The Trip Diaries - Part 1

After a brief detour, I am now back to travel blogging. I had a wonderful trip to Europe on the pretext of a conference in Charlotte, USA. I wasn't in a correct frame of mind when I left for the trip. In fact, I was in a pathetic state. Many of my friends have stuck by me during this in spite of me acting like an idiot, and I won’t be able to forget any of their help, direct or indirect. But during this trip, I have had time to reassess my priorities and now have re-charted my future plans. I think the previous blog posts would well have indicated as to the general direction that I want to take!!

So now to the trip. I spent a few days in Charlotte for the conference. I did not do much in Charlotte other than attend the conference. Then in the Europe leg of the tour I attempted to cover 5 cities; Paris, Brugges, Ghent, Madrid and Barcelona. All this in a span of ten days. I stayed in Europe through couch surfing, stayed with some wonderful hosts, made some new friends, experienced new cities, appreciated different cultures and had loads of fun. Like I said before, meeting and talking to new people gives you a much better perspective on your own life as well.

Although the entire trip would forever be etched in my memory, I need to pen down this trip, atleast the highlights, because it was full of random incidents and events that made the trip much more memorable!! Missed buses, plenty of near misses and lots more!! Insteda of a travelogue on what I did and all during that trip, I would like to recount the memorable incidents on the trip.

The drop that nearly broke my heart:

I did not do much in US other than attend the conference. Somehow US has never caught my fancy. Still on the third day I decided to see around Charlotte. When I asked the hotel receptionist about the must-dos in Charlotte, he was flummoxed. He finally managed to pull out a pamphlet about Charlotte. On my last day in US, I decided to to try and have a small walking tour on my own. But it was raining (perfectly predicted as per the USA Met department). I didnot lose heart and went ahead with the plan. As I was waiting for the light rail to go to downtown Charlotte, my backpack strap gave away. Two of my most important travel items were in the backpack; my Samsung Galaxy Tab and my Nikon DSLR. The tablet was fine but I could see some internals of the camera. Not at all a good sign for anyone, leave alone a serious amateur photographer. I had immediate flashbacks to my Agra trip a few years back when my compact digital camera was stolen in the train while I was enoute to Agra (and missed photographing the Taj Mahal). After a few anxious moments, I questioned random passersby about a Nikon service center nearby(my flight to Paris was on the next day) only to get a negative reply. I got into the light rail with plans of going to the downtown area and searching for a service center. After a few more deep breaths, I regained my composure and took the camera out to reassess the damage. Fortunately, only the lens had broken and not the camera. I got down from the rail in between and went back to my hotel to check if the camera was working fine with the other lens. Luckily, it was !!

Now I was confronted with a newer problem; of trying to get my hands on another lens. In India,we always saw that lenses were cheaper in USA. But Murphys law always sticks by me!! The lens that I wanted was cheaper in India. The next few hours went in a frantic search for used lenses on ebay, craigslist. When I did not get any reply from anyone by evening, I even began searching for lens rental companies in Paris !!! Finally, late at night, I was contacted by Martha, a willing seller from New Jersey. And after a short detour on my way from New Jersey to NewYork (to leave for Paris) and parting with 95 dollars, I finally had the lens!! And the shutterbug was now fully armed for the Europe tour!!

Con attempt once? ok. Twice? Maybe. But thrice ???

After I landed in Paris, I was too late to get to the walking tour (plus I didnot know where it started, poor research ... things improved in this respect later on !!). So I decided to take my own walking tour with the help of an app on my trusted tablet. As I was walking along the River Seine, a gentleman walking towards me, suddenly reached down to the ground and picked up a "gold" ring. He then walked towards me and asked me if it was mine. He then proceeded to "try" the ring on his fingers and tell that its not his, and then tried to fit the ring on my fingers and say that I am lucky. I was stuck with a ring in my hand !! He then acted as if he was walking away but turned after a couple of paces for the catch, "As you are so lucky, would you mind giving me money for lunch?" !! I just left the ring on the parapet and walked off, thinking that for a guy walking around with a camera in Paris, this must be quie common.

The same incident happened to me again .. two more times on the same day. Whenever the person would ask "Sir, is this ring yours?", I would reply even without looking at him, "NO" !!!

Guess one day overseaes wasn't long enough for me to shed my touristy image !!


Thats it for this post. I will post more such incidents that happened during the trip.

My views on FDI in retail

A little digression from my past few blogs on travel. I will get back to travel soon!!!

