I interviewed with a company called Tyfone today for the position of a Technical Director. Tyfone is a small startup and they wanted somebody who could lead the development efforts for a product they are building for the mobile industry. The interview went quite well and they ended up offering me the job! The pay was very, very low but they threw in a bunch of stock options to sweeten the deal. The work sounded pretty interesting to me, but I had a lot to consider before I accepted the offer. The people I spoke to were nice and seemed reasonably knowledgeable.
Going to and from the interview by auto, I was quite taken aback by the number of people who always appeared to have something to do or somewhere to go. The sidewalks are always crowded and there is no "rush hour" in traffic. The traffic is stop-and-go for almost 12 hours a day (8am to 8pm), in almost every major road in Bangalore. And, everybody accepts it as a fact of life. There are traffic lights almost everywhere, but not all of them are working most of the time, so there will be a policeman directing traffic.
Let me highlight one positive and one negative about Indian traffic. First, the positive. At almost every major traffic signal, there will be a digital display that shows the amount of time remaining for the signal to change to green. So, people (car, auto, bus, bike, etc.) turn off their engines till 5-10 seconds before the light turns green. In the long run, this will definitely result in significant fuel conservation, reduction in pollution and longer life for the engines.
The negative? Actually, there are quite a few, as you might imagine. Invariably, people will get a headstart on the signal, so they will cross the intersection when there's still 3-4 seconds for the light to turn green. At the same time, people who had the green signal till then (cross traffic) will not stop when the light turns red. They will continue crossing the intersection 3-4 seconds after the light turns red. Obviously, this can result in grid lock in the middle and at worst, cause a serious accident, especially when you consider that the vehicles involved can be as diverse in size as huge lorry/truck and a small moped (mini motorbike). At night, people will invariably ignore the lights completely and depend on coordination with other vehicles to get through intersections. Most lorry/bus drivers are egomaniacs with very poor road sense, so they'll drive rashly in narrow roads. In theory, the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more responsibility that is on you to drive safely. But, that is just what it is...theory! In practice, the bigger the vehicle you drive, the more other people had better watch out for their own lives!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Got my LL
I got my learner's license to drive a 4-wheeler! Contrary to most people, I'm completely comfortable driving in India, even after spending 12+ years in the US. I never had any qualms about driving here, even on my infrequent visits to India when I lived in the US.
The experience of getting the license was, at best, eminently forgettable. We (Sahana & I) went to the RTO (Road Transportation Officer) office in Yeswantpur. Earlier, we paid Rs.1300 to a "driving school" to do the paperwork for us to help push the thing through faster. We were asked to meet a person at the branch office of the driving school which was located on the premises of the RTO office. However, when we reached the place, we found a large, disorganized group of people clamoring to get their license (learner's or permanent). Believe it or not, it took the guy at the counter an hour to get to my papers, and all he did was stick my photo to it and fill a few fields with some information. Then, he sent us to the RTO and asked me to take the test.
When we walked up the stairs to the room where I was supposed to take the test, I noticed the red stains where people had spit "paan" on the walls. For the umpteenth time, I was puzzled by the huge difference in the thought processes of humans in India which made them think that it was OK to spit inside a building!
Before taking the test, I had to get my papers checked by an officer and for this, I was asked to go to a different room. Here, there was a long bench, where people had to sit on while they awaited their turn to be called by the officer. However, there was no queuing system in place. People who came to the bench after me would casually walk past me and sit in an empty space somewhere in front of me! Ethics and morality appear to have no place in the lower elements of Indian society! It's not as if they do it because they want to break the rules. It's because they're not aware that there are rules to follow. I realized this when another guy came in and tried to break into the line in front of me and I told him firmly to go to the back of the queue. I was surprised at how apologetic and polite he was in his response.
The test was quite easy, although I got a few answers wrong. Still, I passed and that's all that matters! The whole process took about 3 hours :(. I wonder how long it would have taken if we hadn't paid Rs.1300 to the driving school. Anyway, there's a waiting period of 1 month before I'm allowed to apply for a permanent driving license.
The experience of getting the license was, at best, eminently forgettable. We (Sahana & I) went to the RTO (Road Transportation Officer) office in Yeswantpur. Earlier, we paid Rs.1300 to a "driving school" to do the paperwork for us to help push the thing through faster. We were asked to meet a person at the branch office of the driving school which was located on the premises of the RTO office. However, when we reached the place, we found a large, disorganized group of people clamoring to get their license (learner's or permanent). Believe it or not, it took the guy at the counter an hour to get to my papers, and all he did was stick my photo to it and fill a few fields with some information. Then, he sent us to the RTO and asked me to take the test.
When we walked up the stairs to the room where I was supposed to take the test, I noticed the red stains where people had spit "paan" on the walls. For the umpteenth time, I was puzzled by the huge difference in the thought processes of humans in India which made them think that it was OK to spit inside a building!
Before taking the test, I had to get my papers checked by an officer and for this, I was asked to go to a different room. Here, there was a long bench, where people had to sit on while they awaited their turn to be called by the officer. However, there was no queuing system in place. People who came to the bench after me would casually walk past me and sit in an empty space somewhere in front of me! Ethics and morality appear to have no place in the lower elements of Indian society! It's not as if they do it because they want to break the rules. It's because they're not aware that there are rules to follow. I realized this when another guy came in and tried to break into the line in front of me and I told him firmly to go to the back of the queue. I was surprised at how apologetic and polite he was in his response.
The test was quite easy, although I got a few answers wrong. Still, I passed and that's all that matters! The whole process took about 3 hours :(. I wonder how long it would have taken if we hadn't paid Rs.1300 to the driving school. Anyway, there's a waiting period of 1 month before I'm allowed to apply for a permanent driving license.
Monday, November 20, 2006
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