Commonwealth Games: Namaste, holiday nation!

NEW DELHI: Much of the world, or at least the Commonwealth, may be in Delhi today, but where is the Dilliwalla? Residents of the national capital seem to be missing in action, the streets stretching smooth and sans traffic. But was Delhi meant to be on holiday four days before the Commonwealth Games begin?
The government had ordered schools and colleges to be shut during the games, giving Delhi an official start to holiday season in Delhi of Saturday, October 2, right through to Dussehra on October 17.But Allahabad HC's verdict on Thursday meant an early start to downtime with most corporate houses declaring "the sensitive day" either holiday or half day.
Shopkeepers associations in old Delhi and HR departments across the city's offices estimate that 37% offices in the capital were shut on Thursday. Business houses say that a quarter of office-workers all over the country chose to take a break on Ayodhya's D-Day.
Delhi marketing executive Saurabh Gupta says he combined Thursday off with a day of casual leave on Friday and wound up with a four-day break "which is so rare in corporate life once you start working." Gupta is presently cooling off at Corbett with cousins, who used the same modus operandi to ensure a four-day weekend.
Ankur Bhatia, executive director of Bird Group, a travel conglomerate, says Indians are increasingly clubbing leave with long breaks on festivals and national holidays. Popular getaways are busy, he says.
Mumbai's low voter turnout last year was blamed on "the extended weekend" syndrome. Government offices and corporate houses declared Maharashtra election day a holiday. It was a Thursday and followed by Labour Day (Friday, May 1) and the weekend followed. Mumbaikars apparently voted with their feet for a long weekend.
Bosses aren't happy. Milind Banerjee, who runs a PVC pipe manufacturing unit in Gurgaon, says extended weekends spoil tempo of work. "In days leading up to such extended breaks, people put off work in anticipation of long leave. And I'm sure when these people join back on Monday, there is some sort of a hangover."
HR consultant Rati Chawla says "India's corporate culture is relatively new compared to other countries. Indian sarkari offices work not more than 6-7 months in a year. In comparison, private employees feel leave-starved.
(With inputs from Shobha John)