The Long and Slow Road
on Mark Takefman in Barmer (India), 15/Nov/2010 08:43, 34 days ago
November 15, 2010I’m back in Barmer, Rajasthan. Asked by SURE to complete the work I was not able to continue six months ago of getting a new executive director for them, I came back to my same old house, same crazy kids on the street and same rat infested office.I picked up the pieces from where I left off and had Chanchal do some telephone interviews while I convalesced inDelhifrom Dengue Fever.  Three candidates were still available after all this time and I invited them to Barmer for in-person interviews.  The first one came this past weekend.The process seemed to go well and I got to spend some good time with the person as did SURE’s leadership. I was pleased with how well it was going even though I was not prepared to comment on the suitability of this candidate at that time. In any case SURE needed this experience, they never had to replace their charismatic founder Mag Raj Jain since he began the organization over 20 years ago.Sunday was wrap-up time and I left the candidate to himself a couple of hours before his return train ride home to Delhi feeling job well done and now for a cold beer.I bought the beer, smuggled it past the neighbours and children and closed my windows and doors, opened the bottle, was about to pour a glass when…… my cell phone rang.   It was the general manager of the hotel, where my candidate had stayed, asking me to quickly come to the hotel as my guy was crying on the floor and there was a broken bottle around him.  It was 6:15 pm.  The train was leaving at 6:30 pm. I rushed off on my motorcycle in shorts and flip-flops at a rate I normally don’t travel at, but I don’t want to further incriminate myself in case my insurance company is reading.At the hotel I found my gentleman passed out on the floor outside his the room in which he last stayed at. About 10 of the hotel staff was all around looking down at him. They had swept his broken whisky bottle to a corner. I woke him up and got him to his feet telling him we’re going to the train. He cold hardly walk so two of us held him up. One of the staff got his two bags and fortunately the SURE jeep was outside and we drove the short distance to the station. I put him into his sleeper-class coach with his bags and waited for the train to leave the station. Yes I wanted to make sure he was on his way. I figured it would be better for him to sleep off his inebriation on the train.So went the day. My open bottle of beer still had some fizz and I finally drank it but feeling very emotionally drained. I slept in to 10am the next morning.Next: candidate’s 2 and 3 in the weeks to come.But first a short vacation to visit Kerala with some friends. Ahhhhhh…. No virus found in this message.Checked by AVG -www.avg.comVersion: 10.0.1153 / Virus Database: 424/3255 - Release Date: 11/13/10