Hairy Instinct

The Haircut

Like I've already told to whoever's been interested enough to patiently hear me out, I've received everything from condolence messages to leaps of joy congratulating me at my haircut. Just for the record, I called up Dad on my way to the barber's and the following is an excerpt:

Dad: Hello ?

Me: Dad, how many months has it been since I came home?

Dad: Umm..six months, son...why ?

Me: 'Coz I'm feeling real sad..

Dad: Why ? Missing us, eh ??

I wouldn't be too off the mark when I conjecture that at this point the paternal instinct must have risen to an all time high in the senior Ruparelia's chest and must have filled his heart with high emotions towards his son...

Me: Errr...no...Actually, I'm on my way to the barber's and the last time I had a haircut was when I was in Cal...so that means that I'm having a haircut after 6 months, and that's why I'm sad...

I wouldn't be too off the mark here either to conjecture that emotions of a rather different sort must have filled the senior Ruparelia's chest

[PLEASE NOTE: The remainder of this telephonic interview is not recorded here for security purposes of the undersigned.]


A Personality Course...(Ha Ha !!)

Ok..so the 5th term has officially started and I'm back to my criticising ways about the goings-on in a b-school. (I almost sound like a perennial nay-sayer to the b-school system....but BOY is this fun !! :D )

Now, one of the courses that the students can opt for here is called Personality Development and Business Etiquette. I really do not have much clue as to which books these warriors of good personality are about to subscribe to, but a few of the 'rules' of these classes are:

1. Hair must be in 'proper' (not my personal definition) shape

2. Student must be in formal attire during the lecture

3. Nails must be cut

4. Shoes must be polished; and

5. (This is the latest fad as per tonight's behaviour in the mess) Stuff like 'Good morning/evening', 'Thank you' and 'Please' must be mentioned

Before I fall off my chair, let me pause for a bit and add that in my 'personal' opinion, the faculty who is conducting the course is one of the BEST faculty members in this institute. I do not say this since I must be 'diplomatically correct'; I've been saying this and respecting her the most since she took one of the first classes after we'd joined Nirma.

However, what I do not agree with is the whole idea that Personality can be 'taught' in a classroom environment...but then, what the hell, neither can business. And one more thought, I doubt whether M/s. Vijay Mallya and Co. would EVER pass this particular course. ;)

A crazy week

The crazy phone call:

"Hiiiiiii", came Riddhi's childish voice singing over the phone. "Kaisa hai, bidu?"

'Bidu ??' I told myself. 'Ise kya ho gaya ?'

'"Bol na," she persisted, "kaisa hai?"

"Main to mast hoon...bas padhai-shadai chal rahi hai..Monday se exams hai."

"Oh cool, my exams are getting over tomorrow, and I'm leaving for Cal in the evening. Aur bataa, pics kaise lage?"

She was referring to the pics that she'd sent me by mail, where she could be seen standing on the first floor railing, about to take a plunge and land on the pile of mattresses that were ready to soften the blow. Apparently, this is the newest form of enjoying life at IIM-K; that's where Riddhi is currently pursuing her MBA.

"Hey kid, you'd better take care. I know you wanna enjoy yourself like hell when you're away from adult supervision...lekin yeh kya hai...take care of yourself, please," I begged.

"Arre, don't worry," was her nonchalant reply, "I just wanted to do something wild; and it wasn't that I was the only one doing it...my friends were there alongwith me. Anyway, I wanted to tell you how excited I am. I've been learning how to ride a bike !!! And though the Pulsar is really heavy for me, I'm learning on the other bikes as of now. Ain't that cool ?"

Silence at my end.

"By the way, tu kya kar raha hai ?" continued the non-stop jabberer.

"Err....nothing.."

"Shekhar....chalo, sach-sach batao," came the warning, in a typical Mummy style.

"Errr....(gulp)...kuch nahin yaar, just having some milk....Bournvita daal ke," I confessed.

"KYAAAAA ??????? You and milk....woh bhi with Bournvita !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HA HA HA HA HA.....!!"

However, that's the truth, dear reader. The boys hostel seems to have been caught in some sort of milk-mania. Every evening now, post 11 o' clock, you can see boys roaming around with a 1/2 litre packet of milk in their hands, asking the few proud owners of kettles whether their honourable machines are available. And sometime last week, even I got bitten by the milk-bug.

Of course, only those who've known me for long (such as Riddhi, who has known me since my MBA preparatory days) can imagine the sea-change that has occured.


The crazy exam:

The first examination that I had was Consumer Behavior, and it is a terrible thing to prepare for an exam seeing that your roommate has no exam the following day. "Ha ha..I'm gonna watch a movie tonight and sleep till noon tomorrow...happy studying," my roomie gloated.

I had promised Munnu maharaj on Orkut that on the morning of the exam, I would get up early, bow to the Almighty, sing the Hanuman Chalisa, and attack the examination hall. Munnu Maharaj, perhaps having an inkling of the forthcoming doom, told me that I should also include Kali Maa in my prayers.

As destiny had planned...I woke up late for the exam.

WOKE UP LATE FOR THE EXAM !! Do you understand what that means ???

Terror !!! Disaster !!!!

And not because you know that you could've answered the paper better, in a calm fashion; but because the whole college knows about it and greets you with a smile wherever they bump into you, whether at the mess, the classroom or at Chotu's.

But, I am digressing.

The series of events went something like this....

Invigilator: (In a strict, businesslike tone) There's a student missing... (turning to Basanti, who sits right next to me) any idea where he is...

Basanti: No sir, but he must be coming in some time...

Invigilator: Hmm...ok.

5 minutes into the exam

Basanti turns and looks at Mini, Mini returns the concerned look...both thinking 'Is gadhe Shekhar ka kuch nahin ho sakta...'

10 minutes into the exam

Basanti: Sir..I'm calling him up...he might have overslept.

Invigilator: Oh well...ok..fine.

On hearing this, the rest of the class, which has been awaiting the news of their hero, much like the crowd in Julius Ceaser, chants 'Tushar...Tushar' (that's my roomie) in unanimous acknowledgement of the fact that there was very little chance that a Kumbhakaran like me would wake up at the polite request of a cell phone ring.

Basanti (screaming into the phone at Tushar): Where's Shekhar ???!!!!!!!

Tushar: SHEKHAR !!!!! (...and conveniently chucks the phone at me)

Your's truly (YT): Huhhh ??

Basanti: Shekhar...EXAM HAI !!!!! Jaldi aao...

I scrambled to the exam hall, thanking the Lord for having the premonition that this was bound to happen one day and making me run the 2 kms that I do everyday.

When I entered the exam hall, the invigilator pushed the answer sheet in my direction with a sinister Gabbar Singh like smile that said, "Aaao Thakur...aaao."

Sheesh....what a way to begin the exams !!

Comments

Have you ever read one of those blogs which are so wildly popular that they get hundreds, and I mean HUNDREDS, of responses?? Well, I know my friend Sayesha has a great fan following (and why not ?? She writes well).

But there's also this one particular gentleman who goes by the name of Scott Adams, and you can read his blog here.

However, I've not been paid by M/s. Adams & Co. to promote his blog (not that I'd mind), but what got me interested were the comments on his most recent post, which speaks about his lack of sleep.

Now, I've never ever read through ALL of the comments on a post on the Dilbert blog. But this one was interesting. And as proof, I'm just reproducing some interesting comments that I came across:

# Check out Warren Zevon's song, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."

By the way, he's sleeping now.

# Clayism #3 " the amount that you suffer is directly related to the anount of attention you have focused upon yourself"

# Clayism #14 "you have plenty of time to sleep when you're dead"

# Get up, have a cup of coffee, surf the internet for a while, and go back to bed.

# Maybe its my Scott Adams voodoo doll.


...and the clincher

# I had a snoring problem once but I removed him from my bedroom and he now sleeps on the couch.

Trapped !!

Ok..so I'd run the regular 2 kms yesterday evening and YET, wasn't really sleepy at around 2 in the morning today. So, I conveniently chucked any more thoughts of sleep and got around to doing something that I've been longing to do for a long time now - meditation.

However, my meditation isn't the sort where I would just think about one subject, or where I focus all my energies on a particular picture or thought. Of course, there are times when I've focussed on a religious idol or picture for hours, but then there are times when you just want to let your mind wander around freely, almost like a young colt who's been allowed to run at full gallop in the meadows of thougts, recollections and introspection.

