Friday post part 2... I just thought I would throw some more pictures in. They are self-explanatory.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Friday in Bengaluru
I need to start today's post with a correction to yesterday's post. The figurine on the dash is not Allah. He is a Ganesh, 'one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon'. Known by many attributes, his elephant head makes him particularly easy to identify and he is widely revered as the 'Remover of Obstacles'.
Why I thought he was Allah when upon closer inspection he clearly has the head of an elephant, I cannot say. things are not always as they first appear (from the third row of seats).
Big highlights of today: The usual commute sights:
The celebratory cricket game, complete with dust storm, migrant worker children, and jerseys and balls for everyone. This was of course Julie's idea. Note the attractive Cerner van... contributing to our brand here in India.
And to complete the day, the 'Bangalore Walk' tour. Impossible to describe effectively, it was part history lesson, part humility lesson, part adventure. I've included pics below and will have to tell you about it when I get home.
your random cow, always an interesting feature on Bangalore's busy roads.
the King's palace that he lived in when the British came to attack... it's made entirely of teak wood.
Pics from the live flower and food market. We were more than a little overwhelmed by the various sights, smells, wares, and people. But after we got used to the chaos, it became obvious it is a thriving economic system run by families who are expects in trade. The market is in the old center of town, where the original British fort was. Each street sells a general category of 'stuff'... sort of like aisles in a department store. They are narrow and crowded and of course you can't just walk down them, you have to be on constant alert to keep from being run over by a motorbike, scooter, rickshaw, car, ox wagon... etc etc. such is the excitement of India. It felt like we were in a James Bond movie, especially as it got dark and our tour guide got lost!! But we eventually found our way out and made it back to the safe luxury of the ITC Gardenia. Only one more day in paradise :)
Why I thought he was Allah when upon closer inspection he clearly has the head of an elephant, I cannot say. things are not always as they first appear (from the third row of seats).
Big highlights of today: The usual commute sights:
The celebratory cricket game, complete with dust storm, migrant worker children, and jerseys and balls for everyone. This was of course Julie's idea. Note the attractive Cerner van... contributing to our brand here in India.
And to complete the day, the 'Bangalore Walk' tour. Impossible to describe effectively, it was part history lesson, part humility lesson, part adventure. I've included pics below and will have to tell you about it when I get home.
Pics from the live flower and food market. We were more than a little overwhelmed by the various sights, smells, wares, and people. But after we got used to the chaos, it became obvious it is a thriving economic system run by families who are expects in trade. The market is in the old center of town, where the original British fort was. Each street sells a general category of 'stuff'... sort of like aisles in a department store. They are narrow and crowded and of course you can't just walk down them, you have to be on constant alert to keep from being run over by a motorbike, scooter, rickshaw, car, ox wagon... etc etc. such is the excitement of India. It felt like we were in a James Bond movie, especially as it got dark and our tour guide got lost!! But we eventually found our way out and made it back to the safe luxury of the ITC Gardenia. Only one more day in paradise :)
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Bangalore Shopping Adventures
This is going to have to be a quick post, as it's 9:45 and I am trying my latest approach for how to get more than 5 hours sleep in a night. Tonight it was: drink hot tea instead of wine, eat a light supper, avoid the massage chair, and start early. We'll see how it goes.
The last several days have been busy with work, and of course, getting to work. I was able to video our commute Wednesday morning, but the file is little large to upload. So you will have to wait until I get home to get a feel for the craziness. However, I have included a picture of Allah who keeps our driver, Reddy, safe (us too I guess). I've noticed that every driver has a religious talisman on their dash. I've seen Allahs, rosaries, and one Buddha. They need all the help they can get. We've not seen any motorbike riders crushed in the street, but today was our first dead dog. It was sad enough.
As a reward at the end of our last couple days of work, we have headed out to a few of the shops. Last night was Commercial Street. It wasn't the most relaxing shopping trip ever... as you'll see below, it resembles a long, narrow, Times Square/China Town combo. There are side streets in all directions filled with every type of shop you can imagine. Souvenirs, shoes, fabric, ready-made clothing, bedding, furniture, sweets shoppes, bars, even shacks selling cardboard (which I guess people buy to build their own shacks). Like everything else in India, it's impossible to explain. Here are a few shots from the shopping bonanza. You can see my happy face saying goodbye to Buddha at one store we really liked. Followed by me almost getting hit and everyone laughing. Julie nearly got smushed by a motorbike as well. Luckily we both have quick reflexes.
The last several days have been busy with work, and of course, getting to work. I was able to video our commute Wednesday morning, but the file is little large to upload. So you will have to wait until I get home to get a feel for the craziness. However, I have included a picture of Allah who keeps our driver, Reddy, safe (us too I guess). I've noticed that every driver has a religious talisman on their dash. I've seen Allahs, rosaries, and one Buddha. They need all the help they can get. We've not seen any motorbike riders crushed in the street, but today was our first dead dog. It was sad enough.
