How much have we heard about the "Kolkata work culture". For generations it is a well known fact that Bengali-s are a lazy lot, dreaming away their days and singing and chatting away evenings, till its time to sleep. In Kolkata only though. Take a Bengali out of Bengal and he is a different animal. He not only works his backside off, and parties through the night, but also is the first to call his country cousin's bluff, first to criticise the above mentioned work culture, the first to point out that "they" all take siestas and jump for joy on bandh days.

We have a whole separate set of vocab for our gabbing. The "babu", with all its negative connotations is a quintessential Bengali term from the time when Writers Building first came into existence.

Have you heard of "rowak culture"? That is when a group of people sit on a 'rowak', that is any level ground where you can sit, and "give adda", (a word now in the Oxford dictionary, all hail) or while away time by talking. And how they talk. Any typical 'rowak' conversation could start with Bhajji's insult and end with Sarkozi's declining support in France and maybe touch Anjelina's pregnancy somewhere in between!

But Bongs, they are a-changing. The latest news is that "rowak adda-bajs" are joining the list of the endangered. Can it be that Bengali-s are finally trying to get some work done? Could well be. Leave Dalhousie's laid back lumbering afternoons and head towards the swanky buildings of Salt Lake Sector 5. The only locality in Calcutta spared the onslaught of Bandhs (another word recently introduced to the Oxford dictionary). That's the IT hub in the city, trying hard to look and feel Bangalorean. Glass walls reflect well dressed young men and women rushing about for a quick bite, a far cry from loose trousers and 'half-shirts' of the Government employee.

Real and retail estate is on the rise once again. Malls like South City are creating a whole new place for kids to spend their time. The Bengali has finally learnt to dress for a night out. Night clubs are usually full, restaurants have one hour waiting periods, marks and spencer lingerie is selling like hot cakes. And we are working for it. Finally there is an outcry against another bandh. People are out on the streets, almost defiant, inspite of lathi weilding goonda types (party workers, no less). We want the world to know we are not like that. We want that message out- "look ma, no holiday".

We are trying to stop talking and start walking. And if that happens in the heart of Bongland... watch out world.

A press release on Spearhead Intersearch, the Indian arm of Intersearch Worldwide

INTERSEARCH WORLDWIDE STRENGTHENS ITS PRESENCE IN INDIA

InterSearch Worldwide, one of the largest executive search networks globally, announces its expansion to India.

The newest member of InterSearch is Spearhead, a leading executive search firm incorporated in 1997 with a team of 20 seasoned search professionals based across four major cities - New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai. In addition to several of the largest Indian corporations, Spearhead has been retained to fill senior leadership positions in India for a client roster including organizations as diverse as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, Honda, Nike, Mars Inc., Merrill Lynch, Bata India, Tupperware, Alcon Labs, Givaudan, Accretive, Vertex India, Emptoris, MWG, CIFF, Siemens and many others.

"We are privileged to be a part of InterSearch Worldwide, a top ranked global network. The values and qualities that InterSearch stands for are very important to us. In a growing and rapidly developing economy such as India, where corporate / business opportunities abound and the war for talent is raging, it is imperative that we bring genuine value and higher standards for our clients, through global capabilities in a local setting. Our partnership with InterSearch gives us this strength and enhanced capabilities to widen our service offering. This is already evident through the amazing response received from a key barometer – our clients! They’ve given a huge thumbs up to the news of Spearhead joining InterSearch and they are excited about the new business possibilities they can explore, without having to worry about finding leadership talent in India or globally," commented Jyorden T. Misra, Managing Director of Spearhead InterSearch India.

InterSearch is the 4th largest search firm worldwide for 2007 by number of offices, according to the annual survey conducted by search-consult magazine.

Also-

InterSearch Worldwide: EMEA Business Development Meeting & Belgian HR Awards
Executive search consultants from InterSearch offices in 16 European countries attended a regional business development meeting hosted in Ghent by Schelstraete & Desmedt, the Belgian InterSearch partner, on January 24 and 25.
The meeting was scheduled to coincide with the 8th Annual Human Resources Awards organized by Schelstraete & Desmedt, an event designed to reward the best graduate thesis in the field of Human Resource Management and Organisational Development, thereby building a bridge between the academic and business world.
Ms J. Gysels of the University of Ghent won this year's HR award with her thesis on "The Relationship Between Job Search Objectives and Job Search Behaviour".
In line with the subject of the selected thesis, the main topic of the event was talent acquisition. Key note speaker of the event was Astrid De Lathauwer, Chief HR Officer of Belgium's largest telecom operator Belgacom, who gave attendees a unique perspective on "The War for Talent in 2008: Is It Really Happening?"
“It was very interesting to listen to innovative ideas on how to motivate managers to make the right recruiting decisions with a long-term view, keeping in mind concerns about changing demographics” commented Heinz-Dieter Hestermann, Board Director of InterSearch Worldwide.

Media contact:
Carla Calvo ( +39 335 7429756 calvo.c@intersearch.it)
Harris Karaolides (+30 210 7294 720 info@symvoli-intersearch.gr)