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.

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. 

Dahi vadai...garam samosa...masala dosai

I had promised...to serve masala in this post...and so be it. At the risk of sounding some people off and even making my reputation of being the official gossip even stronger (if at all that is possible), I am back with another story...nay, not a story but as true a representation of thoughts as possible. Well, it has hardly been a point of contention...my facts, that is. What has been worrying people is either my take on the facts and their portrayal as I do it, or the effect of that portrayal on things that are held sacred (the institute name, for example...however, I do not really think that IIMK is such a weak brand after all).

What's with the introduction and all, the reader would say and may be even shout at the bland screen in front of him/her to get on with it. Representing the poor sod that the screen is in such cases, I will make an appeal on its behalf and in the short of the long...let's begin from the beginning. The past weekend at IIMK is as apt a place to start as any because that was what gave all the fuel to the fire that I am planning to stoke.

The IT Seminar was the topic of discussion in the meeting called by the Student Council some days back and the question being discussed was whether attendance to the seminar should be made compulsory. As I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the SCon members rode on a wave and got things round to their view. But there were some people who were not satisfied...no sir, not satisfied at all. Some like Shailendra made their displeasure felt then and there and there were others, too who are what I call the cribbers. Now, this is an interesting class of people and I hope I will be able to devote more time to them some day. As of today, let it suffice to mention that these people have the habit of reserving their comments for the time when they have stopped to matter. There are very few occassions where these people actually take a cue from Kotler's marketing fundas and be proactive.

There is another class of people worth mentioning...and these are the do-gooders who do not want themselves being questioned for what they do. These people are generally too full of themselves and the value of what they have been doing and they forget the fact that they have been doing things because it is of their own volition. They have the feeling that since they are doing something that others are not, they can get away with more than the others can.

What the do-gooders have been thinking of the cribbers

The reaction from the cribbers did come, but as expected, it came when it did not matter. It became a matter of general knowledge on campus (almost like...ye PSPO nahi jaanta) as to what Vinay felt about the way people have to be thanked or what Shailendra had to say about people talking on their mobile phones as they move (rename the mobiles, somebody :-))...or...this one takes the cake...what Kiran felt about rock shows. As was pointed out by the people who worked for the various committees, these people were those who had not bothered to put a foot forward when it mattered and were conspicuous by their absence when the others were running from pillar to post getting things done...cleaning guest rooms, for God's sake.

Did they have as much (or even anything, for that matter) to say about the inefficiency of those whose responsibility it is to keep the guest house clean and ready? Did they, for even the remotest moment, think about giving a suggestion as to what can be done to improve things (Anurag, in my opinion, gave a wonderful perspective to it...the difference between it 'should' have been better and it 'could' have been better)

The most absurd part of it was the fact that some people have really taken things for granted and if they feel that by exercising their right to comment on something, they can do away with their responsibilities...they are mistaken. To comment on what happened is one thing, to pass an observation is one...but to actually pass judgement and say things are not acceptable!!!...acceptable by whom? Who set the rules? Have you always done what is acceptable to others? For those who have been missing their meals and spending nights to make the event a success...what is acceptable for them? Is sitting in the room and when forced to attend the seminar, saying that their contribution was not less...acceptable?

What the cribbers think of the do-gooders

Yes, I know that the post has started sounding like a vendetta program and I have actually started doing something that I had been hitting at just a few lines earlier. However, I have tried not to be judgemental and just give the facts as they have appeared in the past few days. In trying to write the opinion of one class about the other, I have only mentioned what I, myself, could gather from the various mails that were exchanged in one of the notorious OCS wars of IIMK.

Let's get on then, if the cribbers are done cribbing about what I have written about them.

If the cribbers in our batch have shown their potential by trying to find out all that was wrong and point it out clearly and explicitly, the so called do-gooders did not do badly either. These were the poeple who were born with the gold spoon in their mouth. They take their responsibilities too seriously and have the tendency to rush in numbers to the places where even a single person would do. They also talk saintly and do the sins themselves. They do not care enough to do things that they preach and yet, when some one comments on it, they start listing down all that they have ever done for the common good.

