I've been keeping up with the latest furore in India - the controversial affidavits filed by the government and the ASI, justifying the destruction of Ram Sethu by denying the historical proof of the existence of Ram. Those of you who know me, know that I am not a *very* religious person. Most claim to my religious knowledge is stemmed from a rather painful and unfortunate chapter of my life. I also, usually, stay clear of topics that evoke passions of a destructive kind. My approach to such quandaries is to wait until I can think clearly and objectively again, without letting my passion cloud my sensibility. However, I can not shrug off this base attempt by the "secular" government as trying to maintain my (for the lack of an appropriate word) neutrality towards all faiths.
If destroying the coral reefs and a world heritage site does not weigh much on the minds of the powers-that-are, how can they be blind to the fact that Ram Sethu or Adam's Bridge holds major religious connotations for atleast 3 major religions - Hinduism, Islam and Christianity? I know that many of the Indian Muslim and Christian community will not voice their indignation vociferously - trying to maintain their religious integrity by not raising the same arguments which might even benefit the Hindus (I am not being communal here - just stating the current scenario in a very confused India). However, I think it is high time for the public to realise that they should not, must not and can not let people (who don't understand their culture and history) strike a blow at their identity and get away with it. The Indian sub-continent has had more than it's fair share of such atrocities already. There is much truth in the oft-repeated adage - Unity in Diversity - though it is sad to say that 60 years after a hard-won Independence, the children of a great nation seem to have forgotten the basics.
As history repeats itself (as it is wont to do from time to time) and we have a nation crying foul over the ill-advised deed that the "mea culpa" government has done yet again, we also have a substantial number of people satisfied and pacified to see that their sentiments are shared by the one person they thought would never have understood them. After all, isn't she a European by birth and a Christian by religion? (Alright, alright! She's as Indian as an NRI is, say, American!). They fail to realise that she, who's adopted their country as we are told innumerable times, has understood them only too well. She knows exactly how an Indian mind ticks and she's smart enough to capitalise on it. By appearing to join the mass (forgive the pun) in condemning the government, she has almost succeeded in winning the good-will of the multitudes who will soon be deciding on the next premier of the nation. She knows that Indians (especially the Hindu majority) are a easily consolable crowd - they forgive easily and they are more than willing to consider you in a new light in presence of more recent happenings. She had most of the nation eating out of her hand after her "earth-shattering" decision after the previous elections. It appears to me that she has tried to re-create her magic yet again. Whether she has actually succeeded remains to be seen. Before you write me off as a Congress-hater, etc etc, please stop to think - Is it not stretching it too far to claim that the head of the Congress party, who vicariously runs the show at New Delhi, would have no prior knowledge of the affidavits that have something to do with one of the current government's major and controversial projects?? Also, the utter blasé nature of language used in the affidavits is highly suspicious. Surely, the "Yes, Ministers" harnessed to the tax-payers' burdens would be qualified enough to know exactly what should be written in a diplomatic manner to cause least offense - even if they believe it to be correct?
The passion of my countrymen are easily roused. We are a country of sentimental and emotional fools (Why do you think Bollywood is such a successful industry here?). Owing to this particular trait, we have had a history splattered with bloody wars, violence and now, in the more civilised age, demonstrations and riots. But as time has passed, Indians have acquired a remarkably short memory. I am not sure if it was required to forget the past difficulties and focus on the more immediate concern of survival of oneself and one's loved ones. I understand the competitive levels in India are very high, but the fact remains that now most of the Indian public ("the common man") has a memory span to compete with a goldfish. "Out of sight, out of mind". Even as I break my golden rule to write on this topic impulsively, I fear that it will remain in the headlines for just another few days. Then, there will be yet another distraction and the news channels will scramble all over each other to cover the latest "sensational" news, while off the Eastern coast of India, in a very unassuming location, the dredging will continue, slowly and surely, breaking off the ties that the Indian people have had with history/ mythology/ identity. Take your pick - it will amount to the same thing in the end.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Thursday, September 06, 2007
First Impressions
Why is it that men - young and old - rush to declare their social status to me? And No! I don't look that desperate! Seriously! I just need to have a conversation with someone twice and I'll know all about it - whether they are married, whether their wife stays with them, how many children they have, etc. The puzzling thing is that I don't seek this information at all. I would be having a completely innocent, work-related conversation and in the pauses, these tidbits are thrown my way. Interestingly, the single men also have this annoying habit, even though they appear to forget to provide any information about their girlfriends or fiancée. Do the men think that it is their duty to warn a single colleague about her chances? :P It's as amusing as it is irritating!
