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Do

Walk along the river Cooum

Join famous photographer Pa Madhavan as he follows the river Cooum and documents the culture and the people alongside it.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

This one’s a wonderful experiment in documenting the life of a river, the microcultures around it, the life it gives to those who seek refuge in it, and how well one can follow a meandering path to its successful conclusion.

Noted photographer Pa Madhavan is taking a walk along the river Cooum in Chennai in the last week of July 2015, and is inviting like-minded enthusiasts to take the walk with him. The project is called ‘WAT R’ (Walk Along The River).

Madhavan says, “WAT R is a project about walking along the river Cooum; the river is narrow, with twists and turns, flows slowly through the fields, collecting smaller streams along its path and enters the fourth largest city in India, also a major industrial, business, and cultural center of South India Chennai. It is the shortest classified river draining into the Bay of Bengal and is only about 72 kilometers long.”

He explains that the walk is “an aimless wandering along the banks, encounter talks, and casual recording of content appropriate to sense perception with my Nikon FM3A and a pinhole camera. I walk along the river, stay where I can, eat whatever available and not overindulge in austere practices.” He intends to cover 10km a day to span the entire length of the river in just seven days. “There are no maps to follow or sign posts to see or manuals to refer to; the only cue to follow is the river,” he adds.

There are no rules to joining him on the walk, but he cautions that the route is one of the highly polluted ones. There is high pollution by industrial effluents, drainage and open defecation from the thousands of hutments along its banks.

“On the other hand, with the culture of its own, with its own rationale, structure, and moral, Cooum river bank all along has a port, a fort, a university, palaces, graves of the common men and saints alike, museums, 1,500-year-old temples (mostly Chola temples) and also scientific astronomical observatories, which will definitely be a visual treat as much as a historical record,” he explains.

If you wish to join Pa. Madhavan on the walk, send him an email at madhavan@goa-cap.org.

(Picture courtesy www.thehindu.com. Image is a file picture)

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Trends

Mumbai sees drop in hiring for telecom, marketing, advertising

With markets improving, hiring is on an upswing in other parts of the country but low in Mumbai and Chennai.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It seems that more jobs are available in the market, or rather, companies are willing to hire more talent, if a recent survey by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India) is anything to go by. The survey finds that hiring was on an upswing in sectors like telecom, marketing and advertising in the first half of year 2014 across the country, except in Mumbai and Chennai, which registered a drop in hiring.

“Post-Budget 2014, aided by investment friendly measures like Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) and prospects of easing of interest rates, the construction sector has also slightly improved in terms of hiring plans. The Budget focus on infrastructure has proved to be morale booster for the infrastructure but would still take time for on-the-ground action”, adds the ASSOCHAM survey.

Hiring in IndiaDeciphering the trend, DS Rawat, Secretary General ASSOCHAM said, “While the industrial production growth has pleasantly surprised for May with the manufacturing showing signs of uptick, the employers would like to see a definite trend line before firming up their hiring plans. Somehow, the marketing and advertising remain in relevance even in difficult times with the only difference being that marketing requires hard sell”.

“Marketing and advertising professionals emerged as the next best in terms of demand profile during January to June 2014. On the other hand, manufacturing and automobile sectors reported stable hiring figures due to slowdown in the sales of vehicles and launch of new models,” adds the survey.

The inputs were tracked on a daily basis for vacancies posted by about 2,500 companies via job portals like timesjobs.com, naukari.com, monster.com, shine.com and others together with advertisements offering job opportunities published in national and regional newspapers across about 32 prominent cities and 20 sectors.

Who’s hiring the most?

Among the top locations, Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad reported the most active location during the January–June 2014. Some of the Tier-II and Tier-III locations (Surat, Vadodra, Nashik, Allahabad, Udaipur, Agra, Ajmer, Kota and Meerut) which have emerged as high growth markets, retained their position.

During January to June 2014, the demand for mid-level candidates was upbeat. However, the demand for talent at senior levels with 10-20 years and over 20 years of experience, recorded flat to negative activity across industries. It further shows that organizations are only looking to hire on demand, and hiring is restricted to niche skills. Focus is more on up-skilling available talent rather than sourcing fresh talent, reveals the ASSOCHAM latest estimates.

