Please wear your best festive outfit. Also, be at your desk by 9 am sharp for the Diwali party.

2 min read

1

An email from Management with "Re: Festival bonus" in the subject line and "Diwali bonus? What's that? We are a secular workplace. Hard work is our only religion." in the email body--nonprofit humour

2

An email from HR with "Time off (but not really)" in the subject line. The email body reads, "Take the full week off. We are all like family here. Just be reachable for any emergencies." Below this is text that reads:(Dangers of working with 'family'? They have no qualms about slithering into your personal life to declare a font change as an emergency.)--nonprofit humour

3

An email from Programme Head with "Quick ask, last one" in the subject line. The email says, "Can we squeeze in one last field visit before the festival?" Below this is text that reads: (The field team is already halfway home.)--nonprofit humour

4

An email from Leadership with "Take rest! (Also, Monday)" in the subject line. The email reads, "Please take some rest, you have earned it. Also, the revised draft of the annual report is due on Monday."--nonprofit humour

5

An email from Project Lead with "Closing this before the break" in the subject line. The email says, "Let's close this before the holidays so everyone can switch off and enjoy the festivities." Below this is text that reads: (Sent at 6.44 pm on the last working day before said holidays. With 13 comments on the document.)--nonprofit humour

6

An email from Team Lead with "Re: Re: Welcome back!" in the subject line. The email says, "Come back refreshed! We have a lot lined up later." Below this is text that reads: (Day 1 after Diwali: 47 unread emails, 11 calls scheduled in three days, 1 'urgent' deliverable, and mithai half-eaten by someone else.)--nonprofit humour

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Epti Pattnaik-Image
Epti Pattnaik

Epti Pattnaik is the head of multimedia at IDR, where she shapes the editorial tone and strategy for multimedia. She has more than 13 years of experience across documentary film-making, multimedia production, and digital campaigns and strategy. Her work focuses on human-centred storytelling, translating complex research and lived experiences into engaging, accessible stories rooted in people’s realities. Over the years, she has worked with organisations such as the American India Foundation, UNHCR, Breakthrough, and Foundation for Ecological Security. Epti holds a master’s degree in media and cultural studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Surangya-Image
Surangya

Surangya works as a multimedia and communications associate at IDR. She is a video journalist and documentary film-maker with nine years of experience across newsrooms, documentary film-making, and social impact communications, focusing on gender, class, climate, and marginalised communities. Surangya has previously worked with Down To Earth, Khabar Lahariya, and NewsClick, and has done freelance work including a project with UNFPA.

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