SKF India CFO learnt cooking a full course meal in lockdown, says it was a stress-buster

While Anurag Bhagania, Director, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, SKF India, has managed to successfully work from home over the last two years (with a little help from updated tech buys) he looks forward to getting back to the office and most importantly, meeting people.
“Customers, suppliers, employees – I look forward to connecting with them in person again,” he tells ETPanache. Apart from this, the boss also wants to travel, eat out and get back to how things were pre-pandemic. Here’s what’s on his wish list.

Travel tales:
For a solo or group holiday in India, Goa is my first pick. It always works for me, as it gives you the best possibilities of shaping your holiday according to your personal preferences. A car trip to Goa for a long stay in a villa close by the beachside workcation is top of my list. I am also looking forward to visiting my brother in Boston for a family reunion once international travel opens up. It has been long due and I am eager to make it happen at the earliest possibility. For me the best treatment for mind and body is when you travel. I have been longing to take a long road trip with friends and family. The dynamic state of regional restrictions made it difficult to plan. But, it does look like a possibility again now, and I am starting to plan it out.

Street treats:
I love Delhi street food and I have been longing to go back and experience the taste of fresh-off-the-stall chhole bhature. There is a small but now well-known place called Civil Lines wale chhole bhature (which Virat Kohli made popular) in old Gurgaon. A winter morning with the friends, chhole hature and Punjabi lassi is my perfect start to a great day. Just thinking of it as I speak makes me long for it even more.

New buys:
I wish I had purchased a robotic vacuum cleaner/mop for home use. And I believe you would know the reason why it was so essential. When it comes to work, it was absolutely essential to set up a productive home working set up and I did pamper myself with the best of gadgets I could lay my hands on. I purchased a HP monitor, a vertical laptop docking station, the most amazing headphones, a studio set up Harman microphone, and wide angle HD Camera. It made my WFH virtual calls including even board meetings and AGMs go as smoothly as possible. I wish I could buy a height adjustable table to enhance the WFH experience. Looking for a good deal, it will be soon on my shopping cart.

Routine matters:
The things in life that really matter can be terribly boring - like following a perfect routine. However, it’s the rhythm of the daily routine that helped me stay productive. At times, and naturally so, we tend to get casual when WFH, but I felt getting ready as if going to work, putting on your office attire, shoes like a usual work-from-office day helped me stay as close to the real thing and helped me create the mental state needed to perform. I love this simple trick my mind does to my body.

Upskilling:
Pre-lockdown, I hardly ever ventured into the kitchen. While my love for food is well known, I could never try out cooking myself. During the lockdown, though, I really experimented, failed and learnt through the process. YouTube has been a great source of learning. And I am confident now I can cook a full course meal. It was a super stress buster when I was locked down at home.

Downtime:
I have been regular with active sports. I play badminton religiously. In fact I am quite blessed that I had access to the court during most part of the lockdown (barring a few months) and we could make full use of our extra time to smash it at the court. I did refresh practically my entire kit, new racquets, shoes, and kit bag.