Hmm... Work's begun and it is hectic. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. With work, french classes and gym (yes, a soon-to-be-reality), I think I am going to be kept on my toes in Geneva.
People, here, are often surprised that I speak such fluent English without a trace of an "Indian" accent(?). Hence, apart from the usual questions of "Are you Spanish or Mexican?" (I'll attribute that to my hair colour) and "Vous parlez Espanöl?", I am now getting used to "Have you ever stayed in UK? Probably studied there?" There is a genuine look of disbelief when I say that I did my complete schooling, etc in India. Inevitably, the next question is, "Is that school amongst the best?" :P I don't know how they'll react when they actually get to India and realise that there are many more like me. I guess I should thank NPS for whatever it gave me, but more credit goes to my sister who made me practise and corrected my usage of the language - and she was at it ALL the time! :)
It's time to go and forage in my fridge for some dinner. I'll leave you with a trivia: The shade of foundation best suited to my skin tone is called Caramel Toffee ;)
Hmm... Work's begun and it is hectic. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. With work, french classes and gym (yes, a soon-to-be-reality), I think I am going to be kept on my toes in Geneva.
People, here, are often surprised that I speak such fluent English without a trace of an "Indian" accent(?). Hence, apart from the usual questions of "Are you Spanish or Mexican?" (I'll attribute that to my hair colour) and "Vous parlez Espanöl?", I am now getting used to "Have you ever stayed in UK? Probably studied there?" There is a genuine look of disbelief when I say that I did my complete schooling, etc in India. Inevitably, the next question is, "Is that school amongst the best?" :P I don't know how they'll react when they actually get to India and realise that there are many more like me. I guess I should thank NPS for whatever it gave me, but more credit goes to my sister who made me practise and corrected my usage of the language - and she was at it ALL the time! :)
It's time to go and forage in my fridge for some dinner. I'll leave you with a trivia: The shade of foundation best suited to my skin tone is called Caramel Toffee ;)
Saturday, August 04, 2007
A little less conversation, a little more action
- I do solemnly declare that I shall blog more frequently henceforth -
Now that I have broken my silence, let me elaborate on my current life. This is strictly for those of you who keep checking on me regularly to see if I'm still alive!
I am in Geneva, working for a flavors and fragrances company - Firmenich. I had the induction session yesterday and I think I will like working here, for along with their success stories, they also mentioned their failures and lessons learnt. It takes courage for a corporation to say that to its new employees, and also shows the level of trust they have in us. I realise that I am not being chronologically correct, so let me start at the very beginning.
Once I realised that being at Nestlé wasn't doing much to my learning curve and growth path, I decided to go back to India - to some other project or job. This was around August 2006. My departure was agreed to be at the end of March 2007 and accordingly, I put my resumé out on all the usual portals. Just to see the job market in UK, I also put it up on Monster-UK. Along with the Indian offers, I was also called for European job openings. However, the fact that they would have to sponsor my work permit was a dampener for many companies - so much so that they didn't even proceed with the interviews.
And then, one fine day, about a month before my depature, I was contacted by a recruitment agent, R, who wanted to meet me about 2 openings, one each with competitors of same industry. The meeting had a funny incident associated with it. As you know, French is the first language in this part of Switzerland. R called me and fixed an appointment to meet at Lausanne on Thursday morning of the next week. I agreed and accordingly scheduled my meetings at office so that I was free on Thursday morning for the meeting with R. On Wednesday, I was rushing to get to office when I received a call from R, saying she was waiting for me at the agreed place!! For a moment, I was caught offguard. I thought I managed to commit a faux-pas by being tardy for the meeting which mattered. Hey! Wait a minute! It's Wednesday today! Now it was R's turn to be confused. Hehehe... Apparently, she mistook Thursday to mean Wednesday. Anyway, we met the next day and after listening to my experience, she told me frankly that the openings were for BW Dev experts and that my profile did not meet the requirement. Since I was not too keen to stay on away from home, this didn't hit me hard, though I requested her to convey to the clients that I was willing to be judged technically before being rejected based on my experience. We parted on good terms and I never expected anything positive to turn out from that meeting.
