There was something awfully wrong. The well foundation for bridge pier is sinking. John could feel the vibration on the surrounding earth. It was a concrete structure just like an open well with thick wall in form of a ring. On the surface it looks like two concentric circles, the space between outer ring and inner ring is filled with concrete to make a thick annular concrete wall. It sits like a thick bangle on the surface. Concretes walls in ring form is built up as the bangle sinks slowly under its own weight inside the ground when the earth from inner ring is taken away by a mechanical earth cutter-cum-grabber. Removal of earth from inner ring reduces the frictional force, thereby helping annular concrete wall to push inside the ground by its own weight. It is the process of well sinking. But the concrete giant never sinks uniformly. It all depends on the resistance of the soil below the tip.
Inevitable has happened. The giant concrete monolith has avoided the resistance. It must be relatively soft soil on one side which has made the monolith to gush in hissing sound and vibration. Now it stands tilted as if bowing the head out of shame.
It is path of least resistance. It is less painful. But it makes you ashamed in the end because you never learn anything significant in life. You cease to be human being if you never accept challenges. Difficulty in life is not going to last for ever. It makes the achievement pleasurable, more pleasurable. You need to struggle. You need to sustain the pressure and overcome that resistance. That makes you sharper and wiser in the end. It is the pressure which converts coal to diamond. Smooth sea never makes a good sailor. It is the turbulence in the sea that teaches. It has a thrill. It has a charm. Without that thrill life is dull and monotonous. It is the life of four-legged involved in routine. Who wants that? Experience in overcoming the odds is the best teacher, never mind if it is an expensive teacher.
John is standing near the concrete monolith. It has tilted. It has tilted a quite a bit. It needs urgent attention. It has to be set right before it tilts further. Intuition tells loading it eccentrically is not going to help; nor the loosening of the soil in the side of the tilt by water jet. The tilting is huge. It requires a diver who will go inside the water and cut the earth on the tip of concrete giant.
John was totally bemused. Divers are rare in construction site now days. They come from a particular part of the country. Professional divers with their under water gadgets and dress are slowly replacing the traditional divers. But professionals are at premium, they do not come to remote construction site. They do not follow the traditional method of oiling the body for hours before entering into water with weight hung around the waist to counter the buoyancy. The metallic cap in the head is connected to a compressor to supply air for breathing while they are under the water. The pressurized air from the compressor drives away the water and creates a big air bubble around diver’s head. The modern divers with their sophisticated under water jacket do not require so much elaborations of the traditional diver.
Time is running out first for John. The giant is going to tilt further if something is not done immediately. The only traditional diver of the construction site, Muthu, is running high fever. The fever has lasted for last two days; still it does not show the sign of coming down. Hilly terrain. It could be mosquitoes born. John is really worried. Who will go inside the water of giant well? He must be experienced. He must have the sense of timing. He should possess that extra in-built sensory to throw that extra weight around the waist and move up as the well tries to correct itself otherwise he will be trapped in the loose and bouncy sands.
John started to move in short and quick steps. His to and fro movement speaks about his mental perturbation. He had a squint glance to the tilted giant. It is standing head bent, challenging John, testing his patience. John started breathing heavily. It is sign of restlessness. He ought to act. He can not allow the situation to drift. His fists are clinched. Teeth are rigidly joined and grinding each other.
He needs to consult Muthu. May be the septuagenarian has something to contribute out of his experience. He dragged his feet towards the camp. From a distance he could see some movement near Muthu’s cottage. It became slowly apparent as he approached nearer. It is the traditional rope cot where Muthu lays chest upward. Two of the construction workers are massaging oil. Muthu’s body is totally soaked in fresh oil. This is a special massage before diving inside the water. John could sense the intention. Muthu’s eyes are blood tinted in high fever of the hills. But there is a purpose in his face. It is a challenge not new to Muthu. He has done it in the past. He will do it once again. It is the call of the duty. It is the call of the responsibility. It is the silent call of his leader. He needs to deliver. How can he ignore that call? It is the silent call to wake up and rise up. The old war horse `is rising, definitely rising.
John hurried back to the construction site. He did not say anything to Muthu. He knows very well the septuagenarian is not going to listen to him. It is very difficult to control him. But he needs to prevent Muthu going inside the water. He has to make a balance, a realistic balance. It is concern for work while keeping intact the concern for people. That is what leadership warrants. The optimization is possible, definitely possible. Look into the issue. Have a close glance, half of the battle is own. Leadership is all about leading from anywhere and setting example. The call of the moment is to lead from the front. A leader should inspire. He needs to be a mixture of courage, charisma, knowledge and concerns.
John soaked himself in oil with quick hands. The metallic cap connected to compressor is already in his head. He needs to go inside the water before Muthu’s arrival. It is silence, a deafening silence all-round. Lips do not move but eyes tell the story. It is the song of silence. It has a pulse. It has a beat. It has a rhythm. It has a lyric. Listen to it if you wish to listen. It is within you. It is inside you. It is embedded in you. It is song of sense of duty and responsibility as charming and as exciting as red tubes of Parijats.
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