Are baba.. think simple..think stupid..

So I was at Aunty's Co-op Store buying the weekly rations (which in my case consists of 2235773483421 packets of Maggi and a slightly fewer number of Ruffles Lays packets.. take that you smirking gym goers. Atleast I lead a happy life..)

So anyway I'm done with my purchases and about to leave when in strides Prof Murthi. (yea the God of Distribution and Sales Mgmt fame..) He looks around with his characteristic restlessness, mutters something to aunty in Tamil, looks at me and says.. " So you hotshot MBAs, if you could change one thing in this shop to increase profits immediately what would you start with? "

Marketing student that I am, if there's one thing I've learnt, it's to never answer in 1 line what you could in 20. We marketing folks consider it our divine duty to answer a question with so much of irrelevant mumbo jumbo that the the guy asking the question either runs away shrieking, smashes your head to smithereens, kills himself or (n this is if you are really unlucky) launches into a marketing argument of his own..

So there I was using terms like 'low hanging fruits', 'supplier relationships','voice of the customer' and 'monthly burn' with reckless abandon, when he smiles and says in his characteristic baritone 'Are baba all you are taking about will follow soon. All this will cost money. But what comes first? What can you do without spending a dime?'

N then it hit me. Sometimes we are so engrossed in our solutions, we forget the original problem. Instead of analyzing the problem and trying to find a solution, we try to force fit our solution to the problem.

For the sake of closure, the solution of course was to identify which objects weren't being sold and just occupying shelf space cannibalizing other sales. Items like pillows, bedsheets and buckets which students generally buy in the beginning of the year (and not 6 months into the term) lay there staring at me and suddenly it all fit in.. What a sheer waste of valuable shelf space!

Important Lesson learnt: Always start afresh. Baggage is the biggest barrier to a consulting assignment..

Blog fri(tw)ittered away..

The posts have steadily reduced to a trickle and what was once a willful and enjoyable pastime has today almost become a burden on my mental faculties.. Why on earth this sea change ? Why is it that twitter seems so appealing and my once beloved blog has been relegated to the backburner? Is small the new sexy? Or have I just gone from articulate to bumbler?

In case you haven't gotten the drift yet, Twitter's taken the place of my blog. As with all things modern, it's crisp, effortless and trendy. Captures mind space and doesn't tax your creativity for more than a line or two. The piecemeal idea of frequent short updates spread over a course of the day seems a much better outlet to caged thoughts within rather than the one long all-encompassing approach of a blog.

But come to think of it who's stopping you from maintaining your blog posts like twitter? there isn't a minimum word limit after all to a blog post anyways.. N now since this is going nowhere lets bring this short tirade of self indulgence to a premature end by just saying 'I'm definitely gonna try to be more regular with my posts..'

Sensei Bose– the reawakening of the Rebel!

My entry for Metrotopia - the superhero branding competition...

Name: Sensei Bose

Superpowers: Eternal youth, superhuman strength

USP: Invisibility cloak of Renkoji

City & Reasons: Delhi is the crime capital of the country. It witnesses the highest number of violent crimes in India including murder, rape, dowry deaths, molestation and kidnapping. In 2007, the crime rate in Delhi stood at 357 cases per 100,000 people, against a national average of 167. In 2009 alone, 53244 criminal cases including 467 murders, 581 rapes, 1764 dacoit attacks and other heinous crimes have been recorded in Delhi. 

If there ever was a city in need of a superhero, it is indeed Delhi.

Background Story:

Day: Monday, Oct 19^th 2009 Place: Thuan Monastery, Japan

He lay back on the armchair and closed his eyes… he had a premonition of ill tidings. His premonitions were rarely wrong... His thoughts wandered back, to the night of that fateful plane crash in Tapei 65 years ago..

----------------

To the world, Aug 18 1945 took the life of one of India’s greatest freedom fighters, Subhash Chandra Bose – feverish investigations and rumors fuelled by the Indian government’s secrecy soon subsided, as India became more preoccupied with celebrating her new found independence. 

The K-21 heavy bomber had just lifted off fromTaihoku (Taipei) when there was a terrific explosion and the plane started vibrating heavily. ‘It’s a bomb. The cowards.. the main fuel line is ripped..We’re losing altitude!’ shouted Habibur Khan, his trusted aide. There was a resounding explosion and the acrylic stench of burnt flesh – that was the last thing Bose remembered before blackness prevailed…

It was a year before those eyes opened again… He tried to move but atrophy had overpowered his limbs. His dry crackled groan prompted a worried young monk to call the Marpapa. That was the first time he laid eyes on Master Thich Thai Thuan. There was a twinkle in his old wise eyes. He spoke and Bose could immediately sense a strange power emanating from that voice, ‘Sensei Bose, it indeed gladdens me to see you awake. Take rest now, we will speak when you are stronger!’ Bose drifted off again..

