Synapse at IIMK: Marketing comes of age

Another of the firsts happened at IIMK this weekend and this time, it was the first ever marketing seminar on campus. With some big names from the marketing arena making their presence felt over the two days of the seminar, the atmosphere was, if not completely awe-inspiring, at least electrified. The first years were witnessing an event at IIMK for the first time and fortunately, the event turned out to be a success in all respects.

Association with such firsts is always an exhilarating experience for the organizers and I am sure that the Mpower coordinators and volunteers who worked for the seminar enjoyed the entire thing right from the conception to the execution to the post event bickering. In fact, this is one major advantage with IIMK. Being a young institute, it presents so many opportunities for students to make the institute evolve with themselves, in the process setting traditions and leaving their foot prints on the sands of time.

Unfortunately, I could not attend even a single of the sessions in the seminar and hence it is impossible to present a first person review of what happened. Much that I wanted to, assignment submissions, a bad mood, and some pending matters kept me away from all the action that I should not have missed, considering especially that I am a marketing major and have a special thing for the area. Anyway, be that as it may, let me just give a few links that shall guide the readers as to what happened at IIMK's Synapse, the marketing seminar with the theme of "The brand new world - Local competencies, Global challenges".

Pre-event

Business Line's Marketing page

Online information at CoolAvenues

Exchange4Media News

Post-event

The Hindu reports

Pagalguy article

CoolAvenues Online Report

A student's perspective

A page in my journal

It's been a long time since I posted something about what has been happening to me and my life. In fact, ever since I decided to change the shape of Mode C and make it what it can possibly be - my face to the world, I have been writing stuff that is as far from my life as possible. This helps me avoid any unpleasantness that inadvertently occurs when I get too close to my emotions and feelings about something that has been happening around me. It helps me avoid absolute (negative or positive) references to real events and people and thus, exonerates me from the sins of life blogging...or that is what I would like to believe, and that is what has made it possible for me to retain Mode C in whatever form it exists today.

All the same, in nature with the public vehicle that Mode C has now become, there is another angle that can be touched upon and that is, to let people (who are interested, of course) know what has been happening in my life without going any deeper. So here is an account (warning: those not interested in me or my life may skip this post right now and wait for my next movie review :-)) of what's been up since I landed at IIMK and moved into G hostel (which is the last Mode C knows about my life)...

The juniors have come to the campus, one hundred and sixty six of them (minus a couple who have left for greener pastures) and they certainly have made the campus more colorful in terms of their shear number and of course, the initial enthusiasm that a generally high work-ex batch brings with it as a part of the two year holiday package. There are quite some married people in the batch and one couple is actually staying together on campus (and no, not both of them study here). They have been doing the usual, getting bulk deals on laptops (a good deal they got, too), arranging for the lowest possible bank loan interests (which has been dealt with properly, too), and of course getting involved in the politics as committees start getting nominations and the election dates come closer.

Talking about elections, Backwaters received 43 nominations amidst widespread allegations of misconduct by Backwaters committee members in trying to influence the nominees' choices. sTrEAM Backwaters, of course, maintains that the large number of nominations was all due to the "different" presentation they had made to the junior batch. Getting that presentation together had been a delight, of course. I had a basic idea which was further sharpened by the sTrEAM's inputs (especially Pakow's Troy idea). Although there was initial skepticism about the entire thing, the team that we are, all of us got round to executing the thing with full gusto and the result, a presentation that was something that has not been done before. Although it could have done with some editing, I am still proud of my sTrEAM and the way they believed in a vague idea and made it a reality...a small thing for some, perhaps but not at all inconsequential as far as I am concerned.

Konnect had a presentation, too and although I had decided to remove or at least minimize my association with Konnect, somehow I got involved in this one, too. Another something that has not been done before...more of a performance than a presentation. With editing proving to be our nemesis yet again, the overall impact was nevertheless, quite decent.

Recently, I have been inching away from Konnect to make sure that it gets owned by more people in the batch and does not end up being the dream of an individual. For me, it can never be an individual initiative and unless the batches here take note of it and start setting foundations for Konnect, there is no chance of any tradition being born. There will be problems galore and some of them have already started creeping in. Even as of today, Konnect is not considered official (not a committee, neither an interest group) and perhaps, it should not be made official by force or persuasion. Perhaps, there is much more to be done yet before the current batch realizes that there is no other option but to give a standing to Konnect's popularity...but as I said, unless this dream is owned by more and more people, there is no going forward.

Once I have started on Konnect, let me bring things to the logical sequence by talking about the Treasure Hunt that Konnect organized a few days back. I had to get into the thick of things yet again despite having yearned for seeing people take the entire thing up by themselves...but there has been progress, no doubt with more people joining the Konnect bandwagon. Kudos to the Konnect Team for organizing a splendid first event of the year and kudos to those who participated in Kaptain Konnect's maiden voyage (especially people from the senior batch who proved the dictum wrong that only juniors participate in anything requiring enthusiasm and seniors either sleep or sleep soundly).

Things have actually come to a passé as history repeats itself and my over indulgence in public activities (read taking random initiatives) once again received flak from unknown sources. Like in college, there has been nothing directly spoken to my face (how I wish that had happened, instead) but there have been what can be called feelers (direct or indirect) that point to the futility of it all. Kdio had not been my idea but I had taken it up for the good initiative that it was. After the most polite of hints that I received from some body who wants to know "how many people think Kdio sucks", I was pissed off but later, saddened...more due to my lack of understanding than that of the person(s) involved. Now again, I am going into my emotions which I had promised I will not. So let me end this particular episode by saying that counter to that one action by one (or few) individual(s), there have been so many supporting me that I am sure I will be back with Kdio (and other such initiatives, of course) sometime soon.

In the meanwhile, classes have been pretty sporadic and given the schedule of the visiting faculty for most of the courses, the trend is likely to continue. None of the marketing subjects that I have taken this term have started yet and it has been a dosage of finance that has been keeping me busy so far in this term. Fixed Income Securities, Management of Banking and Financial Services, and Portfolio Management have all started and apart from FIS, I am comfortable with the other two and of course, with the compulsory Strategic Management course. As far as FIS goes, I have to brush up more of my basics (well, almost all of them) if I am to enjoy and utilize the immense knowledge and experience that the course faculty brings to class.

sTrEAM BACKWATERS

There are so many things that one takes for granted in life and yet there are so many otheres that we do not wish to believe in despite the apparent authenticity of the same. In the initial stages, Backwaters for me was such an absolute farce that I had no hopes of long term associations or any other such freebie that one would normally associate with any sustained group effort of such proportions. Fortunately, I am now able to say that not only have I proved myself wrong over and over again, I have actually started forming a kind of strong (or what Reddy likes to call 'senti') bond with each one...ok, perhaps not each one, but the majority at least :-)... of sTrEAM BACKWATERS.

The upsTrEAM

Deepa "The Designer" Mohan



Right from the T-shirts to the banners to even the stage backdrop and the certificates, she was behind it all. After all, the NIFT training had to come good some day ;-). Deepa was amongst the quiet ones in the sTrEAM, but at the same time quietly effective. Not one to spare too many words...not even when she was angry (if ever), she used to listen us all out and in her subdued voice, berate someone (most often Vikhyat) for some mischief or the other. The fructification of the "reddy" idea, and of course the sTrEAM BACKWATERS t-shirts will always be memorable for the rest of us. With her soon-to-be hubby, Prashant visiting the insti during Backwaters, the event would certainly have been doubly joyous for her.

At a personal level, I had very little interaction with her right upto backwaters. It was only during the last few days that I actually got to speak to her and I must say that I found in her, a close resemblance to my project seniors at Infy, especially Gomathi and Ramya...she is just the same...from Chennai, the elder sister-esque attitude towards most of us, and of course a lot of fun to be with (most of the times, the fun would be at her expense).


Deepak "The Party" Chowdhry



This one belongs to the 'stud' group. Arguably one of the best dancers in the insti, having achieved quite a lot including a PPO from Asian Paints, and having really worked hard at the hospitality of Backwaters 2004, DC (as we know him) was the experience sharing guy this time. With names, addresses of the hostels, guest houses and numerous tips and tricks up his sleeve to get things done, he was a welcome participant at the Backwaters meetings (that is, whenever he could find time to come :-)).

On the personal front, once again I must say that I have not really formed a friendship with DC though I am sure that if I see him five years hence, I will say Hi to him (and hope that the vice-versa would also be true). In fact, for some reasons or the other, even before I came into Backwaters, I had expected him to be the person in charge and had actually looked up to him in the initial few days. However, with his interest waning (for whatever reasons), I was a bit skeptical about his involvement and the Backwaters in totality, as well.


Harman "The Mess" Sachdeva



Another one of the silent types (at least in relation to Backwaters), Harman wanted to do quite a lot for the fest but could not contribute as much because of his own reasons. He did take care of the proceedings from the Mess and in his own way, came up with substantial help by putting up signs, posters all over the place. Not really a party to the fun that we had in the sTrEAM, he played his part well as far the work was concerned.

Personally, I thought that I had decent relations with him till that (un)fortunate night when in Gaurav's room, he gave me a blasting about practices being followed in the Backwaters committee. With that being sorted out soon however, things have been back to normal right till the present moment. In fact, he did use to approach me for finding out ways in which he could contribute to Backwaters without really making himself conspicuous.


Gaurav "The Planner" Gollerkeri



Most easily the brain behind Backwaters 2004, Gaurav had all good intentions to steer Backwaters 2005 to a decent, if not great fortune. That he was doomed right in the beginning was apparent in his mails that smelt of his frustration for our inaction despite being garbed in the best and the most neutral of words. He did most of the co-ordination in the initial stages and was actually responsible for providing the building block for the junior committee to get and gel together. Though he missed the fest because he had to go to Delhi for the University Challenge Finals, he was there at the backstage throughout the planning and most of the execution.

