A day in the life of LIFE

Life is lived, I always believed by the moments laced with happiness:
This journey gets transformed, from nothingness to completeness,
But even as I see others commit acts that are deplorable,
Empathy is what you give them in all ways affordable.

I am not supposed to be like “others” is what I am told,
But behind the façade of strength is my innateness, lo behold;
I have tried to supplement your apprehensions with so much reason,
But from others, reign hard, blows of treason.

Things were so awesome; It was not as the present, before;
And you tell me others have experienced much more,
I beg to differ; in matters of interpretation,
For, I have been on the other side of the fence, in many a situation

You tell me to take strength in my all rounded faculties;
That was flattering; but limited are my emotive capabilities
You set the standards and tell me they are differently graded;
And the same when implemented get variably traded;

The reason you give me is “I should not react so, since I am “me””
And for the first time in my life I am not filled with self envy,
Of what joy are achievements of statesmanship;
When I stand discriminated against in the inherent essence of friendship.

I cannot force you to change your ways;
But whether I deserve this; I wonder in dismay,
All I have left is to add to the numerous assumptions, as life sways;
What had to be this way; will be this way!

The Sufi songs of Kurbaan play back to back on my list even as I type this post. It’s Diwali on the IIM campus, just as it is across the other parts of the nation. Diwali is probably the most solid cultural link between the North and the South of the Vindhyas, in a land as diverse as India – talking of which brings back memories of all the cities I’ve celebrated Diwali in, over the period of my life thus far: Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Mysore and now Shillong.

One attribute of the festival of lights is its unmatched grandeur which is symbolic of the existence of human civilization. Poets and writers alike have written at length about the power of the light to liberate, primary of whom include John Henry Newman (Lead, Kindly Light) and B.M. Sri (Karunaalu Baa Belake – Kannada). The scene from Swades describes the festival of lights in an apt manner – one of sharing, love, contentment and hope : the last two emotions being opposite yet complimentary in nature.

An interesting comment by Sri Sri Sri Ravishankar on the importance of the humble “diya” in today’s Times of India is worth a recall here. He says that it is mandatory for the wick to remain part under oil and part out of it, exposed to the air, so that it can provide light to the surround. So ought to be the balance in all our lives which is most often a roller coaster of emotions. We all have faith, belief and expectation as the three underlying pillars of existence. And then these are both of internal and external dimensions. Managing these two perspectives is what is required of us and can be learnt from the omnipresent diya, the brilliant resonance of which according to me, is seen on the banks of the Ganges at Haridwar.

This flash of the thought brings to me the aspect of the transience of the present. T.S. Elliot rightly mentioned “Where is life lost in the living"...

I still believe that the “Hope of Hope is the reality of life” and I shall leave my readers with a beautiful one liner in the Times of India a few years ago when Ramzan and Diwali coincided on the same day.

“Here’s wishing everyone a very happy diwALI and RAMzaan” – It happens only in India...

Looking forward to this evening which promises to be a cracker of a celebration on the IIM Campus….

Pic below : The rangoli last time in front of the Academic Block..

The beauty of Bollywood is that it has always been a universal healer. All you have to do when you feel low is to go and watch the latest bollywood flick to get your dose of rejuvination. The success of a movie is based on how well the audience relates to situations and the plot that the movie presents.

Wake Up Sid opens with Siddhart Mehra, a typical gen y individual from upmarket South Bombay (oops... Mumbai) the typical "Ameer Baap ka Bigda hua Beta" who is seen struggling to make a choice between video games and financial accounting on the eve of the final exam - no prizes for guessing what he finally goes with!

Enter Ayesha Banerjee, a typical "ajnabee in the anjaan shahar" who meets Sid at a party. Bold, suave, independent and outspoken are attributes best associated with Ayesha. A brave pick up line which is acknowledged by the latter leads them to the "most favourite hangout" of Mumbai - Marine Drive, which sets the foundation for a relationship of friendship.

Small favors by the chauvenistic Sid makes him liked by Ayesha who reiterates from time to time that they are "just" friends. Ayesha, with her chirpy nature lands herself a job at Mumbai Beat, a city based magazine as the assistant of the Editor-in-Chief, who takes her out on Jazz dates only to make Ayesha realize that she is better off humming Kishore Kumar and Saigal as against listening to boring jazz.

Sid's lifestyle can be best described as that lead by Hritik in the first half of "Lakshya", who on the other hand continues painting the town red, with friends until he fails miserably in his exams while his friends get through. A sound warning and hard talk by Mehra senior makes Siddhart wild and he storms out of the house. He moves in with Ayesha as a room partner (and not a live in one)and is gradually transformed into an organized person who gets to learn daily chores. Sid, with the help of Ayesha lands the job of a photographer at the same magazine, where he discovers his true talent.

A brief period of Sid dating Tanya is thrown in as the parallel track to Kabir (Edit-in-Chief) dating Ayesha. What happens post that is best described as true blue hindi movie storyline.

Though the movie gets caught in stereotypes for a brief 20 odd minutes, it does convey quite a few meaningful messages, one of which is to not stick to the conventional and striking out on your own, by pursuing your deeply embedded life interest.

Some good numbers, Shankar's melodious voice and great lyrics, make the movie a refreshing entertainer, though with hints of relatedness to Dil Chahta Hai, on certain occasions.

Great acting by Konkana is definitely something that leaves you impressed at the end of the movie. Karan Johar could have kept a greater grip on the screenplay, but otherwise, it's a good job indeed....

A 7 on 10 for "Wake Up Sid", and it definitely goes well with Sunday brunch if you plan to watch it tomorrow...- If you WAKE UP in time for Brunch, i.e. ... :-)..

