This post is dedicated to good ol' HP who came up with a rather astute observation when working on a dull pitch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon
One keeps hearing talk on the media about how we have grown as a nation, or how the time has come for us to occupy our "rightful" place among the ranks of nations. To all those columnists/ talk show participants out there, I present to you 2 ads of the same product with a gap of at least 10 years between them
Old - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=8Iai5mSOxYU
New - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=smaJK6ZMzwM
While the first ad shows a girl (and a pretty one, if I may add ) breaking into song and dance the moment her favourite team/player (Indian, we are given to assume) wins the match, the second match shows a bunch searching for a reason to celebrate. Even if it is Kenya winning (India losing ). All that the people need, we are told is a reason to celebrate and have a blast. HP helpfully pointed out that it showed that we had matured as a nation in the space of 10 years. I prefer to see it as a demonstration of how much more cynical we have become over a period of just 10 years. Or may be growing up means becoming cynical.
Moving on to 2 ads of another iconic brand with more than 10 years between them -
Old - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=xEV8MWd1p3M&feature=related
New - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8hrlbdEz4&feature=related
Wonder what these 2 ads say about us as a nation and how we have changed over the past 10 years. The first ad is a simple montage of people on bajaj two wheelers with the focus on the fun aspect of owning a two wheeler. The second ad seeks to reinforce the fact that we continue to respect traditions deep inside even as we change outside. J was of the opinion that the second ad was more towards parents to assure them that their kids would not change once they got their bikes. It must duly be noted here that J barely managed to score a B in marketing while at B-School.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Banking, Subways and Arbitness
It has been about 3 months since landing in Mumbai. 3 months of being an IBanker. 16 hour days have become the norm. Weekends are spent working. Life has become a series of pitches, DCF models, WACC calculations and relative valuations. There is probably more caffeine in my blood than in an average CCD and my eyes are invariably a shade of red. These are all things I was fully aware of even when I decided to accept my PPO and make a career out of investment banking. What is worrisome is the way my thinking has changed… The other day MJ and I had gone on one of our quests to find a Subway open at 12 am. While downing a veggie delite, we happened to discuss one of our instructors. It took us some time to realize that we had reduced a living breathing human being into a revenue model. In fact we had also reduced him to a variable (albeit independent) in trying to figure out if it was possible to predict his income based on the state of health of the investment banking industry. What worries me even more than the sheer “clinicalness” of the approach is the flaw inherent in such an approach. In the urge to reduce everything to numbers, I tend to run the risk of ignoring the potential that might be hidden in a situation/opportunity that I might have ignored due to my inability to quantify it or worse still might not even be aware of due to sheer ignorance. MJ, of course was more worried about the “clinicalness” aspect, but that is because she is better than me in quant and modeling.
Highly arbit post, but that’s what my life has become these days.
p.s. – Hil, before you point it out… everyone is better than me in quant.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Slightly bummed out... doing well otherwise...
Pretty well actually. I may be feeling a bit bruised but thats okay. The gap between the previous post and now has seen yours truly-
1) Arrive in Mumbai and get hold of a house without much of a fight.
2) Freeride big time on Kata's/ AssG's hospitality for 3 days. Seniors ho tho aise!!
3) Put up with Chummi Darling for 1 full week. Only those who know Chummi can and will truly appreciate what I have been through. That said, Chummi is a Darling, period.
4) Make the house habitable for Thatha and PK. Of course they think otherwise but then who cares about such trivialities.
5) Come face to face with a till now alien concept called - "Cost of Living". Mommy... help.
6) Discover that hotels in Mumbai shut down on government holidays.
7) Get hopelessly lost in Mahim/Dadar/Matunga before Kata and Vaidya bailed me out.
8) Listen to unending cribs from PK of "How hot Mumbai is". It must be duely noted that PK himself is from the urban Sahara that is Chennai.
9) Go to office for 2 weeks before being packed off to NYC.
More about the Big Apple later...
1) Arrive in Mumbai and get hold of a house without much of a fight.
2) Freeride big time on Kata's/ AssG's hospitality for 3 days. Seniors ho tho aise!!
3) Put up with Chummi Darling for 1 full week. Only those who know Chummi can and will truly appreciate what I have been through. That said, Chummi is a Darling, period.
4) Make the house habitable for Thatha and PK. Of course they think otherwise but then who cares about such trivialities.
5) Come face to face with a till now alien concept called - "Cost of Living". Mommy... help.
6) Discover that hotels in Mumbai shut down on government holidays.
7) Get hopelessly lost in Mahim/Dadar/Matunga before Kata and Vaidya bailed me out.
8) Listen to unending cribs from PK of "How hot Mumbai is". It must be duely noted that PK himself is from the urban Sahara that is Chennai.
9) Go to office for 2 weeks before being packed off to NYC.
More about the Big Apple later...
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Mumbai, here I come
Headed to Mumbai to join DSPML in a couple of days. Couple of arbit observations before signing off from Chennai -
How did a game called "I Spy" come to be called "Ice Boys" in Chennai?
Isnt it time the powers to be drew a lesson from the happenings in Nepal and actively encouraged naxalites to participate in the electoral process? The naxalites might in turn find it much easier to achieve their stated goals of social justice by winning elections and getting the state machinery to work for them. I am of course assuming that there will be a groundswell of public support for the red brigade if they shun violence and decide to contest elections. This may not necessarily be the case. Either way, I believe there will be an end to the wanton destruction of private property and loss of precious life if the "Nepal model" can be replicated here. On the other hand, I am pretty much sure that these thoughts have already crossed the minds of both sides. What is it that is holding them back from trying?
