A to Z Work Travelogue : Yerevan, Yah!

He stood at the airport holding his wife’s favorite jacket. We had agreed that late February would be a good time to visit—spring just setting in, the chill fading. But the day before I landed, a snow alert was issued and temperatures plunged. From the airport, we drove straight to the market for fur-lined boots.

To set the stage, let me rewind a few years. One afternoon, I received a call from my colleague who headed international business. "Hey, Madhu, come over. I want you to meet a very interesting person. Let’s have lunch together."

That’s how I first met M—magnetic in presence, with a disarming energy. He had tracked down our company through old Soviet-era connections—back when lead-acid battery manufacturers in the USSR signed large annual contracts. M was especially keen on our brand. On his first visit, he brought an interpreter, but there was a certain dissonance. The meeting still went well, and it was the start of a long association. On subsequent trips, M came alone, armed only with a dictionary. The interpreter, he confessed, could not convey the spirit of his remarks— the empathy he felt was essential to negotiation.

Years later, once his business with us was firmly established, he insisted I visit Armenia to see what he had built for our brand. I spent just under a week there. Days were devoted to visiting stores; evenings were spent with his family. His mother sat at the head of the table, a gentle smile on her face, her keen eyes making sure my plate was never empty. M’s sister—an English teacher, interpreter, and gifted storyteller—spoke with pride about Armenian history, culture and heritage.

One evening, she told me the story of the salt cellar—an essential in every Armenian home. Handmade in the shape of a pregnant woman, it symbolized both life and fortune. Landlocked and often war-ravaged, Armenia depended on imported salt, which was precious and entrusted to the matriarch. She held it symbolically “in her womb” and dispensed it sparingly, preserving not just the family’s food but its fortune. Linked to Anahit, the Armenian goddess of fertility, these cellars are still proudly displayed as cultural heirlooms.

I also learned of Armenia’s deep historical ties with India, particularly Kolkata and Chennai. At the Etchmiadzin Church, I was surprised to hear of the 18th-century Armenian Church in Chennai—and felt a tad shy as the priest obviously expected to learn more from me.

Driving through Yerevan was like leafing through a living history book. Every heritage building had a story to tell. In open-air markets, stalls brimmed with hand-crafted pottery, wood carvings, jewelry, and woven textiles in a riot of colors. And no matter the hour, every home welcomed guests with bread, fresh salads, sweets, and dried fruits.

Some images stay forever in the mind; others are lost when photographs fade or disappear. M visited our plants many more times, eventually leaving his dictionary behind entirely. I moved to another industry, but our friendship endured—woven into the fabric of shared meals, exchanged stories, and the crisp spring air of Yerevan.

Bavaria Beyond Bratwurst

Food is more than sustenance — it is an expression of culture, heritage, and
creativity. Experience it firsthand or stay with beliefs, “German food is all about
frankfurters and bratwurst”, like we did before our Munich trip.

Bavaria's varied landscape, from mountainous areas to fertile plains and a lake that's large
enough to be called the Bavarian Sea, has influenced what crops and livestock are
raised, leading to regional specialties. Additionally, Bavaria's history as a crossroads
for trade and migration has brought in diverse culinary traditions. 

Our exploration understandably began with sausages. We met the famous Weißwurst – in Marienplatz, which claims right of origin on these delicate white sausages, simmered in hot water to leave a mild, tender and juicy flavor. The ‘little finger-length' sausages of Nurnberg still grilled over beechwood, date back to early 14th century and tell its own story of economic hardship when the locals settled for smaller portions of their favorite food and made it a city tradition.

Delicate White Sausages

Little-finger length Sausages

The Spätzle, an egg pasta topped with crispy brown onions and cheese, is a
deceptively simple but tricky dish to get right. The soft dough is dropped directly into
boiling water to make tiny dough balls affectionately called Spatzles or little
sparrows. Ergo, if the dough sticks or gets lumpy the cook is chided for making
“ravens”.