My interaction with him dates back to the good old BT Acumen debate when we went to Bangalore as a team (he went for the quiz and I for the debate). As per my perceptions, I found him a hard worker, sort of revolutionary in thoughts but not as much in action, and overall a "nice guy". Inspite of the ISB debate being another frontier of interaction with GG (as most of us call him), I never really got close to him as I am sure not many would have. Either he is not that kind of a guy who believes in frivolous associations or perhaps I did not understand him.


Nireeksha "The Exclusive T-shirt" Reddy



She will probably be remembered the most for two things: the registration, first and second, the exclusive t-shirts of the sTrEAM BACKWATERS. She was the one who kept putting up this question in almost every other meeting...after everything else was discussed and under the table, of course. She took up registrations during the fest and really took it up once and for all. With her own support staff in Divya, Tity and later Rahul Gandhi, she did the toiler's as well as the delegator's jobs equally well.

As far as I am concerned, I did have a few misgivings for most part of pre-event happenings in relation to her. She may not have meant it but the impression that I used to get in the meetings when I heard her talk was that either the seniors were not interested in Backwaters at all or even if they were interested, they were not really interested in letting us be interested in the fest. The meetings that we 'came to know' of, the "Is there anything else you guys want to talk about?" questions, did put me off but not for long...for I did realize, though much later, how much Nireeksha was both committed about Backwaters as well as accommodating with respect to the six of us.


Rahul "The Food Stall" Gandhi



Apart from managing MotherJane and being absent for most part of the pre-event happenings, Rahul Gandhi did not have any real time to spare for Backwaters. With studies not being his priority either, he was out of town for most of the one month that was to make or break Backwaters. Not really the one to make his presence felt at the sTrEAM meetings, he was a minor player as far as Backwaters was concerned this year. His core speciality of getting rock groups to tour IIMK and give a handful of people a taste of the rock medicine did not help either, with him not being available for confirmation till the last minute. He did make his presence felt, however, by single-handedly causing the sky-rocketing of the sales of the food stall at Backwaters.

Apart from the rock show at the IT Seminar, I did not really have much interaction with Rahul though I have had the chance to hear a lot about him from a lot of people. Admittedly, he is capable of a lot which he proved during the well conducted rock show at the IT Seminar, but to make him work would have always been a very tough nut to crack.



The downsTrEAM

Malini "The Team Kits" Pande



Always ready with a free laugh and doubly free flowing with her words, Malini had one of those brighten-the-dull-proceedings effect on the sTrEAM. On the work distribution front, she took up the backend work on Team Registrations and though she was not really in the limelight for long, she put up a great show as far as ensuring the lack of any pitfalls was concerned. She came out as one of those who take up their assigned responsibilities with a pinch of salt and a lot of enthu which is what she finally did, and which is what made it possible for her to smile through the work.

One of the first regular visitors to my blog (got to know that from a few referring webpages being the mail in her inbox, that I had sent to the batch and which had my blog's link), we never really hit it off till quite recently and I am still not sure of her. What I did realize after this Backwaters was that though she is a bit too high on the light side and perhaps not suited to the hot and cold moods of mine that my friends have to bear, at the same time, she is one of those who I can chill in front of, without thinking much about what the other person would be thinking of...a cool girl who knows what she is talking about but does not let the other person think too much about the reasons for which she has been talking thus.


Nitai "The good-for-nothing" Utkarsh



Considering the late stage that I came into Backwaters and the absolute lack of energy that two years of work experience has drilled inside me, I was always destined to be this no-gooder who can talk a lot but do little. The worst part was that after having isloated myself from the proceedings initially, I tried my hand in almost everything soon after and came a cropper, as can be expected. Whether it be called seeking attention (as some of my critical friends call it) or typical Gemini violent mood swings (which my close friends know of), I did all that I should not have done and very little of what I should have. The most important reason probably was that I did not know where to draw the line between working for the event and working the event (perhaps the working can also be read as living).


Qaynat "The Play" Sharma

 

The producer (and not the director, please remember...and remember too that she can not be under estimated) of the now-so-famous play, Qaynat did her part in style. Even in her zombie state past 11 in the night, she managed to catch hold of the responsibility assigned to her and not only succeeded in getting on the nerves of all involved (by pestering them into being present for the play practice, for learning their lines and what not), but also made a spectacle of a play in association with JC, Pakow, Neeta, and all others. She was also one of the creative inputs of the team and with Deepa leading the way and Vikhyat and Reddy learning the tricks fast, she could also be counted upon for the a-ha effect inducing work.

Honestly speaking, I had this prejudice against her from the very start of the first term about her being a nakchadi...probably because I have seen most of the girls, who have even the barest minimum of decent looks and even the barest minimum number of guys following them, get their airs up (Qaynat has quite a bit of both, I believe). That she not only turned out to be different but that I can also manage to speak to her and tease her as a friend (even on the lines of Richa, Sweta, et al) now, speaks volumes of what prejudices hold you against. The only thing that she still lacks is maybe that 293 gms (as Ashwarya says) of grey colored matter :-)...jokes apart, a fun person to be with who is also a tad sentimental, has those mood swings, and conks off after 11 PM.


Sandeep "The Stalls" Reddy



With his wavy locks almost about to make the record books and his fiery temper likely to end up in the sets for any Hollywood potboiler, Sandeep Reddy (or just Reddy, as we call him...the new name Laali (Laal=Red) suits too, I think) was one of those rare balances of planning and doing during Backwaters 2005. Not one to raise his voice but also someone who would almost always be heard, he made sure that the committee members stood up for the responsibility that the voters' mandate had put upon them. The deadly toiling away irrespective of what way the others contributed...with an amazing conviction showed us all the way till the very end as he took up the stalls work during the fest, getting the stage erected and making sure that he gets to shake a leg on it, as well.

Not much of a personal interaction in the past here, as well...Reddy and I have been on good acquaintance terms before Backwaters and there was always the customary hello that passed between us whenever we met (typical of guys studying in the same batch in the same school). After Backwaters, though I can not really say that Reddy is one of my closest chums but all the same, I have come to understand that he is a person who goes deeper than many of us, carries a lot of things in his heart and mind without letting much show, but at the same time, he is capable of making people around him very comfortable, in deed...a serious guy with a mature outlook on life and a fun interpretation of it.


Saurabh "The CWRDM" Goswami



Right from being nervous about things being done at the last moment to eating away words when he was frustrated but never really letting it out loud, Saurabh has been a colleague's delight in the sTrEAM. Starting off from the sponsorships, as we all did, he was really particular about the CWRDM hostel and was almost about to get rooms booked there when we realized that we might not need them at all. Absent (while on duty, of course) for most of the first day and thus missing out on all the wonderful snaps that we took, Saurabh was another of those sane voices that do not have to be shouted to be heard. The grass root worker himself, he had a lot to offer to the sTrEAM in terms of his commitment to work really hard without expecting much appreciation, forget returns.

With too many Bengalis already having cluttered my friend list, there was every possibility that Saurabh would have ended up in the same list, as well. But with more than a dozen Bengalis in the batch, I hardly knew him before the Backwaters work really kicked off. Earlier as in the case of Qaynat, I had formed this impression about him being a cock-sure guy from some freaky background who has his way with words and who believes in style rather than substance. After Backwaters, I would perhaps count him as one of those with whom I can share a bad news (perhaps not a personal news...not yet)...a counselor who is a little too confused to follow his own counsel.


Vikhyat "The Financier" Srivastava



Easily the most important driving force behind Backwaters 2005, Vikhyat was there right from the beginning till the very end (whenever and if it is ever going to be). When all others had given up on the festival and almost moved out of the involvement in the event, it was Vikhyat who kept trying to keep the team together and more importantly, committed to the fest. Apart from Reddy, perhaps he was the only other person from the junior committee who really had a vision for this year's Backwaters. With promises of getting Yana Gupta and foreign participants for the fest, he did follow his convictions to the tee and actually went ahead with communications in the regard. During and after Backwaters, he has taken up the Fin Manager's role and performed it to perfection (the GE Consumer Finance summers must have certainly helped!).

Perhaps the only member of sTrEAM BACKWATERS I knew (and knew quite well, I think) before the event started, Vikhyat has been two doors next to me for about seven months now. Apart from the freshers' syndrome (taking every little thing too seriously) and the erstwhile spirited displays, there are hardly any other problems (aren't these enough???) with this guy. I have had quite a few fights with him on quite a few issues and non-issues, too but somehow we have always made up for it later. I am not sure but all this nonk-jhok must have created some friction that might remain for a long time to come but as for now, we are chums (or that is what I believe)...one of those guys who does not mind speaking his mind out loud but only when he can't get the message across earlier, by subtle hints or otherwise.



All things said and done, a great team that I had the fortune to be a part of and I am saying this not just for the sake of it but because it is a fact and that I really think that a team, with not even a single instance of even remotely major ego clashes over one whole month of frantic, frenzied activities spanning all hours of the day and night, must be appreciated.

With the elections over (Qaynat, why did you have to stand for the PlaceCom elections, they did you in...) and Prashant 'Pakow' Kaushik being the addition to the sTrEAM BACKWATERS above, and quite a few others expected to join in once our juniors arrive on campus, things are getting hot for Backwaters 2006. Given the team we have, this show is going to be the SHOW OF THE CENTURY.

As for Backwaters 2005, there have been so many whose efforts went unappreciated. I committed a farce when I first sent them mails saying (though it was said in jest...truly!) that though we can't promise t-shirts, we will try our best. I continued the farce when I made a Thanks list but waited for just too long to send it to enable someone else to send a generic thanks message to both the batches.

I don't really know how many of you would see this but if at all you are readin this, I just want to say Thank You and that had it not been for you guys (and for all others that I have missed, thereby committing my third farce), Backwaters 2005 would not have been possible.

Aaditya S
Roohafza, the BCA play
4L, the marketing game
Sponsorship

Abhijeet S
KonfuZION, the informals

Abhijit C
Brand Killing, the marketing paper
Sponsorship

Abhinav G
Sponsorship
Konsultant, the systems game

Aditya C
Online Games
4L, the marketing game

Amarpreet S
KonfuZION, the informals
Media Coverage
Movie Marathon

Amit D
Get RocKin!, the party

Amit M
Sponsorship
Mess coordination

Anirudh J
Konsultant, the systems game

Anshu P
Roohafza, the BCA play

Anudeep N
Opium, the operations game

Anuj M
Roohafza, the BCA play

Anupam KS
Opium, the operations game
Sponsorship

Anurag P
Online Games
4L, the marketing game
IT infrastructure

Archana V
Cultural Nite

Ashwarya S
Hospitality

Balpreet S
Media Coverage

Debojyoti G
Online Games

Deepak M
Hospitality
Paper presentations

Deepak N
Web Site Development

Devroop D
Publicity

Dhananjay M
Roohafza, the BCA play

Dheeraj B
Sponsorship

Divya I
Registration Desk
Cultural Nite

Gaurav V
Roohafza, the BCA play

Harish V
Online Games
Opium, the operations game

Harsh B
Pitbulls, the finance game

Hemant K
Online Games
Roohafza, the BCA play

Jasleen K
Paper presentations

Jaspreet C
Ten Little Indians, the play

Jena P
Tent & stalls
coordination

Kalyan A
Music Concert

Kanav RK
Auditorium Coordination
Ten Little Indians, the play
Hospitality

Karan B
Media Coverage

Karan S
Roohafza, the BCA play
Sponsorship

Kaushik S
Web Site Development

KNS Srinivas
Online Games
Roohafza, the BCA play

Kulasekhar P
Online Games

Kunal B
Brand Killing, the marketing paper

Lijo JM
Sponsorship
Tent & Stalls Coordination

Manish M
Roohafza, the BCA play

Mayank MA
Online Games
4L, the marketing game

Neel K
Roohafza, the BCA play
4L, the marketing game

Neeta S
Ten Little Indians, the play
T-shirts

Nikhil K
4L, the marketing game
Paper Presentations

Pavan V
4L, the marketing game
Paper Presentations

Pawan P
Sponsorship

Prajakt ND
Hospitality

Pralay KC
Paper Presentations

Puneet P
Ten Little Indians, the play

Rajat K
Roohafza, the BCA play
Sponsorship

Sangita N
Cultural Nite

Sathish VM
Sinking Dollar, the finance paper

Shweta N
Cultural Nite

Sreekanth V
Roohafza, the BCA play

Sundesh SS
Hospitality
Movie Marathon

Tushar C
Roohafza, the BCA play

Nilanjan K
Online Games
Video Coverage

Nitin M
Kautilya, the strategy game
Publicity

Pankhuri J
Roohafza, the BCA play
Music Concert

Pavithra BP
Ten Little Indians, the play
Sponsorship

Pranay HR
Flash Animation
Publicity

Prashant D
Roohafza, the BCA play

Prashant J
Web Site Development

Prashant JK
Online Games
Ten Little Indians, the play
KonfuZION, the informals
Music Concert
Sponsorships

Prashant K
Audio Coordination
Music Concert

Praveen T
Cultural Nite

Priya TS
Media Coverage

R Viswanathan
Konsultant, the systems game

Rahul R
Sinking Dollar, the finance paper

Rahul RA
Get RocKin!, the party

Raul S
Sponsorship

Ravi G
Online Games
Hospitality
Sponsorship
Tent & stalls coordination

Reuben A
Get RocKin!, the party

Richard D
Web Site Development
MBT Live Case Study

Rohit B
Events Coordination

Rohit G
Sponsorship
Publicity

Sandeep G
Cultural Nite

Sharika M
Auditorium Coordination
Sinking dollar, the finance paper

Shounak R
Ten Little Indians, the play
Kautilya, the strategy game

Siddharth RS
Roohafza, the BCA play

Sivaranjani
T-shirts

Srijenani S
T-shirts

Surabhi BP
Online Games
Sponsorship

Suryanarayanan
Ten Little Indians, the play

Swapna S
Ten Little Indians, the play

Tarun S
Web Site Development

Tity ML
Registration Desk

Vidhyut S
Ten Little Indians, the play
Kautilya, the strategy game

Vijay VR
Konsultant, the systems game
Integrated Outsourcing, the systems paper
Media Coverage

Vikram J
Kautilya, the strategy game

Vinay M
Mess coordination

Vipul P
Roohafza, the BCA play

Vishak JH
Web Site Development
Online Games

Saurabh S
Kautliya, the strategy game

Yash S
Cultural Nite

Is it the end...or the beginning?

If they ever tell my story
Let them say
that I walked with giants
IIM Kozhikode
Backwaters 2005
i was there!

Two days of frantic activity preceded by three weeks of hope-despair, action-inaction, love-hate, brightness-gloom, success-failure, evolution-apocalypse...Backwaters 2005 has come and gone and left me all drained. There was a time when we had been thinking of scrapping the event altogether and there is now, when we can't help gloating over the congratulatory mails coming in from different quarters about the professionalism of it all.

If some one asks me, I will have a different opinion about it probably because I saw it from such close quarters. My own personal involvement in Backwaters began only this January after the term break. Before that, I had firmly decided to be just a bystander and let things take their own course. I was not feeling a part of the process at all and the enthusiasm with which I had joined the committee was lost truly and completely...partly because of some misunderstandings...partly because the job was being done in a way I am not accustomed to. After the term break, the other feeling somehow caught on and seeing Vikhyat, Reddy, et al really willing to put in effort, and considering the team dynamics for the next year's festival, I thought it prudent to be a part of things as much as I could, without sacrificing my own ideals and beliefs on the altar of the fest.

It was difficult, no doubt and we did fail in a lot of things. As I wrote in my previous post, we may have been able to end the fest in some semblance of style, after all but the way I see it...we have failed in meeting our own expectations...No Yana Gupta...no Singaporean participants...no super-grand performances...no slew of participating teams...so much more to be desired...so much more to be accomplished.

The first day of Backwaters 2005 was full of nightmarish thoughts for the team...the logistics were amazingly complex and the experience in handling them very little. I must say that Reddy and Ravi (I owe you one for this) did a brilliant job with it and had it not been for the work they put in by arranging the hostel, the mattresses, going out to receive participants, helping them settle in, it would have been absolutely impossible to take even the first step. There were issues despite all this effort and I must thank faculty from a particular business school for it...they did try their best to make our nightmares come true.

With the hospitality settled, the registrations desk started operating at 8 in the morning of January 29th, 2005. I tried to help Nireeksha till the C-hostel help in the form of Tity and Divya arrived. In the meanwhile, Kanav and Sharika were doing a great job, decking up the auditorium for the first of the formal events, the paper presentations. For the informals, the start was absolutely inauspicious and it was then that I realized that this was going to be one frontier where we were going to fail...and that is what happened. Right till the very end of the fest, we could not have a proper informal game and in the end, had to settle with only 4 games instead of the ten we had originally planned. The body art was fun, though (probably because I won :)).

The formal events went like a song throughout the two days and had absolutely no issues, thanks to Kanav and Sharika and to the event coordinators in Rahul, VV, Kunal, Abhijit, and so many others. As for the games, they were truly amongst the most innovative of the few that I have seen in management fests in different B-schools. The markeing and strategy games went on for two full days and it goes to the credit of the 4L and the Kautilya team that they were actually able to grab the attention of participants for so long. The Ops game was a huge hit as well. I don't know what Prof Haug gave Anudeep and team and what they finally made out of it...what I do know is a team asking me if they could have a look at how the game was designed as they were so impressed by it. The systems game by AbaKus and the finance game by Biyani proved their own mettle with teams actually letting go of fun events like informals to participate in these games.

The highlight of the festival, however, turned out to be the cultural nites that we had planned. From a stage where we did not know if we will have even one performance and were thinking of stop gap arrangements, we turned around to a time where the stop gaps actually became the stars of the show. With an excellent play by PGP1, a fun riot by PGP2, and some entertaining displays of talent by both the batches, the cul nite was amazing, to say the least. Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, despite all apprehensions, proved himself worthy of my trust. The day I asked Prashant to try to get him here, I knew that people will be skeptical about an artist they haven't really heard of...but then again, having listened to Pt. Bhatt play at BHU, I knew that his will be a popular and memorable performance.

As for the Ten Little Indians, what else can I say but that all you guys have done a great job and deserve a treat at the Taj (only if I could afford it :)). With Qaynat, the producer, making life difficult for the actors...Jaspreet and Pakow, the directors making people sweat over the finest of details...Neeta, Jaspreet and Pakow giving the desi touch to the script and even putting in the local masala...Jaspreet trying to fulfill his movie making ambitions and coming out with some mind-boggling graphics...and above all, the award winning performances of the cast (especially Shounak, Kanav and Neeta)...all these and much more went into making the play into what it came out as. When we were starting out with the concept of the play and having those initial discussions about what to do and how to go about doing it, I just had this idea that the play should not be a mere story telling, but more of a display of theatrical talent that we have, for all those who come to Backwaters...and by God, what superb talent have you guys displayed!

