Breaking News: I was asked to resign from my job... because am on maternity leave. NOT FAIR.
I had an engaging role working out of home. The role necessitated occasional travel which I was (and still am) willing to do leaving Button behind with my mom. The head of the organization who took this call to let me go has 4 children herself. She worked out of home for the same organization several decades ago when she took 4 maternity breaks herself. Everybody agrees that I did a great job and that they "wish" they could wait another month for me to return, but no, progress on a couple of assignments is too fast to not have a person on the job NOW. I was openly told that the question of hiring somebody else would not have come up had I not gone on a break.
Two Questions:
a) I was open about the fact that I would go on maternity leave several months ago. Why did it not strike them then that a replacement would have to be found for a few months? Also, would it not take them time to train a new person and bring him or her to speed? It seems illogical to insinuate that I am somehow less capable now, given that am a new mother, especially coming from a lady who is a mother 4 times over.
b) Is it possible that this whole arrangement fell through because the organization is a US based one and am in India? Are Indians treated below par?
I am trying to not let guilt or resentment take over, but they do surface every now and then. As if coping with a newborn is not taxing enough!
ps:Two other posts dealing with similar topics.
Y on Working Moms
ITW on Maternity becoming a Career Hazard
Showing posts with label pet peeves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pet peeves. Show all posts
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
"Wonly in Mumbai I say"
Some vignettes from my life in Mumbai (amusing in retrospect of course, never at that moment!)
My maid-in-waiting: She is one helluva confident person (all public speakers and esteem building courses should use her as a role model!) She can browbeat anyone into submission (incl the sometimes aggressive me!)even if she knows she is in the wrong! One fine morning last week, she wanted a salary raise. Now, I was surprised and refused immediately because it had only been 4 months since she had started working for me... then I wanted to "dig deeper" (as my B school profs had taught us) to arrive at the root cause of the issue.. so I asked her why she wanted a raise so soon in her 'career with me'... she answers "Oh! I have given my maid a raise, so I figured I deserve one!!" Maid employing maid? First time I've heard!Howzzat??
South-Western: I was at a hospital(not one of the biggies, a gujju stronghold hospital at Charni Road) a few days back for a medical test. I had to register a file in my name. This bored looking clerk asked for my "Name" and I replied "ABC" (FYI, my name starts with 'Sri'), then he wanted to know my surname. Now I am a 'southern Indian' and I don't have a surname. I gave my dad's name, which I continue to use as my 'sir'name! He then asked me, "are you married"?(Given that I was wearing no 'traditional' marks of marriage)I replied in the affirmative. Next was husband's name. I replied in full. Obviously it is different from my dad's. This chap was perplexed and laboriously wrote out my name on the file which finally reads Srimati "second half of my name" "Sri" "husband's name" "father's name" "husband's father's name". And he grins and remarks "I thought you were a Marathi person, you don't look Gujarati, but you turned out to be a Madrasi, what a strange world". Geez, I know am strange(sometimes), but to the world?!
Drive away: The driver that we are 'testing' now asked me where I wanted to go. I replied that I wanted to go to a couple of shops near Breach Candy hospital on Bhulabai Desai road. He shot past the turning then remarks "Madam, you did not remind me that I have to turn right here!!" Wow, an assistant to the driver?!
Rubbished: The garbage disposal lady came to me one day and said "Madam, you throw away a lot of useful things. You should'nt waste so much money". Naturally, I was taken aback and for a day, stewed over thoughts of my hard earned money being squandered away, berated my lack of sense of planning or saving and killed myself for being financially unsound. Obviously my husband also faced my 'cribbing'. The next day, I met the 'kacchrawali' again and asked her "Why she thought I was irresponsible" (root causes again!). So she said "you throw away milk packets after you use them, also cereal boxes and sometimes soiled newspapers and/or disposable cups after use. You should store them and sell them to a ragpicker!" When I retorted that "it was my rubbish after all, and she was free to pick these up and sell them if she wanted", she replied "But bhabhi, I don't have time"! My new worry.. do I look that jobless?
