What happens at IIMC

Does it really matter whether you are at IIMC or at any other B-School?

Well the unbiased and candid answer to that is yes and no. Like any other place IIMC has its merits and demerits. I my opinion the image that IIMC has in the outside world is because the merits outweigh the demerits.

It has been 3 months since I joined and now I am going for my first break since then. I am waiting at the airport which seems like it is at the other end of the world. It took us 3 hours to reach travel from Joka to the Airport. That is one of the biggest disadvantages that IIMCians face. Joka is way out of the city and has little support for needs which are a little more than basic. Although you hardly get any time to think of going around, you have very limited options when once in a blue moon you are free.


That brings me to the hectic schedule. When we join we all are aware of the hectic schedule that is in store for the next two years. However, my assessment of the rigour, like many others’ was not even close to the actual. There are pressures of all sorts. Everyone who joins has Einstien’s brain and Newton’s creativity. To add on, the loads of achievements – mostly national and international – that many of them have give you the fright of your life when you start coming to terms with your competition for the ultimate goal – placements. As a consequence, as soon as you join you feel that the only way to salvage some of your lost identity is to top the first term exams. With almost all your hope pinned on academic performance, you study for the mid-terms and what comes your way is a rude shock. You would hardly have got time from the induction process when you realize that mid-terms start in 2 weeks. With no prep leave, to which I was so used to after 4 years in college, and classes till the last Friday, you reach the exam hall with negligible sleep and more or less under-prepared. The second half of the shock comes when you look at the question paper. All of that is hardly from the book, it seems. And it is that way because the questions are from what the prof has spoken in class. My first exam experience By the end of it a sinking feeling takes over you because you have lost the only chance you had to survive here, you feel. That is followed by the CV making process which adds to your worries – you find it very difficult to complete 1 page of worth mentioning points. In addition the anxiety that whether you will be able to collect substantial proof for those few that you have gets the better of you. The mental pressure meter shoots through the roof. As time passes you again start feeling that mid-term went bad because I was new to the relative grading concept and the exam pattern. If I conquer end-term I am still in so what if not the topper. All this adds ‘load’ which is reduced only with time.

But the question is – Is it a shade easier in other schools? The answer is no. The only thing that might help in some other schools is their location which allows you some avenues to vent your frustration – which, I think, is at dangerously high levels at times among all of us here. The other question is – Is it worth it? The answer, thus far seems yes. To understand this you need a couple of days off from the hectic schedule and sit calmly and think. That is why I am writing this article [:)]. While in the grind of things you always curse the tough regime and routine, a little time out of it makes you assimilate your learning in all the time you’ve spent here. After just one term you definitely would not have added substantially to your technical/analytical skills but what you would have developed would be something that the world calls business acumen. Many of the readers might argue saying “What would I know of business acumen just after the first term of a regular MBA course which is not even the best in the World”. However, when you sit down and compare yourself when you joined and when you are at the airport waiting for your flight 2 weeks into your second term, that is the only difference. You never come to know of it, but somewhere in this hectic and crazy looking life you develop a perspective and approach to some of the most mind-boggling decisions managers face. The only difference is that till now your decisions don’t earn or lose you money. In addition your body gets prepared for sustaining loads of pressure. Once you realize this then you start appreciating all that you have done – your participation in cases, the presentations you worked on, the awesome looking CV you prepared and in some way you start thinking probably the hard task masters on campus were doing all that because IIMC has to be IIMC. No one of us has the right to let its image down. Undoubtedly, the maintenance of such elite standards requires at least this much effort.

Many of my batch mates might disagree to this. What they need to understand is that the company presentations that they feel are thrust on them are part of the reward for the effort we put in, in maintaining the high standards at IIMC. Many of the companies that come here do not even go to many other campuses in India forget about hiring the same number of students. I hope all these things come true during the placements. After all most of the junta here comes for that. In some way that is a pity but this is how life is.

My flight has been announced… I better get going. Home sweet home finally I come…

After the first exams...

Life was going fine until a demon called ‘FinAcc Quiz’ started haunting me. Quizzes weren’t unfamiliar disturbances in the otherwise blissful world here, but I had seen through my initial duels with other quizzes well so I wasn’t intimidated in any way when it came to FinAcc. I had no idea about the enormity and might of this demon and in my first duel I was almost out of the fight... A mighty warrior, who had been doing so well till just before coming here was defeated in one blow... not possible! I was down but not out. So I got up and braced myself yet again. Went head-on once again did a little damage this time but again was down. Now the warrior in me started feeling really frustrated. Third time, this time the demon also came in a little prepared and BANG... there went I. Almost on the verge of succumbing defeat, the demon challenged me again. I mustered all my strength and headed for the combat once more. This time I did find my footing and was able to give him a tough fight.

