Friday, September 24, 2010

Open and Close!

Two things happened this week that have never happened before.

I was interviewing someone for a fairly senior position last Friday. The interview started as most others do. The guy was bright, enthusiastic, with the right kind of experience and then...somewhere 10 mins into the conversation I realised he was chewing gum. I have seen cricketers and many others do this, but never realized you could chew gum at a job interview. And to expect to get a job after that! Imagine!! But that is exactly what happened. I talked to him for close to an hour, and have made him a job offer because he is really good at what he does and we need just this kind of a person. I wonder what our clients will think when they find him chewing gum at our next business presentation!! I hope they are as open minded as I am :)

Then later that same evening my husband and I went to our neighborhood mall to see the latest Salman Khan movie. After the movie we had dinner at a food chowk...one of these places where your favourite restaurants from all over the city are bundled up next to each other. It is interesting to see Chandni Chowk, South Extension and Pandara Road all merged into one. Just as we were leaving we saw a "paan" outlet. All these years, buying paan has been the "nukkad" phenomenon...you park your car in a spot where there is hardly any place, saunter over to have the paan made to your specifications, handover the money ( a nice round sum) and shove the big juicy triangle into your mouth as you wipe your hand on your hair. I have never seen paan being bought any other way. Well we bought it differently that day...a digital card was swiped, a receipt produced, and then on showing the receipt the paan was gently handed over with a napkin. I looked at the receipt...36 rupees and twenty eight paise plus a sales tax on "paan"...well saraa mazaa kharaab ho gaya. I would any day prefer to buy paan the old fashioned way. Closed mind you say??

Lets see what next week brings...

2 comments:

  1. Lovely post, Neerja. Welcome to blogosphere!
    BTW, I chew gum too...at meetings and at presentations. I must also add though, that I don't do it as conspicuously as the cricketers do. I find it oddly relaxing.
    The beauty of cyberspace is that i can confess this candidly :)
    Keep blogging!

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  2. Hey Neerja,

    Well welcome to the blogosphere as Tara said :) Coincidentally, today is my third birthday as a blogger.

    Food courts in India just don't work for me. I miss the richness, the colours, the heat, the aroma, the freshness and the buzz of the food courts of the Orient

    Cheers

    Kalyan

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