Tranquil Aqua Marine Bluish-green Waters of the Andamans

I am enjoying peace at North Bay in the Middle Andaman Islands. I landed today expecting tropical heat conditions, but suprisingly the captain of the flight, warned us on wet weather and thundershowers. Andamans seems slower and sleepy than Goa. The kind of people who I have seen so far touring are the PSU sector folks, who are enjoying their LTC vacation with their families. So far from 8 am to 4 pm , we have scheduled a visit to Ross Island and North Bay(Coral reefs, promised, but havent spotted anything so far). I would be spending the rest of the 2 days in Havelock islands. Will give an update on the same, when I find a plug to charge my laptop. The Aqua marine Bluish green water, seems to add to the lovely experience. I hear Havelock island is far better than this beach. This beach that I am resting at seems to be a roky beach, with the tinges of Bluish Green.

IPL-All fun and no substance

The IPL is attractive, by mixing entertainment and cricket. I liked the music in the stadum, between intervals.It kind of keeps you pepped up on energy, but whats the point of preparing batsman friendly tracks with 200+ totals becoming a norm. Its just like playing cricket 2007 on my laptop, where the game becomes predictable. I guess we need more contests that would present an even contest between bat and ball. I still enjoyed some Jayasuriya's and Robin Uthappa's strokes.The sound of wood on leather seemed pleasant. I was also impressed with the way Manpreet Gony bowled(plays for Chennai Super Kings).

The heat and sultry weather in Chennai sometimes just gets to you. I had a nice view from the F stand(Covers-Long Leg view), but the heat in the stadium made me feel miserable. The cheerleaders team were pretty ordinary compared to the ones seen at Kolkata/Mohali/Mumbai. It was like Pamela Anderson against one of those Bahu characters.

Heading for IPL Today

Will be watching the Chennai vs Mumbai match today at the Chepauk Stadium. I want to watch Sachin at his best today. I am not so-much into supporting local teams, as the game is generally interesting if a fixed identity of nationalism comes, but not regionalism(at least so far). Chennai superkings hardly have anybody from Chennai, save 3-4 people. Anyways, going today to the D stand, paying 500 bucks, thanks to my classmate Shankar pulling out, due to some domestic commitments.

Going to a 1 day match at Chepauk after 6 years. The last full-one day match was India vs England, as the other matches in 03,04,05 and 06, were marred by rain.

Racing to the end!

You know its not going to be a podium finish, but you still run the race like mad, just because you need to be ackowledged that you ran the race. Here I am 5 45 in the morning, doing my last set of presentations, case assignments and tests. The course ends on 23rd, and we have a test on 24th. After that its a briefing session for the next 5 days with our junior batch, and on 30th, we get royally kicked out of college, via a convocation. Sometimes, the 1 year MBA itself becomes a drag, given the number of days that we spend sleepless nights, the 2 year course must be a test of patience. I might flunk in yesterday's FSAV exam, and if that wasnt enough there's Investment Banking's end term tommorow. There's only so many D's and F's that I can afford. I hope I get a D in FSAV, that leaves me affording one more D in Investment banking. 3 D's and I still pass the course.God Save me!

IPL Starts today

I have my dean's "unbunkable" Megers and Acquisitions, Strategy subject later in the afternoon and a test on Industrial Marketing. Bad timing to have it coincide with IPL...

I need the grades to pass.....so IPL your value might be lessened with an afficianado like me missing out watching the opener!

I was at Mumbai yesterday, and I must say that the free wifi service at the Airport is excellent. A year back TATA INDICOM used to charge a bomb for a bad wi-fi service in the security-check-in area in the Delhi Airport. Glad to see Airtel change all that. I felt good, transferring my outlook mails, which refused to open in my otherwise slow reliance data card.

Virus Blues!

Its that time of the year, when the virus attacks and you are left staring at your computer to decide what files are to be copied, what files are to be given the pink slip and done away to rot on the machine, as I would format it. formally 7 more days of classes, and thats the time I would have to format my system, take the most immportant files from peers. I guess, I should buy a portable hard drive to store the data,else keep burning DVD's for the data.

The New Age Javed Miandad!-Chanderpaul

The Last one Year!