There are so many things that are still pending. There is this small matter of settling the bills, and trying to find out how much are we falling short by and doing something about it. I am sure that it is not going to be huge...given the hard work that Vikhyat has put in, in trying to hold the finances and accounting together. And then there is this thing of sending the reimbursement and prize money to participants from other colleges and of course, to our own prize winners.

There is so much more to write about , apart from this rather journalistic account of what happened. Probably in a later post, I would love to write about sTrEAM BACKWATERS, the team that made it all happen and about how I fit into the team or how I didn't...my own personal disagreements, my own assimilation into the team and how we took it on, sometimes united...sometimes not too much on the same side.

Riding on the back of time

More than two fortnights since my last post. I know that this is now becoming more routine than incident and that every second post has almost the same starting line, but then again, I also know that it is not due to lack of motivation or inspiration. It has more to do with the time, as it usually has. Somehow, and probably for one of those rare occasions, time has given me a beating and a proper beating at that.

Backwaters is on in full flow and there has hardly been any day or any night when I, and the sTrEAM Backwaters, of course, have not been thinking of the event, its sponsorship, logistics. Issues are as myriad as they come. There is this need to get the maximum out of the sources of funds and at the same time, decide where you want to draw the line between going out for more funds and managing the operations with whatever you have. There is the task of talking to various college committees for funds, which is a bit of a pain despite the helpful initiatives by the people. It seems as if everyone is laughing at us behind our backs and we have become a pitiable stock with every gossip centered on the next level to which the Backwaters committee has fallen to get funds.

The elections to Placement committee, in fact, was one of those times that the members of the Backwaters committee got a good verbal thrashing. Everyone, who had the opportunity, made the most out of it and came out with explicit opinions as to the nature of affairs. Nilanjan said that he had come forward to get Backwaters out of the mess when asked about what he has done for the batch, and there was Mayank who seemed to know all the means that the committe has been adopting in getting the brand IIMK higher (including us supposedly asking for pathetically small amounts from local shopkeepers...did I hear anyone say 250 bucks from Mezbaan...comeon, we haven't fallen that much).

All this is frustrating, especially when I know that there is more than meets the eye in this case...and that it is not possible to tell all without destroying a few reputations, straining a few relationships...and I have had my fill of those...not any more, at least not for as long as I can avoid.

The other concerns are many, too. There is the need to keep the team together. Despite the excellent way in which the team has come together so far, and the way we keep smiling through the odds against us, there can be moments-a-dozen where the things might just be a little too much to handle. I must say that I am dreading the arrival of those moments but as of now, things are as well as they could have been.

Designing and maintaining the online games for Backwaters has given me more sleepless nights than any thing else that I have got myself into at any point in time. With a sleep debt (Pavan might not agree to this) of more than ten days, I had to miss six hours of classes one fine Monday. With a difficult deadline and an even more difficult sourcing of questions, we had to beat all standard practices by launching the games with the most minimal of testing, often causing blunders and technical problems that were, to put in a word, embarassing.

At the same time, there have been so many people who have volunteered and helped that it is hard to repay them for all that they have done in words. It has been because of them that we were able to meet the deadline and do a decent, if not a great job. More than the amount or level of work they might have done, what really touched me was their willingness to put in time and effort at something that they were not really duty bound to do. We, as part of the Backwaters Committee, however, were supposed to do all that and more, and I believe that even though we may succeed in carrying off Backwaters with some style finally, we would have failed...failed not in making Backwaters happen...but failed in meeting our own expectations.

Besides Backwaters, there have been a host of other things happening on campus. Yash, Raul and gang did a great job with Arthanomics, the finance seminar at IIMK. With the list of speakers reading like the Who's Who of the Indian finance industry, I am sure that the Fin enthusiasts would have had a great time. I really regret having to miss most of the sessions of the Arthanomics weekend (though I did try to attend as many as I could) due to the Backwaters work, especially the online events work which was going live on Monday.

Another event that came and went without much ado was the re-elections for the Student Council and for the Placement Committee. The last time I wrote about elections, it created such a big hue and cry that I had to actually take the post down. This time, I am sure that not many would even bother to read what I think of the elections, and thankfully so...not because I want to create a scandal or wanted to do that the first time, for that matter...for I still think that the situation has not changed much from what it was a few months ago.

It is actually sad to see that even in a supposedly intelligent society like an IIM, popularity and appeal get more prominence compared to real work, talent, and suitability for job. I know that many might not agree to me and that this is what makes democracy what it is, but I would still say that the reason people lose or win elections, even in a society representing the intelligentsia, is absolutely meaningless and has got nothing to do with what they are capable of doing or what they may have done in the past.

More than that, the King Makers continued to rule, though the nature of their rule and influence has undergone a major change. They no longer exert an overt influence but there is a more covert appeal that goes out, a canvassing that is more felt than heard...but that is how a democracy operates, I guess...no rights or wrongs, just going where the herd goes. The only thing that pinches a little is the future of the big talks that we keep throwing and accepting about the pathetic state of Indian democracy and the rampant corruption. If this is how we are going to deal with it ourselves, I am not really clear about what we might do on the road ahead for the society and country at large. 

Yana Gupta Part 2 and What's in a Name...

I had joined the Backwaters committee with a lot of plans, to make possible an event that shall be remembered for a long time in IIM K. There were so many things and so much enthusiasm in the initial days but somehow, all of that petered off when it was time to do something to achieve the objectives. The reasons were many, the least of them being any work load due to the academic curriculum in IIMK. I was not really bothered if I had to lose out on a few grade points but more important for me was the feeling of involvement that is so necessary for me to give my best. It may have been misunderstandings, it may have been the truth but I started feeling that a lot of us committee members were not really required and this put me off enough to isolate myself from whatever little was happening on this front.

But as it has been on past occasions, sense caught up with me at last and in view of another edition of the fest where I might be able to fulfil my promising promises, I got involved, rather involuntarily, in this year's Backwaters. Vikhyat's enthusiasm and his never-say-die fundaes played a very important role in the transition, of course and here I was, willing to cut a little flab off for Backwaters 2005.

With hardly any effort having gone in so far from the side of many of us, it was time to hunt for some money. The local sponsors, though not big fish(es), were a good enough avenue to knock around and the Junior Backwaters team divided itself into three groups to tap as much of the local pool as possible. Qanynat (also known as Qayamat :-)) and I started off with the Archies' Gallery, but with not much luck. The next stop was the adjoining Louis Philippe showroom, which is where the first of the two strange events of the evening took place.

As we were ushered into the Manager's dingy and suffocating chamber, and Qaynat started explaining to the bespectacled, sunk-in-his-seat figure before us about the fest, I could hardly avoid noticing the open-mouthed admiration of the poor guy for Qaynat's Qayamati accent and her jeans and shirt clad self. Having spent his entire life in the strictly conservative Calicut society, he wouldn't have expected any girl to be this Qayamati :-)

The proof of all that I had been thinking for so long came soon enough...
Manager: Where are you from?

Qayamat: Sir, I...
Manager: Are you from India?
Qayamat:
Nitai:

Yes, we were left speechless, and as I tried hard to stop the big guffaw that was dying to escape from my mouth, I was just wondering what the others would have to say when I tell them the story. And they did have a lot to say...trying to make amends for Yana Gupta's not coming to grace Backwaters as per Vikhyat's plans. With Qayamat coming from outside India anyways, she might be, in all probability, Yana's sister and making her perform at Backwaters would perhaps makeup for Yana's absence:-)

Another interesting thing that happened was when we went to this jewellery shop called Malabar Gold. After explaining what we had come for, the managers/owners said that they do not sponsor anything but that they could give us donations for five hundred rupees or gifts worth about the same if we did not name them in the fest. I thought that I had heard it wrong and told them that of course, when we announce the prizes that they had sponsored, we would say that this prize is sponsored by Malabar Gold and so on...but that was when the bomb dropped...they said that if we do name them, they are not going to give us anything. Strange....very strange.

As we came out of the shop with the gifts tucked in our arms, we were childishly happy for the evening's work done and in that we were not returning empty-handed. There was a lot to do on campus, as well...with alternate day meetings and so much more to arrange/finalise before we can be confident of a good Backwaters '05...

The other perspective

 

It is strange but true. People seldom try to put themselves in other shoes and get the other perspective before thinking and talking about something. Vikhyat was speaking of the fun and spirit of the game day before yesterday when he was not a part of either the people getting the points, nor of the people losing them. Today at Antakshari, when his team was liable to lose because of the small issue that should have been neglected from the fun point of view, he came up shouting and was even talking about being given a second chance if the results were to be too close...talk of different languages being spoken in different situations.

Anyway, Konnect was not at all satisfying today. With only 15 odd teams turning up, it does take your enthu down...what with all the time that we spend publicising, organising these events and then finally seeing only 50 people turning up out of a total of 250. C hostel did not come at all, not even with a token participation...ah well...

There was another minor skirmish apart from the one that I was mentioning about in the initial few lines of the post. Vishak was the time keeper and all of a sudden, he vanished into thin air (he had an urgent call and could not inform anyone before going). This resulted in the team from F (the first team) getting a little extra time and finally, when it was Team G's (Mayank, Prashanat, etc) turn and I refused them the same despite the circumstances being similar, things got a little heated up again.

In another instance, Prashant jumped the gun and before my accepting or rejecting the answer, started talking about his own version of the answer, forcing me to cancel the question from being passed on to the next teams for bonus points. By the way, this was what angered Vikhyat and made him lose sight of the bigger picture of having fun :-)

Jokes apart, I am really wondering about what else I should do to get a better response from people. I know that ITC is coming up and so are the end term submissions for seniors and cases aplenty for us juniors, but all the same, I don't think that two hours are all that scarce. We plan to have Dumb C finals and Pictionary prelims on Monday...let's see who all turn up.