It was still fine till the time these demons were coming one by one. Then they teamed up and all of them came together well armed and better prepared with the intention to kill, to destroy the very source of my strength – my confidence. There was no escaping the challenge and I had to retaliate with the best of my capabilities. One by one they came in line... each one a fresh combatant while I was wearing out. The first day saw two battles being fought. The first one was easy to handle. The second one also seemed under control till the time I came back and removed my armour only to notice that the bastard had somehow managed to make deep cuts and leave me heavily wounded. That was the first blow to my confidence. It wouldn’t have mattered much if I would have found him good during the battle but the fact that I didn’t know that I was hit, hurt me more.

The second day was scarier from the look of it but the battle seemed fine and I didn’t bother to look for any wounds afterwards. Then a day of much needed rest – the demons also show some pity... bullshit! The rest was only to announce the resurrection of FinAcc. The whole of rest period and any additional time squeezed out from here and there was utilized for preparation of the battle of the battles. I entered the battlefield and thankfully was able to get away relatively unscathed. In the end came another devil which, I realized during battle, remains disguised as a relatively harmless and harmonious creature but when it is the battle it really means business. It is one of those dogs that look docile but have a ferocious bite.

Finally I was able to drag myself through the entire war. I have stopped bothering about the wounds but sooner or later they will pain if they are there. I just need to ensure a speedy recovery so that the next time these demons pay me a visit I am ready for them in a way that they would not have thought in their dreams. There have been a lot of lessons learnt from the first war here. There are 11 more wars to go. This is just the beginning and I hope to live up to the saying that I have always used to propel myself forward – The tough get going when the going gets tough.

IIMC Formal Welcome

17th Jun 2009
We had our formal welcome to the institute today. It was a well conducted ceremony with Mr. Harsh K Jha, Managing Director of Tata Metaliks as the chief guest. Other eminent dignitaries of the institute including the director, PGP Chairman, FP Chairman and Chairman in charge for admissions were present on the dais.
The speeches by all the speakers were thought provoking to say the least. The pin drop silence and the attentive look on everybody’s face was testimony to the level of seriousness that each one of us had regarding his stay here.
Mr. Jha, the chief guest, spoke in the end. His speech was a summary of all the other speakers before him but he pointed out certain key aspects to what an IIMCian is expected of. The talk was inspiring and insightful. He highlighted the sacrifices that everybody, right from parents, friends, relatives to the common man, have made so that we can have the best opportunities to enhance our careers and in turn repay to society what it has invested in us. Inspiring us to be more than mere professionals who would have among the best analytical skills in the market, he gave many examples of people who have taken extra efforts and have shown the courage to be unconventional and made an impact on society and its people.

Shirdi Trip

30th Apr 2009

It was my last day at Infosys and it had been a hectic day getting all the clearances and meeting everybody before I left. It was a wonderful day and a significant day of my life. I will never be able forget it.

When I reached home, plans of going to Shiirdi, which had been doing the rounds for some time, were finalized. We decided that the three of us – I, Anuj and Abhishek – will be going on bikes and leaving at 0530 Hrs on 1st May.

At night before sleeping I declared that I won’t be taking a bath before leaving and thus would be waking up not before 0500 Hrs. The others were upbeat about taking a bath before leaving. So they decided to get up at 0415 Hrs.

1st May 2009

It was a holiday on account of Maharashtra Day and had given us a reason to undertake the journey on a long weekend. At 0500 Hrs my alarm went off and as I went to switch it off, I saw Anuj still sleeping beside me on his bed. I got up and went to look for Abhishek. The scene there too was no different.

Taking advantage of the fact that both of them were sleeping I cleared off my bathroom activities and then woke them up. I started pulling their leg about getting up at 0415 Hrs. Hurriedly they both started getting ready. Part of the reason for not getting up on time was that none of us was very confident about the other two playing to the plan till morning. Chances of someone saying “arrey yaar chutti hai kahaan jaayenge dhoop mein itni door” were very high.

