S. Mitra Kalita - Livemint.com
ABOUT RECENT POSTS
Member since 02-14-2008
Last visited 10-31-2008
Timezone 5.00 GMT
Total Posts 33
Post Rank 1
  • Thursday, October 30, 2008
    Posted at 2:38:00 PM
    I have made these calls before. "Dharani Khura ," I'll address my most all-knowing (read nosy) uncle. " Sap thikey aseh ?" Is everything okay? A few weeks ago, they asked the same of me when Delhi burned--a series of calculated bombings across our city. Today, it was my turn, mostly to curse the phone when all the lines jammed, then try to track down all the land lines for aunts, uncles and cousins who live scattered among all 18 corners of the death trap created by militants in Assam.I tried to remember who works where .
  • Friday, October 17, 2008
    Posted at 2:58:00 PM
    The first day the cameras focused on the angry and tearful women in their smart uniforms, I remarked to a colleague that the yellow jacket was about to become a symbol. Of dreams deferred, hopes dashed, an industry knocked down, of the worst yet to come. Sure enough, last year when Jet Airways' new uniforms debuted, the blogosphere was abuzz with critiques of the new look . They were apparently designed by Italian Roberto Capucci , at a time when going global was The Thing (and the Sensex was still in the five digits). He had never designed.
  • Friday, October 17, 2008
    Posted at 11:40:00 AM
    So I am sure you all want to know? Did I or didn't I? (Check out today's column to see what I am talking about.) As of noon, neither my husband nor I have had anything to eat. But we promised to call the other if we do. So it's a sort-of-fast. We are following my mother-in-law's advice (and that of the woman quoted at the end of the column) to fast not with our mouths but with our hearts. It looks like the economic slowdown might have dampened some of Karva Chauth's drive to become the Indian Valentine's Day. Check out this.
  • Wednesday, October 08, 2008
    Posted at 2:11:00 PM
    I never thought I'd see the day when I'd move to India, find myself in my favourite festive season ... and missing the US. Here's why: We NRIs have mastered the art of being conveniently religious. So we worship on Sundays, force our kids into Hindu and Hindi classes on Saturdays and schedule aartis and anjalis on nonworking days. This week, with Puja smack in the middle of the week, I just can't get away from the duties of work and home to do justice to dear Durga... This season, this looks like the closest I'll get. Last year.
  • Friday, October 03, 2008
    Posted at 12:37:00 PM
    I, superwoman , am back but not feeling so super today. Jet-lagged is more like it. But as my column today discusses, the feeling of an America in decline is quite palpable. Everyone is talking about it. And there is a lot of fear in the air there. How does this relate to our jobs in India? In a lot of ways. In the midst of my jet lag, a cousin called me at 3:30am and said clients keep deferring projects to Q1 or else making other excuses that seem stall tactics to him. He is really worried. Especially as wages in India's so-called back offices.
  • Friday, September 19, 2008
    Posted at 1:36:00 PM
    Today's column married what has been The Topic in this capital -- the global financial crisis and the DDA lottery. Although on the latter, I think we all submitted our cheques and have moved forward with life. The former seems like we will be facing a fallout for months,possibly years to come. Have been getting differing feedback (check out the comments below the story) but I do have a slightly offbeat question to relate this to this blog. Does anyone toil in a workplace that suffers from constant real estate envy? Does how much one paid for.
  • Monday, September 15, 2008
    Posted at 8:54:00 PM
    There's a debate waging over Sarah Palin on another blog run by an organization with which I am quite familiar, or at least used to be. One reader posted my last week's column comparing Palin to India's own Mayawati, which triggered this comment . Here's an excerpt: "To call a working woman, a 'Superwoman' is almost insulting. Do we call working fathers a 'Superman'? I worked all the decades that I lived in the U.S... the 70s, 80s and 90s. I brought up children too. Let me tell you it was extremely rough. When.
  • Monday, September 15, 2008
    Posted at 9:51:00 AM
    We have gotten lots of feedback to our MBA issue and welcome more of it. Check out the very long list of comments here and keep them coming. A reminder that Premchand Palety, director of C-fore, which conducted the rankings, will be online with me at 4pm today to discuss them at this link .
  • Thursday, September 11, 2008
    Posted at 11:30:00 PM
    Premchand Palety, director of C-fore which conducted Mint's business school rankings will be available for a live chat here on “On the Job” on Monday, 15 September. Prem also is the author of the popular Mint column “Business Case.” I hope you caught his provocative piece today on an institute in New Delhi . So log in to discuss the rankings, the methodology employed, the survey itself and any other questions you might have regarding B-schools, both in India and abroad. I helped edit the issue so I'll be on as well to answer your questions.
  • Wednesday, September 10, 2008
    Posted at 6:54:00 AM
    I've been watching the coverage of Sarah Palin, the vice-presidential nominee on the Republican ticket in the US, with great interest. Overnight, she has become America's most famous working mom, giving birth while in office (I mean, literally, she gave a speech AFTER her water broke). This morning brought this story from the Washington Post . As governor of Alaska, Palin charged the state for living in her own house (questionable, obviously) and also for travel for her husband and children. This latter part interests me. When my daughter.
  • Friday, September 05, 2008
    Posted at 5:01:00 PM
    I had today off. But I feel like I've worked like a dog. Any working mom will know why when I tell you that my daughter's turning 4 tomorrow. That means there are cakes to be ordered, return gifts to hunt down (why oh why do we do those?), menus to plan, entertainment and activities to organize, and husbands to order around (and then redo their tasks). I am so exhausted and the party hasn't even started. I think the whole birthday phenomenon in India stresses me out more than when I lived in the US (and I had 75 people over for a homemade.
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