One such thought which came to me yesterday was that I guess people at times are too harsh with themselves, leave alone others. The reason why I say this is because sometimes, I just don't hear people praising themselves in a humble manner. I add 'in a humble manner' because it is not the false, self-fulfilling sense in which I meant the word praise. When I say 'praise yourself', it stands for something as simple as telling yourself that although you might have had to take a difficult decision (like I recently did), you feel completely honest taking that decision and standing by what you said or did. Its a simple, yet extremely powerful feeling to know that you've done what is morally and pragmatically correct. There will always be people telling you that perhaps you did the wrong thing (fortunately, I haven't had to be an audience to that argument) and then there will be people who will say that 'perhaps it is the right thing to happen'. However, what matters most is when you, in moments of solitude and divine silence, tell yourself 'I've done the right thing.'

Having thus lifted myself from a few confusing thoughts and emotions, I drifted off to sleep at around half past 3, only to wake up at 8:15. Well, it was a beautiful morning, and I couldn't resist myself...so off I went for a 2 km jog again !! :)) [Come to think of it, I'd let the mind do all the running around barely 4 1/2 hours ago !!]

That, however, was the end of navigations outside the hostel building for the day. Have been trapped in my room all day long. Had no lectures today...aur yeh besharam IPM peeche padi hai. So, dedicated most of the day to a chapter understanding Bond markets...uffff !! Ultimately got bugged, and have now switched over to Consumer Behavior.

And yes, when I say end of navigations beyond the boundaries of the hostel building, I also mean that I didn't venture out for lunch. Just stepped down to Chotu's on the first floor to treat myself to a puff, a packet of chips and a bottle of cold coffee. And the room-mate returned just in time to put the 'icing on the cake' by bringing back a chocolate pastry that he got from Upper Crust. Ahh !! Nirvana !!!!

Before I sign off, here's a hillarious post that a friend wrote. Unfortunately, the author of the blog, Moti [:P], caused an earthquake (by her own admission) when she fell from the stairs of the institute building yesterday and has gotten her leg wrapped in a crepe bandage. What a pity !!! The folks at the girls' hostel will have to skip this golden opportunity to give Moti Birthday Bumps tonight !!! :)))))))))

Happy B'day Aneesha !!

Shopping malls are evil

I went out to the city today for my Capstone project. Met the gentleman concerned at his office and have a good feeling about the project. Should be fun, especially as it might also involve going a few times to Mumbai over the next 6 months.

What followed, however, is a tale of financial tragedy of Shakesperean magnitude.

My friend and I hopped over to the Subway outlet next to FR (Fun Republic) and then decided to drop in to Big Bazaar as my friend wanted to buy some stuff. My friend. Not me...no no...my friend. But this act of 'stepping into' a mall set off a 'that-reminds-me.....why not try' loop in my brain.

The moment my friend told me his grand plan to invade the mall, I said 'That reminds me, I need to buy some Johnson's Buds.' And since they don't cost much at all, I would be able to afford them on this trip.

One look at the toileteries section, and....

"That reminds me...my after shave lotion is about to end. Why not try this brand..."; and....

"That reminds me...my bottle of deo also kinda felt close to empty when I shook it today morning."; and...

...the moment I reached the food section..."That reminds me...I should take care of my health. Why not try this chyawanprash..."

:((

What's worse...this didn't end there... [boo hoo]

These bloody shopping malls place stuff right next to the payment counters, so that while a customer is waiting in queue to get his bill processed, he might sight something else and purchase that too...

[Sigh] I saw this.....


Plain, simple and no great fundoo message, but still a great tea/coffee cup. :)

And as you can see, I bought this too !! :))

Oh, and btw, the bill (which was originally budgeted around Rs. 22) finally came to Rs. 280/-.

Evil, evil, evil shopping malls, I tell you !!!

Our final SM lecture

The Management Conclave (or ManCon, as we've been referring to it all this while) went off fine. Like I'd said (and expected), there were a few hitches from time to time. For example, I can never forget the second day of the event, when I was talking to a few friends at the reception desk at the entrance of the institute and a junior came running asking us where he could find a bottle of mineral water.

"Kyun bhai, kya hua ?"

"Arre woh @*#$%*#$#@$ speaker stage par saara paani pi gaya...ab bottled mineral water kahaan se lau ?" Trust me, he had the most frustrated look I've seen on a guy's face. It was as if he were a farmer who'd been tied to a chair while a thief ran away laughing with his chicken.

What was even more fun was when the same guy ran past the reception desk a minute or two later with a bottle of mineral water in his hand. The joy on his face was unbelievable. Why, I almost felt he was like a knight (in shining armor et al.) who was just running back to his beloved saying 'Honey, look what I found in the lion's lair!!'

Anyway, ManCon did get over without any major problems. Even the Press & Publicity bit went off smoothly. We did have our share of nervous running around, what with some of the journalists lazily wandering into the Institute and the guest speakers in a hurry to catch the flight back to their respective cities and their boardrooms; but like I said, there were two very certain things about the event. It was a learning experience, and it MOST DEFINITELY was fun.

Life is now back to normal, with tensions of the upcoming end-term examinations looming large over our heads. Classes are the usual....except of course the Service Marketing course.

We've come to the end of our Service Marketing (SM) course taught by Prof. Ram Kumar. And boy, has he taught us!! There are many who doubted from time to time whether some stuff that he taught was directly related to SM. However, we all agree that he has one unusual method of 'teaching'.

For example, take the manner in which he concluded the course.

He asked all of us to meet outside the Institute gate. Once there, he took us to his car (a Mahindra 4x4 Scorpio) and told us, "Look, there ain't anything about SM that can be taught in a classroom. What you need to do is go out in the world and learn..." Saying that, he took out his laptop, in which the lyrics of "We don't need no education" was prominently displayed. Next, he switched on his car tape which played the track at full volume.

Song over. "Got the message ?? Ok boss...best of luck for everything" And he drove off.

Shouldn't surprise you when I tell you that this is the same guy who rode a Bullet bike INTO the classroom last year as his concluding lecture.

Prayaag 2006

Today marks the beginning of a 3 day Management Conclave here at the Institute of Management, Nirma University. We've got some big ticket speakers (after a lot of requests, mails, more requests and a series of last-minute schedule changes) who will be visiting this Institute and speaking on areas ranging from retail, manufacturing, services sector, the IT industry, Brand India and loads and loads of other cool sub-themes. Some of the companies which will be gracing the dais are KPMG, AC Nielsen, Blue Dart, Global Consultants Inc. (it's a New Jersey based firm), Mudra Communications, etc.

I've been nominated the co-ordinator of the 'Press & Publicity Committee' and that means that I've been extremely busy co-ordinating with other students who are supposed to prepare the press releases for the major English dailies and also staying in touch with the print and television media who are expected on campus during the three days. (Must admit, there's a vast change in the manner I'm doing things now as compared to how I managed similar conclaves in the first year)

Now, the press releases aren't the ones which require much attention. I have in my committee group members who have work experience as part-time/freelance journalists for major English business dailies...so all seems to be covered on that front.

However, what has set a constant curious feeling of nervousness in my stomach is the 'Press Conference' that we've arranged for today. To begin with, we were extremely excited with the possibility of print AND television media covering the event. Matters got complicated when we tried to adjust the time of the press conference as not only the speakers but also the journalists and the PR agency kept shuffling the time around.

I'm sure I'll be able to pull it off.

It's just that I'm hoping I'm prepared for whatever little hiccups occur that usually happen at the last-minute at such events. Keeping my fingers crossed for the time being...

Understatement of the Year

"The ultimate contribution of Infosys is there are thousands and probably millions of entrepreneurs in the country who would say, 'Look, if these seven jokers could do it together, we could do it too'"

Narayana Murthy
Infosys

(View the video here)

As Mr. Narayana Murthy steps down from his position as the Chairman of Infosys, one cannot but help salute the savvy entrepreneur and the legend that has created a billion dollar company out of a dream that was shared by the seven founders.

Spinning of a new venture is almost child's play when compared to the Himalayan task of turning it into one of the biggest software solutions company of a developing economy like India. The former requires guts and an entrepreneurial edge; the latter, good ol' common sense and practical hands-on management. Needless to say, Murthy Sir has donned the many caps with ease over the many years.

