Yours Truly!

I spoke about Mélange here. It's been almost two years now and we have had reasons to pat our backs :).

One fairly popular section in the newsletter is called 'Yours Truly'. The editorial team chooses a person every month and interviews them - questions range from anything related to work to personal life, and so on, making the "interrogation" sessions quite engaging! 

This month, yours truly was picked for 'Yours Truly' - it was a tad bit embarrassing to have myself interviewed - though I assure you that the questioning team ensured nothing short of a ragging session - having known me pretty well, they knew exactly what questions to ask and what answers to get. It was fun, and yes an honor :D. 

Reproducing the published piece here...

Mélange: As the quintessential 'Hill girl‘ you have been caught many a times complaining about Chennai heat, the crowd and your fear of tan. But Chennai usually grows into people, did it for you? Why?

Yuvika: I share a love-hate relationship with Chennai. It has grown into me to a certain extent. To enjoy any  place, you just need to be with the right people!

Mélange: Your claim to fame?

Yuvika: I would like to believe that I am an “awesome” technical writer – my primary role in the  organization.  I have been quite infamous for my conversation skill and the volume associated with it ;)

Mélange: Secret of your energy?

Yuvika: Definitely not Boost! I am a very energetic person – was born  that way ;). Early to bed and early to rise is a good mantra too!

Mélange: How do you hail autos?

Yuvika: I don’t need to hail! They come to me :P! I have improved my bargaining skills over the years. Once I paid ‘nooru’ (100) instead of ‘enbadhu’ (80), which was quoted by the driver. ‘Nooru’– the standard rate.

Mélange: What were the gains and the pains about Mélange?

Yuvika: Gains - We were the first to come up with an organization wide newsletter - a lot of communication  has  been  enabled  ever  since. So I’m very proud to be associated with Mélange.

Pains - Coordination between the two centers has been difficult. Keeping everyone interested every edition  has always been a challenge and will continue to be so.

Mélange: Your most memorable moments at Chennai?

Yuvika: There have been many memorable moments. The late nights and even over nights, thanks to AnalyticsSuite, have been  so full of fun (and work!). I have enjoyed the out-bound training trips to the hilt – have got to experience new adventures. And of course, dare I say, the most important one would be, learning all the tamil bad words.

Mélange: Delhi or Chennai?

Yuvika: Both are home for me now. And I crib about both equally!

Mélange: Penchant for “dapankuthu”? Favourite “kuthu” song?

Yuvika: The songs are full of life and energy. I don’t need to understand the words. They are very relatable. I love “Naa adicha thaanga maata” (Sings a few lines of the popular Vijay number)

Mélange: You have time and again played the role of a pacifist in highly charged situations in the making of Mélange  issues. Where does this come from?

Yuvika: I like to get things moving. I feel some conflicts are a waste of time and not worth the energy and time that goes  into them, and hence try my best to pacify the situation!

Mélange: Ericsson jargons that you hate?

Yuvika: I usually hate jargons such as ‘paradigm shift’ and the likes that are often used out of context or way too frequently to  convey  anything  of  great  value. The one phrase I would really like to change in Ericsson  though is “man-hours” – Quality and Process manuals around the world are changing to person hours. We need to do that at Ericsson too! We need to acknowledge the women-hours, don’t we ;)?

Mélange: If Google offered you a job on the condition you stay quiet for 5 hours, would you do that?

Yuvika: No, I wouldn’t. If an employer cannot appreciate a defining aspect of my personality, there's no point working for them! :P

Mélange:  5  things  you  would  carry  with  you  if  you  were  marooned  on an  island?

Yuvika: Sunscreen, Hat, Sunglasses, Lip Balm, and ofcourse my Blackberry to live tweet and post FB updates!

Mélange: Can you tell us one full line in tamil and translate it?

Yuvika: Naan unnai romba kaadhalikkiren - which translates to I love you very  much.

Mélange: What will you miss most about Mélange and your most memorable moments?

Yuvika: I will miss the happiness and the almost bloated sense of achievement when I see Melange open on most screens the minute each  edition goes out!

As for memorable moments: The first issue was very special. The first anniversary gave a sense of achievement.

Mélange: How would you rate your tamil pronunciations?

Yuvika: I have always been ‘bang on’ with the pronunciation of all the bad words. Favorite: ‘Ootla sollitu vandhutiya’

Mélange: Five Favorite places in Chennai?

Yuvika: Kodambakkam train station (there’s so much ‘life’ to observe at a station)

Grand Sweets and Snacks (am addicted to their kuzhi panniyaram)

Khader Nawaz Khan Road (the shopping options and eateries are wonderful there)

Mahabalipuram (love the temple architecture and the relatively clean beaches)

Zara’s (this one for fine dining ;))

Trivia...

First Tamil Movie: Kandukondein  Kandukondein (with subtitles!)

Holiday destination you would like to visit:  Greece

Fav cuisine: Italian

Fav movies: Lovey dovey romances, candy  floss love stories and most of the chick flicks

Fav Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez