These days everyone has some opinion about women safety in our country; it is another thing that most of those opinions are best kept to themselves. The other day Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal had some views on women safety that he expressed on a TV show. He stated four forgettable points, out of which I perhaps remember only three. Here they go:
1. AR suggested that govt. should provide more jobs to people, then their standard of living will be better and then they would respect women more.
Oh! Men in this country will start respecting women once they get more jobs…aah! I thought we learnt to respect women when we were civilized thousands of years ago! Anyways, where are the jobs and that too with government. Forget it! So going by AR's prescription, Men in this country will never respect women!
2. AR wondered why women feel so unsafe in places of law, like in police stations etc.
This is left to anyone’s imagination but AR doesn’t seem to have an idea of this. Blissful ignorance is not new in this country, after all!
3. AR also wants every citizen to be sent for compulsory army training, so that they become more disciplined and can beat-up the molesters and rapists.
Discipline and will to stand-up against wrong does not come from any establishment. The character of a nation is determined by the prevailing culture. Otherwise, you tell me why there are signs of rot even in such establishments that AR seems to think are embodiments of discipline?
AR could best keep these opinions to himself and keep doing what he is getting better at – acting! For all the Arjun Rampal fans, do not be too disheartened for many others in this country have equally imprudent ideas.
Talking about imprudent ideas, they seem to be in huge unwanted abundance everywhere. One morning caller, in one of the breakfast radio shows, was asked by the RJ why was he whispering on the call? To which the caller said that he was in the office and he was not allowed to speak loudly or laugh or to enjoy. The bemused RJ wondered why offices are like these where you cannot enjoy! The RJ asked the caller what was he by profession and guess what the caller said – ‘Mechanical Engineer’- the operator word is Mechanical! Why can’t offices be more fun? Why do we make workplaces boring and so uninspiring? Remember the punch line of the Honda Jazz ad – ‘Why so serious?’
The other day, my Kent water purifier needed filter replacements. The technician called me on my phone for address directions and although I gave him the directions to reach my home, but I told him that I was not at my place and it would take me about an hour to reach. He told me that he was working only up to 12 noon that day and the next two days too he was unavailable since he was going to his native for the makar sankranti festival. It was already 11:30 a.m. when he had called me! I requested him if he could make it to my place by 1 p.m. and do the work. He agreed and promised to drop-by. He actually did and did a very nice job. I casually asked him how Kent was giving competition to the other once popular water purifier brand – Aquaguard. He told me that Kent was doing very well. He kept talking and told me that that he had worked for Aquaguard for 6 months before he switched to Kent four and a half years ago and since then there has been no looking back. I had myself given-up using Aqauguard, after using it for 15 years, due to worsening service…so I asked him what differentiated his experience of working in Kent from Aquaguard. This is what he had to say –“Sir, in Aquaguard they used to promise us that our salary would reach us between 1st and 10th of every month, but sometimes it used to come by 15th, and sometimes even up to 20th of the month we would not get our salaries. It is so difficult to manager, Sir! Our salaries are not every high, we have to pay rent, send money home…very difficult to manage. In Kent we get our salry by 5th of every month, without fail, even if 5th of that month turn-out to be a sunday. Then here in Kent Sir, we have flexible time. We do our work but sometimes we can go an hour late and leave our office early. Hence we technicians also do not mind working an hour extra, on some days, like I am doing today. We want our customers to be happy! Also Sir, sometimes if we need some advance salary because of some need, we get that very easily. Sir, when I left Aquaguard, 35 other technicians also left in Bangalore and joined Kent. I am happy working here!”
Perhaps this is why he wants to keep his customers happy too and Kent’s market share in the water purifier market is growing at an impressive pace!
After all this we still are doing research on employee attrition, customer satisfaction… and what not! The answers lie in simple interpretations.
Culture is so defining when it comes to ideas on engagement!
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