A blog of my feelings…ranging from commenting about other's blogs to commenting about stuff which happens in life and from posting mails which I like, to ranting on stuff.

I guess this might be a controversial topic that I am blogging about, but hell, here goes. This is just my opinion and there might be a lot of people who agree or disagree to me. If I know myself well enough, this is not going to be a one-sided opinion. I have multiple views on the same and I am just trying to put them across.

NOTE: I have worked in a BPO as an executive, I have also worked in a software company and am currently working in a Services and Solutions Company. Whatever I might write here are my experiences in life and my views and thoughts about the same and CANNOT BE GENERALIZED TO ALL THE GIRLS OR ALL THE BPO’S!!! Also, this is a view of me only and has nothing to do with my present or past employers.

In order to give a better idea of what I am trying to point out here via this blogpost, just do a google search for “BPO Girls” and one of the top results would lead to a website having some girls wearing skimpy outfits and dancing in a discotheque in Pune. Though the company name is mentioned, I would not like to mention the same here. You could notice girls in compromising positions with guys and the total term given to this set of photos (or album, if u want to term it that way) is BPO Girls!!!

This is heights… Does this mean all girls who work in BPOs would have this attitude which is “Un-Indian”???

Talking abt “Un-Indian” attitude, what is “Un-Indian”? No, I am not supporting / talking abt ShivSena or Mutalik or the RSS here. By the term “Un-Indian” attitude I mean to point out all those activities which WOULD HAVE RAISED an eyebrow of their parents. Please note that I am not telling that it is wrong to “flaunt” your freedom and show your modern thoughts. Nor am I telling that I do it or that it is right. I am taking a neutral stance as of now!

We have a lot of girls working in the BPO who are working in a BPO for the sake of supporting their families. I personally know a few people who have quit their wonderful professions and have joined a BPO coz they can get a better salary and perks. So, I hope it is clear now that all the girls in the BPO Industry would not be interested to “flaunt” their freedom and “capacity” to spend money partying every weekend.

Now, before someone actually starts wondering as to why I started this blogpost specifically to girls and even more so to girls working with BPOs, I was recently told by a person, a “so-called” friend of mine; that girls in the BPO Industry and who do Night shifts would lose their charm and can be viewed only with lust in the eyes for some physical/sensual pleasure and not for a good relationship. I got enraged and am still enraged. How could he even think about a girl like that? Did the Industry deserve this for having tried to help the girl earn her bread and butter? I would not say so!

I have had many a friend in a BPO and my first “relationship” was with a girl in my first company. How the relationship progressed and ended is not related to this blogpost. I did love her, I even do feel for her currently, but unfortunately, the feeling which was mutual is now a one-sided feeling and she has moved on, for the better or worse, I have no idea and I am not bothered. All that I know is that I still would love to get back in touch with her and be her friend atleast, if not anything more! I’ve dreamt about her and I still can recall her smiling face when I close my eyes.. Babe, I miss u now!!!

Now, this would have to actually make me feel that the girls of a BPO would play with the emotions of a guy and leave him “high and dry” (in whatever way you consider this term ) But no, I have also interacted with many people who have stayed true to their hearts, to their friends and boyfriends and girlfriends and they have moved on together in their careers/life.

Also, take a note of this fact. Most of the BPOs, say 95%, would have a dedicated “Employee Relations” team and only a few software companies, say 35%, would have one. This shows how much BPOs care about their staff. Unfortunately, the entier BPO Industry is a victim of ever increasing attrition rates and there is no recession to the employee in a BPO. Probably, s/he might be not having her/his appraisals done on time, but s/he would get all the facilities, the incentives, bonuses and everything that the company owes her/him ontime.

Coming back to the basic discussion, are girls who work in a BPO fit only for a physical/sensual relationship? I disagree. Yeah, there are a few girls in the BPO Industry who move freely with guys, smoke, booze, date, get physically intimate and move on, change partners and do the same thing all over again, but this term cannot be generalized.

You look at it this way. These freely moving girls who smoke, booze, date, get physically intimate and move on, change partners etc are there in all the industries. Haven’t there been these one off incidents in the manufacturing industry? Haven’t there been these incidents happening in the so called “very private” garment industry? Or the Governmental Organizations? Or the Quasi Governmental Organizations? Or even in software companies? So, why do you point this to the BPO Industry in specific? Just coz the entire crowd that is in a BPO industry is young? Why are you biased towards the youth who are able to stand on their own legs, independent, have some money to flaunt it and are mature enough to take their own decisions? Is this coz you are jealous that you were not able to do this earlier??? By “You”, I am pointing out to the “general public” who has this opinion.

I had a discussion with a friend of mine on this topic and this is how the discussion progressed:

me: hey, can i ask u something?
she: sure…
me: what do you feel when you look at someone treating a girl with just lust or what do you feel when they tell that a particular girl is not worth to be loved but only lusted at?
she: hmm…it’s degrading to any person – guy or girl to be just lusted at. it happens I suppose, but to be told that, makes a person feel thats the only character of theirs others find worthy. it overshadows other worthy characters of a person
me: hmm, wht if it is being generalized to an entire industry? or an entire group? say “bangalore girls” etc etc
she: that’s just categorization,
oh I was a victim of the bangalore girl phenomena to the extent that…
during the introduction session at university,
I said I was from Bangalore…
and the conversation went like this
senior : Do u drink?
me : no
senior : smoke?
me : no
senior : party?
me : no
senior : ur really from bangalore?

me: hehehe, that wud happen
in fact, i have to admit this
being from mysore, in college, i thought bangalore “chicks” are too modern and hot.. but then, realized that we were under some wrong assumptions.. and thankfully for me, this realization happened just within a week of being in bangalore
in 2K2
she: he hee..
theres another bangalore too – the day to day , no glamour one
me: yeah the “normal” bengaluru
which has more than 75% of the crowd
but the other 25% is hell bent on giving it a bad name
she: ah, I wudnt classify drinking and partying as abnormal – thats just a matter of choice right…
me: that is true
drinking and partying or smoking is not abnormal
she: another generalisation abt youngsters who drink n party – they must be leading abnormal lives
me: but considering someone who does that as “loose” women is wrong
she: i know enuf who do , are happy and normal as the next person,  true…agree

So, I was, am and probably will not be wrong in my feeling that being a BPO girl or working for a BPO does not make you feel low or not.. on the contrary, you should be really proud of being who you are..

You are what you are… none or nothing ought to change that fact of life!

Please stop stooping so low and generalizing this to an industry which has been giving India revenues and valuable Forex. I would be giving my views of the entire BPO Industry in another blogpost..So, please let me know your views by leaving your valuable comments.