—The Zoom Chronicles of Manish, the Master Multitasker
The Legend of Manish
In Team Delta, there was a Zoom ninja – Manish.
• He never turned on his video – not even when HR insisted on a camera-on culture.
• He nodded at exactly the right moments.
• He threw in phrases like “leverage ecosystem” and “synergise the roadmap” while playing Candy Crush.
Everyone respected him. Some feared him. He was a mystery to most, an inspiration to some.
What they didn’t know was—Manish hadn’t heard a single word of work conversation since March.
His real daily planner:
• 10 AM: Join Zoom
• 10:05 AM: Mute mic, share frozen screen image
• 10:06 AM – 5 PM: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, biryani, nap, video games
The Streaming Sultan
One unfortunate Wednesday, as the team dived into a high-pressure client review call, Manish dived into Panchayat Season 1, Episode 8 (a comedy-drama web series on Amazon Prime Video).
Title: “Jab Jaago Tabhi Savera”
Just as Abhishek Tripathi (Sachiv [secretary] from the series) noticed Rinki (another character from the series) on the tower, someone in the Zoom call asked:
“Manish, your insights on the company retention rate?”
Startled, Manish panicked. Panic, pure chaos.
He did what any guilty employee would do:
• Shook his mouse aggressively
• Tried to unmute
• Accidentally hit Screen Share
• And worst of all… forgot the audio was ON.
Suddenly, 23 professionals—plus the client—were treated to:
A romantic music
A cute conversation between the two characters
Rinki saying, “Hum Rinki, Pradhanji ki Beti.”
Silence. Then Explosion
• “Did Manish just share Amazon Prime Video??”
• “Wait… is that Panchayat?”
• “Is this part of the pitch?”
• “No wonder our retention rate is so low—our data guy is in love with a character who’s fed up with his job in a village!”
The client muted themselves for five whole minutes—possibly to recover from embarrassment. Or maybe they also started watching Season 2.
• HR called it “inappropriate streaming behaviour during work hours.”
• His team renamed the Zoom link: “Manish & The Legend, Binod”
• IT changed his laptop wallpaper to Panchayat background.
But surprisingly, no one was truly angry. Because deep down, everyone had done it…
Karthik had watched a little IPL during calls.
Meera shopped for lipsticks on Nykaa during a strategy review.
Rakesh had shared cat memes instead of KPIs
They too, were just one unmuted moment away from an embarrassment.
The Unmuted Lesson:
In the post-pandemic jungle, survival is not of the fittest — it goes to the one who can mute, nod, and binge-watch without getting caught.
But beware, O Brave Multitasker:
• Every “strategic nod” has an expiry date.
• Every fake “network issue” eventually reconnects.
• And every Manish on Prime Video is just one screen share away from HR.
Yes, we’ve all scrolled Amazon during analytics,
Yes, we’ve all caught up on IPL while “discussing deliverables,”
But remember — you’re just one wrong click away from becoming a viral sensation – for the wrong reasons.
Your boss might forgive laziness.
Your client might forgive retention.
But no one, no one, will forgive interrupting a monthly review call with a Panchayat scene.
So the next time you think you’re safe behind a muted mic and frozen face…
Ask yourself:
Is this the episode I want played at my appraisal?
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