Telecom

As per the ASSOCHAM findings, Delhi-NCR region have recorded an impressive 54 per cent increase in hiring during January –June 2014 period followed by Bangalore at 38 per cent and Hyderabad, which reported a 32 per cent increase in hiring. On the other hand, Chennai and Mumbai reported a drop in hiring for the same period, recording a 15 per cent and 28 per cent drop, respectively.

BPO/ ITeS
The survey points out, the falling rupee has also helped the overall outlook of the ITeS industry in India, as outsourcing becomes a cheaper. Marketing and advertising profiles reported highest increase (48 per cent) in demand for talent. Customer service/Tele-calling profiles witnessed a drop of 8 per cent in demand during the same period. Hiring was upbeat for junior level candidates as the demand for the senior personnel came under pressure. However, those with skills in cutting edge technology stayed in demand.

Among top locations, Bangalore recorded a maximum growth (43 per cent) in hiring BPO/ ITeS professionals. Chennai reported highest drop (26 per cent) in demand during the period as compared to similar months last year. Candidates with experience of 2-5 and 5-10 years, reported maximum increase (22 per cent) in hiring in the BPO/ITeS industry. Candidates with over 20 years of experience saw highest drop (35 per cent) in demand in the BPO/ ITeS industry.

Consumer Durables/ FMCG
Consumer Durables/FMCG sector are expected to witness more than 10 per cent growth during this fiscal. Delhi-NCR (39 per cent) followed by Bangalore (37 per cent), Ahmedabad (23 per cent) witnessed a whopping 35 per cent increase in demand. Reasons for cities have picked up their hiring activity is because several chains are increasingly working towards expanding their businesses, and therefore talent requirement has gone up. Mumbai and Chennai, on the other hand, witnessed a negative demand for talent, a dip of 15 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.

Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI)

The Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI) industry reported the highest growth in demand in the month of January 2014. The positive hiring movement in June (12 per cent) is significant, considering a major dip (16 per cent) February 2014, another dip in demand expected around fourth quarter.

Among the key locations, Delhi–NCR, Hyderabad witnessed maximum growth in demand (over 30 per cent) as compared to December 2013. In the insurance domain, demand for future hiring will be for frontline sales personnel with less than two years experience.

(Pictures courtesy indiatoday.intoday.in, zeenews.india.com)

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Kharcha paani

Mumbai will spend less this Diwali: Survey

City is second to New Delhi in probable cut in Diwali spending; inflation and shaky job situation are the reasons.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Diwali will be upon us in November, but it seems that worried Mumbaikars are practicing thrift already.

A country-wide survey conducted by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and released recently reveals that this Diwali, there will be a 40 per cent cut in most households’s festive budgets, with Delhi-NCR topping the list. The survey sample includes a majority of middle and lower income families.

The reasons given for slashing their Diwali spends were: rising monthly expenses due to high inflation, less job opportunities, shrinking real wages, and staggering costs of food commodities that are commonly used during Diwali.

Titled ‘High prices dampening the festive spirit’, the survey was conducted under the aegis of ASSOCHAM and showed that over 72 per cent respondents from middle and lower middle income families would spend nearly 25 per cent of their monthly salaries on Diwali for shopping, sweets, gifting, apparel etc. Delhi-NCR is on top of the chart projecting curtailment of festive budget thanks to eroding purchasing power, while Mumbai ranks second, followed by Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chennai.
 The survey was conducted over two months beginning August to September 2013 in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Dehradun etc. A little over 200 persons were selected from each city on an average. 
“The skyrocketing prices of essential commodities have left the aam aadmi  hard pressed. Be it sweets, dry fruits, crackers, pulses, dairy products, fruit or vegetables, the prices have registered large increases this year compared to the Diwali of last year. Even gold, the much sought-after item during this festive season, stays in the range of Rs 30,000 per 10 gm compared to Rs 22,000 last Diwali,” said DS Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.
The survey reveals that the high income group remains unaffected from rupee fall, double digit food inflation. However, a large number of lower and middle income groups indicate that they are finding ways to cut back spending now or indicating they will do so in the future, noted the survey. A majority of respondents said that they plan to spend fewer amounts on this festive season as the prices on average of most of the gifts and traditional Indian sweets have gone up by 55 per cent, while the value of saving has gone gown by almost 15 per cent. Revisions in interest rates by banks have also sent their EMIs soaring, further eroding their monetary power, adds the survey.
Most of the respondents plan to cut down on personal expenses or go bargain hunting to keep their festive budgets in control. Over 57 per cent of the respondents will buy only on sale or discounts, 12 per cent will buy fewer gifts and the rest 2 per cent will buy a group gift. Only a small percentage feels that festivals are the time to splurge, even as discounts remain the biggest attraction for most buyers.
Over 76 per cent of respondents said that monthly grocery bills have jumped to about Rs 7,000, compared to Rs 4,000 in the last 12 months. The prices of vegetables and bakery products have also risen in the last few months. Obviously, this will affect the Diwali celebrations. Milk, butter, sugar, dry- fruits, flour and labour charges all go into making sweets. On the other hand, dry fruit and sweets are the most expensive items in Diwali.
The survey adds that the rates of ghee, sugar, edible oils, atta and spices have also registered increases of around 25 per cent to 35 per cent during the past one year.
(All figures courtesy ASSOCHAM. Picture courtesy webylife.com)
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Guest writer