Funny people... how do they all find ME? :)
My maid-in-waiting: She is one helluva confident person (all public speakers and esteem building courses should use her as a role model!) She can browbeat anyone into submission (incl the sometimes aggressive me!)even if she knows she is in the wrong! One fine morning last week, she wanted a salary raise. Now, I was surprised and refused immediately because it had only been 4 months since she had started working for me... then I wanted to "dig deeper" (as my B school profs had taught us) to arrive at the root cause of the issue.. so I asked her why she wanted a raise so soon in her 'career with me'... she answers "Oh! I have given my maid a raise, so I figured I deserve one!!" Maid employing maid? First time I've heard!Howzzat??
South-Western: I was at a hospital(not one of the biggies, a gujju stronghold hospital at Charni Road) a few days back for a medical test. I had to register a file in my name. This bored looking clerk asked for my "Name" and I replied "ABC" (FYI, my name starts with 'Sri'), then he wanted to know my surname. Now I am a 'southern Indian' and I don't have a surname. I gave my dad's name, which I continue to use as my 'sir'name! He then asked me, "are you married"?(Given that I was wearing no 'traditional' marks of marriage)I replied in the affirmative. Next was husband's name. I replied in full. Obviously it is different from my dad's. This chap was perplexed and laboriously wrote out my name on the file which finally reads Srimati "second half of my name" "Sri" "husband's name" "father's name" "husband's father's name". And he grins and remarks "I thought you were a Marathi person, you don't look Gujarati, but you turned out to be a Madrasi, what a strange world". Geez, I know am strange(sometimes), but to the world?!
Drive away: The driver that we are 'testing' now asked me where I wanted to go. I replied that I wanted to go to a couple of shops near Breach Candy hospital on Bhulabai Desai road. He shot past the turning then remarks "Madam, you did not remind me that I have to turn right here!!" Wow, an assistant to the driver?!
Rubbished: The garbage disposal lady came to me one day and said "Madam, you throw away a lot of useful things. You should'nt waste so much money". Naturally, I was taken aback and for a day, stewed over thoughts of my hard earned money being squandered away, berated my lack of sense of planning or saving and killed myself for being financially unsound. Obviously my husband also faced my 'cribbing'. The next day, I met the 'kacchrawali' again and asked her "Why she thought I was irresponsible" (root causes again!). So she said "you throw away milk packets after you use them, also cereal boxes and sometimes soiled newspapers and/or disposable cups after use. You should store them and sell them to a ragpicker!" When I retorted that "it was my rubbish after all, and she was free to pick these up and sell them if she wanted", she replied "But bhabhi, I don't have time"! My new worry.. do I look that jobless?
Funny people... how do they all find ME? :)
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
This, that and Happy B'day!
First, this media hoopla on the racism slur. For the benefit of those who did not watch Times Now this morning, the entire piece of reporting on the Australia-India cricket tour was accompanied by moving images and Bollywood music... so first we started off with ‘Chak De India’ (winning the last test series in India) followed by a 'Chale Chalo' from Lagaan with the Aussies looking angry and aggressive (like they usually appreciably do and then the Hindi version of 'Tamizha Tamizha' (from 'Roja') with Harbhajan and Sachin looking mystified and upset! Let me not even talk about 'Mumbai Mirror' or Sun TV which have both gone bonkers over the tour progress.
My tuppence: Hey team, "you" are our nation's pride, we love you whether you win or lose. So 'Media Channels' STOP please! Am more upset at zero NFL coverage when the Divisional playoffs have started. Sigh!
I read this really lovely book called 'The Places In Between' by Rory Stewart. The author walked from Herat to Kabul in Afganistan in 2002 and this book is a lovely account of the walk. Not just because it combines my favourite elements of cultural insights and a mission impossible achieved, but also because it combines bits of history(Babur's walk through the same places) and has a human, nay, canine angle (the humane story of a dog. Very quietly, there is an objective presentation of political undertones and the wonderful work done by Aid agencies. My Verdict: A must read, especially if you loved 'The Kite Runner' and Afganistan or books by Pico Iyer or 'A Long Way Gone' by Ishmael Beah.
