Cloudy morning. Akash's face is heavy, as if he wants to say something, but doesn't say it. These sunless days get kind of dumb—as does Sohag. Sohag was taciturn, always. He has a habit of speaking less since his childhood. At school, teachers thought Sohag was probably introverted, unable to mix with friends. But the truth was different. Sohag is not really a talkative person, yet he understands everything deeply.
Everyone in the house used to say, "It's not enough to talk less. Words tell people who they are." Sohag smiled softly, but did not reply.
Today is special because today is the first day of Sohag's new job. Mom said, "Get messy. You have to learn to talk in the office. You have to get along with everyone. A job is not just a job, it's a place to build relationships." Sohag smiled again, but the thought was swirling in his mind.
He became silent as soon as he boarded the bus. The outside noise, the noise of people, everything seems to float away. Before reaching the office, he knows, there is a battle going on inside his mind—"Should I speak? How much should I speak?" These questions are spinning in the head. But he knows, he understands many things without speaking.
On reaching the office, he first entered the boss's room. The office is big, modern. As he entered the boss's chamber, he smiled softly, "Sit down."
Sohag smiled softly and nodded and sat on the chair.
The boss's name is Zakir Sahib. He is experienced, heavy on his age, but agile. He said, "We found you a lot of trouble. From your resume, I understood that you know your job. But tell me, how much do you communicate at work?"
Sohag remained silent for a while and replied, "I love work. And through work I get in touch."
Mr. Zakir was a little startled. "Speak less!"
Sohag smiled, "Yes, I like to talk about work."
"Okay," said Zakir, smiling. "Then get to work. Let your work tell how you are!"
Sohag felt like a weight was lifted from his mind. The boss seemed to understand the matter. Action is real, not words.
The office environment is quite good. Colleagues are very sincere. They are talking to each other, laughing while working. But Sohag doesn't mix well. He is sitting at his desk working quietly. So his mind sits, and through it the innermost words of his thoughts are revealed. Sometimes colleagues ask him something during work, and he gives short answers. But Sohag seems to be a little different, different among all.
One day a colleague, Mitu, came to him and said, "You don't talk much, but seeing your work, I can see that you are doing quite well. But you don't mix with us at all. What a distant person!"
Sohag smiled a little and said, "I speak less, but look, I feel everything. I try to express my words in my work."
Mitu smiled and said, "So work is your language?"
Sohag nodded. "Yeah, maybe so."
Mitu was a little worried and said, "But if you want to build a relationship in the office, you need not only to work, but also to talk."
Sohag fell silent. Mitu's words made him think that maybe Mitu is right. But Sohag loved work more than talking. "I'll try," she told Mitu.
After a few days, a big project started in the office. Everyone was working together, lots of discussions, meetings—everything was going on. Sohag listened to everything, tried to understand, but did not speak much. His colleagues thought that Sohag might not be interested in these things.
But when it came to the most important time of the project, Sohag surprised everyone with his work. This boy of few words pays close attention to everyone's words, and brings it out through his actions.
Finally, on the last day of the project, when everyone was appreciating the work, Sohag was called by the boss Zakir Sahib and said, "You don't talk much, but show results. We need people like you."
Sohag laughed and said, "Even if I say less, I feel everything. So maybe that comes out in the work."
That day, Mitu looked at him and said with a gentle smile, "Your work is yours."
Sohag realized that speaking less can mean a lot, and that understanding is deepened through action.