Loving Mumbai in Chennai

A true-blue Mumbaikar was faced with hostility in Chennai – thus making him prouder of the city of his birth.
by Aditya Kshirsagar

Never did I realise the pride of being a Maharashtrian until I came to Madras aka Chennai. I grew up in Bombay (now Mumbai). I always shared a love and hate relationship with the city of my birth, but even a month away from it is torturous. There are many things that I hate about Mumbai, but what I truly love is the respect that we have for all cultures. I might claim to be a Maharashtrian (a native speaker of Marathi) but like so many others, even my kin migrated here.

Growing up in Mumbai, you are invariably (even if you live under a rock) exposed to so many languages, and by default, end up being bilingual (at least). Personally, I am very terrible at learning languages. Even with that handicap, I speak Hindi, Marathi, English and can manage Gujarati, Bhojpuri and Bengali. South Indian languages are managed with the odd English words. Let me clarify something here, my maternal family is a mix of Southerners. My aaji (grandmother) tried in vain to teach me Kannada. All I learnt was ila (no).

In Mumbai, we speak a specific dialect of Hindi which is called Bambaiya Hindi. The requirements of this language are  simple. Everything we say starts and ends with bhen***d or saala or kya baat kar raha hai bey. This is the language that the city speaks.  What I miss the most here in Chennai is the fact that you cannot start speaking in English, jump to Hindi, start speaking in your mother tongue, revert back in another language, and yet find the entire process fluid. The conversation is never abrupt, but a flow, and we won’t realise it until someone deliberately points it out.

I moved to Chennai on August 4, 2012. Two weeks here and I knew this was to be my Kala Pani. Language is a major hindrance. There is a definite hatred towards Hindi. Over here, for the first time, I was referred to as North Indian. I’ve no issues called that but the arrogance with which I encountered these words was hurtful. I related to every bhaiyya in Mumbai. Being part of the minority is not fun. Wanting my voice to be heard, I introduced everyone who was willing to listen to the existence of the West Coast of India and the Deccan Plateau.

After moving here, I’ve started avoiding talking in Hindi due to the constant fear of being ostracised if you speak that language. I restrict my conversations to English or in broken Tamil or in the worst case scenario, to sighs and grunts. I’ve received scathing looks when I’d initially, like a naive Indian, enquired if they knew Hindi.

Let me clarify, I’ve made some excellent friends in Chennai. Thankfully, they have understood my plight and they converse around me in a neutral language. Moreover, they have made an effort to speak Hindi while I try to cope with Tamil.

This aforementioned breed, though, is very rare here. Others that I’ve met during my stay here are quite anal about their love and pride of the Tamil language. That is the most absurd sentence that they utter and do so on a pretty regular basis. Taking pride or loving your language does not mean that you choose only that language as your mode of communication. There have been several times in the University of Madras and in my department that my esteemed classmates only wish to talk in Tamil citing comfort issues and the fact that they studied in that language. Guest lecturers would also conduct classes in Tamil. It was quite irritating at first, but now I tend to block the language out or avoid the lectures altogether.

I don’t even dislike Tamil as a language. I try to learn the language because, as a journalist, it is important for me to be able to connect to locals. I might not completely succeed but I will try. Because that is what Mumbai has taught me, try to accommodate.

