I recently saw this video on jugaad by Exide Life which goes with #NoMoreShortCuts. Wheather we love it or hate it, we can’t ignore jugaad in India. Why we even have a vehicle called jugaad! However, jugaad takes us only so far! Along with Exide many have realized that jugaad is short term. I still remember their Money Book concept which encouraged families to keep their financial information in an accessible place. It is a simple but brilliant idea. And honestly most of us ignore it!
If you are interested in jugaad and innovation I would also encourage you to watch Professor Rishikesh Krishnan’s video on the topic. He is currently the director of IIM Indore but I knew him as the external examiner for my Ph.D. viva! He was at IIM Bangalore then. He is an excellent speaker and passionate about the subject.
Moving back to travel and me (after all it is my blog) I don’t think I have a jugaad mentality, at least not a massive one. But when I review my behavior I feel there are some aspects which I would like to change about my traveling.
Lousy Hotels that My Husband Likes
I met my husband where else but at IIT Kanpur. Before that from 6th to M.A. I studied in women’s school and college! I was the outsider, the poor research scholar! He was the IIT JEE undergrad! He now works in a swank multinational. But when it comes to hotels he can stay in the most hideous hole without batting an eyelid. In the initial years he dragged me too! I went along for a while. Then I started protesting, then I simply put my foot down!
I have no objection to staying in local places or budget places, I also like budget places. But I don’t have the same level of tolerance as him! I wonder what took me so long to make him scared about dragging me to a lousy hole, there is no other way to describe his choice of hotels! I should have done that from the word go!
What Will I Wear?
My sister is the only one in the family with a dress sense. I am bad. Before a trip she often asks me, “So what will you wear?” And it irritates the hell out of me. I will wear anything that is ironed and at hand! Now it was fine till I used to travel for leisure. But then I went ahead and made travel my work too. And there in lies the catch.
I discovered hotels which have a dress code! I went to events where I need to look the part. I so love to live in a faded jeans (substitute it with shorts/track lower according to the weather and need) and mismatched t-shirt but slowly I am forced to pay attention to the question ‘what will I wear?’
I wish I did it in college when learning anything new was easy but then it is better late than never! I still manage to look like a dump when the occasion demands to look like a million dollars but then as House says ‘people don’t change.’ Not that much anyway!
When it Comes to Freelance Payments
Now that I have managed to make travel my work I need to deal with the consequences. I traded a paycheck for freelance. I did freelance even while I was working full time. So I went in with my eyes open. My pet peeve with freelance work is that many clients don’t pay on time. I still manage to deal with it.
But there was this once instance when I landed up myself in a situation where I didn’t get paid at all! Now that was a first even for me. I certainly wish I knew how not to land myself in such a soup. Anyway a valuable lesson learned the hard way! I try my best not to make the same mistake twice. And no I don’t believe in naming such people, this is a situation beyond hope. May karma catch up with them!
The Resistance to Raincoats, Umbrellas and Dry Bags
I have not paid a price for it yet! I am not so worried about myself, I am not made of salt so I won’t dissolve in water! But my camera and water don’t mix well and yet I have been managing with polythene! I too indulge in jugaad after all!
I will do it Later!
All my working life, I thought I would keep working for ever. Never made a bucket list of the places I wanted to go just took random holidays, expensive ones too! That was the time when cash flow was good!
Now I wish I had a bucket list! At the next opportunity, when I am in an expensive mood (and the cash flow permits it), I am going to visit places I really want to rather than booking anything last moment! I learned this one the hard way too!
What are your views on juggad vs being systematic?
I love being systematic though ofcourse there are often times when you can’t help but do s lot of jugaadu things! ????????
Archana I need to fix my camera bit, rest I can live with 😀
I almost lost my camera in Switzerland at Lucerne lake when the camera bag just toppled over. Luckily I had the strap around my neck and all that fell in was the lens cap. I so agree about waterproof bags
I shudder to think if it was the camera … Good for you that it was only a lens cap!
Umbrella and dry bags for me … <>
Good for you Swati.
There’s something to be said for both. It depends on my mood. I like certain things to be planned but spontaneity adds a spirt of adventure to everything.
I agree Kalpanaa. There is something in both and a balance would be good. 😀
I do planned trips because of family but i want to do a totally unplanned random trip and enjoy that experience too.
Hope the unplanned one happens soon! 😀
I agree with you about dress. While filming wildlife I mostly wear three-fourths and a T shirt and don’t care about what others think. However suddenly when I was called for a TV interview, I found that I can’t walk in into a studio with such clothes. So these days I pack one formal shirt and trousers for such terrible eventualities.
I need a decent bed and clean bathrooms. However, these days I am more careful about the security aspect and prefer to may more to get the peace of mind apart from luxury.
Happy to hear abut your TV interview and how it made you change a bit, I am not alone after all 😀 Decent bed, clean bathroom with security sounds excellent!
Nice to know where you met your husband… my jugaad stories…not many, i am not a believer in jugaads much, as i have seen my family members do it a lot growing up and my wisdom (from their experiences) has beem that it always turns out to be a case of saving a penny and doling out a pound later….
http://www.myunfinishedlife.com
Sushmita I am not much of a jugaad person but have to do soething about he dry bag for camera!
Haha, jugaad is best. Aren’t travelers the best jugaadus anyway? 😀
Jatin not when you have a bright eyes kid with you, who depends for everything on you on a trip! 😀
Very interesting to read your take. Though I am systematic but once in a while I don’t mind to let loose and go with the flow.
Living in India we need to go with the flow or we would go crazy!
I guess there is a bit of jugaad-u in all of us. I am with you on the dressing dilemma, some people do it so effortlessly and some people (like me) find it downright stressful 🙂
Another one that I can relate to is your resistance to raincoats, etc. Might as well push your luck while it lasts 😉
I am happy I wrote about the dress bit. I don’t feel I am the only one anymore! I should not push the luck with camera as each bit is expensive. 😀