Automate, Integrate, Eliminate!

 

Sharad woke up on time. He quickly rinsed his mouth, had two bananas his wife had kept ready, wore his shirt and leapt into the bus. Today was the Annual Day. He had to get the kids on time. So he had told all of them to be ready 10 minutes early. Or else…

Sharad had transported kids to Vidya Niketan since the school first began, which was 22 years ago. He had watched kids grow up from Jr. Kg all the way to 10^th. Several batches. He was still in touch with many. He had seen fights, romances, projects, bags, new bottles, chocolate and wada pav wrappers, pepsicola too, and wet seats during holi. The kids pierced their bottle tops to let out a stream of water, and he would scold them every year.

But none of those days were more important than today. Today, 22 years later, his comrades and him, were on the line. A new principal had appeared. She wanted to centralize. Make everything more efficient. With reports, and something called the "performance index". Sharad had not understood. He doubted his comrades did too. But the principal had uttered the words “professional” and “shut down private buses”. Those they had.

So if they were late today, the school was going to force all the students to school-system buses. Today was important.

Everything went as per plan. All of his comrades brought the students on time, early, and safe. As they sat together and opened their dabbas in his bus, a peon appeared. The principal had called everybody for a meeting. Right now.

The PTA had taken a decision to go ahead with the Bus EconmiZation and Outsourcing System. From next month, all students would have to use only those.

They shouted and screamed in shock. They had got the kids early, and on time. The principal just said, “You know the students personally. And so sometimes you wait for them. Personal connections cannot be relied upon every day. Though today, they were delivered on time, you might speed if they come down late next time because you wait for them. We cannot take that risk. Thank you. The meeting is over.”

The Diwali parties he gave his kids were over.
The laughter from his life was now over.
The forgotten lunch bags were over.
"Good Morning Kaka" was over.
The sleepy heads were over.
Vidya Niketan was over.
Sharad cried.

He would now need to find a new heart.