I stood by you in times of sorrow and joy;
I did so too when surrounded by hoi polloi
I tried as much and managed to swallow all my fears,
So that I could, always wipe off your tears

I thought, I assumed and presumed for long,
That my assumptions could never be wrong,
And I moved all along advising you,
That the world is not like me and you..

You listened, You heard, I sought confirmation
I thought, as much, you comprehended the situation,
I knew for long that I’d never be shunned; this was a consolation:
In what I could comprehend in my limited imagination.

Days’ve passed and so have the seasons;
I’ve shared a bond of friendship with no precondition,
But today when the scheming hoi polloi emerged:
You turned your back on me and left me submerged…

You might have had reasons galore,
Existence of which has become folk lore;
Though a choice you did make today,
I shall still hope you realize someday..

No emotion is also a state of emotion:
This is what I feel as I type this explanation;
Learning to let go, for me is perhaps the only way;
Even when many, off our path try to make us sway…

Tracks diverge and so do they intersect;
Am human too; so I introspect:
Did I err somewhere, on this journey?
Answers to which may still remain a mystery….

For all those who are thinking twice on reading this post, let me assure you that I shall not spoil the fun of the movie - this is a review which gives you a good enough flavor without revealing the ending.

A lazy Sunday morning and nothing much to do, brought four friends from IIM face to face with Ashutosh Gowariker's latest flick in town...

The movie opens up well, with Harmaan playing Yogesss Patel, the "cool dude MBA from GSB Chicago who is leading a comfortable life in apna amreeka even as he doubles up as a DJ at night.."

Then of course is his family that is as ubiquitous as yours and mine - Mummy, Daddy, Bhaiyya Bhabhi Kaaka Kaaki and the extra - Kaakaji ki woh!

Summoned to India to solve a problem for which wedding is the incredulous recourse to, he sets out on an expedition as simple as that undertaken by the Archealogical Survey of India - to find a gal to be wedded to, with everything else including the date of the marriage having already been fixed!

Now this actually reminded me of the movie "Jhoot Bole Kawwa Kaate.." which has a song that goes like - "Hero Hai, Heroine Hai, Villain Hai, Shooting hai..par camera nahin!"

Yogessss' quest makes him intelligently choose a sample set from the population presented to him by his kaaku. This I guess is a fallout of the QT course (Quantitative Techniques) that he had during his MBA at Chicago. (For those of you MBA students reading this - life mein padhai kabhi kabhi kaam aajati hai...)

So he decides to meet one gal from each rashee(sunsign) already handpicked from the Gujrati community by his kaaku and take a call post the self styled "swayam vadhu" ceremony of sorts.

Priyanka Chopra has matured over the years as an actress and she has pulled off a blinder playing 12 roles in the movie. In fact when Gowariker was asked by Rajiv Masand on why he had the same gal play 12 roles, the reply was that, it was so done to neutralise the bias in the minds of the audience, which would have arisen otherwise.

Each innings played by Priyanka is a cameo and credit must be given to the director who has researched extensively on the traits of the sunsigns and mapped the characters well to suit the "stereotypes".

Apparently Ashutosh wanted A R Rahman to score the music for the film but 12 songs in a short span was not possible owing to projects that were already running for the music maestro. His substitute ,Sohail Sen has done a fine job in putting together situation based numbers (12 in all + the title track) for the film. Javed Saab as always, has been great at the lyrics. Special mention of Madhav Kadam and Rajesh Patil, who are Priyanka's make up artistes.

One negative - As with all Gowariker movies, the length of the movie is a little over 4 hours and the theater I watched it at, managed to wrap it up in 3 hours 20 minutes (by chopping a few songs), which I guess was wise, in a way - Consider a song tsunami with the elaborate setting for every raashee!!

The supporting characters play a great role with specific mention of Anjjan Srivastav (better known for his role in the television series Waagle ki Duniyan) who plays Patel Senior.The movie also provides a social message, and a good one at that, which completes the circle in a way.

Some good jokes thrown in, that go well with the situational comedy, make the movie a funtertainer. I especially like one dialogue in the movie where two Gujratis are speaking in broken Angrezi, and one of them remarks "Iph you bhant thu dhoo bijneeejjj, then ispeak in goojraati..."

The style of direction towards the end resembles that of Priyadarshan where all actors congregate at a given location, but all in all, the compartments do sum up to the larger objective of the movie.

Based on the Gujrati novel Kimball Ravenswood by Madhu Rye, the movie is a great entertainer with a good mix of humor, music, and an innovative story line. A 7.5 on 10 for "What's your Rashee" and you won't be disappointed at the end of the it.

And while you figure out what's Harmaan's favourite raashee at the theater near you, let me go grab a copy of Linda Goodman's "Sun Signs!"... On second thoughts, I'd rather find it interesting to discover the raashee based traits of the opposite gender myself, through personal interactions.... :-)

Lights.Grandeur.Conclave.

Three words that best describe a grand conference.

Well, I was at one such conference recently and found it no less than the "Great Indian Wedding" as far as the attendees' profiling was concerned.