Bulla Ki Jaana

Bulleh Shah

Bulla ki jaana main kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun

Na main moman vich maseetan
Na main vich kufar dian reetan
Na main pakan vich paleetan

Na main andar bed kitaban
Na main rehnda phaang sharaban
Na main rehnda mast kharaban

Na main shadi na ghamnaki
Na main vich paleetan pakeen
Na main aaabi na main khaki

Na main aatish na main paun
Bulla ki jana main kaun
Bulla ki jana main kaun
Bulla ki jana main kaun
Bulla ki jana main kaun

Na main arabi na lahori
Na main hindi shehar Nagaori
Na hindu na turk pashauri

Na main bhet mazhab de paya
Na main aadam hawwa jaya
Na koi apna naam dharaya

Avval aakhar aap nu jana
Na koi dooja hor pacchana
Mai ton na koi hor syana

Bulle shah kharha hai kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun

Na main moosa na pharoah
Na main jagan na vich saun
Na main aatish na main paun
Na main rahnda vich Nadaun
Na main baitthan na vich bhaun
Bulle shah kharha hai kaun

Bulla ki jaana main kaun -4
oooooo...
Bulla ki jaana main kaun -4



Translation:

Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?

Neither I am a believer (who stays) in a mosque
Nor do I indulge in actions of disbelief
Nor am I the pure one amongst the impure

Neither I exist in books of Ved
Nor do I stay drunk
Nor do I remain stoned, rotting

Neither I am happy nor sad
Nor am I in the (argument of) Purity and Impurity
Neither I am (made) of water nor of earth

Nor am I fire nor air

Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?

Neither I am Arabic nor Lahori
Nor am I (resident of) the Indian City Nagaori
Nor Hindu nor Turk Peshaweri

Neither I found the secret of religion
Nor did understand Adam and Eve
Nor did I create a name for myself

From beginning to end, I tried to understand myself
I did not come to know of anyone else
I am not just another wise one

Bulla Shah, who is this standing?

Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?


Neither I am Moses nor Pharoah
Neither I am awake nor asleep
Neither I am fire nor Air
Nor do I live among fools
Neither I am sitting nor am I in a tornado

Bulla Shah, who is this standing?

Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?
Bulla, who knows who I am?

(courtesy: translation on mouthshut.com)

Best of times, Worst of times

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct
the other way"

- A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

It happens

There are times in one's life, like right now, when one feels confused, even more confused, defeated, obsessed, sick, horrified....and not to mention the great combination of youth, anger and a sprinkle of the previously mentioned ingredients to create FRUSTRATION !!!

There's just so much to say, and so little that you can write; there's so much to do, and yet, such little time; there's so much to achieve, and you seem to be the only one with that dream.

But, relax, dude....it happens, that's life. C'est la Vie !!

"Your time will come....." is what the soul whispers.

"WHEN ?? WHEN ???? WHEN ????!!!!!!!" is what the mind screams.

Dilemmas on a rainy afternoon

Darn !!!

I have a lecture to attend in half an hour, but the weather is just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sexy..

Overcast weather conditions and a slight drizzle...gently blowing wind...the lush green fields outside my balcony seem to be ever so inviting...and this is the precise moment someone in the boys hostel has chosen to play 'Neela aasman so gaya' at full blast on his speakers...

Feel like hitting the sack again and drifting off to a land where joy knows no bounds....

Yet.... DARN !!!

5 bunks out of the allowable 6 in the 'Investment and Portfolio Management' (IPM) lectures...

DARN !!!

The Joy of Creation

A couple of months ago, well into our Operations Management course, the faculty concerned kindly co-ordinated an 'industrial visit'. The students were taken to the industrial products' plant located a few kilometres from the institute. As we wandered around the impressive heavy machinery that hummed and, at times, thundered on in its usual manner, a thought struck me.

"Imagine," I told myself, "what pride the owner must feel when he visits this site. He has some very talented engineers and managers working on some of the very best technology available on this planet. That apart, imagine the twinkle in his eye when he reminisces about the time when the site was just a piece of bare land, and the owner just stood there explaining his vision and dream to a couple of civil engineers and contractors who turn his dream into reality."

I remember being engulfed by similar feelings of awe and admiration a couple of years ago when I visited Jamshedpur for the first (and only) time. I had been called by XLRI for the admissions interview to their MBA program. On alighting at the Jam railway station, there was this very typical Hindi filmy gust of wind which greeted me by ruffling my hair. I immediately thought of the great Jamshedji Tata and the loving care with which he had given his instructions for the building of the city: "Be sure to lay wide streets planted with shady trees, every other of a quick-growing variety. Be sure that there is plenty of place for lawns and gardens. Reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks. Earmark areas for Hindu temples, Mohammedan mosques and Christian churches..." (Quoted from a letter in 1902 to son Dorab Tata)

If this is the aura that fills up a mere 21 year old fan of the mighty Jamshedji Tata, imagine what must have gone through the mind of a certain Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata when he first reached Jamshedpur! Whoa!! You carried on your shoulders the responsibility of living up to the reputation that comes with being a member of the House of Tatas.

[Goes without saying, like a true-blue Dhirubhai fan that I am, I've often wondered at the pride and excitement that he must've felt everytime he saw the scale at which both, the Patalganga and the Jamnagar refinery, had been built. Of course, one cannot overlook the fact that it was Mukesh who was the 'in-charge' when it came to the Jamnagar refinery.]

Flash back to a sunny afternoon in Calcutta, 15-16 years ago. My parents were enjoying their post-lunch siesta, and were not worried in the least bit about their son. In my father's words, "Right through your childhood, everytime we heard a utensil clanging, or some channel on the telly, or the rattle of either a table-tennis ball on the dining table or a cricket ball against the wall, we knew you were perfectly ok. It was when the house was absolutely quiet that we knew you were upto some mischief, and that we had better have a look." It was a similar uneasy silence which prompted Dad later that afternoon to wake up and have a look. There I was, sitting amidst a pile of newspapers, exercise books and calendars, and a set of sketch-pens and scissors.

And what, in Heaven's name, was I doing?

Making a 'home-made' personal calendar. I had cut out some very beautiful picture from a newspaper / magazine (I don't remember whether it was the picture of some Hindu God/Goddess or some filmstar) and had referred to a calendar to replicate, in different colours, the effort on a blank sheet. This sheet was then pasted at the bottom of the picture, and voila...my first venture was deemed successful.

There was nothing very special about that calendar. As a matter of fact, I do not even have that calendar today. It was just the outcome of a boring Sunday afternoon which led a kid to do something; to create something new, to make something which he could call his own. However, what was special about the calendar is that I fondly remember it as one of the first 'projects' that I took up and was extremely proud at having completed it. 'Projects' imposed by educational institutions have never left me as excited as I was when I was finished with that calendar.

Exactly a year ago, the same kid (disguised as a first year MBA student) started a blog. What followed was 102 posts in the span of one year. Some of the posts celebrated my success, some were written at a time when I was extremely angry, disgusted or frustrated with myself. Some posts made me take a hard look at what I was doing, the direction in which I was heading, and some were just about taking a break from life and having a hearty laugh.

It's been a great year. My 'empire' currently consists of a self-employed crazy CEO in myself and a 1 year old blog.

iThinks

Nah! iThinks ain't the newest product offering from Steve Jobs (although, I must admit, I've been watching too much of him on YouTube. For those who're enthusiastic enough, go to YouTube and search for a guy called 'peestandingup' and check out his cool collection of Apple and Steve Jobs videos).

iThinks is my response to Sunshine's tag. Although she didn't tag me per se, but fellas like me who have just found out that:

a) It's a beautiful Saturday evening
b) I'm located 15 kms away from the city of Ahmedabad; and
c) The Bank Management class scheduled from 7 - 9:45 pm has been cancelled

would be willing to leap into any opportunity that helps keep the mind away from the devilishly childish pranks that one is used to pulling off with surprising regularity.

So, after forcing a poor batchmate into clicking a number of my pics on his awesome Canon camera and guzzling 2 cups of tea and the awesome tea-biscuits that have been recently made available at "Chotu's" (my lingo for the bloke who sells tea at the 1st floor of the boys hostel), I finally pick up the tag...

