BPO, a road much traveled but less known

Written in Feb2009, while working with Infosys BPO.....posting today
I have been working in a very reputed BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) firm in Bangalore for the last six years. Today, during our tea break, the question, "Why we work for a BPO?" was raised. Post break I came back to my work station with my thoughts lingering about what we had discussed. Most of us in my group joined because we were either graduates or post graduates and not every one of us could get into management (or) technical trade. In the beginning, all of us felt it’s a 'no other go' scenario and found it difficult to explain to people what we do.
But with time our attitude has changed. We no more work for a mere money earning profile. It is nice to know our conversations are better these days as compared to a few years back. Most of us are now in middle management posts, having joined as executives. The journey so far has taught us ways to handle our job, be it from basics like customer service, client calls to people management, account reviews, presentations, client visits and process excellence. The learning process goes a step forward with meeting different people at all levels and from all countries. It’s all about learning and growing with values. It is also about how to improve and gain expertise than judging what industry you work in.
BPO is not all about attending a few calls or talking to customers pretending to be a foreigner. It is much more and vast than what is being portrayed. Chetan Bhagat’s One night at a Call Center was able to capture most of the things the way they are. I was surprised he was able to cover all of it through a story line. Although there are many more aspects to the BPO industry. It is also how the people working in a BPO or a Call Center take it and portray it to people outside, so that this job, too, is accepted with dignity.
A couple of my team members have taken up MBA courses supported by my company, which is a great value-add while working. Many of them will walk out, not only experienced, but also with an additional diploma.
Today, we feel proud to be in a BPO and realized how much we have grown with experience. The crux of the matter is about being content and setting a good example for others in the industry. I am happy that attitudes have changed and are changing towards the BPO industry.

Robert Frost once said, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." ⊕

Honking vogue

Why do we InDiAnS love Honking while on roads??????

My project is going LIVE today and am in night shifts for next 3 days. need to be present for the escalations and meetings scheduled at their own convenience…..
No concern, since am mentally geared to twist my biological clock – anti clock wise and quash my routine until end of this week.
Tried hard to sleep in the noon, but in vain…..Kept dreaming about the fax, which I was expecting on behalf of DIL.
U can never sleep, when its running in your mind that your routine changes and you will be awake all night working~~~ after a gap of 3 yrs!

Back to my point on honking….Its still ringing in my head, keeping me awake and goaded; which was all I could notice(HEAR) ( especially today) while travelling to work in the evening..…

It was TRAFFIC and TRAFFIC all the way from home till Whitefield…
Now when you are in a jam or in a signal and every “INCH” is covered with vehicles, why is it few brainless uncivilised people HONK? Can’t you see, the vehicle in front of you can’t even move an inch?????? Grrrr…More…

There was a speed breaker in front of us, a two wheeler rider moved slowly, when my intolerant driver starts honking ( not once, but multiple times)…..C-R-A-Z-Y U; what can you achieve in those few secs? Its me who has to reach office, NOT YOU! Can’t you see a lady is sitting behind the rider with a small baby?? Grrr

The signal have to just hit Orange, when I hear series of honking which goes on and on…. can’t people have enough sense to see once the signal is Green, the vehicles in front of them will obviously MOVE? Two wheelers just try to use all the small gaps to just accelerate their vehicle; their only motto to move ahead, blind what’s alongside them…Why r these honk-infatuated people adding stress to their already stressed out day?

Am half asleep, as we make way through signals, traffic and honking….am really annoyed at what I saw for 2 hrs of my travel this evening. I assume its my sleep deprivation which added fuel to my frustration with all the noise since- I have always lived here, I have always seen this traffic, grew with this love for noise and still love this city! I just do not want to start my day with questions in my mind.

Please stop honking needlessly-Pointlessly-inanely….I have already shouted at all my drivers for doing this and am whacked and in VAIN! Phew!

Good news!!!!!
One of my acquisitive desire’s is soon going to be accomplished and am waiting for the DDay! Will share once confirmed…talk of saving and then end up spending-Learn from me!
~ See, I always have a nice things to write, after my cribbing~

OoTy-oOtY

Me & H, in Happy moods~
Finally we decided…

Finally our Vacations matched.....

Finally we were packing for our most yearning trip to OOTY....

