I had a meeting with a real estate company today. The ‘real estate’ needs to use GIS. Sounds good. The meeting was at 11:00 in the morning (and mornings are a bad time for a meeting, mornings are for tea, thinking and planning). Since I have not really been meeting people over the last few months (maybe years!) and the cash flows have been what they have been, my wardrobe is what it is. It is far from impressive and according to my daughter, I look more like an entity from an NGO rather than from a corporate world ( I think we could also do with some funding similar to the NGO’s). I mean my ‘jhola’ and white salwars are definitely not corporate. So I chose to wear a saree which is supposed to be a very respectable dress for women in this part of the world. Again I chose white color and Amma forced me to choose something brighter (she has an opinion on everything in our house). Finally when I got out, there were incesssant rains on the way and when it rains in Delhi, the traffic crawls (even if it rains for half an hours, our drains cannot handle it, so much for infrastructure for the commonwealth games). I was late and I had to apologize.
The meeting was positive and what they need is a value added application of GIS. We will need to create a DEM/DTM to support them in getting approval from relevant authorities for the maximum permissible height for the proposed construction of a multistoreyed building. Very interesting work. The team is feeling challenged and excited. We definitely wish to move out of the ‘Data Mandi of GIS’ where data sells like ‘aloo,pyaaz’. We could be very dramatic and say like all the saas bahu saagas on Television: ‘Kya isi din ke liye hamne GIS mein career choose kiya tha? Nut that would really not help much.
My father called and he sounds very tired and worried these days. He wants us to move out of the government tenders and look for cleaner places to work. My entire family has disowned me because of the different path I have chosen but these are a few moments when I experience togetherness with my father despite not being together.
There is no water,gas,atta,chawal in the house and Amma has been after my back to do the needful and I have been committing for the last three days but when you leave office at 9:00 and deal with huge traffic jams,all you wish to do is reach home. Going to the ‘chakki’ becomes the last thing on the agenda. Anyway, kuch to karna padega. So maybe tommorrow, I will have to get it done. Another deadline.
Appu is busy with her dance practice and will be staying back after school in the next couple of days till friday, when the performance is due.
Changing directions.
Getting out of the ‘Data mandi of GIS’.