I am thinking- of how soon I'm gonna become the billionaire I always dream of becoming.

I said- "Even when I run, I don't run the 100-200 metres; I run the Marathon" when asked why I called myself a megalomaniac.

I want- an action-packed lifestyle.

I wish- to learn how to ride a bike and play the flute.

I miss- chatting with Varun Mehta, a school friend.

I hear- the sky calling out to me each and every time I stand in the balcony.

I wonder- what's gonna happen after 6 months; a period I fear the most.

I regret- nothing !! 'Live with it and don't repeat the mistake' is my philosophy.

I am- an introvert...fun-loving, but an introvert.

I dance- rarely.

I sing- "Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein..." often.

I cry- privately.

I am not- perfect.

I write- 'coz if I wouldn't, I'd go crazy.

I confuse- people around me with what I write.

I need- to meditate often; which unfortunately, I haven't been doing for over half a year now.

I should- learn to get up early.

I finish- 4-5 cups of tea per day... (I know, I know)

I tag- anybody who's willing.

And btw, here's one of the pics that I particularly liked. This was one of the 'experimental' pics where the dude tried taking a pic without the flash being on...


I call it the 'Sarkar' pic. :D

Yun Hi Chala Chal

"Umm..Shekhar?", asked my friend Rajat.

"Yeah?" I responded absent-mindedly.

"Why are we walking so fast?"

"Are we...?" I paused in my tracks.

"Yes we are!!" responded Rajat, with a 'Duh-dude, what were you thinking?' look.

"Hmm....ok." I replied, and trotted off at the exact same pace again.

This little piece of conversation, ladies and gentlemen, happened not an hour ago. Rajat had I were headed to the mess for dinner. And as usual, I set a scorching pace.

I don't know what it is with me, but I just can't seem to walk slow!! Yeah, I know it's weird, but...that's the way it is. I love walking fast. It is unnatural for me to walk slow, and at a leisurely pace...even when it's only dinner I'm headed for. It is as if I'm in a hurry to get somewhere. The question is: Am I in a hurry? And if so, where to??

Look what happened post-dinner too. As I briskly started walking out of the mess, Rajat called out.."Hey!!" It took me a full 2 seconds to realise that he was a couple of feet behind me. "We're walking slow this time", he told me. I heeded the warning...only for a few minutes. Once we met up with another friend who was also on his way back to the hostel, I resumed at my normal pace.

And was immediately told to check my speed...

...by both my friends.

The problem is one of pace-mismatch. Once you are walking alongside a fella who's hell bent on walking at his / her own speed, what invariably happens is that you adjust your speed to his / her speed. And while most people don't mind walking at a slow and leisurely pace (I call it a 'dreamy walk', with not many positive overtones), I seem to be making my mates run along with me.

*smiles*

I recall that even as a kid I had a penchant for walking fast. I do not remember how old I was, but I'd once asked Dad who he thought was the person who could walk the fastest.

"Gandhiji", Dad had replied.

"Hmm...ok. And where could I meet him?"

I don't remember whether Dad smiled or not, but he surely did ask me why I wanted to meet Gandhiji.

"Well, to race him, of course!! We'll see who walks faster...Gandhiji or me."

TED talks

It just so happens that my roommate introduced me to Ted last night. Err...a guy introducing his room-mate to another guy ?? The 'Kanta-ben' effect ?

Certainly NOT !!!

No need for those eyebrows to go up now.. TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design. It is a 4 day conference held every year at Monterey, California where more than 1000 people from diverse backgrounds come together to exchange new, exciting and challenging ideas in their respective fields.

What is even more exciting (especially for folks like me who have a. broadband connection; b. loads of free time) are the various videos that you can either view or download from the TED website itself. Or else, you could simply search for the videos on Google Videos too. (Have thus far been unsuccessful in finding TED videos on YouTube)

Some of the interesting videos that I have seen are:

a. Sir Ken Robinson (author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative) speaks about innovation and creativity that we knew as kids but have been 'educated' out of.

b. Majora Carter (founder of Sustainable South Bronx, an organization dedicated to holistic community development) Boy, does she speak passionately! Superb video.

c. David Pogue (personal technology columnist for The New York Times) delivers a hillarious view of the technical world and absence of simplicity. Even if you're a non-tech guy, just watch it for David's fabulous (self-made?) renditions of short songs about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. He's brilliant.

Do try viewing the videos on the TED website itself; the streaming seems to be fast enough for you to enjoy a number of videos, including the ones I mentioned above.

Maverick

Ok, here's the truth.

The exams finished on Monday. And since yesterday, I've already deleted two posts that I'd begun writing. So, all those of you who've been baying for my blood...hold, baba, hold !!

As I speak, I presume it must be raining outside. And this presumption is on the basis of the continuous rain throughout the day that Ahmedabad has been witness to in the last 24 hours. The weather conditions remain so sexy that it would tempt anyone (leave alone the bechara accha baccha that I am) into bunking classes and lying in bed daydreaming of Angelina Jolie / Sushmita Sen / Sameera Reddy.

***** break in writing *****

It is now quarter past 6 and about time I slept. I have two lectures to attend around noon and I must prepare a presentation before that. Not that it is mandatory, but I would like to anyway. I want to make that effort not because of an extra grade (I think the grades have already been awarded, so the presentation won' t really matter), but because I think a PPT presentation will be able to emphasise clearly the points that I'd endeavored to highlight in my written submission.

I'd thought I'd blog about this later, but I think the moment is perfect.

I feel that labels work beautifully. Try it. Just start labelling someone as a 'great worker' or someone who 'thinks innovatively'. Chances are that he / she would indeed start displaying similar qualities. That brings 2 questions to my mind. Were these folks actually good in the particular activity prior to the 'praise'? And if yes, weren't those around him / her pretty foolish not to recognise this talent?

I do not know the answers and I don't claim to be able to find out anytime soon.

But here's a case-in-point.

I seem to be unconsciously telling myself from time to time that I'm different. Like I said, it is not a conscious decision. The idea just pops up in my head when I suddenly view the different manner in which I approach a problem / situation and the routine manner in which the others think about it.

Everything about me seems to be unique.

My dreams, my aspirations...all seem to be bordering on megalomania. However, that is fodder for another post. :)

As for as my being different is concerned, it isn't that I choose to be different. No! Absolutely not. I am just.....ME. And it is perhaps because of these discernible differences that I call myself a maverick.

Maverick.

(I like the way that sounds. Maverick.)

And look how a 8 letter word repeated enough number of times in the sub-conscious mind can change a person.

Exhibit 1 --> Possibly also the most hotly debated and argued topic currently among my immediate circle of friends: the length of my hair. Now now...before you start rolling your eyes again, I ain't no 70's rock star with shoulder-length hair, but...aaaargh...can't express it in words. So, let me take the help of a friend who recently scrapped me on orkut...here's a close-up of my orkut profile pic:
And here's what a friend wrote: "aapke [avatar ke] hair bhi aapse kaafi match kar rahe hain - only beard ki kami hai ." Oh ! I forgot to add, I also sport what is a weak attempt at a french beard. Anyway, the point is that I look more like a struggling painter rather than a fellow suited and booted for the corporate world and about to join the 'rat race' in a couple of months from now. And what's more, I'm loving it.

Now the problem is that there's a certain percentage of the female population here in the girl's hostel (and a certain someone back in Calcutta too) who would love to see me return to my shareef baccha wala look. *angry look* How rude !! Especially when a guy has taken so much pains. *grin*

Exhibit 2 --> I play basketball / football / any other sport....err...in the hostel corridor.....ummmmm.....at 4 in the morning. This usually happens after the Titans of the world of CounterStrike [CS] and Age of Empires [AoE] are done with their share of conquests and guns and blood-shed. None of that for me (AOE is too complex for a simpleton like me). I prefer the simple and healthy competition at 'scoring' a goal by guiding a football 'woh waali line ke paar'.

Exhibit 3 --> I'm equally crazy about John Denver and Jagjit Singh; as crazy about Bryan Adams as Buddhist Meditation sounds.

I could go on and on forever. But what I'm trying to drive at is the craziness that is involved in being me. And guess what....I don't regret it one little bit, baby !! :D

Sholay rules !!!

Here's why...

