What constable Reena can teach our 70-hour-a-week CEOs

medium118501504Journalists are, often, harbingers of bad news. They have to write and broadcast stories of earthquakes, terror strikes, fire tragedies, railway accidents. They must, as is their remit, record instances of ragging, suicides and the protests that follow.They don’t choose the headline. The headline chooses them. Of late, stampedes have had to be written about. The rush of the pilgrims and the inability of various authorities to control the crowds are stories that have had to be documented.The past few weeks alone have seen two stampedes, both related to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, to which the faithful like to flock. They go in the hope of salvation, of soaking themselves in religiosity and spirituality. They pack their bags in the hope of experiencing devotion and with the faith that they will be able to make the journey without a mishap. None of those who died — on the banks of the river in Prayagraj or on the platforms of New Delhi railway station — wanted to end up as a statistic, as just a number.The stampede in New Delhi, which killed 18, is only a few days old.Sometimes — only sometimes — journalists also get the chance to document courage and record stories and images that are both powerful and inspirational. One such emerged on February 16, barely 24 hours after passengers scrambled and shoved on New Delhi railway station platforms; getting trampled to death as they tried to board trains for Prayagraj.On February 16, the media — mainstream and social — discovered a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable named Reena. She made instant news. She had to. medium nocaptionhttps://youtube.com/shorts/Q5t3uk1Y-Lw?si=vXFCe-LvgwjSLI0aReena was on duty on a Sunday, baton in hand. Men and women in uniform don’t often have the luxury of adhering to the corporate rule of “weekends are ‘me’ time”, or “Sundays are meant for spending time with the family”. For them, every day is a working day. Disasters neither choose a date nor their time or place.Reena had a practical problem that Sunday, but the young constable also had an equally practical solution. She simply picked up Tarun, her one-year-old son, and put him in a carrier astride her chest. She paced up and down the platform, baton in hand and baby on bosom. At times, she used the whistle to draw the attention of people she thought were adding to what looked like a crowd.That Sunday, when Reena was asked to report for duty — even though it was her day off — she responded quickly. Before reaching the station, she quickly dropped her two daughters off at a daycare centre. She wasn’t thinking about ‘work-life balance’.The more I see and read about Reena, the more I’m reminded of what Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy said when he extolled the virtues of clocking 70 hours of work per week. Murthy, who has inspired his employees in various other ways, however said rather firmly that he does not believe in the concept of maintaining a ‘work-life’ balance. He believes that India’s progress depends on its citizens’ willingness to make sacrifices. medium nocaptionhttps://youtu.be/BCU_OnZ8rDI?si=TsT4uVhbWhWZQsCWMurthy did not articulate his views only once. A few months after he had first made his views public, he spoke again, at the Global Leadership Summit hosted by CNBC-TV 18 in November 2024. India needs a stronger work ethic, he said, reaffirming that his view on the “70-hour workweek” remained unchanged. “I’m sorry, I have not changed my view. I will take this with me to my grave,” he said.Let’s return to Reena before we analyse Murthy’s views.The RPF constable understands the meaning of duty; she also understands the responsibilities of being a parent. She knows how to rise to life’s challenges. She takes them, head on. In her case, it won’t be wrong to say, ‘chest on’, for that’s where her toddler was strapped.Reena did not panic. On the contrary, she came across as someone who is unflappable. When asked how she balanced her duties with childcare, she answered, matter-of-factly, telling TOI, “It’s a normal routine for me. I just make sure the baby doesn’t get hurt… I’m looking for a caregiver to help me, but until then, I will keep doing what I have to do.” She ensures she packs his porridge and his nappies.She’s always battle-ready, flitting between New Delhi’s many railway stations. She’s been working for more than a decade and has aided the country’s “progress”, to use Murthy’s words. She has a “strong work ethic”, and the demonstrated ability to make “sacrifices”.The other gladdening thing about Reena is that her organisation is appreciative of what she does. It was the RPF that tweeted about her, saying, “She serves, she nurtures, she does it all… A mother, a warrior, standing tall…” The tweet with a video of Reena and her baby landed on microblogging site X on February 17. The RPF doesn’t have creche facilities for their staff but allows them to care for their children during duty hours. She serves, she nurtures, she does it all— A mother, a warrior, standing tall…

Constable Reena from 16BN/RPSF performing her duties while carrying her child, representing the countless mothers who balance the call of duty with motherhood every day. #NariShakti #HeroesInUniform … pic.twitter.com/enzaw0iDYo

— RPF INDIA (@RPF_INDIA) February 17, 2025 At the Global Leadership Summit, Murthy also said, “About 25 years ago, KV Kamath at an event was asked about his opinion on work-life balance. He said that India is a poor country with a lot of challenges. We first have to get a life, then we can worry about work-life balance.” Kamath is the chairman of Jio Financial Services.Reena has proven, beyond a doubt, that she’s got a life. She’s proven, rather matter-of-factly, that maintaining a ‘work-life balance’ — which Murthy doesn’t believe in — is so very doable. It is within arm’s reach.Reena has also reminded us of how SN Subrahmanyan, the chairman of Larsen & Toubro, landed in a controversy recently. Not only because he said he would love his employees to work on Sundays, but also because of the comment thereafter: “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?”Reena was neither sitting at home — she seldom does — nor staring at her spouse. He is posted miles away, serving the country in Jammu and Kashmir, as a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable. He’s got a life too and it isn’t measured in hours.Read more from the author here.