Encounter @ Indian Restaurant in Cairo

So this weekend I legged it to the newly opened and strangely named "Maharaja-1" restaurant in my Cairo neighbourhood. Enough of my own cooking .... I was ready to be spoilt by a royal treat from the Maharaja himself.

But especially I was looking forward to meeting the Indian chef who ran the place - some kindred soul with whom I can exchange recipes and share the feelings that well up when a chap stays far away from home.  And maybe he will prepare especially for me that special dish that is not on his menu ......

Enter the place and head straight to the busy looking owner-cum-chef.  I introduce myself as another Indian, and wait for the emotional welcome and hugs expected of a person meeting another from his home country.

He looks me and up and down.  And then........

He : "So you have come to eat, or........."

I : "err .... yes, to eat"

He (looking pointedly behind me) : "and who else with you?"

I : "err .... no one else - just me - you see my family is ....."

He (obviously uninterested in my family saga) : "so you want a table for ONE?" (emphasis his)

I :"errr ....yes"

He stopped looking into my eyes from that moment.  I could empathise with the hapless cockroach that might dare enter his kitchen

He : "well, you can take the table near the entrance - that table actually seats 4, but you can sit there ...."

I (with great relief) : "oh, thank you, thank you, much appreciated ...."

Head straight to the table which seats 4 - but which will now seat only 1.  All the other tables were 8 seaters over-flowing with large Egyptian families obviously having a good time enjoying the gastronomical delights.

The table for 4 (but which now seats only 1) is the one next to the exit.  I have a good view of the pavement outside from here.

Go through the menu.  I realise suddenly that I am not so hungry after all .....

But since I have come here .... "I will have a vegetable pulav and raita" I told him.

He : "That is it?"  And he waited, his pen expectantly poised over his large notepad.

Of course, table for 4.

I : "umm - ah - Ok, I will also have a bottle of water - small one".

He : "No small one.  We only serve big bottles here"

That is called rubbing it in.

I don't recall the taste of the food - but I can vividly recall every passerby that passed by the restaurant while I ate.

Spreading Happiness through the "Like" button on fb

I initially disliked - and used to ridicule - the "Like" button on Facebook.  I thought it was superficial and  used it very very selectively, and only for content that really really impressed me.

But enlightenment struck me recently, and now I use it liberally and with a clear conscience.

The "Like" button is not merely for the post. It is much bigger than that.  When I "Like" it, it means that the person who posted it is important enough to me to read what he posted.  It is recognising his effort, and by extension acknowledging his presence in the virtual world. It has very little with whether you actually AGREED with the contents of his post, or whether or not you liked the looks of his gaudily clad heavily mascara decked wife in their honeymoon photo. And if you are delighted about it then "Comment" on it or better still post it on your own wall.

"Like" is like giving a positive stroke to an individual - in the same way in real life you go around wishing people you like, and smiling at them, and therefore acknowledging the role they play in your life even if on that particularly day they are having a bad hair day.

So go ahead and use the "Like" button liberally - you will help spread some happiness in the Virtual - and consequently - in the Real world. 

Birthday reminder on Facebook

The Birthday reminder is one of most superficial and irritating feature about Facebook.  I actually dislike the almost "automated" birthday greetings on my fb wall from friends & acquaintances as a result of Facebook reminding users on my birthday - and therefore indirectly putting social pressure on them to wish me (even if they did not want to).

I like it as it was in the pre-Facebook days when without any automated calendar reminders, friends either write to me by email or call to wish me.

Anyway I removed my birthday from Facebook so that no one gets a reminder and hence are not forced to write some automated greeting on my wall.  And neither do I send birthday greetings to people if I did not know their birthdays by heart in the first place.

I am truly becoming a relic. 

Notes To Myself - on Farewells

1. A few years ago when I was leaving an organisation I sent out a general "Farewell & Thank you" mail to the entire organisation, thanking a lot of individuals by name.  Inevitably as it happens I forget to mention a few names - either by accident or by design.  Those whose name I mentioned will not remember me for this gesture; but those who thought they deserved a mention but who I - accidentally or otherwise - forgot to mention will not forget the omission. 
2. The best thing to do - either in farewell speeches or farewell mails - is to keep it general and thank everyone without mentioning any specific individual names (except perhaps your direct manager).  If I need to thank some specific individuals, I will write to them individually or drop by their office and thank them personally.

7 Reasons why 2012 was so smashingly good for me

And why was 2012 so smashing good?

