Mahabharata, the Indian mythological epic teems with lessons we can draw for everyday life. From strategy to leadership principles, from manipulation to war tactics, Mahabharata has it all. And while the tale of Mahabharata itself is one to draw real life parallels from, here’s a post going around on Whatsapp that we had to put an OfficeChai spin on.
Here are the 10 characters from Mahabharata that you can find in your office.
1. Dronacharya: The Mentor. The employee who’s too lazy to do any work himself, but is always ready to guide and train new joiners.
2. Bhishma: The Loyal. The employee in a relatively senior position who happily assists the boss in spite of knowing his incompetence (or maybe because of some strange oath)
3. Dhritarashtra: The blind boss. He knows that everything is wrong with his project but will still let it function, without making any changes to the current processes.
4. Gandhari: The Yesman/Woman. Boss’s immediate juniors who know that they are a part of an evil plan but will stay blindfolded and pretend as though it’s all okay.
5. Yuddhisthira: The ethical guy. Poor chap who never fudges timesheets and doesn’t call in sick unless he is dying.
6. Bheema: The angry resource. Always ready to pick up a fight with his peers, subordinates or even the bosses.
7. Arjuna: The cool dude. The star performer who also knows how to sell his skills. A natural charmer, very famous among the ladies.
8. Nakul & Sahdev: The good average resource. No one notices them. They keep doing their work and get average appraisals.
9. Duryodhana: The Bully. Knows how to get work FCC, by hook or by crook. Doesn’t mind threatening the likes of Nakul and Sahdev to get his work done.
10. Karna: The unsung hero. The best performer in the office but never claims credit for his work. Stays an unsung hero for all his life. Girls take him for a snobbish nerd.
11. Shakuni: The evil plotter. Copies management in every mail. Escalates every trivial issue, sometimes to take credit and sometimes just for kicks.
12. Dhristadyumna: The One innings wonder. The one who performs an extraordinary feat, and then basks in the glory of it for the rest of his life.
13. Draupadi: The shared resource. Keeps hopping projects on boss’s advice.
14. Krishna: The Ultimate Boss (MD/CEO) who knows that it is his game while he makes everyone believe that they are playing important roles too.
Who says history never repeats itself? It does, everyday…in the office.