Bye bye Mangalore

It has been a while since I wrote. Although it has probably been just 2 months since the last post, it seems to me that I have come miles from where I was. I needed to travel those miles and I did it. I have crossed the proverbial bridge, tamed the fire-spitting dragon of anger and stopped walking around like a proud wounded animal. Haha. I sound so dramatic right now, I can start clapping at my own literary nonsense. :P

Now that it is time to leave Mangalore, I have started counting the lasts again. More than anything, I guess I shall miss my darling palace of a house. I love my house in Mangalore. It has everything. It is comfortable. It is fun. It is large. It almost seems like a living spirit, which has been with me for all these months and seen it all - the laughter, the giggles, the endless sitcoms, the sudden spurts of writing, Aishwarya Rai and lots of her :P, Karishma Kapoor and lots of her and a whole lot of products from Garnier and L'Oreal. :) I am going to miss my beautiful house. Dear housie, you shall always be my first and most likely the biggest house I shall live in all by myself. :) And, you fulfilled a dream. I woke up every morning to sip chai while I looked out at coconut trees. I always wanted to do that. And, I did it! Thankoo, house! I shall miss you. Very much.

And then, I shall miss the short distances. Bombay, although it is very inviting, has always been the BIG city. I love small cities. I love that when I go to the airport or the bus stand or the railway station, I always run into someone I know. It happens in Baroda. It happened in Mangalore (probably because I know about 1000 people in the city - all my wholesalers and retailers - by face :P)

I shall miss my boss, because he let me be and held my hand when he needed to. He let me do whatever I wanted to do and yet he watched over me so that he could teach me where I went wrong. Thank you, sir!

I shall miss the retailer chats, the wholesaler Gujju bonding, the packing up and leaving to an unknown destination... I shall miss it all! :)

I shall NOT miss the rain :D and the rickshaw-walas :D :D and the horrrrrrible roads :D :D :D and the really rough bus rides! :D :D hehehehe and the incomprehensible streams of unknown languages be it verbal or on script!

All in all, Mangalore, you have been good to me. And I shall hold you close to my heart because you were city of firsts. :) Muuah!

The best things in life are those which we can chew or sip. :P Dear olives, I love you. Dear fried succulent babycorn, you are so tasty, I can you the burst of endorphins in my brain as my teeth hit the corn. And, ohhh, Dear Dairy Milk Silk, HOW can you be sooooo damn uplifting. No matter how angry I am, or how down in the dumps I get, I unwrap you and ooh! Life is perfect! And, PANI PURI... OH MY LOVELY!! Tu kitni haseen hai, meri jaaaan! I can't wait for the sookha! I can't wait for the next one! And after the last sookha, I order for a plateful of sookha puri :D OOh! And, so many other things too! Dear whoever ate the apple, I can so understand! And, duh God, or anyone else for calling it a sin! Not a sin this! This is JOY! This is FUN! This is my season in the SUN! Hee haa! We have been Westlifed! And I am so bored am posting this piece of nonsense from my mobile! :P Heeh! :P

Baroooodaaaaa!!! :(

If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.

There is something to be said for the comfort of familiarity.

What do you do when in the middle of the day, in broad day light, you begin to question what you're doing. It is okay if it is night and you can switch on your favourite TV series and drown out the voices in your head. But, in day light, when you are expected to make logical conversations with the world, on numbers, on motivation...when you feel like you're wading through a quagmire suddenly... how do you deal with it? The person you want to talk to sees you as a devalued piece of human creation. The people who are ready to listen to you are those you don't feel like confiding in. Sometimes, I think I need space. But then again, at times like this, I need my home, my friends, my cities, my food, my hangouts, my brands. To give me a sense of who I am. To remind me that I am still who I was and that I have not lost everything, that I shall still find my way. I hate such moments, when I question everything. Is this the truth? Is everything else delusional? Or is this an abysmal hole I should sidestep? What is real?

I miss the talking... the talking. The way things get understood immediately. In the way I intended them.

illegitimi non carborundum.

Stupid Mangalore!! To even get a courier to be delivered on time is a TASK!!! Chottu towns :-/ Gujarat and Maharashtra seem to be the only 2 areas which take pride in DOING something.