Thanks to Labour’s day and his fren couple, we were all set for the boundless fun we were about to experience for the next 2.5 days! Four of us, Verna car, backpacks packed, fruit basket along with us concluding with the amazing Camera G carried.
It was Friday noon when we started from Bengalooru to Mysore. This drive is always the best and effortlessly reached Mysore by 3PM with just a small stop in b/w for a hot cuppa.
Every sec mattered to me, since I was going out with H after a very long time and wanted to make this a very special one for us….It was more of a relaxed travel than freaking out and all the four of us nodded our head to this!

By 5:00PM, We went for a peaceful evening walk to Karanjee lake. The Greenery around and the divine water view filled us completely with serenity, the silence taking over us, mesmerizing us, drowned us into the feel of “ReTrEaT”!!!! I never took my hands off from H’s, since I had to make the most of those 6 weeks when I was away from him….At one moment, held his hand so tight, stealthily-wordlessly vowing “ never to leave you alone, even for one single day”….
After all the walk-talk-laughs with G & N who are our common frens, it was time for lovely dinner….we had a quite pleasant dinner at Windflower and slept like log, awaiting for the next 2 days in Ooty…we started to ooty on time, enjoying the journey, talking from sky to earth about our college days to work life to family life…I could sense the distress fading away from me, as I slowly sinked into the mood of being away from work and routine….we had to pass through Bandipur forest, keeping us on our toes if we could catch a glimpse of our fav wild animal. The view of the peacock, sitting on a tree branch spotted by H made us sit up and catch her in the camera. She was beautiful, with her long colorful tail let loose, relaxing, enjoying the calmness…Does she realize, how we humans gaze at her, adoring her beauty all the time? Proudy peacock….isnt she…
The fresh cold air sometime late noon, set off me to stir up, giving view of ooty; the beautiful cold weather, tea estates, aroma of the place …..WOWOw!!!! OOTY, here we come….but as planned earlier, we never freaked out in Botanical gardens nor boating…
Well, the best part of our trip was our stay at Frenhill Palace, which was in recent times been converted to a hotel and no lexis to express the feel – Ambience – with the ethnicity sealed…It took us back to those times of Maharaja’s and Maharani’s residing there; with original portraits’ of Wadiyar’s completing the feel-look giving way to the richness and beauty of the place….My eye brows froze for a long while, sinking in the never ending exquisiteness…overall, LOVED IT!
Played cricket for sometime, horse riding, chatting ( gossiping included), long walks in the evening, along with posing for loads of photos with H and not to miss the Good rich food!!!

Hate to end such days and time seems to fly so fast, only when you are enjoying to the fullest…..Next day we continued to enjoy the walk in Palace checking the structural design, photos, questioning on the history, along with the breakfast spread, morning walk with local tea and concluded with last minute photo sessions and checking the special suites….I was just unable to take my eyes on the garden in front of us nor the view of the tea estate. The thought of getting back to our busy life and routine ached…but this is LIFE…..all good things are “GOOD”, only when you experience it once in a while….

Our Luncheon was at Jungle Lodges cafeteria, simple south Indian cuisine but the best part of the place was the natural photos of wild life and the listing of spotted cats and rest of the animals during the safari. It was amazing and a treat to the eye, for the animal lovers like us….sad part was; there were pics of animal deaths caused by humans, while passing through the forest area since they have not followed the rules, which I want to write a different post altogether. Lot of people love to say"Rules are meant to be broken"; But - at the cost of someone's life?

With more plans for the future trips, more promises to implement, we drove back to bengaluru…..This did cross my mind – I made trips every weekend in LA and visited beautiful places, but this trip with Gu just filled me up with Content and happiness, felt light and was smiling all the way, still holding his hand, tightening it at times thanking him for making all the difference!!!

Pic of the palace we stayed.....

Anyone remembers the "cricket match" scene from Hum aapke hai kaun????

work-travel-home-crazy timingssss....My life

I have exactly 34 mins left for my one on one with my boss ( 10:30PM) and before I DoZzzzzzE OFF, thought shall write!
I always dreamt of 9-5 job, no tension, no pressure, no tough boss, not much work and just get back home cooly and do my fav things like dishes, washing clothes, sweeping the floor and cutting vegetables!!! But fate has other plans for me....
I manage to work 9-5, but all the actions -calls -decision making takes place either before 9 (or) post 7 in the evening which ends up me in reality working odd hours! oossshhhh goes my plans to do homework( household stuff)..CrAzYyY.....