Next post (if there is one) will most probably be from my new digs in Mumbai. Till then, suggest you listen and enjoy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkIPRe49nFE
p.s. - Above link points to an arbitmax tam song from a yet to be released flick with a very strong beat. Me thinks it has very strong L^2 potential. It is about time junta stopped playing "Appadi Podu" on L^2.
p.p.s. - Would be grateful if someone were to actually enlighten me with the meaning of the phrases "naka muka" and "laarisona" used multiple times in the song!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Why cricket will never die
This post started off as a comment in response to Hil’s fantastic post on his blog - http://commeman.blogspot.com/2008/04/death-of-civilized-sport.html. So, you are better off reading his post before proceeding further. That and the fact that he writes much better than me. And if it is Hil who is reading this, how I wish this discussion was taking place in H-Mezz at 2 am … those were the days … sigh!
First a personal message –
Dear Mr.Packer,
Just in case you happen to read this blog, I know you are up there having the last laugh. Yep, you were right all along. Just that your ideas came 30 years early. Ciao.
The simple thing is that 20-20 or T20 Franchise system is the latest in a long series of steps taken to make the game of cricket that extra bit closer to the masses. If there is lots of money is to be made in the process, then merrier the party. ODIs and Day Night matches are examples of similar (successful) changes that immediately come to mind. The struggle has always been to ensure that cricket appealed to the layperson. Yes, the same guy who stands outside the television shop showroom in the blazing sun at Anna Salai traffic junction craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Sachin’s glorious straight drive on the widescreen TV. He may not know its technical name, but it sure does bring a smile to his face. For you see, it is no longer religion alone that is the opium of the masses. Sports and the entertainment media are increasingly proving to be more potent. The moment you don’t get him to stop and watch the game, the moment he decides to flip the channel to some arbit reality show, the game is as good as dead. For, it is they who sustain the game and in a vast majority of cases, it is a symbiotic relationship. Sure there will be the purists and the “lovers” of the game who follow every match religiously and debate the intricacies of a simple game endlessly, but they are not the ones who matter. And thank God, they don’t. Every change in the format of the game has been met with stiff resistance from the purists who keep going back to the same old wounded cries of the game being played is “just isn’t cricket” anymore. Be it the introduction of the ODI format or the third umpire or the Day/Night format – they have always argued that the spirit of the game was on the verge of asphyxiation. So what, I ask? If that is what the masses want, if that is what makes them happy in the middle of galloping inflation, cancerous corruption and a generally hopeless existence, so be it. Cricket belongs to the masses, it is they who bring in the moolah into the game (indirectly) and they shall decide the success or failure of the T20 Franchise system.
Let us remember, that we in India have pioneered a system that if successful could very well be replicated in all cricket playing nations. Everything going well, in due course cricket might see the emergence of its Manchester United and LA Lakers. The wealth of good it would do to development of talent at grass-root level cannot be overemphasized. The emergence and involvement of businessmen and corporations in the management of the game will ensure that the likes of Dalmiya and their brand of politicking don’t ever plague Indian cricket. Playing for the country in international fixtures will be for the pride and not for the hefty pay packet that it brings (as is currently the case in soccer and basketball). But all this is far into the future. Let us first give the new format a chance to succeed.
First a personal message –
Dear Mr.Packer,
Just in case you happen to read this blog, I know you are up there having the last laugh. Yep, you were right all along. Just that your ideas came 30 years early. Ciao.
The simple thing is that 20-20 or T20 Franchise system is the latest in a long series of steps taken to make the game of cricket that extra bit closer to the masses. If there is lots of money is to be made in the process, then merrier the party. ODIs and Day Night matches are examples of similar (successful) changes that immediately come to mind. The struggle has always been to ensure that cricket appealed to the layperson. Yes, the same guy who stands outside the television shop showroom in the blazing sun at Anna Salai traffic junction craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Sachin’s glorious straight drive on the widescreen TV. He may not know its technical name, but it sure does bring a smile to his face. For you see, it is no longer religion alone that is the opium of the masses. Sports and the entertainment media are increasingly proving to be more potent. The moment you don’t get him to stop and watch the game, the moment he decides to flip the channel to some arbit reality show, the game is as good as dead. For, it is they who sustain the game and in a vast majority of cases, it is a symbiotic relationship. Sure there will be the purists and the “lovers” of the game who follow every match religiously and debate the intricacies of a simple game endlessly, but they are not the ones who matter. And thank God, they don’t. Every change in the format of the game has been met with stiff resistance from the purists who keep going back to the same old wounded cries of the game being played is “just isn’t cricket” anymore. Be it the introduction of the ODI format or the third umpire or the Day/Night format – they have always argued that the spirit of the game was on the verge of asphyxiation. So what, I ask? If that is what the masses want, if that is what makes them happy in the middle of galloping inflation, cancerous corruption and a generally hopeless existence, so be it. Cricket belongs to the masses, it is they who bring in the moolah into the game (indirectly) and they shall decide the success or failure of the T20 Franchise system.
Let us remember, that we in India have pioneered a system that if successful could very well be replicated in all cricket playing nations. Everything going well, in due course cricket might see the emergence of its Manchester United and LA Lakers. The wealth of good it would do to development of talent at grass-root level cannot be overemphasized. The emergence and involvement of businessmen and corporations in the management of the game will ensure that the likes of Dalmiya and their brand of politicking don’t ever plague Indian cricket. Playing for the country in international fixtures will be for the pride and not for the hefty pay packet that it brings (as is currently the case in soccer and basketball). But all this is far into the future. Let us first give the new format a chance to succeed.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Arbit Stuff
1) Why the hell is Orkut trying to become another Facebook? The one reason I stay away from Facebook is its bells and whistles. Too confusing, I say. Call me a techphobe or worse, Facebook sux, period. Also, getting mail notification from Facebook informing me that DB wants to have sex with me is slisha frightening and disturbing, to say the least.* Facebook does that to you.
