A day in the life of Geetha Ramaswamy
A drizzle coats the pathway as Geetha walks steadily towards IISc’s Main Guest House (MGH). Today, she had commuted from her home in Benson Town to IISc by auto rickshaw. The previous evening’s downpour had left her scooter marooned on campus. She quickens her pace to be in the office by 10 am.
Geetha is a personal secretary in charge of MGH and the Centenary Visitors House (CVH). As soon as she reaches MGH, she is met by the secretary to the Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan. The Minister and his team have been staying at the guest house for the past two days while visiting IISc for an official meeting. The Minister wanted to meet with the IISc Director before leaving for the airport. Geetha quickly calls the Director’s secretary and arranges the meeting at the guest house. Before she knows it, her day at work has begun, and she plunges into the bustle.
‘I welcome everyone with respect and make sure that they feel comfortable’
Geetha sits at her desk and carefully lists the day’s tasks in her diary. “This ensures that I don’t miss any work,” she says. It’s a practice she has followed throughout her 33-year-long career at IISc, to help her stay consistently organised and efficient. She then makes a few calls to the Public Relations Office and arranges vehicles for the renowned mathematician Manjul Bhargava and several other members of the team, who are also staying at the guest house. After seeing them off, Geetha welcomes the Director and accompanies him to meet the Minister. “Nobel laureates, ministers, heads of various institutes, faculty members from various institutions and other countries. I welcome everyone with respect and make sure that they feel comfortable,” she says, with a smile.
Geetha gets lunch boxes packed for the Minister’s guests, since their odd flight timing meant that they would miss getting lunch. The team heads off to the airport, saying a cheerful goodbye to her. She inspects the rooms to see if they are properly cleaned and the appliances are functioning properly. She then visits the kitchen and instructs the staff regarding the day’s arrangements. “The majority of the cooking is done at CVH, and food is brought from there for the guests at MGH. Here, we have only minimal arrangements for cooking, like tea and coffee, dosa, poori, chapatti, and other small snacks,” she adds.
From typing to hospitality
Geetha joined IISc in 1992 after stints at other organisations. She completed her diploma in Secretarial Practice from the Regional Vocational Training Institute for Women (RVTI) – now known as the National Skill Training Institute for Women – in 1989. Immediately after that, she registered at the Employment Exchange. “I could not afford to idle away my time. I had to support my family, just as my elder sister was doing. With two younger siblings and our father already retired, the responsibility was clear,” Geetha reminisces.
She began her career with an internship at the Khoday Breweries Limited factory in Bengaluru, a rigorously managed organisation, where she developed a strong sense of punctuality and discipline. There, she completed an eight-month internship. With this experience in hand, she decided that it was time to seek a permanent job, leading to her first full-time position at Festo Controls Private Limited. While working there, she secured a government position as a stenographer at Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KS&DL), a far more attractive position than one in the private sector. “If I had continued working at KS&DL, I would have been the Senior Manager heading a separate zone,” Geetha says.
On bus rides, Geetha would catch glimpses of IISc and was enchanted by the beauty of the campus
Her daily commute – involving bus changes and long walks – taught her the value of every paisa. On those rides, she would catch glimpses of IISc from the bus and was enchanted by the beauty of the campus. As luck would have it, one day, while reading the newspaper, she came across a job advertisement for a stenographer at IISc. On 24 July 1992, she joined the Institute along with four friends – Amudha, Kavitha, Kalpana and Mangala. “Anandhi is the first friend I made at IISc. We met during our written exam. She is now at the Gate Office of IISc,” Geetha reminisces. They remain her closest friends to date.
Growing with IISc
Section, where she was tasked with clearing backlogs of paperwork. “We had to manually note down all records related to CSR and DST. We worked mostly with a Facit typewriter, and there were only two or three computers at that time,” she recalls. After spending six months there, she was transferred to the team that published the Journal of the Indian Institute of Science. “Assistant Editor Srinivas Rao was in charge of the journal section at that time. He was a meticulous taskmaster, constantly directing me to the journal section to follow the correct writing style. My responsibility was to assist in finding the references, visit faculty members of various departments for corrections, forward journal copies to referees, follow up, visit the printing press, and so on,” she says.
