Summer a pain in the neck? Don’t let the heat tie you down

Shed your tie and save power. Confused? That is the first reaction that Dhiraj Shrinivasan, founder of the ‘No Tie Campaign', usually gets.

“India is a country where the climate becomes extremely hot in summer,” explains Dhiraj, who works with the technology department of a foreign bank at Nariman Point. “In such sultry weather, it becomes a necessity to lower the temperature of the air-conditioner. This leads to increased carbon emission and consumes a large amount of power."

According to Dhiraj, getting rid of the tie in summer at least, when load-shedding is at its height, would help to save power and also reduce the carbon emission that adds to global warming.

But why target the tie? “Most people feel that the corporate image is necessary in the business world and would not readily accept the idea of wearing, say, a kurta to work, which I feel is more conducive to our climate," says Dhiraj.

"But the concept of a No Tie Day is catchy. Besides, it would be easy for everyone to give up the tie and still not lose their corporate image," he says.

"The tie is basically a British concept. I am not anti-Brit, as some people might misinterpret, but all I have to say is, “Jaisa desh, vaisa bhesh”.

The No Tie Campaign will be on from May 3 to May 31.

Speaking of other such efforts in this direction, Dhiraj cites the example of Earth Hour on March 27, when the city of Mumbai was able to save as much as 65MW of power simply by switching off all lights for an hour.

“If all AC temperature settings are raised from 18ºC to 24ºC, the city could save as much as 10MW a day," says the computer engineer. "In this way, we could save approximately 300MW over the month.”

Dhiraj, with help from his friends, plans to spread the word and get as many people involved as possible. They are popularising the idea by creating a ‘No Tie Campaign’ group on Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, and LinkedIn. He also has many volunteers coming forward to spread the word.

Mihir Gandhi, who is handling public relations for the campaign, recently organised a rally at the Gateway of India where volunteers stood for a few hours with posters about the campaign to popularise the idea and get people involved.

“Everyone wants to do something for the environment but says there is no time. By doing something so small, if people actually realise that they are contributing to a greater cause, it will make them conscious of their actions,” says Sai Dinesh, an IT professional.

“Hearing of this novel idea, one cannot help but think of Neil Armstrong’s famous words: One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” says Sai.

A senior official at a large public-sector bank, who did not want to be identified for fear of his boss, says, “In the corporate world, there is a mandatory dress code. Personally, I do not like to dress formally as it gets really stuffy at times. If my boss does not wear a tie, then I would see no reason to do so myself. I have no hang-ups about the corporate image. I am quite sure people would support this campaign.”

Abhinav Tandon, an executive at Synapse Events Pvt Ltd, says he likes the novelty of the idea. "It is a very good example of Freakonomics. Ties are really nothing but a pain in the neck,” Tandon says with a chuckle. “They are like a ready-to-use noose.”

But not everyone supports the idea as vehemently. Some feel that doing away with the tie may take away from the seriousness required at one’s workplace.

“There is a formal atmosphere required, especially at board meetings and other such important occasions," says Pradeep Agarwal, CEO of a chemicals exporting company. "I do not agree that the tie causes such a level of discomfort that it makes one lower the temperature in the office to that extent. It might cause discomfort out in the open, but who is telling you to wear the tie outside?”

New-age companies such as Google and Apple encourage casual dressing in their offices. Japan, too, has been following a no-tie policy for more than a year now, which has affected the tie business there. In the US, the $1 billion industry has fallen to just $400 million, according to a report. A study by The Wall Street Journal in 2008 found that a mere 6% of men wear ties to work every day — down from 10% in 2002.

Menswear companies refused to comment on the issue.