By 0600 Hrs we were all ready and by 0615 Hrs we walked down to our bikes. Abhishek went to withdraw some money and then we hit the road. Making our way through all the morning traffic comprising walkers and joggers, we reached the state highway to Sangamner. The road was good for the first part and Anuj had taken the driver seat saying that he wouldn’t want to drive in the sun. We drove continuously for an hour or so and then took our first break to get our bikes refueled. From there I took over the driving and Anuj went to the pillion. The road deteriorated a little but was still good. The only problem was that the lanes weren’t separated by a divider and it was only a two lane road. So every now and then someone overtaking would come into our lane. The state transport buses, like in most other states of India, were our biggest threat. They don’t seem to use the brake pedal that is provided. Our speed reduced significantly because of such traffic. After driving for another 40 km we stopped for breakfast. We had Poha, Misal Pav and Chai. All along the road a lot of trees were there which along with the morning breeze made it a refreshing ride.

After breakfast we crossed the ghats and drove steadily towards Sangamner with Anuj still being my pillion. We stopped just short of Sangamner to relieve our bladders. Here we changed drivers again and Anuj took over. Abhishek had been driving continuously all this while and we offered him also a break but he didn’t take it. We then headed straight for Shirdi and took one more halt just on the outskirts of Shirdi. We had cane juice there – it wasn’t the best of juices we’ve had. The scenery was very picturesque all along with extensive farms and fresh onion and guavas being sold.

We reached Shirdi and found ourselves a reasonable lodging. Then we decided to go to Wet ‘n’ Joy – the water park in Shirdi whose hoardings we had seen all along our drive. After reaching there at 1230 Hrs or so, we remained there for almost 4 hours. We enjoyed the so many rides they had and had a really great time. The entry fee of Rs. 300 was worth it although we had been very skeptic of it when we had entered. Anuj and Abhishek didn’t have their swimming costumes and had to take those on rent. I always have mine in my bag and was happy to use it there.

We reached out hotel and went off to sleep. We got up at dinner time and enquired about the morning darshan after having our fill. The receptionist told us that people start queuing for the morning darshan since 0130 Hrs. We had initially been told that it starts at 0300 Hrs and had planned our sleep accordingly but now that plan didn’t hold good. We had just about 4 hours to sleep and we definitely did not want a repeat of what had happened in the morning.

2nd May 2009

Despite having a little difficulty in sleeping because of the traffic and lights we all got up in time and promptly got ready after taking a bath. We left our shoes in the hotel itself and walked bare footed to the temple. Fortunately, the receptionist had been right and we weren’t far behind in the queue. At regular times and on weekends there are usually about 4000 people standing in the queue which goes from 6 rooms before finally reaching the shrine. We were just in time to get in ahead in the queue because it started crowding hardly five minutes later. Had we stuck to our initial plan of 0300 Hrs we would definitely have missed everything.
Sitting in the queue I and Anuj kept talking about something or the other. Most of the times in crowded places like railway stations, bus stands, temples etc. your best companion is the crowd around you. Someone is always doing something amusing and enjoying that doesn’t let you feel the pain of the wait. Abhishek who had been very upbeat about getting up early and moving out of Shirdi soon after the darshan, had changed his plan and decided to catch some sleep. He slept sitting in his place while I and Anuj enjoyed the crowd and their activity.

At 0300 Hrs, one and half hour before the actual aarti begins, the queue started moving. Quite a few people took the opportunity to jump the queue but we followed in our own place. We also met a marketing manager who was returning from Goa. He happened to belong to Bhopal as well. So we got talking and found out about the route that we were planning to take for our return journey. The queue kept moving and we went on crossing all the rooms to the shrine. We entered and quickly took our seats in the front portion of the hall. There was scramble for seats in the front just as the gate was about to close and people tried to fit into pockets one third their size. One such fellow adjusted between Abhishek and Anuj and was almost sitting in Anuj’s lap. I could easily see the statue of Sai Baba directly. For the others whose view was obstructed there were two large LCD TVs which covered the activity going on in the front. Every now and then someone would praise the lord and the others would follow with their ‘Shri Sadguru Sainath ki jai’.
Still in the wee hours of the morning most of the people were chanting the name of God in their sleep. There was young boy sitting just in front of me who got up only when the clapping started and dozed off as soon as it subsided. However, we were all wide awake and were watching the proceedings with devotion and interest. The whole procession of pundits came in and started the aarti at 0430 Hrs sharp. It was a grand and elaborate ceremony. It was followed by the holy snan for Sai Baba. We watched all of it and came out from the shrine by 0530 Hrs. We then went to collect our Prasad packets and were done with everything we had to by 0730 Hrs.

