Corporate World seems like a parallel Universe. It is intriguing, fascinating and yes, shocking! And capturing a bit of the "shock" is Sumit Aggarwal's debut novel "Office Shocks".
The novel encapsulates the protagonists' first day at work. Filled with humor, the shocking incidents make for a quick read.
BookChums got talking to the author for his take on the book and the corporate world.
What got you interested in writing a novel about the corporate world?
Most of us grew up reading Reader’s Digest. It invariably carried one of the most hilarious sections called ‘All in a day’s work’ which contained short humorous anecdotes from the workplace. And then I also read works by Scott Adams who has written extensively on office culture, processes and office folk in the immensely popular Dilbert and Way of the Weasel. So office came to me as the obvious first choice to write in the fiction/humour genre.
Realities are shocking, no doubt. How did you stumble upon the title? What harsh reality brought about the ideation of the title choice?
All that is encompassed in the word ‘office’ has been aptly summed up by Scott Adams. He said that office is a repository of all absurdity, contradiction and human foolishness.
And ‘shocks’ is merely unpleasant hard-hitting surprise in plural. Thus, Office Shocks was quite apt. It was the working title and the final title as well, luckily. Also, I had received very interesting reactions on this composition of words, this expression.
What was your first day at work like? Any shocks that you'd like to share with our readers?
My first day at work was quintessentially full of surprises. And it would have stayed that way if I hadn’t gone to the doctor in the evening. I was running a fever all day and was diagnosed with viral. Actually all my colleagues must have been shocked because after the first day at work I was on sick leave for the rest of week. They thought that I had quit on the first day or something.
It is a difficult task to poke fun or make someone smile. What's your take on humor? How essential, according to you, is it to bring in humor in some (serious) situations?
Humour should stem organically from the plot or the characters or both. The decision to write in the humour genre influences the nature of the plot – farce, comedy from human errors, dark comedy, sarcastic take on things etc. Then, the serious situations are also articulated in a manner that makes the reader smile. But as long as it does not take away the message or gravity of the situation, it is fine.
Did you do any research or collect anecdotes from friends while writing the book? Did you have to work much on the narrative style (it is quite unique and pleasantly gripping)?
My friends’ anecdotes really helped but not in terms of the events that took place but what people do and what fuels their reactions. For instance, it was not about the fiasco at work, but how the boss reacted and how the colleagues reacted that took my attention. You draw from memory certain details like tables, chairs, ties, pen, laptop, taxi, cigarette etc. and how does a person interact with the environment while the environment and circumstances are completely drawn from fiction. Also, while narrating a first day at work which was full of surprises can be easily autobiographical, for a shocking first day at work, imagination serves better and then keeping it in the realm of realism is the challenge.
We only get to see Aniket's first day at work. So essentially there is not much bonding with any of the characters. Was this intentional?
It was thematic. It is rare to really bond with people and make close friends on day one.
That said, Aniket is the only character that stays with the reader. All others are transient. You can identify with his situations, but still can’t empathize with him because he is already taking care of things inside his head. He is neither the underdog nor the hero. He is careful and a little selfish and learning to protect his interests in a new world.
How would you rate yourself as an observer of life? What are the things that you think move you, or make you take notice?
I think paradoxes are the most noticeable. I don’t know whether people notice things like a traffic police sign saying, “Better be safe than sorry. Please drive slow.” at the most congested parts of the city where traffic can only crawl. Also, putting it up at a place where there is no traffic does not make sense either because no one will stop to read it.
What's the first word/sentence that comes to your mind when you hear:
Office Gossip – Bad source of good information
Office Politics –Idle minded indulgence
You Are Fired – Rock Music
Name some books that have had an impact on you, or inspired you in some way.
The clean and crisp writing style and originality in the books by Ayn Rand have inspired me a lot apart from so many other books like Don Quixote, The Great Indian Novel, An Equal Music etc. the list goes on. But each and every book I have read has been inspiring in one way or the other.
Do we see another shocking reality from your desk? If yes, how about a sneak peak in to the plot? If not, what’s up next then?
The next book is a sequel to Office Shocks.
In every office, the first few months are usually termed as the honeymoon time for the new joiner. But the only similarity between honeymoon and new employment is the process of commingling of two estranged parties. The plot is based around an attempt to reconcile this strange analogy with what is usually amiss- an exotic location, the promise of a holiday, a panic-driven mental feud to leave the other, some ‘action’ and so on. So Aniket and Tia introduce you to a sinister, malicious and of course hilarious alter-ego of office. That’s enough said for the time being.
What’s your advice to the newly employed?
Every time you feel bogged down with work pressure or if you realize that you have made a mistake or some senior yells at you, stay calm and switch on world news. You will realize the triviality of office. World news acts as really tiny dose of transient epiphany. There is a fun list of Office Shocks pearls of wisdom on the facebook page and on twitter as well.
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