Brand New Day

It is way past midnight - and today happens to be an off day in India. Well, most parts of India if not all - I know people who are going to their respective offices today as well. So much so for it being one of the 'national holidays'.

But hang on, I am not going to write about October 2nd, there is enough literature on this topic. I write just because I wanted to. Off late, waking up suddenly at odd hours hasn't been the feature of my fairly active life. So this is different. I can't even figure out the reason - excessive sleep and a blank mind perhaps. Added to such a vacuum moment is this inherent desire to listen to some soothing sound tracks. I must be insane - I don't even have an agenda for this post.

Let me think back - where am I in terms of job satisfaction? In the middle of no-where I guess. A month back - and I could safely find myself in the dissatisfied category. But the past 20-25 days of training has propelled my career towards something significantly different - or is there a catch somewhere? From being selected for a pre-sales job to doing nothing to being trained as a business analyst to being in charge of a competency center for a particular product sounds like some weird kinda 'transformation'. Plus there is this hanging carrot for a job switch - which I never latch onto - can't latch onto is more like it :)

Personal front - well, things look rosy here. With a wedding to attend (my own) in a couple of months time - I ought to be happy. Most of my weekends are spent hunting for 'deals' in furniture or electronic appliances showrooms. Stop laughing about it, all bachelors-turning-to-non-bachelorhood would testify on having done that at the crossroads of their lives.

The past 20-25 days have not just been different in terms of my career change, it has also brought a transformation to my own attitude towards life. Ask me why - and I cannot pinpoint the reason. Maybe the very reason that I have something to look forward to in my day-to-day life at the office. Maybe it is the 20-20 cricket victory for India - or the Asia cup hockey victory for India - or India winning the football tournament(how often does that happen?) - or Pankaj Advani winning the world title - or Vishwanathan Anand claiming his 2nd world title - or the sensex reaching dizzying heights (it had crossed the 17k barrier); there are so many positives all around that it has rubbed on to me and my outlook towards life. I am my old self - who has no care for what the world thinks, and is happy with whatever is in the offing.

I think I have unravelled one significant trait in my thought pattern. Sporting success, even if it does not come for me personally (never had quite 'that' amount of talent) - means a lot to me. There is only one other thing which drives a community/nation better than sports - and that is religion. While that's an area I am yet to be conversant with - I more than make up in my interest in sports. It gives such a zeal to my life - and I wish these glory days continue for ever - both for me, and Indian sports!

The Waste called Waist

I never thought I would have to write something on these lines - but alas, the minor expansion 3 inches above my belly button and 2 inches below it have compelled me to do something about it. And I chose to blog - call it my way of reducing calories ;-).

All said and done, atleast I am conscious about my ever increasing waist size. The trousers seem to get tighter by the passing second, and each time I look myself in the mirror I tend to pull in my tummy and stop breathing for a while. Damn - this is terrible, I am a certified pot bellied character now :(

Okay - enough of sulking over, I should now chalk out an action plan to tackle this menace. I have my wedding in December this year, that is less than 5 months away. Surely I can do something to look "better" and "in shape". What are the options I can look into?

• Stop dipping myself in beer - irrelevant, am a teetotaller.
• Start going to the gym - worth considering, but is it very essential?
• Avoid, nay - stop consuming "fatty" foods - Ouch, chicken kaise bhool jaoon?
• Stop worrying, relax - Ah, high funda stuff - wonder if this is applicable to me!

Ummm - I have been thinking of doing a daily round of jogging for the past one year or so, and that has resulted in me going out for long walks on certain days. I think loyalty to myself would help me reduce an inch or two. Abstinence from "fatty" food! In my case, the lust of a tangdi kabab is much more than the usual reason why the word "lust" is used for. But I have managed to put a check on myself - my office lunch is purely fruits, and I have managed it for about two weeks now. This, coupled with infrequent indulgences for the taste buds (which are few and far between them), should work favourably for me.

That's it - I have developed a "plan" which needs to be implemented well to realize fruitful gains. How much do I comply with it? Well, guess you will get to know more about it in the days to come!

P.S - I walked back home yesterday, and it wasn't too taxing. 4.5 km in 45 minutes or thereabout. I believe I will continue the pattern till I remain jobless in the workplace.

