Saravana Bhawan at Plano, Texas

When you are in an alien country and your heart desires for something that has the promise of tickling your taste buds, what do you do? You browse the net for Indian restaurants near your home, focusing on south Indian fare as nothing tastes better than a spicy Mysore Special Masala Dosa on a rainy evening.

So, me and my 3 friends zeroed on the Famous “Saravana Bhavan”, which had newly opened up in my city. While I yearned for some crispy hot dosa, my friend chanted “Chennai Filter coffee” all the way to the restaurant. As it became windier outside, we reached the place and the excitement in the air was quite palpable. As expected, there was no space to even stand, after some initial waiting time, we managed to get a table for 4. All of us ordered different varieties of Dosa, Manchurian in starters and filter coffee. After about 30 minutes, the waiters arrived with our Dosa and dumped it on our table. When we asked them which one is what, they were shocked at this question. They cheerfully responded, “No clue, which one is what, we just got it from the kitchen.” While we 4 tried to solve the puzzle as to which one is Kara Dosa, vegetable dosa, & Mysore Dosa the waiters conveniently vanished. After a while, after we had started eating, they said, by mistake in place of vegetable dosa, they had served some other dos and they will replace it. We nodded our heads and agreed to wait for some more time, expecting our starter dish (Manchurian) to arrive before the Dosa. After some more time, they returned with the correct dosa and we were too hungry, so we attacked the dishes with great gusto. Then the head waiter (I am assuming) walked up to us and said, they are out of Filter Coffee! Can you imagine, a South indian restaurant of a Saravana’s caliber saying, they are “OUT” of coffee! Its like going to “Arsalan” or “Shiraz” and they saying, they are “OUT” of Biryani! Anyways, after we were done with our Dosas, they suddenly remembered about the Manchurian, and to save them from their uncomfortable misery we told them to cancel that order. They seem overjoyed, literally.

Now coming to Dosa. The Sambar and 4 varieties of chutneys were ordinary with nothing to write home about. The light green and dark green chutneys were low on salt and were almost bland. The orange one was alright. I am a die-hard fan of Sambar and I always manage to take refills. But this was one time, where in I barely managed to finish my assigned portion. Now the last part of the story. By the time, we had finished our food, the place was almost deserted. So the waiters who were done with their duty, chose to sit on the next table to ours for their “Khatti” session! Ok, now coming to the best part of the story. How many stars would you give to this place?

While I select 2.5 on a scale of 10, my friends feel 3 would be better as they were just 1 week old here. J

Delhi Durbar restaurant, Bhubaneswar :

Delhi Durbar restaurant, Bhubaneswar : A review

To cut the long story short,

Food 4.5/10
Ambience 5.5/10
Service 8/10

You must be wondering, why did I award such a low score to the food which is supposed to be the hallmark of this big brand. Two reasons. I ordered my favorite Chicken Biryani and Mutton Korma. The quantity served for the Biryani was miniscule. Baby portion actually. And the quality left much to be desired. The rice grains were soaked in gravy and that also in lumpy parts. In the perfect Biryani,  each grain should be separate as and should retain the flavor and aroma without being greasy and sticking to the palate.  The chicken pieces were very small and reaching them was a small treasure hunt in itself.
Coming to the Mutton Korma. The Mutton was chewy in texture and the origin seemed to be an old goat. The gravy was too rich and yellowish. Ideally it should have been orangish or grayish. So food was definitely a disappointment.

Ambience : Seems like they have taken over an old godown and converted it into this restro and completely forgot to clean the floor or give it a new look.  It was dirty grey marble. Definitely a let down. Mostly they have invested on the walls and gave it teak like wooden finish with few mughal paintings thrown in for that Delhi wala flavour. Chairs were too uncomfortable. Even my office food court chair is better compared to this.

On my way out,  I peeped into a side section, named 'Why not'. Now that's the kind of place I would like spend my money on. With complete white regal decor and plush comfy sofas along with silvery cute cushions. A low table to match the setting and softer lighting. Loved the entire look. But it's meant for bigger groups I guess,  5 and above types.  Not sure.

Overall, if you were my true friend, then I would advise you to stay clear of this restro. 

An Agile Organization

I got the opportunity to attend an HR conference today organized by NHRDN BBSR Chapter. The speaker for the evening was an HR veteran with over 20 years of experience in various companies covering the entire spectrum of offerings starting from IT to manufacturing set up.

The topic he discussed was very close to my heart. How an organization needs to be agile in order to adapt to changing times. I have always been a big promoter of embracing change, and love to observe the reaction of people to changes that are unexpected. The word that reverberated the entire hour and half was “Agile”. During these ambiguous times, with cut throat competition around for any organization, be it small or big, how can you stay ahead of the game from an organizational perspective? How can you create the much needed agility in your programs and processes? That was the whole crux of the talk.

Co-incidentally, today I also got to hear about a major change, you might call it a paradigm shift of sorts in my organization. And it was such a pleasant surprise. Although I was expecting something on these lines since about a month or so, but reading about it in black and white really reaffirmed my faith in the leadership. Moving with the times and in sync with the thoughts and aspirations of its people, is what makes an organization a force to reckon with. And I think, with this first step, we are very much on our way to challenge the might of say a Google, Apple or FB, companies which are renowned for their entrepreneurial work environment and a culture which promotes freedom of speech and expression.  A company which listens to what the people have to say and takes swift action upon it immediately, is the truest example of an agile organization.