Life in the past year has been a roller coaster ride at Great Lakes. Life has seen the joys, the moments of exhilaration, the darker moments and disappointments also. When one comes to a B school, every body comes with the aim of becoming a transformed person who then goes on to make his mark later in life. Transformation- The English dictionary defines it as , especially extreme psychological or character change, as in the context and vocabulary, but a B schooler wants something more. Well to get an idea, how’s this for that something more? Financial transformations on the paycheque from being software engineer to a strategy consultant/investment banker. A Bschoolers life ideally revolves around first getting subscribed to the fact that this one year is going to be a no-pay year, and they would have to keep costs low, and manage accounts well. They are into the second month at B school and their accounts seemed to be managed well so far, until Financial/Management Accounting comes and reminds them that there is lot more to accounting than what meets the eye. They start to pay closer attention to terminologies like CREDIT and DEBIT, by looking hard at their online bank accounts, and figuring out that life could be so much more easier without so much complex accounting. If those were the first instances of troubling your normal life, here comes the killer whale in the dreaded Stats. Statistics, made us realise how important was it to stay afloat on the sea of numbers and formulae, and we all started paying serious attention to that ubiquitous software called Microsoft Excel that you borrowed from your friend. Apart from all this was to wait in Eastern Philosophy for the noose to be hung around your neck when your chance came to answer, and it was in those moments that I discovered my strengths of predicting my probability of answering a question right was far closer to what Aryabhatta called zero, and depended on arbit and desperate participation to get some points against your name.

B school life is not all that dull and boring, with exams and pre reads. It depends on how you want to make use of the time post dinner. Dinner at the nearby dhabas became a good networking ground for most folks and conversations frequently hovered upon how one got good North Indian food in Chennai, which would unanimously turn out as the next mass networking joint. When folks were too tired after dinner, and didn’t want to devote their attention to the pre reads that were outstanding from the previous information transaction called Class, a bunch of intelligent folks found out how to form a movie club and play movies in the classrooms that were deserted at night. The MNMC(Mid Night Movie club) had movies of all genres and at times even was the host of many stress breakers like the all night carrom tournament and the Counter Strike networking sessions.While some saw strategy in Kotler and Porter, others swore by Age of Empires. In between the din and chaos of the gamers, were silent souls who in other classrooms would be holding a joint meeting to analyse the case given the previous day even as sleep would threaten their logic and resolve.

3 months into B school, one is used to snooze sessions in between classes (for 15-30 minutes) to catch up on those divine moments of peace, extra snooze sessions in classes, and crazy expectation of profs to accomadate pre reads and case study analyses. We learnt the importance of qualititative multitasking and forming strategic joint ventures, so that the group did well in the next days presentations. We still pride ourselves for becoming detectives at night, solving cases all night, to discover that 10 other groups have done much better than your so-called-solution. I for one started hating the word competition for a while, competition in class rooms, cases, pre reads, and even competition to eat lunch beating the queues. Nirvana for a B schooler is snooze, and some like minded friends to step away into a utopian world for a while, as it relieves the stress of the previous day. Life at Great Lakes has helped us to bond better and fight better, keeping the larger objective in mind.All these interactions have helped us see the corporate world and the possible problems that may arise, and the attitude required to take firm decisions.

6 months into Great Lakes, we braved ourselves for the first monetary and functional competition in the race for internship slots. The internship was a peek into the big bad corporate world and just a reflection to remind you that the world out there is not as linear and utopian as a B schooler starts to think after what he calls his “best strategy” in the cases he used to solve.

9 months into Great Lakes, the Pressure and tension was at a all time high, with heavy courses and assessments, competing with monetary dreams, as placement season looms large. Placement season saw a battle that each one was fighting as an individual and as a team, for that was the most tangible take away from the course apart from the eye opening interactions during the courses. Placement season rained jobs and offers, and once that was over, you hardly have the inclination to put even half the effort into the courses scheduled after placement season. The challenge now is to come to college, and not about offering your 2 paisa worth arbit and desperate class participation.

Now as 15 days remain for the program to end, you realise that all that buzz and activity has now settled down in fine dust, that would leave behind traces of an era that just got over. The Junior Crusaders are passing out... and its time for some new wine in the bottle called B school. Long Live the B Schooler’s Life!

Heading Westwards!

I was lying in my couch last evening thinking of what I was going to miss. Hmmm....to draw a list, I would be missing my cushy life in Chennai, the lovely empty feeling that I have had in the last one year of relaxing with friends, the midnight binges, 3 am conversations with friends at tea shops,My home theatre system, the wide space of my independent house in Madipakkam.

In a month from now, I would be transported to what they call "The city of Dreams"-Mumbai. I expect it to be fast paced high adrenalin life, from what I hear from Mumbaikars in my college. Its also a foray into a cosmopolitan culture, a culture rather unknown to a home bred Tam brahm like me untill I ventured into GL for my PGPM. As a tourist to any city, one is able to appreciate the finer points of the culture in a city. I guess, I am ready for that. I never saw any merits in Chennai as that was home, and the grass on the other side being greener, I am ready to set foot into a different culture fending for myself.