There are clear categories that you could segment the folks into:

1. The stiff upper lip - Yo mate!

This category of people will not speak to you unless and until its absolutely essential. They shall maintain aristocracy that goes best with swigs of aristocrat during cocktails. They have myriad ties that have interesting color combos on them. Their sole purpose of attending such events - to make their presence felt. Their hypothetical favorite Dialogue - "Rishtey main toh hum tumhare baap lagte hai; naam hai....Shehenshah"

2. Oji Welcome.. Oye... biradari hai ji

This set of people is straight out of a Yash Raj Production. Those that move around like the actors on the sets of Hum Aapke hai Kaun and believe that "gusto is the way to go" as far as socializing is concerned. They are known to surreptitiously slip their visiting cards (Eg. Mr. Balwinder Khosla, Sole Proprietor) into your palm while you are engrossed in their extrovert display of emotion. Their hypothetical favorite Dialogue - "Koi Gal nahin ji...apni gaddi toh goodwill naal chaldi hai"


3. The Happydent poster folks

Those that believe that 1000 watt smile is a key ice breaker and a substitute for a firm handshake, fall into this category. The elasticity of the smile is directly proportional to the reciprocation shown by others in the conversation. These are generally the introverts who believe in brevity of words. Their hypothetical favorite Dialogue : "....rukawat ke liye khed hai.."

4. The "Lost in Translation" folks

They sat. They snacked. They slept.

This set is comprised mostly of senior citizens (who were forced into attending the conference while they would have preferred a beer with old buddies at the local club)who take a quick snooze not just between speaker sessions and also through them. While the image the props up immediately is that of the quintessential "Shri Deve Gowda" pondering about the future of India in the Parliament.

The veterans can be excused actually. They intend no harm. They come over, listen for a few minutes, wake up during the Q&A, chuckle at the questions being posed, sip tea and snooze again...

Their hypothetical favorite Dialogue: "So gaya, yeh jahan...."

5. Young Gun Murugan

And then there are attention seeking blokes who keep jumping around like "bulls let lose in a china shop" - who sometimes are good but most often draw slack from the members of the fellow categories for being brash and upstart. They are like Yuvraj Singh of A T20 international who add some life into an otherwise boring test match...

Their hypothetical favorite Dialogue: "Idly Appam Sambhar khao Quick Gun Murugan ke Gun Gao....Mind It!"

Well, this was a brief snapshot of the audience - but I must confess, the entire experience for me was an enriching one indeed..and until next time, bring on the dessert folks... -:)!

Indians have always been habituated to live the frugal way of life. Right from the learned "rishis" to "rahul baba", the world has turned a full circle.

"Kya aap gareebon se bhi gareeb hai?" - This is the question being asked to Netas on the latest "tamasha" er.. reality show "Sach Kaa Saamna".

The latest prime time discussion at Iftar parties and Navratri pandals has been that of how "simple" our netas are.

And while the one-up-man-ship continues, every politician wants to project his contribution to the noble cause. While five star hotel stay is prohibited in the interest of the party image, train travel is the mantra for Rahul Baba even if it costs the state exchequer 100 times more in providing SPG cover for the same.

While Mr. Tharoor's tweets are being dissected like that of a cockroach in a zoology lab, by people who don't understand as much English to comprehend a joke / witty comment, someone must tell the Congress Party that there is no use being penny wise and pound foolish as far as the austerity drive is concerned.

Before someone brands me as an insensitive capitalist, let me clarify that there is a lot that can happen between the sip and the lip and this game of exhibitionism, of scoring brownie points, will get us nowhere (except to the vote bank of course)

I mean, there are zillion wasteful expenditures to be cut down on(which includes maintaining the honorable members of Parliament and their lavish lifestyles on "sarkaari kharcha" and ought to warrant more attention than that of self censure of a people friendly politician whose head is being asked for, even as I type this).

The Government's austerity directive has left a few like Mr. Deve Gowda disappointed since he wanted to be seen as one who proactively supports the cause.
Maybe the next time around, Mr. Gowda can use the video conferencing software to express his opinion rather than take the next flight to Delhi (even if it's only "cattle" class)

The star hotels have suddenly found their revenues dropping owing to the crackdown on flamboyant netas.

It will be interesting to see where all this positions Mr. Mallya who would find himself stuck between conflicting priorities of austerity politics and brand image of the self. A suggestion would be to introduce khadi garments for all the hostesses and crew aboard Kingfisher to make a symbolic statement. < bad suggestion!>

Rumors are ripe that reservations on the inter state buses have risen 1000 fold owing to the chartering of low cost airlines and trains by netas and their entourage. Interestingly, India is a nation where resources are always a constraint and even if there's abundance of the same - the demand will always outstrip supply, with the philosophy being "Swalpa Adjust Maadi..."

Though I may not agree completely with the Mahatma's ideals, I am truly glad that Baapu is back in fashion again... The epitome of austerity is atleast being remembered for a brief period in time by a majority who do not. But the reasons are different. Mahatma Gandhi did it for a purpose with greater good in mind, while the same cannot be said about the present day politicians.

On that note, while news channels are thriving on the hot topic, the question that the aam aadmi such as you and me need to be asking is,

"Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the most austere of them all?"

P.S. - A beautifully written piece by Bachi Kakaria on the same topic is here .

Term 4 has ended. Term 5 has begun with a pit stop of just 48 hours. Such is life @ IIM. But the fun continues. There's lots to be done. And lots of exciting stuff at that.

We are reminded that placements are 3 months away by Professors who now look at us as near finished products from the brand factory of IIM.

The electives are interesting as usual, even as we jostle between picking those that equally inspire us but cant be taken since there is a credit limit that we cannot exceed.

The economy is looking up. And this is good news for us, for everyone in fact. The downturn that had taken the fizz out of bubblee last year seems to be atleast replaced by the freshness of lemonade this time around.

But then, with all the gyan that an MBA program imparts you with, this is a time where we all reflect where we all want to head in life.

It's all about the gratification that one perceives in his/her choice that matters. And if seven figure packages come along as part of some of these choices, it might be incidental.

The flexibility that a 66.67% MBA gets in order to choose his bowling lane of nine pins is probably the most cherished part of the program. And in being allowed to choose comes a great feeling of empowerment, to contribute, to make a difference.