33 years after the release of the movie, right in the middle of a b-school's exams, here's a multicast made on IP by none other than the great Neeraj 'Sabka Baap' Sharma. In the unfortunate circumstance of his reputation not having preceded him, just read up the modern take on Jai and Mausi's conversation. It's a blast...

"Amitabh: Mausi ladka TCS main kaam karta hai..

Mausi: Hai ram..

Amitabh: Aajkal allocated hai..

Mausi:To kya unallocated bhi rahta hai..

Amitabh: Ab 1 ki rating waalon ka allocation itni se asaani se kahaan hota hai..

Mausi: To kya 1 ki rating bhi aati hai uski..

Amitabh: PL (Project Leader) se ladai karne ke baad 5 ki rating to nahin na milti hai mausi..

Mausi: To kya ladaku bhi hai..

Amitabh: Ab onsite jane ko na mille to ho jaati kabhi kabhi anban..

Mausi: To kya onsite bhi nahin gayaa abhi tak..

Amitabh: Ab civil engineers ka Visa itni jaldi kahaan lagta hai mausi..

Mausi: To kya ladka civil engineer hai..

Mausi: Kaunse college se kiya ..

Amitabh: Uska pataa lagte hi hum aapko khabar kar denge..

Amitabh: To kya main rishta pakka samjhun mausi..

Mausi: Bhale hi hamaari ladki call center wale se shaadi kar le par TCS waale se katai nahin karegi....... "

Maverick Profile

Hi. I'm taking time out from between hurried efforts at completing the Services Marketing assignment that needs to submitted tomorrow and frantically searching for my lost napkin (to be later converted into a mystery titled "The Case of the Missing Napkin").

Maverick Profile is a component of our Services Marketing module, wherein we need to profile a "non-placement office choice of an MBA". So, here's what I wrote.

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“Never Give Up, Never Give In!”

This is the account of a man who had the courage to climb the highest mountains known to man.

Not opting for campus placements from one of the premier management institutes in the country was just another pebble in the path.

Malli Mastan Babu was born to a farmer’s house in Gandhi Jana Sangam village in Andhra Pradesh. He attended Sainik School at Korukunda, where he came in contact with army mountaineers and was fascinated by their sense of adventure. “Lt MUB Rao was with the Indian Army Expedition team who lost their lives in an avalanche while trying to scale Mt Everest,” Mastan says.

Whether it was this hero worship, longing for adventure or just a natural talent that had to surface, we do not know. What we do know is that Babu started excelling in sports and academics early on. He won the best swimmer award, passed NCC A&B Certificates, obstacle competition races and stood in the merit list of National Level Science Talent Search exam at school.

Babu went on to complete his graduation in Electrical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur (1992-1996). Here too he continued to excel in sports; he became the athletics captain, was a runner-up at the All India Volley Ball Tournament and stood 1st in a 6 km cross country race.

Next, the man from Nellore headed for IIT Kharagpur (1996-1998) to pursue his Masters of Technology in Electronics. Here too his passion for sports showed up. He won prizes in water polo, aquatics and volley ball tournaments.

He went on to work as senior software engineer at Satyam Computer Services Ltd for three years. This was followed by pursuing an MBA degree from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (2002-2004).

Here, ambition started taking a more definite shape.

Mastan Babu founded the Adventure Club of IIM Calcutta. The club organized several events ranging from health weeks, hiking, high altitude trekking (upto 15,500 feet), skiing, snow climbing, ice climbing to Yoga, Art of Living and Vipassana meditation course. For his initiatives at IIM Calcutta, he was awarded the “Dr. B.C. Roy award for best outstanding contribution to campus life”.

However, mountaineering always remained close to his heart. He attended several mountaineering and adventure courses in the Indian Himalayas. He underwent snow and ice climbing training. He also did several solo high altitude treks in Gangotri region such as Tapovan and Nandan Ban including spending a solo night in the formidable Gangotri glacier.

The time had come to take a decision.

Malli Mastan Babu opted out of the placement process in 2004, opting to start his own adventure tourism company by the name 'Mast Adventures'. But first, it was the call of the peaks.

The Nellore man now wanted to set a world record by scaling the seven highest summits in the seven continents in the shortest time. And in the process, also become the first Indian to attempt the 7 summits.

Obviously, climbing these mountains is no joke. From Malli Mastan’s website (www.1stindian7summit.com), “Oxygen deprivation, 40 degrees sub zero temperatures, wildest snow storms, avalanches, extreme fatigue and exhaustion, days of despair and whipping weather are the unavoidable challenges encountered by those aspiring to achieve this feat. Physical stamina, mountaineering skill & experience, mental strength and complete knowledge about these peaks will only prove to be very good tools of survival.”

Lack of oxygen was not a problem for Mastan Babu, but lack of funds was certainly a problem. The cost of the seven climbs worked out to $ 110,953. Babu sought help from friends and alumni of IIM-C. Help came in the form of veteran mountaineer Capt. (retired) M.S. Kohli of the Himalayan Environment Trust in New Delhi. The trust sponsored Babu's ambitious project to climb the highest peaks in all the seven continents of the world within six months.

Malli Mastan Babu’s conquest over the next six months can be summarised thus:

January 19, 2006 à Mt. Vinson Massif, Antarctica

February 17, 2006 à Mt. Aconcagua (Argentina), South America

March 15, 2006 à Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Africa

April 1, 2006 à Mt. Kosciuszko (New South Wales), Australia

May 21, 2006 à Mt. Everest (Nepal), Asia

June 13, 2006 à Mt. Elbrus (Russia), Europe

July 10, 2006 à Mt. Denali (Alaska), North America

Barely a week ago, Malli Mastan Babu has smashed the world record to become the fastest to ascend the 7 summits (171 days).

Next on his agenda?

“I want to roll out my own business by promoting adventure sports for personality development,” says the electrical engineer, management graduate and adventurer.

Doesn’t opting out of the placement process by an MBA sound almost mundane in comparison to Malli Mastan Babu’s other achievements?

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Warren Buffett, main aa raha hoon...!!

Ok, in case the "Sage of Omaha" does actually end up on this blog...dear Sir, the title of this post is not in the least to offend you. It is more like an incantation to the lord of the world of stocks. Bhagwaan jee, kripa drishti rakhiyega is bande nawaaz pe.. Like many dreamers in the past, I too have borrowed a couple of books from the library, hoping to pick up tips on how to choose stocks and build a brilliant portfolio. More like, "Chalo, ham-au stocks khareed aaye...".

For the time being, however, let me again immerse myself into the world of books [err...academic books, that is] for my mid-term exams begin from 20th. So, side hato Mr. Buffett, and observe how I march head on to meet some of my greatest challengers, namely M/s. Consumer Behavior and Investment and Portfolio Management. Har !! Har !! Har !! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum...

Mumbai blasts

Make a difference, go here. MUMBAI HELP

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Mom knows that I rarely keep track of events outside the business world, except when it comes to sports, perhaps.

I was asleep when the message beeped on my cell phone.

"5 blasts in Mumbai local trains"

I woke up, read the message, asked my room-mate to read out the contents of various news websites, shrugged, put on a t-shirt and went out for dinner. On the way down, I stopped at the first floor TV-room, saw a few visuals of the devastation and walked away cursing those who were responsible.

I am ashamed to admit this. As I walked to the Dhaba with a friend, we debated what could be the possible reason for the blasts. "They've attacked at the heart of Mumbai when they attack the local railway lines," I said with an air of supreme knowledge about the city, a city in which I have only spent 2 months for my summer training. "If they, whoever 'they' might be, think they're going to be able to upset the stock markets by this, they're highly mistaken. The markets will react only for a day, two at the most, but the credentials of the economy are strongly in place."

Rightly said, mate. So what if you've been voicing your opinion against a particular system; you've been through MBA training for a year, and that is bound to have some effect, on you, right? Of course, the so-called-manager that you're gonna become must be more worried about money and nervous reactions of the Bombay sensex rather than the naked dance of death that had created havoc.

I came back to the hostel, and had to wait till a multicast on IP from 'Nike' put my brains back to the right place. He sent a link of a news report which included a video of the aftermath of the blasts.

That is when it happened.


All I could wonder, as I viewed this part of the video was, "What was HIS fault?"

He could well have been my brother or my next door neighbour. What was his fault?

