It is easy to say that we will do ANYTHING for the people we love or for something that we really really want- such as a taste of warm home made carrot and milk dessert on a chilly winter evening- just like your grandmother used to make it. But I just discovered that there are somethings that I just won't be able to do even though I may love the person for who it is meant. In my case that something is iOS coding! Yes you read it right. I love my husband and it kills me that he is struggling to start something big, make a mark in this world, and the people around him will not give him what he needs and are hindering his success. So what did I decide? I decided that I am going to be that person who takes charge- learns iOS coding and just swoops in and takes care of his coding troubles. But one look at those tutorials and I realized that this is not what I want to do at all! In fact I will do ANYTHING to not have to do this- LOL! Ironic and funny how that worked out. I think I will stick to being what I actually do well- keeping him inspired while bugging the hell out of him. So while my anything is not everything, it can be my something.
Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Wednesday, 11 July 2018
Uber
Why talk about Uber? Because it is the God of our times and it is Devil of our times. Uber stands for everything that new business models in today's age mean. Swift, innovative, and built on challenging an established system. But there is an inherent risk in this model- it sacrifices everything for speed and in the process is prone to ignoring certain rules of business leading to its peril.
The stepping down of Uber's HR leader today is just one more link in a long chain of events that bring into sharp focus what can happen when a company grows too quickly and throws caution to the winds. Just because you provide a swanky office or free bagels every day, it does not eliminate the possibility of some of the traditional work place issues such as sexual harassment and racial discrimination. And when enough time is not spent to build internal processes to prevent these acts or deal with them when they happen- people will turn to the media for redress. Instead of playing out behind closed doors, the conflict moves to the media and is played out in national, and many a times international headlines. Ironically enough the media is plagued by the same symptoms and this just compounds the problem- everyone can now be a reporter and a tip becomes a reality even before it is substantiated.
So while we all love the innovation that today's technology and asset lite business models bring- it has created a very challenging situation- where the expectations of the employees and consumers continues to be the same as it has traditionally been, but these new companies such as Uber and Air B&B are still figuring out how to better anticipate and manage liabilities. Uber may think of themselves as a mere consolidator of available rides for hire but a passenger thinks of them as the company that owns the whole experience and is therefore accountable for it.
The stepping down of Uber's HR leader today is just one more link in a long chain of events that bring into sharp focus what can happen when a company grows too quickly and throws caution to the winds. Just because you provide a swanky office or free bagels every day, it does not eliminate the possibility of some of the traditional work place issues such as sexual harassment and racial discrimination. And when enough time is not spent to build internal processes to prevent these acts or deal with them when they happen- people will turn to the media for redress. Instead of playing out behind closed doors, the conflict moves to the media and is played out in national, and many a times international headlines. Ironically enough the media is plagued by the same symptoms and this just compounds the problem- everyone can now be a reporter and a tip becomes a reality even before it is substantiated.
So while we all love the innovation that today's technology and asset lite business models bring- it has created a very challenging situation- where the expectations of the employees and consumers continues to be the same as it has traditionally been, but these new companies such as Uber and Air B&B are still figuring out how to better anticipate and manage liabilities. Uber may think of themselves as a mere consolidator of available rides for hire but a passenger thinks of them as the company that owns the whole experience and is therefore accountable for it.
Thursday, 28 June 2018
Connections
Just finished an hour long conversation with a former colleague. It was meant to be a quick tete a tete to get some career advice but turned into a fun conversation about everything under the sun. I hadn't spoken to her in a while and she now lives in Colorado- so I was hesitant, and frankly afraid of intruding on her time as she is quite senior to me. But in the absence of anyone else to turn to, I decided to take a risk and text her. Surprisingly she responded almost immediately and didn't just give me advice but also shared some of her similar struggles. The connection was immediate and meaningful.
I think all of us yearn for meaningful connections and sometimes it's a just a matter of overcoming that initial hesitation and reaching out to another person. You will be surprised at where it may lead you and what new friendships you may discover.
I think all of us yearn for meaningful connections and sometimes it's a just a matter of overcoming that initial hesitation and reaching out to another person. You will be surprised at where it may lead you and what new friendships you may discover.
Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Lens
Today, I got to see a part of Mumbai I lived in a few years ago, through the eyes of another person and suddenly it was transformed! From a dusty, crowded, loud space which I never really considered home, it became a treasure trove of life experiences, sweet childhood memories and lasting bonds between families.
Ratna Pathak- a well known Indian actress and theater personality- grew up in Dadar, Mumbai, and a show on Netflix recently took her down memory lane. With the host she visited the house she grew up in, the parks in Dadar she frequented with friends, and the restaurants she ate at. And as she spoke, she brought that whole place to life with tales from the past. I found myself drawn into her narrative and yearning to go back and see it all just once more. To touch it, feel it, and breathe it- the way she had. That is the power of a new perspective and that is the power of a good storyteller.
