SALES INTERVIEW

During the beginning of my career I was working in the Sales Department of a dealership. At that time I was called for an interview at a large multinational company. In India, even if there are only a few vacancies, organisations receive a large number of applications. I think it is due to the large population in the country. Applications are screened and some candidates are called for the interview. When I reached the venue, I noticed there were about hundred candidates. Later on, I came to know that there were only two vacancies.

They conducted a written test which included English Language and Product Knowledge. After the test results were known, half the candidates were asked to leave. The rest of us were divided into groups and given a topic to discuss among ourselves. They wanted to see how we speak. After the group discussion, half the candidates were asked to leave. Then there was a preliminary interview with the Product Manager, after which only five candidates were selected for the final interview with the Regional Manager on the next day. I was lucky to be among the five.

When I arrived for the final interview I noticed my application was on the Regional Managers table. It was very brief. At that time I did not even know how to send a proper application. He asked me ‘Is this the way you send an application? Don’t you think you should have given us more information about yourself?’ He asked me several questions but the one I remember most is ‘How do you know that your sales is increasing?’ I told him that if my sales for a product is Rs.100,000/- for one year and it is Rs.200,000/- the next year, that would be an increase in sales. He asked me ‘Is that the only way to look at it?’ I said ‘Yes’ since I did not know of any other way to look at it. Then he told me ‘Suppose your sales for a product is Rs.100,000/- for one year and the total market for the product is Rs.200,000/-, you have 50% of the market share. Next year you may sell for Rs.200,000/- but the market for the product may have grown to Rs.10,00,000/-, which means you now have only 20% of the market share. That’s a loss in market share.’ I told him I was working for a dealership and that they did not conduct a market survey. He said ‘If they don’t do it, you should do it.’ He told me that they would inform me if I was selected. I knew that I would not get the job, but I learnt something. I learned about the market share of a product.

SHRINE

Shrine of Our Lady of Velankanni, Tuet, Kollam

DOT ON FOREHEAD

Many women in India are seen with a dot on their forehead. The dot has some religious significance but today it has become more of a fashion statement. Sticker type dots are available in fancy designs. They stick it on in the morning and remove it at night. There is also a practical reason for putting a dot on the forehead. Women in India are shy and do not want men looking directly into their eyes. The dot distracts men. They tend to focus on the dot instead of looking into their eyes.

Men in India do not usually put a dot on their forehead. Sometimes they put a mark on their forehead after visiting a temple. It is part of a religious ritual. Those who are seen with it every day are religious people who are involved with temple activities or people who visit the temple every day. Some shady characters can also be seen with it.

FLOWERS

Some flowers seen near my house.

Compared to the red hibiscus this one has very few flowers.

This flower is found on a tree called the ashoka tree.

I see these flowers almost everyday.

This one is seasonal. They flower only once or twice a year and then lasts only for a few days. It is worth the wait though.

STRANGE DREAM

I had a strange dream once. In the dream I saw a human eye. There was a small blister in the white part of the eye. When I woke up in the morning I was worried that there may be something wrong with my eyes. I looked into a mirror and checked both my eyes. I was relieved to find that there was nothing wrong with my eyes.

That morning, after having my breakfast I was reading the newspaper when my friend came to see me. He said he had a problem with his eye and wanted to see a doctor. He asked me whether I would accompany him. I said I would and I looked into his eye. It looked like what I saw in my dream.

The doctor asked my friend about his occupation. My friend was teaching then. The doctor said that it could be due to an allergy caused by chalk dust entering his eye. He prescribed an eye ointment. After using the ointment for a few days his eye was back to normal again.

SHASTRI JUNCTION

Shastri Junction, Kollam

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH

The movie that scared me the most is ‘The last man on Earth’. I saw it on TV in the late sixties. I was about ten then, old enough to understand and young enough to be frightened. I did not know the name of the actor then. Later on, I checked the net and found that it was Vincent Price. I also noticed that there was a slight difference in the way I understood the story.

It is about a man who finds people around him dying. They are affected by a Plague. He is immune to the plague because he had been bitten by a vampire bat earlier. Soon he loses his family, friends and everyone he knows. He is the only man alive. He goes into a supermarket and takes whatever he wants. He does not have to pay for it. There is nobody around. He gets fuel for his car at a petrol station. There is no cashier to receive payment.

At night, the dead bodies get up and start walking around. They are in various stages of decay. His dead friends and relatives come looking for him. They knock on his door and windows and try to get in. They call out his name. He gets home before dark to avoid them. One night he is late and they crowd around him. They don’t seem to hurt him. He uses a small crucifix to repel them. He hangs garlic on his door which also helps to keep them away.

Later on he learns that the dead bodies can be prevented from getting up at night by driving a stake through their chest. He starts making stakes using a lathe at home during the night. During the day he goes around looking for dead bodies and drives the stakes into their chest.

He listens to the radio to see if there are people living in some other city or country. One day he meets a woman. Since she is walking around during the day, he is convinced that she is not one of the dead bodies. She tells him that her friends will be arriving soon. Her friends see him in the evening and mistake him for one of the dead bodies. He tells them that he is a real man. They don’t believe him and attack him. He runs into a church. They follow him and stab him to death near the altar.

After watching this movie, I was afraid to go out alone at night for several days.