Tuesday, September 27, 2005
I am going HOME : WooHoo!
I am going home for 2 whole weeks!!! I so need a break! I shall be going to Leh and Ladakh as the parents are in Jammu currently. Fly from Montreal to Toronto, Toronto to Delhi. Delhi to Jammu. Mom and dad and husbn' man. And a few friends. On to Leh and Ladakh. Dad has apparently arranged some very interesting trips including a night's camping by an amazing lake, right up the mou
ntains. And then back to Delhi for two days and on toKolkata for a quick visit to the in laws. But since they are just returning from the States, and were with us for 6 weeks earlier and we met many times, they are OK with the short visit. BUT, this is going to be my very first Cal pujo. despite having spent 5 years in the city, I never saw a puja as I always went back to my parents for the Puja hols. Should be fun, and S promised to show me around. Meeting loads of frienfs as well. I am excited.It will be crazy but fun.
Promise to blog more once I come back but have promised myself that I will detox my brains for 2 whole weeks and stay away from the PC. hopefully there will be no net access in Leh.
Wheeeeeeeee!!!
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Little story
Isn't it amazing how diverse the blogworld is and yet how everyone seems conected wihin a few degrees of separation? I was randomly visiting a Calcutta based blog, where the blogger was complaining about how women at restaurants are automatically directed to the non smoking section. Which reminded me of the time, many moons (well not that many!)ago when me and my girlfriends were celebrating graduation at a popular Park street fixture - Peter Cat actually. And we ordered beer. And the manager came over to explain to us apologetically that they do not serve alcohol to unaccompanied women - though how a group of four women could be described as unaccompanied would be asked by young women today, I think.
We were then treated to complementary ice cream - and I am ashamed to admit that all the feminist fury melted right away at that bribe - and thus began a career of capitalist corruption and the end of youthful idealism.
Uh, to those who are not initiated , hyperbole is meant to be ironic! Does PC serve beer to gaggles of girlfriends in Kolkata today?
We were then treated to complementary ice cream - and I am ashamed to admit that all the feminist fury melted right away at that bribe - and thus began a career of capitalist corruption and the end of youthful idealism.
Uh, to those who are not initiated , hyperbole is meant to be ironic! Does PC serve beer to gaggles of girlfriends in Kolkata today?
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Of Chinese girls and Indian men!
I recently interviewed and hired a Chinese girl who has just completed her MBA from a leading B school here. What she said at the interview and later was really interesting. I asked her the usual questions. She had worked in a management position in Shanghai for a few years before doing her MBA here. I asked her why she did not want to go back given that the economy is booming. And she basically talked of sexual harassment and general discrimination against women.
Apparently she headed a team of engineers and when she went for meetings, the clients refused to talk to her because she was young. She also mentioned how most Chinese men expected some favours in return for a business deal. She got a little indignant and red faced as she described it. There is of course no coercion, but you know how it goes...
She was really articulate and bright and spoke great English with a near perfect upper class American accent. Elegantly put together. However, I realised that she is perhaps a hard working lower middle class, small town girl, ambitious, high achiever. Very similar to many Indian success stories these days. Its a bit scary to think that they are going to churn out kids like that by the hundreds of thousands in a few years time. Indians had better watch out. I am serious. Especially considering that I am part of that fast growing Indian diaspora - consultant/management types. I know what I am talking about.
Anyway, she also mentioned that she had to bribe the doctors to treat her dad when he was seriously ill. She said "you can start a major business in China now in a few days, and all the govt. people will help you, but if you are an ordinary person with ordinary problems, you have to be ver, very lucky". I gathered she was the only daughter (as is usual in China) and has to take care of both parents. But then she also tried to pull some B school bull shit. I asked her how her math was considering that she studies English at college and she said "well you know we Chinese and Indians are good at Math". Which annoyed me, don't pull that BS on me sistah! Of course I knew that having passed near the top of her class at Rotman she couldn't be completely bad, but that was the wrong answer. I mean we are not all good at math, its just that the bad at math are eliminated along the line.
More importantly, I found her description of sexual discrimination surprising - and not. Once at an exploratory interview for a position in Seoul, I was warned about Korean men - I passed on the offer. Its just that you never hear of Asian men harassing women on the roads, and Asian women dress American, while the harassment on Indian streets is absolutely the worst in the world. I have not been to Saudi but I guess we are on par or better - if that makes anyone feel better. And yet Asian women are supposed to face huge discrimination in the corporate world. Especially in highly developed Japan.