The King of Bikes

Ask any average Indian biker – which is the most favoured bike on Indian terrain? Many replies will immediately spell Pulsar – the Bajaj success story in recent years. But none can beat the enthusiasm that a Bullet churns out from its zillion lovers. Robust, strong, macho, heavy – these are a few words which are usually associated with a Bullet – it is easily the King of bikes on Indian roads.

One such bike lover has a very similar frame to that of a Bullet – heavy, and if I may add, a bit pot bellied ;-) Alright – not a bit, make it a wholesome heavy frame. He has lost a bit of weight over the years with his penchant for exercise, yoga, diet control, etc. That’s my dad for you – sexy at sixty :-P (62 actually). My father owned a bullet Enfield in his hey days – and it remained as one of his prized possessions (an Analog Olympus SLR camera comes close as the second best) – until one day he decided to sell it off because it was guzzling a tremendous amount of oil. Those were the days of paise bachao andolan in his life – which seems to be my priority now-a-days.

A day before the 17th of June, celebrated as Father’s day universally, one of my friends came to visit me at my sister’s place where I am put up. He owned an Avenger – a cruiser bike of the Bajaj family. As we talked about Bangalore, the trouble with the city traffic inevitably came up during the discussions. And from there my father enquired about my friend’s bike. I mischieviously quipped; it is similar to a Bullet. That led to a sudden spurt in the interest levels of my father. I cajoled him further about the bike – and my friend talked about the comfort levels attained while driving the bike. And then we suggested him to take a ride. My father declined initially – but a bit of coaxing made him excited. He went in to get ready for the ride; shirt tucked in and all set to drive.

The lengthy body of the bike meant he had to make a bit of an adjustment to get used to the brake and gear positioning. But one had to grant him that, he hardly rides a two wheeler these days – let alone a cruiser. The electronic start oozed life into the bike – and after a hiccup or two he was on his way. He zipped around for about 5 minutes, and thoroughly enjoyed his ride.

Post the ride he talked about the peculiar sound that a bullet-like bike makes – rhythmic beats at no acceleration. He liked the Avenger, it was smooth and lovable – but remained loyal to Bullet, saying nothing beats the King. A broad grin on his face and a well-savoured Avenger ride – my Father’s day gift ideas seemed irrelevant now J. We still went out for a dinner the next day – but it was evident, his biking experience was much more cherished.

I Scored a D

Yeah – a bitter truth that one. I scored my second D in my MBA, it happened to be in my last submission – the final project (the so called dissertation as per the whims of my erstwhile Dean). My first D came in my first subject, Financial Accounting - so much so for synchronous scoring pattern.

It left me fuming at my Dean – he was the one who was supposed to evaluate the project. For all that hard work – it certainly didn’t deserve a D. I had even worked on formatting the entire document along with my other project members (yeah – have a laugh, our so-called dissertation had team members – it was our brilliant Dean’s idea). Now before you wonder what is the big deal in formatting a document – well, yours truly has always managed to ignore such innocuous work – leaving it for the toppers to do. After all, the matter inside is what makes the work important, isn’t it? And there lies the fundamental issue. Our dissertation had enough worthwhile material to get a score above D. For all the copy-paste from a zillion web pages – it was a good enough assorted work – at the end of the day, you have to make sense of all those web pages, and utilize only the relevant information.

I was against the idea of a “dissertation” in the first place – and even had a long argument with the Dean. Do notice – I mentioned “long” argument – that is because I exchanged 2 pager mails with him. Don’t ask me why such lengthy mails – that’s because he loves doing things that way. The length of his mails – and his speeches when he just has to say “hello” are atypical of his character. A character which reminds me of “Charlie Chaplin” thanks to his moustache. And a character who loves blabbing – and ensures he holds his sway over certain students because of his sweet talk. That I didn’t like him from the start is a different story – his audacity in changing the course curriculum on his whims almost propelled me to write a piece on his satanic manners with a subject line – A meeting with the Devil. I have always been a rebellious kind – without showcasing it much. But I like to say things as they are – and it still disappoints me that people do not respond in a similar manner.