2) Going to a BSchool has not changed my tastes and preferences. I am still the same countrax middle class guy who loves piping hot Milaga Bajji on Besantnagar Beach deep inside. So, I continue to prefer watching flicks at local "tent kottagai" level theaters to going to multiplexes. I still consider paying Rs. 300 for a flick ticket to be a crime when I get to watch the same B-Grader for 30 bucks. If that makes me a cheapo, so be it. K wonly.
3) While on the topic, I still consider spending 1500 bucks on a goddamn shirt a crime. Just step out of the mall mon ami, you will see the unshirted millions. I am sure you will get a equally good shirt for 1/3 of that amount. You may want to donate the rest to some worthy cause.
4) And yes, I still love obscure "kutthu" tam film songs with off colour lyrics. A good example of this is attached herewith for your kind reference - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifU0nnRQsiQ . I just went to an educational institution, had fun for two years, made some awesome friends and did some studies on the side. While the place does change you, it certainly doesnt make you develop a sudden liking for all things "psued".
* - No offense meant to DB, but junta who know DB would agree whole heartedly with me.
p.s. - Junta who have been in Chennai for a reasonable period of time would be able to understand the Tam terms used here. Others can just google the terms.
2) Going to a BSchool has not changed my tastes and preferences. I am still the same countrax middle class guy who loves piping hot Milaga Bajji on Besantnagar Beach deep inside. So, I continue to prefer watching flicks at local "tent kottagai" level theaters to going to multiplexes. I still consider paying Rs. 300 for a flick ticket to be a crime when I get to watch the same B-Grader for 30 bucks. If that makes me a cheapo, so be it. K wonly.
3) While on the topic, I still consider spending 1500 bucks on a goddamn shirt a crime. Just step out of the mall mon ami, you will see the unshirted millions. I am sure you will get a equally good shirt for 1/3 of that amount. You may want to donate the rest to some worthy cause.
4) And yes, I still love obscure "kutthu" tam film songs with off colour lyrics. A good example of this is attached herewith for your kind reference - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifU0nnRQsiQ . I just went to an educational institution, had fun for two years, made some awesome friends and did some studies on the side. While the place does change you, it certainly doesnt make you develop a sudden liking for all things "psued".
* - No offense meant to DB, but junta who know DB would agree whole heartedly with me.
p.s. - Junta who have been in Chennai for a reasonable period of time would be able to understand the Tam terms used here. Others can just google the terms.
Friday, April 18, 2008
What the hell...
Arbit Visitor - "So, how much are you earning?"
Yours Truly - "I can tell you, but ML will have to fire me after that."*
Arbit Visitor - "So, Didnt you get the 1.5 crore salary?"
Yours Truly - "Of course I did. Just that I didnt like the number. It was not a multiple of Pi. Any such number gives me the heebie jeebies. Numerology is the science of 23rd century, you know. Nostradamus told so."
Earned - Dirty look from Dad, a 30 min lecture and a treat from J.
Mood - Frankly, my dear, I dont give a damn.
* Honest to God, there is actually a beautiful clause in my employment contract that states just that. At least, I choose to interpret it that way.
Yours Truly - "I can tell you, but ML will have to fire me after that."*
Arbit Visitor - "So, Didnt you get the 1.5 crore salary?"
Yours Truly - "Of course I did. Just that I didnt like the number. It was not a multiple of Pi. Any such number gives me the heebie jeebies. Numerology is the science of 23rd century, you know. Nostradamus told so."
Earned - Dirty look from Dad, a 30 min lecture and a treat from J.
Mood - Frankly, my dear, I dont give a damn.
* Honest to God, there is actually a beautiful clause in my employment contract that states just that. At least, I choose to interpret it that way.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Reservations ...
To those who have been following the OBC reservation debate post the Supreme Court (SC) judgement, yours truly has the following questions.
1) Are reservations applicable to post grad institutions?
2) How has the SC defined creamy layer?
3) What is the SC's stand regarding reservations in private and minority educational institutions?
I have been surfing around for answers to the above questions and getting contradictory answers. Request someone to throw some gyan. When I say gyan, I am not referring to the grand fartings of Arjun Singh and his ilk who would gladly push for reservations in creches, movie multiplexes and old age homes if it got them a few extra votes and some undeserved footage. I want to know what the SC actually said...
p.s. - Read in the Hindu that Mayawati while welcoming the SC judgement asked for reservations to be extended to the poor among the "forward" castes. This is why I simply love democracy :)
p.s. - Read in the Hindu that Mayawati while welcoming the SC judgement asked for reservations to be extended to the poor among the "forward" castes. This is why I simply love democracy :)
p.p.s. - I am neither for nor against reservations. In fact, I have no opinion. The truth is I am damn confused about it all.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Crush are there...
Dunno why but I simply love the names - Lopamudra and Katyayini. So, for all the girls out there with either of these delectable names, I declare my undying/unwavering crush ... on your names that is. Yours are the names that could launch a thousand ships and in this particular case an arbit blog.
p.s. - Before the sheep aka hil aka barua aka huggesh barges in and defaces my comments section with sordid allegations, lemme assure you that I know no girl/woman having those names.
p.s. - Before the sheep aka hil aka barua aka huggesh barges in and defaces my comments section with sordid allegations, lemme assure you that I know no girl/woman having those names.