The question of FDI in retail has divided people all over India. There are various views both for and against the move. I believe that FDI in retail is a good move. Those who are against it feel differently for some or all of the following reasons:

a) Farmers will be hurt more
b) Will increase dependence on foreign bodies (why are MNCs needed? why can't Indian retail giants do the same?)
c) Agriculture reforms are needed, not FDI
d) Government should set up cold chains, if they are so much needed
e) Middlemen would become unemployed

In this lengthy post, I will try to address these points one by one. And reason as to why FDI in retail would be helpful to the Indian economy.

Let us analyze the system in its present condition and probably we would be able to find a reasoning as to why the Indian retailers weren't able to build efficiencies needed. I am basically looking at the farmers (the producers) and the final customers. If a newer system is able to give them a chance to be well off, then I would like to take that chance. As for the middlemen, I will address them later.

As of now the produce of the farmer passes through multiple traders and then to the final consumer. Is there a value-add in the chain? No. There is simply a transfer of goods. Let us try and first understand why the Indian chains haven't been able to develop a sustainable supply chain. The Indian companies who have entered the segment have no prior exposure of operating in this segment. So, they are basically competing with the traditional system which doesn't force them to develop an independent supply chain. All firms respond to competitive environment. And when a firm is faced with such heavy investments, only an external force can make them move. When an international chain steps in, things will change. Why? Coz they have a certain way of operating. They work on the system of independent supply chains to lower their procurement costs. Such a competitor would force the Indian retailers into action and look at supply chain optimization leading to better market control.So, it is not a point of dependency on the foreign investors but its about triggering the system into action.

Now to the point of them further dominating the farmers. For simplicity, let us assume that there are two middlemen in the system, between the farmer and retailer who sells it to the end consumer. The price earned by the farmer is say x, the price paid by the end consumer is z, the price paid in between being say, y1 and y2. (x < y1 < y2 < z). Is there any value addition taking place which justifies the rise in the price? No. Is there anything stopping a retailer who is ready to make investments in a supply chain from paying the farmer a price greater than x but less than y1 (keeping in mind the investment costs)? No. Would the farmer benefit? Yes. Can the free market ensure this? I believe so.

For a self-sufficient supply chain, a firm needs to have all links in sync. The supply chain that exists now doesnt share in the risk-return part of the producer. They take part in the return but not in the risk. As crops are harvested seasonally, the middlemen walk away with huge gains at the expense of the farmer and the end consumer, coz the farmer cant store the produce and needs to sell asap. And the consumer needs the produce through out the year. I expect the international players to be ready to make contracts with the farmers to have reliable supply, especially because they would have the supply chain ready to take advantage of the seasonal variations.

Coming to agriculture reform. An agriculture revolution is desperately needed. Coz cultivable land in India is very high. But productivity per hectare is very low coz of the primitive methods being used. So, first of all we produce less than we should and second, we waste a good part of it coz we cant store it. This results in high cost to the end consumer and low revenue to the producer. There are many techniques available in the modern world (and no, I am not referring to GM crops. I can give references of pioneers in this if anyone needs) which can raise productivty. A farmer's revenue depends on how much he can sell and at what price he can sell. The government can only provide cheaper loans to the farmers. The part about improving productivity is left to the farmers or to some NGOs. If a firm is interested in developing a robust supply chain, then I believe that at some point of time, it would be inevitable that such practices would be implemented. There is more possibility of this change happening through a firm with business interests rather than in the existing system. And again, if there is a chance, then I would risk taking it.

Onto government developing supply chains. This is an idea that I have heard often in the recent past on many forums and to put it bluntly, it is ridiculous. Have we forgotten the inefficiencies that exist in all government machinery? Why do we want to create another such demon? Have we forgotten how the FCI functions? And most importantly, the government must realize its role. Its role is to make the economic environment conducive for investments, not to make investments where it has no expertise. In some ways, the last decade has seen some measures taken in this regard. Our national and state highways have improved and are closing in on world class levels. A system is being pushed for wherein transportation vehicles need not wait for hours at octroi points. Efforts are on to improve irrigation facilities. These are the measures that the government needs to take. To cut the red tape. Not think of investing in cold chains. It will end up being more inefficient and just increase the burden on the tax payers.