The best for the last - "Happy Birthday Husband" Hope this year rocks for you in every way and I hope you like the surprise I have for you. (The surprise is private, but I also got him a 80 GB iPod so that he doesn't keep changing the playlists on mine! How romantic, right?!) Happy New Year to all of you.. Hope you ushered it in safely and hope this year proves to be a wonderful memorable year for you!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sound of Music
This is just a compendium of all the events, products and feelings that cross my mind now (as am typing, trying to eat yoghurt-covered raisins, 'begging' my partner to pack his clothes for our impending house shifting and trying to watch TV) So go on, soak in some garbled ramblings.. in no particular order!
Morya Re...
Mr.Pot-belly himself has decided to paint the town red. Bombay has decided to celebrate on the streets and how?! Every day is a 'visarjan' (procession of Ganpati to the nearest immersion point). Thanks to living on the main road AND on the sea, I am close to over-dosing on the 'dhol' drum beats every evening. But the optimist, party lover and dancer in me cannot help but enjoy the revelry (yes, you guessed right, I AM a libran!) Some of the drummers are just fantastic. My neigbors across the street smile amusedly at me when we pass each other on the road... I don't blame 'em... I have been dancing with pots, pans and ladles while I cook. My kitchen overlooks the road with a direct view from the building across the not-so-wide road. And as if that were not enough, I even tried doing salsa and American jazz (or what I think are versions of these!) to the 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' dhols! Hey, credit me with marks for creativity instead of cruelly smiling. Jeez!
Mr. Prophet
It wouldn't be right if I did not talk of the other festival that is also going on full swing in my neighbourhood - Ramzan. I live in Mahim, in Bombay (atleast for a few more days). For those who do not know Bombay, this area has a pretty strong Islamic population co-existing with a pretty strong Marathi-Brahmin and Sindhi population. So, while the Elephant God decides to reach his oceanic abode sometimes as late as midnight, replete with band-baaja, the punctual Mr.Mohammed ALWAYS calls out in his sing-song tone on dot at ten to five...in the morning. Sigh! But again, the entire area buzzes with excitement, especially at about 7 in the evening with lights and (supposedly) delicious food (am a vegetarian!)
Oh Captain, My Captain
And the Gods did smile on our young captain Mr.Dhoni this evening. By a cruel twist of fate, my cable TV chap decided to cut off my cable connection... but I always believed that India would lose everytime I watched the match, especially excitedly. See, my belief paid off... India DID win! But, alas, no stop to the firecrackers going on and on and on and on and on.... in our area. Seems like everybody is happy, but sleepy me!
Om Shanti Om
In all this hulabaloo, I caught the trailer of OSO on NDTV. Man, SRK looks like a clone of Shekhar Suman! No, don't get me wrong, but he looks all botoxed, with veins popping out and no flab on his abs. Well, if I want abs, there is Salman and Hrithik and old pics of Guvnor' Arnie! Why SRK? Even his chocolate smile looks artificial as does his (erstwhile) melting brown eyes... he IS a bit old I guess. Too old to romance Ms.Padukone?
My Can
The boy in the Pepsi 'My Can' ad agrees. For my beloved friends on the other side of the rainbow, 'My Can' is the slim can version of Pepsi. The ad has a young boy calling SRK and John Abraham 'Uncle'. SRK I agree, but John???? He can't act to save his life, or Bipasha's (but neither can she!) But he does look great with his dimpled smile and veggie food tastes!
Other Ads
Loved the ad for T20 cricket 'appun ka sapna' ad. Lovely concept, getting young kids to talk of their ambitions and tie it up to 'Chota ho to kya, cricket, cricket hai'! Also the i-pill ad. Both ads are pretty emotive, therefore full marks to the ad. Also to the winking 'Spark' ad. Always loved 'Matiz'... still do, even in its new avtaar. Oh, I mentioned it before, also the Lays ad in Ladakh.
Discovery
Found an old cassette of 'Iron Maiden' the other day. Thought I would learn to love hard rock. Thought wrong obviously. Gimme, 'Ganpati Bappa' and my 'azans' anyday.
ps: Anybody want a free (old) cassette? :)
Morya Re...
