A Frustrated Software Engineer : 1 | Leave approval

***(Now updated with English subtitles)***
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A software engineer's frustration presented in the style of a scene from the movie 'A Wednesday'. For all the lakhs of software engineers from India.


Copyright © 2014 Ashima Theatre Group. All Rights Reserved.

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Closed Caption:

(voices from the movie 'A Wednesday')
Sorry, I didn't get you.
When you have some casual leaves pending, what do you do manager sahib?
You don't let them lapse. You avail them.
I too had a few casual leaves pending.
So I just want to avail them.
Who..?
Who ARE you?
I am the one who is afraid of going to expensive restaurants.
I am the one whose family members think that he is going to a battle when he leaves for work every morning.
Who knows if he will return home on time?
Every evening at 8 o'clock they call him up asking…
if he has left from the office yet,
if he is done for the day...
As a matter of fact, they just mean to find out,
whether they should cook for him ''today as well or not''.
I am the one who gets tied up with UAT deployments..
or with production issues every now and then.
I am the one who tries his luck at every girl he meets
And I am also the one who hesitates to apply for a leave...
even when he genuinely needs it.
One who struggles for an excuse when he comes late to the office.
Lest his ratings get affected due to a bad impression
No matter who makes the mistake...
'I' am the one who gets trapped.
Haven't you seen tons of people wearing straps on their necks?
Go, pick just any of them and you will find 'Me'.
I am just...
A Frustrated. Software. Engineer.
wanting to apply his leaves.
Why has..
this frustrated software engineer woken up Today?
And with...
FIVE casual leaves at that?
Oh! So you have a problem that I have woken up?
Am I supposed to make excel sheets all my life and keep suffering?
And by the way, this is not coming out of the blue, manager sahib.
You could say, I didn't find time earlier.
In the hopes of a salary increment...
this task...
got a bit neglected.
But better late than never!
I want all my leaves approved.
TODAY!
But,
Why in 'this' very delivery?
Why not in some other one?
Well...only in this delivery,
was I able to build dependencies on me.
Do you realize that if we approve your leave,
so many engineers will have to burn the midnight oil?
Big deal! They will anyways do it, manager sahib.
And no one but these Team Leads will make them do it.
Last time they forced us to stay back for a client call.
Next time they will find some other reason.
And they will keep forcing us to stay back,
until we learn to give them a fitting reply.
Who ARE you?
Sorry?
I mean, are you a JAVA coder?
Or a C++ coder?
Who ARE you?
My technology has got nothing to do with this.
It DOES.
I've already told you, I am just...
a frustrated software engineer.
Frustrated. Software. Engineer ??
Right.
You are starting to feel afraid...
of escalations...
of losing your job.
May be.
Be specific.
Yes or no?
YES.
So then remember this fear!
And don't assume that you can get away...
by waving the flag of a so called software engineer.
What you are trying to prove is...
I don't want to prove anything, manager sahib.
I just want to remind you.
that we coders have a lot of anger in us,
and you must stop testing our patience
we are resilent by force
Not by choice.
It just took me 4 weeks to build dependencies and to make you helpless.
You think we are more intelligent...
than these clients who make us work?
In fact everything about codes is available on the internet.
Go, search and you will find 352 websites on it.
On how to write the codes...
What conventions to use...
All the information is easily accessible.
Free of cost.
Do you know, that there's a website by the name Rose India?
Where one can access the whole framework?
For any coder, I can't think of any other website...
that's as useful as this.
The fault is OURS.
We get 'used to' things too soon.
One fine day the code fails on production.
And we keep solving the thing all night...
and keep writing the codes.
And then we feel thankful that the issue got resolved.
Thus instead of opposing the situation,
we people begin to destroy the office culture.
But even we are helpless, you see.
We are lured with the promises of 'On-site' opportunities, manager sahib.
That's why we trust YOU people.
Thinking you will send us 'on-site'
