Our team's journey to Dakshin Chitra

Team TA- A journey to Dakshina Chitra and beyond


This is an account of the Talent Acquisition team’s visit to Dakshina Chitra – an authentic glimpse of the richness of South Indian architecture and a celebration of the magic of artistry.

This is a journey that will hold significance in the many memories that we shared together. In the many puzzles and questions that were resolved, in the quest to find purpose and meaning in our collective vision, in identifying and recognizing each others strength and in the hell of a joy ride we had.


You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth

Dakshina Chitra is a 1.5 hour drive from Chennai on the ECR highway and the route is marked by many a reflection of the bounties of nature that have been carefully laid out as gifts to us. In Dakshina Chitra, one finds architectural depictions of the houses that our ancestors built. Houses that were the soul of the families - which nurtured and cherished their dreams, their culture, beliefs, traditions, their occupation and provided them a self sustainable livelihood.

From the granaries to the cowsheds to the safes that held the families wealth-These abodes are testament to some of the most well preserved reflections of the victories of the human spirit which all of us today and the generations to follow can connect with and learn from. The soul or essence of existence is captured in the simplicity, strength and sincere attempt to replicate life as it were in the past.

For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life’s procession, that matches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.

When you work you are the flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.

Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?

Staying in Dakshina Chitra, meant being one with nature. From the practiced patience of the potter to the restless energy of the drummer, every artist who resides in Dakshina Chitra has a story to tell and share- Stories that would never cease to inspire or influence.

The peace and contentment that we felt collectively as people who belong to the same life blood were distinct and unique to the character at Dakshina Chitra. Everytime we failed at learning a new form of expression say making a pot or painting the pot, we would realize the intent and passion that the artist who guided us did – his never ending thirst to create the most perfect artifact, respect and acceptance of nature and a need to recognize the uniqueness of each creation. The potter paid equal attention to every pot he made irrespective of it being a replica of the earlier one.

The most important lesson we learnt- a true artist never measured his effort through the lens of monetary benefits like many of us would, but with the value that a creator can only feel at his creation having formed as a translation of what he perceived it as, in his mind’s eye. Perhaps, all the artists around would agree with Van Gogh when he said “I dream my painting and paint my dream”.

We also realized that each of us were artists in our own right, doing what best we could and ensuring that at the end of the day we would be grateful for the fruitful moments we created during its course. We understood too that the pride one feels for one’s profession is innate and in tune with Nature’s need to allow each of us to perform that specific role that we are responsible for.

Always you have been told that work is a curse and labour a misfortune.

But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth’s furthest dream,
Assigned to you when the dream was born,
And in keeping yourself with labour you are in truth loving life,

And to love life through labour is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.

Many a times, in a journey there are unexpected forks and deviations in the path with no clear indication of the destination. Being an enabling function is hard because not many within the organisation or outside would understand the efforts that we make towards the pursuit of excellence. Many friends have asked me as to what a HR professional does? Their opinions are on the lines of - you have a bindaas role all that you need to do is communicate effectively (read smooth talk your way out of situations! J) and half your battles are won.

On the contrary, being part of recruitment is dynamic and challenging. There are many key performance indicators which are to be constantly measured and surpassed. Many a times these KPIs are driven by external conditions and stakeholders we cannot anticipate or address in real time. It could be the US economy, it could be Mexico’s abundance of human resources at lower costs, it could be the resurgence of a legacy skill none of us ever anticipated a client to request for, or it could be our next door neighbor looking for the same skilled resources we are in need of. Any of you may ask, how does it matter? It does matter as it affects the very responsible role of organisation building. It affects our bottom-line as much as loosing a long cherished client.

Everytime we postpone an event due to lack of interview panels, everytime we miss talking to a candidate who was offered a position in our organisation, it not only affects the tangibles which include cost, infrastructure and time but intangibles such as candidate experience and exposure and candidate’s perception to an organisation we proudly represent.

Thus it becomes more and more important for us to reflect on the road ahead, to increase our dependence on tools, subsystems and technology such that experiences are not only effortless but also efficient. Program management is as much our cuppa chai as it is to a technology expert or project manager. Metrics, cost, speed, accuracy are equally important and go hand in hand with ensuring candidate delight and sensitivity in all our interactions. It’s a fine mix of both reason and passion. Reason as we have to evaluate every step we take objectively and passion as our interactions are about being humble, accommodative and enterprising. Quite a juggling act!

We relooked at our vision as we traveled together. With the lessons of interactions we had with the artists acting as inspiration, we spent time in reflecting and identifying each others strengths and weaknesses. We had many candid conversations which may not have been possible if we were with in our bays at work. From discussing online recruitment models to envisioning an affective assessment mechanism to discussing sourcing channels to understanding the dynamics of vendor empanelment and engagement we realized that work could be more fun than fun. The innumerable possibilities held promise. At the same time we reflected on how people within our extended families were affected when we worked non stop during weekends or when we traveled to different locations. That interdependency is nature’s way of ensuring balance was also emphasized during these discussions and interactions.

We also understood why we had such beautiful values of CLASS to fall back on – from waiting for each other at breakfast to burying each other on the beach, to riding around in a multiseater auto, to negotiating for the best table with a view of the sand, the sea and a star kissed sky, to loaning money to each other as we shopped like never before and haggling for each other from mithais to murals, to dancing away with the drummers in the spirit of dussera, to having sack races on the beach we had our precious family moments.

With Sanjay being the father figure an excellent leader and a spiritual guide whose work is always in the Glory of the Lord, to Ashish being his witty and charishmatic self, to Sangeetha whose warmth and spirit that reflected in all that she did, to Rashmi who let us bury her and is the best sport one could ever have, to Sharon who rode alongside as I shivered in fright at the moods of the Horse I rode, to Rao, George and Chaitanya who kept their vigilant and watchful eye in protecting us and took our shopping counsel, to the hilarious and gifted Naveen who tapped his feet away better than a Kollywood star, the journey is always about the people – this is a family which will stand by each other through thick and thin , will trust and accept judgements and will collectively work towards the goals that where defined together. It’s also a family which believes that our DNA is relived in every interaction and most importantly one which will embrace each other’s individualism in driving towards collectivism.

Once we came back there was a renewed rigour to achieve and excel. Plan meetings had an element of humor as we carried warm memories alongside a focus that was clear and well defined. Every team grows into a family when it shares beyond the four walls of office and accepts that as individuals we will remain different but as a team and under able leadership and guidance we will excel beyond the differences.

In summation I think we are a reflection of Tom Peters views on stellar teams- "Stellar teams are invariably made up of quirky individuals who typically rub each other raw, but they figure out – with the spiritual help of a gifted leader – how to be their peculiar selves and how to win championships as a team...at the same time."

PS: Pics of Dakshin Chitra -http://picasaweb.google.com/goolyaharsha/DakshinChitra#