In my mind, it seems to be that Tamilians are just plain paranoid about their language and its status. Yes, I have read the history of Dravidian movements and the language issue. But, that does not mean that they need to alienate themselves. As I have observed here, most of the youth who are pursuing higher studies can barely clobber together a proper sentence in English. I just hope that this does not show on their employability. I can go on about all of this but it is  just paltya ghadya var paani (water over a turtled utensil).

I am revisiting my language, its culture and the people. Oh, the people. I’ve plenty of friends in Mumbai. There are Tamilians, Mallus, Muslim, Bihari, Bhaiyya (UPite), Christians, Sardars, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marwadi, Jain, Parsi, egad, you name any region and I ought to know someone. And nearly all of them either understand or talk or are fluent in Marathi. I don’t think anyone coerced them into learning the language nor is the Thackeray family that influential in Mumbai.

But, this stubborn behavior as displayed in Chennai made me realise one thing: ‘I need to do more for the Marathi language and help it flourish.’ That does not mean I will become a bigot who keeps shouting, ‘Son of Soil.’ But, I will genuinely try to help this beautiful language and its people in an entity that stands out.

Aditya Kshirsagar is in Chennai for a media course.

(Picture courtesy www.internations.org)

Categories
Diaries

‘There’s lust. And there are Chennai men’

Aditya Kshirsagar (24), really hates Chennai, and he’s taking the first flight home the moment he completes his media course.
Part I of the ‘Away from home’ Diaries.

I stay at Malad, near Inorbit Mall. I have been living there for the last five years. I left Mumbai on August 4 this year to pursue my masters in Journalism. I will specialise in Online Media. I still haven’t decided what I’m doing next, but I’m taking the first flight back home after completion of my course.

I had a very definite moment of parting with the city. That moment, when I stared at the Mumbai Airport board, did it for me. I knew one thing was certain – I would be returning very soon and for good. I got my admissions in the college at Chennai, post-that I was travelling back and forth because I needed to find an apartment in Chennai. Luckily, I found a good place in a central area of Chennai, Nungambakkam.

My first day, indeed my first week here were eased by the presence of many friends and well-wishers. One of them is a lady who is very special to me, and she basically took care of everything for me. My stay here has been made quite easy by her. So, there were no homesick moments or anything of the sort.

My typical day here? Let’s see – get up early, before the water goes away, bathe, skip breakfast, collect lunch, go to college by 0930 hours and stay there till 1800 hours. Come back home, contemplate dinner, no wants to cook, end up eating at a cheap eatery most of the nights. The place is called ‘Garage.’ This is what my week looks like, with a change on Sundays and public holidays. So yeah, it is less than exciting.

The list of what I don’t like about Chennai is a long one. I’ll just put it in points:

1) The way people in Chennai drive is horrible. Especially the MTC bus drivers, I swear there are times I have thought I would be crushed under one. I got my bike here and have not yet installed my mirrors, because it’s just a scary proposition to see that thing behind you.

2) Being called a North Indian. I don’t mind the word ‘North’ and I don’t have any geographical affiliations or likes or dislikes. But what hurts the most is the arrogance that people here display while saying the word. There was an instance where I was stopped by a senior police inspector and accused of being a thief, ‘like all other North Indians’.

3) The lack of a drainage system that leads to instant flooding of the roads.

4) Due to a lack of facilities, people here drink bottled water every day. Poor people here are dying of cholera, dengue, malaria and so on. They have a Cholera Hospital here. 

5) The way men stare at women. There is lust and then there are Chennai men; it’s beyond disgusting for women.

6) Rickshawwallahs. They charge Rs 200 or more for a distance of Borivali to Goregaon.

What I miss the most about Mumbai are its rickshawwallahs, its vada pav, varan bhat with toop and thecha, disciplined traffic, helpful people and cops, all the night eateries, and the safety for women and personal property. Yes, like several Mumbaikars I have also felt that I would leave the city for good some day, on several occasions. But home is where the smug is. I will go around, see the world or whatever, but my final resting place hopefully would be that bitch of a city.

The fast-paced life with a heterogenous crowd is very contagious. It’s not about the Mumbai spirit and hypothetical things like that. It is a place that you might physically leave, but somewhere that virus of being a Mumbaikar never leaves you.

Ah, Mumbai.

Diaries is a weekly series of stories on a single issue. The ‘Away from home’ diaries are stories of Mumbaikars who have left the city for a space of time.

 

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