1. Mere Paas Aao..aur Apna Mood Banao
2. Main hoon Mallika
3. Saniyaa
4. Ek Chakke aur (god knows what) ka badla
some of the many "mature" entertainment options available in Meerut city....enjoy at your own risk!!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Scenes from the DSE Stint - continued
One of the amazing aspects of travelling is the development of appreciation for the subtler nuances of culture, and given the size and diversity of our nation, there are many lessons to be learned in this fine art.
A chronic problem faced by me during the stint in the East was related to the concept of time. Even Einstein would have found it hard to explain time "dilation" in the manner that it takes place there.
Scene 04 - Durgapur- In front of the Communist Party office - Jalkhabar Gali
0900 hours (the time previously agreed to for meeting with SO)
Your's truly dressed to the nines in Louis P, leather shoes and what not.
After a half hour wait - SO turns up, and quite obviously recognises me (since I am the only overdressed guy around) and says- "Oh you are from Delhi - This is Bengal - Delhi time does not work here ! "
Quite an introduction, if I may say so !
Then is the time for my favourite game of 277563 questions -
"Where have you done MBA from? What do your parents do? Why FMCG ? Why not IT ? Everybody goes to IT...you are strange, coming to this line..."
...this when they don't know that I am a trained (or so I would like to think so) engineer !
Once I break that news, it becomes worse ! "Engineer ! Then MBA ? Now doing sales ?? From UP ? In Bengal ? Omygawd !!!"
And then we get on with the "training" viz "walking a mile in the other guy's shoes" by accompanying him to a market located at some distance from the city and doing the "mandatory" 60 calls.
Sandwhiched between a stack of cartons and the salesman cum driver(see the photo in the previous post), this was the world of FMCG saying "Hello" to this freshly minted Marketing Major MBA !
A chronic problem faced by me during the stint in the East was related to the concept of time. Even Einstein would have found it hard to explain time "dilation" in the manner that it takes place there.
Scene 04 - Durgapur- In front of the Communist Party office - Jalkhabar Gali
0900 hours (the time previously agreed to for meeting with SO)
Your's truly dressed to the nines in Louis P, leather shoes and what not.
After a half hour wait - SO turns up, and quite obviously recognises me (since I am the only overdressed guy around) and says- "Oh you are from Delhi - This is Bengal - Delhi time does not work here ! "
Quite an introduction, if I may say so !
Then is the time for my favourite game of 277563 questions -
"Where have you done MBA from? What do your parents do? Why FMCG ? Why not IT ? Everybody goes to IT...you are strange, coming to this line..."
...this when they don't know that I am a trained (or so I would like to think so) engineer !
Once I break that news, it becomes worse ! "Engineer ! Then MBA ? Now doing sales ?? From UP ? In Bengal ? Omygawd !!!"
And then we get on with the "training" viz "walking a mile in the other guy's shoes" by accompanying him to a market located at some distance from the city and doing the "mandatory" 60 calls.
Sandwhiched between a stack of cartons and the salesman cum driver(see the photo in the previous post), this was the world of FMCG saying "Hello" to this freshly minted Marketing Major MBA !
Monday, November 5, 2007
Images from the DSE stint...
Jaandar sawari...Shandaar sawari...my "ride" during the DSE stint...and I used to sit between the boxes and the seat..yes, you can say "ouch" again !
Raju..looking here like "Jadu"...a "cat" DB salesman !
To kill time, just shoot it....experiments with light after returning from work...
A view of the countryside...Bengal in the Monsoon truly becomes "Shonar", albeit thegold is of the green kind !
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Introducing - FMCG Adventures !
Post a highly idyllic and relaxed lifestyle at B-school, I was brought back to reality when I began my Management Trainee stint with a reputed FMCG company. Lots of incidents happened, most of which seem to be funny now, but were often the cause of a lot of irritation and vexation, and I decided that I would share them with the world in some way or the other.
What follows are brief snippets from my journey so far. I hope to be regular in posting, as I now have my laptop back [:)] and have procured a data card too !