I shall be leaving for Bangalore tomorrow night and from there to Hyderabad to participate in the debate at ISB. I am still feeling guilty about leaving so many classes and especially the student presentation due in Prof Saji Gopinath's class...but then I have to take the call... can not really expect to have the cake and eat it too.

Konnecting priorities

So many things have been happening that I have completely lost track of my priorities. Somehow I feel that I am fast going on the track that I was on during my college days. With so many inter institute festivals coming up and myself trying to participate in as many of them as possible, things on the academic front have taken a backseat. With Dr. Chowdhury's Class Participation marks being based strictly on attendance, I am likely to miss out on quite a lot on the grades front. I am not even reading up anything on Fin and Ops either. With the term end coming closer, the load is only going to increase and if I carry on like this, it is certainly going to be a tough, tough time for me. In fact, even the supposedly comfortable subjects like Org Theory and Macro have started changing their faces, what with all the presentations, assignments, and projects lined up. BTW, the presentations in OB were good fun, with some nice stories in the mockingly smiling JC style as well as some draggingly non-stop folded handed montone from Pavithra, in addition to many others.

In the midst of all this guilt that I have been heaping over myself, I have also become a party to the team that has gone ahead with this initiative called Konnect. Last night witnessed the first of the events at Konnect and as Sandipan said later, I got an idea of what to expect in future. A decent gathering of about 60-odd people did make sure that Konnect has a decent chance to be sustainable in future but all the same, the kind of format that we have thought of for Konnect, actually (and even expectedly) resulted in a minor skirmish.

It all happened when Mustu and Ramesh's team at dumb charades depicted the figure of the alphabet A while trying to guess "A Suitable Boy". As I had already mentioned at the beginning of the event, any codes for alphabets were not allowed. When I tried to disqualify the team from this round, Hostel D residents, with Sandipan and Vinay shouting the most :-), started creating a ruckus. Things were going fine and I was trying to explain my logic on top of allegations that similar behavior had been excused earlier in the event. I was trying to tell them that earlier, I did not see it myself but now that I had seen it happening, I could not swallow the same. I thought that this would sink in but it was then that some more people got in the act and with Rohit, Sandipan, and Ravi (Konnect's bouncer???) going in for the pushing matches, the situation went from bad to worse.

Vikhyat says that I was wrong in finally ruling to disqualify the D Hostel team because after all, it was all meant for fun and the this was the bigger picture. Rules were minor issues that could be modified in view of the bigger picture. Though I did not tell this to him last night when I just heard him out and was rather weary of people not understanding the idea behind it, I do think otherwise. As far as my understanding goes, when we (Vikhyat included) thought of Konnect as an idea, the big picture was not just fun, but establishing a tradition of fun. I know that it sounds like a lot of crap and heavy stuff but it remains a fact that you can not really expect people to take something seriously if that some thing has no structure. This was also why I did not want too much flexibility in the events that we were organizing...why I did not want the event to be declared without making sure of the prizes, venue, clashes with other events...why I did not want to send a mail retracting the team size from 3 to 2...

Whatever happened, it actually resulted in something good for Konnect beacuse this is what we were looking for...a feeling of belonging for your own hostel and a sense of rivalry with others (the tone of the rivalry could have been kept down a bit ideally but then again, chalta hai).

Amongst other things, after the not-so-successful stint at BT Acumen in Bangalore, I am all set to go for the debate at ISB, for which we already have the topic and the information that there are about 20 odd teams registered and more expected. Gaurav is a good speaker and I just hope that I can do enough to match up to him and give the IIMK team some character (and not take away from it :-))

The campus seems to be full of ITC Business Plan banners and despite what Gagan says about it all being a compromise to reach a position where we don't have to compromise, I am still sceptical as to whether we are heading for a habit of compromising. At times, such a strategy, instead of adding to your image, actually erodes whatever there is of it, but then again, as Abhijit says, this thing might as well be happening in IIMA, for all I know. Whatever be the case, here's wishing all the teams who have qualified for the contest the very best of luck...Kolkata shall be ours.

Of parties, emotions, and Konnect

The party last night was one of the best that I have attended for a long long time. This does not reflect on the parties earlier but more on my mood last night which was, in one word, good. It was as if all was right with the world and everything was in its place. At the same time, it doesn't take away from the hard work that Reuben and Rahul did to make the party a success. Though their idea of introducing games in the party did not really take off as it should have, the party was fun.

The effect of the party was diminished to an extent by people not turning up, especially those who have not been placed so far. In my own humble and personal opinion, if the reason for not turning up was only that the party was being thrown by people who have been placed and as such, was disrespectful and perhaps even mocking towards those who have not been placed yet, then I must say that a wrong trend is being established here. Going by this logic, who do you think will be a part of your celebrations whenever you plan to have it?

Last night's party had all the usual ingredients, the booze for boozers, the snacks for snackers, the dance and music for dancers...but more than that, the part of observing people take their skins off was the most interesting. That is what people tend to do under the effect of spirits, take their skins off and show their real self by actions and words...and that is what happened last night, too...Abhinav, Rajat, Vikhyat to a small extent, Sumit, Deepak and so many more...

On different lines, Aditya raised a very pertinent question this evening as we were getting ready to go for an outing to Kadavu Resorts for dinner (by the way, the ambience is good at Kadavu but the food, not all that great). He said that a person (I have a fairly good idea of who the person is, though Aditya refused to even give me any hints as to his identity), while discussing my blog with him, was wondering why I keep writing my emotions in public.

Telling a story, relating the happenings, cracking a joke through a publicly read blog are all fine but why do I, knowing fully well that my blog is being read by a lot of people, tear open my wounds and emotions that should normally be kept to oneself? On second thoughts, Aditya said that even he wondered the same at times about my blog.

I know that it is difficult to make any one understand because even I am not very clear about why I write what I write....but I will try, not because I need to explain my actions to anyone, but because there are moments of self doubt where even I am unclear as to why I make such a public show of washing my dirty linen.

It is like this...whenever I feel the pinch of something, I want to get it out of my system but not totally so. I want to talk about it to someone and take the load off myself. Since I am generally not able to get too comfortable about talking to people about my problems, I generally write them down on my blog and with others reading it, it feels as if I have washed my hands off the suffocating feelings. The blog also helps me keep track of my feelings and emotions in such situations and as such, record my life as it happens, thus ensuring that if, after ten years in my life, I take a look at my blog archives, they will tell me exactly what I need to feel blessed about and what I need to be careful against.

I know that it may sound like a lot of bullshit to many but then again, it is my blog and it is my reasoning and that somehow ends the entire discussion, doesn't it? :-)

Another thing that has been happening recently is Konnect. It is an intiative that some of us here at IIMK have planned. With big goals of setting a tradition, Konnect is all about connecting people in teams and fostering the hostel, batch, and institute identity amongst the junta. A series of cultural events have been planned, and the winning hostel might actually get a good deal as a prize (if our negotiations for the sponsorships pay, that is). The logo and the ads for Konnect have come out really well (and might even land me up in some trouble if I am not careful enough with dropping names). The teaser campaign that we ran for Konnect, though not garnering enough mail spam, did raise a few eyebrows and more than a few questions.

Since today's call for volunteers, there have been four of them already and hoping that others will join in, I believe that there is indeed going to be born, a new tradition at IIMK.

BTW, as Vikhyat says, the logo of Konnect is actually Tee Shirt Material :-))

Marketing brand India through a rock show???

The title of this post might give a wrong impression to the readers about what exactly this is all about. Honestly speaking, it is nothing but the result of a sleepy mind that could not find a better way to relate the events of the day. The second day of AIMS '04, Annual IT Management Seminar at IIM Kozhikode kicked off today with a bang. With yesterday's speakers having made their mark with some very informative and illuminating speeches, the enthusiasm amongst the student community was quite high and it was fitting that the efforts put in to organize an event of such a scale were vindicated.

Agenda for the day was even more interesting than yesterday, as it involved some of the top shots (one a CEO, another a Chairman) discussing ways and means to develop Brand India with special emphasis on the BPO sector. Mr Arun Seth, Chairman, BT India and Chairman, ITeS-BPO forum, NASSCOM, Mr. Neeraj Bhargava, Group CEO, WNS Global Services, and Mr. Sam Iyengar, Senior Advisor, ITSMA were the panelists for the discussion. Mr. Sam Iyengar, who moderated the discussion started off on a funny note as he suggested that the audience do not take his role as a moderator too seriously and the tigers in the audience who were active yesterday, continue to pose questions and participate in the discussion.

And so it was for the bigger part of the session as the baton continued to be passed between the speakers on the stage as well as the people off it in the audience, who raised some very pertinent questions and in effect, gave direction to the discussion.

Mr. Iyengar kicked off the discussion by asking Mr Bhargava about his views on Brand India and how he perceives it to have grown over the past few years.

Mr. Neeraj Bhargava

Mr. Bhargava said that the negative publicity that Indian IT sector has gained on account of the offshoring backlash has actually been helpful in many ways. It has gone a long way in making people aware of what India is and where it is heading. More than that, it has been the work of the new age Indian IT companies that has built the image of India. Indians as a community, Mr. Bhargava pointed out, have also been quite popular in other countries like US through their increasing prosperity.

Mr. Bhargava emphasized on the challenges faced by the brand India ambassadors today. He said that it is not only important to continue leveraging our advantages, but also to be more sensitive to people who have to leave their jobs because of us. We have to clearly articulate what Indian companies stand for and how they can help make the other countries more productive. Another challenge in Mr. Bhargava's opinion was to show to the world that India is a secure solutions provider and that Indian companies have the right infrastructure and the right work conditions to enable long term relationships with the clients.

