Category: Comment

The Cup That Bonded

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ 2 Comments

So the newest management mantra is FIKA. This is a Swedish word that roughly translates as drinking coffee, munching homemade goods and spending time with people. In many companies it is mandatory for all workers to have a designated time during the day to sit down and do fika. Most Swedes have Fika several times a day.

Over two decades before Chai pe Charcha became the flavour of the nation, CpC was an integral part of our working day. Twice a day, as the footsteps heralded the bearer of the teas, it was literally and (later) figuratively ‘pens down’. Time to cluster around and “fika” as it were. It was a time for sharing—news and views, happenings and unhappenings (propah English not mandatory, and language khichdi quite delicious!), cribbings and crabbings–and above all, energising. There were snacks too—“hey taste what I baked yesterday,” “oh great, banana chips all the way from home state”, “guess what, I discovered this new naasta shop with 50 flavours of khakhra….”

Tea table became the venue for easing in the newcomers; teasing and ribbing the old-timers; there were no hierarchies and no bosses. The agenda was whatever the mood of the table—sharing, admonishing, admiring, agonising and venting, and yes, laughing a lot.

It was an important support system in so many ways. After just 15 minutes, one returned to one’s desk feeling much better. You weren’t the only one who struggled to keep going as you juggled work and home; your child’s behaviour was not as worrisome as you imagined it was; and yes, in-laws happened to the best of us!

It was not only about chit-chat and food; it was where serious discussions took place—about work and work culture; about the state of the world and the nation; about books read and films seen, people met and to be met. It was where so many “aha” moments happened—the title of a new book; the resource person to invite; the sequence of sessions for the seminar…

The two tea times were the significant watersheds of our daily schedules. I did not realise how much we took this for granted, until I spent three months working from an office in Washington DC. Everyone was so “busy”–each communing with their machines as they sipped their coffees (also from a machine) in silence, and lunch sandwiches in solitary isolation. I craved so much for some human connect and communication, I took myself off, to perhaps some raised eyebrows, to the nearby park to spend 20 minutes watching the world go by. “Time wasted”, my diligent workmates may have thought; “what wasted opportunities to bond” thought I.

It’s not just in a CCD that a lot can happen over a cup of tea!

–Mamata

Emma Watson’s ‘Eats Shoots and Leaves’ Moment

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ 2 Comments

Last week, Emma Watson was seen with a tattoo at a red carpet event. The tattoo said ‘Times Up’ and was in support of the movement against sexual harassment in the workplace which is snowballing, and is a follow on from the #metoo campaign.

Laudable intent. But less-than-laudable grammar!  What really caught everyone’s eye was that the tattoo said ‘Times Up’, rather than ‘Time’s Up’. With her characteristic sense of humour, Watson responded to the criticisms with a tweet: “Fake tattoo proofreading position available. Experience with apostrophes a must.”

Everyone is talking about it! I am happy for Watson, I am happy for the movement. But most of all, I am happy for the APOSTROPHE! Difficult for a punctuation mark to get red carpet attention, but the apostrophe’s done it (yes, and I think I got the apostrophe right, see rules below!).

So maybe we should give it some attention too! When you are out tomorrow, look out for how often the apostrophe is misused. I find more ‘errors of commission’, as compared to Watson’s ‘error of omission’. For instance, within 50 metres of my house is ‘Shri Ganesh Tyre’s’. Not much further down the road is ‘Sai Krishna Sweet’s and Snack’s’. (Raghu tells me that for some reason, in his school, they used to refer to it as a ‘post office comma’).

It may be worth taking a few moments to briefly review the usage (no guarantee we will still  get it right!):

The apostrophe is used in two situations (and I quote all the rules below from https:// en.oxforddictionaries.com/ punctuation/ apostrophe): (1) to show that a thing or person belongs or relates to someone or something: instead of saying the party of Sudha, you can write Sudha’s party; and (2) an apostrophe is used to show that letters or numbers have been omitted. For instance, I’m – short for I am, or he’ll – short for he will.

The biggest controversy about apostrophes is in the its and it’s!

These are the rules to remember:

  • Its(without an apostrophe) means ‘belonging to it’: The dog wagged its tail.
  • It’s(with an apostrophe) means ‘it is’ or ‘it has’: It’s been a long day.

Wondering if apostrophes are really worth a blog? Well Lynne Truss has written a whole book on punctuation and it was a bestseller! Do read her ‘Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation’

And for more on the apostrophe, including the county which has banned it, go to

https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/05/28/do-we-need-the-apostrophe/

–Meena

Is Women’s Day about Dates and Discounts?

~ millennialmatriarchs ~ 4 Comments

March 8 is observed as International Women’s Day. This is tradition which is almost a century old. But today, as with numerous other ‘Days’ like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Women’s Day too seems in danger of becoming a day to give ‘the special woman in your life’ a card, or take her out for dinner or buy her a gift—good commerce and yet another excuse for a party or socializing.

If we go back to the origins of Women’s Day, it was about the struggle of women against a social, economic and political order which suppressed them and denied them equality and rights. The first Women’s Day can be traced back to 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. In 1910, at a Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen, an International Women’s Day was proposed to honour the women’s rights movement and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. Women from 17 countries unanimously agreed to the proposal. Following this decision in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in several countries on 19 March. More than 10 lakh  people attended these rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

Is it our case that in India we no longer need worry about these issues? With study after research study highlighting female foeticide and the falling male-female ratio? With every day’s newspapers talking about increasing violence and crime against women? With education statistics pointing to the number of girl children dropping out of school? With girls being married off well before the legal age? With the glass ceiling very much in evidence in almost every sector?

By all means let us mark Women’s Day. It is crying out to be observed in our country. But NOT with cookery competitions and office parties; not with bouquets and dates; not with discounts on clothes and gadgets.

So what are the alternatives? Well, it doesn’t have to be dramatic. You could just take 15 minutes to learn about some of the issues confronting women. You just have to put the term ‘Female Foeticide’ or ‘Girl school dropout’ in your search engine. I assure you, it will be an eye opener. If you want to do something more active, visit a local government school and ask to see the girls’ toilets. Then think about whether it is really possible for an adolescent girl to attend school. Or talk to your maid and ask her how she spends the day—how many hours she spends working outside the house, and how many hours she spends on housework. Or talk to a woman working on a construction site—ask her about the work she does and the wage she earns, and compare that to the men on the site.

You may well find yourself a mission for your life.  And that is what ‘Women’s Day’ should be about!

–Meena