Monday, April 07, 2008
My experiences with Sify
Being accustomed to decent 24 hour net access back at campus, the one of the first things I did on reaching home was to go in for a broadband connection. I chose Sify and went in for one of the base packages on offer. While there were initial hiccups in getting the connection up and running, they were hardly a bother. After finishing up the allotted 400MB in a single week, I went in for a renewal. Thereby hangs an interesting story ….
I paid Rs.230 on 04/04/2008 (around 2 pm) to the local Sify representative (Mr.Shankar) for renewing the 400 MB - 256 KBPS package that I had bought a week back. I also requested him to change my login id to “abhinandan” from “abhinandin” (which he gracefully admitted was due to his negligence). He sent over one of his deputies to collect the amount and assured me over phone that
The renewal and the change in login id would happen in a "couple of hours".
Sify did not have the practice of giving receipts for renewal
That was 4 days ago, moving to the present… 15 telephone calls (one of which lasted 30 minutes) to the Sify Help Center and 10 phone calls to Mr.Shankar later, I am no closer to getting my renewal. I might as well add at this point that Mr.Shankar has stopped taking my calls as of today.
All I have to show for my repeated efforts are empty assurances from SIFY help desk employees that I would get my renewal “by 5 pm”/”in one hour”/”in 4-8 hours”/”in 30 minutes”/”by 10 pm” over the past 4 days… none of which have obviously materialized. Worse still, I was never allowed to escalate the issue and speak with the guys who could take a decision. Surely, there had to be someone who could change my login id and give me my renewal with the click of a mouse. All I wanted to do, was to speak with that “someone”. However, I was told that “it was not possible and they were following due process”. Eventually when I still persisted, I was made to stay on hold for 30 minutes and then finally told that I would be called on my mobile number. I am still waiting for that phone call along with my renewal and my login id change. It required me to lose my patience and blow my top before I could elicit a remotely favorable response from the customer care executives. As a stop gap arrangement, I was given a one day pack with the promise that I would be given a renewal by end of today (10 pm). I was however told it was not possible to give me a new login id within the said time interval. I was now clutching at straws and was willing to accept anything that was being offered and gladly agreed to the partial solution. It is now well past 10 PM and I am yet to get the renewal I was promised. So there, all the yelling accomplished nothing and all I am left with are mounting telephone bills. Incidentally, one rather rude customer service executive refused to even consider the fact that Sify might want to consider refunding me the bills I was running up. To quote the woman – “you running up huge telephone bills in trying to speak with us is not our concern”.
So, where does that leave me? I don’t plan to give up any time soon. For me, it is now more a question of holding someone responsible. For long, I have wanted to know what it is an individual can accomplish if he sets his mind to it. Can an individual really hope to get justice and achieve change on his own? I believe the result of this ongoing customer service nightmare will help me get answers to some extent.
All I want is
1) My renewal
2) Compensation for the innumerable phone calls that I will end up making before I get the renewal
3) Apologies from the Sify management for making a customer go through bloody hell and an assurance that no customer will be made to go through such an ordeal again
I somehow feel that this is not too much to ask for.
p.s. – I have no idea about the options available to me, apart from calling up the “customer service” people over and over again till I get what I want. It would be great if you could chip in with ideas as to what else can be done.
Life @ IIMB
As I get ready to move to Mumbai, I cannot help but look back over the past 2 years. I set out to IIM-B with just two objectives –
1. Break into the investment banking industry and get into a bulge bracket investment bank if possible. This was near impossible for a CA to achieve in Chennai
2. Make as many new acquaintances and friends outside of the CA/commerce junta circle. Light talk centering on costing, accounting standards and taxation was beginning to get on my nerves
Did I manage to get what I set out for? Yes and much more. What I now take back from IIM-B is something much more valuable –Experience and Memories.
IIM-B offered me valuable insights in human behavior which I thought were impossible after 3 years of industry experience. This is probably because IIM-B is filled with a particular subset of people whom I never had much of an opportunity to interact with. The typical IIMBian would be an overachiever in one or more fields, with a middle class/ upper middle class background with a rather strong competitive streak. Now bring together 250+ of such characters from all over India and you have my batch. This is in was very different from the people I encountered in my previous employer(s) which did have some very bright people but also had huge swathes of mediocrity. So, I was in for the ride of my life from the very first day.
The sheer variety of students was something of a revelation to me. Anyone who needs an eye-opener as to the diversity that makes up India needs to go to a national institute of education. From Bikaner to Kolkata, from Ludhiana to Coimbatore, from the usual engineers from watchacallit engineering colleges to economics grads to the dudes from the IITs, we had them all and much more. For a guy whose circle of interaction had never extended beyond Chengalpattu District’s Chartered Accountant community, this was a rude awakening and a timely one at that.
IIM-B taught me it was quite possible to be very competitive and yet be friends with your competitors. Okay, there were a couple of hyper competitive, footage hungry morons who insisted on making the lives of others and their own miserable. But they were the exceptions. The vast majority were the type who would compete their hearts out and yet gladly accompany you for a cup of steaming chai at Athicas at 3 a.m.
Another lesson that IIM-B taught me was the need to look beyond appearances. It was quite possible for a person with the best background to be capable of the worst conduct possible. Yours truly was often guilty of judging people on the basis of their looks and appearance. It certainly didn’t help that the ones that looked particularly bad also turned to be free riders on the n+1th order. IIM-B helped me to look beyond the surface. One could have the potential to be a world class investment banker and yet indulge shamelessly in behavior bereft of common human decency. To put it cynically, IIM-B helped me understand that “worresht max, K level” behavior was background and looks proof.