Thanks Ms. Pathak for a brief but wonderful encounter with a familiar place, made new through your lens.
Ratna Pathak- a well known Indian actress and theater personality- grew up in Dadar, Mumbai, and a show on Netflix recently took her down memory lane. With the host she visited the house she grew up in, the parks in Dadar she frequented with friends, and the restaurants she ate at. And as she spoke, she brought that whole place to life with tales from the past. I found myself drawn into her narrative and yearning to go back and see it all just once more. To touch it, feel it, and breathe it- the way she had. That is the power of a new perspective and that is the power of a good storyteller.
Thanks Ms. Pathak for a brief but wonderful encounter with a familiar place, made new through your lens.
Saturday, 16 June 2018
Alone
Does not necessarily mean lonely and I am relishing the discovery! Having packed hubby and sunny boy off to India for a month, I am by myself after a long time. There are plenty of plans and aspirations. Mostly around what I know to be un-achievable spiritual discovery and weight loss goals. But whether I do it all, or just some, or maybe none- it is refreshing for the soul to just be.
Monday, 28 May 2018
Role model
When I was twenty years old, If someone had told me that one day I would need to be the primary daily "bread winner" for my family, I would have laughed at them in the face. That just wasn't something I was set up for. It wasn't what I was brought up to be. But the fact that at the end of this week I will get my first pay check when no other new income is going to come in, is a pretty incredible thing to happen to me.
You see in my family its not just that the women are not expected to work, in many cases they are simply not permitted to work. So growing up I had no role models of working women, working mothers or households where women took on the role of the primary earner. So as I go down this journey I am going to have to write my own rules, create my own guide posts, and set my own measures for success and failure.
But I would be lying if I said that this does not scare me. While I have taken on this new role, many of the conventional roles have held on. For various reasons I am still going to be the primary care giver and home maker . One of the reasons being that those are the only roles I know to do with absolute certainty. Almost all my female role models growing up were stay at home mothers or at the most teachers, who in my mind were just extensions of a mother. So on most days the part of me I am most sure of, nimble footed at, are being the mother and the person who runs the household.
However my journey has to have a meaning. Maybe this is a journey to create a new role model for all the girls who like me have been brought up on the notion that their primary role was to bring up the children, take care of the house and support the man as he went out to earn. When they see me I hope they can realize that life is unpredictable. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get an education, learn a skill and get the qualifications that will set you up to earn a living. Role model or no role model, you may have to step up to the task and simply put, its just easier when you are prepared.
You see in my family its not just that the women are not expected to work, in many cases they are simply not permitted to work. So growing up I had no role models of working women, working mothers or households where women took on the role of the primary earner. So as I go down this journey I am going to have to write my own rules, create my own guide posts, and set my own measures for success and failure.
But I would be lying if I said that this does not scare me. While I have taken on this new role, many of the conventional roles have held on. For various reasons I am still going to be the primary care giver and home maker . One of the reasons being that those are the only roles I know to do with absolute certainty. Almost all my female role models growing up were stay at home mothers or at the most teachers, who in my mind were just extensions of a mother. So on most days the part of me I am most sure of, nimble footed at, are being the mother and the person who runs the household.
However my journey has to have a meaning. Maybe this is a journey to create a new role model for all the girls who like me have been brought up on the notion that their primary role was to bring up the children, take care of the house and support the man as he went out to earn. When they see me I hope they can realize that life is unpredictable. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get an education, learn a skill and get the qualifications that will set you up to earn a living. Role model or no role model, you may have to step up to the task and simply put, its just easier when you are prepared.
Thursday, 26 April 2018
Cosby vs Huxtable
The conviction of Bill Cosby is painful and for many it has left them with a huge sense of loss- the loss of a dear character who not only entertained, but educated, and provided a role model for many young African American men.
To all those who are feeling this loss I say- do not confuse Dr. Huxtable for Bill Cosby. Dr. Huxtable cherished and respected his family and would never have misused his position of power and influence to abuse a woman. So keep your eye on the character and do not let the actor overpower its charm.
Yes the conviction of Bill Cosby is painful and in many ways it is a time to mourn- but it is also a time to rejoice. Rejoice in the knowledge that justice was served, a woman's voice was heard and the truth was victorious. Today Bill Cosby maybe in jail but the spirit of Dr. Huxtable and his family lives on- and that is what should inspire the next generation of men.
To all those who are feeling this loss I say- do not confuse Dr. Huxtable for Bill Cosby. Dr. Huxtable cherished and respected his family and would never have misused his position of power and influence to abuse a woman. So keep your eye on the character and do not let the actor overpower its charm.
Yes the conviction of Bill Cosby is painful and in many ways it is a time to mourn- but it is also a time to rejoice. Rejoice in the knowledge that justice was served, a woman's voice was heard and the truth was victorious. Today Bill Cosby maybe in jail but the spirit of Dr. Huxtable and his family lives on- and that is what should inspire the next generation of men.
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