It is thus that Pavithra lets us know about the daily routine of the volunteers...and Anirudh, after putting his foot squarely in his mouth during the vote of thanks, asks Vinay if he had volunteered for anything. What do these people think, for God's sake? Admitted that they did a wonderful job in organising the seminar but does that give them the right to silence others? They were the ones who asked for it by volunteering for the jobs...if the job is successful, they take the credit...why are they backing out in taking the blame if things go wrong?

What I think about the whole thing

I don't think that my opinion matters at all...at least not to the cribbers or the do-gooders I have been writing about...they will continue with their lives as they were (I will be surprised if they will not). However, I have promised to my blog that I won't pass any judgements on any body and whenever I start doing that, I will pull down my entire blog. It is only my perceptions that I am going to record here and if they do change at a later point of time, I hope that I will be faithfully able to record that, too.

So, what I actually do perceive out of the entire affair is that the issue is not about doing good or cribbing. More than that, it is the basic ego in all of us that is to be looked upon. For people who have not done the most of what needs to be done, something going wrong is perhaps a vindication of their deciding not to do anything in the first place. It is like an opportunity for them to raise the issue which makes their own stand amply clear...that it is not that they could not have done it...in fact, had they done it, it would have been better, and what went wrong would have been just right...perhaps the alpha male playing out his part, though in a slightly different way.

There are those who think from the other side, too. I have done this and I have seen that and I have worked on this and that...who is the one challenging my superiority...I am sure that what I did was the best anyone could have done...they can not really be serious when they say that there could have been anything done better than this!!!

And to top it all, there was some talk of inter-year rivalry too. With the goof-up by Anirudh (which was not a goof up from his standards since he knew the pulse of the people being addressed) and not many in the senior batch turning up for the seminar, there was another set of cribbers (mostly from the first year) who spared no time to start the blame game (which they call exercising their rights)...the case of I won't do it myself but if you do it and do it wrong, I sure as hell will get your neck.

The game continued with the first yearites being blamed for talking too much before they actually do anything...another case of I have done it, prove that you can do it better before you criticize me.

What is the point in all this...the lesson...the moral? The idealist would want the egos to be suppressed, and more people coming up from both the gangs and joining the community of those who do things and do not speak about it (oh how I wish I could be one of them but kya karein...control nahi hota). However, the things do not happen that way. Egos will always play a big role in a place like this where achieving is everything...where failure has very high costs and success very high rewards...look at the Gods...Rama...Krishna...has anyone ever been immune 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???

An obituary to my post

If you come across a person who has been in the singularly unique habit of reading other people's blogs and has had, in the past two days, the chance to come across one which, for some reason, is called mode c, you will definitely be advised in your own interest to put a wager on being able to change the color of his face from pink to yellow.

For those who have problems in producing this coloring effect by the normal course of action, I would sincerely advise them to take my advice and just ask the fellow who wants a dye on his face to go and read my blog again. If he does so, the fellow with the soon-to-be-colored face will find a striking difference that will, if not anything, certainly fulfill his and in turn, your coloring objectives.

If you do follow the above actions to the tee and later, come and tell me that the plan has not worked, I am certainly going to view your eyes with a distinctive degree of interest (they are supposed to shift, you know...especially when a person is lying through the teeth).

I am not sure if amongst the numerous colors that would have come on the face of one who had seen my blog two days back and is again going to see the blog today, which one comes first out of the colors associated with shock, dismay, disgust, surprise, agony and such. However, I am sure that the chemistry teacher at the high school (or was it physics?) had done a good job when he had said that white light, when dispersed, forms VIBGYOR, out of which Y, if I remember the rhyme (had something to do with dirty fellows) correctly, stood for yellow.

And as for the dispersion of white light, I am sure that the teacher (by any chance...I was just wondering and all, but could it just have been...I mean does it have the teeiest weeniest of chances to be the history teacher???) had put me on his lap, given me five of the juiciest with his cane stick and whispered in my ear that whenever the rainbow is formed, it is because the white light has this uncanny habit of dispersing.

And as to the rainbow being formed, even a person of your intelligence will be able to see for yourself that this is the effect that will be the result when the blog is shown to the reader-who-came-yesterday-and-is-coming-again-today.