In response to a question later, Mr. Bhargava said that we need to follow the model and example of the Japanese who also started off with a low cost advantage and have gradually moved on to a high quality situation where they top the markets even in competitive countries like US. He said that it is only now that Indian companies have started thinking of things like the market share and with the economic surplus that they have produced, it is time to go ahead and invest in their brand formation.

Mr. Bhargava also highlighted the need of focusing on upcoming industries like automotive components, health care and bio technology. He said that the time is right to take ownership of brand India now and work towards its development. He said that the low cost proposition that India has can not be used endlessly for brand development as it can only attract customers but the real situation does not end there. Most of the hard work, he said, has already been done and a platform built for the future managers to exploit.

Mr. Bhargava made it clear that the role of the government in building Brand India is going to be minimal and mostly made irrelevant. It is the companies that are going to show the world as to what India can deliver. The high standards of working at the Indian MNCs will go a long way in establishing a culture of high work ethics in Indian companies across strata. Mr. Bhargava also highlighted the need of being empathetic to the client country's society. For the Indian scenario, he said that it is advisable to let the market forces prevail and not worry too much about the MNCs coming in and eating up our companies' share.

Mr. Arun Seth

On being called upon by the moderator to share his views on brand India, specifically in relation to UK and Europe and discuss whether brand India is differently understood in different parts of the world, Mr. Seth agreed to the supposition. He said that the Indians started moving to US in the 60s and most of them who went there were professionals who have now created a name for themselves and are all in important and respectable professions. However, in case of Europe and the UK, the people who went there were from the lower strata and actually joined jobs like being in the post office or the airports. Mr. Seth also said that for the Indian companies, Europe can actually be a better destination compared to the US as the work can be easily moved there with no strict hire and fire policies like the US.

Mr. Seth said that ten years ago, India was not a favorite destination for investment but with the domestic IT companies becoming multi national, the investor confidence has been growing by leaps and bounds. At the same time. Mr Seth said that it is important not to let this get to our head and be insensitive to the various factors like the job loss in US so that we are not hit by something in the future.

More than looking at the IT sector alone as the builders of brand India, Mr. Seth said that we should be looking at the services industry as a whole and that is what NASSCOM has been doing for quite some time now. He also said that due to the service industry taking center stage and other factors, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to manufacturing industry. Mr. Seth also pointed out the possibility of reaching a stage where Indian IT companies will own the brand, own the customers through mass customisation and other actions, and thus be able to outsource its production to countries like China.

We, as Indians, Mr. Seth mentioned, do not demand the quality from our providers that we ourselves are only too happy to provide to our customers. This mentality has to change and we have to come out of the shortage economy mentality to let our market get in sync with the demand and supply model. This move, he said, will also help us counter ethical issues like corruption and black marketing.

When asked about the competition that Indian companies face in their own backyard from the MNCs setting up shop in India, Mr. Seth said that it should actually be welcomed and we should start thinking in terms of scale. The low scale companies who can not perform should actually be weeded out of the market. We, as Indian companies, should also go out and do stuff like event sponsorships, etc to develop our brand and also through peer to peer system, give out our message clearly.

Mr. Sam Iyengar

Mr. Iyengar, moderating the discussion, mostly summarised the points made by the other speakers. He also made some observations, especially regarding the fact that India Inc has had its brand built more by accident than design. Whatever be the case, however, it is true that the current generation of Indian IT companies are able to walk tall and set high expectations of themselves.

Talking about the existing culture difference between the Indian companies and India in general, Mr. Iyengar said that he was confident that the former will do wonders to improve the latter. he also said that it is important for the Indian IT companies to realize that once they build a brand for themselves, it is actually going to be collectively qualified as a brand for the Indian IT industry and later for the Indian nation, on the whole.

According to Mr. Iyengar, it is important for the Indian IT companies to take a more active role in the local issues of the places where they do their business, by paying taxes, being more socially responsible, and so on. It is important, he said, not just to take the jobs away from the US but to also give them something back in return.

In reply to a question about the competition that Indian companies face from other countries like China, Mr. Iyengar said that growth depends on culture in the long term and though China, due to its highly centralised administration can get things executed fast in the short run, it will be India who will finally win in the long run due to its sustainable advantage of being the first mover. He said that to consolidate this advantage, it is important for the Indian companies and some societies like the NASSCOM, FICCI, CII, etc to take stock of the branding scene and develop a brand India that sends a unique, suatainable message that resonates in the market place.

Mr. Iyengar, in giving the slogan of 'Come for cost, stay for quality', put across in a nutshell, the entire focus in building brand India.


Another attraction for the day was the rock show to be organized in campus. I had volunteered for the event and though we did not have much to do (apart from helping set up and probably dismantle the humongous sound infra, do some printing stuff, etc), it was fun for as long as it last. There were two bands slated to perform, courtesy Rahul Gandhi (I must write about him sometime...he is one interesting character and much different from the image I had of him earlier...that is, before meeting him)...both from Kerala.

The bands arrived in the afternoon and had all set at the IIMK Steps, which actually turned out to be a good venue for the show. Giving the feel of a stadium, the show had everything going for it to get it into the groove...well, almost everything but the audience. We had earlier posted some invitations and posters in different parts of the city and after some co-ordination with the security at the main gate, it was possible for the visitors (mostly from NIT Calicut) to enjoy the rock.

The first band to perform was LeoLads who started off well...too well, probably for the first song of the show (ought to have started with a 'lower' number) ...and then, to top it all, moved on to Bryan Adams. From that point onwards, it was down all the way as the vocalist murdered one song after the other (what was that mammary...ia stuff, by the way???) despite the guitarists and the drummers doing quite an efficient job.

It was only post dinner that the actual fun started. Man! Were EverGreen (name of the second band) evergreens!!! They played some superb rock for nearly two hours and believe me, the place rocked and continued to rock much after they had stopped...after acceding to repeated requests of one more...

The band from Cochin presented the songs from the masters (including my favorite...'we don't need no education') and also two of their own compositions. However, with hardly any response after they sang their own compositions, they did not try any more of them...and probably for the better, since there were hardly any of the qualified audience (except may be the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Anudeep and others) to appreciate their original efforts.

However, the end result was amazing and the way these guys got the show rocking must have given a lesson or two to the other band that performed earlier (poor guys...they are only learning...they are new, for God's sake). The biggest asset EverGreen had was their vocalist. This guy over shadowed even the amazing guitarists and played well and fully to the audience, running amok and even dancing with the people in the audience.

To say the least, the rock show rocked and despite the limited turnout from within the campus (as many as about 70 people turned up from outside), I would say that for the rock enthusiasts, the show was a rip-roaring success.

It was thus that IIM Kozhikode comes to the end of AIMS'04, two thought provoking, mentally stimualting days of some high quality stuff, organized with some high quality passion and dedication.

Just reflecting...the last two posts on the blog have only been facts and nothing else. This, however, is not my style. Despite everything, I have my own feelings and emotions associated with the past two days where apart from the front stage activities that I have written about in these posts, there have been a lot of behind the stage plays that I have failed to capture so far. My next post (hopefully tomorrow) will be a truly masala post with the inside stuff on what actually went on over the past two days within the hallowed portals of IIMK.

Annual IT Management Seminar 2004, IIM Kozhikode

AIMS 2004, the first of a series of annual IT Management seminars, was the talk of town atop one particular hill of Kozhikode city. IIM Kozhikode hosted the stalwarts of the Indian IT industry as they shared their ideas and thoughts on the theme Marketing of IT Solutions. Spread over the 28th and 29th of August, the seminar was attended by some of the big names of the Indian IT industry and with the pertinent nature of the theme, it was all the more beneficial for both the concerned parties. For the students of IIMK, it was an opportunity to know how the thought leaders of the Indian IT industry are planning to counter the imminent threats of offshoring backlash in the US and the ever growing challenge from other cheap man-power countries like China. For the IT corporates, they had the chance to interact with what is widely perceived as the cream of Indian intelligentsia. An opportunity to not only clarify their stand in front of an audience of one of the IIMs, but to also make their own sales pitch in front of the business leaders of tomorrow was something no company would have missed.

Credit goes to Abhinav and Anirudh of the second year at IIMK, who form the core of Abakus, the systems interest group at IIMK, for not only conceptualising this event but also bringing it to fruition and what a fruition at that. The student council of both years, the entire Placement Committee, and not to mention the numerous volunteers who managed all the logistics did a wonderful job and it is their efforts that are going to go a long way towards building the IIMK brand and helping it compete not only nationally but also on a world level.

Day 1, AIMS '04, IIM Kozhikode

The seminar kicked off with the inauguration of the event as the distinguished speakers and Dr. Krishna Kumar, the director of IIMK, lighted the lamps. After the traditional inauguration and a bouquet welcome to all the guests, Dr. Krishna Kumar gave the welcome speech. Dr. Kumar mentioned the mission and vision of IIMK as being identified as a national institution of international reckoning and adopting a number of measures to accomplish the same. He talked about upcoming events in the institute that will further strengthen the industry interaction with the institute. He also talked about the various executive management programs undertaken by the institute. Mr. Kumar appealed to the guests gathered to help the institute achieve its objectives, specifically by helping to develop its intellectual capital.

The stage was then set for the seminar with Mr. Arun Seth delivering the key note address and narrowing down the context of the discussion with some exquisite examples and some very pertinent data to support his presentation.

