I dropped a tag. That too from one of the nicest of bloggers, a writer par excellence, a warm human being and now a dear online friend. How could I drop a tag from A Journey called Life. Shame on me. With a very contrite expression, I make delayed amends.
I was tagged for the Honest Scrap award. The tag requires a post listing ten honest things about you. As I do with all tags, I’ll do so in the business context this blog is designed for.
1. I am horribly, “old fashionedly” loyal to my company(ies). I’ve never ever quit a company – only moved as a result of an acquisition once. I would not buy a competitor’s product. Hence my multiple posts on company loyalty.
2. I started with a love of travel. Now I hate it. I’ve travelled too much on business and at last count have spent at least a night in 30 countries. Now I hate the very sight of an aeroplane. As I am now on a sabbatical, I enjoy going nowhere.
3. One of the things I just cannot do is tell a person’s age by looking at him or her. Now that’s no big deal except in China where everybody looks 15. In my office, I am never very sure if the girls are truly above the legal employable age of 18. And then they show me the picture of their child !!
4. I hate wearing that contraption which can only be translated in Hindi as “Kanta Langot”. The tie was invented in the medieval ages when buttons had not been invented and they needed something to hold their shirts up. Now why on earth do we continue with this nonsense. Especially when the temperature outside is 40 deg plus.
5. I’ve travelled on every type of contraption for business – the normal ones, bus, car, train, plane … And some more exotic ones
- The ban (the Bengali van) which is a wooden plank pulled as a cycle rickshaw. Four people sit on four corners and the guy pedals away giving you a free treat of his Rabindra Sangeet
- On the roof of the bus ( half ticket if you travel outside rather than inside)
- Ferries; the type where you get on by climbing a 1 inch width plank.
- Bullock cart, horse cart, camel cart (once)
6. The strangest thing I’ve done on work was when I stayed in a village for 2 months. The company I joined, believed that city bred types had to learn the real India. So they dispatched all trainees to live in a village at the back of beyond – no electricity, no plumbing, etc etc. I had to organize a cattle camp to, ahem, facilitate bulls losing their masculinity (so that they worked hard without distractions). . I still remember one fine fella who was being led for the unkindest of cuts, who broke free, chased a comely cow, had a last moment of happiness, was then caught and then given the “treatment”.
7. The strangest company lunch I have been taken to was in Kenya. To this restaurant called the Carnivore. This is a giant barbecue featuring game meat – hippo, crocodile, gazelle, zebra …… And I am a vegetarian.
8. I love to teach. Given half a chance I would teach in a business school. My colleagues say, that’s because I love the sound of my own voice ! But no chance of that, as I don’t have a PhD. I contend myself with writing posts on education.
9. I wish I had learnt some languages. I am trying to learn Mandarin now and spectacularly failing.
10. I am intensely private person. Or so I thought. Until I discovered blogging. Now I can’t stop writing posts like this !
AJCL – Sorry Sorry Sorry ……
I was tagged for the Honest Scrap award. The tag requires a post listing ten honest things about you. As I do with all tags, I’ll do so in the business context this blog is designed for.
1. I am horribly, “old fashionedly” loyal to my company(ies). I’ve never ever quit a company – only moved as a result of an acquisition once. I would not buy a competitor’s product. Hence my multiple posts on company loyalty.
2. I started with a love of travel. Now I hate it. I’ve travelled too much on business and at last count have spent at least a night in 30 countries. Now I hate the very sight of an aeroplane. As I am now on a sabbatical, I enjoy going nowhere.
3. One of the things I just cannot do is tell a person’s age by looking at him or her. Now that’s no big deal except in China where everybody looks 15. In my office, I am never very sure if the girls are truly above the legal employable age of 18. And then they show me the picture of their child !!
4. I hate wearing that contraption which can only be translated in Hindi as “Kanta Langot”. The tie was invented in the medieval ages when buttons had not been invented and they needed something to hold their shirts up. Now why on earth do we continue with this nonsense. Especially when the temperature outside is 40 deg plus.
5. I’ve travelled on every type of contraption for business – the normal ones, bus, car, train, plane … And some more exotic ones
- The ban (the Bengali van) which is a wooden plank pulled as a cycle rickshaw. Four people sit on four corners and the guy pedals away giving you a free treat of his Rabindra Sangeet
- On the roof of the bus ( half ticket if you travel outside rather than inside)
- Ferries; the type where you get on by climbing a 1 inch width plank.
