The drama that unfolded

Safety week was being celebrated in the company to inculcate the need for safety and the responsibility of each one to ensure safety in operations.The week ended with a play on safety incorporating real life incidents that had taken place during the year.Gomes electrical Engineer and running an amateur theater group organized the play with participation from various operating people from the plant.

One particular year as usual the skit was organized and the local Minister for Industries and pollution control was invited as the chief guest.Needless to say that the front row was occupied by who is who in the company.I was GM Sales and I occupied the fifth row leaving the front rows free for those who were directly facing safety hazards.
In the play,the supervisor was explaining the precautions to be taken while climbing the prilling tower.The assistant was not listening to him and was repeatedly interrupting the supervisor.At one stage I got so exasperated that I stood up and shouted at the assistant for not allowing the supervisor to continue with his instructions on an important subject like safety.There was stunned silence.The play stopped for a minute.My colleague pulled my sleeves and made me sit down.Some one behind us was asking his neighbour”what has gone wrong with your boss-has he gone bonkers?

My MD turned back ,his eyebrows knitted and gritted his teeth as if to say –look my dear,I will fix you in the next Management Committee Meeting.The Minister also turned to look at what type of GMs the company is employing.After an uneasy interval the play continued and ended after some time..Then Gomes called me to the stage and introduced me to the Minister as well as audience that I was part of the troupe and my interruption was part of the play to highlight the type of interruptions people face while enforcing safety.
A loud applause rent the air and I bowed like the Air India Maharaja.The Minister while explaining that he was momentarily taken aback but complimented the team for roping in a marketing man in a program on safety operations Those who had made snide remarks earlier were understandably looking sheepish..In the next MC meeting my MD pointed to me and told my colleagues-Be careful with Lakshmi-he can pull a fast one on all of us.
Thanks to the best kept secret on my participation in the play every one enjoyed the way in which the play unfolded. .