I have worked in India and have friends who do and this has never been an issue. I am sure it happens, if you are a helpless lower echelon type in a family business, but not at the corporate level - not much at least. Indian women are tough, no nonsense and extremely successful. How is that? Is it that the men we work with and study with are all a different group than the unemployed and angry mobs in the streets? Or do Indian men just misbehave with strangers? The latter can not be true as my favourite men/best friends in the world ARE Indian men. I would NEVER tell some foreigner that Indian men I know are bad(as opposed to those I don't know on the streets, who are), the way many Asian women casually talk about their men. This girl also told me this, "Chinese men are especially mean to the girls because the government tells them not to, so its almost like asserting their independence" . Ah that sounds familar, thwarted masculinity finding redemption in dominating women. That I can relate to, as can all women. Even the American women's rights are threatened these days, with a serious Christian initiative to pretty much ban abortions- and the fiasco over the morning after pill. OK that was a rambling post! What’s your perspective? Do I have a rosy picture of urban India that I left many years back and still miss? Or Indian guys we know are really the best?
Apparently she headed a team of engineers and when she went for meetings, the clients refused to talk to her because she was young. She also mentioned how most Chinese men expected some favours in return for a business deal. She got a little indignant and red faced as she described it. There is of course no coercion, but you know how it goes...
She was really articulate and bright and spoke great English with a near perfect upper class American accent. Elegantly put together. However, I realised that she is perhaps a hard working lower middle class, small town girl, ambitious, high achiever. Very similar to many Indian success stories these days. Its a bit scary to think that they are going to churn out kids like that by the hundreds of thousands in a few years time. Indians had better watch out. I am serious. Especially considering that I am part of that fast growing Indian diaspora - consultant/management types. I know what I am talking about.
Anyway, she also mentioned that she had to bribe the doctors to treat her dad when he was seriously ill. She said "you can start a major business in China now in a few days, and all the govt. people will help you, but if you are an ordinary person with ordinary problems, you have to be ver, very lucky". I gathered she was the only daughter (as is usual in China) and has to take care of both parents. But then she also tried to pull some B school bull shit. I asked her how her math was considering that she studies English at college and she said "well you know we Chinese and Indians are good at Math". Which annoyed me, don't pull that BS on me sistah! Of course I knew that having passed near the top of her class at Rotman she couldn't be completely bad, but that was the wrong answer. I mean we are not all good at math, its just that the bad at math are eliminated along the line.
More importantly, I found her description of sexual discrimination surprising - and not. Once at an exploratory interview for a position in Seoul, I was warned about Korean men - I passed on the offer. Its just that you never hear of Asian men harassing women on the roads, and Asian women dress American, while the harassment on Indian streets is absolutely the worst in the world. I have not been to Saudi but I guess we are on par or better - if that makes anyone feel better. And yet Asian women are supposed to face huge discrimination in the corporate world. Especially in highly developed Japan.
I have worked in India and have friends who do and this has never been an issue. I am sure it happens, if you are a helpless lower echelon type in a family business, but not at the corporate level - not much at least. Indian women are tough, no nonsense and extremely successful. How is that? Is it that the men we work with and study with are all a different group than the unemployed and angry mobs in the streets? Or do Indian men just misbehave with strangers? The latter can not be true as my favourite men/best friends in the world ARE Indian men. I would NEVER tell some foreigner that Indian men I know are bad(as opposed to those I don't know on the streets, who are), the way many Asian women casually talk about their men. This girl also told me this, "Chinese men are especially mean to the girls because the government tells them not to, so its almost like asserting their independence" . Ah that sounds familar, thwarted masculinity finding redemption in dominating women. That I can relate to, as can all women. Even the American women's rights are threatened these days, with a serious Christian initiative to pretty much ban abortions- and the fiasco over the morning after pill. OK that was a rambling post! What’s your perspective? Do I have a rosy picture of urban India that I left many years back and still miss? Or Indian guys we know are really the best?
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Snapshots
The last two weekends have been spent exploring Maine and Cape Cod. I took a day off and with a labor day weekend, it was 4 days this time around. I went swimming off the tip of Cape Cod, the water was cold but I could swim. The water in Maine was far colder, my ankle bones hurt and I got pins and needles but I spent 2 hours trying to acclimatise myself and could swim for a few minutes. Summer is over I think. It has been great.