After Srinivas Rao, NM Malwad, the librarian, took over the charge of the journal. Around this time, the journal began publishing thematic issues, and Geetha continued to assist in its production. She also handled students’ thesis submissions. “In those days, PhD theses were submitted on CDs along with the hard copies. I used to catalogue them,” she says. She worked in the library until 2006. After that, she joined the Centre for Electronics Design and Technology (CEDT), now the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (DESE).
‘I always believe that one should keep learning new things for self-growth’
“Prof K Gopakumar, who was a member of the journal committee, was looking for an office assistant and asked me if I was interested. I readily said yes to it!” The work there was fun, she adds. Working with students, travelling with them on tours, handling their academic paperwork and scholarships, and organising seminars and workshops gave her a lot of joy. She spent nine years at the department before seeking a transfer to the guest house. “I always believe that one should keep learning new things for self-growth,” she quips. The Registrar, V Rajarajan, approved her request, and she was transferred to the guest house in 2018.
“Assistant Registrar Selva Kumar P was supervising the guest houses at that time. He had worked in five-star hotels and brought several years of valuable experience from his background in hospitality. I learnt everything that I am today from him,” Geetha remembers. Not long after Geetha joined, COVID-19 struck. “It was a tough time, but we did not give up,” she says. The guest houses were converted into quarantine facilities for students and visitors. “We took utmost care; food and other essential things were provided to the occupants wearing protective gear,” she recalls.
Keeping things moving
Around mid-day, Geetha gets ready to visit CVH, as she does every day, to inspect and ensure that all operations are running smoothly. On her way to CVH, she makes several calls, contacting the staff members against the guest house complaints raised. She meets a staff member bringing lunch to MGH on a two-wheeler trolley. They exchange a few words and continue on their paths. Geetha says that she always offers words of encouragement to her colleagues, ensuring that they don’t become complacent or weary of routine tasks. “I want them to be mentally present in their work, not just physically; without support and encouragement, hospitality services are difficult.”
Upon reaching CVH, she exchanges a few words with the receptionist and reviews the guest register. She then proceeds to the kitchen to ensure that the food is prepared in line with Standard Operating Procedures. She explains that numerous checks are required in the kitchen; for instance, ensuring that vegetables are washed and prepared according to the guidelines. Similarly, the shelving period must be monitored carefully, with anything past its date promptly discarded. Even the cooking oil is strained and sent back to the vendor, never reused.
She checks with the guests to see if they are comfortable and enjoying their stay, with proper food. She receives approving nods from many of them. Geetha explains that it is essential to book slots for lunch in advance at CVH so that they can prepare the exact amount of food. “We try to avoid surplus and shortage,” she adds. She has her lunch in the dining hall after the guests have finished eating. Geetha then heads upstairs to check the rooms.
‘The accommodation at CVH is for longer durations. Many foreign guests stay here’
Surrounded by a thick tree cover, CVH often has to deal with insects crawling inside the rooms. The staff are always on their feet to keep these critters at bay. “The accommodation at CVH, unlike MGH, is for longer durations. Many foreign guests stay here; also, new faculty members get transit accommodation before they are allotted quarters. We must prepare food that is closer to common liking,” she explains.
An Institute-approved vendor is responsible for taking care of the food and housekeeping of both the guest houses. The menu is decided at the beginning of the week. Geetha mentions that there have been occasions when guests have been overbearing. She adds that on those occasions, it is essential to handle the situation carefully. “I have met our Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, industrialist Anand Mahindra, chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, and other famous people at the guest house.”
Looking ahead
After checking the rooms at CVH, Geetha heads back to MGH. She has made a few requests to the administration for improving the facilities of the guest houses – wheelchairs for the elderly and differently-abled visitors, a few canopies to sit under in the lawn, and a section to showcase IISc’s merchandise, and some pictures of the Institute to hang in the hallways. She says many of the requests have been approved, and the arrangements will be made soon.
After several enjoyable years at the guest house, Geetha recently moved to another administrative section. She says she deeply values her more than three-decades-long association with IISc. “Every day, while offering my prayers to the gods, I also offer my gratitude to Swami Vivekananda, Dr BR Ambedkar and JN Tata. I am also in debt to my loving parents, my husband, and other family members; without their support, my professional journey would not have been possible,” she says. As another fulfilling day draws to a close, Geetha glances at the sky to see if it might rain this evening, wondering whether to ride her scooter home or take an auto rickshaw.
(Edited by Ashmita Gupta)