Since I have already hinted at your intelligence (which I did not want to do because of my particular habit of talking in tangibles), it wouldn't be further amiss to assume that you will now be putting your grey cells to the exercise by asking the question that, though obvious to the geniuses of the day and like, comes with the much exhausting mental exercise to the commoners like you and me. The question, as has come across after a strenuous mental exercise to yours truly, is 'What is it that is different in the blog?'.

Had my father heard of the question, he would have been proud of my analytical abilities and would have allowed me, as a reward, to get the measurements of the door that broke down last winter, and which needs a replacement. However, the question is not about fathers and doors but about the blogs and changes and I think that I am digressing. Since the question is here, the next thing the genius will pop up with (don't be disheartened if you hadn't thought of it, my poor little commoner) is the quest for an answer.

Well, for one, it is dead. Before you ask, Mr genius, if 'it' refers to the answer and raise questions hinting towards death-before-life, let me tell you that 'it' is my post about the SCon elections at IIMK and 'it' is dead. It is dead because one of my friends asked me to kill it. My friend asked me to kill it because he thought and earnestly believed that it was bringing a bad name to IIMK. I agreed to kill it because my friend was intelligent enough to shift from a moral standpoint, where the killing was more of a demand, to the personal and emotional standpoint, where the killing became a senti do-it-for-my-sake thing. I am not bothered in the least for it, the petty thing, at least not as much as to refuse a do-it-for-my-sake-thing, especially since it has already outlived its pupose (the redership of the blog has gone up by heaps and bounds...not that this was the purpose, though :-)).

Also, being close to the comoner when it comes to the grey stuff, I did not really understand the fuss that it had created and the mountain hill that was formed out of the mole was utterly beyond my comprehension. So it was, that I decided to give some free tips to the people who earn their livelihood by placing wagers on people's faces changing colors from pink to yellow...

With malice towards one and all

What is the meaning of such a controversial blog?

How can he be so stupid?

It is silly, that's what it is...

He should not have taken people's names

He is a sore loser

The guy doesn't know what he is doing...the pervert

The things might have happened, alright but why the heck did he put that in black and white?

What does he want to achieve from this?

Who is he...some sort of saviour who is going to deliver us all?

I never expected this of him...what with the silent image that he has...how can he be so bitter?

Why is the guy so angry...it's because he lost the elections, isn't it?

What was the need to poiliticize everything?

What is he, Mr goody-two-shoes?

This will bring a bad name to IIMK...people will now know that IIM people are immature!!!

He could have waited for another day...let things cool down

I am an elite king maker...yippee...you need to pay to join my elite group

I hope you are not a king maker if we are going to consider you for the Placement Committee

How did he miss my name? I was equally important in making of the king :-)

When I read it first, I was very angry and didn't even want to talk about it but when I read it again, I realised that it was really funny.

I am a Bihari...how can he label me as a part of the Bombay gang?

Does he assume that we (Delhi gang) are fools enough to trade three votes for one???

He knows that his blogs are read by many...he must be more responsible before writing down such things

These are just some of the comments that my previous blog entry received...directly, that is, people who were men enough to come and tell things to my face...and indirectly, that is as part of the dinner table/canteen conversations.

By the way, if any one was expecting a justification or even went as far down the line as expecting an apology for my previous post, I am sorry to disappoint the person. If anything, the intent behind writing the article has been bolstered by the comments that the article has received...both direct as well as indirect.

On the grind

The very first quiz of the two year course is over. Micro Economics, right from day one has been perceived as an interesting but complicated subject and with the quiz due today, there were many a candles burning last night. The paper did not veer much from the expectation. The only downer was that having expected an original question from Dr. Sumit Sarkar, the MicroEconomics faculty, I was a little disappointed on knowing that he had taken the questions straight from the book. I know that my answers did not exactly match those that were given in the book but I guess that they are not wrong either and that is the beauty of most of the courses taught here at the B-school. You are not necessarily wrong or right, whatever you may write as an answer.

