Starting Work

Two weeks ago I had my first day working at Sannam S4. To make sure we all arrived on time at our respective workplaces breakfast was arranged to be served at 6.30am. I took the metro into Nehru Place and managed to remember how to find the tower block where Sannam S4’s offices are. I remembered that it was on the 4^th floor so made my way up in the lift. I got out to find that I was on the wrong floor. I tried going up a floor in case I’d got the wrong number. Still the wrong office. I was starting to wonder whether I was in the right tower block when I realised that it was the 3^rd floor and not the 4^th. Fortunately I had left with plenty of time to spare and so got to the office on time, if a little more flustered than I had intended.

My role at Sannam S4 is as a researcher. Many of their clients are educational institutions from the UK, Australia, the US and Singapore who look to recruit students from India. My first project has been to work on a report on why Indian students who study abroad often struggle to get work when they return to India. Only rarely do graduates from foreign universities earn wages that are higher than graduates from domestic universities.  Surveys have been done on Indian students studying abroad and employers in India and I have been working on analysing the data that has come out of those surveys. From the results of those surveys you can tell what the perceptions of employers are of Indian students who study abroad and, therefore, suggest solutions that will make it easier for returning graduates to get good jobs in future.

The staff at Sannam S4 have been really friendly and welcoming. I cannot say too much about them because they have already found this blog and will almost certainly read it. I had to introduce myself in front of a meeting of all the staff, with those who were in the Bangalore office listening in over the phone. That was a little scary, but mostly the atmosphere has been quite relaxed. On Friday I was told that it was an office tradition that new members of staff cook everyone lunch on one day. Given the number of staff I was reassured that it was only to supplement everyone’s lunch, but I still went round asking all the staff members what they wanted. They were going to get pasta with a tomato sauce regardless, but it is nice to ask. Anyway, it was only after I got home that I got the message that it was a wind up. But as I’ve already promised that I’d provide lunch on Tuesday I’m going to have to do it anyway now.

Last Saturday we started exploring the city on our own. We went to Khan Market which has a lot of the shops that you would find in the UK. It is in quite an affluent part of the city and is very expensive. We did end up getting some food there and we have not stopped talking about how good the Afghan chicken was that day. After Khan Market we visited Lodi Gardens, which was originally called Lady Willingdon Park under British rule. It is very peaceful and I could not quite believe that it was still in Delhi. With the design of the park it would not have been out of place in London, except for the larger variety of wildlife and tombs from the Lodi period.

  

Yesterday, we explored the centre of Delhi, taking in India Gate and the Parliament Street. I had seen both these places as part of my rushed tour of Delhi in 2011, but it was nice to see them at a much more sedate pace this time. In the evening we tried to find a bar in Hauz Khas Village which we had been recommended to go to because that was where the ‘young people’ go. It is a nice area with a lot of restaurants and art shops, but it did not have any bars in the way that you would find in the UK. It was also quite pricey, with it costing Rs.250 (about £3) for a small bottle of beer, which is quite a lot compared to the Rs.64 (about 75p) that I paid for a 650ml bottle of Kingfisher at the local Beer Shop. People in India seem to go out a lot earlier than in the UK, with bars closing at the latest by midnight. I don’t think we were in the right place for what we wanted, but I’m sure over time we will find better places to go.

Today I visited the Lotus Temple, which is one stop on the Metro away from my work place at Nehru Place. The Lotus Temple is a Baha’I House of Worship that was completed in 1986, so it is a lot more modern than most of the religious buildings that I have seen so far in India. I visited this with Harry, who is working as an architect so he was in his element trying to work out how the building was designed. Inside you supposed to stay silent and photography is strictly not allowed. It was amazing being in such a beautiful building with loads of other tourists, but in complete silence. Before going in you have to remove your shoes. I made the mistake of taking off my socks as well, forgetting that the marble floor would be cold. My feet were freezing and I was very jealous of the people who were wearing woolly socks.

During the week we have so far been too tired to do much after work. Whilst I get home before 7, Jess and Harry have got a two hour commute and so do not get back until quite late. At the moment we are still mainly ordering in food, but now know where to buy groceries so have been cooking a little bit. I think we will end up cooking more and the hotel have offered a tiffin service in the evening with a set menu on each day which will cost Rs.60 (just over 70p) each which will be good on the days we don’t want to cook on. Pritesh, one of the members of the course in Dundee, had visa problems which meant that he could not come out with us. But that has now all been sorted and so he should be coming out sometime this week. So hopefully by the time of my next blog he will be in India and we shall have some definite plans on travelling outside of Delhi in the weekends ahead.