DIFFERENT IS GOOD – II STORY

Ever wondered what it would be like to work for a Startup? The name itself sounds a bit ummm, what to say: Insecure! Well that was my first instinct when I was asked to be a part of a Startup and that too in India. After a lot of speculation and a never-ending research drive, I finally decided to take the plunge and let me be very clear that the feeling wasn’t any thing less than the one you get when you’re walking down the isle, about to tie “The Knot”. So before I go any further, let me tell you a bit about myself. I am a Canadian who’s here in India for a little longer than what is normally expected of us NRI’s and while I’m here, instead of whiling away my time, I decided to do something out of the ordinary, something most NRI’s won’t think of doing: Working in an Indian set up, in an Indian culture. The thrill of experiencing the so-called “Indian Way of Working” led me to apply at various companies for the position of a Content Writer. It was then that I came across a job posting by Invertedi. The name did sound cool to me, but little did I know that the best was yet to come.

Coming from Canada and having been in the work force there for a good 9 years, I was expecting a grueling interview in front of a panel of maybe 5 people followed by a gazillion reference checks before I got the final nod. But I was taken by surprise at the friendly and warm environment the place had. On a cold rainy day, I walked into this not so big and not so small office with a bright green wall supporting a huge glass writing board and a cool birdcage that served the purpose of a hanging lampshade. Bollywood songs were playing on a console beside a cool Dart Board.

As I was waiting for my interview to take place, I observed what appeared to me as a different environment, especially in an Indian work culture. Since it was close to lunchtime and it happened to be an employee’s birthday, there was a huge buzz about a cake and a big Pizza Party in the office, something that was new to me. I was soon introduced to the cool trio, or as they are called in the II office, The Three Musketeers: Ketan Sharma (Co-Founder and CEO), Shagun Bawa (Co-Founder and Creative Head) and Rupreet Gujral (Co-Founder and Technical Head). One look at them and I knew that I’d be working (if I got the job) for some of the coolest, trendiest people. After an hour of basically chatting and getting to know each other, I was offered the job. I can assure you, I had never felt so happy in my life. Had I not been there, I would have definitely done my happy dance.

As I was about to pack my things and thank them for this opportunity, I was given yet another surprise when Ketan asked me to stay back for the birthday celebrations. Honestly, this was NOT expected especially because it is supposedly a very “Western” thing. In no time, there was this huge chocolate cake on the table with a dozen eyes eyeing it, ready to pounce on and devour it. This was followed by 5 boxes of giant size pizzas and two huge bottles of Coke. Once the food and drinks were polished off, the employees had a tournament of playing Darts. Next half hour was spent in that and the winner was treated to a bar of ice cream. This, I told myself, is just the beginning; the best is yet to come.

I’ve been working for Invertedi for almost 6 months now and I can say this with a great deal of conviction that it’s been a great experience working for a company, which is still young. Yes there are a lot of hiccups and yes there is that one odd day when things don’t go as planned but never the less, the mood of the people working there and the environment stays the same: Happy, energetic and ready to take on the world. As I write this blog, Ketan has stepped out to buy each one of us an ice cream bar to help us beat the heat since there is a power cut in the office. Now how cool is that!