Starting Up In India : up to speed with Technology

Having spent more than one-third of an average life cycle in India, my perception on getting paper works processed through Government of India is time consuming and a challenge sometimes. No offence here as I used the phrase ‘perception’. And I haven’t really had to do such a thing before. But, have heard and read on the bureaucratic environments; again the tendency is to publicise the ‘wrongs’ more and the ‘rights’ often get less attention.

However, recently I have come across the website of Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India and it made me really proud. High on professional standards!!! Have always perceived that a way forward in getting a Pvt Ltd company registered in India would be quite challenging especially if people involved are non-resident Indians. But then things have been made simple unlike historical times and you can get clear-cut information from the MCA website. There are options to process the Director Identification Number (DIN) and Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) online. It seems it would take about a month to get this processed and you can in fact check the progress of the application online. Though these are the initial steps in getting the registration you find it quite promising and supportive with these facilities. Professional consultation and an efficient CA can make things better for you in terms of required documents and right tools.

The opening page of MCA website directs you to the links for DIN, DSC etc, where to download the documents, how to process them and in fact a vivid and precise information on how you should proceed with your application. What that’s most effective about the process is the person who wants to do this need not be present everyday in those Government offices day in and out pleading to the records guy to the hierarchy of top officials. I have heard it’s a nightmare to get a birth certificate sorted sometimes!

For a company to be incorporated in India, if the directors are not based in India it used to take ages to get the process accomplished (hearsays and read information). But, now the Government has made a sincere effort to ease things for this. Obviously time will be a factor if Directors and company secretary are not on-site, but still in the present situation the memorandum and articles to be stamped can be done within a week if overseas Directors can sign off the necessary documents on time. The rest of the documents can be uploaded online for further processing. It is really amazing that the country is up to speed with technology and quite encouraging people for start ups. And many people who have successfully passed this phase through online have mentioned that the services are quite commendable if the right methods and tools are adopted for the process. Total transparency through e-Governance is something MCA promises. This is actually a bit of read knowledge; I think it would obviously be great if there is a handle onsite as there may be many unforeseen needs when you are through the process.

CHOICE!!!

My train journeys aren’t that boring these days. I have started practising for my driving theory test last week under the assumption that I have booked the test for the last Saturday. But, on Friday night I discovered that it is only this Saturday.
However, out of the 10+ sections I have not even covered more than a half. And the results of my mock tests are not very promising too.

I know I have this problem with choice. I hate exams with multiple choice ‘likely to be’ answers. Being vulnerable to baffling, I tend to change my decisions. Ask me to choose my dinner from the menu card of a restaurant which gives u fantastic options, I take ages to choose. Many times I have felt, I should have opted the ‘other’ one. I think that is the common feeling of ‘grass on the other side is greener’.
Give me a choice of good movies to watch; again I experience the choice problem!
Give me a choice of good books to read; sometimes I spent ages in library choosing the books to take home unless I have gone for something specific. Having read the summary of many by then I would sometimes have got things mixed up in my mind.
Give me a choice of places to visit, I think again and again and sometimes would go somewhere not even in the list (that isn’t a typical choice problem). And the shopping, it’s a big story!!! Though I have something specific to get, I get biased by choice most of the times and would come up with totally different stuff.

However, on the theory test for this Saturday I haven’t read the DVLA guide yet. It’s the best sleeping pill I have ever had in my life. Let it be a moving train or my study table at home the guide puts me to sleep within minutes. So, I have decided to practice by mock tests. 40 minutes for 35 questions. For some reason, I finish off a test in no more than 10-12 minutes. My scores aren’t that great too (having done about 6 tests). Not looking forward to the test, but it would be a relief to get it done with. But the trauma never ends as the next stage will be the practicals!!!

Credit Crunch!!!

Credit Crunch, Inflation, Flexible housing market, job losses and the list goes on..

You get to experience the inflation and credit lunch when you buy your groceries from a super market. For a simple example, the cost of a breakfast bagel increased by 10p overnight…And media covers hugely on housing markets now, which puts you into a dilemma to make a prudent decision especially to enter the property ladder for a first time buyer. Construction industries are on a clear slow down and many jobs were made redundant.