Sometimes people complain that they have limited choices. And they sometimes complain that they have too many choices to choose from. I prefer the problem of plenty than that of paucity.

Thus, this pit stop is all about trying to make the best choice with limited visibility into the future. And in the process to have fun and make the most of life in the present....

Gentlemen,start your engines....

At the stroke of midnight on 14th August 1947, the world slept, while India awakened to a new dawn, according to the words of Pandit Nehru. What seemed to be an almost impossible task - forming a union of 500 odd princely states that were as diversified as the colors of a butterfly, was nearly achieved, thanks to the efforts of the Iron Man of India - Sardar Vallab Bhai Patel. (I don't agree with Mr. Jaswant Singh's comments on Sardar Patel handing over Pakistan to Jinnah).

The skeptics frowned, betting on how quickly India would disintegrate based on the myriad plurality and the presence of a wafer thin commonality in social fabric.

62 years later, India has surprised many, and has become a case study in itself even as we speak today. Even as the swine flu pandemic sweeps the nation, the mood around is upbeat.

Incidentally, it was just this afternoon as the class on "Emerging Economies and Business" was in session at IIM, the core focus of the entire elective was the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and how they are going to shape the world order by 2050.

Very interesting discussions on comparing and contrasting the "white tiger" with the "red dragon" happened, and how the world's obsession of India versus Pakistan has now shifted to India versus China.

The Chinese are industrious and determined - and are less threatened at their borders than us. Yet, they are beginning to get wary of the Great Indian resurgence. Recent reports of China increasing its focus on its southern neighbor are indicative of this fact.

Another contrast was made with that of Japan. The Professor opined that the thought of "Japan is for the Japanese" is more than that of "India is for Indians". The nationalism quotient is so high in Japan that their resurrection post World War II has been just incredible. India at times slips into spells of siesta (the famed South American nap)and needs to be shaken up to be urged to move ahead.

All said and done, Indian dominance in the trade relations the world over is definitely looking upwards. What looked impossible a decade and a half ago seems to be materializing - quick and fast. The Finance Minister has predicted 6.5% growth by 2010 despite the recession - and this holds a lot of significance for the nation.

As I may have mentioned in a couple of previous posts, the world which earlier used to worry about the future "of" India, is soon recognizing the fact that the future "is" India.

Even as we transition from Janmashtami to Jashn-e-Aazadi, at the stroke of midnight on 14th August 2009, the world awakens, to celebrate India's new dawn and it's about time to acknowledge that there is no better time than NOW, to be an INDIAN - Jai Ho!

Image below : India on NASDAQ.

Life is a strange journey – it never prepares you for what to expect;
But it does present enough time for one to introspect;
And the thought of which links to the mad mad world,
Under the influence of which, thoughts they mold.

We all find comfort in myriad emotion:
Use somebody's emotion for solace and solution;
And when we all look back at emotions’ evolution,
It leads us back into good old introspection.

The times of joy, sharing and kinship,
Form the underlying essence of friendship:
It forms the foundation for probabilities of the future,
Which in turn enable emotions for nurture.

When things are fine, and the highways free,
Unwarranted opinions come from all and sundry;
Limited they are in the expanse of their imagination,
In others’ penury they find their emancipation!

But this is the essence of societal critic:
It forever fails to be gender agnostic,
And once the objective of the poison thought is achieved,
It moves on to other hosts on which it could feed...

After the storm comes the uneasy calm,
And we then grope for advice from the psalm;
What is the use of wisdom when it can’t be implemented?
Rejoicing are the minds that are so demented!

Abstinence appears to be the only way going forward,
An abrupt end it seems, to the graceful ballad;
How exactly it transforms we are yet to see,
But the writing on the wall is clear:“What is meant to be; is meant to be…”

Hello folks. Today is Raksha Bandhan. All I wanted to speak about RB is in this post here..

Well,what do you get when you have 5 vatus (bachelor Brahmin "boys" :)) with a limited supply of resources but all enthusiastic to have some trace of tradition and rituals as part of their routine? - The answer is an "Open air Saamoohika Yajur Upakarma" (the annual ritual of the followers of the Yajur Veda to mark the change of the sacred thread) ; the optimized and abridged version, of course.

The memories of a couple of years ago are still afresh - The 6 morning batch at the Shiva Vishnu temple at T Nagar Chennai, the dash back home to get ready for office, the sumptuous lunch at the Raghavendra Swami Math and the self made Halwa for dinner - was such excitement loaded with contentment.

This morning even as the rest of the IIM hostel rested after a night out with case studies and presentations, a few among them found themselves as part of the MI 8 auditions in trying to wake up at the unearthly hour of 6 a.m.

There were a good number of combinations for the attire adorn by us. While RPA was an epitome of the "Mandir Purohit", there were others who had : towel + towel; trouser + towel; trouser + "null" and dhoti + "null" on them.

A majority of them being Tam Brahms, I was the only Kan Brahm in the group, but yes we shared the Best Practices of the Yajur Veda Upakarma (also referred to as Aavni Aavattam in Tamil).

Even as GK struggled with his notes in Tamil (which were as old as the excavations of Harappa and Mohenjodaro) I had my "post its" in Kannada to the rescue which contained fresh notes as dictated by Ma last night.

So we figured out that there were some language agnostic commonalities that could be adhered to by all.

As we went from one Mantra to another, we looked reassuringly at each other, hoping that we were on the right track.

KS was half zombied while KR looked on vigilantly over the course of the entire exercise.

As we entered stage 2 and 3 of the stipulated rituals, the world around us had begun to gather quick pace (Being in the North East, the sun rises a good 90 minutes ahead of the prescribed timing for the rest of India).

This year, the process was more elaborate with the junior batch at IIM having a sizable number (5 is indeed a sizable number in today's context) of interested participants.

