Noise pollution

We all know at least a couple of "loud speakers" (people who speak in more than required frequency of normal human hearing) at the work place.

They yell at the top of their lungs the phone, crackle in thundering roars of laughter and use high intonations at wrong places. They are famous for their typical - aaaaaie knooooow! (I know), maaaai gawd! (My God) or a screechy yeeeeeeahsss (yes) or a nasal no no no no no! (no).

All things that can distract you will be aired one after the other as they get into the groove for the day's circus.

The noisy lot believe in exclaiming their observations more often than the regular boring colleague who grabs his seat in the morning, whispers over the phone when the boss is not looking and leaves only when the bell rings in the evening.

It is like an irritating daily dose of you-know-what you have to listen to, on a non-stop radio, with no option to swap the channel or to turn it off.

Sometimes it is a non-stop rap-a-tap-a-tap on their keyboards or clicka-clicka-click on the mouse. It can be compared to the Chinese water torture on Vietnamese prisoners of war. This is a method where water is dripped continuously at regular intervals, driving the victim insane.

The irony is that the noise polluters also spring up to sound a shhhhhhh when they hear someone or something louder than themselves. Loud enough to be heard on the next floor, they use telephones along with hands and legs to animatedly talk to their friends who might be overseas or seated a few yards away. Distance is no problem for them.

When the "loud speaker" is on, others exchange there-it-starts-again glances. Few walk out of their seats in disgust, unable to concentrate on work. Others nod in dismay and mumble "that person makes my blood boil".

Hearing problem

ENT specialists say the louder ones are generally those who suffer a hearing problem. They think others too need to hear it clearly and hence raise their vocals far beyond required. They explain that if their hearing is fine, then it is a case of a common behavioral disorder that can be corrected through a suitable counselling programme.

There is a level of accepted decibel range in one's tone and pitch while talking in public. But who is going to tell them that they need help? Blame it on our corporate congeniality, it is difficult to suggest remedies.

Other loud elements in office include mobiles that scream out ring-tones ranging from rock music to lullabies to barks to a weird lot of other sounds that make us stretch-out and check out "who the hell has left the mobile there". Sometimes a flurry of unending calls on a landline close to you also add to the chaos. Callers sometimes behave like distressed lovers forever trying hard to patch up after a bad fight.

The noisy situation has no solution unless our louder friends introspect and realise the level of torture they subject us to daily. Or the management finds a fancy profile to cage them off in glass cabins with soundproofing. Or you tune in to ipods and blast off the music of your choice.

Until then, ear plugs anyone?