IIM-B made me accept people for what they were. This was initially very difficult for me, given my ultra conservative Tam Bram upbringing. It took a particularly stubborn bull from Bikaner to convince me that it was okay if people got stone drunk, as long as they turned up on time for the group meetings and presentations as models of sobriety.
If there is anything negative that struck me during my stay at IIMB, it was some of the cliques that came to exist on campus. They were usually formed during the first term and held on till the last day. The raison d’etre for these cliques could be anything from graduating from a common institution prior to IIMB to having common beliefs, aspirations and goals (both of which were perfectly understandable) to a misguided attempt to seen as the “cool” set. While I agree that one tends to gravitate towards people with whom one feels comfortable, the “cool & happening” cliques were almost tragi-comical. Their behavior reminded me of the typical Hollywood teen flicks that dealt with high school/college hijinks and shenanigans. But then again it could be me with all my biases and prejudices ranting away about something I could never truly appreciate.
All said, I cannot but look back to my days in IIM-B with a sense of fondness and gratitude. So long, IIM-B and thanks for all the memories.
1. Break into the investment banking industry and get into a bulge bracket investment bank if possible. This was near impossible for a CA to achieve in Chennai
2. Make as many new acquaintances and friends outside of the CA/commerce junta circle. Light talk centering on costing, accounting standards and taxation was beginning to get on my nerves
Did I manage to get what I set out for? Yes and much more. What I now take back from IIM-B is something much more valuable –Experience and Memories.
IIM-B offered me valuable insights in human behavior which I thought were impossible after 3 years of industry experience. This is probably because IIM-B is filled with a particular subset of people whom I never had much of an opportunity to interact with. The typical IIMBian would be an overachiever in one or more fields, with a middle class/ upper middle class background with a rather strong competitive streak. Now bring together 250+ of such characters from all over India and you have my batch. This is in was very different from the people I encountered in my previous employer(s) which did have some very bright people but also had huge swathes of mediocrity. So, I was in for the ride of my life from the very first day.
The sheer variety of students was something of a revelation to me. Anyone who needs an eye-opener as to the diversity that makes up India needs to go to a national institute of education. From Bikaner to Kolkata, from Ludhiana to Coimbatore, from the usual engineers from watchacallit engineering colleges to economics grads to the dudes from the IITs, we had them all and much more. For a guy whose circle of interaction had never extended beyond Chengalpattu District’s Chartered Accountant community, this was a rude awakening and a timely one at that.
IIM-B taught me it was quite possible to be very competitive and yet be friends with your competitors. Okay, there were a couple of hyper competitive, footage hungry morons who insisted on making the lives of others and their own miserable. But they were the exceptions. The vast majority were the type who would compete their hearts out and yet gladly accompany you for a cup of steaming chai at Athicas at 3 a.m.
Another lesson that IIM-B taught me was the need to look beyond appearances. It was quite possible for a person with the best background to be capable of the worst conduct possible. Yours truly was often guilty of judging people on the basis of their looks and appearance. It certainly didn’t help that the ones that looked particularly bad also turned to be free riders on the n+1th order. IIM-B helped me to look beyond the surface. One could have the potential to be a world class investment banker and yet indulge shamelessly in behavior bereft of common human decency. To put it cynically, IIM-B helped me understand that “worresht max, K level” behavior was background and looks proof.
IIM-B made me accept people for what they were. This was initially very difficult for me, given my ultra conservative Tam Bram upbringing. It took a particularly stubborn bull from Bikaner to convince me that it was okay if people got stone drunk, as long as they turned up on time for the group meetings and presentations as models of sobriety.
If there is anything negative that struck me during my stay at IIMB, it was some of the cliques that came to exist on campus. They were usually formed during the first term and held on till the last day. The raison d’etre for these cliques could be anything from graduating from a common institution prior to IIMB to having common beliefs, aspirations and goals (both of which were perfectly understandable) to a misguided attempt to seen as the “cool” set. While I agree that one tends to gravitate towards people with whom one feels comfortable, the “cool & happening” cliques were almost tragi-comical. Their behavior reminded me of the typical Hollywood teen flicks that dealt with high school/college hijinks and shenanigans. But then again it could be me with all my biases and prejudices ranting away about something I could never truly appreciate.
All said, I cannot but look back to my days in IIM-B with a sense of fondness and gratitude. So long, IIM-B and thanks for all the memories.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Need a house on rent in Mumbai
Need an apartment in Mumbai -
Specs - 2 BHK preferably furnished
Location - Lower Parel/Mahalaxmi/Worli/Mahim in that order
I will be needing the house from May 1st. Request junta reading this to leave contact details in the comments section if you know of any good prospects.