Now to the middlemen. The growth of an economy happens when its citizens are engaged in gainful employment. Adding more people to a system just increases its inefficiency, not its productivity. The middlemen in this system are not doing any value-addition to the products. And when there is no value-add, you are simply inflating the final cost for transfer of products. Employing 5 people to do the job of one is not a way to improve the economy of the country. You are just reducing the value of that job. Yes, the government must have plans for employment for these middlemen. But just because of them, it doesn't make sense to drop the idea. Entry of multi-nationals brings forth lot of opportunity. For example, there is a shortage of industry level cold storage builders in India. They can find an opportunity there. They would have good people skills. And these businesses just need management of the technical people. Or else, they can enter into cold storage themselves. There is not dearth of opportunity, if one cares to look for it. But it will surely drag them out of their comfort zone, which no one likes.

It would be ideal if agricultural reforms can occur without any intervention. But it won't. It should have taken place a decade back but its still waiting in the wings. And I believe that without an external impetus, this won't happen.

Do you really travel??? Wanna try something different?

Travelling to a new destination is always supposed to be different, different from what we have done before and different from what we have seen. But do we really do anything different? Its always a list of locations to see and sites to be clicked at. Only the location varies. How much of the destination do we really see? How much ofnthe place are we able to really take in? On my trip so far, I would say very little. A few chalked out locations of the city and that is it. Surely, I havent really explored the city. And in the limited time that one has as a tourist, it isn't even possible. But I have tried and succeeded a little coz of the help from the people that I have met.

So, setting the world list, or for that matter even the India list aside, how can one explore a destination, or a region? I, for one, would love to just rent a car and drive around. Drive around the region, stop at random locations, and try and see if I am able to take in the culture of the place. Let alone foreign locales, I havent done it even in India. It has always been a destination, very rarely the road. The travel part is also enjoyed, but not in a sense that I am trying to put across now.

So, as another must-do, I would like to do a road trip everywhere. But let me start with India. A week long road trip, with some markers on the way so that the road trip lasts only a week!! A little planning won't be bad as long as it is flexible. As of now, I don't know when and where. But if you want in, just drop me a message and we shall try and plan something!! If not a week, maybe four or five days, flexibility being the key. And it would help a lot if you could drive a little!!!

The way ahead - India!!!

As I undertake the journey from Madrid to Barcelona by bus (lots of idiocy included in it), I have the luxury of some free time. And as I look around the scenic countryside, my thoughts wander to the India list. On my conversations with the people I have met on this trip, I have painted a very beautiful picture of India. A picture filled with colors, history and natural beauty. At the same time it got me thinking as to what all I myself have done in India and what I should do! I have travelled quite a bit around India but still a lot remains to be seen and done. So, here goes my Indian list. The Indian list is a little less demanding in terms of finance and even in terms of time needed, which makes me wonder why I have held myself back for so long!! The preferences are in no particular order.

a) Kashmir, the valley, Dal lake, valley of flowers, etc.
b) The Golden temple at Amritsar
c) Taj Mahal on a full moon night
d) White water rafting at Hrishikesh or Dandeli
e) Benares on one of the holy days just to see what the hype is about!!
f) Night safari on Jim Corbett sanctuary
g) Khajuraho temple
h) Backpack across the North east.
i) Week in Sikkim
j) Drive along the Konkan coast (from Mumbai to Goa) stopping at the beautiful         locations on the way
k) Jog falls at full flow
l) Three days in Hampi
m) Hoggenakal waterfalls
n) Konark Temple
o) Andaman & Nicobar Islands
p) Lakshwadeep Islands
q) Athirapally waterfalls
r) Dussehra at Mysore Palace
s) Munnar
t) Trek across Ladakh and Leh
u) Backwaters in Kerala

As expected, this list is bigger than the world one, probably because I know much more about India than the world!! Most of the trips mentioned above would just need to be planned a month in advance and a weekend to cover. No wonder then that it still surprises me as to why I haven't done them, atleast the easy ones. I need to start striking them off my list, and soon!!

On the road... And the way ahead...

Catching a small break in my Europe tour. I am half way throught my tour and the entire trip has been a refreshing experience.The places have obviously been unique but the people I have met on the trip have made it really worthwhile. I had a small list of places-to-visit and things-to-do, and this trip has added to the list. It feels lovely talking to new people and learning more about the world from them.

A new country, a new place makes you think as to why things are the way they are there and why not in my country. Being in Europe and interacting with people here has made me realize that its much more to do about people along with the systems in place rather than the systems alone. Hmmm, about that topic, I better reserve another blogpost!!!