A week passed by before R mailed again - this time with an appointment arranged with one of the clients. I was asked to go to Geneva for the technical interview. On D-day, I jauntily set off, only to reach the wrong office (They have 3 offices in the area). During the hour long journey, I had worked myself into a bundle of nerves but all that was forgotten in the anxiety to reach the right place on time. I must have made an amusing sight - when I stumbled into the office, apologising profusely to O (one of the people who was going to interview me and who received me into the office). Thankfully, O turned out to be a very humourous guy and put me at ease within 5 minutes. As it turned out, the TL was off ill and joined us over the phone. And then the interview began. They asked me stuff and I replied honestly, knowing I had nothing to lose. When I didn't know something, I just said that plainly, without making a big fuss about it. I guess my confidence got through to them. After the interview, I went back to my life and the technicalities of packing my luggage to send home by cargo. With a week remaining for the take-off, I shot off a perfunctory mail to R, thanking her for her help and support and informing her that I would be leaving within a week. Did she receive any feedback concerning me, coz I would like to know areas where I can improve?
That mail set off a series of events. Apparently, the two guys were very impressed by my positive outlook and enthusiasm. They recognised that I didn't have much of a functional knowledge but that could be remedied by trainings. They had given a positive feedback to their HR, who, as HR is wont to do, sat on it for many days. When they realised that I would be leaving to India soon, they arranged another series of meetings - they called it "discussions". That was to take place 2 days before my take-off. So, I went trudging again. I thought it would get over in 2 hours and took permission to take off for 3-3.5 hours that afternoon. Little did I know that I was going to be there for the whole of the afternoon!
First, I had a "discussion" with the HR. During the middle of it, I realised that it was the "negotiation" that was going on. The day suddenly seemed very bright! :P After speaking to me for about 40 minutes, the lady said that the next person would meet me in another room in 20 minutes or so. Dutifully, I picked my bag up and went there. It was snowing on and off outside, and I spent my time standing at the window and looking out towards the Jura. Suddenly, I got called by a frantic Raj. He'd organised a farewell for me and didn't know why and where to I had disappeared. I was trying to calm him on the phone without revealing the purpose of my visit to Geneva, all the while finding the situation quite amusing. It was a pity that I couldn't make Raj see the humour...
While speaking to him, someone walked into the room. I gestured towards the phone and silently requested some time to finish the conversation. The person walked out with an understanding nod. I managed to end the conversation with Raj and walked towards the door. At the same time, the person peeped in to check if I was done. As he shook my hand and introduced himself as the VP of the project, I kicked myself a thousand times!! And Raj too!! Where there was some hope before, a cold certainty was taking hold. I wasn't gonna get this job, afterall. Strangely, I still didn't care. I think that was the best interview of my life!! I was spontanoeus, positive and confident - and looked undaunted by the fact that the VP of the project was taking my interview. You see? I was so certain that I wouldn't be selected. :) This guy seemed visibly impressed by my attitude towards the end of the interview!!
I had one other "discussion" which was not my very best - but by now, I hardly cared. I was then told to go home and another person, who couldn't find the time to meet me today, would call me the next day. I thanked O, who was showing me out and went back to Vevey. The next day, I received a call as promised but the person was only interested in knowing if I would stay on in the project, inspite of social pressures to get married and settle down! I assured him on that front and I was done! Oh yeah! One other thing I forgot to mention is that each of the person I met, made a big deal out of my age. According to them, I was too young to get this kind of experience. Lucky me, that they don't know the job scenario in India! :) In fact, the HR lady wasn't calculating one component of tax since she thought I was not yet 25! That really was the best compliment ever!!
Ok! So, I left from Switzerland soon after that. After being delayed by a stray snow-storm in March, I made it into the welcoming arms of my parents. I spent two weeks in Bhopal. Awesome! Then lots of things happened - I resigned, spent time at home with family. Dad got transferred back to Bangalore. Gran came to stay with us due to her ill health. She recovered. I got the offer from this company. It seemed like a good alternative, even though it meant leaving my parents again. Once again, my family proved itself as a champion by supporting me through this, and I found myself in Geneva again!
