Cigarettes Symbol Analysis

The symbolic significance of cigarettes in “Sharmaji” is complex, curious, and at times contradictory. While cigarettes are undoubtedly a symbol of modernity, they often fail to conform with other such symbols and are sometimes in direct opposition to them. This is most obvious in the case of Sharma and Gupta’s frequent, lengthy smoke breaks. In these instances, the cigarette offers an escape from work and a rejection of the streamlined efficiency of the office and its division of labor, despite that fact that the cigarettes’ very existence is emblematic of a modern factory system of production and distribution. Indeed, cigarettes surprisingly function here just like Sharma’s beloved paan, a much older and definitively traditional addictive habit, suggesting the capacity of people and societies to incorporate modern practices and technology into traditional habits and rituals.

Cigarettes also exemplify the gender divide, as Rahul spreads rumors around the office about the fact that Miss Das smokes. While this is never explicitly confirmed or denied, the reactions to this rumor further suggest that cigarettes are charged with meaning—they not only stand for a certain kind of modernity but also for a mode of behavior previously reserved for men, making it a radical act for a woman like Miss Das to smoke, at least from the point of view of her male employees. Of course, the symbol of the cigarette is just as ambiguous in this regard, helping to express a general feeling of flux and instability resulting from rapidly changing traditions and gender norms.