I like folk from Calcutta ( oops Kolkata ), the youngster's at least.......
Why ? The do not have the cockiness of the Bangalorean, the worldly wisdom of the Mumbaikar or the bravado of the Delhite. What they seem to have is a veneer of wisdom & old world culture.You can see the 'simple living, high thinking shroud them like a coat of paint.
To cut to the chase, when a few days ago, I found myself interviewing kids of all hues, for admission to ABS, I was pleased to see that many of them were from the City of Joy!When the first Kolkatan sauntered in, looking wise beyond his years, peering at me from behind his spectacles, I wound myself up & tossed him, what I thought was a no brainer- 'What is the length, of the Hoogly?'. The guy, went pale, gulped a couple of times & replied hesitantly that he did not know. I was stymied! My next question- 'Had he heard about the Hoogly?'. He visibly brightened & said that he had. I was releived. As the day wore on, the curve ball was tossed to ladies & gents from Kolkata. The right answer never came my way & one gent testily told me that he had not measured the length.
A dinner that night, I asked my son, if he knew the length of the Hoogly, considering that he has sailed up/down the river on numerous occasions. Amidst watching 'Hanna Montana', he asked me why he should know & what difference would it make to anybody?
Good question & fortunately one that has an answer. Openness to experience is a trait that is much valued these days, not surprisingly because, there are tectonic shifts in technology, which occur at the speed of light and for an organization to survive they require alert,bright and well informed Human Resources.The more well informed you are as youngster, the better your chances of learning new skills as an adult, in the work place. Research has also shown that a major stressor, is the pace of change around us & the inability to cope, because we cannot unlearn & learn fast enough.
Some features of people with a strong 'Openness to Experience':
Rich vocabulary.
Very curious.
Vivid imagination.
Excellent ideas.
Appreciate art & beauty.
Reflect on things.
Use difficult words.
The other day, I asked Alexus Collette, CEO - Philips, Bangalore, on what kind of engineers he recruited & his answer- those with a strong OTE.
Recruiters these days do test you on this personality trait & many organizations judge this as the most important competence that they want their employees to have.
So is the length of the Hoogly important?