To recover a little from our fatigue we had decided to catch up some sleep. Despite Anuj’s constant persuasion that we should not drive in the afternoon, we decided that it wouldn’t be safe to drive with a tired body. We slept for 2 hours and checked out from our hotel at 0930 Hrs. We headed straight for Shani Shignapur to visit the famous temple of lord Shani – Saturn is considered one of the most powerful and influential planets according to Hindu mythology and astrology. The road was being prepared in a lot of places and wasn’t as good as the one we had traveled on earlier. We reached Ruhia village after traveling 60 km. We had to turn left from here. Just as we turned the road narrowed further and the whole setting seemed as if we were headed for a village. Just on the turn there were scores of cane juice sellers with their ox-driven juicing machines. These have two wooden cylinders rotating in opposite directions driven by a bullock attached with a big lever arm. The cane is put between these cylinders and the crushing action brings out the juice. The juice was really refreshing and we had 14 glasses amongst us. I had 6 of them.

We drove down the narrow road and soon reached Shani Shignapur. The village is unique because none of the houses there have doors. Even godowns don’t have shutters. Legend has it that anybody who steals there dies of leprosy. So strong is the faith of the people there that even their jewellery and valuables are not kept under lock and key. Inside the temple mustard oil is offered to the God. Only men are allowed to make the offering and that too with a wet body. We were supposed to wear yellow dhotis and take a bath before going in. In the scorching sun we had to run about 100 m barefooted to the bathroom only in our dhotis to bathe ourselves. It was the most painful 100 m. Our feet got burnt and we thought we might get ulcers. Fortunately that did not happen. We bathed and ran to the temple, again barefooted and clad only in our dhotis. The darshan did not take as long and we were out in 20 minutes. After yet another feet burning session, we came back to the shop where we had changed our clothes. All this while we had been talking of getting ourselves clicked in the dhotis but the pain of burnt feet was so intense that all that desire simply vanished.

After changing our clothes we again hit the road and started driving towards Ahmednagar. I was driving and Anuj was the pillion. Since we did not know much about the road we decided not to heed to Anuj’s advice of driving in the evening and risking night driving. The afternoon sun was blazing and although the road was fantastic, it was extremely hot because of a completely deserted surrounding. There were hardly any trees and barren land extended as far as one could see. At Ahmednagar we stopped for lunch. Despite all our efforts to eat as slowly as possible we were done in less than an hour. We had been having lots of water but the body requirement was tremendous. Our stomach capacity was becoming the bottleneck.

Post lunch we resumed our journey and stopped in between quite a few times. At one place we found a small shady area and halted there for about an hour or so. Our decision of not driving in the night turned out good because there were patches in the road that were undeveloped and would have been very risky in dim light. Beating the sun we continued our journey. I and Anuj kept switching but Abhishek drove the whole way. We were about to enter Pune when our tenant called up. We decided to go to his house for doing some paperwork and taking a break. It was a much needed and refreshing break.

It had been a tiring yet enjoyable trip. Thankfully there were no problems with the bikes or with any of us. Like most other bike trips this one was a memorable one.

IPL -2

IPL season 2 has started and I wouldn't agree with someone who says it is not as exciting as last year. Spare the rains that have played spoil sport to some extent the rest of the drama has been really enthralling.

Rajasthan Royals exhibited a fantastic example of complacency in their first game while both the underdogs Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers have come out with a bang. Unlike last year the tracks in SA are offering some assistance to bowlers. This is precisely why Royal Challengers were able to defend a modest total of 133. With difficult batting conditions and the prevailing form of players like Sachin, Dravid, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Gibbs, McCullum etc. the stage is set for a high voltage tournament.

However, the newly introduced seven and a half minute strategy break is nothing but a unwarranted interruption in excitement. Keeping aside the teams' comments on the break it is also drawing flak from the pundits of cricket. It is true that the commercial aspect of the game cannot be neglected but forcing viewers to watch ads does not really go down well. The typical reaction at the 10 over mark is 'Damn it... a break of seven and a half minutes'. The so called strategy is not made public so what is the viewer gaining out of it? In addition having breaks of equal duration in rain curtailed games is just not logical. You'd rather want the players to play a couple of overs more than watch the ads.