This is the first time that I'm up at 6 in the morning in the past 2 months( considering that we go to bed by 3:30, it's indeed a tough order). But it felt to take in the oxygen and the fresh rays of sunlight loaded with Vitamin D, even as the cool breeze rejuvenated our minds.

As the brief ceremony drew to a close, we got back to our normal attire, with the vibhuti (sacred ash) and its fragrance still fresh on our palms.

The conversation soon shifted from Rituals and the Vedas to ERP and Business Law - thus ushering in the next phase of the day at IIM.

But before I get into classes that begin 25 minutes from now, I am off to pounce on some upma made by RPA, the fragrance of which is already reaching my room.

It indeed feels great to be a द्विजः - it comes with its small yet rejuvenating practices and privileges.

शुभं भवतु |

You are on the 56 th floor of a skyscraper in the heart of New York city, smoking Cuban cigars, and even as the ash carelessly drops on the ultra expensive Arabian carpets you check your blackberry (the futuristic edition of this smart gadget that only Ethan Hunt owns) which flickers with yet another notification for you to turn savior in the big bad world of management!

Well, if you were nearly as lost in your imagination as the adventurist in Jumanji, I would not blame you for the same. For, this is how a typical HBR case introduces the plot of sorts to its readers.

I've believed that there are two reasons for this - First, the case makes the reader believe he is the one and only available "Management Crime Buster" who is as qualified as Clark Kent (aka Superman) to solve the world's problems. Second,it is something like what Bollywood does to you - relates to your suppressed dreams and ambitions so greatly that it makes you believe that someday, even the surreal will come true!

The case then has a quick footnote on the authors who’ve worked on the case. While the first name that strikes you would invariably be the who’s who of the industry, you would find the unrecognizable names of a few research assistants who would otherwise have put in all the background research and efforts in making it possible.
Another intriguing fact about HBRs is that you will more often than not find a Sahay, Shanmugam or Parthasarathy as one of the authors and in case Parthasarathy has been unwell Yuan Hi would have been the substitute.

And with HBR, comes voluminous data. After a loooooong description of the company background (it is often it rumored that the company executives learn a lot about their own company after reading the HBR case based on the same). A few ensuing lines from the case could go something like this:
“While the company XYZ had consolitaded 47% of the market nationally, its international market cap was 23.67% of the total pie*” The * would eventually translate in fine writing at the bottom of the page as “This case was prepared in the period when the world was America and America was the world! Well, with a minuscule contribution from the insignificant communists…. Hail American Imperialism”

Then the case moves on to the actual facts and mindboggling ones at that, intertwined in the labyrinthine pathways of complicated language usage – so much so that the user needs to visit Oxford to get the import of every single meaning. (Incidentally, the British also apparently had made some contribution to the world at large? ). And the complicated language is often supported by several exhibits that equal the number of elements in the periodic table of elements we study in Chemistry!

And the HBR is as brilliant at creating sequels to the case as were the writers of Hercule Poirot’s mysteries. You often have a part A and part B to most cases that claim to give you insights into the “big” picture which otherwise could only have been obtained by watching “Saas Bahu” soaps and "Shivaji Satham in C.I.D." on Indian television.

HBR gloats about its relevance to modern day business by describing the “class” associated with historical cases – hence the mode of discussion in today’s context often becomes what should the company not have done what it did end up doing, but then again that is based on current facts and not those mentioned in the case. Here lies the dichotomy of most HBR cases.

Finally, the HBR leaves you at crossroads saying Scenario 1 for the business is good if the protagonist likes spending a vacation in the Swiss Alps, scenario 2 is good if he wants to follow up the business deal with authentic French wine, and option 3 is equally valid if he wanted to catch up with his Asian classmate (in the name of diversity) at B School for a quick post dinner discussion.What you would do when you are spoilt for choices is the “Million Dollar question”, speaking of which, the best part about HBR cases is that the price tag associated with each case can support my daily consumption of Masala Dosas for the next 6 months.
Maybe that’s what they refer to, when they say “From the horse’s mouth!”

But with the recent down turn and the recession in the west, I foresee more and more HBR cases coming out with the introductory storyline as under:

You are on the 56 th floor of a skyscraper in the heart of Navi Mumbai, smoking Vardaan Beedis(the eco friendly and human friendly ones), and even as ash (humari Aishwarya!) carelessly drops on the ultra expensive carpets (manufactured in Kashmir ) you check your blackberry (the futuristic edition of this smart gadget that only Elangovan Venkataramana Subramaniam Aiyar owns) which flickers with yet another notification for you to turn savior in the big bad world of capitalistic (read American) management!

Well, from Cincinatito Chandni Chowk, we’ve indeed come a long way.. Jai Ho!

Caveat Reador: Reader Beware!

1)Sincere apologies for the heavy English – I did not like it either
2)HBR stands for Harbhard Bijnezz Rebhiew and not what is otherwise popularly circulated
3)I might have been extreme in my stance on the issue, but I guess HBR is nearly as overwhelming if not greater for most first time readers
4)Finally, I personally have nothing against Capitalism. Just that it was needed to support the blog post

She is the best; was their claim,
Not just them; but huge was her hall of fame;
You have to listen, with glee they exclaimed!
I thus set out to ascertain the veracity of the same.

With great poise sat she, in front of the grand piano,
This was just the beginning of the music to follow;
As she rehearsed the notes of her melody,
This was the perfect precursor to the ensuing symphony.

What followed was the magic of the performance,
One of the finest that I’ve witnessed in existence;
As her nimble fingers caressed the zebra keys,
The sound of music filled the void of peace...