After having multiple discussions with him – I arrived at a conclusion of sorts. Here was an academic who wanted to prove his mettle at the helm of an MBA course. He listened patiently to suggestions, and acted on none. He wanted to prove that industry plays second fiddle in the world of academics and they have lesser priority even in an MBA. He proves this when he wants a dissertation to be done in 5 months time, in a group of students, which preferably is a study not related to any company or organization, and is based on secondary data as time is at a premium. While people work on dissertations on a longer frame of time – I fail to understand the importance of one in a shortened 1 year course (10 months actually). There is so much research that is required for such a work, and 5 months is simply not ample enough for the work to be anything more than a document whose content is a selective amalgamation of many others. My Dean’s credentials are worthwhile – and he is a master of his own subject. However his attitude reminds of a saying - there are different horses for different courses. With scant respect for the industry in an MBA curriculum, he is probably a pony in a world of stallions.

Did this story of mine sound like a case of grapes turned sour? It might, but I also think it is the same with my Dean – no wonder he remains an academic and not an industry person.

Hungry Kya?

Being one of the most avid food lovers in the entire mankind, such phrases meet a rough sneer from people like me who don’t miss any opportunity to devour food. I mean how silly could a question be? For someone like me, such questions take the top spot in a heap of redundant questions that have been ever asked.

As I returned home after having completed my MBA, I found myself in a new terrain. Mom wasn’t around (my sis’ love taking her away) – and dad was home alone. Enter me – and I found myself delve into nuances of Indian culinary. It was a new experience for me, I have had kitchen visits for an occasional dish or two – but this was different. Preparing full fledged meals over four days meant I was involved in a non-stop cooking extravaganza.

Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. How different was my mindset when I hogged down all those tasty dishes, gave my expert views and comments on how a particular curry should have been prepared, and how I took for granted that cooking is a given for any lady in the household. I bow in front of all the mothers and cooks of the world, who have achieved so much in the simmering bowl the world calls “kitchen”. The job in there involves as much management as I read in my MBA, and yes – it remains one of the most thankless jobs in the world. When you wake up thinking what should be the breakfast, start cutting the vegetables immediately after you washed the dishes of the previous meal, keep wondering if the salt was a pinch too much or too less, and the only thing you ponder about is whether the dish has boiled enough – you realize “mercy killing” can be associated with all the cooks.

We all crib about our routine jobs – how boring our schedule is, how mundane our tasks are, is there any challenge in the job, there is no value-add to my skill set, etc – spare a thought for all those who cook daily. And most, if not all, actually have to clean the house, wash the clothes, manage the kids, buy the grocery, and do a host of other activities. My friends and I used to visit this restaurant which offered limitless food with no liability to pay. As students we had exploited this charitable organization’s policy, and a lot of times we ate more than necessary – at times even leaving behind food. Leave alone moral obligation, it was also a poor reflection on our respect for the chefs who voluntary turn up to cook for this restaurant. I seem to change with every passing day – every new thing teaching me a lot. Every new thing makes me realize that how wrong I have been. Food – among many other things - has humbled me.

I came, We Saw, She Conquered

After nearly 11 months of separation, I saw her again. We had last met on the 27th of May 2006 when she left for the United States for the official assignment of hers. I had not realized it back then that the separation would be so agonizing, but it suited us fine as I too had to leave for about a year for my MBA. It would have kept her busy while I was away. However she had come back this March and I had not completed my course. It hurt us like mad, separation pangs were dreadful, and we were eager for meeting again.

My journey from Singapore to Bhubaneswar stretched over two days - the reason being my misery. I was not too keen to spend about the same (or more) money to reach Bhubaneswar from Chennai, than what I did when I traveled from Singapore to Chennai. That too in the event when I was ill, and common sense (that's Lopa for you) told me I should catch a flight. Lopa was worried about my deteriorating health. The halt at Chennai lasted about 10 hours. It was not merely ticking of the clock - the humidity, din at the station, heat in the air, my unrelenting cough, and a blocked nasal passage meant that I had taken a bad decision. I survived somehow, and finally boarded the train late on the night of 16th. The next 20 hours were spent anticipating how I will react when I meet her; I was already in a terrible shape - disheveled hairs, shabby looks, smelly clothes, rough stubble, how was I going to present myself to her?