During my MBA days, I read a book, “Built to last”, it was an essay on various companies over the years that had some trait or the other which enabled them to withstand the ravages of time and become world class organizations. And today I can say with utmost pride that, I am truly privileged to be working in such an organization.

A Day in the life of an HR

There is nothing more satisfying on earth, than someone coming to you, with a “Hey Nazia, I have a problem…”, and leaving with a smile. That pretty much sums up the essence of a day in the life of an HR.

As an HR, we are expected to don multiple hats. Strategic, operational, and sometimes softer ones like that of a listener, care-giver, a mentor and of course that of a good friend too. And many a times, the lines demarcating all these sections get blurred. When you are spending over 12 twelve hours at work, most of your colleagues would end up as your best buddies too. You hang out with them over weekends and they are the first ones, to know whenever something good or bad happens in your life.

There would be many employees, who would not be in your direct line of interaction as they would be belonging to different units, but still they would approach you with problems related to their professional or personal life. And officially speaking, you are not supposed to cater to them, but you end up doing exactly that. Because at the end of the day, you are human and you have to take up the “Humane” aspect of your job profile seriously. The fervor comes from within and it is impossible to say “No”, for me at least.

Recently I got a call from an employee, “Hi Nazia, I want to meet you to discuss something.” I said, come down and told him my co-ordinates. (I sit in different buildings, in order to be accessible to most of my people). He happened to be from another unit. And wanted to discuss, whether he should resign or not, as he had been selected in a B-School. Seems like a pretty simple decision. But with the plethora of people friendly policies like Sabbatical for higher education, one has to weigh the pros and cons very meticulously. We had a hearty discussion for about half an hour and personally speaking, it was one of the most satisfying days for me. There is nothing more satisfying, than an employee seeking your guidance and advice for such crucial life decisions.  My own unit folks keep on doing that all the time, but a person from another unit doing it, was really the icing on the cake.

Interacting and spending time with people is very crucial for an HR. Coming out of your silos or comfort zones and connecting with stakeholders at informal platforms really helps. You might have tons of Skip levels or Coffee with HRs, but ultimately the thing that will bring you to closer to people is informal connects. Random chats on the floor, hanging out with them when do late-nights or tea breaks. But to do all this, you have to be genuinely interested in their lives and be a people’s person. Candid and extrovert.

If you do it just as a part of your check-list, this will not last long. If you feel, this is a chore and it needs to be completed, then definitely you are in a wrong profession. So, to be an HR in the true sense, its time to get out of those excels and be truly “Humane”.

NH 10...why should you watch it?

So...I dont actually write a lot of movie reviews and understandably so...'coz rarely any movie leaves an indelible imprint on my mind. But today happened to be different day...when I watched the movie NH 10.

I would be running out of good adjectives...in my attempt to tell you, how great is this movie. What a brave decision by Anushka...to back a movie that focusses on themes so far considered untouchable by mainstream bollywood cinema. I agree, certain scenes will make you cringe in your seat and there is an overdose of blood and gore...but thats how life is in those areas. How can you refrain from the unpleasant truth...if you intend to portray the true picture of honor killings and present status of women in the backyards of Haryana...Gurgaon...etc. And Anushka has done an unbelievable job, when it comes to emoting the fear...the pain...the helplessness...and finally when she succeeds in killing all the villians...you cant help but feel euphoric for her...for all womankind. In life also, when one realises that you have nothing to lose, you get a strange courage and strength from some deep corner of your heart...and finally you succeed.

Personally speaking, I loved this movie and I feel each one of us should watch it...lots of learning here...Dont ever underestimate the strength and courage of a woman.

Happiness is….feeling liberated…

Till very recently, I was a firm believer in not filling the feedback surveys…any kind of survey. Be it employee satisfaction survey or car servicing feedback survey. I used to think, it’s a complete waste of time and organizations do it just for the heck of it, or to be on the right side of the law, as in keeping in mind the compliance perspective. So what is the status now, am I reformed? If yes, why and how did this change came about exactly? Yes yes, I know, you are dying to know…or maybe you hardly care…but any which way, my story needs to be told…read if you are interested…

A few months back, I wrote something in the qualitative segment of the employee satisfaction survey in my org. Cannot divulge what this “Something” is, because of obvious reasons. It was something that I felt very strongly about, and it was a key factor behind my aspiration to join companies like Google and Apple. I am almost 6 years old in my current company and I always felt, if I ever leave, then it would be because of this “Something”.

Imagine my surprise and delight, when I got to know, that my organization has taken a decision to bring in this “Something” with immediate effect. Today is the first day, when I am experiencing this “Something” and yes, I feel on top of the world.

Leadership in any organization defines the culture. Like a mother, does for her family. All of us, are inherently resistant to any kind of change. But if we open our minds and embrace change whole heartedly, then we would realize what we were missing earlier…

That’s it for now…let me cherish and enjoy the moment…

Happiness is….feeling liberated…