On Monday the LA Times ran an insightful story [free reg. required] on what happens when you pretend to be an American all day:
Every Saturday morning Dr. S. Kalyanasundaram knows whom to expect at the psychiatric clinic he runs at Shanthi nursing home in Jayanagar, Bangalore. It’s the technology crowd, and their complaints tend to be of a similar nature: stress, panic attacks, depression, relationship troubles, alcoholism and eating disorders.
Between 20 and 33 years old and keen to hide their symptoms from employers and families, the patients have significantly increased Kalyanasundaram’s workload.
“They work somewhere between a 10- and a 14-hour day, which, in my view, is just not healthy. They have no time for their partners and children, even more so if both partners go out to work. But ask them why they work so hard and they say it is absolutely necessary because someone is always waiting to take their job. Their way of coping is to hit the pub.”
According to a report in the Indian Express newspaper, one in 15 people seeking counseling from a doctor in Chennai, India, works either in software or at a call center…
…”The strain of pretending to be ‘Bob’ or ‘Susan’ on the phone for weeks on end and keeping up with ‘Eastenders’ [a British television soap opera] and baseball can lead to questions of identity,”…
Yeah, I sort of saw this coming. As a former telemarketer I know full well the depression that can clutch at you when dealing with rude people all day. The other interesting issue the Times article looks at is what happens when the kids start making more money than the parents. The “as long as you live in my house” leverage just doesn’t cut it. “Mom, I’ll be at Moe’s.”
India’s work patterns also are testing traditionally close family structures. Gouhari said: “Children are earning vastly more than their parents ever did and the new disposable income is leading to a burgeoning pub culture which is causing a lot of family tension.”
They should get out and exercise more. Preferably running – believe me, it does wonders 🙂
Well, look on the bright side–this generation is actually seeking counselling (although they hide it from their peers). I can think of many family members and friends who needed external help but just would not go because of the stigma.
Of course, some culture-vultures will be quick to point out that we are submitting to the shrink-seeing culture of the West. Bring it on, I say. Who’s to say we’re not as screwed up (or more)…
It’s an article about nothing.. stretching to write on the subject of outsourcing.
1 in 15. Maybe that number would be generated by the mere fact that these types of workers can afford to go for counseling.
an article about nothing is pushing it. mabye the counselling point is overstretched but the point about more money is definitely true and will probably change the way families operate.
alcohol? I remember growing up watching indian movies thinking that the only drug that indians remotely thought of getting wasted on was brown sugar. It was always being smuggled in/out of India so what happened to the supply?
So when’s Tom cruise making it a personal mission of his to keep the psychologists out of India. I heard he knows the history of psychology.
There is no more charas because Dharmendra smoked it up while drinking Gabbar’s khoon.
Its pretty sad to see these South-Asian techies having an identity crises.
Sorry I couldn’t resist.
Wonder when we are going to read about the other type of “South Asian” techies and their crises.
IreneFingIrene: My thoughts exactly.
Sorry I couldn’t resist.
epoch:
how sad for all of us. you should have.
Oy, but Dudette (or dude), how else would ‘all of you’ get a chance to practice your cliché comebacks ?
Funny this hits home bulls eye. I live in the US, have done so for a while. Still in my mid 20s, my parents want that control on me but have lost it coz of the above mentioned issues. My parents live in India.
This summer, on their visit, they went through a lot of pain coming to terms with exactly such issues as discussed above, until my uncle told my dad that it’s really not his to say what I should do, as I make several times what he made at my age and so the money does the talking.
There was a rather profound silence at this revelation and after that things started falling in place a lot more smoothly and our relationship improved.
Agree with you there, Santosh. Very similar experience here!