From that day on, Bose’s recovery was swift, willed on by his steely grit. He realized very soon that something was different.. He had crystal clear vision even without his charred thick rimmed glasses.. He had already noticed that all his flab was gone and his body looked much more supple and healthy. His aging limbs had become muscular and sinewy. His mind was raging with a million questions. Where was he? How did he survive that horrendous crash? What had they done to him? But Thuan didn’t seem to be in a hurry to answer his questions.. Any attempt to get answers was met with a calm smile and ‘All in good time Master Bose’.. It frustrated him no end, this calm countenance..

A week later Bose was allowed to venture out to the river.. He approached the crystal clear water and recoiled in horror… he couldn’t recognize his own face!! A handsome stranger stared back at him from the waters..

He burst into Master Thuan’s study ‘What have you done to me? What trickery is this? I want to know!’Master Thuan sighed and beckoned him to sit down..

” Master Bose, when you were brought to this temple, you were on the verge of death - Your face and neck were completely charred, your limbs broken! I had no alternative but to use our most closely guarded potion– the ‘furousen’ – the fountain of youth to save your life. You will never age. The Furousen also brings with it other powers which you will learn in due course.. “

Half a century later he was still discovering the full extent of his powers..

----------------

‘Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!’ The cry of anguish awoke him from his reverie.. ‘Oh my God! Master Thuan..’ he knew instantly. He rushed to the master’s quarters.. Thuan lay in a pool of dark blood, ‘Bose.. my friend. There is no time..it was Kalia!’ he coughed violently spitting out blood, ‘return to India. I...I stopped you all these years. But now the time has come.. My room.. The attic.. box..’ and he fell down motionless.

Bose had been trained enough to know that there was no time to lose.. he rushed to the master’s room, opened the trapdoor to the attic, and thrust the wrought iron chest under his cloak before jumping out of the window into the swirling waters below. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the entire monastery burst into one gigantic ball of fire..

The strong icy cold current and jagged rocks would have killed any ordinary mortal in an instant. But Bose was no ordinary mortal. He swam effortlessly and broke into a run as soon as he hit the bank not even pausing to catch a breath…

The next day a clean shaven, handsome young man dressed in a business suit boarded the flight from Tokyo to Delhi. The large iron chest did warrant a second look, but the false bottom and its deadly contents escaped the attention of the overworked airport crew.. 

Kalia! Bose knew that Kalia was the dreaded henchman of Shaitansingh, the dreaded politician and naxal warlord who ran his drug and human trafficking business out of Delhi.. 

Attire: Bose looked at himself in the cracked mirror at the cheap Delhi hotel. Not bad for a 112 year old he thought. Virgin alloy plated Japanese armor which couldn’t be pierced by bullet or blade, adorned his proud torso. At his hip swayed the dreaded twin blades of Shinkoji shimmering in the twilight. The large crossbow of Tsun Jo (folklore had it that this bow had never missed its target) swung effortlessly from his broad shoulders. Wrapped around his neck was the famed invisibility cloak of Renkoji. Twin ankle holsters carried the daggers of Time, betraying their supernatural origins through a pale blue glow.

The rebel was ready for retribution..

Blue - A review

Yesterday I blew 140 bucks on Blue,

sadly none of the actors seemed to have a clue.

Lara doesnt leave much to imagination,

sanjay Dutt seems to have a perennial bout of indigestion.

Akshay Kumar looks more like a goat,

The biggest role in the movie is that of the boat.

Zayed falls for Katrina's guiles,

The lacklustre comedy fails to even bring smiles.

Fail to see where all the money was spent,

this mindless drivel wont even earn enough to pay rent.

N since I'm running out of rhyming verses,

I'll stop before you ladies hit me with your purses.. (sorry kuch aur ja nahi rahi tha)

Pigs can fly!!

We had a few creative snaps taken for the Placement brochure. After the photoshoot was done it was time for some of our own creative juices to kick in...

                Step 1: The constipated look on our faces

                     Step 2: Take off!

                                                                

                                 Step 3: In full flight!

Good times... Sure is fun to be a student again!!

Placecom

Got into the Placement Committee! Yipppppeeee...

Tidings from Manamai...

