Passage to India

Above: Passage to India is a restaurant in the High Street (not one of my best photographs – I had to stand in the middle of the road to take the picture).

Passage to India is a 1924 novel by EM Forster, counted by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best novels in the English language (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Passage_to_India) and later made into an Oscar-winning film by David Lean.

“No passage to India” effectively describes my current situation.

For two weeks most of the staff in my office have gone five thousand miles to meet the personnel at our Indian call centre in a sort of inter-departmental exchange and international “jolly”.

Therefore this week and next week I am almost alone in the office (apart from one creative in the studio and one person who has resigned and is working his notice and in any case is on holiday today). Why, out of all my colleagues, am I the one to be left behind? Obviously someone needs to be left in the UK office to cope with any emergencies (and also keep an eye on the builders who are altering the downstairs back offices). But it is also true that my omission from the India trip could be interpreted as a snub. Since arriving at the office a year ago my progress has not been altogether smooth. As one of the PAs said to me: “You’re too outspoken – only yes-men get ahead in this company”.

The offices have an odd feel to them. They are darker since there is no point in switching on all the lights. They are completely silent apart from the hammering from the builders downstairs. There is no-one to talk to since the two friends I have in the company have gone on the India trip. There are less phone calls (lines have been diverted) but every call that comes in I have to answer. The post is already beginning to heap up on the desks of various people.

It’s going to be a long two weeks.