My first Montreal winter was miserable. I got sick with flu twice after coming to this country and took weeks to recover each time. A lot of new comers I know suffer from allergies. And in the winter basically you can not open doors and windows for three months straight. For another 3 months you can open the doors and windows for a few minutes for ventilation purposes only. Can you think of anything so unhealthy. I can't. The house basically smells musty no matter what you do. When I used to think of Canada I thought of fresh air and the outdoors. bUt basically for 6 months you are shut indoors. Its horrible. The summer of course has been an endless round of festivals, people simply enjoying the sun. That is something I learnt after coming here-appreciating good weather - and the need to simply go sit in the park whenever the sun is shining and it is warm.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
America is a third world country
I need to vent. Being a news junkie and with constant coverage of the situation in New Orleans, I am freaking out. Its unbelievable that even after days of the deluge, there has been NO relief for those affected. The citizens have been in a confined stadium. No food or water in 48 hours after the storm. I am not sure if there still has been any, because those smug bastards on network news would surely have jumped at the chance to show some relief work. Deliberate down playing of the number of the dead. No relief!!!!!!!!!!! Evacuations have been hap hazard and pitifully low. No attempt at bringing order. There are no relief camps set up anywhere. No tents no nothing! No plans!
And now they are whining about looting and people taking pot shots but they are desperate. They know nobody gives a shit!. What if the people in there had been white??? let's face it this is the ugly face of American racism. Even in India relief work is not so slow. Don't we send in food within 24 hours with the air force? Even if not adequate, I mean we ARE better than this. And I am so angry, why ??? because this is America. Its not supposed to be like this. They are supposed to do better. Whatever your politics, if America fails, what is left? I hate Bush and the Iraq war, but still the idea that there was a place on this earth where fundamental human dignity is recognised was always precious. And that beacon was America. I am angry because I feel betrayed. Naiive ? Yes. But that the US of A could allow such mismanagement and suffering to take place in their own soil is really hard to take. AND SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK. NO QUESTION.
why will they not riot. I would if I was hungry and hopeless! Wouldn't you? You would not, only if you had hope.
I have been reading a lotof blogs and its not uncommon to read"shoot the looters at sight" " like Chicago needs more homeless people wandering about". This is how third world countries deal with problems - beat the shit out of poor people and hope they disappear. But of course they don't and ultimately we are all in it together. Welcome to the real world. I wish I could be happy to see the decline of America. But I can't crow. Its heart breaking. This is the real world. And I am obsolete.
Who remembers the fuss USA created about the geneva Convention when a few US soldiers captured by the Iraqis were photographed. But now ...let's get real and shoot S&M porn films with Iraqi prisoners. The Geneva Convention is bullshit!
I guess if you have no compasion for poor foreigners you ultimately have no compassion for poor folks in your backyard either. Those who believe in human dignity are not selective. You either have respect and compassion or you don't. America has turned its back on its constitution.
And now they are whining about looting and people taking pot shots but they are desperate. They know nobody gives a shit!. What if the people in there had been white??? let's face it this is the ugly face of American racism. Even in India relief work is not so slow. Don't we send in food within 24 hours with the air force? Even if not adequate, I mean we ARE better than this. And I am so angry, why ??? because this is America. Its not supposed to be like this. They are supposed to do better. Whatever your politics, if America fails, what is left? I hate Bush and the Iraq war, but still the idea that there was a place on this earth where fundamental human dignity is recognised was always precious. And that beacon was America. I am angry because I feel betrayed. Naiive ? Yes. But that the US of A could allow such mismanagement and suffering to take place in their own soil is really hard to take. AND SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK. NO QUESTION.
why will they not riot. I would if I was hungry and hopeless! Wouldn't you? You would not, only if you had hope.
I have been reading a lotof blogs and its not uncommon to read"shoot the looters at sight" " like Chicago needs more homeless people wandering about". This is how third world countries deal with problems - beat the shit out of poor people and hope they disappear. But of course they don't and ultimately we are all in it together. Welcome to the real world. I wish I could be happy to see the decline of America. But I can't crow. Its heart breaking. This is the real world. And I am obsolete.
Who remembers the fuss USA created about the geneva Convention when a few US soldiers captured by the Iraqis were photographed. But now ...let's get real and shoot S&M porn films with Iraqi prisoners. The Geneva Convention is bullshit!
I guess if you have no compasion for poor foreigners you ultimately have no compassion for poor folks in your backyard either. Those who believe in human dignity are not selective. You either have respect and compassion or you don't. America has turned its back on its constitution.