Now that am done with my one on one call, no issues, more travel and planning as agenda am off to bed...I love working....I don't like travelling leaving this place and H.....back to work tomorrow, with my crazy thoughts-unplanned timings-unplanned disasters with work life....phew!

Before I wind up for the day, GOOD NEWSSS....My childlike, bubbly, innocent, best fren like, beautiful sister is getting married this sep......yippeeeeee.....all my thoughts are SHOPPINGGG and more shopping and moreeee...am soo happy for her, scared at the same time since she is leaving her secured-love nest and going to different place...will miss you darling but, am Happy.....am going to Go craxy on the D-Day, mind you...
"It was nice growing up with someone like you - someone to lean on, someone to count on... someone to tell on! "

More....It's my parent's 32nd marriage anniversary today, the most loving couple I have met. Yup, they do fight and love that too...With time, I have seen them transform from couples to being best of frens in love and just adore the way they spend time having conversations from earth to sky...Muuaaahh

More...Its 9 months am MArRiEd...I feel am in love with my hubby every day, in a new way..Loving this phase and am demanding a huge gift from him for our 1yr anniversary and given him enough time to save and spend;)

sHrU~

On a Monday morning~

Today have made a resolution, not to RANT or CRIB on Monday’s.
“WORK” or “NO WORK”, whether am able to wake up on time on Monday morning ( *especially*) or not, am fed up of feeling low on Mondays…..I was just unable to wake up in the morning and turned off the alarm which was the first thing to distress me. Wrecked up rushing things, devoid of my morning tea and just get dressed for the heck of it before catching the cab.
Slept in the cab, only to realize after an hour am at workplace….Am fuming at myself, am heavy-eyed, am not interested today, dragging myself inside, nor interested to turn back and go home – That’s it! Am Cribbing….

I also want to Rant about my new job, but "NO"! I need to live as it is and not expect things to be "MY WAY"....how many of us are doing, EXACTLY "What they want"? How many of us "SAY", what they have to say??
I love my work profile, but nothing comes in sugary sachet. My challenge is rest of things involved in this work like the odd times and the travel every so often....

Aftersaid "How many of us "SAY", what they have to say??"......really bothers me a lot these days. Curbing my innersoul not to say bold statements to people , thinking it would harm their feeling is how I have grown up. At times, you end up "Regretting" which is not a good feel mentally. But again a resolution pop's out this time, am going to TRY to do things what I LIKE, I WANT, and SAY what I have to SAY! am going to keep track of my performance :)
What kinda person are you????

Granny dear

Spoke to my Granny today...emotional me made me sit and think of all those lovely summer holidays I have spent with my grandparents....The care, the excitment in them, the eagerness to know about us, their unconditional love for us, their teachings all rushed back into my brains; nostalgia sweeping completely....
Today..she is 82, almost 90% blind, cannot walk independently with her husband almost 87 managing himself and trying his best to help her. With all her children away, the lonely couple craves for someone to call them and speak..."Its an unfair world"......they took care of all of us and today they have none beside them, none taking care of them...How much is it worth to call them once in a while and say hello? does that help? some of my cousins don't even bother to call them once a yr and the truth is today wherever they are, its cos of my grandad who helped them financially for education or being there in need....he just "CRAVES" for love from his children and grandchildren and I feel guilty for not being with them..do other feel the same?

I checked with my parents, if they can Live with them for sometime and the options are being considered, now that dad is retired....wish-WISH-wish, i COULD do something for them...and I know i will start by calling them and asking them everyday as to HOW R THEY DOING today...Its a least bit I can do....This post is only a reminder for me of their situation and what needs to be done, even if its a move of an inch!
*****
Few months back, had planted some methi in the garden, the watchman stepped on it while watering the plants without noticing the samplings. Its all vanished now......This evening, will try to re-do them!
Going to buy some books today; 3in my mind - excited!
a) Rainmaker from John Grisham
b) Paulo's The winner stands alone
c) The Immigrant.........( any has reviews about this book?)

*****