Tues. Aug. 5 India
Rested well, kind of with the new time zone. Went to the office with Andy and met with the head of corporate communications. His name is Anuj, pronounced Anoooj. We went to lunch on 100 Foot Road(no one knows why they call it that, but they do. Went to a little hole in the wall restaurant called 100 Foot. These food places literally look like a small rickety doorway, but when you walk through, it opens up to quite a large place. They make use of every single inch, in the front entry way is a shop with all kinds of interesting merchandise. There were wooden carved pieces,(not exactly sure of what they were) and pillow shams in very bright colors and embroidery, several shapes: triangles, rectangles , and squares. The fabric is sort of sheer, gauzey over bright fabric underneath. They also had table coverings, quite pretty runners and napkins and placemats. The embroidery was elaborate, yet delicate. Most things cost 650 rupees. One American dollar equals about 40 rupees. Can you do the math? The food was excellent, I had chicken princess. Grilled chicken over garlic mashed potatoes. Bottled water, is everywhere. I asked for a diet coke, they always open it at the table and then pour it, but before I noticed, the server put a piece of lemon in with his fingers. The things that I will be presenting, to the teams will be in the communication realm, but more importantly we hope to foster improved relationships between US workers and Indian workers. Anuj made this example, he needed to rent a home or an apartment. He looked for about 3 months. It was not that the places were unavailable, but he would not rent until he felt he made a connection with a landlord that he felt comfortable with. He would rather go without a place than rent from someone he did not like or feel good about. The same holds true in business. They begin by wanting to like the other workers(US) and wanting to please, but they are more interested in the relationships. They will forgo economic gain if the relationship is not good and eventually the business will fail. They want to know about you and your family first and then get to the business. Americans seem to be able to do business with people we do not like or respect, with little relationship, just the business. I cannot come in as a pushy American, saying let me tell you how you should do it, but rather build relationships through better more effective communication and understanding of the cultural and personal difference. They see this as a way to build bridges between the employees here and the employees in US,, even though they may not ever see each other face to face. I believe Americans need to see things a bit differently, if they are going to succeed. Not come and say this is what we want, this is how you will do it, and when to do it. Neither, should the Indian branch say that is not the Indian way. It is very interesting and far more complex than I thought. We are developing a program which I will present next week or the week after.
There is a family-mother and small children 3, 4, or 5 that do tricks and acrobatics at the big intersection near the house. They then beg for money. The woman that lives at the house is trying to figure out what she can do to help those little ones out. They will never go to school, this will be their life. When they are grown up they will run some kind of shill that will bring in money. The area in which they work is controlled by a large chain of command. Whatever money they make goes to the leaders and then they give out fairly?????? Of course, I want to fix it, change it, stop it, take some kind of action. I asked what we could do and why the mother doesn’t try to get a better life, education, safety even for her children. The Indian workers told me that she does not feel any need to change things, this is their life and that’s how it is. School is offered, including free lunch, but most do not see that education will really change their lives. They are scratching to survive every day and do not have the luxury of waiting 12 o15 years in education that might get a little more money. It is very hard to see this poverty and misery and not want to change it. There seems to be a reconciliation with things as they are. The driver that drives us to the office, walks 15 miles to and from work every day. I asked why the company did not buy him a motorbike so he could get back and forth and they just looked at me like I had lost my mind. Why would we do that? We do not provide other employees with transportation. If we gave him money for a bike, he may use it for more needed things. Or in 3 or 4 months he may have a need and sell it. Besides he walks that far for a good job. Awhile ago, he was ill and Niki(the Amer. Woman at the house who is director of Human Resourses) to drink lots of water to help his cough. He said “Madam the water at home is not good.” She was able to give him a gallon of water to take home, and she felt so badly at saying such a normal thing to him, not realizing it was impossible for him to do. There are no easy answers even for situations that seem simple on the surface.
One the way to work, 10,000 cars, rickshaw cabs(pulled by mopeds) bikes, motor bikes, people and cows, are competing for the roads. There is a village of people living now alongside the road. They are refugees from other areas. The government approved and now they have corrugated metal sides and roofs , sort of leaning together for shelter. I can’t imagine why they came here, but there is more opportunity for jobs or at least begging. They are grateful for some shelter from the rain and grueling sun, so their lives are better. I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed and I do not want to exactly become used to this or turn away, without any care.
