APAR SHAKTI , THE SEASONAL PHENOENON …..
When I joined Govt some 21 years ago, I was told about a powerful tool officers had which they use for recording Assessment of the lower subjects aka Junior Officials. At that time they used to refer it as CR the cryptic form for Confidential Report. It is this tool many bosses used for extracting some times “work” and more often obedience just like a similar and more unpopular police tool called “Third Degree”. This tool has latter increased in (linguistic) size and had been known as ACR and offlate with the Transparency threatening to enter the country at least in public places, has got rechristened as APAR (annual performance appraisal report). Translated into English from Hindi, it becomes Apaaar or unlimited. Yes unlimited Shakti or tool in the hands of basses with the effectiveness akin Sudarshana Chakra of Sri Krishna or the Gandiva of Arjuna.
With recent DoPT directives treating “Good” rating as negative for most promotions, the boss has become a class apart with this new found power to denying You a promotion while calling You a “Good Boy”. It is now being said that Good is not Good enough. With the transparency opening up the contents of APAR to the dreading subordinate the assessment season got extended. The ACR season that was otherwise limited to Dec to April now gets extended right into the month when the same is put on your website for you to see and lament/ rejoice. With these APAR reforms Boss has become larger than life next only to God. If You are an atheist , you have had it ; Boss is a Visible God or Pratyaksha Devta forYou.
As for the APAR season the Govt officials (many) get afflicted by a disease more common than common cold and more deadly and communicable than AIDS. It has just recently been christened as APAR phobia. It is the time when the Word “Yes Sir” becomes more common than “Hello or Hai ”. You tend to find more virtues in the Boss than he would have ever dared to think he has. It is the time when bosse’s dinners are mostly outside.
From Diwali to Holy and beyond the bosses house receives more sweets than he and his family can eat over a life time with most getting transferred to the house of Bosse’s Boss finally landing up in the dust bin or in the house maid’s kitchen. It is a season most relished by the two extreme sections of society, the Bosses and their under paid maid servants. That’s called social Engineering driven by middle managers. In this season You should develop affinity for eatables like butter and take inspiration from common kitchen tools like spoon or more precisely the Hindi version of the tool.
If You are not identifying yourself with the above content but working for Govt, I am sorry to say but You are not good enough even to be Very Good and it is the Outstanding practitioners of the art who will be overtaking You.
The author does not have any intellectual rights on this humble article and You can share it with every one except the boss, as he would read into your devious designs and positive results will be more difficult to come by.
APAR shakti ki Jai.
Disclaimer : The author is a bad practitioner of the APAR mantra.Just a funny take, largely untrue ! haa haa