As a reward at the end of our last couple days of work, we have headed out to a few of the shops. Last night was Commercial Street. It wasn't the most relaxing shopping trip ever... as you'll see below, it resembles a long, narrow, Times Square/China Town combo. There are side streets in all directions filled with every type of shop you can imagine. Souvenirs, shoes, fabric, ready-made clothing, bedding, furniture, sweets shoppes, bars, even shacks selling cardboard (which I guess people buy to build their own shacks). Like everything else in India, it's impossible to explain. Here are a few shots from the shopping bonanza. You can see my happy face saying goodbye to Buddha at one store we really liked. Followed by me almost getting hit and everyone laughing. Julie nearly got smushed by a motorbike as well. Luckily we both have quick reflexes.
As I mentioned, I am very excited to share my videos of our driving with you. They are quite entertaining. Our Cerner driver, Reddy, is awesome. Julie took a picture of him and our security escort, who is conveniently also named Mr. Reddy. They are quite a pair and we have given them a name - Reddy and Reddy - Transportation & Safety. We may have a sign made for them to put on the car for our next visit :)
Until next time...
Monday, January 28, 2013
India Day 2 - Manyata
Today was the first real work day in the office. I woke up at 4:30 am thanks to my time zone adjustment, worked out, did some e-mail, caught up with Julie (who had just arrived at 5 am on a flight from London) and Melissa for breakfast, and hopped in the fancy Toyota SUV with Julie's driver (name unknown) so he could drive us to the Manyata Tech park. We didn't get far because the 'head of security' was chasing us down wanting to ride with us to make sure that Julie (aka the Queen) was safe. He stuffed himself into the 3rd row of our SUV and we were off. I couldn't take pictures on the ride out (my backpack was stuck behind our (#2) protector and I felt bad asking for it). But I did manage to take these on the way home. Scenes from the craziness that is India/Bangalore. Before we leave, I am going to be super brave and sit in the front seat and try to video the adventure here that they call driving. You need sound (for the cacophony of horns) and moving pics to fully capture the number of near death experiences that happen.
I won't bore you with the work details except to say that my brain hurts from all the new info I was absorbing. Everything from details about the growth of our India operation (now nearly 1000 people), our recruiting effectiveness (or lack thereof), and the talent market here. All interesting enough, but frankly the most fascinating info came from one of our newer female associates, who escorted me to a meeting mid-day and gave me the 411 about arranged marriages, the India version of 'Match.com' (very popular with the progressive female crowd), and the huge differences in culture between the various India 'states'. She talked about how she did her own research (dare I say shopping) for a future spouse but did so knowing the minimum requirements of her parents (no sense in bringing someone who would never get approved). Boys, it is a VERY DIFFERENT world.
I also learned a bit about dowry differences (from a different informer). Amounts vary based on the groom's occupation (possibly other things too, but this was the example he provided). A basic Software Engineer might command a dowry of $5mil rupees. But add 'manager' to his title, and suddenly the dowry value goes up significantly... to ~$8mil rupees. No wonder the culture here seems fixated on a management career path.
I am sure there are equally unique aspects to western culture, but it's hard to recognize them when that is all you know. Here's the view from the 8th floor of our office building. Note the giant construction site, with construction worker shacks conveniently located on the plateau to the left of the hole. When I have a chance, I will take a close up picture of the scaffolding they build up the side of some of their construction sites. It's made of sticks. The scaffolding on these buildings was a little sturdier, I am happy to report.
I won't bore you with the work details except to say that my brain hurts from all the new info I was absorbing. Everything from details about the growth of our India operation (now nearly 1000 people), our recruiting effectiveness (or lack thereof), and the talent market here. All interesting enough, but frankly the most fascinating info came from one of our newer female associates, who escorted me to a meeting mid-day and gave me the 411 about arranged marriages, the India version of 'Match.com' (very popular with the progressive female crowd), and the huge differences in culture between the various India 'states'. She talked about how she did her own research (dare I say shopping) for a future spouse but did so knowing the minimum requirements of her parents (no sense in bringing someone who would never get approved). Boys, it is a VERY DIFFERENT world.
I also learned a bit about dowry differences (from a different informer). Amounts vary based on the groom's occupation (possibly other things too, but this was the example he provided). A basic Software Engineer might command a dowry of $5mil rupees. But add 'manager' to his title, and suddenly the dowry value goes up significantly... to ~$8mil rupees. No wonder the culture here seems fixated on a management career path.
I am sure there are equally unique aspects to western culture, but it's hard to recognize them when that is all you know. Here's the view from the 8th floor of our office building. Note the giant construction site, with construction worker shacks conveniently located on the plateau to the left of the hole. When I have a chance, I will take a close up picture of the scaffolding they build up the side of some of their construction sites. It's made of sticks. The scaffolding on these buildings was a little sturdier, I am happy to report.
and a view the opposite direction.
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