Anyway, hopefully the organizers take cognizance of this and make whatever possible changes to address the problem. Given the fact that the whole IPL was in doldrums with the announcement of elections in India, the organizers have put up a good show. (They didn't have any option but to do it... otherwise it would have added to the ongoing economic crisis. :))

Reincarnation - Would you believe it?

Reincarnation - the theory that the soul of a person is indestructible. It keeps taking different forms till it is pure enough to cohere with the purest divine soul called God.

There are different interpretations about what really happens. The most popular belief is that 'karma' in this birth defines your life for the next. However, is every birth a fresh start? Or is there some part of us that relates to our previous visit on Earth? I chanced upon a book which provides examples that buttress the latter thought. Although you may choose to trash these calling them mere coincidence, the examples given are truly super-natural phenomenon.

It is claimed that each person brings with him some effect of his previous incarnation. This is reflected to some extent in his appearance and to a very large extent in his thinking pattern. Based on studies scientists have found SRK to be a reincarnation of Sujata Bose who was a theatre artist. There are other examples as well.

Believing in reincarnation is a matter of personal choice. But consider if it were true that we have some remembrance of our past wouldn't it be great to start life right from where we had left it. It wouldn't be wrong then to say that we get another chance to correct our mistakes. As children we would enjoy our childhood more than we have for we would know that those are the best days of life. As we grow we would understand the ill-effects of practices like castism, communalism, terrorism and can be better prepared to deal with them. People would understand the importance of supporting each other and living harmoniously. We would be aware of the mistakes that have been already committed and would not repeat them. We won't have an economic crisis nor terrorist attacks. Won't the World, with each successive generation, become a better and better place to live in.

On the contrary knowing your past can be a nightmare as well. Suppose you were a lion earlier. The King of the jungle. Your only aim in life was to fend for your meals. Now you become a human. So much more pressure is loaded on to you. You might wish to be a lion again. Or it may be the other way round. As an ant you might feel life as a human was much better. In both scenarios you won't be able to enjoy life as it is given to you (assuming lions and ants enjoy their life as well :)).

There can be no specific answer to this dilemma. Perhaps that is the reason God himself wasn't able to decide what to do. That is why some people are born with the knowledge about their previous incarnation and others are not.

Au Revoir - Infy!!

It was 16th Jun 2004 when my love accepted me. Although I was in college that time she allowed me to complete my engineering and then join her at Mysore. Our relation became official on 8th Aug 2005 when she welcomed me with the splendid gardens and amenities of her home. I became one of the so many people who wanted her love.
I had set my eyes on her when I was in third year of engineering. Now after the third year of our relationship I have realized that I am not worthy of her love. I therefore plan to improve myself to address the shortcoming. Our relationship, as any other, has had its share of joys and sorrows; agreements and disagreements; happiness and quarrels; anxieties and disappointments. There were times when we felt we should part ways but we somehow we reached an agreement and managed to stay on with each other for some more time. A compromise here and an adjustment there – that is how life is.
During these years I also interacted with the so many others seeking her love. Some actually found it too. She had been kind on a few which left the others disgruntled, harsh to some who left her for finding better matches and there were few who continued to love her despite all her flaws only because they saw merit in each facet of hers or because they were afraid of seeking new love. From the so many competitors of mine, I learnt a lot about how to maintain a balance between her needs and my needs. Most of them encouraged me and were on my side – talking mostly about my benefit, helping me achieve my ambitions etc. I reciprocated the same feeling without any prejudice. This symbiotic relationship helped me achieve some of the biggest feats in my life thus far. My love also rewarded me with better care and encouragement. She presented me with new avenues to explore, new thoughts to chew on and new directions to my life.
Her father has been pivotal in shaping my vision for life. His magnanimous nature, clear thinking, selfless devotion to his daughter’s well-being and the well-being of her surroundings have had a deep impact on me. It will be my endeavor to make myself worthy enough to share a platform with him.
The decision to move on is a difficult one and it will take time for me to get over her. Her offerings that took care of me, helped me know myself better, provided me the best of environments to develop myself, above all ensured that I become what I have will always stay fresh in my mind. To be associated with such a wonderful person has been an honor. Although I am happy to have achieved my ambition I would never forget the support and opportunity she provided. After all first love is unforgettable.