All that confusion vapourized when I saw her. She was a touch late, but that was not her fault, my train had arrived a bit early. She was beaming the moment she saw me, and so was I. She had brought me a long stemmed red rose - and the lovely thing paled in comparision as she was around. Incidentally she had matched her get-up with the rose. Red ear-rings, and streaks of red in her dress - it all built up the moment of excitement. I wanted to hug her tight, but alas - it was a public place. She looked sparkling, and she was so excited. I was in absolute awe - I was waiting for this moment for so long.

We dined at a nearby restaurant and spent a couple of hours there. It was a short meeting, but quite a significant one. This is when you recite a phrase like "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!". She was stunning - and I was conquered, yet again, by Lopa. Win me over and over again sweetheart, I am all yours by any stretch of imagination!

The Rise of Nations

I have been playing "The Rise of Nations" for about a month or two, and have not exceeded the amateur level yet. Slow with my moves, and inept with my strategy - I often end up on the loosing side. I embarass my team-mate in a multiplayer game, and it is a gross mismatch of the capabilities of an amateur versus professionals. And what has been my reaction - stay away from the game, and concentrate on other things in life.

Cricket however presents a different outlook. March 17, 2007 will go down as one of the watershed moments in the history of the game. Minnows as they are called, Bangladesh and Ireland have conquered many a mountains by defeating India and Pakistan respectively in the World Cup. India still have hopes, there is a possibility of qualification for the next stage. However Pakistan have been eliminated, with consequtive defeats from the West Indies and now, Ireland.

There was a common theme to both the games, brilliant bowling from the victors, and listless batting from the vanquished. Agreed, the conditions for the Pakistan-Ireland game were favouring bowlers, but Pakistan had enough of firepower of their own to combat the elements, and the opposition. India were facing an ever improving Mortaza, and this was a day when he would have made the likes of McGrath and Pollock proud. India could have made a match of the abysmal total that they put up, but a bunch of Bangladeshi youngsters aged 17, 18, and 19 showed that battles can be won on the basis of committment and application, and not ONLY on reputation and experience.

I happen to be an Indian, but strangely - this loss has not hurt me a lot. That is because over the years I have learnt to appreciate the game, much more than the players. Bangladesh have arrived, and this World Cup they are a lot more prepared than any previous editions of the tournament. Fit and capable players, they showed their mettle by defeating New Zealand in the practice game. India lost to them not just because of its own wayward players, but because Bangladesh dished out high quality cricket. Ireland are just about as new as it gets. With a history of 8 ODIs prior to this game with Pakistan - they probably just hoped to remain competent. However even they gave a glimpse of their prowress in their practice gam, they had South Africa 98 for 8, and tied with Zimbabwe in their first World Cup game. They had lost close matches in the associate nations tournament - and their players are very capable as proved in this game.

I have learnt a lesson in this process - cultivating hope and aspirations while building up capabilities has to mesh with hardwork and effort. And only then will one emerge as a victor. It was a priviledg to witness the victories of Bangladesh and Ireland, as they are today's real life example of the Rise of Nations.

A tribute to The Better Half of my life

It is just about the right time when I should introduce my adorable sweetheart to my blog. Welcome Lopa, and have a memorable birthday in recent times :-). It has been quite some time since I wanted to jot down a write up about you, but like all good things in life, I guess it all boils down to the timing of events. And what better time than your birthday when you are among your sisters. I wish I could be with you on this occasion, however I will have to manage with listening to your voice only.

The phrase "better half" does not do justice to the extent of influence you have in my life. Much as clay is useless unless moulded into suitable shapes, I wasn't half the man I am without you in my life. This isn't exaggeration - the very fact that I have been able to do my MBA is ONLY because of your motivation. With the best of my efforts, I was not being able to convert anything. My parents, especially my father, always dreamt of big things for me - and I was not doing full justice to their ambitions. Pop you came - and the next thing I know is I had converted my CAT exam finally.

But hang on, this is not just about you motivating me for my career aspirations - this is about your special presence in my life. You were this simple smart girl who had just about all the good qualities one could ever imagine - and the typical flirt that I was, I still could not urge myself to flirt with you. I always thought that would be bad - you earned my respect from the early days itself. And it was not just me who thought it this way - it was the entire department.