One of my most fav earrings has got fungus!! Haha!! I don't think I have been drenched in the rains as many times in a single monsoon!! :D Funny offshoots of sales!!

Perfect Moments

• Sitting in a bus to Udupi, with Senorita playing on the bus-radio, the sun peeping out from behind the clouds, Pott's smses and a cheer spreading across all Mangalore! :) 
• Bike-rides. I always wanted to go on long bike-rides on highways. I am doing it! Wind in my hair, chilled air blasting my cheeks, lakes and rivers to feast my eyes on, a fabbbb highway and just absolute wonder at all the new places I am able to check out, while getting paid 11.5L, and a little something more to reimburse me for the travel too :D Life has a way of giving back for all the book-staring we do in preparing for CAT and OR and the like :P 
• Sitting in my house, watching 30 Rock, with hot steamy food to keep me company. I love the utter peace.

MY PSRs!

PSR stands for Pilot Sales Representative. Different companies call them different names. But, a PSR is the first rung on the sales ladder. Usually a PSR is just a 12th-pass, who visits shops as per routes everyday and collects orders as per the shops' requirements. Without him, orders won't come in. Without him, I wouldn't know where to go everyday.

My PSRs - my boys - are another thing, especially when it comes to education. Especially 2 of the 3 brothers I deal with out of the 4 PSRs I deal with.  Ajeya and Ajith are what they're called. Ajeya has stolen my heart. He's all of 19 and a half. And he works on the star-route - he has all the big outlets and gets all the big orders. By day, he is a PSR. By evening, he is a student - he studies BBA in an evening college. He had an internal exam on the day I met him. He goes home at about 9:30. And he studies. And, he comes to pick me up at 9:30 the next day. And, he does all this with a cute open harmless smile.

Ajith, his brother, has gone through this. He now works as an SSR (a Super Stockist Rep - a super stockist serves the outers of a city or remote places that can't be reached everyday, by supplying products to super-stockists, who are based out of these remote towns). Ajith travels hundreds of kilometers some days. Ajith is a smart young man of 24 and he has a patience that might not come easily to someone with his job. He makes me uncomfortable some times because he knows so much more than I do about what I am supposed to teach him :P. He is overqualified. I am going to suggest he take my place when I leave. He is another gem. 

I want to contribute, and I want to do it for them.

Adventure!

Every moment that I live seems to be an adventure in itself. Whether it is living alone, waking up to sweeping and mopping the floor :P, cleaning day in and day out, washing clothes, walking... walking kilometers I never  imagined I'd walk even for exercise... shopping for house supplies... shopping for utensils I don't know names of :P... shopping for fruits ( ah, exotic South!! ) and vegetables... straining to understand Kannada / Tulu / Beary / strange mixes thereof... straining to figure out things in my head... being very careful I don't get taken for granted... long long bus rides... rain that forms a damp foggy backdrop to everything I do... travel dreams that shall soon come true ( including living in a Victorian house :D )... sunny dreams of a compact 2nd floor office in Lower Parel, Bombay, that makes me do everything that I don't want to do, that keeps me going... camaraderie with my fellow sales people who are trying as hard to figure out the basics as I am and who GET IT... whiffs of Baroda... shadows of certain things that won't let go... AND a cheery sense of ZNMD hahaha - because that's all the music I hear!! :D


These are the days!! :D

And, world, let me tell you - I will live it up!!

Bangalore

My flight into Bangalore was HORRIBLE. Turbulent and cold. Extremely sunny yet cold. It made for a strange weird combination. And the landing was ROUGH. I have had only 2 flights in recent history. Both of which were smooth as velvet. The landing in Baroda's a bit rough but since am admiring the city below,  I dont notice so much. But this was too much. I felt so sick, I couldn't walk properly for some time. The only consolation was that I kept hearing Gujarati around me. I was like - Bangalore's not going to be half as bad with so many Gujaratis.

