In this age of gross capitalism and exponential consumerism, anything that makes business sense cannot be questioned and is placed on a sacred economic pedestal. Globalization has forced the world to function around New York time, causing thousands to work round the clock and turn a blind eye to the movements of the sun. The Indian call centers are one such place where people pretend they live on another longitude altogether.

The other day, I called HP’s customer service line to figure out why I couldn’t attach documents in my emails anymore. A very obviously Indian man, speaking in a terrible American accent, picked up the phone and claimed that he was Brad. He later transferred me to another guy called Roger and finally to Belinda. After speak ing to Belinda for a while, I realized that she had a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Delhi University and was still awake at 4:30 in the morning. Even though she helped me with all my technical difficulties, I hung up the phone feeling as frustrated as when I had picked it up. It seems like we will never stop living up to the so called standards of the West, and do not mind destroying our identities – our intellectuality, mannerisms and lifestyle - for a little extra cash. I’m sorry Bharati, you are not Belinda no matter how much you try to be. We seem to seek approval from America, and it shows in almost every aspect of our initial economic growth. We are destroying our trees and forests to create larger concrete jungles, resembling those of New York and San Francisco (please refer to Shreya Krishnan’s interview with AG Krishna Menon). To show the extent of conformation, I will present a slightly comical yet sad fact: toilet and tissue paper, now increasingly used by Indians even though they are both disgustingly unhealthy, account for 1 per cent of the total paper consumption ¹.

According to me, the situation with call centers is analogous to one faced by many Indians not too long ago. When Lord Macaulay was attempting to lay down the principles for British education in India, he reached the following conclusion in his infamous ‘Minute’: “We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.“² In this manner, English became the medium of education in India, while oriental languages and indigenous learning became a thing of the past. I distinctly remember how upset I was that particular History class. But the reality is that Macaulay has indeed succeeded in creating generations of brown Englishmen. What is worse, Indians are proud of their pseudo-Englishness. Following a similar chain of thought, when call centers train their employees, they verse them with the ‘culture’ of America, and try to create mini-Americans out of enthusiastic Indian graduates. They make them keep up with the weather in various places in the US so that they can make small talk about it. They make them change their accents, names and pretend that they live in Upstate New York. They even make them watch Dharma and Greg! A lot of employees are simply more than willing to comply with these demands. Such are the lingerings of the postcolonial hangover. When, as a united nation, will India take those couple aspirin and get over it once and for all?

Thankfully, I am not the only one who feels agitated at the reality surrounding call centers. Others are realizing that it is not all it’s cracked up to be. The call center boom is going bust because India’s college graduates and young job seekers just don’t want to be associated with the business anymore. With India entering its next phase of economic growth, graduates will have better job opportunities in other fields. In response to students’ complaints, Delhi University’s Shri Venkateshwara College banned call center recruiters from campus.³At least a handful of other local colleges over the last few years have made the same decision. Young people say it is no longer worthwhile going through sleepless nights serving customers halfway around the world, and getting verbally abused in the process. Call center employees have had a lot of ill effects on their health, including mental stress and high blood pressure. “I have noticed a sudden plunge in their confidence level after an irate, abusive or racist caller,” said Rohit Gadhoke, a senior quality analyst with Daksh call center, a subsidiary of IBM, adding that such calls were routine. “They begin to fumble with words and get nervous. I counsel them not to take it personally.”⁴

Here’s to hoping call centers will leave India once and for all, and the economic boom will show its true colors by providing real job opportunities for graduates, and a new confidence in who we truly are.

Footnotes:

¹ http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jul/07maneka.htm

²http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/history-wiki/1997-macaulays-minute-indian-education.html

³http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1671982,00.html

⁴http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56474-2005Feb26.html

Photo Courtesy: DG Robinson

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