As to the list, there are many places that appeal to you. Some may be coz of just the appeal of the region, some coz of the physical challenges,  and some coz they just seem thrilling!!! Thats why every person would have a really different list!!

Here goes the tiny list. I am not addding anything from India here. And it is definitely a long one as well

a) Trek to Mount Everest base camp
b) A liesurely trip to Newzealand
c) MachuPicchu
d) A fortnight in Egypt.
e) Hike through a forest region to the top of a peak
f) Climb to the crater of a volcanic peak.
g) Angkor Wat
h) Drive a 400+ bhp car at over 250 kmph on the Autobahn
i) Travel to an icy region to see polar bears.
j) Scuba diving among the coral reefs.
k) Sky diving

Of these, many are restricted as of now coz of me being a student and many coz of physical constraints!!! But I am gonna be doing everything I can from now on to do all this. Life would have been worth it if I am able to do this! I will put up the Indian list soon as well. And ofcourse, both lists are subject to changes as and when I meet more people.

I know tha the list looks too ambitious. And I am pretty sure that for most of these trips, it would be me alone!! But I have loved traveling alone and I wouldnt mind doing it for all of the trips!!!

Thats it for now, cya all later!!!

P.S. Had written this on my way to Madrid but found the means to post it only now!! Not a big deal!

Travel and Me

After a long time, I am on the road as a tourist. A small break in between my travels at Brugges has given me a window to pen my thoughts.

I have loved travelling to new places. And frankly as I stand now, there is nothing better that I would rather do. The exhilarating feeling of seeing new places, taking pics, meeting new people, making new friends just doesn't die down. I only wish that I could get some job where I would do only this... Would do anything for such a job!! Well... Who wouldn't!!!

Earlier, I associated trips with places. This time I am learning that its much more than just places. In a foreign nation, with just yourself to depend on, teaches you a lot of things about yourself, some of which may truly astonish you. And being alone helps, as you aren't tied down to some other person's likes and dislikes.

Being in discrete touch with the world (social networking...blah blah blah...) doesn't feel weird. It actually feels better!!! Those who are important to you would find a way to communicate somehow, if they need to!!!

Okies now, see ya all later.. dunno when and how .. and to be true, I don't give a damn!!!

Walls ...

Two persons meet

With smiles on their lips

But their walls raised high

Fiercely guarding their space

Familiarity tears down the walls

brick-by-brick

Closeness arrives

And with it the trust

The guard goes down

Letting the other

To his deepest secrets ...

The secrets about ...

what makes him happy ...

what makes him sad ...

what makes one ecstatic ...

what puts one in despair...

Secrets, a must for a friend ...

To help in need...

Secrets, a tool for a person ...

To hurt one and succeed...

Once the walls are down

And he irreparably hurt...

Would the walls again ever come down ??

Or put one forever on the alert ???

A pause .. an indeterminate .. unbearable pause

A period of lovely bliss

where smiles didn't need a reason

happiness was everywhere ...
When ended by an error in judgement
lost a lot ...

lot more than ever thought ...

Hope hung on .. like a dangling sword ...

only to be cut down by a single word ...

Now under a pause ...

an indeterminate pause ...

an unbearable pause ...

Heart sinks as the memories flash by..

Now waiting for a breath of fresh air ...

Looks for a new beginning ...

a hesitant phase ...

As the heart thinks ...

What if a new start

has the same end?

The Irony of Extremism

The recent revelation in the media about atrocities against female members of the Naxalite group doesn’t come much as a surprise. The processes of formation of such anti-system and anti-establishment groups are based on such unstable grounds that this sort of exploitation is inevitable in the long run. When a radical group is being formed, there are generally a few founders with high moral and ideological mindsets. Groups that believe in taking up arms to oppose the system then tend to recruit aggressive individuals irrespective of their ideological stance (brainwashing helps… but I believe the idea of thrashing police officers – the image of authority in their eyes, appeals to them even more). The supposed power that the group may command as it increases in size seems lucrative for such individuals.

As the group expands, by recruiting the rural populace either by anti-system oration or by brute force, the numbers keep adding, but the ideological base gets diluted. With a high percentage of aggressive group members, violence is natural; even against the villagers. The co-founders are partially successful as the burgeoning group population keeps the popularity of the group very high, mostly through fear. The decision making is fraught with danger as the co-founders soon lose their control on their followers.