Mr. Arun Seth, Chairman, BT India and Chairman, ITeS-BPO, NASSCOM

The thrust of Mr. Seth's speech appeared to be the inherent advantage that India possesses in terms of intellectual capital. Enlightening the audience about the fast ageing China and a relatively young India, he said that we have a big competitive edge because of that. Also, due to our youth, we come across as ones who do not have any legacy to hold us back. Mr. Seth pointed out the role that NASSCOM has been playing in the growth of the Indian IT sector by lobbying with the Government to get tax and other benefits. NASSCOM were the first to coin the term IT Enabled Services for the BPO sector, so that they come under the IT umbrella and get all the related concessions. It was because of the NASSCOM's intiative in pushing up the de-monopolisation of VSNL, that the telecom industry has seen such phenomenol growth.

According to Mr. Seth, there was the need for the IT industry to align with institutes like IIM Kozhikode to train its middle management with the best business practices.

With 50% of the CMM enabled companies in the world being Indian companies, Mr. Seth said that India has gained an advantage that can be converted to a $50 bn industry with the generation of 2 mn direct and 2 mn downstream jobs in years to come. This can be made possible only if the current marketers of Indian IT sector focus on and exhibit the unique advantage that Indian IT possesses of having a disruptive model where IT and BPO are delivered together.

The need of the day, Mr. Seth said, is to move the marketing operations from the back office to the front office and change the solution based approach to a more partnership based game plan. He proposed that the much hyped about offshoring backlash is actually less a threat to Indian IT companies than that caused by reservations about data security issues in the clients' mind.

Mr. Sam Iyengar, Senior Advisor, ITSMA

In an impressive presentation, the senior advisor from ITSMA put forward the changing face of marketing in the Indian IT sector. He said that presently, a huge chunk of marketing goes into marketing communication. A more proactive role can, however, be played if the level of discipline existing in the delivery model of the IT companies is also brought to their marketing model. Mr. Iyengar said that the focus should shift from being process oriented to being innovative...from being internally oriented to market oriented...from being just technical to being consultative. He said that there is the need for a proactive solutions portfolio and a move from verticalisation to identifying specific market segments and moving forward to capture them. He said that this shift from the tactical to strategic marketing will clinch the deal for India IT Inc.

Mr. Iyengar mentioned that it is important for the global players from the Indian IT sector to be global and at the same time, behave local so that they can be close to the customer fabric. According to Mr. Iyengar, Public Relations needs to be replaced with the execution of a brand strategy to increase the visibility of India IT Inc. More value based pricing is required to hold and re-gain the market that was initially won over by the low cost proposition alone.

Mr. MV Sarma, AVP, GIS, Computer Sciences Corporation India Ltd

Mr. Sarma from CSC dealt with the service marketing part of the Indian IT companies. Customer loyalty through service management, he said, is the key today. With the stringent down times that are imposed in the world market (only about 23 minutes in an entire year), Mr. Sarma said that the IT companies need to be process oriented with customer satisfaction as their main focus. He said that being proactive today means not just going to visit or calling up the clients, but to use tools and technology to predict failures and prevent them. He said that the infrastructure needs to be improved to achieve sustainable cost reduction and despite the inherent quality advantage of India, if the Indian IT companies do not realise that the challenges vary across different verticals, it will be difficult for them to grow.

As per Mr. Sarma, there exist certain gaps in the companies due to under developed middle management that needs to be filled up by using tools like decison making matrix so that the right time is chosen for various tasks like enhancing capacity and so on. Apart from the process related productivity that everyone talks about, Mr. Sarma said that it is essential to focus on infrastructure based productivity by integrating the various processes and moving from an ad hoc organisation to one that enhances customer satisfaction.

Mr. Sarma suggested the four pronged aproach of maximizing, measuring, maintaining, and marketing customer relations in order to get the message of Indian IT companies' coming of age across to the CEOs, the CFOs, and the CIOs of the world. Mr. Sarma also talked about the unique world sourcing strategy adopted by CSC to properly co-ordinate its business functions by optimizing on time zones and resources across the world.

Mr. Deepak Khosla, GM (Central Marketing), Patni

If the previous speakers had talked about the need to introduce changes in the Indian IT companies' marketing game plan, Mr. Khosla explained how to go about it. He divided the Indian IT industry into four different phases. Phase 1, he said, was between 1985 to 1995 and included start ups in application development and maintenance. The primary driving factor in this phase was low cost. The second phase extended from 1995 to 2000 and was the age of e-Business, ERP and most importantly, Y2K. IT, and Indian IT companies, in particular, became fashionable and the new mantra was quality at a lower cost. Mr. Khosla said that the third phase from 2001 to 2004 has seen cutting edge work which is still delivered out of the offshore-onsite model. Security, productivity, and project management have been the key words in this phase. Coming up, he said, is the fourth phase from 2004 to 2007 which will experience a major shakeout in the market that will turn from being based on an offshoring to an outsourcing model.

Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Khosla pointed out that the backlash against offshoring in the US has actually helped both Indian and US companies. For the Indian companies, the backlash has focussed the attention of the US client towards the new possibilities in India that they may have been unaware of earlier. At the same time, for the US companies, they are now outsourcing the kind of work that is different from their basic fiber, and thus the kind of work that they were not supposed to be doing in the first place at all. This, Mr. Khosla said, would only make the US companies more productive and increase their profitability.

Mr. Khosla also mentioned that the main reason for Indians preferring the MNCs coming into India over the core Indian IT companies is the fact that more than anyting else, they possess a much stronger brand. The focus of India IT Inc, therefore, should be more on converting more suspects sitting outside the sales funnel into real prospects. When these prospects go down the sales funnel, they pass through areas where their interest is first narrowed down and then refined so that they end up coming out of the funnel as long term customers of the company.

Mr. Khosla also stressed on the importance of internal marketing within the organization to reinforce its core value proposition. He said that depending on the catch, different people have to be involved in making the sales positioning of the company and thus, marketing , despite being the external face of the company, should be aligned all over the length and breadth of the company. With more of B2B instead of B2C businesses in the Indian IT sector, Mr. Khosla said that online medium's importance as a channel of communication is underlined.

Mr. Khosla pointed out that there are different tools available for different marketing strategies and their optimum use can help the Indian IT companies to move ahead from labor arbitrage and skilled labor propositions to a more innovative and value driven strategy.

Mr. Subhash Dhar, Head, Communication Services Business, Infosys Technologies Ltd

Mr. Dhar started off the post lunch session with the words that he believes that there should be no marketing department in a company since marketing and business are synonymous. He emphasized the fact that instead of being apologetic for what we have, we should realize that we have built some great value for the Indian IT sector and the need of the day is to capitalize on that and increase our under utilized share of the pie. Mr. Dhar said that the English speaking capability of Indians along with the low cost are understood value propositions and have thus been commoditised. It is more important in the current scenario to put due emphasis on the other value propositions that Indian IT companies are providing and yet not highlighting. Marketing's role, in Mr. Dhar's opinion was to rally around these values such as an asynchronous enecution model, better quality, lower total cost of ownership and so on, such that the market can be fully exploited.

Mr. Dhar wanted the Indian IT companies to focus more on their core competencies and follow the more evolved hub and spoke model instead of the peer to peer model of knowledge management. He said that it is important to grease the cycle of innovation and become a part of the value chain of the customers.

Ms. Sangita Singh, CMO and Vice President, Wipro Technologies

One of the youngest VPs of any IT company in India, Ms. Singh has received several awards for her role in shaping the marketing policies of Wipro Technologies. Her presentation for the day highlighted the work that the marketing team at Wipro did to achieve this objective and as such, set the benchmark against which other companies can calibrate themselves.

Ms. Singh noted that it is important that the absolute defnition of marketing be circulated amongst the internal customers of an organisation to enable it to send out measurable business benefits. This can be done through an integrated framework evolved over time to target multiple audiences. Moving from a focus on Go to Market strategy for each business group, Marketing has to generate demand through information and make more focussed and informed sales pitches to get relevant and big business. Ms. Singh said that in deciding partners, the major factors that a customer considers are the peer group and the company's web site. Adopting measures like search engine optimisation, information gathering and management regarding calls to and from Clients to Wipro through the ILG tool, white papers, web events, etc will help an organisation to maintain a balance between the push and pull models and sustain this balance.

Ms. Singh highlighted the importance of brand differentiation vis-a-vis just brand awareness and said that the time had come to identify, have insights, target and measure opportunities for growth. Ms Singh said that to achieve this objective, it is important to continuously innovate in marketing policies and make sure that all the company's employees share the same idea about the company and its marketing program.

Mr. Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, Senior Manager, Corporate Marketing and Communications, Cognizant

Mr. Ramamoorthy called upon the Indian IT companies to leverage their internal assets to build marketing platforms where referral and relationship marketing have a greater role to play as compared to the currently practised transactional marketing. He said that for the IT industry, unlike others, all three out of cost, quality, and volume are high. It is important in this scenario to employ inside-out marketing that focuses on strategy, customer relationship management, employee and analyst marketing, amongst others. Mr. Ramamoorthy said that to do this, it is important to practise proximity marketing and Cognizant, in shifting its executive management to client locations, has done exactly that. It is important to understand the pulse of the market which might vary across different regions and as such, Mr. Ramamoorthy said that Cognizant decided to get seen most where it matters most to be seen.

They aligned themselves across verticals and sub-verticals instead of on the basis of technologies or geographies and this, Mr. Ramamoorthy said, was achieved through what he called dominance marketing, that is getting into a particular sub-vertical or vertical, dominating it, and then expanding further. Mr. Ramamoorthy said that the biggest problems that the customers face and which sometimes even lead to contract terminations, are lack of communication, lack of responsiveness, and clash of cultures. To counter this, it is important to blend in the customers' location with a local sales force and a local executive decision making body empowered to take real time decisions to maintain the competitive edge.