Our Spatzles that had turned "ravens"

It is amazing how you find in distant lands familiar flavors of home. The
Leberknödel or liver-dumpling soup was like a cross between a Kashmiri Gustaba -
that single large dumpling, and a Rishta, for its brown gravy. The pounded meats in
all three dishes break down in their delicate soups to make a nourishing mouthful.

Gustaba or Leberknodle Souppe?

The knotty pretzels and beers would make for another piece all together. Before
signing off, however, one has to mention the Obatzda, a soft, spiced cheese-spread
topped with chives and onions - so good with the salted pretzels and washed down
with beer.

Pretzels with Obatzda

A to Z Work Travelogue : Significant Singapore

 Last week, I returned to Singapore after 22 years. In those days, I was handling the International Business for Exide batteries and my colleagues at the Singapore office played a significant role in sourcing business in South East Asia. Typically, one covered the Malaysia and Singapore markets in these visits.

Returning after such a long gap and with only one evening to spare, I knew I had to make it to the Marina Bay. Like any other major global city, Singapore keeps rejuvenating and reinventing to stay relevant and the Marina Bay was the spot for feeling the pulse. The redevelopment has included restoring historical landmarks, introducing new landmark buildings and the development of the Marina Bay.  Today, a stock-shot of Singapore is the Marina Sands Skypark and Sands Theatre, a shift from the endearing Merlion. Then, I had an early glimpse of this transformation. The grand old building of The Fullerton (constructed in 1928) turned into a luxurious five-star hotel after housing for many years various government departments. The building's original facade has been retained and refurbished with its interior remodeled. From Marina Bay and all the way up the Singapore River Banks, the renewed Singapore was evident. In buildings and areas like One Fullerton, once the Master Attendant's Pier (and, our conference venue) , the old Waterboat office, Clifford Pier and old favorites like Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. What's more, the city mascot the Merlion had also moved position in these intervening years.

The most personal moment was when my ex-colleague recommended that we take the Marina boat ride. He was responsible for moving the authorities to take a shift from the polluting, noisy, diesel engines to silent battery power, sometime around 2007. As I took videos, he smilingly reminded me that he had made it a noise free possibility!

On the flight back, I couldn't help but reflect on that "me" in Singapore in the earlier days and now. The visits used to be a fascinating whirlwind of bay-side dinners and shopping after a long day's work. There was an awe about the stores, the brands, the social gaiety and mouth watering seafood. While my colleague still suggested that I should check out the Marina Arcade Ralph Lauren and Apple experience centers for the unique customer experience, I demurred. The national-international divide has blurred over the years. The lights, the malls and the food are no longer as fascinating.

This visit, post the river ride, one sat and relaxed with a drink. Of course, there was a lot of catching up we had to do on the personal front. As we talked, I observed life go by in this captivating city. One still  marvels at the vibrant riverfront, the attention to preserving heritage even as the city is continuously modernizing, the concentration of tourists, work-travelers and locals in open-air restaurants along the riverfront exuding collective energy. 

I didn't have the time to check out the green-drive at Changi airport or Gardens by the Bay and also the new generation green-terraced apartments. What remains unchanged and uniquely defines the success of the city is what I term "speed and efficiency at work". The immigration, the hotel, currency exchange, the meetings were the few touchpoints I could test in this 24-hour trip and I felt again that awe of yesteryears.

A to Z Work Travelogue : Enchanting Egypt

 “I thought she was unmarried because she laughs a lot”!

This was wisdom from our day guide in Cairo. We were a small group out sightseeing on our last day in Egypt. The guide took great pains to explain to me that I could marry and stay back in his beautiful country, given their favorable laws. To support his case, he also tried to impress me by talking about how he was pursuing a PhD. After quite a bit of this throughout the day, a colleague decided to inform the guide that I was married and had two children, leading to his comment.

 

Of all the countries I have traveled to on work, the romantic disposition of the Egyptian male beat others hollow. I got a total of 3 marriage proposals over a five-day visit! At the same time, I met one of the Group’s smartest production heads and the only lady I have seen in that role in the lead-acid battery industry. There is no intended social commentary here, as the sample size was too small, but the stark contrast was not to be forgotten.

