The other side of: Outsourcing to India

We all know about outsourcing to India, Croatia etc., but what we don’t know is who is on the other side of the phone, instant message or e-mail. Maybe it’s not that important to some, but after beginning my quest to outsource my muse, I got to thinking- who is this guy in India that’s up at 2a.m. working on my stuff? Where does he hang out? Does he watch Bollywood movies? The following is an interview with Bhupendra Singh Kunwar (yes, I can say it and no, he doesn’t call himself Tom Smith).

Where do you live?
I live in New Delhi, India

Are you married? Kids?
I’m single.

Please describe your background and training?
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Humanities, as I had a deep interest in web design and programming. I do not hold any degree/certificate in Computer Education. I learned through my experiences over the last 6 years.

Do you own your own company or work for someone else?
I am somewhere between the above two categories. I have been employed (with other companies) for the past 5.5 years but since April of this year, I’m self-employed and plan to open my own company in a couple of months.

Do you use any other companies other than e-lance for work? If so which ones?
No. Apart from e-lance, I work on my own projects.

What type of projects do you enjoy working on?
I enjoy projects related to S.E.O., Web Development (PHP based) and Web Designing.

Would you say that you could earn a better living working through companies like e-lance, than you could by working for Indian companies?
Definitely, workplaces like e-lance certainly give more earnings than working for a typical computer company in India. In addition, you have the choice to do the projects you like [with e-lance].

Do you find yourself working odd hours so you can communicate with those in the US?
Yes, due to different time zones, I have to work odd hours especially with buyers in the US. We can communicate by email to avoid odd-hour working, but at times instant messaging/chat is essential for the quick and smoother delivery of projects. Nonetheless, I feel more comfortable working late at night than I do in the day hours.

Do you work out of your home or in an office building setting?
I work from home.

When a client awards you a job, do you do the work yourself or do you delegate it to other people?
In 90% of the cases I do the job myself. If I feel overloaded, I’ll get some help from others.

Which country provides you with most of your work?
The U.S. and U.K.

When working with Americans what do you like most and what do you like least (be honest)?
Like the most: Clarity in communication and quick payments
Like the least: Not very concerned about quality (perhaps they aren’t aware that things could be done better) and it seems that they are technically less skilled (which sometimes results in me having to explain every bit to the buyer through long emails, charts, diagrams etc.).

What language is spoken in your home?
Hindi.

What languages do you speak?
English & Hindi.

I understand that English is widely spoken in India- what would you say are the biggest obstacles (if any) when communicating in English to Americans?
When it comes to written communication I don’t feel that there are any obstacles, but when it comes to voice communication (like talking with an American over the phone) the different accent of the Americans does influence and cause an obstacle at the early stages.

I notice that Indians adopt American names- what’s your feeling on that practice?
Yes, it’s true that Indians adopt American names. The good part of this practice lies in the fact that Indian names are difficult to pronounce or spell for the American or British people. In fact, the names of several places within India were changed during the British rule for that very reason. I have also observed that many Indians who migrate to the United States adopt similar American sounding names. In principle, I do not favor this practice and never have “changed my name”.

Would you sketch out a typical day (just the every day stuff)?
My day generally begins at 10 am
11 am:           Breakfast at the dining table

11.30 am:      My work hours start

2.30 pm:        Lunch at the dining table

3.30 pm:        Back at my work table

6.00-9pm       Break from work- with family/out for a walk/television

9.30 pm         Dinner at the dining table

10.30pm – 2.30 am      Second work shift

On the last Saturday night out, where did you go? What did you do?
On Saturday [or weekends] I’m generally with friends, out for a movie or maybe at a bar/restaurant. Though, I don’t drink, I do enjoy the company of friends and the chit-chat. If there is any long weekend or holiday, I may trek out on a Himalayan tour.

Trekking on a Himalayan tour?
I love trekking through the Himalayas. Photography being my other passion, it gives me double pleasure to conquer the treks and capture the unspoiled beauty of nature through my camera. Some of the treks I would like to visit again include the world famous Valley of Flowers and Auli (Skiing destination). Other favorite Himalayan encounters include boating in the grand Nainital Lake and rafting over the Holy Ganges. You may find the photos that I collected during my journey at here (Except for the album titled “Member’s Contribution”, I own all other albums to my credit on this website).

Do you get together with friends and watch sports? If so, where do you watch the games? At home? At a bar? Which sports do you like?
I do get together with friends on weekends [I normally avoid watching sports] but when I do- I prefer watching Cricket at a bar.

Do you enjoy watching Bollywood movies and if so what’s your favorite movie and who is your favorite male and female actors?

Yes, I do watch Bollywood movies.

My favorite movie is: “Rang De Basanti”.
Favorite Actor: Aamir Khan
Favorite Actoress: Tabbu

Last year there was a big political controversy when the American actor Richard Gere had a public kiss with an Indian Actress? What was the talk like in India and what are your personal thoughts on it. It’s a silly question I know, but there is just such a broad difference between American and Indian social cultures that I thought it would be interesting to hear thoughts from a local.

This controversy was bricked politically while it hasn’t gathered any special attention from the general public. The issue was highly raised and objected by some of the political/social groups to gather unnecessary attention.

Personally, I see it no more than propaganda to make a mountain out of a molehill. Though, I am also a conservative Indian, but I don’t see it as objectionable to make a controversy out of it. There were times when people used to object to girls wearing jeans and mini skirts in India!

What’s your favorite American import i.e. Hollywood movies, Coca Cola, etc.
My favorite American import is my Intel powered PC.

Are there any other projects you’re working on now (outside of what you do with e-lance) that you would like to share?
I am planning to launch a B2B travel portal in India which will offer services to travel houses, tour operators and the hospitality sector to e-nable them, making the use of Internet to reach directly to their customers/prospects. Currently, the tourism and hospitality sectors in India hugely rely on travel agents (most of whom operate offline).

Besides this, I am the founder of a regional community website euttaranchal which offers information about Uttarakhand (a Himalayan state in India) and connects the people of the state worldwide through this platform. The website has been running since 2003 and offers completely free matrimonial services as well.

Lastly, would you give us a lesson in Hindi and teach us how to properly pronounce your Indian name?
Sure. Bhupendra could be pronounced as:

Bhu as Bhoe (pronounce it similar to Shoe)
pen as “pain”
dra as dra in “hydra”

My Family calls me Bibu (Bi as Bee & bu as boo)
My Friends call me Bhupi (Bhu as Bhu in Bhupendra & pi as pea)

What’s the best way for someone to get in contact with you?
The best way is through my personal website www.bhupendrakunwar.com

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I thought you might find this interesting as well. It seems that even Snoop wants “in” on India. Check out his new bollywood video- Snoop goes bollywood…

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On another note. We have been receiving a lot of requests for blog interviews. We will be doing only five (as it’s not easily scalable) if you’re interested please send us an email to heyjetset@gmail.com or you can leave a message here.