Mr.Pot-belly himself has decided to paint the town red. Bombay has decided to celebrate on the streets and how?! Every day is a 'visarjan' (procession of Ganpati to the nearest immersion point). Thanks to living on the main road AND on the sea, I am close to over-dosing on the 'dhol' drum beats every evening. But the optimist, party lover and dancer in me cannot help but enjoy the revelry (yes, you guessed right, I AM a libran!) Some of the drummers are just fantastic. My neigbors across the street smile amusedly at me when we pass each other on the road... I don't blame 'em... I have been dancing with pots, pans and ladles while I cook. My kitchen overlooks the road with a direct view from the building across the not-so-wide road. And as if that were not enough, I even tried doing salsa and American jazz (or what I think are versions of these!) to the 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' dhols! Hey, credit me with marks for creativity instead of cruelly smiling. Jeez!
Mr. Prophet
It wouldn't be right if I did not talk of the other festival that is also going on full swing in my neighbourhood - Ramzan. I live in Mahim, in Bombay (atleast for a few more days). For those who do not know Bombay, this area has a pretty strong Islamic population co-existing with a pretty strong Marathi-Brahmin and Sindhi population. So, while the Elephant God decides to reach his oceanic abode sometimes as late as midnight, replete with band-baaja, the punctual Mr.Mohammed ALWAYS calls out in his sing-song tone on dot at ten to five...in the morning. Sigh! But again, the entire area buzzes with excitement, especially at about 7 in the evening with lights and (supposedly) delicious food (am a vegetarian!)
Oh Captain, My Captain
And the Gods did smile on our young captain Mr.Dhoni this evening. By a cruel twist of fate, my cable TV chap decided to cut off my cable connection... but I always believed that India would lose everytime I watched the match, especially excitedly. See, my belief paid off... India DID win! But, alas, no stop to the firecrackers going on and on and on and on and on.... in our area. Seems like everybody is happy, but sleepy me!
Om Shanti Om
In all this hulabaloo, I caught the trailer of OSO on NDTV. Man, SRK looks like a clone of Shekhar Suman! No, don't get me wrong, but he looks all botoxed, with veins popping out and no flab on his abs. Well, if I want abs, there is Salman and Hrithik and old pics of Guvnor' Arnie! Why SRK? Even his chocolate smile looks artificial as does his (erstwhile) melting brown eyes... he IS a bit old I guess. Too old to romance Ms.Padukone?
My Can
The boy in the Pepsi 'My Can' ad agrees. For my beloved friends on the other side of the rainbow, 'My Can' is the slim can version of Pepsi. The ad has a young boy calling SRK and John Abraham 'Uncle'. SRK I agree, but John???? He can't act to save his life, or Bipasha's (but neither can she!) But he does look great with his dimpled smile and veggie food tastes!
Other Ads
Loved the ad for T20 cricket 'appun ka sapna' ad. Lovely concept, getting young kids to talk of their ambitions and tie it up to 'Chota ho to kya, cricket, cricket hai'! Also the i-pill ad. Both ads are pretty emotive, therefore full marks to the ad. Also to the winking 'Spark' ad. Always loved 'Matiz'... still do, even in its new avtaar. Oh, I mentioned it before, also the Lays ad in Ladakh.
Discovery
Found an old cassette of 'Iron Maiden' the other day. Thought I would learn to love hard rock. Thought wrong obviously. Gimme, 'Ganpati Bappa' and my 'azans' anyday.
ps: Anybody want a free (old) cassette? :)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
The Comeback Kid
As my rickshaw was perilously close to being crushed between a monstrous looking truck and an overcrowded bus in the maddening Bombay traffic near the airport, I promised the Big Man Up there that I would do many things, but needed to live with 32 intact to do 'em. It included getting in touch with long-lost friends, cleaning my clothes shelf, being more regular in my calls to my grandparents, losing weight(always!), giving up chocolates, not arguing with my partner...and reviving my fledgling of a frozen blog.