Specs - 2 BHK preferably furnished
Location - Lower Parel/Mahalaxmi/Worli/Mahim in that order
I will be needing the house from May 1st. Request junta reading this to leave contact details in the comments section if you know of any good prospects.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Totaaly Jobless - Part 2
12 hours of "Badal Pe Paon Hain" and still going strong. Regret hooshing Kitten and calling Pabbo names.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Totaaally Jobless
It is now official. I am completely jobless. I have been refreshing my orkut screen every 5 minutes, sending arbit messages to people on gtalk and even blogging regularly. So jobless, that I actually tried to help mom in the household chores for the first time in a long, long time. Now there is a reason I stay away from doing the chores of the house. It is just that mom interprets any attempt of mine to help her out as an attempt to soften her up before delivering a devastating "Remember that crystal vase, mom. Now you just have the crystals" level blow. No amount of protesting the honesty of my intentions helped and I found myself in front of the idiot box again. CAS means that I only get to watch Tam and Gult mega serials at any point. There is only so much of "I will burn your daughter and feed her ashes to the street mongrel" level dialogue and melodrama that one can take in a day. That meant me staring blindly at the lappie screen. Tried chatting with Daga and Hil and it turned out they were even more bored than I was. I finally settled down to read up some stuff and lost myself for about 3 hours. Chatted again with Hil for sometime and now ready to hit the sack at 12:00 am. Doing this on campus would have been unthinkable.
p.s. - Been listening to "Badal Pe Paon Hain" from Chak De on a loop for the past 5 hours. No idea why I have been doing this, but I now am beginning to understand how kitten felt about the "vampire" song.... but that's another story for another time.
p.s. - Been listening to "Badal Pe Paon Hain" from Chak De on a loop for the past 5 hours. No idea why I have been doing this, but I now am beginning to understand how kitten felt about the "vampire" song.... but that's another story for another time.
Monday, March 31, 2008
To all Mommies and Daddies out there.....
Spending 2 years in a place called Billekahalli on Bannerghata Road means many things to many people. The masses tend to assume that you belong to the cream of the intellectual cream that this nation churns out every year. The future of the country it seems, is safe in our able young hands. Some even go to the extent of proclaiming this in front of one’s parents. This of course is most disconcerting to the martyrs who on numerous occasions been given enough reasons to suspect permanent brain damage in their sons and daughters. It was that fall from the tricycle you know… things were never the same after that. The stupefied look on those wizened faces hardened by years of futile battling to drive sense into the considerably thick skulls of their wards is priceless to say the least. The father knows something has gone fundamentally wrong with the universe when his colleagues ask his numskull son for his views on how the budget will impact the banking industry and carefully listen to the pearls of wisdom. It hurts even more if the said father has more than 30 years in the field. The mother is equally confused about her social standing among her friends suddenly shooting up from the day ET came out with its Rs.1.44 crore headline. To all the bemused parents out there, I assure you, your precious sons and daughters continue to be the same. The world may see them differently, but they continue to be as hopeless as they were before. Just that they spent two years in Billekahalli and are now worth much more.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Summers Process
In one of my previous posts, I had referred to the summer internship selection process as one of “madness”. I would like to correct myself; it is one of unbridled madness with dollops of opportunism and greed thrown in. In my opinion it is nothing less than a cancer eating into the innards of an amazing educational institution. Think I am exaggerating? Read on… Let me assure before proceeding further; I am one of the beneficiaries of this process. Hence when I state my case, it is definitely not a case of sour grapes. Another caveat to be kept in mind is that whatever I mention in this post is what I have seen happen in IIMB. So, drawing generalised conclusions across IIMs would be at your own peril. On the other hand, I did interact with my peers in IIM A and C and found that the summers process is largely the same in method and spirit across the 3 IIMs. So there, now I can burn all my bridges and start making enemies left, right and centre.
Summers – Strictly speaking, it is an academic requirement. You got to intern for two months, if you want get your goddamn diploma (Oh yes, we are not MBAs at the end of 2 gruelling years. All we get is a sorry diploma, but that is fodder for a separate post). So, that is what it is at the end of the day – a course completion requirement. At the face of it, the objective of the internship was laudable. Though, I have not spoken with the faculty, I guess it was to expose raw students to the sectors they would like to make a career in. Even in case of students with work experience, it did make sense to expose them to their target sectors. While it sure was great to intern in an organisation of your choice, it finally did not make much of a difference in terms of the company you finally got employed in.
And this is how things were, till a new variable entered the equation some years back – Pre Placement Offers (PPOs).
PPO – Let us assume a guy interns at his dream company and the latter is happy with the work done by the intern. Having seen him perform well for 2 full months, the company decides to offer him full time employment. Only that they make the offer, at the end of the internship or in rare cases during the internship. That is a PPO. Again, the objective of a PPO is laudable. The intern gets into the company of his choice, the company gets the employee it wants and everyone is happy.
Now let us combine the summers process and PPO in the high pressure cauldron that is IIMB and presto, we have a problem.
Summers + PPO - To get the dream job in the dream company is the dream of every person who dreams to walk the hallowed portals of the dream that is IIMB. While the previous sentence sounds rather repetitive, you get the picture, don’t you? Usually, you had to wait for 2 years to have your shot during the final placement season. The summers-PPO combo allows you to take your shot twice – first within 4-5 months of joining and in case you screw up, during the final placement season. Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? What could be wrong with giving a guy two shots at his dream?
The fun starts when on entering the institute, the student is relentlessly subjected to a propaganda barrage emphasising the importance of summers by the placement committee (placecom) and certain seniors. This starts right from the first week the student lands on campus. The summer internship is presented as a short cut to that dream job and career. When the student is supposed to be being oriented into 2 years of business and management education, he is subjected to insidious and mind altering mumbo jumbo about the importance of summer internship. From then on, IIM B in the mind of the student ceases to be an institute of higher learning and becomes a glorified placement agency. The attitude towards placecom and the placecom members (placus) is almost slavish. This is not to suggest that the placus are evil. On the contrary, most of them are very decent chaps and happen to be good friends of mine. Just that they are too good in what they do and they play upon the inherent insecurity of the fachha pretty well. With no one around to protest against this all consuming focus on summer internship, the fachha is as good as gone.