Therefore it was an honour when you agreed to come to be the love of my life, it started with adulation and awe - you were this special girl, a diva in her own sense - and I was the idiot who could not possibly get any more lucky. As days passed by, I came to know you more. At times you are like a kid, and I am amazed at the innocence you reflect. And at times you are this over excited girl who loves shopping for her wardrobe! To complement all this, you have shown more maturity than I could anticipate, and have been very adjusting even when I behaved like a jerk.

I feel sorry for myself, how could I possibly hurt you over petty matters? I guess I get insecure - you are too precious for me to loose. But I realize I disguise my jealousy into insecurity and I turn irritable. A bit of jealousy is all right - I will always find other men mean ;-), but I have learnt not to cross your tolerance limits.

The catch is - I was attracted to you because you were this special human being, who has never been on the wrong side of things - ever. Perfection is no more a dream when I think about you - and it makes all other things so very insignificant.

By the way - you have the best dressing sense among ALL the women I have ever seen, and you carry yourself amazingly well in ALL possible occasions. Dearest Lopa - I love you like I never have, you are the prettiest woman in this world, and I adore your persona and your style! Happy Birthday once again :)

P.S - How much over I tried, the date of the post remained 15th of March, but it is already 16th out here in Singapore, and it is today that I posted this. But Blogger follows U.S timings, which means the post seems to be posted on 15th :(

Tremors

Things have changed significantly for me over the past 24 hours or so. I finally got placed - after getting rejections for Mindtree, Cognizant, TCS, Zensar, Patni, and Frost & Sullivan. I was selected for the next round of Kanbay, but HCL Technologies offered me a job. And it came when I was not expecting it at all. The interview for HCL was one of the worst that I have given in recent times, not because I could not answer the questions asked - but because I was given a very rude treatment from the interviewer. It was probably a stress interview of sorts, and I did all but hit the man in front of me. But all's well that ends well - and I am mighty relieved!

This morning Mother Nature seemed to share my happiness with the entire world. Already there have been two significant tremors felt at Singapore. I live in the 6th floor and it did cause a fair bit of anxiety all around. One almost felt like being given slight push in the cradle, or it was like slight waves rocking a tiny paper boat in a placid pool of water, or like the feeling one gets when the swing is just about to stop - you sway in a gentle motion. So much so for an earthquake - life is rocking literally!

Zero, Not Out!

Handling failure is one of the most uneasy phases one has to go through. It is a haunting, self-destructive, restrospective, and a terrible phase to be in. And this is exactly the phase I am currently in, three consecutive failures at the job interviews have left me shattered to say the least. I couldn't do much in the first company with me being eliminated in the Group Discussion stage itself in spite of the best of my efforts. But yesterday was the killer blow - I appeared in the interviews of Cognizant and TCS, and was rejected for the subsequent rounds. I sought an explanation from the panel - and an old enemy prevailed as the root cause. They told I was not aggresive enough, and one mentioned I "looked" tired - so much so for being unbiased in today's world. Let me be relevant to the context - this was no sales positions I was looking for, I presented myself as someone who was calm and confident about my credentials - and yes I am not flamboyant, but that is my strength - I try and represent stability.

What makes people think that there is no room for someone who is a touch reserved? We are talking about business analysts or consultants here - the only chat they need to do with customers is business, not some pub room chit-chat which can very well be on the agenda of a salesman!!

I discussed this with my sister, and asked her a question - if you were taking the interview of Nandan Nilekani and Narayana Murthy, and you had the thought process of the individuals who represented Cognizant and TCS, whom would you choose between the two? Pat came the answer - Nandan Nilekani - and this is the point I am trying to drive in. People do get biased, and select because THEY think it is right, not because the job demands so!

All the same, I will try and present a more "energetic" self next time around! I understand the need for showing interest - maybe I was portraying a wrong image there. It makes me strive harder for that elusive job - it will be well cherished when I achieve the goal. As a fellow MBAite wrote in his poem to inspire all those who failed yesterday - "Success is sweet, when I simply succeed. Success is sweeter, when I fail and succeed."

Whitewash!

My blog is slowly resembling a cricket website - with more and more posts written about cricket. It reveals two things - one is my passion for the game (albeit my own skills are laughable at the very best); and two is the amazing turn of events on the field that seem to happen rather frequently.

