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.

Mom and Me

By the way, here's another one of my all time favorite pic. That's me Mommy teaching the dude to walk.

P.S. Notice the stuff in the show-cases behind? Those are the toys I played with and I still have ALL of them. :D

Nobody's perfect.

Nobody's perfect.

I'm nobody

You've surely read this on a T-shirt before. And if you haven't... well, now you've read it anyway.

I have no idea where this quote popped into my head from. And yet somehow, it kicked off a toy-train of thoughts in my mind:

Of course, the quote makes sense. It's not about being conceited; just a witty expression of confidence.

But at a deeper level...

NOBODY is PERFECT

Of course, every individual is different, and so, nobody is like me. So, how could I ever call someone 'perfect' ? There could be 'good', 'nice' or 'awesome' people, but not 'perfect'.

I am NOBODY

Obviously. I'm me. Nobody can predict 'me', nobody can be 'me'. And, as far as I'm concerned, I'm PERFECT. Of course there are blemishes in me, but that is precisely what makes the perfect me. :D

Know what is funny about the human mind? It can think a hell of a lot of rubbish stuff in very very little time. For example? The enitre semi-philosophical debate took place in my chotu sa dimaag within a grand total of 60 seconds of waking up today morning.

And then? I thought to myself "Abbe dhakkan, savere savere aur kuch kaam nahin hai kya? Chal chal, kaam pe chal...

Indian on the Moon

It is not everytime that I laugh when someone refers to the Reservation issue, but just couldn't help myself when I read this:

Manmohan Singh to Bush – We are sending Indians to the moon next year.

Bush – Wow! How Many?

Manmohan Singh - 100

25 - OBC
25 - SC
20 - ST
5 - Handicapped
5 - Sports Persons
5 - Terrorist Affected
5 - Kashmiri Migrants
9 - Politicians.........

and if possible 1 – Astronnaut

Express yourself

I haven't yet expressed what I feel about the reservation issue on this blog. Today, I intend to break the silence, and I promise I'll write again about the issue.

But today, it is about the mail that I received. Of course, many of you must have been receiving mails that contain requests to go join a a protest march, a candle demonstration, mails with pics of protesting students, SMSes telling you how many people have been protesting, how many have been on a fast unto death, how many fainted and how many have been tortured by the police. However, the mail that I received today was a bit different. It just contained a link, and all it takes for one to get enraged is to read the entire interview of Arjun Singh by Karan Thapar.

Here is the link.

Personally, these were the interesting moments:

"Karan Thapar: Do you personally also, as Minister of Human Resource Development , believe that reservations is the right and proper way to help the OBCs?

Arjun Singh: Certainly, that is one of the most important ways to do it.

Karan Thapar: The right way?

Arjun Singh: Also the right way.

Karan Thapar: In which case, lets ask a few basic questions; we are talking about the reservations for the OBCs in particular. Do you know what percentage of the Indian population is OBC? Mandal puts it at 52 per cent, the National Sample Survey Organisation at 32 per cent, the National Family and Health Survey at 29.8 per cent, which is the correct figure?

Arjun Singh: I think that should be decided by people who are more knowledgeable. But the point is that the OBCs form a fairly sizeable percentage of our population."

Herein, one sees the complete ignorance of the minister. But wait, he goofs up further by immediately following up with this...

"Karan Thapar: No doubt, but the reason why it is important to know 'what percentage' they form is that if you are going to have reservations for them, then you must know what percentage of the population they are, otherwise you don't know whether they are already adequately catered in higher educational institutions or not.

Arjun Singh: That is obvious - they are not.

Karan Thapar: Why is it obvious?

Arjun Singh: Obvious because it is something which we all see."

Duh ?!! Dude, is it precise answers like these that made you the minister for Human Resource Development of this great country?

"Karan Thapar: Minister, it is not just in terms of 'need' that your critics question the decision to have reservation for OBCs in higher education. More importantly, they question whether reservations themselves are efficacious and can work.