And with her singing, erupted the audience around,
Who later were silenced as they sat spell bound;
The freshness of the music and the life in her voice,
Stole the show without any surprise!

And as she arose to acknowledge the thunderous applause,
The epitome of humility felt overawed;
But she had beaten many a maestro at their own game,
She was better than the best in her rise to fame.

“A brilliant performance : My Oh My!
True to the spirit of : awesome music can get you high!
May the music of life be with you for long,
For, you are indeed the Nightingale of IIM Shillong...”


P.S. - More on the Piano Lady (title inspired by Billy Joel's Piano Man) can be found here . The link is 7 years old though. will update more as I find them.

As I type this blog, I have two opened sachets of tomato ketchup lying next to my laptop, remnants of some paratha, reams of paper and a lot of treasures that lay beneath this mountain of richness.

I am clearing the room of C-12 of Dorm C at IIM to shift to the seniors' hostel to make way for the juniors. I type this post with some nostalgia about leaving my home for the past year and transitioning into better but unfamiliar territory.

All that glitters is not "home" and so is the fact that you may have Jaguar fittings, handshowers and attached baths with geysers, yet the row of rooms in the old hostel had their own charm.

Am moving to the good life but there are also memories to be treasured....

Some great batchmates who are now friends for life, is what Dorm C gave me the most - and am thankful for that. Even as I tear down a poster on the wall which says " Success doesn't come to you, you got to go to it", I am reminded of the crazy nightouts at a strech, the midnight coffee shop, the case study discussions, the frenzied academic rigour of the 1st year - all behind me...

And as we gear up to welcome the juniors, I leave behind an untold legacy in place I call my second home - " C-12 Miss Ya!"....

Party in the new hostel in 20 minutes: gotta rush....

Am back.. and this time, after quite some time. The world has turned topsy turvy during this entire period.

Everything around me has been changing at a frantic pace - from Sony Entertainment television's new soaps to Anil Kumble's turning cricket commentator. Not to be left behind to get onto the change bandwagon, I felt that the time was perfect for a makeover of this blog.

The main objective was to set the look and feel in concurrence with the theme of the posts constituting this blog - of liveliness in the life of life. The intent had been there for long. But the time to execute was a precious commodity indeed.

Nonetheless, it's finally happened and it gives me immense pleasure to present all my readers blog with a facelift - an all new Avataar.

The credit for the creative design and concept lies with dreamcatcher and I am extremely grateful to him for this effort. A batchmate at IIM, he is a writer himself and has some very good pieces of poetry in Urdu as well. Do check out his site when you have the time.

Till then, lemme manufacture some new wine for the new bottle, lest you get vintaged in the process.

Many more blog posts coming up - A promise....

I still remember the stout medium sized digest that Dad handed over to me even as I entered 2nd grade. The one thing that attracted me the most about the book was it's shimmering gold edges that looked very beautiful when the it lay closed and the pages stuck to one another.The front cover of the navy blue hard bound presented to Dad by a Sailor friend was titled "Bartholomew" and what followed in Italicised font underneath was "World Atlas".

I was too young to know who Bartholomew was then, let alone try and spell his name. It was later in life that I realized that Bartholomew Diaz (Am sure we all recall the actress by the same surname)was one of the greatest explorers the world had ever seen. But back then, the "Atlas" as I came to call it, became my prized possession, for, it captured the limitless expanse of the globe in finite sheets of glossy paper.

While the 4 color combination presented the perfect visual appeal, the illustration of some of the most unheard of places took me on a virtual tour each night as I lay awake in bed, with a mission to explore our planet. All this was special, especailly in a world devoid of the internet which is so ubiquitous these days that it has made a lot of things to be taken for granted.

Well, why am I blogging about this today? - Today was the day which provided the opportunity to revisit this childhood interest of mine. A lecture that had almost taken its toll on us owing to the relentless and hectic academic schedule, had myself and PG(who was sitting in the chair adjacent to mine) utilize the world map printed in the final pages of a complimentary diary I had received for the new year.

We took turns in providing each other with names of cities and geographical forms to be located, even as we crisscrossed one continent after another. While some were crackable, others simply had both of us at our wits end. (I must admit PG fared much better than I did)

Well, did you know that the "Naresh strait" separted Ellesmere Island from Greenland? Or that the "Barrants Sea" covered the region to the north of Finland beyond the Arctic Circle? The "World's Amazing Race" took us from Zervis to Kingalon with a pitstop at Port Morsby. And yes, we did have a brief stop over along the journey at IIM Shillong to catch a few worlds of what the lecture had in store for us.

The experience just went on to show that there is so much more to explore and unearth under the expanse of the global canvas. It was a pleasant recall of the experiences I had nearly 2 decades ago and my special thanks to PG for the same.

Now let me get back to finding "Seram" on the globe since I need to "get around the world in 8 seconds....."

Till then, Happy Navigating folks...

Pic below - The Map we used for our short but rejuvinating game....

Not often we seriously think,
As to what would happen at life’s brink;
We try and postpone things to accomplish,
Hoping for free time in which to cherish.

And as these wishes and feelings we park,
Goes on; life with its routine tasks;
We get caught in the quagmire of misery,
Caused by the permanence of unending drudgery.

We run the race to beat the competition,
We strive hard to achieve the mission;
We go that extra mile to prove we are better than the best;
And all the while we forget to pause and rest.

In the midst of finding the never ending solutions,
Overawed we are by the sea of emotions;
We missed the smile, the warmth and what not in the ongoing strife,
We failed to savor the musings of everyday life.

And then when we look back on the transience of the permanence,
We take note of the pursuit of perseverance;
But by then there’s very little left of self sustenance,
And it ends up reflecting on the epitaph of erstwhile existence.