Yorkshire metro today covers on the proposed takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB leading to speculated job losses of over 40000 and 1000 branch closures. HBOS is one of the likes of student friendly bankers offering over drafts of over £3000. I quote, “Kevin Mountford of money supermarket.com has warned that a shotgun wedding would stifle competition”. The American colloquial phrase is well used here.

Experts in the corporate industry stress on no job-switches and resignations presently as it’s a volatile situation. Employers tend to make redundant the roles with ones with relatively less experience. Recruitment seems on a slow down with many industries especially IT, finance, construction and manufacturing and so with graduate schemes. I am unsure on referring this to ‘recession’. It certainly is a slow down but we need to wait and see how long the situation stays.

Thiruvonam today! The traditional Kerala festival. From a traditional point of view, it’s the harvest festival indicating prosperity. Like any other festival, there is a story behind the celebration related to King Mahabali and Vamanan; class literature comprising an elegant work with an imaginative narration.

Well, I have come across several Onams by now. There were no big differences in the way the festival used to be with me for 21 years. It always used to be fun and lively with people around, new clothes and gifts and the great Onam vacation too. Generally, back in Kerala Onam is a family centered festival where on the Thiruvonam day the whole family gets together and have the sadhya (Onam feast) together. But, mine was always different. Maternal grandparents passed away long back and been living with a wall away from paternal side the concept of get together on Thiruvonam had less significance. We used to have the small kind of Onam at our own homes. Myself and my father not being very fond of Onam sadhya and the delicasy, payasam my mother never bothered much to make big feasts on the day. However, on the 4th Onam day my paternal side family gets together for Onam at grandmother’s place. Good fun, excellent food and much more will be the attractions of the day.

But things were quite different during my early years of Onam as far as I remember. My mother insisted on a strict vegetarain diet for 10 days from ‘Atham’ and encouraged me to make Pookalam (the floral designs) at our home. And Amma made me believe that King Mahabali would come to visit us, probably disguised and watch how things are and how good kids are. I used to believe that and made sure I was good all the time. And in Kerala, we have these people asking alms visiting homes on special days as it’s a good catch then. When we get these kind of people on Onam days I used to think that may be Mahabali. We even had these people having meals from our home on Onam days.

Another attraction of Onam time is the shopping. My parents were not very specific on getting me new stuff on special occasions. But, being the youngest of a generation at paternal side and the single girl in maternal side I was always pampered by grandparents, uncles and aunts. I was never short of gifts, new clothes, pocket money etc on festivals and occasions. Well, I should say my parents also did many times.

Well, on school days we had Onam exams just before Onam. I used to hate those exams. Our school had this system of excusing us from school uniforms on the re-opening day after Onam and Christmas holidays. And we girls used to wait and wait for those days to wear ‘colour dress’ and show off on new clothes. By the time you enjoy your Onam vacation and get back to school you have your Onam results waiting for you….ooohh, it helps to get out of your Onam hangover.

Systems changed slowly along with age and attitude. The strict vegetarian diet was skipped, pookalams were not made, Mahabali became a fictional character, became less bothered on sadhya, Onam exams were not an issue….But, gifts and new clothes never stopped reaching me and so are get togethers. But still, the feel of Onam was very good even though you don’t do much about it. Amma still made sure myself and Achan takes a head bath, we do our prayers and maintain a strict vegetarain diet atleast on Thiruvonam day. Sometimes we will have my maternal Uncles and families spending the day with us if any of them are in town (out of the four). One of my elder Uncles who is still single make sure that he spends at least a day with me during Onam.

During teenage there were million other things to think and plan about during the time, will be more of a holiday mood than a festive mood… Those silly movies and books you fancy, those gossips, those million crushes you have that time and so on. During college days, it will be more of catching up with friends during Onam holidays. By that time you would be less worried on exams and. But still, Onam was always nice with the lights in town, shopping, friends and family, get togethers, new clothes and so on.

