Thanks Rajib. It was really a question - though I know about outsourcing (even listened to "The world is flat.." by Friedman) I didn't know this acronym, honestly, as you guessed.
Yes, I do get the Indian youngsters named Bob or Becky sometimes when I call the 800 numbers. Some of them are very smart, polite and professional. But some has no idea how to take a 'no' for an answer and also what a 'courtesy call' means. One even started arguing with me when I asked him if it was a 'courtesy call' when he asked for my son (rather than a bill that he forgot to pay :)).
Anyway, my nieces in Bangalore are in this business while going to college and are doing great. I am glad Indian kids are getting a chance to use their talent and ability to speak english and supporting themselves or even their families.
Thanks again - di
From: Rajib Das <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Alpana B. Sarangapani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: [Assam] "Boga Baduli" and BPO Boom--Part 1
Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2005 19:30:07 -0700 (PDT)
>Alpanadi,
>
>I almost assumed there was a hidden meaning in that
>harmless question, given the propensity of BPO
>business in India these days. Perhaps not.
>
>BPO means Business Process Outsourcing. It includes
>all those calls that get replied to in the case of a
>Dell computer support call, American Express call
>regading the card etc. While you dial your 1-800
>number, the call reaches some part of India and is
>responded to by an enthusiastic young Indian voice
>going by the name of Becky or Bob. It also includes
a
>whole load of back office processing functions in
>financial services, mortgage applications etc.
>
>American companies ship these jobs overseas (India
>being a most favored destination) and save costs.
>Consequently, young Indians pick up these jobs at far
>lower costs.
>
>Used to be that the guys studying in Commerce or Arts,
>getting out of DU or someplace else, would be sweating
>at the thought of looking for a career. No longer - if
>you are English speaking. Young 21 year olds earn Rs,
>10,000 or 20,000 right out of college. They change
>jobs 1 or 2 times a year because there is so much
>demand. Companies scout around for young english
>speaking talent around the country - when they have
>exhausted New Delhi and Mumbai and Pune and Bangalore
>and so on, they go to smaller
towns. Imagine having a
>recruitment goal of 20,000 new people in a year.
>
>To get an idea of how big it is - it is already a
>million workforce strong in India in just a few years.
>And taking over the role of the world's back office
>has not yet scratched the surface.
>
>As Swapnali points out, it probably could shape up as
>one of the most important cultural phenomena to hit a
>very young India.
>
>Thanks to Swapnali for bringing this account out. Are
>there many young Indians from the northeast in the BPO
>business?
>
>Rajib
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--- "Alpana B. Sarangapani"
><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
>---------------------------------
>
>What is a
BPO?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>
>From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: [Assam] "Boga Baduli" and BPO Boom--Part 1
>Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 04:38:54 +0530
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Hi Everybody,
>
>
>
>
>My association with this group isnt very old. It
>started 2 and half years back when my previous company
>sent a group of 30 people to Texas for training. And
>the plethora of information given by this group helped
>the entire group tremendously. After that I have been
>a sporadic visitor of this group.
>
>
>
>The other day I was reading the Prime
Ministers
>speech in Oxford where he mentioned about the most
>important British legacy, the English language and
>about their modern school systems.
>http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/nic/0046/pmspeech.htm.
>A Times of India columnist once wrote that its only
>for the Tamil crusaders that English stayed in India
>despite the onslaught of Hindi Imperialism that
>started right after Independence. Hence all the kudos
>for the Indian BPO success should go to the Tamilians
>!
>
>
>
>Another article that re-shaped my thinking process was
>the one I read (rather my mother read it aloud to me
>and my sister) in Prantik (an Assmese magazine)
>almost 16/17 years back, where a well settled NRA
>called the Assamese families who sent their kids to
>English medium schools as boga baduli
(white bat)
>which is a bizarre epiphany. (Though I am not very
>certain about the writers name, the Prantik
>edition with that article still could be found in my
>book shelf back home provided my mother hasnt sold
>those old copies) This was said having found by the
>NRA writer that certain English medium educated
>Guwahati kids spoke worse Assamese than his own USA
>born and brought up kids. The article highly
>influenced my mother who is a teacher in a school
>named after the great martyr of baxa andulon Anil
>Bora. Once mother also told us how the Assamese had to
>fight to have Assamese as the official language of the
>state. The memory of that cataclysmic event was still
>fresh among the elders then. It was our father who put
>all our three kids in that English medium school in
>our
town which was another legacy left by the
>colonial Brits and he expected us to imbibe some of
>their qualities like discipline, time management etc
>and definitely to learn English better. The following
>year my mother re-enrolled all her three kids in local
>vernacular school. While my siblings continued, I was
>not able to cope up with the difference, not for a
>single day and went back to my alma mater the very
>next day. However through out my student life I made
>sure I am equally proficient in Oxomiya like my
>siblings and many a times outdid them
>
>
>
>Years later when I was in Delhi pursuing my post-
>graduation, the BPO boom started first in Delhi.
>Though I was over qualified for those jobs, I thought
>of joining the bandwagon rather going back home and
>being jobless
like my batch mates. Another reason for
>choosing the BPO was to avoid jostling with the rowdy
>and vulgar north Indian crowd. All BPOs have their
>private cabs for employees.Last month I completed my
>4th year in BPO.
>
>
>
> This Group would be surprised to know that BPO is the
>one of the best thing that has happened to India. No
>Industry can offer anything better to thousands of
>mediocre like us and I am sure the industry will stay
>here for ever. And parents who opt for English medium
>schools are not necessarily boga baduli. All that
>matters is the attitude the parents groom in their
>kids towards ones culture and language Never for a
>moment can I convince myself that with my family
>background I could have managed with vernacular
>education whatever I have achieved so
far. My personal
>experience says the number of English speaking
>people/youth is quite less in Assam when compared to
>some other Indian states. A few BPOs in our state
>would have tackled the abysmal employment problem to
>certain extent. In other indian cities the BPO success
>has ushered in the birth of dozens of english training
>center along with special voice and accent courses,
>american accent being the first in demand.
>
>
>
>I would also like to share my
>advantages/disadvangtages as a native Assamese speaker
>in BPO industry in another mail.
>
>
>
>
>Swapnali Saikia
>
>
>Bangalore
>
>
>India
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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