GCF - Girls Chat Forum

From being the only girl in the team, to entering a team that had more women than men, my professional journey has bestowed me with a wide variety of experiences in terms of people and relationships.

This friendship day, I’d like to celebrate my team girls, who are one of the biggest support systems both on and off work. I’m really glad and grateful to have them in my life. Each of them are unique and inspire me in a variety of ways. 

1. Swetha - Well, the first girl I got to interact with when I joined into work. Surprisingly, she also happened to be someone I’d known from my previous stint with the company, but hadn’t interacted much. She’s definitely the most caring soul I’ve ever met. One of the biggest connoisseurs of all things food and kids. I believe she’s the happiest when trying out new foods or talking about her kids, absolutely dotes on them. She’s also a meticulous planner and always thinks of the best things you could gift someone for their special occasions. 

2. Subi - My pillion rider (soon to become my driver - she’s getting her driving license this month, yayyy!!). She’s possibly the gang’s most disciplined and health conscious one - always on the lookout and trying healthy, eco-friendly sustainable alternatives. Our conversations as we ride to and from office are something that I really look forward to. She’s always ready to share all her new learnings together with what’s worked for her. And oh, how can I forget, she never fails to follow up on me when I commit some task / routine to her. Drops a gentle message or quick nudge over the desk to check if I’m progressing with it or not. Accountability partner of sorts.

3. Srinidhi - My buddy at work, the one from whom I took in the role transition. To describe Srinidhi in one word - proactively hard-working. She’s always on the lookout for what might come next on her work table, and ensures she’s already on it. And god, she’s quite meticulous, in the sense that she never shies away from multiple follow ups and collaborating with a multitude of people to get the things done. Side note, the two things that can always lift up Srinidhi’s moods are - Ice creams and movies / series. 

4. Swedha - This is one chutti kozhandhai of the gang. She was possibly the youngest (or rather one of the youngest) of the gang at some point in time. She’s a creative genius. Our self-appointed photographer and reels creator. Always has a ton of ideas up her sleeve, pushes us do the acting and last,  but not the least, produces a perfectly edited masterpiece that’ll forever be beautiful memories for us to look back on. 

5. Madhu - I’m always in awe of Madhu for the way she puts forth her thoughts and opinions. She’s one of the most bold and confident women I have ever seen, quite vocal who never backs away from challenging things. I don’t know if it’s just me or do others also feel this - she’s brings in a completely different perspective to a lot of things that we discuss, given the plethora of topics she reads about, making it all the more interesting. Also, the gang’s the first and best chauffeur (just kidding). The only girl from the team that drives her car to work, and 90% of the time brings along people with her (carpooling) - good job on being socially responsible Madhu. Side note - She makes the best Risotto and Wraps (with some lip-smacking dips!!)

6. Thamil - A mostly quiet but keen observer, Thamil is the best version one could wish for about their health. I truly admire the ‘way of life’ in her family, about how health is given the utmost priority, over anything else. Her meals are always the most nutritious with a variety of vegetables. She’s the gang’s OG in terms of staying away from sweets / desserts. Always happy to skip them, while most of us would go weak on our knees over the mention of a waffle or basundhi.

7. Maha - The most optimistic person in the whole gang. She’s the one person who always looks at the best in everything. I’ve never met someone like her, always bubbling with joy. Even when she’s complaining about something, she never loses the smile on her face. She’s by far the one person in the gang with the widest variety of experiences and that definitely shows in the way she looks at things. Always inquisitive, observing and appreciating little things about all the people she’s interacting with, never failing to share it all with us, she’s someone I look up to. 

8. Sreeja - Mostly to herself, but really sweet when you talk to her. She’s one person that is very disciplined, once committed to something, especially with diet. Most of us don’t bother about hoarding ourselves on some days, but Sreeja is always mindful. 

9. Sowmiya - Another one of my buddies, who’d been away for a while on a sabbatical when I joined, but was back again last year. She’s chatty and witty, and very easy to converse with. Quite an ardent web/OTT series lover, she’s always open to recommendations and provides honest feedback. 

10. Priscilla - The one who always radiates calm and composure. I quite admire the fact that she comes up with really interesting questions in the various meetings. Questions that are usually practical, but never get asked in the forums for the fear of repercussions. 

11. Devi - A fairly new girl to the team, she’s one enthu bundle, always ready to try out new things and is curious about everything. I’m quite sure she holds this whole gang as dear as I do, feeling super grateful to have landed in this role. 

12. Darsini - My very own junior. She’s all that I wish I was when I was younger. She’s quiet but curious, always giving her best to solve any issues or questions that come her way, ever willing to help in any which way she can! Her transition into this role happened in quite a jiffy, but she took it in all too well, and is definitely doing a great job at it Gosh, this is going on like a performance review, sorry Darsh! But yes, she’s super sweet and a die-hard fan of dramas in all languages other than Tamil, lol, just kidding - she adores K-Dramas, watches a bit of J- and C-dramas too I believe (for the uninformed K is for Korean, J Japan and C Chinese)

There also a couple of others, like Keerthana and Vimala, who have very recently joined our team, and slowly getting to know us I hope and wish they enjoy our company. 

And with that, I wrap up my friendship post, forever grateful for having these girls in my life. Here’s to more years of fun and food :) Happy Friendship Day!!