With all this comes the importance of the present,
It’s a gift that exists which is why it’s a Present:
As we go along we choose what we make of it;
There’s no room ever for regret in life, and so my friend, “Just do it”….

It's 1 a.m. and I am currently listening to Jagjit Singh's 400 kilo "bhaari awaaz wale ghazals" which best describe the current economic downturn.

We incidentally had an inspiring session on "how to become successful entrepreneurs" by Rashmi Bansal, this evening at the campus.

Dhanda sab jagah Manda hai and the reality is closer home; even the IIMs are having a tough time this year. Talking of reality, I have been forced to think of alternative careers. As luck would have it, the cook at the IIM hostel mess finds my singing so good that he wants me to participate in the next edition of Indian Idol. He has even assured me of his sms vote to inspire me for the cause. I told this to a batchmate of mine, KAP and he was all excited about the idea.

It just goes to show that people really can get desperate in times of crisis; for, my singing is as good as A.R. Rehman's skills in playing kabaddi. But yes, I do stand a good chance if the reality show is titled "Sab Se Besura Kaun!". Cashing in on the recession, people have gone overboard in selecting themes for reality shows.

I read in the papers that there is a contest for recruiting cheerleaders for the Kolkata Knightriders. Come on! gimme a break - Are they going to judge cheer leaders by a reality show!

In fact, some of us have taken the instructions given by one of the Profs. too seriously. His point to use television talk shows as secondary sources in our case study discussions has made us watch shows like Roadies and "Dance India Dance" with renewed vigor.

Looking at the trend, the following could well be the next themes of reality shows:

IPL : Indian Political League - the real reality;
Kaun Banega Pradhaan Mantri - Tantri ya Mantri?
Sab se zyaada bakwaas karega kaun? - award sponsors: Aaj Tak, India TV, Star News
Agli Injury kiski - predict karo aur ban jao ranji trophy cricketer
IIM: Aana hai mushkil, nikalna almost namumkin
Slumdog Millionnaire II: kya aap hai agley Jamaal Malik?
Apne pairo pe khulaadi maaro - winner gets 2 days & 3 nights in Pakistan-the land of no return

Every reality show contestant needs to have the following pre-requisites (nothing personal but this is reality)

One has to be from a town smaller than Jhumritalaiyya
One has to have an ailment in the family (if self has it, it is more valued)
One has to breakdown atleast once in front of the camera
One has to create controversy by sledging/maligning either a co-contestant or the overall show
One has to have a huge gang of maamaas, chachas and dosts who are vela enough to send the requisite number of sms es.
One should have acted in a Bhojpuri ad atleast once - the likes of Chutki paan masala (Ok I made the last one up)

I do agree that some of these shows do assist weaker sections of the society to hope for a better life, but the hype and disappointment for all but the winner is just too much.

But as they say in the land of Utopian economics - where there is a demand, there will surely be a supply.

Jai Ho!

For the theatrically and linguistically challenged, Evam is a theatre group based out of Chennai and Ekamevam in Sanskrit means “One and Only”.

Okies. Here we go. The entire day today had yours truly enduring the pain induced by the nth root canal treatment that I’ve been undergoing (My Maker didn’t quite get my dentistry right, but nonetheless compensated with the rest..). After an overdose of the nauseating odor of Powdered Calcium (which once happened to be my tooth), Cement, Clove Oil, Anesthesia and Rubber (gloves), I decided that attending a comedy play would do good to both my pot holed jaws and my tensed soul.

Off I went to get my day’s dose of free laughter – courtesy the Bengaluru Habba’s theatrical show (which I’d incidentally attended last year as well). This time around it was the celebrated Evam, from Namma Chennai that was to present “the original spoof” of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare – the T 20 version.

The subject had me all excited. For a person who deeply appreciated his Non- Detail Text Book of class 12, Hamlet was one of those “loooooong” plays that did not form part of the syllabus. So, as I do before all plays that I attend – I got a de-brief of the plot of the original from “your friendly neighborhood Wikipedia” where names such as Ophelia seemed very familiar. Even as I sipped on some chilled apple juice – I navigated through the world wide web and had just about 5 minutes to read a two line synopsis of the play. Which I later realized was good enough.

The Chowdiah Memorial Hall – where the play was to be staged, has a special significance, for this is where I watched my first play, “Snow White” way back in class 1.

The show began with a snapshot of Evam and their work, not to mention the commemoration of over 200 performances by the group. A three person act was what it was going to be, with two of the three playing multiple roles. Owing to the fact that I am mathematically challenged, I was quite undone counting the number of roles played by the three some (the roles included those of the palace guards too – not to forget one of the members of the audience who was coaxed into playing an extempore of Ophelia!).

Even as the mood of the spoof was set by caustic comments on the Rama Sene and the Economic Slowdown, the actors with their mismatched attire and some wittily crafted dialogues (especially targeting the Shakespearean Quotient of the audience) had us guffawing away to glory.

While “unconventional” would be the best word to describe the play, within the play, within the play (those at the venue would understand that the words are not redundant), the only time where we sat silent was during the first 7 odd minutes of the second half.

The seamless role rendition that had styles from those of Rajesh Khanna to the Stiff Brit Upper Lip was indeed commendable. The one takeaway was the character of Ophelia who kept running directionless, around the stage like Jiah Khan in Ghajini.

But what I liked the most was the sequencing of the play. While what played out in the play was a T 20 version, they replayed the highlights of the play and then replayed the highlights of the played highlights and finally ended with the reverse sequencing of the entire play akin to the visuals of the song “Solace” by Enigma.