For example, a study done by the IITs themselves shows that 50 per cent of the IIT seats for the SCs and STs remain vacant and for the remaining 50 per cent, 25 per cent are the candidates, who even after six years fail to get their degrees. So, clearly, in their case, reservations are not working.

Arjun Singh: I would only say that on this issue, it would not be correct to go by all these figures that have been paraded.

Karan Thapar: You mean the IIT figures themselves could be dubious?

Arjun Singh: Not dubious, but I think that is not the last word."

And obviously, you would like to have the last word on everything, won't you?

Look how the respected minister is cornered when someone he cannot refute, is quoted:

"Karan Thapar: Let me quote to you Jawaharlal Nehru, a man whom you personally admire enormously. On the 27th of June 1961 wrote to the Chief Ministers of the day as follows: I dislike any kind of reservations. If we go in for any kind of reservations on communal and caste basis, we will swamp the bright and able people and remain second rate or third rate. The moment we encourage the second rate, we are lost. And then he adds pointedly: This way lies not only folly, but also disaster. What do you say to Jawaharlal Nehru today?

Arjun Singh: Jawaharlal Nehru was a great man in his own right and not only me, but everyone in India accept his view.

Karan Thapar: But you are just about to ignore his advice.

Arjun Singh: No. Are you aware that it was Jawaharlal Nehru who introduced the first ammendment regarding OBCs?

Karan Thapar: Yes, and I am talking about Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961, when clearly he had changed his position, he said - I dislike any kind of reservations.

Arjun Singh: I don't think one could take Panditji's position at any point of time and then overlook what he had himself initiated."

I really do urge you, dear reader, to go through the entire interview.

And let me also tell you what I feel as a young Indian after having read what has been written in the newspapers, after listening and seeing what has been shown on the TV, and most importantly, after having spoken to students who've actively campaigned on the streets of Mumbai against the stupidity of it all...

I feel proud of fellow Indians who've decided not to sit back and allow party politics and feudal decisions to affect the lives of millions of youngsters. At least, they've had the satisfaction of doing more than just blogging on the subject.

A flute for the summer

Yesterday was a special treat.

Another friend from Calcutta landed up in Mumbai. And the simplest escape that we 3 friends had in the evening was to go to the Juhu Beach, barely 10 minutes away from my house. So, go to the beach we did.

Of all the wonderful things that could've happened to me at the beach, I happened to buy a flute!!

Now, I've never had anything to do with any musical instrument ever. I've always been fascinated by the piano and the violin, but couldn't ever manage to find the time to go to music classes. And neither am I a novice flautist, let alone an expert one.

So, I well and truly surprised myself with the force with which I convinced my friend that I should pay 60 rupees to purchase a piece of bamboo with 6 holes in it. Sheesh !!

And what did I do with it?? Played nonsensical tunes all the while we were on the beach, while we were walking on the road, while we were waiting for the coffee to arrive at Barista (ok, I 'played' the flute as softly as I could) and also while my friends tried to prepare a midnight snack back at the house. Finally, my friends could take it no more and the budding Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia had his flute snatched away from him at 4 in the morning; to his utter annoyment, may I add.

Well, the story doesn't end there.

I was all alone at home today as one friend was already on a flight back to Calcutta and the other had gone off to meet his relatives. So, I decided to catch up on my summer project work. And, at the end of a good 2 hours of staring non-stop at the laptop, I just collapsed on my bed.

I had kept my eyes closed as they were feeling strained after all the comp. work. I was wondering what I could do to keep myself busy. Reading a newspaper or an e-book was out of the question, and so was solving a Sudoku. And then...voila !! It hit me.

Why not play the flute?

So, I played the flute for a good 1 hour, trying different notes and different finger combinations. Although I didn't manage to bring myself anywhere near the standards of the revered Pt. Chaurasia, I'm sure even he would've smiled had he seen my persistence to keep playing tune after nonsensical tune.

Boy, is my next roommate at the hostel in trouble, or what?