Not Safe for Work - Radhika Agrawal - Marketing Maestros

Jul 30, 2026

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Upload by Liam

Not Safe for Work by Radhika Agrawal follows a young professional as she endures the daily grind of commuting in Mumbai, where packed local trains, workplace pressures, and small humiliations collide. Opening with a chaotic fight for a seat in a ladies’ compartment, the narrative blends sharp observations with comedic frustration, then pivots to workplace camaraderie with Tanya, her “work wife.” Through vivid scenes and recurring commute misery, the book explores ambition, burnout, and coping through humor and friendships.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages211

Reading Time5 h 25 min

AccessFree to download

one: The City of Schemes

two: That’s the Intern?

three: Liar Liar Pants on Fire

four: Tick Tick Boom

five: License to Spill

six: Excess Baggage

seven: A Fish Out of Water

eight: Caught in 4K

nine: How the Turntables

ten: Salt, Meet Wound

eleven: Peace Offering

twelve: An !dea Can Change Your Life

thirteen: Too Close for Comfort

fourteen: Pitch (Im)Perfect

fifteen: Warming Up

sixteen: Point of No Return

seventeen: Homebound

eighteen: Lights, Camera, Friction

nineteen: A Series of Unfortunate Events

twenty: We Need to Talk

twenty-one: The Plot Thickens

twenty-two: Begin Again

twenty-three: The Next Station Is …

[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) For Mom and Dad. Because this dream was never mine alone. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contents one: The City of Schemes two: That’s the Intern? three: Liar Liar Pants on Fire four: Tick Tick Boom five: License to Spill six: Excess Baggage seven: A Fish Out of Water eight: Caught in 4K nine: How the Turntables ten: Salt, Meet Wound eleven: Peace Offering twelve: An !dea Can Change Your Life thirteen: Too Close for Comfort fourteen: Pitch (Im)Perfect fifteen: Warming Up sixteen: Point of No Return seventeen: Homebound eighteen: Lights, Camera, Friction nineteen: A Series of Unfortunate Events twenty: We Need to Talk twenty-one: The Plot Thickens twenty-two: Begin Again twenty-three: The Next Station Is … Acknowledgements About the Author Praise for Not Safe for Work Copyright [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) one The City of Schemes T HERE’S a special place in hell reserved for people who romanticize Mumbai’s local trains. As someone who spends close to three hours in them every single weekday, believe me when I say this: there’s nothing dreamy about being sandwiched between sweaty strangers. Every morning, my commute to work reminds me just how unglamorous this socalled city of dreams really is. This morning was no different. I tightened my fingers around the slick metal pole to steady myself, trying not to dwell on the sweat from the myriad passengers that coated it. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, silently cursing the straps of my sandals digging into my upper heels. Around me, bodies swayed with the train’s motion, heads buried in phone screens, or the occasional book, looking up every now and then to scout for a seat. And then I saw it. A young girl stood up, leaving behind a sliver of space between two passengers. With barely enough room to park half a butt cheek, it wasn’t even a complete seat. But in Mumbai, you took what you could get. I took a step forward just as my phone lit up in my hand with a message from my boss. Marketing Maestros @Varun Bhardwaj: Monsoon campaign @ 10 sharp! I blinked at it, thrown off for half a second, then lunged towards the seat, when— BAM. A bony elbow met my ribs with the force of a karate champion. Pain exploded through my side, sharp and electric. By the time I recovered from the jab, the aunty beside me, a deceptively delicate-looking woman in aflowy saree, had stolen my non-seat. She didn’t even spare me a glance, eyes already closed in smug satisfaction. God, I hated this city. I had survived a lot in the three and a half years I’d been here. Brokers who charged two months’ rent as brokerage and then ghosted me, HR managers who imposed pay cuts in the aftermath of Covid- 19, pitching it as an opportunity to foster a ‘growth mindset’, and autorickshaw drivers who laughed in my face when I asked them to drop me back to Andheri. But nothing—nothing—compared to the sheer brutality of fighting for a seat in the ladies’ compartment of a Churchgate Fast at peak office hours. By the time I made it to the office, I was bruised both in body and spirit. So, I headed straight to the only person who could cheer me up. ‘That’s it. I’m quitting and booking my tickets to Mussoorie tonight!’ I announced my exit strategy as I entered the conference room. Tanya, the only employee there, looked up from her laptop and clicked her tongue. ‘There’s no way I’m letting you leave me alone here. Besides, we both know you’d get bored in your hometown within a week of your return,’ she countered. Tanya was my work wife. She reminded me, at least twice a day, to stay hydrated, defended my honour when I got caught up in office politics and brought me her mom’s special misal pav whenever I was feeling more homesick than usual. The two of us had joined Jharokha, a homegrown lifestyle and decor brand, exactly three and a half years ago. As a part of our orientation, we

FAQs

What problem does the main character face on her commute in “The City of Schemes”?

She struggles to get a seat on Mumbai’s local trains, leading to a painful incident in the ladies’ compartment.

Who is Tanya in the story?

Tanya is the only employee in the conference room and becomes the protagonist’s closest work companion, described as a “work wife.”

How do the protagonist and Tanya bond?

They bond over shared commute misery and the daily support they offer each other at work.

Jul 30, 2026

612

Upload by Liam