The simple ‘Robin Hood’ phenomenon deteriorates in to a Taliban effect. Rapes, murders, robberies, sabotage, all follow. To what aim? And for whom? At this stage, how are these ‘fighters’ any different from those they are supposed to be fighting against? Their ideology is based on opposing the atrocities inflicted by the state on the poor. And they end up doing exactly what they condemn.

Now, what if in a hypothetical scenario, the region is granted freedom? Would the state of the rural villagers improve? Would the exploitation of the natural resources there stop? If it does, do the so called Maoist leaders / Naxals and their ilk have any plans about revenue generation and development? Do they have any foresight in terms of life expectancy, infant mortality, etc.? Sadly, I don’t think there is any such plan. This would just be a transfer of power from one set of individuals to another with the end result that nothing changes for the common people.

The villagers are bullied and brainwashed into submission and to increase their group numbers this is important. I think that it is a bigger reason for the extremists to blow up schools and hospitals. Education would bring a larger and more accurate perspective to the villagers which would then put the extremists’ chain of command under question. And anarchy doesn’t like being questioned.

Even now, the power of the gun commands the ‘respect’ of the rural people rather than the ideology behind the gun. Until the time when the extremists can claim that they are absolutely devoid of any of the evils that the current system is corrupted with, they don’t have the right to ask for any sort of freedom on any ideological ground. From what goes on now, it doesn’t seem that they are even close to achieving this.

Newer posts ...

After a looooong break, I would be reviving the blog with my perspectives on the general goings on in the world. Lets see how long I would be able to sustain it this time :)

Of Summer Placements, CV Points & CGPA!

As the second term kicks into full speed, summer placements also come a lot closer for all the PGPs ... The process of getting their CVs ready to get a lucrative placement begins... This increases the quest for 'CV points'. This quest makes them unearth every significant and/or insignificant moment in life and convert that into 'CV points'. Entry to 'prestigious' clubs, participation in games conducted by corporates, etc. are all included driven by this sole purpose. Conducting interviews to get into the clubs is just the icing on the cake for these brownie point earners!!!! A club participation should be solely based on a person's interest to work for the club's objectives.

Simply put - Generally, a PGP will do almost anything to garner a CV point!!!!! Somehow, I feel happy that I am not one of them. In this cut-throat competition for CV points, I would surely not have survived.

IIMA stresses a lot on maintaining ethical standards. In fact, the institute goes to great lengths to try and "drive home" these principles. But in an institution training people to squeeze out every paisa from the consumer, these efforts fall flat. Most of the participants here are driven by the fatness of the pay packet obtained at the end of the 2 years and ethics, as expected, take a beating in the process. People crib for sub-grade increase in papers following subjective evaluation, they try their best to take shortcuts during quizzes and follow many such practices to gain that additional edge. Discipline, especially with regards to coming to the classroom in time for the session, is a long lost attribute. Making professors wait for students, to begin their sessions, is the ultimate disrespect. CEOs of companies, for which these people will work after completion of their course, take appointments of many of these professors to meet them, and this is the response that the profs get from their own students.
Somehow, the respect I had for IIMA grads has reduced over the last 4 months. This is not at all what I expected from the top ranked B-school. I hope I see IIMA in a new light when I embark upon my second year... Till that time, I ll continue with my opinions on the PGP programme...

Remembering The Prep Days...

May 27, I landed at IIMA for the preparatory program. There were 17 people selected for the FPM program. The next 3 weeks were spent in developing communication skills (???), fundas of mathematics, managerial accounting (supposed to reduce our workload for the first term!) and computing skills... (this too… to reduce our first term workload!!)
The prep course was fun... it gave some idea about the pressures ahead … Some assignments were submitted... some presentations given… We are still awaiting the results of many of those assignments!

Our prep course was clubbed with the ABM students (Agri-business). This only added to the fun… We encountered some fun profs like Prof. T. Madhavan, Prof. Sanjay Verma, some fun TAs- all from the communication department.

High stress was given to developing communication skills... (meant more assignments, more work, etc.!) On the commencement of the first term, we all realized that all that, was valuable time lost. At least I'm not utilizing even 5 % of the communication skills ‘developed’.
We also had an outing to a resort to unwind ourselves for the weekend.

We had a gap of 4 days between the end of the prep course and the start of the first term. I chose not 2 go home so that I cud cover up some more ground and be better prepared for the first term. But those 4 days were spent sleeping… sleeping... and more sleeping!

