observations....

1. That it is very easy to "classify" someone, but very difficult to confess that you too are different...
2. That it is very easy to defend perceived truth, but very difficult to prove observed falsity.
3. That it is very easy to say "I can't", but very difficult to say "Allow me"
4. That it is very easy to blame, but very difficult to correct
AND
5. That it is very easy to hate, easiest to avoid, but difficult to commit, and even harder to say "I do"...

white spaces....

And I heaved a sigh,
Thought something and hung up the phone,
Have I come so far in life,
That I hide things from people I call my own

And I heaved a sigh,
Trying hard to reach out,
Wasn't maturity supposed to suppress,
All those bad thoughts the mind shouts?

And I heaved a sigh,
Planning to keep myself up,
Isn't growing old supposed to teach,
To trade off and keep up?

And I heaved a sigh,
Looked at myself in mirror one last time,
Do I look like a mature person,
Who could perform a real life mime?

Days of Happy Nation...

And then suddenly this song played the other day in class, "Land down under" I was suddenly transported back 9 years or so...


It all used to start after finishing Maths class... it used to be lunch time, and to take out all the frust of back to back 3 tuitions we used to chat our troubles away.. R's mom used to work, so the flat was all for us... and then the music.. Ace of Base, Peter Andre, and lots more... the world was about nothing else but (a) having good food at a restaurant at WHC and (b) ... ;-)

and then incessant rambling about how board exams kill, how entrance tests are not meant for us, how life is terribly pathetic, how every girl is checking P out and then killing P for it...

sigh!! memories... some good, some bad some sweet but mostly amusing.. :) .. I wonder if I will ever live those days again...

I am at my hating best today... I m having a bad stomach and I am hating it so much that I am hating almost everything around me too including the faces of my quadmates. I just had a fight-club-ish fight with one just now. Well since I am hating things, and one of the signs of attaining Maslow's tip is to know oneself I am publishing a list of things I hate... Yes you got it, you picked the wrong day to read this blog..

1. First I'd apologize VT for borrowing his thought, but at this time, when placement season is reaching the peak, I am hating competition like I never hated before. To create a differentiation is such a P-I-T-A activity, I never ever imagined! To hell with resumes, preps and all those things...

2. I hate when movies by directors like Mani ratnam fail to deliver... I watched Guru and contrary to popular belief I didn't like the movie as a package.. No punch, nothing... And why the hell does Ash act anyway??

3. This one would take guts to accept, but I think I hate the idea of falling in love... I mean whats it? A rush of some stupid hormones at a wrong time?? what the f*** is it? I don't know neither do people who are in it, nor the people who had it.. Undefined things never attracted me... Oh so thats it!! Its undefined for me .. hmm... anyway I hate it..

4. If this were another time Immaturity would have topped this list, but I think to some extent its what gives some hate-loving people like me a purpose to write on days when they hate everything.. I am in a place where intelligentsia is not less and yet people show such brash-ness sometimes.. I wonder how India will progress with people like these!!

5. This would be the cliched one, so just saying it out.. I hate politics

6. Last but not the least I hate the thought of writing a blog like this.. a sorta hate list.. but when (a) one's stomach is upset (b) one cannot sleep (c) One is also hungry; and (d) I am the ONE... I think I have no other option..

good nite ppl and hope to get all cheery tomorrow...

-n

Singur, Nandigram et al...

First of all, let me admit that the happenings in these 2 villages in WB are really disturbing. The violence, the deaths, the bloodshed, it all just gives us the feeling that while we progress at 8% p.a. economy-wise, somewhere in a far corner of the rural India, it really does not make any difference to the society.

If only governments REALLY cared for the public and assured their due diligence, this situation would have been avoided. But all that analysis crap is in hindsight.

Progress, they say, is not a spike, but a gradual process, and hence the name 'progress'. India, on the contrary, is just zooming ahead with Urban areas developing at an exponential rate. There is no justification one can give to this spectacular growth and the money thats getting infused. What happens next is anyone's guess.

Never before have any state government seen so much FDI coming to its doorsteps. AP govt's landmark $3 bn Semiconductor Fab deal being the torchbearer in this context. So while all this happens, our state govt gets pressurized. In a sense it is bringing things to speed, but on the other hand there is no balancing mechanism to over see all these activities. Thank God, Naidu had done his homework well that at least in Hyderabad and adjoining districts (Rangareddy, Medak, Sangareddy etc) available land is labeled.

WB on the other hand is on a roller coaster ride. Suddenly Buddhadeb realized that he has to cover a lot of ground before he even comes closer to what smaller states like Uttaranchal, Jharkhand, CG etc are doing - FDI infusion is driving success. So it starts to realize that it also has to invest in SEZs and all that jazz. And Nandigram happened.

I am not entirely sure, but one thing keeps popping in my head - Every state needs to realize its core competency. I know its a cliched word but it has to come. Maharashtra used its industries, AP software and Punjab/Haryana agriculture. Is it that difficult for state govts to see where the true potential lies?

Here is to the future, one that makes Orissa the most mineral rich state and WB the rice bowl of the country!!

Hic-hiker's guide...

Umm you have a new year party, you have paid that 'extra' premium for being there, and you are all set to rock the world to bid good bye to an exciting year... You are ready to go to that party and just go wild in a manic sort of way...
And then the unfortunate things hit you... "resolution to cut down on any hard drink, and smoke".. UGGHH... ok...

