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I’ve been working in Corporate India for about 3 weeks now. Some things are very different and some things are not so different from Corporate America. The one thing that strikes me every day as I walk into the building is how everyone looks the same. The men come in 2 varieties: with mustache and without. Everything else is identical from their hairstyle to their dressing sense to their accents and mannerisms. As for the women, they all wear the typical salwar kameez with their long, black hair slicked back and braided.
As I stand at the back of the elevator scanning the crowd, I recall all the other jobs I’ve had over the years. The plethora of skin colors, every shade imaginable, the hair colors, the many different styles of dressing, the uniqueness that every one seemed to have - that I am just now appreciating. I think back to my days at Genentech and just in our small group of about 25 people we had such diversity - Caucasians, Orientals, Indians (well, just one), Blacks, Hispanics, blondes, brunettes, short hair, long hair, and plenty of variations in between.
Chennai is supposedly one of the bigger cities in India and has a booming IT industry. You’d think there would be youngsters somehow asserting their own style. I stand out because I dress and speak and walk differently and I consider myself to be pretty ordinary in terms of my style. It wasn’t until the end of my second week that I saw another woman wearing pants and a shirt. And there are probably close to 2,000 people in my building (it’s a 12-story building housing various IT companies). Of course, Chennai isn’t as hip as Mumbai but c’mon people! Where is your sense of individuality?!?
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AJH
non-member comment
Interesting..
This is something that I never really thought about. It has opened up my eyes to a different view of a culture. I appreciate the fresh perspective.