| Monday |
| It's 10.30 in the morning and I am getting ready to leave for work. The torrential rains and the resulting roads in Mumbai make the once-routine task of riding to office as exhilarating as going to battle. I can't help feeling like a gladiator "" I wear my long-suffering rain shoes, body armour (read padded rain jacket), gloves and helmet in preparation. The 11-km commute is transformed into an adventure. Rain comes pelting hard and the famous potholes have now become landmarks of sorts. |
| Tuesday |
| I am working on a story on fairness creams for men. Yes. For a guy who's used to being told that he's tall, dark and handsome, listening to brand managers of fairness creams endlessly babble on about the importance of "being fair" is very troubling. Says one: "Govind, in India, being good looking and fair is synonymous." Really? Here's more: "Fair men get the girls. They also have an edge at their work place and tend to climb the ladder faster." Amazing. How I wish these conversations were not cross-country telecons, but face-to-face meetings. Would they have managed to say with a straight face "" "Looking fair is very important." |
| Thursday |
| 5.30 pm. An interesting game of cat and mouse is being played. An FMCG major is on the verge of closing a deal on a large acquisition. I have been given the task of following up with the company to get the scoop on the deal. After hours of fruitless chasing, the corporate communication head unexpectedly calls me to say that their MD would like to have a chat with me the next day. "Is it about the deal?" I ask. "Not sure, he just wants to have a chat," comes the reply. In all probability, the company will announce the deal to everyone the next day, so I call the MD right away to get the first-mover advantage, but he doesn't answer the phone. I reach another director from the same firm. Me: Congratulations on closing the deal. X: Sorry, what deal? Me: Oh, you don't know about the deal? X: No, I don't know what deal you are talking about, Govind. All I know is that my MD wants to have a chat with you at 2.30 tomorrow. Earlier in the week, we had already carried a story saying that the firm would close the deal soon, so with little to add we chose to say nothing. |
| Friday |
| The company holds a press conference announcing the deal in the morning. To his credit, the director apologises for his bout of amnesia the day before and cites the reasons why he couldn't have spoken about it. The MD then goes on to tell me about the deal, the advantages of it, the financing, the companies involved and so on. Then he asks, "How did you guys come to know about it?" Well, now it was my turn to suffer from a sudden bout of amnesia: "I don't know. Somebody from some another bureau filed it. I don't know her, I also don't know who gave her the tip." |
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