1. I have completed 2 years in post-revolution Egypt.  Surprisingly, the 2nd year has been even tougher than the first. This year I discovered hidden strengths which I never realised existed. I have developed such a steely resolve now that apparently the steel is even reflected in my hair.
2. I read Ben Graham's "Security Analysis" cover to cover - twice.  Visitors to my house thought my reading of this book was connected to the security situation in Egypt.
3. I had the opportunity to visit several police stations in Cairo. It is rumoured now that policemen spring to their feet and salute me and speak in hushed tones when I pass them on the street
4. I had a quarrel with the "Pehla" cable TV chaps over subscription rates and they disconnected my cable.  So now-a-days I come home, switch on the TV and watch a black screen - I find that even more entertaining 
5. I thought I will give myself a break from my own bachelor cooking and ate out at the recently opened Indian restaurant in my neighbourhood - and then I realised how much I missed my own cooking 
6. I play so much of the harmonium now that the neighbours checked with my maid whether I was banished from my country because of my music.  They no longer come to borrow sugar.
7. I won the bet with my Egyptian driver on who will win the Egyptian Presidential Elections. 

And there has to be an 8th reason (7 sounded so much better for the title)

8.      I finally learnt and have started using the Arabic for "Today" - otherwise the only word I knew and heard was "Bukrah" (tomorrow)

I have a feeling next year is going to be even better!

A Dummy's Guide to Hindustani Ragas

I have now given up trying to learn more and more Ragas - it is like an ocean, and if I try to learn more and more Ragas my knowledge on Music will always remain shallow.  So now I have decided to focus on some of the more commonly used Ragas, and dive deeper into it.

The result - I have uploaded on YouTube a video series in which I discuss a dozen ragas which are commonly used to compose Bhajans and Abhangs. 

Now you may ask why an amateur half-baked harmonium player like me is attempting to do the equivalent of a Dummy's Guide to Hindustani music - when there are millions of professional musicians out there who are queuing up and jostling to teach you the fundamentals of music.

The reason is simple - I always believe that it is simpler for a layman to understand an amateur than understand a Professional.  This is an undisputed fact. Amateurs tend to focus on the key themes (because they don't know the complicated detail), and they also deliver it in simple layman's terms. And amateurs only share - they don't teach.  So there!

Here is part 1 of the 5 part series which I have labelled as the "Essential Raagas" - the rest of the series is also up on my channel on YouTube.

And I will be a very happy and content person indeed if even one layman feels that she can now recognise at least one Raag after watching this video.

And as usual feedback and brickbats are welcome. 

Getting What We Deserve

"I am extremely disappointed with the caliber of researchers in the industry today.  Where are all the good guys gone?" commented the client the other day.  This is a client who habitually demands meetings at extremely short notice - and then makes the agency team wait in the reception for hours.  This is a client who does not return phone calls even from senior members in the agency, and who treats the views of the best guys from the agency with a "I know better" hauteur.

A few years ago when I was working on the "other" (client) side, I quickly realized that my Market Research budgets are limited, and not comparable to the MR budgets that other larger client organisations had.  In the beginning, I could not get the best guys from the agencies to service me.  If I make some threatening noise to the agency head, for a brief while I will have some of their best guys coming in for a couple of meetings, but then not turning up subsequently.

For me therefore to ensure that I get the best possible servicing on a regular basis I had to completely change my approach.  I realized that the only approach was to use "soft" power.  I prepared a list of the individuals on the agency side that I thought were best in the industry and then literally wooed them. Some of these individuals were industry dons when I was a mere baby.  It did not take much really to woo them - just treating them like a friend, calling them over for lunch or dinner, not making them wait in the reception, giving them the right respect in front of their junior colleagues .....  Very soon I was punching much above my weight - and had the best of the talent involved even in routine matters as they felt valued and respected.

Fortunately or unfortunately the MR industry has reached a situation where there is a massive scarcity of the really good research talent on the agency side. I will be surprised if such expert talent is more than 5% in any agency. These rare talents have their own egos, their own desire for being valued, and a need to prioritize their time both for their own and agency's maximum benefit - which need not always be revenue. Increasingly those rare talented individuals can pick and choose who they service, and what level of servicing that they will provide.  A large client can throw his weight around and bully an agency into getting a particular talented individual to being involved in a project - but such attempts will be very short-term - the talented person will always find ways of reducing his involvement if his heart is not simply with the client.

The only way some of these complaining clients can get what they think they deserve is by ensuring that they start acting as magnets - a magnet that the best people from the agency side will love - and will do anything - to service. And the funny thing is that it is not difficult being a magnet - and fortunately a few clients have cracked this little secret.