Madrasi in Hindi heartland

 The roadshows for introduction of a new financial product in the Indian markets was on. As a consultant to a brand new currency exchange, I had the responsibility of making presentations in different parts of the country. I was very happy when the Merchants’ Chamber of Kanpur requested a presentation in their city as I saw this as a great opportunity to interact with market stakeholders in a place where I had no reason to venture into hitherto. The enthusiasm met with some trepidation as my command over Hindi is circumspect. There was no question of going back on my commitment and this was a challenge that I was willing to take. I have always met with constant criticism of my use of the language from my wife who has a very good command over Hindi and me! 

I got my presentation ready in English and put my heart and soul into making a fitting translation of the entire text. Call it ego or self respect, I wanted to go through the entire exercise without any help. It was time to take a flight to Delhi and a train from there to Kanpur. 

The organisers had booked a room for me in the hotel that was the venue for the presentation. The taxi that I took from the railway station to my hotel went through some of the dirtiest localities that I have seen in my life. It smelt like we were passing a hub of leather industries. Maybe it was just that as Kanpur is known for the shoes that it makes and exports to the whole world. The city has a history of tanning leather and making shoes for the British troops during their colonial rule. I was relieved to see that the hotel was in a better locality and the room looked neat. I was famished and proceeded to the restaurant after a hot shower.  I quite enjoyed the biryani that they served but the atmosphere was marred slightly by a bunch of ladies having a noisy kitty party. There was enough time to rehearse my first foray into making a lecture in Hindi. 

The crowd that filled the auditorium was much more than I anticipated . It was heartwarming to realise that many were interested in the message I intended to spread. After the formalities of the Chamber’s office bearers praising each other of the yeoman service done by the other, it was time for me to put my best foot forward and get on with the task of letting my version of Hindi out into this world!

Two hours into the lecture, I found myself going out of script on many occasions and speaking English. In all these instances, I consciously retraced my steps and made it my endeavour to push ahead as planned. The Q&A time was as lively as it could have been. The quest for knowledge was wonderful and I was the ‘giver’ here, for a change! It felt wonderful and the event was, unfortunately, coming to an end. The President of the Chamber had this piece of advice for me in his vote of thanks.

 

“Next time you come to Kanpur for a presentation, you can do it in English”