Wow Moments
So let’s talk about the good things which happened during my 5 week long induction with TAS. Being the blue eyed kids of the biggest and most distinguished group comes with its perks. Indeed, we did call ourselves Tata’s Adopted Sons ;) as a spin off on the name of the outfit. [ For the uninitiated – it’s Tata Administrative Services ]
The first thing which hits you when you live in a colonial estate in Pune, which serves as the training base for Tata’s elite, is not the opulence, the greenery, etc etc… it’s the wonderful food which the TMTC people serve. Or more specifically the desserts. Every meal is served with desserts from a colonial world, long forgotten. Things you would find in no hotel menu. The tastiest soufflés, the truffle pastries, the surreally light fruit cream. I would be damned, but I don’t remember half the names. Sometimes Indian, or more correctly Parsi desserts did creep into the menu, but it was mostly reigned by what I think were English desserts. God bless the chefs, each one better than the others.
Of course, nothing gets bigger than the TAS induction program. Everyone, and I mean everyone, who is important in the group meets you. Be it Mr. RNT himself, or the guy part of the VSNL turnaround – Srini. While each of them is a master in their own right, some people do leave you spellbound. Like Mr. Ishaat Hussain. He is about 70ish director at the Tata’s who is the finance do-all-and-be-all for the group. And ask 25 20-somethings TASO’s , he is a force to be reckoned with. The guy drips with knowledge and class, pure business aristocracy, if I may say so. Much like Mr. Tata himself – the group chairman who still pulls out his own chair, answers all questions with humility and poise which is unmatched and leaves after putting the chair back in place !
And if you have to see opulence, sneak into the board room at the Tata Steel office in Jamshedpur. Its huge, its oak, its something lil’ ol’ me had only seen in movies !! Of course, a guided tour of the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai or staying at The Taj Bengal in Kolkata does bring you in touch with luxury, which at least was pretty much unattainable for middle class kids like me. Ah, the benefits of an IIM MBA !
Oh and did I tell you about the special preview of the breathtaking jewellery made for the forthcoming movie, Jodha Akbar which was arranged for us at the Tanishq plant. Ladies out there, trust me on this one – get ready and save up – they are pieces you would want to own before your neighbour. Just keep your fingers crossed and hope that the company releases the jewellery for the public, a-la- Paheli.
Not just luxury, we also got treated to the wonderful open pit coal mines in West Bokaro. Right from where the coal is mined in these pits till the manufacture of the last steel wire by the Tata’s. Fascinating to say the least. But the definite “WOW moment” which I wish everyone gets to see in their lives once – is to see millions of gallons of molten steel being poured and molded. Trust me, if that doesn’t leave you wide eyed – you’re dead. The entire group started wide eyed at the plant the size of a city, which incidentally looked like a Steven Spielberg sci fi movie – where huge pieces of equipment were making steel and converting the molten black gold to sheets and wires etc. The assembly units of the-cab-of-the-country: Indica are quite futuristic- with rows and rows of huge robots piecing together millions of parts which go into the only 100% indigenous car.
But the biggest wow moment – or actually experiences – were the midnight sessions I was part of. Almost everyone from the batch would descend in a room, with alcohol for company sometimes and we would end up chatting and laughing till the wee hours of the morning. We made fun of people absent, annoyed people present, celebrated birthdays, played dumb charades, went for walks, had pillow fights, saw movies, cribbed about the long sessions, abused the…ahem…certain people. It was a B-school all over again. Unforgettable memories of 5 weeks with 25 most fascinating people.
Of Integrity, Fidelity and Politeness
* Disclaimer and Background :
This is something I wrote when I was at my last job, sitting through another drivel of a presentation or lecture...Just never got the chance to post it earlier as the page got packed in the bottom of my suitcase, and I found it a month later, after moving through many cities and finally changing my job. I haven't altered any part of it while reproducing, so my subsequent views on the same topic could be different( except adding a line which is in italics).
And of course, with no intention to badmouth either my previous employer, institution or anyone I met, these are just my opinions on what I saw.*
Show me a company which does not have INTEGRITY as one of its core values and I will show you a company which is fictional. But do they really follow it?
I am yet to meet a person receiving a induction lecture, who actually believes that what is being doled about how fair and honest the company is, is true. I think it has just become engrained into us. We cant believe people around us can be fair at a group level. The corruption regimes have made us skeptic. Every office is overall unfair and unjust [don't we all love Dilbert!] ; even though a few individuals might be good. This is a fairly held belief. Ever heard : Who said life will be fair ?! But who said it shouldn't?
My latest employer - actually, technically my first - is a good example. They are the biggest business house in the country, pledging much of their profits to social initiatives. And even though my colleagues and I have seen quite a bit of it ourselves [ and mind you, the work they do is commendable ] ; and yet, the skepticism in the truth in the profit deployment is very apparent all around.