So for my fellow friends here is a guide to have a totally sober new year...
First of all it is very important that you become rsponsible to drive to and fro the party site.. which means that you should also NOT have any competitors or substitutes. One way to make sure is to take your car... Even if that doesn't work, have the party at a place which is like at the fag end of the universe... or at least seems like it..
Another one of my favorite trick is to hang on with a person who is totally sloshed, and when I mean totally, I mean the way Big B is in Sharabi... Just happy with the world and walking like a crab.. (which reminded me of a joke, but later).. This way you condescendingly handle the guy and feel pretty good about it, apart from enjoying the party with him... its better that this person is not that emotionally attached to you otherwise all you'll remember of the party will be a sob saga ...
The last recipe of being sober is a trade secret. its a personal favorite and you can call or email me to get the details... Your privacy assured...

So here is cheers to life, and another year full of excitement, enthu and other such things that make booze a total waste of money!!

PSSSTTT, next time "Why IIMs are better than any other B-schools in India and why should ISB worry?"... interesting no??

Argumentative Indians..

Our quad would have been Aristotle's delight, if he were alive today. And by Jove! GT would have been his most beloved disciple! With GT around, all the J 1-4 quad would be seething in argumentation...

So how do you argue? You start from dining hall to the quad. Mid-way GT will get some or the other philosophical idea.. Don't know if its the night, or the insects, but he gets it. And then he throws at us a conclusion.... No its not an argument, its a solid conclusion... like the other day when he said "As a society I think we are far better than previous generations"...

Enter VG. Now this guy cannot tolerate any statement (including Profs) without his brain processing its logic at 4 Gigs... So when such faff is thrown at him, he gets a purpose.. or rather his brain gets a direction... and the games begin...

Enter me. Now the situation when I enter is always warm to hot depending on whether GT is standing or sitting (respectively)... As a arbitrator, I understand GT's philosphy sometimes and VGs logic sometimes... So 3 cases arise here
1. I dont understand either one of them, in which case, believe me it becomes a WAR!! Stick cricket was one of them.. I almost thought that post ISB I will only see one of them living.. and looking at them structurally it was going to be VG.. So I used to be sympathetic towards GT...
2. I understand one of them, in which case I used to form team and kill the other person live.. GT used to be slightly weak, but VG used to fight till death..
3. I understand both of them, in which case I used to bring out the obvious fallacy in their argument and shut them both up, or digress to a different topic to kill someone..

AAHHH.... SM, you missed all the fun man!! ;-)

I think I am going to miss ISB the max for this ... Jai ho Aristotle !!

Next time: Hic-hiker's guide to be sober on new year!

How not to get 'chhapak'-ed in someone else' Bday!!

The story dates back to my undergrad days... Wow what days!! anyway, so there was this kick-ass attitude shown by all fellow ppl in hostel for one poor soul who used to be unfortunately born on that day... it used to be just kicks.. or sometimes a bucket full of water AND kicks...


So this is a ritual in ISB to dunk, and what happens is this..
1. Get the guy
2. All follow him till pool
3. 5 ppl carry him, and make like a jhoola
4. Throw him in the pool
5. Catch anyone else in vicinity who seems vulnerable, and repeat steps 1-4

Now to my great fortune, every time the section mail came for someone's bday I'd be -
a. Having a nice sleep
b. Gone to my friends place
c. Both!!

So that's one of the ways destiny helps you with avoiding dunking...
BUt I have been to some dunkings and here is what I have observed about ppl who are always left undunked..
--> Take the centerstage, and be the dunker... Offence is the single best defence...
--> If someone tries to make brouhaha abt u, catch that guy and throw him/her into the pool.. Na rahega baas... ;-)
--> Be stone drunk... So that even if you ARE drunk you don't feel it.. Ultimately our aim here is not to feel that 'cold'th in the night...
--> Make sure lot of unknown faces are present so that you try to mingle with them, and in doing so lose touch with potentials who can throw u... and please make it natural...

Disclaimer: These are 1-time strategies... Also since its a public blog, I am removing any comp advantage from the market!! :-)

Happy Dunking to all...

PS: Next time... "Argumentative Indians: Quad J -1 to 4, ISB, Gachibowli, Hyderabad"

Misnomer... 2

ISB has many facets, and a sorta culture to this place... Altho unlike many other Bschools we don't have any particular lingo, but some words are more famous than others... here are some for u...

1. Arbit CP: So you slept late in the nite or didnt sleep at all, and then realized that the 8 am class is havin a 40% CP component... You gotta CP and all you have is a faint idea of the case that your neighbour told you in 2 mins... So what do you do? Here are some tips for the beginners..
(a) Just talk your experience in the area... and start with "When I was workin in XYZ for their ABC division, we'd a similar issue...." and then you have a liberty to faff...
(b) Grab the opportunity when Prof goes off the case and starts asking opinions... This has the highest reward and so is risk, but darn..
(c) Just do it!!!

2. Faff: I am not sure how the word came into existence, maybe from fluff, but after sitting through just one strategy course, I totally understood the importance of faff for the entire mankind!! I hope now audience should be clear abt what faff is, and if not I'd recommend going through the works of Gary Hamel, CK Prahlad etc. With all due respect, they are gurus, and therefore, I am not saying that faff is bad or good. It just depends on you. ;-)

3. Take: So this can be anyone's take... generally though its Prof's take.. And its fun to ask this question, because (a) Amazing CP.. and (b) Amazing CP grades.. Though the que can be asked in many ways the most common form is "Excuse me sir, what is your take on this?"..

4. Takeaway: This is the cousin of Take ... And often the answer to the "take" que is a takeaway... and then there are better ones called "Key Takeaways" that I have heard are really important to getting placed.. :)

Coming up... "How NOT to get dunked on someone else's birthday"..