thorough:

• Freedom from organisational politics: Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, we rarely perceive ourselves as a team, working towards the same goal in an organisation. We somehow consider others as a threat, as a competition and thus engage in a misplaced rat race – hiding information, working at cross purposes, engaging in groupism and trying to be one-up. Freedom, for me, is actually being able to put the interest of others at the centre, as that helps the organisation in growing together. This can be aptly illustrated with a true story about a group of differently abled children, who were running a race, on their sports day. The person who was in the lead, suddenly fell; and, as could be expected, the others went ahead. But what was touching and surprising was that they stopped, hardly a few steps ahead, and one by one they all turned back, helped the one who had fallen to get up, held hands and crossed he finishing line together. This is a lesson that most organisations and their employees can benefit from. No organisation can ever progress with infighting and pulling each other down. We need to strive for freedom from organisational politics.
• Freedom from holding back: Another major issue that plagues organisations is KRAs and working by rule. Most organisations pride themselves on their systems and processes and clearly defined territories. And while these are required, to enable functioning at a primary level, when they become rigid compartments, they reduce organisational efficiency, by slowing people and hampering their capability. To fight this, each one of us needs to pull our own weight and additionally also support others. While it is simple to say this is not my job, it is more difficult to put one’s shoulder to the wheel, without fear or favour. This needs to be done simply because one can and not because one hopes for or expects anything from it. If each one puts his/her best foot forward, there is no reason why growth and success will not be achieved. The latest book by Anupam Gupta and Saurabh Mukherjea called The Victory Project talks about the value of collaboration, going on to argue that while there may be a face of success, it is really not possible without everyone pulling their weight or the whole organisation contributing to it. The cases they cite are of Steve Jobs and Apple as well as Aditya Puri and HDFC Bank. A valuable point to consider!
• Freedom from doubt and rigidity: Finally, what the pandemic has taught us is the basic need for trust and empathy, which, somehow, in the rat race, are qualities that have been obscured, pushed to the back burner or left off the shelf altogether. While most organisations take ‘driving’ their employees to a totally different level – with strict targets, rigid working hours and a whole handbook of rules that seemingly ensure the smooth flowing of an organsiation, what most organisations have realised, through the lockdown, is that the two essential qualities that shape organisational success and lie at its core are trust and empathy. With no one hovering over them, employees are still putting their best foot forward. This, despite the pay cuts and multiple others challenges that work from home brings with it. And this, for once, is not for appraisals or due to the fear of job loss, because honestly no one can see tomorrow, in these uncertain times. What is causing this is the simple yet fundamental human principle that most organisations had forgotten - when you invest trust in someone the person is more likely, than not, to live up to it; and nothing can win loyalty and build commitment like trust and empathy. Anyone who has seen a child grow would have been a witness to the fact that a child who lives with criticism learns to condemn; while the one that lives with trust learn to live up to it!

The freedom that I value and bring into in my personal space, on the other hand, has been captured in a poem I penned on Independence Day 2020:

Caged in our homes

Let us at least now

Learn to value

Our freedom

We, who have been taking it

Endlessly for granted.

Let us remember the cost we paid

To gain this freedom

Let us free ourselves

Of hatred, prejudice, divisions

And pulling each other down

In order to get ahead

Let us free ourselves

Of the need to hurt, judge

And express opinions

Without thinking of the consequences

Let us free ourselves

Of the rat race,

Overdependence on technology

And the habit of shutting out others

Let us now look within

Awaken ourselves to our chains

And set ourselves

Completely free

 As we slowly inch towards 2021, totally oblivious, like always, about what is in store for us (but nevertheless a little more conscious about this fact), I would like to reiterate what Tagore has to beautifully penned in Gitanjali, of course modifying it a little - Into that heaven of freedom….. let me awake! These are the freedoms, I will try and strive for; what are yours?