Slowness
For those who have not read the Milan Kundera novel, it is a tale of two seductions separated by centuries. One, intense, hectic, chaotic and the other languorous, nonchalant, as if it is meant to happen regardless of effort.
Lest you think I am going to write a piece on the escapades of European aristocrats, let me clarify that this is actually about technology. Slowness is very relevant to the contrast between Bay Area and India these days.
I was out for a quick trip back home, and it was a study in contrast. Bay Area feels like a retirement home, the entrepreneurs out on long walks discussing how to add VR to everything, fly drones, and of course, the obligatory food delivery startups, the relaxed deals over casual wine in Madera. In contrast, India is frantic right now. Every day feels like a race, a land grab, as if stepping back even a little bit will lead to slipping off the cliff. The reality is probably different. Bay Area has its intense streak and India has its core of fatalism. But it sure feels like those cliches right now.
And don’t get me wrong. Regardless of the pace, the ultimate outcome in both places is still seduction, much like the aforementioned novella. Its just that current India feels like a torrid affair, full of passion, intense ups and down, of broken promises and hurried whispers of a beautiful future. It is intense. Work here feels like a giant pinball machine except that you are the ball. Its fast, its crazy, it rocks. I have probably learnt more in the past 5 months than I have in the past few years (thus validating my theory of coming here to reinvent myself).
And to top it all, its festival season here soon. Its going to be a crazy three months starting with the annual Big Billion Days (think thanksgiving but a million times more berserk). The mattresses are rolling out on office floors, food will be served 24/7, the floor will start to resemble the frenzy of a stock market, control towers will be full of anxious faces monitoring the orders, supply chain will creak, infrastructure will desperately try to hold up the buying frenzy that will unleash across the country. Users will be happy, some will be angry, packages will criss-cross the nation, so will the hopes and dreams of an entire nation coming into its own.
And in all that madness, I will desperately try to find some vestiges of slowness. But Kundera is right. This is just not the time and place for it.
Building Continue | ex-Zomato
9 年order in chaos. slowness in madness. magic in world. we all want to be in two places at once. do we have a choice? yes and no. :) Nice food for thought Punit Soni.
Career Counsellor, Columnist and Speaker
9 年Regardless of whether this is the time or place for it, there's always some merit in hastening slowly... So well-written...!
Business Consulting & Leadership Coaching
9 年It is hectic in India at the moment becoz' a) festive season (mentioned by you) b) mobile phones and e-commerce companies have made viewing/purchasing a wide array of merchandise possible for consumers across the country c) aggressive price offers by e-commerce companies (hope that even if the margins are wafer thin, they sell the volumes to make the overall profits big!) That aside, nothing new yet in enhancing the consumer experience and the e-commerce sites all look pretty much the same so far. Hopefully, there'll be no glitches with order fulfillment. One quick observation, it looks like the direct clash with off line stores is being avoided (so far) ! All the best !
Cooking something interesting. Ex : Product Leader @ Microsoft | Leadership at the intersection of People, Product, and Engineering | Enterprise, Startups
9 年Oops. *pinball.
Cooking something interesting. Ex : Product Leader @ Microsoft | Leadership at the intersection of People, Product, and Engineering | Enterprise, Startups
9 年Very well written Punit Soni. I agree. The new role that I have taken up after a decade of being in a 'slow' (in your terminology) industry, is indeed making me feel like being in a paintball. It is indeed intense. Every word of your post resonates. :-)