The focus by now has shifted from learning for the sake of education and wisdom to preparing for the summers interview while studying when possible. Hours and days are spent perfecting the resume, wording and rewording that sentence, trying to come up with that one “bullet point”; all for that illusive summer internship and that PPO. Seniors who have interned in the dream companies and have PPOs become the new Gods; dispensing “knowledge” to the brain washed juniors. Who needs professors when you have such seniors? The process becomes even more convoluted when the companies get in touch with their former interns (current seniors) and ask them for recommendations. While some of the students have the moral courage to refuse to recommend anyone, there are those with no such qualms, who go ahead and recommend their favourites. Did I say that the seniors are the new Gods?
To make matters worse, the focus in the initial months is always on “Day Zero” companies viz., the big consultancies and the bulge bracket investment banks. It is almost as if there is no world outside of these companies and it is a crime not to be getting into these companies. The media plays its stellar role by focussing on the Rs.1.44 crore salaries and ever increasing average booties on offer. All this reaches a crescendo by the time the Day Zero companies release their shortlists. This is when the first wave of disappointment strikes the students. The shortlists are actually predictable. Given that the companies do not have the grades of the students, they tend to go for candidates with the best pedigree. Ideally this is what a company wants –
Education – IIT/ BITS / Certain NITs/ St.Stephens/ CA-CFA/ “Some place that sounds interesting” – Bonus points if you are a 9-pointer / University topper
Gender – preferably female (and this is when I start checking for poison in my food)
Extra Curricular – Anything at state/national level
While there are exceptions that make it to the shortlist; they are precisely that, exceptions. One can safely say that at least 40-50% of the batch would not fulfil the above criteria. This means that there is a very high probability of them not getting into any of the shortlists and that is what happens. No one bothered to inform them that it was impossible for everyone to get that coveted day zero shortlist. It is just one of those minor details that get left out.
One gets to see aspects of human behaviour that one would have thought had no place in an IIM. A student with multiple shortlists boasting away in front of less fortunate batch mates about his shortlists is not an uncommon sight. The impact this has on batch morale can only be imagined. It must be remembered that this kind of behaviour is restricted to a few in each batch but then all it takes is a single rotten apple. The fight for shortlists continues even up till the D Day i.e. Day Zero with a few students trying to get shortlists by hook or crook. All I can say in defence of such students, is that a couple of companies behave even worse. I would not like to elaborate on this further, but anyone who has been part of the Day zero process will know what I am talking about.
Six months down, the internships are over and the PPOs are made. However, summers continue to wreak havoc on the academic environment. There are instances of students giving up on their academics the moment they get the PPO from their dream company with straight A students descending to Cs and even Ds. Fellow students are downright scared of having some such students in their project groups due to the extent of free-riding that happens.
The summers process in my opinion has mutated into something completely different and unintended. The only people benefiting from the current arrangement are the companies who get to have an extended 2 month interview with the interns and make PPOs if they are happy with their performance. We also have to keep in mind the segment that loses out the most under the current dispensation - Those with stellar academic achievements in IIM-B with none too impressive background, as a result of which they could not get to intern in companies of their choice. It is argued that such segments get a chance to get what they want during the final interview. While this may be true in most cases, there are still instances of brilliant students who do not get what they want. It must also be remembered that a number of companies visit and hire from campus only during the summers process and these students lose out on such opportunities.
I am sure that there are people (many of whom would be my batch mates) who would disagree with the points raised above. But what cannot be denied is that we have a problem in our hands. I agree that the problem on hand is complex. I also agree that there are no easy solutions. What is required is for the students, faculty and alumni to sit together to figure a way out of the current mess. Placecom’s decision to opt out of the salaries game is definitely a step in the right direction. That they stuck to their guns even when faced with provocative press releases by sister institutions was a very pleasant surprise for me. The brand IIMB initiative recently launched by my batch in consultation with the faculty is another very laudable step. One can only hope that some good comes of it, for the sake of the future batches of students joining IIM-B. They deserve all the good that IIMB offers in terms of education and opportunities. Even as I pass out of this fantastic institution, I can only hope that it grow from strength to strength and from laurel to laurel. But if this must happen, we better figure a way out of the quicksand that is the Summers Process.
P.S. - Many of the statements and assertions I have made are meant to be provocative. So, if you have been provoked into even thinking of how things can be made better, I shall deem my post a success. It must be remembered that when something is terribly wrong, doing nothing is no longer an option.
Summers – Strictly speaking, it is an academic requirement. You got to intern for two months, if you want get your goddamn diploma (Oh yes, we are not MBAs at the end of 2 gruelling years. All we get is a sorry diploma, but that is fodder for a separate post). So, that is what it is at the end of the day – a course completion requirement. At the face of it, the objective of the internship was laudable. Though, I have not spoken with the faculty, I guess it was to expose raw students to the sectors they would like to make a career in. Even in case of students with work experience, it did make sense to expose them to their target sectors. While it sure was great to intern in an organisation of your choice, it finally did not make much of a difference in terms of the company you finally got employed in.
And this is how things were, till a new variable entered the equation some years back – Pre Placement Offers (PPOs).
PPO – Let us assume a guy interns at his dream company and the latter is happy with the work done by the intern. Having seen him perform well for 2 full months, the company decides to offer him full time employment. Only that they make the offer, at the end of the internship or in rare cases during the internship. That is a PPO. Again, the objective of a PPO is laudable. The intern gets into the company of his choice, the company gets the employee it wants and everyone is happy.
Now let us combine the summers process and PPO in the high pressure cauldron that is IIMB and presto, we have a problem.
