I soo wish I had started blogging years ago...

So that I could read about my days back in engineering when I was one of the big fishes (yeah, well... some explanations after the mild bugging by the remote few I nudged into reading this clog.. oops, blog). Those were the good old days, the profs were chill, the TAs were non-existent, the juniors did all the work while you watched, you debated for hours on what movie was in and where a story was headed, walking was done for liesure, eating out was not a luxury and you attended PPTs for the pizzas !! And ofcourse, shortlists included your name...

Yeah, shortlists are reallly getting short at IIM - A ... been 5 declarations and not one for me :( ... so what if I don't join the company, I'd still like to be offered ;)

But as some people say, whatever happens... happens for the best ... so here's hoping with some crossed fingers !

PS: Atleast I have some cool startup offers to think about : MMI, Loot and VMukti (so what if you haven't heard of em yet... jus wait till I perk em up ;) )

To all the friends with shortlist jitters : Hang in there...

Grim times lie ahead

Just an advice to all those big fish who are the rulers of the pond - although the sea will give you many smaller prey, it is a monstrous place with unexpected and dark currents and bigger fish waiting to feast on you ...

A clarification on this dark metaphor the next time !

The so called "Communication skills"

Ever since I remember, I've been filling up my CV and company application forms with "Good communication" skills as a core competency ... but today a 10 year old kid proved better at the very art...

As a core-team insight (www.iima-insight.com), I was posted at the registration desk ... reminiscent images of freshie year in engineering college flashed through the mind, but here I was using a laptop instead of a desktop ;)...

Looking at the banners and hoardings placed in the city, a certain 60 year old veteran was curious to know what insight was ... Entering the brick and mortar campus, I happened to be the first person he encountered at the "welcome" desk. And here I was, struggling to sift through the form of a 10 year old standing in front of me. (A 10 year old, who insisted on calling me uncle !). The old man, let's call him Mr. AB asked one simple question :

"Your banner claims lifetime ki masti ek din mein... Aisa kya hai yahan ?"

And I was speechless !

And then the natkhat 10 year old came to the uncle's (me!) rescue... With vivid images of a food-mela, fun-fair and adventure sports camp all in one, he painted a picture which I would have simply said " We have games, stage shows and a food court"... No matter how precise and bs my answer would be, that of the kiddo would still be sweeter and more convincing...

Damn, the MBA is teaching me to communicate in short, but what about conversations which are done just for the heck of talking ? Read an article somplace which said that even though trinity colleges of IIM A,B and C may teach you how to talk to the CEO of the world's largest oranisation, you'll never learn how to talk to the labourer working in your house in a MBA ... point proven, subtly, but still...

The persian carpet syndrome...

Just a new thing I learned today:

In the past, Persian carpet-makers apparently believed in the idea that God is the only one who can create perfection. Hence, if they happened to create a flawless carpet sometime, they would stain/chip it so that it was no longer "perfect" - just to save themselves from God's wrath !!!

My twisted logic to this twisted logic is as follows:

If God created humans, and if humans were created with a specific role in mind; then the carpetmaker that God created would have to be a perfect carpetmaker ? Hence the perfect carpetmaker would be required to make perfect carpets keeping in line his own perfect carpet-making skills ^^ . Ceteris paribus, the carpet would never need to be chipped / stained (qed)

India Shining ....

Had an opportunity to interact with one highly revered alumnus from IIM A a few days back.

Here's the gist of the conversation:
"The tables of the world have turned. No country that traditionally had an advantage of "information" still holds the trump. It's all up for grabs in the cyber world. Economies that were years ahead of the so called "third" world ones are now running helter-skelter putting together crumbled pieces of their worlds !"

The country that swore by capitalism has the government owning 80% of all homes today. The country that stood for royalty and imperialism today boasts of being ruled by migrants from its very colonies.The country that consider "population explosion" to be it's curse today sees the confluence of minds as a boon.
The tables have turned. It's time for a new beginning - the world's a blank slate and I wanna leave my mark unto it. India is the place to be, for me atleast. Won't end with a cliche "Jai Hind" or "Saare Jahaan... Accha" - Just a mild nudge to all my winged friends to reflect back upon those childhood days where you learnt about great civilizations, ideas, philosophies and inventions - all coming from similar roots. Time to give someone Her due acknowledgement !