At the age of four, I began attending preschool in the Railway Colony of Kishan Ganj, Delhi. The school was housed in a first-floor house just a few blocks from my residence. Each day, under the watchful eye of a guard, a group of 15-20 children, including myself, embarked on the one-and-a-half-kilometer journey to school. Some children would cry, unable to bear the separation from their mothers, while others were noisy, yet we all marched on like a troop of monkeys following our leaders.
The school itself was a cramped space, situated in a first-floor two-room railway quarter, with one room and a balcony serving as the classroom. I distinctly remember the owner, who also doubled as our teacher, switching off the fan to save on electricity costs.
After my time at this preschool, I attended two schools under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, both housed in tents with students sitting on carpets. One school was approximately three kilometers away, near the Subzi Mandi Railway Station, while the other was closer, about two kilometers from my residence within the colony. For the first school, I was accompanied by an elder, but by the time I attended the latter, I was deemed old enough to manage the journey independently, at the age of eight.
It’s amusing to contrast these experiences with the sight of parents today, rushing to school bus pickup points, laden with their children’s bags and breakfasts, as the kids leisurely prepare to board air-conditioned buses to their air-conditioned classrooms.
The transition from a life of “hardship” to one of luxuries isn’t limited to children alone. My own lifestyle has also undergone continuous evolution. Upon completing my education and entering government service as a Class I officer, the amenities we take for granted today were not available. Junior and middle-level officers, like myself, were not entitled to air travel or working in air-conditioned environments. At the time, the idea of enhancing efficiency through better working conditions, ergonomics, and comfortable commuting had yet to gain traction. These concepts were often dismissed as trends promoted by wealthy nations to sell their gadgets to developing economies.
During emergencies, such as the need to reach a site quickly, we were expected to make do without the convenience and comfort that many now take for granted. I vividly recall an adventurous journey with a colleague from Delhi to Chennai in the peak of summer. We traveled unreserved, spending nearly half of the 32-hour journey in the crowded corridors of a first-class compartment. Occasionally, we managed to persuade the attendant to allow us a few hours of rest in the berths allocated to upcoming stations, before braving the sweltering heat of the corridor, where temperatures soared to nearly fifty degrees Celsius. Despite the challenges, we reached our destination and fulfilled our duties diligently, without complaint.
Comparing this experience to the corporate environment of today highlights the stark differences in travel and comfort. Nowadays, employees are placed in comfortable environments, travel by air, and are accommodated in pleasant accommodations, all to ensure they can focus on their work without distraction.
After joining an International development agency in 1997, I was introduced to a whole new level of comfort, ergonomic workspaces, and a working culture focused on productivity rather than simply clocking in hours. Despite this professional evolution, at home, we maintained a modest lifestyle, eschewing luxuries like air conditioning and limiting our car usage to essentials. It wasn’t that we didn’t desire more comfort; it simply wasn’t financially feasible at the time.
Gradually, we began incorporating small luxuries into our lives, such as taking annual holidays to recharge our energy. In 1999, I purchased my first air conditioner—a second-hand imported unit sold by the Embassy. Little did I know that this would mark the beginning of a dependency on air conditioning. Over time, it became difficult to imagine life without it, and even local travel by public transport became uncomfortable without the comfort of air conditioning.
Reflecting on this journey, I realize how adaptable the human body is to its environment and the level of comfort it becomes accustomed to. However, it also serves as a cautionary tale against becoming too reliant on comfort, as it can lead to a dependence that may not always be healthy.
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