I've been here a month now. Work hasn't yet taken off and I've just shifted into my apartment. I'm taking french classes (Oui! C'est correct!) and some driving classes to get used to the rules here. I'm looking forward to this life. For the first time, I am in a new place, without any support structure in place. It is like making a new start in the literal sense and I promise to keep you posted. :)
Now that I have broken my silence, let me elaborate on my current life. This is strictly for those of you who keep checking on me regularly to see if I'm still alive!
I am in Geneva, working for a flavors and fragrances company - Firmenich. I had the induction session yesterday and I think I will like working here, for along with their success stories, they also mentioned their failures and lessons learnt. It takes courage for a corporation to say that to its new employees, and also shows the level of trust they have in us. I realise that I am not being chronologically correct, so let me start at the very beginning.
Once I realised that being at Nestlé wasn't doing much to my learning curve and growth path, I decided to go back to India - to some other project or job. This was around August 2006. My departure was agreed to be at the end of March 2007 and accordingly, I put my resumé out on all the usual portals. Just to see the job market in UK, I also put it up on Monster-UK. Along with the Indian offers, I was also called for European job openings. However, the fact that they would have to sponsor my work permit was a dampener for many companies - so much so that they didn't even proceed with the interviews.
And then, one fine day, about a month before my depature, I was contacted by a recruitment agent, R, who wanted to meet me about 2 openings, one each with competitors of same industry. The meeting had a funny incident associated with it. As you know, French is the first language in this part of Switzerland. R called me and fixed an appointment to meet at Lausanne on Thursday morning of the next week. I agreed and accordingly scheduled my meetings at office so that I was free on Thursday morning for the meeting with R. On Wednesday, I was rushing to get to office when I received a call from R, saying she was waiting for me at the agreed place!! For a moment, I was caught offguard. I thought I managed to commit a faux-pas by being tardy for the meeting which mattered. Hey! Wait a minute! It's Wednesday today! Now it was R's turn to be confused. Hehehe... Apparently, she mistook Thursday to mean Wednesday. Anyway, we met the next day and after listening to my experience, she told me frankly that the openings were for BW Dev experts and that my profile did not meet the requirement. Since I was not too keen to stay on away from home, this didn't hit me hard, though I requested her to convey to the clients that I was willing to be judged technically before being rejected based on my experience. We parted on good terms and I never expected anything positive to turn out from that meeting.
A week passed by before R mailed again - this time with an appointment arranged with one of the clients. I was asked to go to Geneva for the technical interview. On D-day, I jauntily set off, only to reach the wrong office (They have 3 offices in the area). During the hour long journey, I had worked myself into a bundle of nerves but all that was forgotten in the anxiety to reach the right place on time. I must have made an amusing sight - when I stumbled into the office, apologising profusely to O (one of the people who was going to interview me and who received me into the office). Thankfully, O turned out to be a very humourous guy and put me at ease within 5 minutes. As it turned out, the TL was off ill and joined us over the phone. And then the interview began. They asked me stuff and I replied honestly, knowing I had nothing to lose. When I didn't know something, I just said that plainly, without making a big fuss about it. I guess my confidence got through to them. After the interview, I went back to my life and the technicalities of packing my luggage to send home by cargo. With a week remaining for the take-off, I shot off a perfunctory mail to R, thanking her for her help and support and informing her that I would be leaving within a week. Did she receive any feedback concerning me, coz I would like to know areas where I can improve?
That mail set off a series of events. Apparently, the two guys were very impressed by my positive outlook and enthusiasm. They recognised that I didn't have much of a functional knowledge but that could be remedied by trainings. They had given a positive feedback to their HR, who, as HR is wont to do, sat on it for many days. When they realised that I would be leaving to India soon, they arranged another series of meetings - they called it "discussions". That was to take place 2 days before my take-off. So, I went trudging again. I thought it would get over in 2 hours and took permission to take off for 3-3.5 hours that afternoon. Little did I know that I was going to be there for the whole of the afternoon!
First, I had a "discussion" with the HR. During the middle of it, I realised that it was the "negotiation" that was going on. The day suddenly seemed very bright! :P After speaking to me for about 40 minutes, the lady said that the next person would meet me in another room in 20 minutes or so. Dutifully, I picked my bag up and went there. It was snowing on and off outside, and I spent my time standing at the window and looking out towards the Jura. Suddenly, I got called by a frantic Raj. He'd organised a farewell for me and didn't know why and where to I had disappeared. I was trying to calm him on the phone without revealing the purpose of my visit to Geneva, all the while finding the situation quite amusing. It was a pity that I couldn't make Raj see the humour...