 

Egypt is one country where it was difficult to balance work and leisure. It is the only country in my work visits where I had planned sightseeing. It helped that some programs like the sound and light show at the Giza pyramids and the Nile River cruise were end of day activities. It is also true that like the Sri Lankans in Egypt, the locals took a lot of pride in showcasing their sights and lifestyle.

Shopping was a glorious ritual. Firstly, there were many touristy souvenirs to take back home, and you couldn’t rush through the purchase. The shopkeeper would refuse to engage early on any discussions on price, opting to first display all his wares. This would be followed by generous praise for my smile. Finally, a lot of haggling and one would necessarily walk away with some delicate glass item wrapped carefully for its long journey back.

 

In fact, this cultural disposition for bargaining is something I learnt the hard way some months after this visit. One of the prospective customers and a rich investor at that, returned our visit. While business meetings were all in Kolkata, he had asked to arrange a visit to the Infosys campus. After this, we went to a high-end saree store in Bangalore, where he liked many pieces. He explained how these would make unique dresses for the ladies of the house. Confident that his large selection would entitle him to some discount he was very disappointed to be read out the store policy. By then we were getting late for our flight and quickly had to close the purchase and leave. Our customer was irate and did not speak to me till we got on to the flight. Luckily, the in-flight magazine was carrying a centerspread advertisement on the same store with much mention about its unique sarees (none having duplicates) and celebrity clientele. Our guest chose to concede the point and with a grin said that bargaining is a sport, and a little concession would have made him much happier with his purchase.

Most of my international work travel happened when the children were very young and I was focused on pushing for more distributor meetings and returning home quickly. It was well before the Instagram era and with sketchy memories and lost photographs these few social moments remain. The buyer I spoke about was a Moroccan businessman settled in Egypt. I treasure the book on Moroccan cooking that he gifted to us. Most of all, I treasure the lessons learnt in relationship building, high voltage emotion-led negotiations and the subtle art of business being sealed over a hearty meal!

 

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A to Z Work Travelogue - Dazzling Dubai (& Rest of UAE)

Dubai was business nerve centre for us. A critical gateway to CIS countries and North Africa and with a reasonably good local demand, it was very important for our international business vertical. I made several visits, there, over a four year period from 2001 - 2005 for bulk-purchase deals, enroute to CIS countries, to catch up with other distributors from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, a local dealers' conference, part of a CII business delegation and also for an Auto major's vendor conference. Every time, I went back to the city I marveled at the change, the energy and the vision shared by our business partners and local administrators.

 

The desert safaris, dune bashing, belly dancing, stroll along the Abu Dhabi Corniche, the white sands of Al Fujairah, sunset cruise at Dubai Marina, the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah beach, indeed, there is a lot to see. Given my several visits, I was able to phase all this out.

Strolling down the streets of  Bur Dubai, it is hard to remember that the city is built on a desert. Vision lay strong in conceptualizing, whether it was the Al Jumeirah to be built such that it could be seen from space or the falcon symbolizing Abu Dhabi's virtual drive. This was brought home to me while accompanying a government delegation and some industrialists from Kolkata. The then Eastern Region CII director suggested that business visitors to Dubai might like to enjoy tourism with their families in a Jaipur or Delhi, suggesting a probable area of cooperation. A very senior official we were meeting, gave a gentle smile and responded,

"We are in agreement that in years to come, business and recreation will increasingly merge. We are also clear that business will only go to those countries where there are recreation options and we are focused on creating such an ecosystem". 

I saw a lot of this change pan out over the 5 years UAE was my market.

 

Dubai, however, is one place I will remember for business first. In the battery trade there are a large number of dealers from Bangladesh and market visit actually made sense. The dealers were candid and one received useful insights. Our product carried a six-month (from date of sale) warranty and to monitor misuse we implemented a settlement mechanism of 9 months from date of manufacturing with our distributors. Obviously there was a push back (as dealers wanted a clear settlement of cases within six months of sale) and I went to understand if it was actually affecting the dealer. At one counter with dis-arming frankness a dealer showed me some tally marks on the last page of a copy book. 