My Gujju connection
I stepped out of the aircraft and into the airport and the first thing I saw was AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY-BANGALORE. I was like - yay! Ahmedabad ka plane yahaan pe aaya hai, yay! :P But, apparently, the flight I was travelling in was the one from Ahmd and hence, all the Gujjus. :P Heheh. Our baggage came out first, so we got off the flight first and then it began! My love affair with the Bangalore weather! :) WHAT WEATHER!! :D

Airport and beyond
The road from the airport into the city is beautiful. The initial stretch is landscaped on both sides with pretty flowers and palm trees. And at 9 am, the pilot had announced that the weather was 22 degree celcius. :D How awesome! :D Me liked! Me loved! Me obsessed!!  I went maniacally hysterically crazy about how cool Bangalore was! :D You step out of the cab - it is cool. You step out of the hotel - it is cool. You step out of the office - it is cool. My brain refused to believe it but for the goosebumps on my arms - that's how cool it was! :)

Hotel!
I liked and still like living in a hotel. :) People say it is difficult. I dont see why. :P People service you. People smile at you. People clean after you. People come to give you food. No washing plates, no washing clothes. Me absolutely loves it! Living alone vs living in a hotel? Hotel wins, hands down. The laundry's really expensive though. That's the downside.

Bangalore sights!
Well, I made friends with this Bangalore localite called Karthik. He is a sweet guy - just not as crazy as I am. So, anyway, he helped me figure out my way around Bangalore. The most horrible thing? "20 rupees medemme"... ask anything.. ask for any distance.. ask for any location... Even for "I want to go to the loo"... the reply will be the same! "20 rupees medemme".. !! UGH!! But, I give them back! I tell them that if they want fixed salary, they shd go to work in a factory. I tell them I am taking their meter because they are not using it anyway - I shd keep a screwdriver handy... I say "Pppoooh" to their faces... I yell, create a scene and throw tantrums.. until, the golden words come out... "Okay, medemme... meter se chalenge..." GAWD. But, I still made it to Lal Bagh, Tipu Sultan palace and Cubbok Park, along with Vidhan Souda and the other Govt buildings. Very pretty, all of them.

Post will continue tomo..

Nah. No K. Expectations surmount reality.

The New Life

I am unable to find words to describe all the things I think about and do these days. But, I do want to capture the first few weeks of my new life... :)

I don't think any other city will replace all that Bombay means to me. People around me crib about the sweat, the crowd, the dirt, the locals... I can't see it. I only see spirit, life, vibrant business, Gujarati business-effervescence, convenience, connectivity and... plain simple goodness of people! Fine, the cab-drivers act smart, the rickshaw-drivers say no, there are people pummeling you every second of the day, but, oh my god! It's Bombay! I can't get used to non-crowd! Here's to some special moments of the new life:

Sitting in Plateau Hall, with other people, most of whom I like, sharing, learning, laughing and talking... there is a certain camaraderie that we had created back in the summers and the bond has just become stronger... We miss Pandit too... the girl doesn't realise how much she figures in our conversations! :)

Going to Pune... well, it is Chakan, really, which is quite a few kilometers from Pune. But, the green green ground, the Pune climate, the music, the people around me, even the rickety bus - I felt at peace. I felt comfortable in my own skin.


Jumping across baby-bridges in the factory / resort that L'Oreal has built in Chakan. Shreevidya and I actually ran around the gardens and jumped across little bridges that crossed tiny pools at the factory. Girl-fun is so very satisfying!


My weekend with my SCMHRD people!! Nasty rat which went over my foot, umbrella-fun, beach-madness, marine drive, FOOD, Soda Lounge :P, GIRL-FUN, spiked Irish coffee, Bailey yummies, Pullu-Mouse-Toothpick who is now turning into a Toothbrush :P, WORLI SEA LINK with bollywood songs that seemed made for the occasion, facebook fun in an AC service apartment in Lokhandwala, Delhi belly ruining our bracket love, South Indian food in this aptly named place Banana Leaf :D A weekend like no other. Perfect, happy, carefree, precious and to be remembered for all time.

IMPROV COMEDY! Shaun Williams, I love you. You searching for chicks, right? Me chick, me chick! :D heee!! :D

CCD at 11 in the night with Toothpick and Pavitra! And then, not sleeping all night - 115 fun - during the last night in Bombay :) :)

Oh, Bombay, what will I do without you!

