By Jaisurya Das
Ben Tornato Signore e signori!  Raised eyebrow? It’s just my customary welcome but this time in Italian. I sometimes wonder if the overdose of Fettuccine and Fusilli at the city’s restaurants are getting to me!
Don’t get me wrong here, but when my neighbourhood Mangalorean joint has ‘Penne Arrabbiata’ and ‘Spaghetti Carbonara’ sharing space with the legendary ‘Neer Dosa’ and ‘Prawn Gassi’, it worries me!
It’s hard enough getting your ‘Chutney’ right so don’t complicate matters. If you have perfected the art, stick to it and ignore the long complicated names albeit their fancy aura!
I wonder at times how good or bad I would have been as a Chef, if I had continued in the trade I was educated in. One gets enamoured easily by our environs and the rest is history. It’s important to understand that most of us are not built to fit every container that life throws at us.
I remember the time when I told my father that I hated the hotel industry and hated my work, he smirked and said ‘“Stick to your knitting son but, don’t forget to check if you own the right set of needles†Thank you Dad, You were right through and through. I wasn’t equipped with the right tools for the hospitality industry. Amen.
We do famously in our trade, earn a great reputation and then clamour for more, forgetting that one’s niche may be way better than mass. So we have media-men learning to cook and chef’s learning to be media savvy. Such is the world. Never satisfied are we?
Well, if you’ve got it in you go ahead and flaunt it. But if you don’t, stick to your knitting, be it the carbonara or the chutney..
On that divinely gastronomic note. It’s time to move on to our questions for this week from the cities of Delhi, Bhopal, Kochi and Bengaluru. As always, Dear MxM is at its candid best to guide you through this viciously super phase that we call life@work !
Should it not be compulsory for media schools to necessarily have teaching faculty that has spent some years in the industry – in a creative or media agency or as a journalist?
Hello and thanks for writing in to us with a pertinent question. I have reason to agree with you on this, since media and advertising is about experience both in terms of creating one and living another. A strong theoretical base is indeed important however, it’s incomplete without having gone through the grind at work.The finer nuances of our trade and the idiosyncrasies of its constituents is something that no text book can teach you.You have to be there to live this real time!
I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with faculty at the best media schools in the country where the experienced colleagues always stand apart.
They speak with authority and have answers to almost every question, as is becoming of a mentor who is powered by experiential acumen. Mandatory industry experience as a pre-requisite is a call that institutes and universities must take to ensure quality. Either way, I have always believed the wheat finally gets separated from the chaff, no matter what.
I have a medical condition and my bosses tell me that they will not give me long leave. This has resulted in a situation where I aggravate my health or quit. Jobs are not available easily. What should I do? Please help.
Oops! Tough call for both the parties involved… While I sympathise with you on your current dilemma, I must confess that its difficult in today’s circumstances its tough for firms to let go of their critical resources for long periods of time. Employers no longer buffer numbers to take care of such exigencies in view of the high overheads involved.
With a volatile business environment companies are already grappling with poor bottomlines and hence cost measures get increasingly important. You are obviously an integral part of the working of the company and hence that much more indispensable at this juncture.  My only suggestion would be to seek a second opinion on your health condition and act accordingly. It’s best not to risk working here or elsewhere till you are perfectly healthy. All good wishes for your speedy recovery. May the force be with you.
A senior colleague in my organisation behaved incorrectly with me. My friends tell me that I shouldn’t bother because a hug here and there and some foul language are a done thing in the media. What is your advice, Sir?
Thanks for writing in to Dear MxM ! Am sorry to hear this. Unfortunately this has become a common concern across industries despite special committees and taskforces being set up every other day. Preventing sexual harassment is important, but easier said than done.
No! contrary to what your friends said, this kind of behaviour is certainly not accepted in the media industry either. My honest advice to everyone is to kick where it hurts. I know this sounds almost childlike but I for one believe in the dictum “An eye for an eyeâ€.
Disgusting to say the least, the perpetrators actually get away scotfree most often. I believe almost 90% of these incidents are relegated to the archives as yet another misunderstanding that had nothing carnal about it! I have been part of two such committees in large organisations and consequently at the receiving end of complaints and justification/ explanations from colleagues on such incidents. The toughest part of being able to get anywhere with these cases is the lack of clarity on what defines sexual harassment.
For the record, the law ‘Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013’ defines this in great detail, so much so, that most of us can be deemed guilty of sexual harassment one way or the other.
Think twice before you pull up a colleague for non- performance ( and how it can result in him/her being asked to leave ) for the law implicitly states “implied or explicit threat about her present or future employment status†may be deemed to be sexual harassment. I know it sounds funny but believe there are people who use these clauses to haul people into court ! While this issue has its share of ambiguity, its amply understood that it cannot be taken lightly under any circumstances. This applies to the victim and the senior management of this organisation. Any attempt to hush this up and not report an incident such may precipitate this malaise further, besides being a violation of the said law.
Apologies my friend for having digressed, but coming back to your question and the advice you sought if it’s about physical contact and the like, one good way would be a tight slap! Not many people enjoy getting that! If that doesn’t work, I would think the use of some of the best expletives available across languages would come in handy accompanied with a few more slaps.  And, yes, if all this fails, escalate the incident to the higher authorities in your company or just find yourself another job.
I have just started a new website, and I am operating from home. Do I need to go in for a licence for operating a business out of home?
Yes, you need to have an establishment licence in some states of our country (Shops and Establishment Act etc.) especially if you do employ any people to carry out your business.  As far as I know, there aren’t any laws governing the running of internet-based sites etc and hence there is still lack of clarity on the legalities for websites. However, getting yourself a registration under the respective state’s Shops and Establishment Act is advisable.
While this will involve keeping some basic records etc, it’s not a very arduous process and hence sensible.This will give your business some amount of legal standing should the need arise.  Besides this, depending on your role and nature of work you will need to get yourself registered with the Excise Department for Service Tax. Some states like Maharashtra require you to have a Professional-Tax Registration as well.
Income tax formalities have to be complied with and PAN and other numbers obtained for both the individual and business ( basis the type of business e.g. Pvt Ltd, Proprietorship, etc ) before commencement.
All the very best to you! I wish the new web venture good tidings.
And thus ended this week at Dear MxM ! It’s time to say Ciao and wish you all a wonderful weekend ahead! We will be back with fresh perspective, more entertainment and much candidity next Thursday, same space. Until then, do continue to questions us on editor@mxmindia.com superscribing ‘Dear MxM’ and ‘ your city’ in the subject line.
Jaisurya Das, this maverick media evangelist eats sleeps and romances brands! His cerebral consulting interventions are geared to make your brands powerful and sustainable. Incidentally he is also Contributing Editor of MxM India. For more information on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in The views expressed in this column are his own.