Now, miles away from Kerala I realise Onam was much more that what I had ever thought. I do miss it. Especially when talking to people back there, everyone seems busy and talking about ‘Onam’. I feel the festivity spirit and celebrations have got a bit of increase these years; or may be that I miss it more now. Both Mums made sure that I get new clothes for Onam and asked me to wear new ones to office today. When we rang the youngest member of the family for giving our wishes, the five year old little boy complained for not getting him new clothes. And we realised that festive spirit out there. Those loving forwards wishing you on occasions sent by friends and family never had such a big impact on me unlike yesterday when I received one of those Onam wishes. It was just simple 4 lines in Malayalam fonts wishing you Onam and rewinding your time machines to your childhood. I could sense something void much more than ever. On the other side, I am so happy that this is our 2nd Onam together!!! It would have been much worse if we missed each other.

However, this year is relatively better than last year as I don’t have a dissertation deadline during the days. The plan is to get together tomorrow, on 4th Onam with friends to have some fun. Onam sadhya is a challenge and I am still collecting recipes from Mums. The girls are on a combined effort to make more than 20+ dishes before 12 noon. Ethnic wear is a mandatory part for tomorrow; and pookalams are still in thoughts.

Also, this month marks the beginning of Malayalam New Year; and quite excited about that. New Years are always good; makes me feel fresh and very positive.

2 Years of 2getherness!!!

2 Years of 2getherness

10 Sep 2008 marked two years of our married life. We celebrated the day in style…in fact had a good five days in Amsterdam and Paris…
And we did rewind our memories for the past 2-3 years…And realised how much our lives changed, on a day to day basis as well as on a bigger picture…Woah, it was a big change experienced in a light way…

Paris is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Hoping to do a travelogue before I forget the details of the trip. Well, Amsterdam has its own charm too.

The Phase of Job Search

Do you think you qualify for a job when u see a job advert? How sure are you that you get shortlisted?? If so, how sure are you that you get an offer after the interview??? After the interview, how sure are you that you will get an offer????

Well, in my limited experience this is something highly unpredictable. During the course of business education in UK, I was turned down by many employers indicating that they don’t have part time positions available; and for those responsible roles they were after talents who completed their studies. I waited for the completion of my course to approach the biggies. Meanwhile one of the market research companies occupied me as a research assistant for 2 months. This was quite handy near my home and it was only 15 hrs a week. This was my first job in UK and it bagged me a good exposure and more than that a referee to confirm that I am not unknown in this country in an employer perspective. It did get me some pocket money too…

I was delighted when I got a chance to do my dissertation with my University in one of their projects. Three months of dissertation, sometimes called thesis!!!
First month was just simply research, which I should confess that I didn’t do much. As it was just after the exams, it was taking a ‘break’. And meanwhile I approached many of the biggies in the country for a ‘MBA’ job. There is no clue on the number of applications I made. I would say a 50% of them didn’t even respond to me. Another 30% of them apologised saying that I didn’t have ‘commercial’ experience in this country and so they couldnt take me in. I wondered how this so called commercial experience can be experienced unless some one employs me? Rest of them came back and told me that they didn’t have roles that suited my profile then and would be in touch if something comes up. And I had this particular constraint of ‘location’ while applying for jobs as I wanted something local in and around North East England. When it comes to job market in North East, it is generally dull except for the industrial and chemical ones. These were one of the testing times in life. However, I wasn’t realising that days were getting numbered for my dissertation submission. Some evening say by early August I still remember SreeRaj commenting “ if this is the way you go by your dissertation work, I don’t see you submitting this year or getting the degree this year. Don’t worry, you can submit in Aug 2008...just another year”. This is his usual polished way of analysing and commenting on critical situations. There was this deep chill in me then. But he is the assurance master!!! “You still have time, almost 1 more month as the submission is only on 31st”, after I broke down to tears.