Contrasts

NOT packing everything always gives hope :) Am coming back to you, darloo home.

Leaves

Haha! What is funny is the leave-policy. I am a workaholic and I know it. But. When I read the leave-policy, with soooo many do's and dont's, I couldn't help but feel - WTF! Why can't I take leaves if I want to! :P hehe. I guess it's the dont's that makes corporate life frustrating. Whatever. Let's see!

Bye-bye times

It is insane how  many times I have had to say bye and to how many things in the past few months. Anyway, am leaving for Bombay today. I have to say bye again.


The best part of the entire bye-bye times is what my Gargudi, Bhavu and Shru did for me. They came to Offside. We sat outside. They actually brought out garlands - a fragrant jasmine one that completely made my day, at that. And, they applied kanku :P on my entire face!!! :D As a farewell gesture. Oh GOD!! :D Hehehehhe. I looooove my girls. I love them. I love them from the bottom of my heart. Yellow and white sunshine, fresh green leaves, clear blue skies - they're that and so much more. My family. The only ones who have never never let me down. :)

Ad agencies :)

Well, this is part of the whimsical life and not the spicy pink life... However, this needs to be written, because I feel so... proud.

The last time we visited a local ad agency, we came off feeling like we didn't know what we were doing. We went again to meet an ad agency yesterday. Our learning curve has been steep! STEEEEP! Because this time, we knew EXACTLY what we were talking about! We now KNOW what we're doing. We are nowhere near perfect, but, yes, we have our fun. And, haha, we realised we can change things in the market to suit all our ideas. In little impactful ways. Heeeh! ;)

Leapfrogging the Poverty Line

When sane, I once wrote about how awed I was to visit Mphasis and Aditya Birla Minacs, which made the 12th pass and the below average educated student living in Tier II employable. IT companies like these, which act as BPOs for cellphone service companies, which require local language proficiency are a boon because they make people who would otherwise have been unemployed employable - within a strong global corporate culture at that. There are an astounding number of women working at these places too. I am not too sure about how long these women will work, but even a year makes for good exposure. And it makes them see sense too, in the way of educating their kids when they have them.

The point of THIS blog is that, apart from IT, I have found another industry that makes people employable and leapfrog poverty. Hotel Management. It is astounding how I love talking to people and just start gossiping with them haha. But, yes, I met 3 people reflecting trainers, students, drop-outs who went to "Hotel Management" to gain a fresh career - and, wow. Hotel Management is big! It also does not require anything beyond people skills and a little bit of brains to master that specific restaurant / outlet / hotel. After that, these people become employable. They become skilled at conversation. They become, in the words of the famous company ;) "Worth it". :P

I am going to ensure that when I begin something of my own, that's only my own, I contribute in this way and not in the way of snapdeal.com - oh, not the deals site, but the the village in Uttar Pradesh. Ha ha.

Location!

In real estate as in MBA life, it is all about Location! :D

First comes the joining date, then comes the kit
Then comes the location, oh, please consider the perfect fit!
I want to be in Bombay, no matter how my wallet gets hit
Because that's where my roomie is and she is the one who makes it all worth it!

The New Life

Well, we've been through the 2-year grind. We've made it to the "corporate world". Eye-popping (at least for the middle class Indian us :P) salaries, MNC tags, premier-institute brands... we have arrived. Or have we?

The 2 months right out of college, when we're waiting to join the world that awaits us, is probably the most difficult. We've already adopted a certain lifestyle, but haha, we can't seem to afford it. We've already figured out our vacation-spots, but don't know if we'll have the time to make it there. We've already ID-ed the gadgets we want, but we're not too sure if we'll enjoy them.

How will corporate life turn out to be? Will I fit in? Will I - the bohemian me - actually blend in? Will I - the numbers dud - actually understand.

Vulnerable high-achievers, a prof once said. That's what an MBA programme makes out of us. Well, all parts of that phrase seem doubtful. I'm a brash under-achiever. :P. But, I am ready to welcome my new life with open arms. Embrace my NEW life. And that's what this blog's going to be about.