"I face no problems, he said". "Mostly the rich Sheiks do not bother to check on the warranty terms and if a battery fails under 9 months they simply buy a new one. I keep these discarded batteries aside and that is the top line of tally marks. Sometimes I face a sticky customer and have to provide a free replacement i.e. the bottom row of tally marks. I simply substitute one for the other as a claim. Company is happy as replacement is within agreed date code and I am happy knowing that I have played fair"! 

 

Amidst such business nuggets, one met customers from various countries. One buyer from Afghanistan, joined us for lunch at an Indian restaurant. We had ordered a biryani, which to our palate was bland with a capital B! Our buyer, however, was sweating profusely and had found the dish pungent. His story was that in his village they dressed a kid goat with some oil and salt and buried it several feet under the sand for some days. When baked to perfection, the same was largely eaten with local bread and dry fruits. 

 

I remember well the magnetic presence of the founder of  Easa Sales Al Gurg, our distributors in the UAE (and regret deeply having misplaced the photographs with him taken on the rooftop of the ESAG towers with the Dubai skyline in the background). A dynamic personality into business, politics and diplomacy, he was the Ambassador to the UK for over a decade. When he stepped down, his daughter Dr Raja Easa Sales Al Gurg picked up the reins of the business. She embraced me warmly as one of the tribe and we had an engaging conversation about women leadership.

Matching, equally, such exotic stories, one had the opportunity to sample world cuisine. You could be seriously spoilt for choice, here. 

My last trip was in 2015, after a 10-year gap, taking our cement dealers for the Annual Conference. By popular choice, the main event was at the Atlantis. The dealers were chuffed over the experience of arriving at the Atlantis in limousines. This, probably is the last few memories I carry about the UAE. As mentioned before, I changed companies thrice and, somewhere misplaced a host of photographs. In fact, my first digital camera was picked up at the Carrefour in Dubai!

Forgetting

I was to take a flight back last week and luckily checked my purse that morning, only to find I was not carrying my house keys. It would have been a disaster arriving past 11 pm and not being able to let myself into the flat. As it happened, there is a duplicate in my office and I asked a colleague to send it across through the driver, saving myself some hassle and much embarrassment. 

I have always had a curiosity or call it fascination about the act of forgetting. From a literary point of view, an early recall is a Marathi poem we learnt in junior school called “Mama ki ainak” or Uncle’s spectacles. Uncle turned the house upside down one day and scolded all and sundry for not knowing where he had kept his spectacles. Most of the family kept a safe distance fearing his temper. At the end, the spunkiest and the youngest child pointed out that his spectacles were resting on his head! Robert Lynd’s essay on the subject is another piece I had saved for many years in a scrap book and would return to reading it occasionally. In the wonderland of Wodehouse, there was the forgetful Lord Emsworth whose mind had space for only two worthy causes – his gardening and his prize pig. All else he was susceptible to forget, providing the delightful plots for the Blanding’s series. Of the many Wodehouse stories, the one I remember best is Money in the Bank. Here Lord something-something, turned the family wealth into a stash of diamonds and hid it away, leaving a cryptic note in his diary – “money in the bank”. This in normal course would not have been a problem but, the Lord explicitly did not trust the Banks. Many delightful, Wodehouse style incidents later the true location of the diamonds turns out to be the bank of the pond at the Lord’s mansions. 

I am not a stranger to forgetful situations. I remember once, driving in for petrol at the AAEI petrol pump on Ballygunge Circular Road, topping up the tank, only to realize that I was not carrying my purse. Luckily, in those days I was working with Exide and had launched a battery branded specifically for taxis at AAEI. One of the attendants recognized me and we agreed that the money could be paid when returning from work that evening. Such an incident should have ensured that I never forgot to take my purse, but this didn’t happen. I went on to avail of services at my parlor, only to figure out I was carrying my purse but sans cash. I drove down a good five kilometers in lunch break to pick up our wedding photographs and, guess what? Again, without purse or cash! This time I wasn’t as lucky. The horrible owner refused to part with the photos till paid in FULL! 

