Much as the bra-burning feminists of yesteryears have decried biology as destiny, one cannot and should not deny a woman's intrinsic qualities that make her react uniquely to any given situation. To label women as unprofessional if they do not maintain the stiff upper lip at all cost or emulate the behavior of their male colleagues, is a gross injustice. To women, nurturing comes almost as second nature. When that quality is applied to managing a company it is bound to pay rich dividends. Here of course Indian men are at a disadvantage. Though the image of the sensitive, caring, sharing man of the new millennia, a la the Complete Man of Raymonds Suitings advertisement has touched a cord among certain sections of society, majority are still hung up on men with a severe patriarchal hangover faithfully depicted in every mainstream film churned out by Bollywood. By and large, women in India are better able to obey orders or take criticisms without getting into ego hassles. Indian men, on the other hand, reared on the infallibility of male wisdom are less able to take orders or criticism without it acting as a blow to their king-size egos. Especially if the boss is a woman. So confusion reigns in the minds of men as well as women as to what are the parameters of professionalism.
Kaushiki Sanyal is a content writer with an encyclopaedic travel website

But, mind you, despite this stress-evoking environment, she will not allow her general awareness levels to fall lax. From the husband-snatching vamps of 'Saans' and the domestic turmoils of 'Amanat' to the supreme virtues displayed by the neighbourhood bahu/saas (depending upon which camp she belongs to), she can conduct a discourse on it all.
Imagine, where would the Indian fashion industry be today had it not been for the invaluable contributions emanating from these discussions held in the ladies rooms of our offices. Thanks to the beauty tips exchanged and the latest trends talked about, our "paint and pump" industry has been able to stay "forever young" as is the dolled up Mrs Gupta with her following of the diehard trendy neighbours.
Do you have any idea about how difficult it is to keep that lipstick unsmudged, the rustling saree uncrumpled, talk intellectual stuff on the aesthetics of the present day tinsel world, and at the same time diligently honor their professional obligations. But the lady still manages to do it like a trapeze artist because she is BETTER than us -- incompetent men.
Hey! Am I not being too hard on my own kind? I mean, even we contribute to the nation in our own way, don't we? We too are equally patriotic. Just the other day in the office both Raghav and I had our ears glued to the transistor set the whole day listening to the India-Pakistan match played in B'desh. Even if it meant that we had to sacrifice hours of our "office-time", we supported our haloed countrymen battling to safeguard India's honor. Morever, it is thanks to the efforts of the likes of us, that thousands of chaiwallahs and cigarettewallahs around our offices manage to feed their families. Right? RIGHT.


Mohit Chandna, formerly with Express Computers, is a freelance writer