Mr. Ramamoorthy also mentioned the means adopted by Cognizant to develop and sustain their customer relationships through end user customer meets, forming customer advisory councils, and so on. He said that an employee led marketing program is the one that is more likely to be successful. As a security provider, Mr. Ramamoorthy said that it is important to go for quality assessments at an enterprise wide scale.

Mr. Aju Thomas, Tata Consultancy Services

Mr Aju Thomas, from TCS, was the last speaker of the day and he presented a technical paper on how a systems driven approach can benefit the organisational structure from the marketing perspective. He said that in the current scenario, there are some improper consultancy engagements and the minor reason for this may be that the client does not understand its needs properly and is in effect, a bad client. However, Mr. Thomas said that the converse is also true and there are cases where the consultants lose out because of their own inefficiencies. They tend to take up consultancy engagements that do not match their expertise profile, and at times are unable to understand the clients' culture and the expected scope of the engagement.

This lack of clarity, that is required to bridge the gaps between customer expectations and the actual deliverable, Mr. Thomas said, may be countered by a systems driven approach that has the feedback and verification system in-built. This methodology, if employed, would bridge the gaps that may be cognitive, perceptive, communication or implementation based in nature. The focus, Mr. Thomas said, should be on product features that the client is actually going to use. Similarly, he pointed out, the high risk projects like nuclear projects require the formal method rather than the classical method. Therefore, in Mr. Thomas' words, a system based on the multi-modeling approach and having adequate provisions for inter departmental communication, can be the effective model employed for marketing of IT solutions.

The second day of the IT Seminar tomorrow promises to be another exciting venture, all the more so since there are some big names lined up, including the CEOs of some Indian IT companies, who will be participating in a panel discussion. A rock nite is also on the cards and it won't be an exaggeration to say that I am earnestly looking forward to it.

Another day...another hour

This is my blog
This is my space
These are my views
This is not meant for the common good nor for the common interest
If you don't like what is written here, no one is forcing you to read. Go away and stay away.


As soon as I came to my room after yesterday's election results were declared (at about one in the night), I started thinking about what I would be expected to do next. I know it sounds silly but the last election blog post turned out to be quite (a) hit, and as a result, anything that is said on this space about the elections, will naturally be followed with interest, contempt, disgust or in the rarest of rare cases, sympathy. Since I have had the fortune to have been in the good books of the voters, that is, I have actually been elected to the Backwaters team...applause applause...there might have been that knowing look on the faces of some. The question they might be asking is this: "Now that he has won, will he write the same scathing stuff that he did the other day?" They might even come up with the answer themselves...no way, man...it was his defeatist and loser attitude talking that day...tomorrow you will see a changed blog entry...

What is a sword without its sting, a snake without its poison, a word without its bite? So here goes...unabridged...another election coverage...and this time around, let this be heard by anyone who bothers to hear (especially the new media cell, if they are reading...that this post will not be withdrawn...come what may)

Hmmm....so have I generated enough interest in the proceedings...are the readers holding their breath for the next revelation that is going to come along their way...is the atmosphere hot and tense enough...are the pins dropping with enough racket??? Hold on, dear friends...for I am going to take you on the roller coaster ride of the century...

One of the first committees to have gained the top of mind recall of any member of our batch, Place Com had nearly 65 volunteers working for it (I was one of them, too). However, as days passed and people started facing the music of some reeal hard work that PlaceCom has to do, they realised that it is not their piece of money...so they abstained (I did, too) from nominating themselves for the final election round. However, there were still quite a few who did take the plunge (given the sort of glamour associated with PlaceCom, I do not find it surprising). Out of the 28 nominations, there was talk of selecting a smaller number based on some interview process as the faculty Placements head was not comfortable with such a large number fighting the elections.

Now comes the interesting part...ideally, there were supposed to be 16 final nominees but the number finally turned out to be 19. Though it was made clear initially by PlaceCom that the final number could very well be more than 16, the conspiracy theorists still started working. Tongues wagged and conversations became whispers as the "new additions" and their "contacts" in Senior PlaceCom were discussed.

However, with so many days separating the SCon elections and this one, the spark did not light up the fire and whispers started dying out...yet existing. The elction process was similar to what happened in SCon...candidates were asked to come to the well and speak out, with all audience questions saved for the end (there were hardly any, probably because of this). I must say that the highlight of the speeches for me were:

When some people started saying that they would teach how to do things to people who don't know how to do things by themselves. From my public speeches, I have learnt one thing...never undervalue your audience...even if you underestimate them, never let it show...if you have done so, you have dug your own grave.

When some people consciously tried to avoid using the table as a backrest...while some took the table head on :-)

For all other committees, it was decided to give the candidates one minute each to speak. It was going to be a mess, with nearly 68 people standing for different posts (as Yash was kind enough to point out :-)). I was so sick of the process that I didn't want to speak...I went and gave some shit about Horizons and as soon as I could, got my name removed from the list.

Good sense prevailed subsequently, as the other committees made the speaking optional. With the voters not in a mood to go deep (???) into the candidates' agenda, many eloquent speakers were booed out of the well with promises of votes if they just keep quiet and let the things go on...for God's sake.

And so it went on, with some good breaks in the middle...Prashant starting in his inimitable style with Pictionary which, slowly but surely picked up interest...Vikhyat talking about how he plans to bring down people from Switzerland (or was it Singapore) to participate in Horizons...Marda telling us about what he will do to keep our gastroenteric juices flowing...Amarpreet with his agenda of defeating IIM Indore in the number of internet hits...Bunty insisting on writing on the board that his name is not Bunty but Sarbamitra Barua...

The ballot paper was a long one...with nine boxes instead of eight for the PlaceCom (I am not nit-picking...just mentioning a fact, for God's sake)...and boxes for Spandan and Spic Macay, for which even the election quorum was not reached (shame on us...). With an amazingly (but not surprisingly...our batch has some enthu) huge number of nominations, the voters had a tough time, borrowing pens, looking at the names and associating the numbers with them...

Finally, after all the shouts and cries, came the absolutely stunning display of camaraderie and josh that filled many-a-heart (mine included) with joy and hope for good things remaining in this world. Desks thumping and hands joining together, shouting and catcalls followed each of the elected nominees as their name started rolling out in the presentation. It was absolutely fantastic to see the batch coming together like this...way to go, guys...hope this thing that has started, never dies out...Amen!

Because of the lack of time and space, I just thought that I will write what I felt about the PlaceCom members since they have an important role to play in my career...for the others, they will have to make do with an honorable mention in my illustrious (!!!) blog.

The PlaceCom (Placements Committee)

1. Abhilash Vijay Nair
With his IBM experience of hiring, and a serious demeanour, he was always a tough nut to crack for any competitor.

2. Abhishek Kumar
His tremendous popularity and the way he has raised his voice (for...against...people...things) in the past made him another winner.

3. Devroop Dhar
The silent types, he is also believed to be a smooth operator and has just that required blend of popularity and sincerity required for the job.

4. Gagandeep Kalsi
The kind of person, no one has anything against. Quite likeable (as most of the Sardars are) and pretty enthusiastic, a good choice again.

5. Kunal Bharadwaj
I have personally seen him work really hard at the brochures and if that is anything to go by, we have another good bet in the team

6. Pavithra B Poonacha
Seven years of work experience...and the only girl in PlaceCom to boot...need I say anything more?

7. Raul Sinha
The laptop guy...I had threatened him with my vote as the bargaining point if he does not get the lappie delivered soon...he was another winner with the hard work already visible.

8. Sauhard Saran
He had an interesting way of selling himself...associating himself with the dream of any IIM grad, he promised to make use of his contacts at his previous employer, Mckinsey.

An absolutely effective and wonderful combination...I voted for seven out of the final eight.

Horizons Committee

1. Abhijit Chakraverty
2. Deepak Nallur
3. Manish B Shukla
4. Sharika Munshi
5. Sundesh Sundar Shetty
6. Surabhi B Prasad

I voted for four out of the final six. Go guys, show them all, what it means to have a world famous Management fest!

Backwaters Committe

1. H Sandeep Reddy
2. Nitai Utkarsh (that's me...thank you voters...will try not to let you down)
3. Malini Pande
4. Qaynat Sharma
5. Saurabh Goswami
6. Vikhyat Srivastava

I voted for four out of the final six. Yana Gupta Yana Gupta Yana Gupta.....

Industry Interaction Cell

1. Prajakt N Deotale
2. Puneet Jain
3. Rahul R Agarwal
4. Ravi Girdhar

I voted for three out of the final four. People, we want lectures (read jobs) from the CEOs of the Morgan Stanleys and the Mckinseys...

Media Cell

1. Amarpreet Singh
2. Priya TS
3. Sandeep Gopal

I voted for three out of the final three. A great team, one intelligent fact finding Sardar, one mallu girl, and one smarty potential topper

Social Service Group

1. Deepak Kumar Sethi
2. Deki D Dorjee
3. Mayank Mohan Agrawal
4. T Ramesh Chandra
5. Tripuramallu Madhu Smitha

I voted for five out of the final five. Another good team, with many of them already having worked for the social cause and having the gravity enough to make the SSG a successful cause.

Alumni Committee

1. Suryanarayanan TN
2. Shailendra Chak
3. Vaibhaw Kumar Shende

I voted for two out of the final three. A liekable team that will definitely be able to hold the batch together even after we move out of these hills and cottages.

Sports Committee

1. Dheeraj Batra
2. Sarbamitra Barua

I voted for one out of the final two. The weighlifter and the dancer...what magic are they going to create for us? A basketball court...a football field...any other miracles???

Mess Committee

1. Aditya Sagare
2. Vinay Marda

I voted for two out of the final two. I want some good food, some well baked rotis, some more of paneer but some less of palak, a once-in-a-week menu of Hyson...Taj...Al Bake maybe???