So, I was better prepared in terms of sleep for the first term!!

End Of First Term Vacations (Remembering The Path To Ahmedabad)

Calling the 7-day break a ‘vacation’ may seem a bit weird... but that’s the IIMA style. After the grueling first term, even a 2 –day break seems like a vacation.
The exams were a mere formality to be completed to proceed on to the vacation.
So, I’m at Nashik at my sister’s place... cooling my heels... licking my wounds… and recharging myself for the next term. Let me recount my first term… or even better... let me recount my journey to IIMA…

I was working with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) since 2002… was posted at a power plant at Kaiga, near Karwar (try to get that from the map!)

Got bored of my job after sometime (operating a nuclear reactor didn’t hold my interest for long!) So I decided to take the CAT... trying to study during the small amount of free time I got while working. Took the CAT in 2004, 2005, 2006… Kept improving my scores from 88% to 94.5% to 97.45%… While filling up the 2006 form, I thought why not try for the FPM program. Some of the fields looked interesting and the faculty was an obvious attraction. I applied to three IIMs - A, B, I (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Indore). The CAT percentile ensured calls from all three for the FPM program in the area related to Production & Quantitative Methods.

Interview dates for IIM-B and IIM-I clashed. So I decided to appear for the IIM-B interview. I felt that my interview went off well as they asked me about basic mathematics and use of operation management techniques in my job. The next interview was that of IIM-A. The difference between the two was that IIM-B’s area focused on the operations side. But A’s area was focused on both operations and quantitative methods. My preparation for quantitative methods was absolutely zilch. Even though QM was one of my favorite subjects in my engineering, I had been out of touch for nearly 5-6 years. The interview committee grilled me royally on QM, work experience, operations… the ordeal went on for around 45 minutes. I was totally devastated after the interview. I didn’t attend the dinner meeting that day and left for my friend’s place in A’bad.

The days passed by at work. I received the reject info from B’lore... and I was hopeless about Ahmedabad. I decided to go back to the drawing board and try once again next year. My quarter was in a total mess. Hadn’t really attended to it for nearly 3 months!

For a totally fresh beginning, I decided to start with clearing the mess. I had an off day after my evening shift. That was totally devoted to this task. I borrowed a vacuum cleaner to aid me in this herculean task. After 5 hours of hard work, I managed to complete the task. I check my mail… and lo... I receive the offer letter from IIM-A. Out of total disbelief, I confirm the offer from the IIM website and prepare for completion of the formalities.

I resigned from my job; the usual events of send-off parties, exit interviews, etc. followed and on May 16, I left Karwar for the last time.

The next 10 days were really good. Enjoyed the comfort of home and tried to orient myself towards rigorous studies ahead.

4 Exams Done With... 3 More To Go!!

Up at this hour...
Studying for the exams today... (only 6 hrs away)... basically, bored of studying...
An extremely good combination of Managerial Computing and Quantitative Methods!!!

Our skills of computing are tested on paper...
and our skills of mathematical modeling are tested through objective questioning in QM...

Things couldn't be worse than this...
The basic benefit of a computer is lost in the process... and grades get screwed in QM if you make one wrong calculation!

The good part of tomorrow's exams is... studying doesn't make a difference...
So we were watching the opening T20 game between South Africa and West Indies...
A brilliant batting display by Chris Gayle overshadowed by crappy captaincy by Ramnesh Sarwan!!
Hope India does well... they better do .. 'Coz I would be at home watching the matches...

The best part of tomorrow's exams is... Only one exam left b4 I head home...

HOME SWEET HOME!!!!!

End Terms!!!!

6 hrs before the first end term exam...
Exam tensions have decreased manifold after the mid-terms... Everyone says that the 'give up' attitude creeps in after the mid term results are announced... But, I don't think so... me thinks it's just the fatigue factor... Lotsa studies in the pre-mid-term sessions have effectively drained almost all of our resources and reserves.

Tomorrow's exam... (I mean today's!!!) is somewhere related to Operations Management...
Tried to study for the exam... but found there is no definitive answer to any question nor is there a definitive question for any answer... so, after racking our brains on the old question papers (which somehow seem totally brand new when you try to solve them!) we finally decided to chill out and watch Andaaz Apna Apna!!! That was the best part of the preparation.

The other exam is WAC (will be explained later) which is whackier than any subject I've ever come across... The lesser the time you devote to it, the better your grades would be! My future blog posts would shed some more light on this whacky experience!!