The senior Student Council went into the active mode from their hibernation and came out with the list of nominations for this year's elections. Expecting less number of people from A section (given less of the apparent leaders in the class), I was surprised to find out that actually there are nine nominations from Section A and only seven from the other section B. Two out of nine is the ratio that is going to be fought over in my section. The list of nominees have each been given a particular subject for which they are going to act as temporary Class Representatives. The class will have a chance to judge these CRs over a period of next two weeks before the elections actually take place on August 10. The mechanism is good and well in place but I have just one small question...why, oh why did I have to get the Information Technology class to manage? This is the worst that could have happened...IT is one subject whose classes are the most bunkable, especially for our batch with nearly 75% people coming from an IT background. How can I be expected to attend the IT classes, leave act as the CR and sit attentively in the front rows???

Anyways, since I have already put myself into the fray, I have decided to take it up. The propaganda has started, and I have set the balls rolling with a common mail to the class offering my services as an HTML tutor for the coming IT project in August. :-)
For all those who think that it is too much too soon, wait till you read about the reaction that my mail got from one of the other candidates (this one from Section B). He actually got the case study for tomorrow scanned and sent the soft copy to the entire class so that they do not have to take the pains of going through the hard copy...man, that's what I call dedication and real service to the class mates :-)

Vote for...

FAME, like a wayward girl, will still be coy
To those who woo her with too slavish knees,
But makes surrender to some thoughtless boy,
And dotes the more upon a heart at ease;

"Two Sonnets on Fame", John Keats

IIMK Campus, especially the first year, is abuzz with the election excitement. With a number of committees coming up for elections in the next month, nominations and support requests have started to flow. The apparent and potential leaders (refer to my last post for details) are both up in arms and the stage is well and truly set. The concept of popularity or fame, as Keats calls it, is being re-defined every other day. There are announcements and then, there are some more announcements.

Fill up the industry contacts, ho!
Go for the new laptop, ho!
Here is the deal for desktop, ho!
Get the loan for which you opt, ho!

To top it all, it is not just a bi-party politics that is promised to the students of IIMK. There is the third side, the dark side (more dark for their purpose than intent), that promises to make the contest more exciting, or at least divide the vote and make it difficult for the leaders (apparent or potential). The two committees at the top of reckoning are the all-pervasive Students' Council and the glamorous PlaceCom (Placement Committee for the slow learners). Talking of these two committees, I couldn't help but overhear that traditionally, there has been quite a bit of tension between the two. I have no idea as to how our seniors have handled this supposed conflict but as someone said, "there is no smoke without fire".

Coming back to the activities, Student Council nominations are already closed and there have been 18 nominations received in total (11 from Section B and 7 from my section, Section A). Having had my fill of politics and responsibilities at college, I did not want to be a part of this madness but am nevertheless into the fray, representing the dark :-) side. I have not communicated my intent to the entire batch a la the other nominees who have followed a mail to SCon by another to the batch asking for support. Even if I do campaign(!!!), it is going to be a bit more subtle (remember the dark horse funda???). A firm believer in the philosophy behind the first four lines of this post, I am going to play it smooth, if at all I do not change my mind and decide not to play at all...lets see...Ravi had asked me, almost cajoled me into filing this nomination but I don't really know if I am up to it.

In the meanwhile, having thrown myself headlong into the various interest groups, I have a lot on my hands nowadays.

For Konsult, the consulting interest group, I am going to present the strategy Infosys adopted to counter its dipping employee satisfaction. This might take place tomorrow.

Also for Konsult, I am a part of a team of five that is working on a launch strategy for Haier, a refrigerator manufactureer from China, into the Indian market. This might be shifted to next Wednesday.

For Omega, I am a part of a team of two that is working on a book review of 'Straight from the gut' by Jack Welch. This might happen next Thursday.

For Atharva, I am planning to organize a Bollywood (Hindi movie industry) Quiz. This might happen next Friday.

For Mpower, I am planning to make a presentation on the increasing brand advertising through Hindi movies. This might happen on a Monday two weeks from now.

For PlaceCom (not an interest group but a full fledged well-fought-for committee), I am working on the Summer and Final Placement Brochures. I am not too sure of my role in this and don't really know what is happening. I should be meeting Richard, the senior who is co-ordinating this activity.