With some beautifully worded disclaimers and just the right amount of non English puns, it was a thoroughly enjoyable one. Evam indeed did justice to the spoof of “The Hamlet, the greatest work by William Shakespeare – the T 20 version”
Kudos to the entire team of , “Ekam Evam, Evam”….

P.S. – As “Luck by Chance” would have it, I incidentally bumped into two of my Class 11 buddies at the venue, which indeed was the icing on the cake....

Dev D= Daaru + Drugs + Damsels => DISASTER.

Am not wasting any time of either the reader or myself, any further.

In 10 minutes from now, the largest democracy on the planet will celebrate its existence as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. And being in the Rajdhani gives you the air of royalty even as you see the semblance of this historic day in the Indian context.

Well, the 26th of January is important to most Indians - especially when it falls on a friday or a monday. The two most important days that make a quick vacation possible.With choices ranging from Shimla to Jaipur, fellow Indians are making the most of the getaway. I saw quite a few vacant chairs in office on friday last only to learn that the holiday planning had been perfect.

For others, it is a day when "dhandha thoda mandha hai" since people wake up at noon, thus jeopardizing the "rosy roti" of the morning hawkers.

While many others are put off by the traffic advisories that prevent them from smooth cross border movement into Noida, Gudgaawaan and Faridabad, there are some who complain that too much of congestion has lead to their day getting wasted.

I overheard a few school kids discussing about their all important class match owing to the "holiday" tomorrow.

The Times reports that jobless teenagers living on the streets dread 26th January since they get beaten up by the police in the name of security.

My father advises me on phone to refrain from venturing out into the streets tomorrow since it might not be "safe".

A country of a billion people checks, rechecks and reassures itself that after all the elaborate security arrangements, it is safe enough to "celebrate" the red letter day at the Red fort - painting the picture of a painful ordeal for many involved in otherwise what should an expression of self reliance.

Well, if you are reading this post and donot fall/relate into any of the aforementioned categories, chances are that you are a "neta" who will be attending the parade tomorrow.

This is the county of the billion Indians (myself included) who swear by the opening lines of the Indian Constitution - " We the People...." and immediately move on to the chai paani kept at the corner of the stadium.

The time has come to move ahead from just the 3 opening words - we need an attitudinal change to change ourselves and influence change in others.

It is only then, that "We the people" will eventually evolve into what we are truly capable of. Let Me stop talking and Let Us start acting.

Proud to be Indian. Happy Republic Day. Let's make it meaningful. Jai Hind.

Even as the 44th President of the United States assumed office in Washington D.C., the world waited with bated breath to witness Bushisms translate into Obama’s blah blah.

The rhetoric was evident over the entire discourse that Senator Obama provided his wide eyed audience with. For me, it was a respite after watching Chandni Chowk to China on Sunday last.

I settled down into the couch with some baklava (Jordanian sweet meats with pista and other dry fruit sandwiched in between) and mused at how America was going to follow the “In Change, I believe” punchline of Barrack Hussein Obama.

The line I liked the most through the 20 minutes that I sat before the idiot box was – “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met”. [huge applause by the audience to something that made no sense at all…..]

Digressing slightly, my aunt brought in an interesting point, loaded with sarcasm though, when she said “What is the difference between Raju and top bosses of the financial behemoths of the US. While the latter flouted the bare minimum rules governing credit worthiness, the former did the same – just that he overrated his personal repaying capacity on the interest free loan that he provided to Maytas” .

Well, as a starting point, Obama has decided to infuse activity in the US Mail system. Yes, in the age of the e mail, Obama believes snail mail deserves its rightful place in propelling America forward. Why else would he then write a letter to his daughters instead of using technology?

In terms of other sectors of the economy, terrorism tourism that was so actively promoted by his predecessor will be continued in order to show to the world that there is no better place for free practice of war games than the oil fields of Iraq and the hills of Afghanistan.

The 35 word oath seemed as tough as Shakespearean poetry to Obama, who stumbled and fumbled in front of his bemused wife who could not stop grinning. George Bush, I am told felt nostalgic about all the bloopers that he had had over his years in office.

Introduced to the gathering as the son of an African Immigrant whose rise to the supreme office against all odds was almost as if it had drawn inspiration from Danny Boyle’s latest flick to fame – “Slumdog Millionaire”.

A pensive Hillary Clinton watched the ceremony with the look of “So near yet so far” on her face. Others who attended the ceremony were Aditi from Connaught Place, Dev Babu from West Patel Nagar, Chunnu from Patiala, Chironji Laal from Ferozpur aur unke saathi. As the citizens bore the chill - draped with jackets and KFC banners, others across the world celebrated the rise of “hope over fear”.

The Times of India reported that the Luo tribe in Kenya rejoiced the fact that one of their descendants made it to the land of Amerigo Vespucci and then made it big. The Japanese town Obama, which means “little beach” in the local language, felt the emotional connect owing to the commonality of name. – Osama , are you listening?

The school in Jakarta where he studied as a pre nursery kid said that the President had taken his fledgling steps on the lawns of the Indonesian capital. Success has many fathers. Indeed.

I was trying to relate the grandeur of the event that cost 170 Million $ with that of the “Great Indian swearing [in]”. Maybe Madam Mayawati could comment on this.

Well, as the clock struck 12 and the billion people in India decided to go to sleep as Obama continued his historic speech, I decided to turn in too, with the only hope that his comparison with the legendary Martin Luther King Jr. turns out to be atleast 1% true – for, I have been truly inspired by the American leader of yesteryears who did not make his speeches, but actually lived the dream!

(I strongly recommend anyone who has not heard Sir Martin Luther King Jr. emote “I have a dream”, to log onto youtube and get inspired..)

Till then, “God Save America!” [pun intended]…Congratulations Mr. Obama, we await the change [for the better]..