Summers + PPO - To get the dream job in the dream company is the dream of every person who dreams to walk the hallowed portals of the dream that is IIMB. While the previous sentence sounds rather repetitive, you get the picture, don’t you? Usually, you had to wait for 2 years to have your shot during the final placement season. The summers-PPO combo allows you to take your shot twice – first within 4-5 months of joining and in case you screw up, during the final placement season. Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? What could be wrong with giving a guy two shots at his dream?
The fun starts when on entering the institute, the student is relentlessly subjected to a propaganda barrage emphasising the importance of summers by the placement committee (placecom) and certain seniors. This starts right from the first week the student lands on campus. The summer internship is presented as a short cut to that dream job and career. When the student is supposed to be being oriented into 2 years of business and management education, he is subjected to insidious and mind altering mumbo jumbo about the importance of summer internship. From then on, IIM B in the mind of the student ceases to be an institute of higher learning and becomes a glorified placement agency. The attitude towards placecom and the placecom members (placus) is almost slavish. This is not to suggest that the placus are evil. On the contrary, most of them are very decent chaps and happen to be good friends of mine. Just that they are too good in what they do and they play upon the inherent insecurity of the fachha pretty well. With no one around to protest against this all consuming focus on summer internship, the fachha is as good as gone.
The focus by now has shifted from learning for the sake of education and wisdom to preparing for the summers interview while studying when possible. Hours and days are spent perfecting the resume, wording and rewording that sentence, trying to come up with that one “bullet point”; all for that illusive summer internship and that PPO. Seniors who have interned in the dream companies and have PPOs become the new Gods; dispensing “knowledge” to the brain washed juniors. Who needs professors when you have such seniors? The process becomes even more convoluted when the companies get in touch with their former interns (current seniors) and ask them for recommendations. While some of the students have the moral courage to refuse to recommend anyone, there are those with no such qualms, who go ahead and recommend their favourites. Did I say that the seniors are the new Gods?
To make matters worse, the focus in the initial months is always on “Day Zero” companies viz., the big consultancies and the bulge bracket investment banks. It is almost as if there is no world outside of these companies and it is a crime not to be getting into these companies. The media plays its stellar role by focussing on the Rs.1.44 crore salaries and ever increasing average booties on offer. All this reaches a crescendo by the time the Day Zero companies release their shortlists. This is when the first wave of disappointment strikes the students. The shortlists are actually predictable. Given that the companies do not have the grades of the students, they tend to go for candidates with the best pedigree. Ideally this is what a company wants –
Education – IIT/ BITS / Certain NITs/ St.Stephens/ CA-CFA/ “Some place that sounds interesting” – Bonus points if you are a 9-pointer / University topper
Gender – preferably female (and this is when I start checking for poison in my food)
Extra Curricular – Anything at state/national level
While there are exceptions that make it to the shortlist; they are precisely that, exceptions. One can safely say that at least 40-50% of the batch would not fulfil the above criteria. This means that there is a very high probability of them not getting into any of the shortlists and that is what happens. No one bothered to inform them that it was impossible for everyone to get that coveted day zero shortlist. It is just one of those minor details that get left out.
One gets to see aspects of human behaviour that one would have thought had no place in an IIM. A student with multiple shortlists boasting away in front of less fortunate batch mates about his shortlists is not an uncommon sight. The impact this has on batch morale can only be imagined. It must be remembered that this kind of behaviour is restricted to a few in each batch but then all it takes is a single rotten apple. The fight for shortlists continues even up till the D Day i.e. Day Zero with a few students trying to get shortlists by hook or crook. All I can say in defence of such students, is that a couple of companies behave even worse. I would not like to elaborate on this further, but anyone who has been part of the Day zero process will know what I am talking about.
Six months down, the internships are over and the PPOs are made. However, summers continue to wreak havoc on the academic environment. There are instances of students giving up on their academics the moment they get the PPO from their dream company with straight A students descending to Cs and even Ds. Fellow students are downright scared of having some such students in their project groups due to the extent of free-riding that happens.
The summers process in my opinion has mutated into something completely different and unintended. The only people benefiting from the current arrangement are the companies who get to have an extended 2 month interview with the interns and make PPOs if they are happy with their performance. We also have to keep in mind the segment that loses out the most under the current dispensation - Those with stellar academic achievements in IIM-B with none too impressive background, as a result of which they could not get to intern in companies of their choice. It is argued that such segments get a chance to get what they want during the final interview. While this may be true in most cases, there are still instances of brilliant students who do not get what they want. It must also be remembered that a number of companies visit and hire from campus only during the summers process and these students lose out on such opportunities.
I am sure that there are people (many of whom would be my batch mates) who would disagree with the points raised above. But what cannot be denied is that we have a problem in our hands. I agree that the problem on hand is complex. I also agree that there are no easy solutions. What is required is for the students, faculty and alumni to sit together to figure a way out of the current mess. Placecom’s decision to opt out of the salaries game is definitely a step in the right direction. That they stuck to their guns even when faced with provocative press releases by sister institutions was a very pleasant surprise for me. The brand IIMB initiative recently launched by my batch in consultation with the faculty is another very laudable step. One can only hope that some good comes of it, for the sake of the future batches of students joining IIM-B. They deserve all the good that IIMB offers in terms of education and opportunities. Even as I pass out of this fantastic institution, I can only hope that it grow from strength to strength and from laurel to laurel. But if this must happen, we better figure a way out of the quicksand that is the Summers Process.
P.S. - Many of the statements and assertions I have made are meant to be provocative. So, if you have been provoked into even thinking of how things can be made better, I shall deem my post a success. It must be remembered that when something is terribly wrong, doing nothing is no longer an option.
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