I also saw this during my work in my B school. For me, integrity stands not just being free of corruption.It also encompasses being truthful, standing by your work and working for people you are responsible for. And I saw this missing in such a large group I dealt with - corporates, students, faculty - it shocked me. This integrity is so often mistaken for being stoic, that I hold even my colleagues responsible for upholding the impression that only quiet, silent and reserved people can work properly and anyone who is involved, is by default assumed to be biased or incompetent. If I had a penny for every time I was put down for being loud and chirpy..... ah well.
When dealing with the who's who of the Indian corporate, a very apparent fact was that the irreverence for your own world and the people you are dealing with, was most apparent in people with less experience and proportionally more power. They are rudely proud of their ability to lie and manipulate; citing that as a reason for their success. Any Indian B-school student who has heard of Anuj Dutt of HUL (erstwhile HLL) and Rahul Gangal of TAS ; would know what I am talking about.
The illusion that such people act such only with their counterparts across the table - in this case, placement committee representatives - and differently towards the people/organization they are responsible for, has been dispelled since I joined work. I mean how difficult could it be to make a schedule for a day and inform to a group of people via an email !?! And No ! In the efficient world, words dropped to one person over a late dinner or drinks does not count as information dissemination, nor does the sentence "I have no clue what to do/what is going on" coming out the mouth of a representative of the most respected business group in the country add to its repute.
I am shocked at the sheer nonchalance with which concerns and questions of the new joinees are ignored. Most of the time, its cited as pride, trying to teach us the ways of the real world. I am sure my batchmates would have agreed; with years of work experience behind them; they are not kids and do understand that rudeness doesnt not make you look cool, despite of what you might think. I refuse to believe that an organization which manages close to 450 companies, cannot learn how to professionally manage time of its own top resource. And if its not the company, then it is the people who represent the group to us. And I wonder, what is that gives them the assurance and sanction that being impolite, unprofessional and lying is correct ?
And its not something which occurs only in the corporate world. I shudder to see, the frequency at which I see people around me flaunt their infidelity as a medal. With all the theories of man-being-born-polygamous etc floating around; its almost become fashionable to be disloyal to the people around you. A friend's girlfriend decided to get involved with another friend, without bothering to tell this guy. And it never occurred to her that this is wrong. A newly married colleague, has very skillfully managed to keep his promiscuous activities from his partner by challenging people who knew about it. He says that it was his right to be infidel, and the wife doesnt need to know because it does not concern her ! It does not concern her !?! How? Who else does it concern !? [ and if you have read the comments on the last post : even my boyfriend thinks that Marriage is a certificate which keeps men fidel, else "men being men" would move away at the drop of a hat, with nothing to keep them in reins ! ]
Fidelity and Politeness is Passe. So last century. Rude is in ! Its fucking cool !
Now let me admit, i am not the politest person around. Truthfully, I could as well be the loudest and the brashest. But I do not carry around this illusion of being above everyone. I do believe that integrity in invariably linked to realising who you are and how much your actions can affect other people's lives. For me, integrity and fidelity are synonyms and I am yet to meet a person who has earned the right to be corrupt - in work or in personal life.
And so, it does surprise and upset me every time I meet such people. Maybe I live in an unreal world of mine . Maybe I look at life through rose tinted glasses - it comes with being a Piscean , as Ms. Goodman predicts. Maybe because of this outlook I would not be very successful; in the way world defines it. But rest assured, I would continue to hope and work towards ensuring that the vision through the tinted glasses becomes a reality around me. Touch wood !
Marriage ! Bah !
This morning I started writing something on a similar vein.... but then stumbled upon this...
The truth is
here.
We Are Like This Only
We're quirky, crazy, mad, loud, smart, imposing....
We're Indian.
Read a wonderful article which celebrates everything that makes us.... Well... INDIAN.
click here.
Greetings
So I called up my new HR today for the first time ... had some queries about the VISA form.
The conversation began like this :
Me : "Hi. Can I talk to Ms. G"
Miss G : " Yes, that's me. "
Me : " Hi. This is Nitika here. "
Miss G : " Oh HI ! Finally you called. Its so good to hear your voice. High time you called. Tell me, how are you doing?"
Me : mouth agape...no words comin out !
Finally, after a few hours...[okie okie....seconds] of stunned silence....I repeated that its me Nitika and proceeded to ask my questions and politely ended the conversation a few minutes later. During all this while I was wondering what happened that Miss G reacted so enthusiastically to my call.
After being part of placecom for 2 years, you invariably get used to listening to HRs who either appear totally disinterested or glued onto every word to catch a possible slip... I have never heard anyone be so cordial and happy to answer queries.
There couldve been three reasons for her response,
1. She mistook me for a long lost friend of hers.... and later continued the conversation in the same tone, to avoid any embarrassment to any party
2. She remembered me from one or two conversation we [might have] had on campus, when i attended her call for another colleague
3. She actually expected my call and was genuinely happy to talk to me
Now, I would not know her enough to comment which one of these is most likely for her....from other experiences, I think most of us would know which is the most expected ;)
Either ways, after a long time someone left me lost for words ;)
Kudos, Miss G ! youve achieved the impossible
