The Lens: India’s work culture blamed for young executive’s death

India’s toxic work culture is under fire after a young executive named Anna Sebastian Perayil died, allegedly from work stress.

Working long hours is cultural, especially in parts of Asia. Hard work is associated with a successful and benevolent worker.

In Asian culture, a successful life is paramount, and parents ingrain their children with the mentality that they must flourish from an early age. We live in a society where no one wants to get left behind, so employees are pressured into working long hours.

If everyone stays late to work, you risk looking lazy and unmotivated if you leave on time.

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has added fuel to the fire by implying that young people should be stronger and learn to deal with such work pressures. This trend of victim blaming is a typical response to any challenge young people face, while the older generation simply preaches the importance of inner strength. Their beliefs are understandable, but I disagree with their mentality.

As society develops, each generation is presented with a unique set of challenges.

Responding with scrutiny, not sympathy, does nothing to help the new generation of workers. We need a more compassionate response from the older generation, one that acknowledges the challenges that younger people face.

In the future, India’s government has the potential to bring about a significant change by implementing a policy that sets a maximum limit on weekly working hours. This could effectively curb the culture of overwork and ensure that workers’ rights are protected.

Moreover, it has the potential to boost productivity in private companies, as well-rested employees are known to work more efficiently.

Check out last week’s news snippet

Thailand has dismissed an animal rights group’s accusations that an internet-famous female baby pygmy hippo “faces a lifetime of confinement” at a local zoo.

Moo Deng, the two-month-old hippo, has become a global sensation, attracting visitors from all corners of the world to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province.

Her adorable videos have captured the hearts of many, leading to a surge in ticket sales.

To prevent overcrowding at her enclosure, the zoo has limited Moo Deng’s viewing time to five minutes per visitor and launched a 24-hour live stream for fans worldwide.

However, controversy surrounds the sudden rise in fame for the endangered animal.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said, “There is nothing cute about a baby being born in captivity”.

SPCA opens centre in Tsing Yi to improve rescue operations, educate youth

“Hippos belong in the wild, but Moo Deng will never live outside a cage. She faces a lifetime of confinement, deprived of her freedom and the opportunity to experience her natural habitat,” Peta senior vice-president Jason Baker wrote on Facebook.

Peta expressed its willingness to help arrange the transfer of animals to sanctuaries.

The zoo’s director, Narongwit Chodchoi, has vehemently refuted Peta’s claims, assuring the public that all animals at the facility receive the best care.

Endangered pygmy hippos are native to West Africa, with only an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 left in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Meanwhile, the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals criticised Peta for relying on old-fashioned wildlife protection campaigns that call on people to boycott countries accused of animal cruelty.

• Do you think Peta’s claims about Moo Deng’s captivity are valid? Is there a compromise to the situation?

• How could Peta’s accusations affect Thai tourism and the zoo’s profits?