On a lighter note here are a few images near Mayajaal (that's the huge mall around 50 kms from the Manmai Campus)The name of the shop is " Cargo Security and Detective Bureau" - Pretty impressive cover they have though... inside the shop they sell tea. Talk about diversification :)

 

Another picture I have is of two insects mating at Manamai beach. Now why do you have to go to Manamai beach to get a picture of two insects you may ask. Well go ahead and ask. To this my answer would be - it's my blog, I can pretty much put up whatever I want...:P

The last picture I want to leave you with, is when we went shopping to Mahabalipuram. They have these 4 seater rickshaws here in Chennai. Now sometimes they are a little stretched a little further than their capacity. On this particular occasion

 there were 13 people in one rickshaw! N guess what... Chinmay and I were part of the lucky 13... enjoy!

Week 1: Moving in..

March 22nd: We took the first flight in from Pune and reached Chennai at 7:30. The flight actually reached 15 minutes early, which was a novel thing for me. We moved to the old campus at Saidapet initially for registration. Later we were taken bag and baggage in tow to Green Coconut, a resort on the East Coast Road.

The next day we set off for our Outbound Training Camp called 'Adventure Zone' . The two day camp consisted of Rappelling, Rock Climbing, Obstacle Avoidance and an Orienteering schedule. Having had some prior experience at Rappelling I aced this easily. Rock climbing was a bigger challenge owing to my not so inconspicuous tummy. The Obstacle course and Orienteering was a lot of fun even though lot of us ended up with scraped knees. Nights consisted of people getting to know each other through idle chit chat, animated discussions and 'sutta' banter.

After the adventure trail,we were taken back to Green coconut. The next 3 days we basically spent watching the IPL, gobbling up gargantuan amounts of food and attending the occasional lecture in between.

An important event during this period was the inaguration of the new green campus and the convocation ceremony of the outgoing Champions batch at the Chennai Convention centre. Shashi Tharoor was the chief guest. Hearing him speak was a revelation. In fact he was by far the most effective orator I have heard by a long shot.

The new campus was inaugurated post lunch by Adi Godrej. Also present were Jamshed Godrej, Madhur Bajaj and T N Seshan besides of course the effervescent uncle Bala.

Another noteworthy episode in the first week was the first lecture of T N Seshan. This gentleman walked in at the stroke of 10. The first thing he said to the students was " I have to go back home at 12!". What followed during the next two hours was amazing. The normally boisterous crowd sat rapt in attention, as Seshan proceeded to recount his entire life story. He spoke of the days when he drove a bus as a transport commissioner. He spoke of the time he defied Rajiv Gandhi as his security in chief , to cut short his Sri Lanka trip in the light of a security threat. He spoke of the time when he was 'transferred' 7 times in a single day. He also proceeded to give us a brief history of India right from when Aryans migrated down south to India, right till Narsimha Rao brought liberalisation to India. Unbelievable to say the least... The best moment of the day was his answer to a student's query as to how he dealt with the stress of his long public service. His response was (and i quote) " Cheee.... Whaaaat stress! There is no such thing as stress!"

True to his word he left at 12 sharp leaving us all richer for the experience.

All in all a pretty satisfying week which set the tone for things to come... Cheers!

Change is here...

                   So it's official. I'm leaving the cosy desk job at IBM to pursue an MBA at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai. For the uninitiated, it's a young college still finding it's feet. They offer a one year PGPM degree. Now for the reasons why i decided to take the plunge.

1. It's one of the few good 1 year programs in India, besides ISB and IIMA's PGPX.(Both of which have really steep fees, so were not as attractive in the current scenario). A one year course makes sense right now, given that I have 3 years of work ex under my belt.

2. The founders are the same as that of ISB. The Dean, Bala Balchandran (or Bala Uncle as he is fondly referred to by Glakers), a formidable Northwesterner conceptualised the institute and it has achieved a 100 percent placement record right since it's inception 4 years back, which is remarkable feat for such a fledgling institute.

3. Till recently Glakes was a non residential MBA program. But that's all set to change with the Patriots (batch of 2009-10) to move into a platinum rated campus near Mahabalipuram.

4. The rich and diverse profiles of the Greatlakers of 2009. The average batch experience is around 42 months. I have seen a doctor and a guy who's spent the last 3 years on a ship overseas amongst the current. That' speaks volumes for diversity.

5. I was also very impressed by their screening process where they took a holistic view of an individual into consideration. The entire interview, conference room meeting, profile marking  process was impressive to say the least.

6. The single occupancy rooms :-)

7. The empirical study with Yale and the option of dual specialization.

8. Lastly, high time I shift base from Pune. I've been in Pune for the first 24 years of my life and there is a general feeling (I wont take names) that I'm incapable of fending for myself.I want to put that theory to test. A year at Chennai would help put things in perspective.