Ship of Theseus: Same or Changed

Whenever I meet my former colleagues in the IAS, they ask me what has changed. A physics student will say everything appears constant if the observer and the observed are the same; who said self-reflection is easy? The question makes me realize it has been seven months since I embraced this change, and I should have an answer ready. Let me list the changes/learnings that I could find.

There is a secret test that new joiners are subjected to by old-timers for months after joining, the test of acronyms and do not bother googling them; these are organization-specific. These are hidden organizational IDs that entitle one to participate in professional gatherings. There are also jargon, and buzzwords that one must use, and my former government colleagues point out that I have been parroting these. It comforts me that my transition has been smooth. 

I now remember the corners and boarding gates of the airports, and they offer a strange sense of familiarity. I have my favourite eating joints inside the airports and some idea of the traffic jams in different cities. I am full of gratitude when flights leave on time. Every time I travel, there is a new cab driver, and my phone book is full of Driver 1, New Driver and Driver New2. This is also a time to curse WhatsApp which does not allow sharing locations without saving the number in the contact book. 

The hotels do not want you to forget them. They try to be unique, and every time I enter a new hotel room, I struggle with electric switches. Some can be two-way switches, and then master switches that can control everything. There may be lamps next to the bedside with a switch hidden somewhere. Rooms always have a TV to tease with hotels ignoring that one may need an active subscription/internet to watch anything. 

Another grievance I have is with taps and bathroom fittings. There are 101 ways to turn that tap up/down/left/right to get water flowing. If one wants to mix the hot and cold water, God save you. Hotels believe that sudden spurts of cold/hot water while taking a shower are good for your health and will leave pleasant memories. 

One realizes that hotels have a check-in and checkout time and a wonderful lobby where you can spend hours once you no longer have a room. You also learn that you may fly to a city in the morning and come back the same day, something I rarely practiced in days in the bureaucracy. 

I learnt you cannot just come to the office unannounced on any working day. As we packed our bags before going to school a day before, under the concept of hot desking, one needs to book their seating place before. To those accustomed to seeing a name board outside their cabins, this would be some change. It is an economical practice post-Covid where offices only rent the required space considering all employees may not need to come to the office every day.

Coming to work from home, I have learnt that 'call' means a video conference and let's connect would mean having a VC on Teams or some similar website. Blocking the calendar means that the person is setting up a 'call' with you.

On a serious note, any change is humbling. One starts in an unknown world with butterflies in the stomach. I had that feeling sixteen years ago when I entered IAS, I again have that now. Any change also comes with a steep learning curve and you often find twinkle in your eyes on learning something new. God has been kind, kinder have been my new colleagues. 

In Greek mythology, Theseus saved Athens by slaying the minotaur. To honour him, the Athenians took his ship on a yearly pilgrimage to Delos. Philosophers asked: if all parts of the Ship of Theseus were replaced over time, is it still the same ship? Am I different now or am I the same, maybe I will find the answer with time.