I DON'T CARE OR GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT REASONS WHICHEVER MILITANT GROUP HAS FOR THIS BARBARIC ACT.

What was the poor man's fault? He was just another Mumbai-kar, working hard to make two ends meet and travelling by the same local trains by which millions travelled each day. Did he deserve this death? Did his parents deserve the death of their child? Can you imagine a white haired gentleman standing with tears in his eyes, wondering what to say to a wailing mother who has lost a 30-32 year old son? What consolation does one give to the dead man's young wife who had perhaps dreamt of a wonderful things in the future?

What did the people responsible for this attack gain by this young man's death ??

Life goes on...I am about to head down for a cup of tea so that I may stay awake for the next few hours, reading a chapter out of "Investments and Portfolio Management". My IP messenger is flooded with requests for "Superman Returns" and "Corporate". Someone has also requested for a romantic Hemant Kumar number, which on ANY other night, I would've heard with a smile.

And though the humdrum of life carries on, in my mind, I can still hear shrieks of a woman who has lost her son...a son who I didn't know, a son who I'll never know. All I'll ever know is the statistic that one more person died at the Mumbai blasts that rocked 7 suburban railway stations on 11th July 2007.

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[Appended at 3:09 AM, 12th July]

Bravo. Like I said I was already "more worried about money and nervous reactions of the Bombay sensex". Seems like I'm thinking the ET way. And of course, concerns about stock movements can be well hidden behind headlines such as "Bombed but not bowed".

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To hell with the 'matlabi' khabar... check this out for help on the Mumbai blasts.

MUMBAI HELP

Wimbledon

The titans go head to head. Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal.

Yeah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))

May the best man win....(but I'm still rooting for Federer). ;)

Don't have the time, or else, would've recounted the kind of ding-dong exchanges that happen here when someone openly comes out in support of Nadal.

By the way, here goes...


But I said was a Federer fan, right ?

Well, the truth is, to imagine the amount of damage that Nadal can cause, you need to see a picture to understand the brute force that he brings to Centre Court...for Federer, one needs to view a video to understand the cold and ruthless manner in which he demolishes the opponent.

But, for an unbiased opinion, read this.

A few words and quite a few pics

My bed in its usual condition

Not that my room-mate is doing any better


My study table



The picture of Gods...Mom n Dad on the left and Lord Shiva on the right



Exactly how a bed-side table should be like..institute bag (to grab and run first thing in the morning), or, if you have the time, use the contents of the shaving kit. Also, notice the loose change lying right there. Helpful when you want to make a dash for 'chai'.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Life in a college, away from home, can be really crazy. And what's more, it stinks (and quite literally, in a boys' hostel)!!

But tell you what....I WOULDN'T WANT TO HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY !! ;)

Project Report Hangover

Apologies for a late post. It was inevitable. What with the Summer Project Report which had to be prepared, printed, and presented...all in a matter of 72 hours, the delay was inevitable.

But wasn't that on Monday ? Who you think you're kidding, huh, smart guy?

Err...agreed. Lekin, mai-baap (no special Nirma puns here), I've also been through a tremendously busy week. And the class schedules have really gone haywire in the second year. Here's what. Firstly, most of my elective classes aren't scheduled for the usual 9:30 AM, as it was in the first year. So, the main incentive (rather, the ONLY incentive) to get up early and dash off to the college goes 'poof'. Due to this, I sleep really late at night trying to access websites which, if the 'Naari Jagran Manch' were to get hold of, would cause a en-bloc heart attack to the members of the respected manch. (Nah!! Just kidding...I'm an innocent boy...All I look for on YouTube.com are TV ads..I swear!)

Now, these late bouts of sleep ensure that my room-mate has a field-day waking me up the next afternoon (ladies & gentlemen, special attention on the use of the word 'afternoon' instead of 'morning'...ahem). All kudos to him for ensuring that I haven't missed more than the stipulated number of classes that I can miss in any particular subject. Further, let me also notify the public that all the classes that I've missed till now are result of what I call the 'what-the-hell-I-can-bunk-this-lecture-let-me-sleep-now' syndrome.

So, as this week comes to an end..I'm left wondering here what the hell have I done this week? Well, nothing much. Then what in the world am I so excited about?

You guessed it...the Book Club.

SUMANTRA has officially started off the second year of its operations. And this time, things look extremely promising. Provided we're able to maintain the kind of perseverance I was able to display last year, the Book Club should be rocking by the time I leave Nirma. Of course, the perseverance I showed was much due to the guidance of the faculty and one particular senior student. I hope I'm able to guide, motivate and lead a young team just as well.

And looking at the number of junior co-ordinators that we plan on getting, we're betting that quite a few activities get going. Of course, the weekly book reviews will form the pillar of our activities. But tomorrow itself we're adding a Video Lecture Series to our repertoire. Under this program, we plan to show recorded videos of classes conducted at the Harvard and Stanford Business schools. This should provide good exposure to the students, and also (hopefully) make the lives of our professors a little tougher. *devilish grin*

We're also thinking of inviting authors and management gurus to the campus to speak to the students about their books. That will obviously require great management skills, but should also be a load of fun.

All in all, things look promising.

And while I head back to my bed (it is 4:09 AM), I leave you with a video that I'd prepared to welcome the junior batch, but which I couldn't show to them because I was in Delhi for the weekend when they had the Fresher's party. Anyway, I hope at least a few juniors do view this.

Apni Strategic Paathshala

To 'mini' and 'basanti': You asked me what I was writing, and here it is. I'd considered whether I should put it up on my blog or not, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been true to myself


There is a famous question that I had read somewhere. Have you ever seen dogs run after speeding cars? Well, the question is this: 'In case the dog manages to catch up with the car, what the hell would it do?'

The question should not elicit a mere laugh as response. The answer has deeper implications. For example, it is often said that is easier for a country's opposition party to sit back and criticize the policies of the ruling party rather than actually take reins of the country.

Similar allegations are made at students when they question, argue or shout and complain about the methodology of lectures. "So, you think are an authority on the subject, do you?" and "You think you can do a better job?" are some of the questions that one is faced with.

With all due respect (where none is due), yours truly is certainly not a canine who relishes chasing speeding cars. I believe in strength, similar to that of a lion. If a lion isn't bothered about a car in the forest, it wouldn't care two hoots about a car that passed within 10 yards of itself. But if the occupants of the car happen to annoy the lion, you can be rest assured your car will be smashed off the dirt track.

To the questions that have been put forth...No, dear sir, I am not a pundit on any subject, but then, neither are you. Absolutely NOBODY can be a pundit when one speaks about lectures on business (which yours truly has the pleasure of attending). And to the other question of whether I can do better, of course I can. Here's what I would do rather than conduct a strategic management class where the first 20 minutes of the class are reserved for a detailed 'academic' presentation (done by 2 students) and the rest of the class is a monologue by the professor. During this, the poor student who has paid for the lecture either SMSes his friend who is sitting at the other end of the lecture hall, or day-dreams about his/her boyfriend/girlfriend, or even worse, sleeps.

Of course, there will be that one mad student who will write about how he proposes to conduct a strategic management class and plans to put it up on his blog.

Well, here's the plan...

1. Bring in photocopies of any case study relevant to strategic management. Preferably, the case should be Indian, and (for Heaven's sake) RECENT. Who is interested in the problems faced by a company 3 decades back? There is absolutely NO relevance of such cases in today's dynamic and liberalized Indian economy.

2. Give the students 10 minutes to read the case. (Better than giving it to the students beforehand; in any case, the case is either read during the class or hurriedly opened 15 minutes before the lecture)

3. Form a random group of students, ask them to do a role play (CEO, Board of Directors, etc.) and form policies. Time limit: 30 minutes.

4. List down what was discussed. Ask the other students to comment/contribute/debate these issues. Let it go on for another half an hour. Get the maximum feedback from as many students as possible. [Philosophy: Students know a lot by themselves; the responsibility lies with the faculty to get the best out of them.]

5. Speak for the last 15 minutes. All the 'bhashan' about theory should be limited to this section only. Make the students realise that though things in the corporate world appear fragmented and is more touch-and-go, underlying it is a strong presence of theory.