While speaking to him, someone walked into the room. I gestured towards the phone and silently requested some time to finish the conversation. The person walked out with an understanding nod. I managed to end the conversation with Raj and walked towards the door. At the same time, the person peeped in to check if I was done. As he shook my hand and introduced himself as the VP of the project, I kicked myself a thousand times!! And Raj too!! Where there was some hope before, a cold certainty was taking hold. I wasn't gonna get this job, afterall. Strangely, I still didn't care. I think that was the best interview of my life!! I was spontanoeus, positive and confident - and looked undaunted by the fact that the VP of the project was taking my interview. You see? I was so certain that I wouldn't be selected. :) This guy seemed visibly impressed by my attitude towards the end of the interview!!
I had one other "discussion" which was not my very best - but by now, I hardly cared. I was then told to go home and another person, who couldn't find the time to meet me today, would call me the next day. I thanked O, who was showing me out and went back to Vevey. The next day, I received a call as promised but the person was only interested in knowing if I would stay on in the project, inspite of social pressures to get married and settle down! I assured him on that front and I was done! Oh yeah! One other thing I forgot to mention is that each of the person I met, made a big deal out of my age. According to them, I was too young to get this kind of experience. Lucky me, that they don't know the job scenario in India! :) In fact, the HR lady wasn't calculating one component of tax since she thought I was not yet 25! That really was the best compliment ever!!
Ok! So, I left from Switzerland soon after that. After being delayed by a stray snow-storm in March, I made it into the welcoming arms of my parents. I spent two weeks in Bhopal. Awesome! Then lots of things happened - I resigned, spent time at home with family. Dad got transferred back to Bangalore. Gran came to stay with us due to her ill health. She recovered. I got the offer from this company. It seemed like a good alternative, even though it meant leaving my parents again. Once again, my family proved itself as a champion by supporting me through this, and I found myself in Geneva again!
I've been here a month now. Work hasn't yet taken off and I've just shifted into my apartment. I'm taking french classes (Oui! C'est correct!) and some driving classes to get used to the rules here. I'm looking forward to this life. For the first time, I am in a new place, without any support structure in place. It is like making a new start in the literal sense and I promise to keep you posted. :)
Monday, May 21, 2007
Midnight Ramblings
Have you ever read any of the message boards at Rediff's? No matter what the topic of discussion, invariably it all boils down to religion (particularly the hindu-muslim rife) and/or anti-Rediff posts. It is really curious to follow the thread of discussion from the movie review of a seemingly-innocent Disney movie to a full-blown war-cry over the message board between self-confessed religious fanatics. Do NOT ask me the connection between the two, coz I am as perplexed as you are.
What's the fuss with getting your most flattering photograph taken? I am particularly shy when I have to stand in front of the lens, and I can not understand the people who simper and smile their best smile once they are in focus. Digital photography was a God-sent for such people. I personally know some guys (and I include dudettes, too) who actually delete snaps which are not-so-flattering and then pose again (yes - in the same place and the same pose) for another go at it. Sigh!!!
It is well past midnight in India and before I get certified as an insomniac, I should turn off the lights (Nelly Furtado is amazing!) and get some sleep. The following days are going to be busy because I start the whole rigamarole of relocation, yet again, tomorrow. The secret will be out soon. Patience, my dear Watson!
PS: I discovered a song of Asha and SP Bala called "Chain aap ko mila". It is unbelievable!!
What's the fuss with getting your most flattering photograph taken? I am particularly shy when I have to stand in front of the lens, and I can not understand the people who simper and smile their best smile once they are in focus. Digital photography was a God-sent for such people. I personally know some guys (and I include dudettes, too) who actually delete snaps which are not-so-flattering and then pose again (yes - in the same place and the same pose) for another go at it. Sigh!!!
It is well past midnight in India and before I get certified as an insomniac, I should turn off the lights (Nelly Furtado is amazing!) and get some sleep. The following days are going to be busy because I start the whole rigamarole of relocation, yet again, tomorrow. The secret will be out soon. Patience, my dear Watson!
PS: I discovered a song of Asha and SP Bala called "Chain aap ko mila". It is unbelievable!!
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