Here goes then...
Scene 01-
0430 hours - Heritage City, Gurgaon - waiting for the taxi to drop us off to the airport, where I have to board the 6:00 am flight to Calcutta -
I am off to face two months of DSE training- the DSE being the "foot soldier" of the company (who sometimes likes to shoot it there too)- so all company "officers" have to walk in his shoes for two months, in order to obtain a grass-roots level understanding of how the business is actually done, and not the way it is taught. But all that comes later...right now, an elderly gentleman comes up to your's truly and says " Are you a pilot ?" ...........
Before I can even comprehend the whys and wherefores of this question, and try to say something that makes sense, he launches into a monologue that tells me of his connections to several known business houses...et cetera et cetera .....and makes me think of that night (www.janusspeak.blogspot.com) on the beach....so I just keep nodding my head to give him the impression of listening, until it is mercifully time to leave !
What a way to start the day ! Whatever happens now will be much better ( or so I hope)
Scene 02-
Calcutta - Same day
10:30 am
Is Mr X in ?
no
Mr.Y?
no
Ms. Z?
no...and oh yea..today is half day - office closes at 2:00pm
Brilliant ! East is East ! Having taken all the trouble to get up at 3:00 am, shave, shower, change into formals et cetera, we find out after reaching the office that we have more than two hours to do precisely that ! The consultant's luck has taken its toll...it is going to be one of those days !
Scene 03 - at some shady bar in Park Street
Q: Do you serve Haywards / Kingfisher ?
A : Only after 8:30 pm sir !
Q: ???!!!!WTF ?? !!!!!
A: yes sir !
Q: Great ! what else do you have ?
A: Dansberg !
(Dutch beer - made in Sikkim, the label tells us !)
Well...bring it on guys...and let the "Dutch" times roll !
So ended the first memorable day of the DSE stint....
More "adventure" adventures to follow shortly !
Until then,
Adios.
- J
What follows are brief snippets from my journey so far. I hope to be regular in posting, as I now have my laptop back [:)] and have procured a data card too !
Here goes then...
Scene 01-
0430 hours - Heritage City, Gurgaon - waiting for the taxi to drop us off to the airport, where I have to board the 6:00 am flight to Calcutta -
I am off to face two months of DSE training- the DSE being the "foot soldier" of the company (who sometimes likes to shoot it there too)- so all company "officers" have to walk in his shoes for two months, in order to obtain a grass-roots level understanding of how the business is actually done, and not the way it is taught. But all that comes later...right now, an elderly gentleman comes up to your's truly and says " Are you a pilot ?" ...........
Before I can even comprehend the whys and wherefores of this question, and try to say something that makes sense, he launches into a monologue that tells me of his connections to several known business houses...et cetera et cetera .....and makes me think of that night (www.janusspeak.blogspot.com) on the beach....so I just keep nodding my head to give him the impression of listening, until it is mercifully time to leave !
What a way to start the day ! Whatever happens now will be much better ( or so I hope)
Scene 02-
Calcutta - Same day
10:30 am
Is Mr X in ?
no
Mr.Y?
no
Ms. Z?
no...and oh yea..today is half day - office closes at 2:00pm
Brilliant ! East is East ! Having taken all the trouble to get up at 3:00 am, shave, shower, change into formals et cetera, we find out after reaching the office that we have more than two hours to do precisely that ! The consultant's luck has taken its toll...it is going to be one of those days !
Scene 03 - at some shady bar in Park Street
Q: Do you serve Haywards / Kingfisher ?
A : Only after 8:30 pm sir !
Q: ???!!!!WTF ?? !!!!!
A: yes sir !
Q: Great ! what else do you have ?
A: Dansberg !
(Dutch beer - made in Sikkim, the label tells us !)
Well...bring it on guys...and let the "Dutch" times roll !
So ended the first memorable day of the DSE stint....
More "adventure" adventures to follow shortly !
Until then,
Adios.
- J
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)