Having embarked on the project with a serious head, I realised how much of a work it was!...it was a huge piece of work and no way to lessen it as I was doing it for the University (voluntary though). I had these sleepless nights from there on. I managed to pass on the tension to my friend regarding the dissertation and triggered him too..Woohoo, I think I am good at that. The data collection for the project was a nightmare; had to do surveys, interviews, workshops, documentation, references and what not. At each point I realised again and again how late I was for this and was convinced that it could have been done much better if started a bit earlier. However, I did invest a lot of effort to get things done as I didn’t want to do it once more with a year of waiting. And finally the analysis, with SPSS. Lack of time didn’t get me to utilise the tool as intended. I managed with Microsoft products instead wherever possible. However, the final report was composed on 29th night and given for binding on 30th. Handed over on 30th, see a day in advance….

Meanwhile my first full-time job started on August 20th, 2007 with National Health Services. The application for this job was done sometime in June-July and I got an interview call unexpectedly in between the dissertation work; that too with 3 days notice. Preparation for the interview and dissertation went hand in hand on those days… However, things fell in place altogether at the end.

For this job, when I looked at the person specification, I was close to the requirements. But I did many applications in which I met all the requirements and some in which I exceeded the requirements. Unfortunately, none of them went productive. However, this application was done with little hope and interview was another story. SreeRaj drove me to Newcastle for my interview which was 40+ miles from home. Almost done 35 miles of driving and there goes an accident to the car infront of us. Luckily we were saved. Road Closed board infront of us and we were stuck! I couldn’t make it for the interview and thought that’s gone that way. But, luckily they were kind enough to re-schedule the interview for me to another date. I managed to travel myself to Newcastle this time in bus and figure out my interview venue. One hour of questioning, answering, discussing; I was left free and 3 days later I was offered the role. What would I say??? Was in 7th heaven; first job (the proper kind of full-time employment).

Eight months later: Applied for another interesting role with the same employer, but in a different business sector. I was sure I met the person specification for this role, but wasn’t sure if I would get an interview. But, I did. The interview was more focused and organised than I had expected. I didn’t realise that the clock hands turned for more than 270 degrees during the process and after the interview I didn’t know how to explain how it was. I didn’t hear anything back from them for more than a week. After a long wait, they offered me a role which was a band higher than what I had applied for. I was more than delighted this time. I was supplied the job description and person specification for this role on request during my notice period and I could fit into most of the requirements. Now, 6 months in the same role, I am on a steep learning curve and enjoying it.

Weekends go off by the time you open and close your eyes. Got a full weekend at home after ages. SreeRaj wanted to be OFF on rest mode completely. However on Saturday we went for a walk on Northallerton High Street where the local markets are done. The grab of the day was fresh fruits and vegs.

On Sunday we went to the Asian shop in Middlesbrough, Spice Lanka!!! planning on Onam Sadhya at home is the plan for Onam this year . I always feel its easier to cook anything else other than the traditional Malayali dishes. Any other cuisine, esp non-veg you can somehow manage at the end (mostly by renaming the dish!!!). But the Malayali dishes Ommy God, it requires a lot of expertise. Initial days, I used to believe that lack of authentic taste is because of the products we get here are different from those back in India. But that’s not right, its just the lack of expertise in using those I guess as we have had the proper authentic dishes from experienced hands here. I am not a big fan of this feast and I have never finished one in style. This happens every time if you give me a choice. But dishes in sadhya are not a matter of choice; the ideal way is to have each and every dish, that too in the right order. However, I have tried Onam sadhya only once before and it was for just me and SreeRaj. But this time, its for more than 10+ people and we intend to ‘celebrate’ Onam at our place. SreeRaj has this default answer of ‘Sadhya’ if you ask him of his favourite food. And I guess most of the Mals who are out of Kerala enjoys sadya. You tend to appreciate things more if you don’t get them often.

There was this big list of to-do for this weekend including packing for next weekend to catching up with friends on phone. Between us we managed to get 50% of it done. Had hop-on and hop-offs online too. Altogether, the weekend went off so fast.

On this bright Monday morning, my week kicks off. Its Health Week for my team..I can see red and green grapes, carrots, celery and apples on our food corner. Pears, Nectarines and much more to come. I was supposed to bring in bananas and baby corn. Unfortunately we didn’t do our super market shopping this weekend and I completely missed out on this. Will sort it out during lunch today. I can also see a chocolate box in the food corner. Twirls, Flakes….yummy!!! Lets see how the health week progress…