Right now the mind is trying to picture myself in Mumbai, after I bought the EICHER-Mumbai road map, but the open book of "Financial Statements Analysis and Valuation" is staring at me, as I dream about Mumbai and the life there. The only flip side to Mumbai is that even after an MBA, you live life like a lower middle class guy, with congested office spaces and houses, as the cost of living seems to be really high, but its worth the compromise, given the vibrant nature of the city and the raw energy the city exudes(I am told that). Chennai.. ...You've given me a peaceful life, unmindul of the competition and the big bad world out there, but its that time of my life where I need to explore, what it feels to live alone in the big bad world, in what they call India's nerve centre....and as a travel enthusiast, I can only hum the wonderful Kishore da number... "Musafir hoon Yaaron...." as I prepare to be a Mumbaikar.

The Week in Pictures

Last week was quite a week. There were dull elements as well as exciting elements. The dull part were all those subjects scheduled during day 2 and day 3 of the Chennai Test Match. The more interesting thing was of course being right there at Chepauk, when Sehwag played a masterly innings. It made me tired as I had to appluad, by getting up every now and then. It was great sitting at the stadium, as it felt a great sense of unity whenever India played well, as with 40000 people you feel as If the whole of India is watching the match with you. The above video was the moment Sehwag scored his 200, and the crowd reaction in the D stand.

I had also been to Mumbai on Saturday, the 4th day of the test match, missing my session with Mr T.N.Seshan at college. I was flown in to Mumbai for an interview with a web company. The morning flight was in JET Airways and I was pleasantly suprised to see the in-flight entertainment system that JET had. They had divided it into audio and video podcasts, apart from licenced television archival content. I was hearing Atif's album and some classical music, apart from watching a 23 minute Malgudi days show modelled on the "Vendor of Sweets".
The Kingfisher in-flight system looks better than JET as they give Live TV, and I was watching a movie shown via DISH TV's network and the ICL match between Hyderabad and Chandigarh teams.Kingfisher no doubt is one of the finest experience in the skies.

The interview location was Worli in Mumbai on Annie Besant road, and before I went to the interview, I had lassi on the road, and after the interview had 2 nice coconuts to quench my thirst.

I managed to hook up with my classmate Prakritish, who's come there for a brief 10 day training session with the Bayer Group(he joins them in June). This training seemed to be mandatory, as his superior needed to pass on some knowledge transfer. He stays in Thaane, so we decided to meet at VT, and then spend some time together at Lunch

We took one of those ubiquitous MumbaI Black Taxis, and we went to this place called Leopold Cafe. The food I had there is easily better than those branded pizza chains offer. We also went to MCdonalds for a McAloo Tikki Burger.

That's the sensex, on Dalal Street, the Bombay Stock Exchange, This is where the epicentre of the Indian financial earthquake happens when the nifty falls :-).
I left for Churchgate station at 5 pm to reach the airport for my 7 pm Kingfisher Flight. The train was pretty crowded and I was literally pushed out at Santa Cruz station , 1 station ahead of the Vile Parle station, that I wanted to get down. I took an auto from Santa Cruz railway station to the domestic airport and this is how the drama unfolded

5 59 pm:
Father calls, asks m if I am in airport for the flight, and when is the flight?
me: Dont worry, I am not so careless, I am near the airport, stuck in a traffic jam, flight at 7 i think?
Father: What do you mean by "think"? dont u know exactly when your flight is?
Me: I remember seeing a 55 in the minutes column, so it must be 18 55 or 1900 hrs. I will check. bye for now.

I opened my ticket, it was 6 pm now, As thought there was the 55 component, BUT
the flight was supposed to reach Chennai at 19 55, and starting from Mumbai at 18 05. I have never stared so long at the ticket and with such animated horror. I paid the Auto guy his fare and ran out from the traffic jam to the airport, which was half a kilometre away. I ran, and I was getting breathless and when I reached the counter of the airport, the guard saw the ticket as it was some japanese script and said " Yeh to Kingfisher hain... doosra terminal...1 b jaana hoga". At 18 10... here I was trying to find the terminal for a 18 05 flight, and I ran across a few gardens sensing the shortcut to the 1b terminal, and when I reached there, the guard at 1b said "Yahan Nahi... upar jaana padega"...18 15, and I lost hope, but since I had run as if my life depended, I decided to still run. I was totally drained of my energy after that run and reached the Kingfisher terminal in the first floor 2 minutes later

I barged in and mumb0 jumboed in an apolegetic way, for the Chennai flight, and the attendant said that boarding is closed. I put up an even more apologetic face and told that I am not from Mumbai and was unaware of the traffic jams, and tried reaching the airport number franticaly, but of no avail. He smiled at me, I thought it was a wicked smile, but fortunately it wasnt. He said the flight had some problem and was still on the runway. I was gleaming within, that I had made it and would be going home in a couple of hours. I just rested in peace as the kingfisher bus transported me to the flight, and drank 4 bottles of water as I celebrated within the fact that had made it to the flight.