The thawing and de-freezing attempt is this post. (yeah, 'the crushing embrace' was that close!) In an attempt to leave a memory for posterity (if the world is not destroyed and blog sites do not become dusty libraries) herez my list of favourites ever & dislikes ever(relatively in my 27 wonderful years of existence).
Lets start with the usual.
Books I swear by
JLS, The Godfather, Love Story, The Kite Runner, Gone With The Wind, Bridges of Madison County, The Alchemist
Movies I'd've loved to be in
The Godfather, Silsila, Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain, Sound of Music, Crash, Roman Holiday, Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, Mouna Ragam, Bombay(the tam version)
Places I HAVE to see
Srilanka, Greece, The Great Wall of China, Egypt, Jerusalem, Alaska, Leh-Ladakh, Kashmir, Disneyland, Scotland, Germany, Turkey, My dream home
Food I can't do without
Coffee, Chocolate(!), Italian food, VennPongal, Vella cheedai, Kozhakattai, Bhelpuri, Sauvignon Blanc, Mint Tea
Fave Songs Ever(for their associated memories, the music, the lyrics)
Uyire Uyire(Bombay), En Mel Vizhuntha Mazhaithuliye(May Maadam), Dil Se Re(Dil Se), Edelweiss(Sound of Music), Sweet Child O'Mine(Guns 'n Roses), Time(Pink Floyd), Losing My Religion(R.E.M), Come Undone(Duran Duran), Like a Prayer(Madonna), Top of the World(Carpenters)
Best Features in a person (what I dig, baby!)
Sense of humour, Dignity, Crisis management, Ability to laugh at himself...easily, Honesty, A ready smile, Dimples (that had to creep in there!) Of course being Successful and Famous and Rich help, but not much!
Pet Peeves
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things"
The thawing and de-freezing attempt is this post. (yeah, 'the crushing embrace' was that close!) In an attempt to leave a memory for posterity (if the world is not destroyed and blog sites do not become dusty libraries) herez my list of favourites ever & dislikes ever(relatively in my 27 wonderful years of existence).
Lets start with the usual.
Books I swear by
JLS, The Godfather, Love Story, The Kite Runner, Gone With The Wind, Bridges of Madison County, The Alchemist
Movies I'd've loved to be in
The Godfather, Silsila, Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain, Sound of Music, Crash, Roman Holiday, Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, Mouna Ragam, Bombay(the tam version)
Places I HAVE to see
Srilanka, Greece, The Great Wall of China, Egypt, Jerusalem, Alaska, Leh-Ladakh, Kashmir, Disneyland, Scotland, Germany, Turkey, My dream home
Food I can't do without
Coffee, Chocolate(!), Italian food, VennPongal, Vella cheedai, Kozhakattai, Bhelpuri, Sauvignon Blanc, Mint Tea
Fave Songs Ever(for their associated memories, the music, the lyrics)
Uyire Uyire(Bombay), En Mel Vizhuntha Mazhaithuliye(May Maadam), Dil Se Re(Dil Se), Edelweiss(Sound of Music), Sweet Child O'Mine(Guns 'n Roses), Time(Pink Floyd), Losing My Religion(R.E.M), Come Undone(Duran Duran), Like a Prayer(Madonna), Top of the World(Carpenters)
Best Features in a person (what I dig, baby!)
Sense of humour, Dignity, Crisis management, Ability to laugh at himself...easily, Honesty, A ready smile, Dimples (that had to creep in there!) Of course being Successful and Famous and Rich help, but not much!
Pet Peeves
- Spitting on the road...often
- Rudeness
- Raised voice
- Violence, abuse of any kind
- Letting parents/grandparents fend for themselves.
- Pettiness
- Money-mindedness
- Eyeing other women openly
- Kids crying (it breaks my heart)
I enjoy..
Being woken up with a smile, Smell of the first rains (petrichor?), Breezy walk by the beach, Romantic candlelit dinners, Surprise gifts, Sound of a deep-throated chuckle, Good Coffee, A movie/play/musical concert/speech that moves me, Stand-up comedies, Good simple food (Preferably my mom's!)
"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashesSnowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things"
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