Indian national a big fan of local hospitality and food

Animesh: I love Malaysia because of its greenery, vibrant culture and energy.

Fate led Animesh Mukher-jee to Malaysia and there has been no turning back since he set foot here. Being an expat for a third of his life, the New Delhi-native always knew what it was like to live away from home and make his host country a real home.

When work brought him to Kuala Lumpur in mid-2011, he decided that he would stay grounded and that was when his fondness for Malaysia grew.

“I started my career in a specialist consulting company when I was 20. By the time I was 24, I had moved to Singapore to pursue my masters degree in the National University of Singa-pore. “After completing my Master’s degree, I returned to the consulting company and started to work my way up,” said Animesh.

He was working on a project for a client in Thailand and was soon transferred to Bangkok where he was based for two years. “I felt like it was meant to be and wanted to settle down there but my boss called me up one night and told me that I would be posted to work in Malaysia for a new project. “I only had a day to decide and thought — why not? There may be more opportunities there!” said the 32-year-old.

Animesh, who lives in Mont Kiara, is no stranger to Malaysia as his work brought him here on several occasions.

He is happy staying here for many reasons — one definitely being the food. “I love Malaysia because of its greenery, vibrant culture and energy. The food is definitely something that I can’t live without and my regular haunts include banana leaf rice and curries in Bangsar. “I’m a big fan of Chinese Malaysian and Malay food, especially roti canaiand roti jala.

“But, I still can’t eat durian no matter how hard I try and I don’t think I’ll be able to appreciate it at all, unfortunately,” he said. While understanding that indulging in such rich foods can also affect his waistline, Animesh finds a good balance and maintains his weight by trekking and running.

“I like to find green areas to trek through and I’m now preparing for a marathon. “When I have even more free time, I like to laze around on the beaches of Langkawi,” said the self-confessed beach bum.

Animesh initially had to get used to some aspects of the unique Malaysian culture.

“The countries I’ve worked in are “next-door” neighbours to Malaysia and one would assume that there will be cultural similarities, but they are actually very different.

“In Singapore and Thailand, they will immediately get down to business when they have meetings.

“But Malaysians generally don’t get to that point directly, because they tend to first talk about the latest happenings in the country or elsewhere, and then only it is business.

“Malaysians are very personable people who like to share insights about certain events or issues. “But that is what makes Malaysians such warm people because building relationships and trusting others often comes first before everyone is comfortable discussing work,” he explained.

He believed that these are fundamental values that create trust and rapport and help him build his clientele. “I feel that this is a more genuine and wholesome way to interact and deal with people because we’re all human beings after all,” he expounded.

He has also adapted to the way Malaysians talk with the occassional lahat the end of some statements as well as joining in heated discussions about sports and, more predominantly, the life of Datuk Lee Chong Wei.

He added that one amusing trait of Malaysians was that they love to talk about Bollywood actors.

“Some of them think that because I am from New Delhi, I am either an actor or am related to one, but sadly I am not,” he quipped.

In the long run, Animesh sees Malaysia as the place where he wants to settle down. Although he felt the same about Thailand, Malaysia has captured his heart for the meantime.

“My stay here will also be determined by my employer because I do tend to get moved around every few years. But Malaysia as a whole has mesmerised me because of its promising future. “If the right decisions are made and actions are taken, then it can become one of the star performers in Asia.

“I personally want to see Malaysian companies become global heavyweights and there is potential for that to happen,” he said.

-thestar online.