Some years ago, I was at a party where the host introduced me to a stranger as "a business journalist who has been around for a long while now". I smiled and extended my hand, but before I could say any more, the stranger lit up and said, "Tell me, what's your take on crypto?"
I don't remember much else about that conversation. I probably mumbled something incoherent (crypto has never been my thing). But what stayed with me was how uncomfortable it all felt.
Whenever I think about the incident now, I think about how tightly we wear our professional identities.
So much of the time, we are not really presenting ourselves or being perceived as people in a whole sense; we are being equated with what we do.
I am Charles, the journalist. You may be Vinicia the techie, Rohit the baker, or Sunny the stay-at-home parent.
It's not entirely our fault; it's how we've been conditioned to think about each other, and ourselves. This hit home harder recently, when scrolling through my phone contacts.
What started as a casual attempt to delete defunct numbers quickly turned into a philosophical thought experiment. For each entry, I asked myself: "Is this name here because I care about this person? Or because of the title this person holds?"
Bu hikaye Hindustan Times Bengaluru dergisinin December 22, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Hindustan Times Bengaluru dergisinin December 22, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
NOT IN GERMANY; IT'S CHRISTMAS IN MUMBAI FOR SREEJITA AND MICHAEL
The actor and her husband are marking a shift from their usual Germany celebrations, as they embrace new traditions in India
Virat ne block kar diya hai mujhe Insta pe: Rahul Vaidya
Cricketer Virat Kohli has allegedly blocked singer Rahul Vaidya on Instagram.
Kohli, Smith and the Old Touch
Their place among the all-time batting greats is settled, but both will be keen to live up to their own lofty standards
'OTT has offered me the genres I wasn't getting previously'
This festive season, actor Tahir Raj Bhasin has more reasons to celebrate – his OTT series Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein (YKKA) Season 2 has been well-received, and the show is all set for a third outing.
Konstas to debut; Head, Rohit ready to go
Much of the intrigue on Tuesday centred around the fitness of two key figures on either side—Australia's Travid Head and India's Rohit Sharma.
Rohit's mantra: A personalised approach is key
Captaincy demands a mindset as varied as the individuals in the squad. You need to know when to be sympathetic and when to have a stern word or two. And can your attitude be the same with youngsters as it is with seniors?
INDIA GEAR UP FOR WOMEN'S T20 U-19 WORLD CUP TITLE DEFENCE
The chances of India defending the women's T20 U-19 World Cup, to be held in Malaysia from Jan 18 to Feb 2, though is quite high.
Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal shine as India women clinch ODI series
It was a thoroughly dominant all-round performance from India yet again in this series as they defeated West Indies by 115 runs in the second women's ODI and took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara on Tuesday.
India face Bangladesh in their CT opener, Pakistan on Feb 23
India will play Bangladesh on February 20 in their opening Group A game of the ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in Dubai as part of the hybrid model agreed for the tournament.
Paris heartache over, Chanu focuses on regaining fitness
Having overcome the agony of a 4th-place finish at Paris Games, the lifter has resumed training in Modinagar under national coach Vijay Sharma