So... it's time for me to sleep... and prepare to tackle tomorrow's bouncers...

Byee!!!

End Term Preparations

It is thought that after mid-terms, students lose interest and become more lax in their approach to the programme here. I initially thought this will surely not happen with me. But the pre-mid terms are so taxing on one's mental ability that the inevitable happens.

One of my fav subjects of the pre -mid-terms was Economics... highly logical, easy to understand and grasp and with interesting concepts. I was in touch with Eco throughout pre-mid-term. Post mid-term, a day before the exams, I actually tried to find out what I should study for the end terms. A break after the mid-terms is desperately needed to maintain the intensity in the students and also the usefulness of the sessions.

So here I am, at 3 in the morning, tired of studying Eco and accounting, writing a blog...

Tomorrow's day is going to b even longer... trying to study operations management... one critical course for me as regards my core subject... so, gotta sleep now... get some energy for the next day.

I'll continue my recounting of the first term experience sharing some very memorable incidents in class... later...

Bye!!!

WOW!! 2 Days On The Trot...

Lotsa studyin to do as the end terms come closer... (oops! they are almost here...)
it's been only a month since the mid-terms ended and we are faced with the next dose of exams...

The tension in the students is much less maybe because they have got bored of giving so many exams!!! At least, I have...

Lotsa remedial sessions (will be explained later sometime) to make up for the course lost during sleep (both in class and out of it!) Lotsa intensive discussion sessions to make sense of the textbooks, old question papers and the subject in general... It's just too hectic...

Makes me close my eyes and go to sleep...

And that's what I'm gonna do now... wake up tomorrow for some more mugging (again... will be explained in detail later!)

Byee!!!

After A Long Timeeeeeee...

Me back after a long time ......
what was I up to?...

Not much...
Got into IIM-A for the fellow programme (FPM)...
So very busy with studies...
Looking to finish the first year with the required grades to actually begin my journey towards higher learning from the next year...

IIM-A seems a lot different from inside. There's no doubt about the quality of faculty or about the caliber of the participants, but I still felt that IIM-A would be radically different from the others in all respects.

Let me recount the beginning of my journey at IIMA.

There are rituals conducted by the 'so-called' PGP-2s to induct the new students into the IIM-A environment. I was not at all convinced by the necessity of those rituals and made my point aptly clear to many, of course many didn't and still don't subscribe to my viewpoint. Well, different people got to have different viewpoints...
So, things went on as usual (IIMA-usual!!) with quizzes, projects, assignments, etc. etc,. etc... The actual traits of the class actually comes to the fore when the grades of the quizzes are disclosed. This is where I thought IIMA would be different. Most of these guys (I don't consider myself a PGP... as for me, grades are meant only to get to the next year...) are solely aimed at grades as they are their passport to the 'Crore' galleries. I thought IIM-A would devise a much better way to impart learning.

Class Participation: One important issue for the grades are the class participation marks (CPs). I, personally don't like to interrupt the professor during his lectures... Somehow, my engineering days seem to continue with me even when the profs ask questions (general to the class... questions to specific students are termed as 'cold calls')... so, I generally tend to keep quiet in the class. Asking questions to the prof seems perfectly fine to me as long as the question is valid. The concept of CP dilutes this aspect of learning to such a level that most classes get totally disoriented and directionless because of the frequent, illogical interruptions.

Professors:
One professor I would mention here more than anyone else is, Prof. Sunil Maheshwari. He is truly a GOD. Imparting learning on HR is the toughest and Sunil Sir the best anyone can ever get. After working in the industry for close to 5 years and being totally disillusioned by the HR practices of my ex-employer, I was in no way looking forward to HR classes. But, the structured classes interspersed with his own experiences and the basic level interpretation of HR practices made me eagerly await each of his sessions. This was the most productive and useful course so far.


I will continue with my journey later...
May be a week later... when I would be enjoying holidays after the end term exams!!!...

Oh! My First Post On My Own Blog...

So, what should I be writing in my blog. Lemme see... poems... stories... Naah... don't think even I'll be able to read through them!!!

Yes... I'll post my views on the latest happenings in India... and of course... if I come across something new, you'll find me posting it here...

A glad welcome to any person who may wish to post his/her comments...

I presently work in a Govt. controlled Nuclear Power organization... so there has got to be the effects of those on my blog... (I mean, delays and all!!!)