Some days back, a lady posted on Twitter that she cannot figure out how her customers of bespoke sarees, who take a lot of effort to work out unique designs with her, manage to forget the same in the hotels they visit. Well, I have a host of stories in that line. The happier ones have been where I came home and checked immediately and could retrieve the same. Most times, I have realized only when I wanted to wear that outfit, many days later. Trident holds the gold standard in hotels for me. I once left a T-shirt there and they were kind enough to tag this to my husband’s privilege account and hand it over to him on his next visit. My pet peeve is that all Hotels should provide chargers. I am sure there are many like me who leave behind chargers that can easily provide for a back-up bank at no extra cost. 

What probably even my family doesn’t know, I once almost set a prestigious Club on fire by leaving the dry kettle on. This was in early days when kettles did not have reliable cut-offs and the room had a little note requesting that it be unplugged when not in use. They tracked me down and I had to pay damages – kettle and burnt-out socket. I considered that my lucky day!

Seasonal Flowers

 

“A flower’s appeal is in its contradictions – so delicate in form yet strong in fragrance, so small in size yet big in beauty, so short in life yet long on effect.” – Terry Guillemets

 

Impatiens tended to by the hubby

Another winter is here. The Impatiens are in full bloom. I sit here, marveling at the range of colors. Science teaches us that a flower absorbs all other colors in the light spectrum, except for the color we see. So, the red flower is absorbing the VIBGYO, except for red and the yellow flower is absorbing VIBGYR and reflecting the yellow. Now visualize a flower bed; each flower exhibits individualism in absorbing a unique set of colors and at the same time exhibits teamwork in lending a different color in the bunch. Would we not want to be the same as human beings? Bring color, absorb the unwanted vices, reflect the wanted virtues and add color to this world in a state of harmony.

 

Petunias

Last year we had only Petunias in our balcony garden. All flowers bloomed in a purple and wore a monotonous look. This year, we did not want to take a chance and added Impatiens for variety. The Petunias are now in full bloom and their burst of colors is jostling with the Impatiens for attention. We would like to believe that a little competition brought out the best in the Petunias.

The Sunflower standing tall

Seasonal flowers evoke many memories. I grew up in a small but beautiful and open south-west facing flat in Bombay. In one corner of the balcony, Mom had a deep and wide concrete flowerbed. Through the year, Mom worked to tease green shoots from seeds and tend the plants to grow the season’s flowers. Sunflowers, Zinnias, Balsam, Flocks, Verbena, Petunias, Chrysanthemums, Marigolds are some I vividly remember. As the season got over, she neatly snipped off the flowers just before they started to whither and these went into a variety of vases in all our rooms. I recall one birthday (in July), when she made me a hairband with colorful Balsams. At the same time, I remember a day when she toppled over her most favorite vase (Czechoslovakian crystal and a wedding gift) and stayed quiet and withdrawn for the greater part of the day. Such happy and sad memories, together make our lives. Mine are intertwined in this array of colors.

The fragrant lilies with nestling insects

We changed many homes between Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi but seasonal flowers remained a constant in our lives. So much so that my sister and daughter are nurturing this hobby with full acknowledgement to the passion that Mom inculcated in them. Some blooms, like this red Dahlia, I have photographed in Mom's garden almost three decades back. Lilies find their way from garden to vases, as they have done in the family for generations. 

Dahlias across the generations

Cherry Blossoms

The Wistful Wisteria

The daughter has taken this love many miles away and sends us pictures of Primroses as we had only read in Enid Blyton's books. Her garden has many rare flowers like Wisteria, Anemones, Morning Glory, Tulips and Daffodils. The sister, occasionally, sends a good morning message with some rare flowers from her balcony garden.

In all its Morning Glory

 

Enid Blyton and the Primroses

I continue to stand by and take pleasure. In my teenage years I used to take photographs and make out handmade greeting cards with prints of the flowers. Now, I doff my hat to the husband and ladies and put up a post or two on Instagram. In the rush of life, it is important to take those moments to appreciate beauty and thank those who bring it so endearingly in our lives.

Pansies from Daughter's and Sister's gardens