Andy and his group from US are helping the driver and the housekeeper, so you start where you can. The housekeeper works 8 hours every day and she cleans and does laundry. The place is immaculate, top to bottom. They said she could not speak or understand English very well. Her name is Reba and she is a very pretty woman, about 40. She makes my bed every day as soon as I get out. I do not even have a chance to pull up the covers and she is in there. I guess it is insulting to her to do her work. She irons like my auntie used to. Crisp and clean and light starch(does anyone iron in Amer. any more?) She and I had a good deal of conversation. She has a son who lives in Calcutta with his grandmother, so he can go to school. She has no money to go and see him, or to send for him often. She asked if her husbanhed could come in and meet me. He was very nice, neatly dressed, he is a chef. He is able to drive her to work and pick her up on their moped. The ride ½ hr each way. Niki had given her a bag of clothes and they were going to balance it on the moped. You see whole families riding on the moped, hanging off and sitting sideways. She and her husband are looking for someone to sponsor them to come to the US. The electricity was off most of the day yesterday. The air conditioning is not on the back-up generator, but the ceiling fans and some lights are. The electricity goes off frequently, it is irregular at best, it is rainy season and things are wet a good deal of the time, and there is a 25% greater demand with same out puit. Off the elec. Tower outside there are about 40 wired and bundles of wires just hanging off the pole. No box or anything, just hanging there. Anyway, I was sweating and wiping my forehead, she thought I had a headache and she brought me some medicine. It was a bottle of tums. I explained that it was not for pain exactly and I motioned when you eat and have pain in your chest you take 2, and then you feel better. She said something like acid and I said yes. We communicated! But really we were building relationship. It is very strange to be referred to as Madam all the time. When we left for the office, she said good day madam and good day man.
We went to dinner at a very top notch Italian rest. To get in, the driver drove sideways up the sidewalk to let us out. The van is very high and I can’t quite reach to get in. we could not find a little step stool, so we are using a big cooking pot from the kitchen. What a funny sight that must be to see a driver run out and put a pot out and help this little lady out or in the vehicle. Anyway, it works, American ingenuity at its best. I had lasagna and others had spaghetti. To get inside, this very posh place, we had to kind of jump over this bottomless pit(open sewer) onto badly cracked sidewalk with all kinds of garbage and rubble on it. Then you go up a few crooked steeps and into very elegant setting. I think that walls fall down or are knocked down and the rubble is left on the spot. It is everywhere. To ge into the office bldg. we have to go through three security check points. At the last one, the guards search under the cars for bombs. There have been about 19 bombings, small gelitan type but dangerous. No one has claimed responsibility yet. Pray for our safety. It is good that there is so much security
It is very scarrey as we are driving, vendors and beggars are running up and pounding on the window
Selling everything from newspapers, jewelry, pots and pans, rugs, food. The instruction is no eye contact. I keep thinking they are going to get squished and/or run over. I guess it rarely happens. If you are in an accident jump out of vehicle and run into crowd fast. For some reason they beat up everyone in the vehicle. Last night, one of the managers was in a car behind an accident. A car and a rickshaw taxi were involved. When that happens all the taxis stop and run to the taxi to protect the driver from the crowd. Naturally it is quite a traffic jam and for several hours nothing moves.
On the way in we pass and air force hospital. The front of the first building is nicely painted white and blue, but as you drive past the walled compound, you can see gernies with patients on them being pushed outside from bldg to bldg. the rest of the hospital wards in the other bldgs. Look very tough and rough. Windows are open, no air. This would be one of the better places as it is military. If you are ill and need antibiodics you go to the pharmacy and the chemist(pharmacist) will give you something. I broke my glasses, they do not have any cheaters off the rack, so I will have my eyes checked and get glasses that would be up to $200 or more in US for about $15. Ii takes 2 days. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Andy got 2 pair of designer glasses for about $50. Goodnight.