- Bullock cart, horse cart, camel cart (once)
6. The strangest thing I’ve done on work was when I stayed in a village for 2 months. The company I joined, believed that city bred types had to learn the real India. So they dispatched all trainees to live in a village at the back of beyond – no electricity, no plumbing, etc etc. I had to organize a cattle camp to, ahem, facilitate bulls losing their masculinity (so that they worked hard without distractions). . I still remember one fine fella who was being led for the unkindest of cuts, who broke free, chased a comely cow, had a last moment of happiness, was then caught and then given the “treatment”.
7. The strangest company lunch I have been taken to was in Kenya. To this restaurant called the Carnivore. This is a giant barbecue featuring game meat – hippo, crocodile, gazelle, zebra …… And I am a vegetarian.
8. I love to teach. Given half a chance I would teach in a business school. My colleagues say, that’s because I love the sound of my own voice ! But no chance of that, as I don’t have a PhD. I contend myself with writing posts on education.
9. I wish I had learnt some languages. I am trying to learn Mandarin now and spectacularly failing.
10. I am intensely private person. Or so I thought. Until I discovered blogging. Now I can’t stop writing posts like this !
AJCL – Sorry Sorry Sorry ……
Posts
11 comments:
Cool post ... Imagine your plight at Carnivore!! The age of the Chinese people should be life's biggest mysteries, they all look like they belong to high school - lucky them. About your love to teach, I think would be a great teacher looking at how well you explain things! Maybe you should look at that PhD. The extent of your loyalty to your company says a lot about you - good things. :-) LOL at 4,5 - your frustration is pretty comic! Hope you are enjoying your bithday and Father's Day too .. :-)
Oh no... one more awesome post ... you are on fire Ramesh ...I envy the experience and the sense of humor that you possess .... as for the Carnivore ..did you try a churrasco .....we call it a meat market for the fashionable...did the eight year old angel wish you on both counts ...??
u have really embaressed me by saying so many sorrys.. really u dont owe me any..
as for post.. i compeltely second LEB's first few lines.. what i completely liked was point 1 (could totally relate to it) point 3- happens to me here as well (i go on major 'complex' trips) when who i think are siblings are actually mother and child! ( considering the majority populace here is chinese) and all ur travel stories, u should a seperate post on them .. would make awesome read..
@ thoughtful train - Thank you for all the nice words and the wishes.
@ blogueuer - Thanks for such kind words and comments. Churrasco - Oh God - I would have blanched, except that in China I now see more horrors consumed ! And yes, my daughter has been wonderfully sweet today.
@AJCL - What a lovely way you prodded me with your gentle comments on the last post. Wonderful style. Classy.
Nice post Ramesh! Totally agree with you on wearing a tie. The cattle camp story was very well told :)
Hi Ramesh,
Not sure if it is poetic justice or not but a vegetarian in China sounds like an oxymoron somehow. There was another individual in Audit I remember, who was a vegetarian and when we went for an audit to one of the countries insisted that we eat pizza's everyday. So dinner and lunch for 21 days was pizza's. Came back and hated seeing one again for a long time. I wish you would write a few more posts like the VIP stories. Looks like some other people from our old company also have been commenting on the same so guess this could turn into a book of humourous incidents. I too hate wearing ties but here have to wear a suit everyday and my team in India have a hearty chuckle at my expense nowadays when they see me.
LOL @ point 7...I could relate myself to points 1 and 3-especially if you're in a place like China where everyone look alike ( i mean both mother n daughter)...nice post
Lol at your experiences at Carnivore. With such a menu, anyone in his or her right senses would happily embrace veganism.
Okay...er....what do they do with the ..er... byproducts of bullslitting?
Simply rolling on the floor laughing! One of my favourites from your candid posts!!
Regards,
Deepa.
@ Satish - Surviving three weeks on Pizza - Wow ! Its not so bad in China these days. More VIP stories and I could get killed, for the proponents are very much around !!
Can Preeti please post pictures of you in a suit so that we can chuckle heartily as well !!
Thanks for all your comments Satish. Appreciate your visiting this blog.
@ Ajay :)
@ Rads - Greater danger if you wrongly guess the mother as the daughter and vice versa !!
@ Deepa - Thanks. Tickle Tickle.
@ roflindian - Thanks for visiting. All the readers will run away if I went any further into the bull story ! :)
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