In the flight, my nerves were lightened by watching some movies and live cricket... and readied myself for a presentation the next day on Small business Marketing. What an end to a week :-)

Oh No, Not Again!

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/apr/01cau2.htm

I remember the time I joined Infosys in 2004 October, Karnataka had a ban on non-kannada movies to promote their local language movies. It was a crazy idea, and such a protectionist policy only shows the lack of having guts to make good cinema in Karnataka. I totally respect the Kannadiga sentiments, but they just need a reason to pick up a quarrel with Tamil Nadu. I remember travelling on a Shatabdi between Bangalore and Chennai in April 2006, when one of their top actors(Rajkumar) passed away. Tamil houses and trains were targets of Mob violence. So my planned Hogenekkal trip may be in jeapordy because of this violence...

Now will they Target Vijay Mallya, because the UB group is the principal sponsor of the Chennai IPL Cricket Team? (Owners are INDIA CEMENTS). Let the debate begin

Beware of Fake Job Consultants! Wipro...U've got mail !

One of my friends from engineering days, who is working at Infosys, got this message as a mail. As a frustrated employee loking for that elusive promotion, this mail did seem to light up his spirits to such an extent that he didnt read between the lines of this email sent to him.

When he shared the email, I found out quite a few chinks in the mail's armoury. Here goes the mail

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: wipro.techenologies@gmail.com <rzmails@indiatimes.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 4:52 PM
Subject: your resume has been selected by hrd
To:
Dear Candidate,
Ref: Selection and initial response of Resume online. information forselection of final stage in new Plant of WIPRO TECHENOLOGIES. TheCompany Groups deals in IT, Computer, Electronics and IndustrialManufacturing business.
The Company offered the following candidates to join as:-ITES/BPO/Operations/Customer Service, Production/ServiceEngineering/Manufacturing/Maintenance, Purchase/SCM,HR/Admin/PM/IR/Training, R&D/Engineering Design, Departments for our newestablished Plant at Greate Noida, Industrial Area.
You are selected according to your resume in which Project you have workedon according to that you have been selected here,
Your interview will held on 27th of April. 2008 in Greater Noida.You will be pleased to know that Company has advised in the selectionpanel that your Application can be progress to final stage. You willcome to our corporate office in Noida. The call latter with Air Ticketwill be send byCompany HRD. You have to come with photo-copies of all requireddocuments.First you have to deposit the (Cash,,D.D) as an initialsecurity infavor of Company HRD of Rs 3,550/- through any [HDFC BANK ] Branchfrom your Home City to Company Sr. HRD. Account NO -01931530001023 -Name of Mr.RAVI SINGH. It will be refundable at the time of Company interview.Your offer latter with Air tickets will be send to your Home Addressby courier after receiving the confirmation of! security deposited inHDFC BANK and the amount of security which you are going to pay istotally refundable with your other expenditure as per bills, witheryou are selected or not.The company have been selected "25" candidatesfor "15" confirm requirements in NOIDA Unit. The Company offeredSalary Rs.25,000/- to 35,000/- + (HRA Extra + D.A + Conveyance andother Company benefits) for these requirements. The Job profile anddesignation will be fix by CompanyHRD. at time of final process.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BY THE COMPANY HRD.•Photo-copies of Qualification Documents (Must)•Photo-copies of Experience Certificates (If any)•Photo-copies of Address Proof (Must)•Two Passport Size Photo-graph (Must)
The Job profile, salary offer, and date -time of interview will be mentionin your call or offer latter. Your latter will d! ispatch very shortlyafter receiving your confirmation of Cash! deposit ed in HDFC BANK .The last date of confirmation 2nd APRIL. We wish you the best of luckfor the subsequent and remaining After deposited the security amountin bank you have to give me information by email, that you havedeposited the amount in bank. Same time I will dispatch you latter bycourier.Thanks
GAGAN NAGPAL – Executive (HR)WIPRO TECHENOLOGIES.A-8 Sector-60Near Shopprix Mailnoida utter pradeshReply,you can email your resume to wipro.techenologies@gmail.com
Con Number:-09953976180,09760203807

I have personally never seen such a badly drafted letter, with those typical I-write-as-I-speak kind of "daaly" (Delhi) language. These consultants seem to make hay with people who are desperate for that one job change that will promise light at the end of the rather dark tunnel. This is a huge scam cheating people of money. I guess Wipro should take note of such negative publicity to its company, due to these job consultants