Project managers,
Group leaders...they are authorized enough, to send us 'on-site'.
But you don't EVER send us!
All you do is Make a Fool of us.
Eh?
Why are you not initiating our visas?
If one resource seeks a transfer,
the resource manager starts dancing on his head!
Don't you feel that it is a question of their management skills?
All this drama must end!
This whole bloody system is flawed!
If YOU guys do not answer the clients,
then WE will have to step forth.
Well, yes, that could...
affect our promotion...
But what else should we do manager sahib, what else!?
I am very certain that the escalation that happened last time,
was not merely a client activity.
It was a BIG question.
and the question was...
'''We will reject your leaves likewise.."
....what CAN you do?''
Yes they asked this question...
on Diwali...
repeated it on Holi.
I am just replying...
on this Nagpanchmi (Snake Festival)
Your philosophy of taking leaves when upcoming dependencies exist on you, is simply WRONG.
This is not the right way of doing things.
Yes, I know that.
But today, I am thinking of the end, and not the means I take.
Did someone close to you get a poor rating?
Why?
Should I...wait for the day..
When mine or my close ones'...
ratings get fucked up during the appraisal?
Is it then, that you will find my behaviour justified?
So, listen, if you will.
Yes, I did have a close friend.
About my own age.
I do not now his technology.
I just knew him by the project.
I used to meet him daily at the tea stall.
He would say me a hello as he took puffs on his cigarette.
And I would too say a hello in response.
There are many such people
whom we know, not by technology, but by project.
Just before the appraisals,
he had obtained an Oracle Certification.
He was very happy
During the appraisals...
I happened to get a fair rating.
But apparently HE didn't get a good one.
And so when I went back after appraisals...
He was no where to be seen.
I guess he switched to another IT company.
So you are doing this for coders...
who got poor ratings in their appraisals?
No, no, no. I am not...so fucking jobless.
I always knew...
what poor rating is.
Months on end, I too HAVE done night shifts.
But sahib, THIS is just not acceptable.
No ************
I pardon my language, but no ************
has the right to call me up demanding
that I provide technical support even during weekends.
They are SO proud..
of not promoting us...
of making us work in night-shifts!!
of rejecting our leaves...
on Holi, Diwali, Durga Puja and so on!!
Well then, I TOO am proud of myself...
for taking a leave on Nagpanchami (Snake Festival), in spite of project dependencies on me.
I am no jobless weirdo manager sahib.
And I am doing this for no one but myself.
Just so that I can finish my work in nine hours straight,
and go out fearlessly.
Where ever I want, whenever I need to.
In bars, pubs, malls, no matter which place.
I am unable to get your point.
Why? Because my demand for a...
holiday on Snake Festival is weird?
May be.
Be definite.
Yes or no?
Yes.
If you people,
do not release me from a given project for more than three years...
then that's perfectly Alright?!
but if I want a holiday on Snake Festival, then it's Weird?!
Actually, the fault is not yours.
This is just what is expected of a software engineer...
that he work all night...
What the fuck are you doing?
Can't you see that I am talking?
So, where was I?
Yes, we are expected to deploy codes all night...
expected to work in night-shifts...
(laughter)
(voices from the movie)
What are you watching sleepyhead?
Are you MAD or what!
Don't you ever misbehave with me like this!!
Such a strange dream I had, man!
What did you see?
(yawn)
I saw myself, on the terrace like Naseeruddin Shah,
and I was asking my manager for a leave
in spite of the fact that the project depends on me.
Come lets go for a smoke.
No man!
I need to pack my bags.
I have got a train.
When do you leave?
Tomorrow, directly from the office.
(cell phone ringing)
Hey, there is a call for you.
Who is it?
Some 'Dassu'.
Who's this Dassu?
(snake gesture)
My damn manager.
Bites a lot!
Shushh...
Be silent.
Hello,
Yes, sir.
You had called me?
Er.. I was sleeping...
Phone was on silent mode. Tell me.
No, but sir...
Err...that...
No...so...
Ok sir.
Ok. Fine, I will be there.
What happened?
There was some issue with the code in production.
I'll have to go to office even on Saturday and Sunday.
My leaves got rejected yet again.
(voices from the movie 'A Wednesday')