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Another idea would be to allocate role-play earlier, for example, student A as Lakshmi Mittal, student B as Aditya Mittal, and student C as Joseph Kinsch. Now, let them come to the class prepared with the case. That will ensure that they don't talk nonsense in the name of Strategy. Let them hammer out the details and the different viewpoints of the Mittal-Arcelor deal. That is current news, dude, not about some fish that died in 1979.

(I'm not an arrogant git and would obviously welcome any comments, feedback or improvements upon the method suggested. Again, there are many competent professors of strategy out there, and I would be more than happy to know how strategy management classes are conducted by them. The most favorite option would obviously be to forget about the whole deal and move on without commenting. You're welcome to do that too. No sweat.)

Excerpts

I've just returned from an interesting one hour long discussion with Anil Sir, our librarian. As the co-ordinator of the Book Club of the Institute, it has been an added advantage for me to get sound bites from a heavy set man who has wonderful ideas about books and academics. Truly, talks with him are extremely thought provoking. Often it happens that I enter his cabin thinking that I'll have a short conversation with him, but somehow we always end up discussing academics, student life, entrepreneurship and business philosophies, and obviously, these discussions go on for much longer than a short 15 minute chat.

And as we chatted today, I made a short reference to two interesting excerpts from speeches that I'd attended. Interestingly, I had also blogged about the first lecture.

This was a speech by Mr. Sam Pitroda. During his speech, he mentioned an extremely interesting anecdote. It so happened that he was invited to represent India at some European conference where various countries were brainstorming how to develop a 'Silicon Valley' for Europe. After a few speakers had spoken, it was Mr. Pitroda's turn. He walked up to the podium and said "In my humble opinion, I do not think that there is any possibility of a Silicon Valley here". The stunned audience asked him for a reason. To their further surprise, Sam Pitroda said that the reason was right in front of their eyes. He asked the people to take a look around them and observe the people who were attending the conference. "Each one of them," he told us, "was wearing a similar shirt, had short-cropped hair, wore either a black or blue suit, neat trousers and shining black leather shoes. Where's the innovation? Where's the differentiator? Who's going to break the mould? If only there were someone who had a pony-tail, had worn a simple t-shirt, ragged worn-out jeans and sneakers, it would have been heart-warming for we would have known 'Here is the man who isn't afraid of thinking out of the box, someone who's not afraid of being the exception'."

The other excerpt is more recent, and, I dare say, more interesting. During our regional SIFE presentation, one of the judges was an Australian. He comes to the mike and in his typical Australian accent, starts off by saying..."This is the first time I'm here and it has been a wonderful experience looking at all the talent that the students have brought to the field of social work....(Pause)....I hope you guys have been able to understand what I'm saying...(looks around at the audience with a smile)...Yeah!! I know...I'm Australian...we speak funny, but we play good cricket!!"

Snubbed, but enjoying the pride of the avid Australian cricket fan, the audience burst out into applause. :)

Balle balle

Well, it is 4 in the morning, and I have a lecture tomorrow at 11. And going by the number of hours that I can now manage to sleep, I'd better hit the bed soon. But again, even though I wanted to just drop dead, I couldn't resist the urge to post about a victory.

Hey, do you remember when I wrote about the SIFE competition being one of the things I was worried about? Well, that took place on 17th and 18th of June, i.e. over the last weekend. The competition took place in Mumbai.

Well, the first day was a regional round, where 4 teams were to be chosen from 17. And guess what?? Our NIRMA SIFE team was adjudged the regional winners!! Yahoo!!

Not only did this mean we'd done one better than our senior batch (they'd been runners-up at the regional level the previous year), but also that we'd be participating the next day in the National Finals.

Saturday night was when our 5 member team really put in a lot of effort. We were awake till 5 in the morning, aware of the fact that we had to leave the hotel at 8. However, we were just so excited that we kept on going over the PowerPoint presentation over and over again, making changes here and there, discussing possible questions and also the financials of the business plan that we'd thought up for the sustainability of an effort to help a co-operative movement of the farmers of Gujarat.

The finals was a keenly fought competition at The Hyatt. It was a day long affair, and featured the best in the business. The 12 member group of judges were CEOs, HR heads and CFOs representing Syntel, Reliance (Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group), HSBC, HDFC, Monsanto, Diageo and others. Our team definitely felt the jitters as well as the excitement of competing at the national level.

And it paid off...

(from left: Sonal Singh, Mithun Shah, Kushan Jasani [standing in the background], me, Ketul Sir [our faculty guide], Jyotika Agarwal and Sneha Goenka)

We were adjudged the National Runners-up. And boy, was it a great feeling!!

Talk about starting the academic year with a bang.

I want to fly

‘Ma, can I fly?’

‘Not yet, dear. You are too young to fly. Wait for a few days more.’

‘But Ma, why am I still so young?’

‘Well, your wings still aren’t developed enough…they do not have the strength to keep you in air for long. Besides, what do you want to fly so soon for?’

‘You didn’t answer my question,’ observed the baby bird. ‘Dad flies. I’ve seen him flying ever since I’ve opened my little eyes. He makes it look so easy. You both make it look so easy. Please, can I have a try?’

‘Not yet, o young one. Don’t be so impatient.’

‘But Ma, I want to…’

‘You are yet unaware of the dangers of flight, son. The world isn’t as safe as it seems to you. The nest in which you’ve grown up is but a safe haven for you to grow up in. It is in no way comparable to the world outside. What’s more, you can’t fly yet’

‘And who says I can’t fly?’

Mother bird let out a pearl of laughter.

‘How impatient you are…just like your father. Look, here he comes.’

‘What is it? You seem to be amused.’

Baby bird began even before his Ma could speak.

‘I want to fly and Ma says no. Everybody says no. They say it is not right, that I must practice and fly with everyone.’

‘And you don’t feel that is correct, do you?’

‘NO! How will I ever know whether I know how to fly or not if you do not even let me try?’

‘But you have been practicing, haven’t you?’

‘Yes, but that too under tutelage. Listen, dear father, I know I haven’t mastered the skills yet. I know you are worried about me…perhaps even more than Ma is…yet you remain quiet and thoughtful. You know I always wanted to be like you. Why not let me go?’

The wise old bird smiled.

‘You are growing up quickly, my son. You have the courage, not only to fly out into the world, but also to fly in the face of what others call ‘conventional wisdom’. I’m glad for you. You are indeed a special child. Not only have you survived a difficult childhood, but you seem to have been chosen for a great future.’

‘But how can you say that? The others call my remarks and pranks as foolish and childish. What makes you certain it isn’t so?’

‘Who, in this petty life, hasn’t been criticized or ridiculed? The difference lies in their response. I chose a certain path. And you seem to be prepared to choose a path which only you can see. Remember, do not do what others think right for you to do; they aren’t the ones who live out the consequences. Do what seems correct to you. By no means do I suggest that you don’t take a word from the wise, but your life’s decisions are but your own. It is you who will regret or congratulate yourself later.’

‘And what of those who call me foolish?’

The old bird smiled yet again.

‘Only time and destiny shall answer whether you were foolish or courageous.’

‘Now really!!’ interjected Mama bird, ‘You don’t mean to say you’re giving him the permission to fly?’

‘No, I am not. All I’m telling him is to follow his heart…showing him a path not explored by many. Whether he walks down the oft trodden path or the more adventurous (and hence, more dangerous) one, is entirely his decision.’

‘You’re right, father. My heart tells me there is yet some time left…but my hour shall certainly come…’

-------------------------------------------------------------

The days flew by.

And then, one day, the baby bird, now a beautiful adult with brilliant long feathers, flew out into the open. The bird flew into troublesome winds at first, but soon it seemed to have mastered the challenges. And even as the rest of the flock flew together and doubted the young bird’s decision to fly in a hitherto unknown direction, the young bird knew that he had achieved something the others could only dream of…he had gone out and made a piece of the sky his own.

Yaarana

I'm just like any other human being. Writing my blog, publishing it on the net and seeing people appreciate it feels great. In fact, there could be nothing more wonderful than logging onto the Net and finding comments on your post. And, sometimes like a greedy gut, I call up or message friends to tell them about a new post, so that they may immediately tell me whether they like it or not. (I've even asked a friend to read an entire post while I waited on an STD call to gauge whether she liked my latest effort.)

The last time when I called up a friend and screamed 'New post', she immediately logged onto my blog, and her first reaction at 'The Movie Freak' was...."Hey bhagwaan, itna lamba post....lagta hai Sayesha ki aadat lag gayi tujhe bhi.' He he he he.. :D

Anyway, this ain't some post about how I've yet again changed my desktop wallpaper, which till the time dad was here a few days ago, was adorned with either Shiv ji or with JRD (yes, that how big a fan I am of that guy). Nor is this a record about the books/movies/songs that I've read/seen/heard in the last few days/hours/minutes. [For the record, however, this cyber cafe, notorious for playing songs by screaming pink-haired guys, is playing 'Nahin saamne' from Taal. God bless the guy who's keeping a tab on the music player.]

This is a post about returning to Nirma Institute of Management. This is a post to tell the world how happy I am to return home, in a sense. Over the past year, Ahmedabad has become like a second home. And I'm absolutely looking forward to meeting pals like Basanti, Sam, Shubbu, Tusshi, Mini, Chamku and Kota. Without them, the management classes would've meant death by boredom, and weekends would've turned into quiet days which had forgotten the meaning of laughter, smiles, tensions and worries.

Love you guys, and looking forward to another rocking year at Nirma. Cheerio.

And to all those who have patiently borne reading my blog all this while, you sure can look forward to more posts once I return to my 24x7 internet-connection wala room at the boys hostel. And yes, tussi bhi mere great friend ho. Kasam se. :)

The movie freak

Only a few hours separate me from wishing a soft 'Goodbye' to the CNBC TV18 offices here in Lower Parel, Mumbai. The summer project is almost over, the field work is done, only the tabulation of data and the final project report now remain to be prepared.

My regional boss seems to be glad to get rid of a vegetarian, non-smoking - non-drinking summer trainee like me who quietly sipped his Coke, while the other colleagues greedily eyed their pitchers of beer when the boss gave a treat at a pub. "What a waste!!", the guys would say at the office canteen when my onion uttapam would arrive, while they ravenously polished off their butter chicken. "Actually," my boss remarked, "you would've done much better had you had your summer training at Varanasi instead of Mumbai. Much better for a guy like you." "But why Varanasi? I hear Hardwar is equally pleasant at this time of the year," I retorted.

(But of course, I must hasten to add that my boss is really a nice sorta fellow. Well, you see, I'm yet to receive my stipend for the last two months, so...)

So, I just sit back and type away to glory after having accompanied another colleague for a smoke to the smoking area behind the canteen. While he puffed away on his Gold Flake, I sipped my coffee while shyly stealing glances at the beautiful girls in their colorful tees and jeans who'd taken a breather from their work to recount to their friends how they'd been "Like sooooo drunk at xxx's party" (the triple 'x' was unintentional, and therefore, doesn't beg any untoward attention).

Back in the office area, I sit back on the chair which I've maroed from the neighbouring cubicle (Really!! When will these large companies be able to make an inventory of the no. of people in their offices and get the adequate no. of chairs?) and think back on the last 2 months at Mumbai.

Let not the reader of this post be under the impression that I while away time day-dreaming and introspecting in a professional capacity; it is just that I wait for my boss to make a reappearance, the gentleman having left for some field work where duty calls.

Hence, while I have the opportunity to bore the reader to death, let me gladly grab this opportunity with both hands and proceed to recount some of the wonderful movies that I have seen during my stay.

Well, what shall I say....I AM A MOVIE FREAK !!

And the summer internship was a great time to catch up on movies. DVD wallahs at the Andheri station have made a killing, and I find myself the proud owner of movies ranging from Lethal Weapon to Pakeezah.

A few weeks ago, I'd intended to write about the time I saw "Madhumati". Those of you who just went "Whaaaa??" really need to educate yourself about the time Dilip Kumar ruled the roost in the Hindi film industry. And like I found out, the most haunting tunes that you might have often unknowingly hummed yourself happen to be from that movie. Remember "Aaja re pardesi" by Lata Mangeshkar; or "Suhana safar aur yeh mausam haseen" by Mukesh, for that matter? Yes sir. Madhumati is the movie where you'll find these gems embedded. There are a number of other tunes too, but you must watch the movie to enjoy 'em.

Then of course, I watched the Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts romantic comedy, "Notting Hill". I absolutely love this movie, in spite of all the "masculine" adrenaline-pumping movies that I continue to enjoy at the same time. I went the complete movie-buff way and made myself some Act II popcorn at home while watching the movie for the umpteenth time, and once again found myself appreciating the beauty of Julia Roberts (Mini, like many others before her, has recommended that I finally watch "Pretty Woman"). And if you haven't seen "Notting Hill" till now, go watch it...if only to hear the beauty of the simple lines "I'm also just a girl...standing in front of a boy...asking him to love me". Songs like "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone" and "You say it best, when you say nothing at all" make it all the more worthwhile watching the movie (don't miss out on how the entire song "Ain't no sunshine..." seems to be a single shot and how well a passage of 10-12 months is shown in a matter of a few seconds).

And finally, the BIG DADDY of films is here. "The Godfather" is a movie which has captured my imagination ever since I read the book by Mario Puzo. The book is absolutely fabulous, and those of you who would've read it would know about the brilliant character portrayal of Don Corleone. The dark, brooding intensity of the film can captivate any silent observer and transport him/her into the world of the Corleone family. And also, there is the haunting background music which refuses to be shut out of my mind. Even as I tried to, someone's mobile phone in the office rang, and guess what?? The ring tone was the same signature Godfather tune. And that is what led me to write this post. Go, for heaven's sake, and watch the Godfather trilogy. Even if you didn't know that it was Sofia Coppola (the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola) who played Michael Corleone's daughter in Godfather Part III, you must make it a point to watch ALL three parts, for it is an education in film-watching.

Where am I?

Uneasy is what I am. REAL uneasy.

Why?

Well, my senses are confused. I'm listening to a fun song that reminds me of her ('Ek nazar mein bhi pyar hota hai', it is from the movie...err...can't remember the name, that John Abraham-Nana Patekar movie. Seriously, I've lost all hope, so completely not in touch with Bollywood.) By the time I finished trying to remember the name of the movie and typing the above, there's already another song which is playing... 'Teri Deewani' by Kailash Kher. Again, this makes me feel homesick all the more...'she' had dedicated this song to me, not too long ago.

All right, so why exactly are my senses confused?

Well, I've spent the whole day sleeping. And the reason why I've been away from blog world is also related.

An Uncle had a mild heart attack a week ago, after which he was shifted to the Lilavati Hospital. Though his condition improved considerably, the doctors realised that 3 of his arteries were blocked and that a bypass surgery was necessary. Dad flew in from Calcutta on Sunday night and yesterday we spent the entire day at the hospital. Only at around 8:30 in the evening we got to know that the operation went off successfully.

But, the day wasn't over yet. Earlier in the day, I got a call from a batchmate from Nirma. Another friend from Nirma had been hospitalised and someone needed to spend the night at the hospital. I volunteered after asking Dad, and he said 'Cool'. Seems like I have the Lord's blessings around me...the night went off peacefully (although it was a most uncomfortable chair that I slept in), and the friend was to be discharged from hospital today. Moreover, Baby Aish is doing fine. :D

Ok, that is the part which comes under the 'Great News' title.

Now for the more worrying part of my life, which I would've done better by not unloading here, but what the heck...

(To those who aren't used to my ways, I ALWAYS like to make a list of my troubles/worries. At times, they just allow me to realise that I do not have as many problems I'd originally thought I have. Also, they're helpful in strategising what I should do in order to get over these problems.)

1. Work

Ok, work has piled on. There's quite a lot of office work that needs to be completed before I leave Mumbai. Also, the project report needs to be prepared to give to the bosses and powers-that-be at CNBC. Obviously, the report should not let anyone know about the serious stupidity-bouts that I suffer from. And THAT is a mammoth task in itself.

2. SIFE

There is this competition for which I got selected from my institute. I need to co-ordinate with 4 other batchmates for this contest, and they are currently at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Calcutta and Bangalore. And there's tonnes of work to be done, since this is an international competition, and in case we crack the all-India finals, we'll be headed to Paris.

3. Some problem which I can do nothing about but just mentally prepare myself. Hence, I won't write about it. Way too personal, folks.

I do hope I get cracking about my problems soon.