New Zealand outclassed Australia for the third game in a row and successfully chased down 300+ scores in two consequetive matches to clinch the Chappel-Hadlee trophy 3-0. Australians are defeated, foxed, stunned, beaten, decimated, destroyed - you add adjectives and the list goes on and on. This amazing performance by the Kiwis makes one trust the instincts - nothing is permanent but change. The Australians might as well make a comeback and win the World Cup - but it will take some time to forget this royal thrashing!

Bond with the Best!

Picture perfect - Ain't it? Shane Bond pulverized the Australians to the levels of a mere club outfit as he took 5 for 23 off ten magnificent overs as they plummeted to their first ever 10 wicket defeat in limited overs international cricket. Sharp pace bowling apart, Bond took a superb athletic catch off his own bowling (see image) to dismiss Cameron White as well another catch in the outfield to cap off a wonderful match winning performance. Fleming and Vincent finished off the formalities in style as both of them cracked unbeaten 70s in the run chase.

First it was the Poms, and now it is the Kiwis. Australians now have an achilles heel - and it was Vincent who had first pointed it out. Yeah - it is their over confidence, and it has hurt them badly alright! Minus the key players, they are a bunch of tentative, insipid cricketers who have a lot of vulnerabilities in all the departments of the game. With the World Cup not too far away, 4 defeats in the past 5 games does not sound a happy verdict for the current World Champions. It can get worse - another loss in the next two games against the Kiwis would mean the Australians will be replaced by the South Africans as the number 1 team in the world. You guessed it - with 33 wickets against them in the last 10 games, there is plenty of motivation for Bond again! He is simply the best.

Overwhelmed!

Mr. Jonathan Chua, CFO, Honeywell China visited our campus for a guest lecture on the Chinese economy. Extremely professional in his approach, Mr. Chua gave a very detailed talk on the growth of businesses in China, and the overall success of the development in China. I was amazed by the extent of the Chinese supremacy - be it manufacturing, or R&D. As known to most of us, there was a mention of focus on the growth prospects of Tier II cities in China. Being overwhelmed is still a very subtle way to put it across, because the numbers on the slides were daunting to say the least. China continues growing at an amazing pace, and all this when the growth is in and around the major cities. With a humongous population, and efforts to go to interior (read west) China for further growth - the world order is very much set - with China leading the way all throughout.

I did ask a question (now that is a rare event!) - is there any worry for the business community amongst all this success? His answer was more on the lines of diplomacy for Taiwan, relationship with the Bush government, and similar things - most of it was subtle, and it gave one a feeling that not much can go wrong in such a build up. Yes there are enormous environmental concerns for China, and there is an increasing income gap amongst its populace - but all said and done, it will take some beating for a nation to halt China's progress to the top of the pile!

Cricket is still a funny game - II

Similar story - just a slightly different setup, and a different set of teams. My last cricket related post talked about India's resurgence from abysmal depths in South Africa (though they managed to loose the next two Test matches after the win). England did something similar - though in the one day version of the game. After being thoroughly thrashed 5-0 in the Test matches, England made an absolute U-turn to their fortunes and beat Australia three times consequtively to snatch the CB series comprehensively in the finals. It just goes on to show - the word invincible is very much a misnomer. Way to go England - and yeah, Barmy Army and the Poms have some singing and boozing to do! Imagine - all this without the charismatic Kevin Pietersen :)

Hail Schindler!

Oskar Schindler - a German par excellence in a period where most of the world hated the Nazi German regime that prevailed.

After all these years, I finally managed to watch Schindler's List - the immensely popular Oscar winning Steven Spielberg movie of 1993; which makes one sit up and think - what is strength of character? This comes at a time when I have been reading about exemplary leaders like Ricardo Semler, Dhirubhai Ambani, Ratan Tata, RP Goenka - and yet my verdict is, each of these successful business leaders can't even match the phenomenon that Schindler created.

I knew about Holocaust, I knew about the World War - and yet I did not know about Schindler and his immense work - it makes me feel so ignorant. After watching the movie, I searched the web for more information on Schindler and the War period, and his contribution to humanity. The movie had successfully created the right impression in my mind - all of the web pages reiterated the disaster that the world was meddled with - and the images only made the scene grotesque.

Schindler was a German national - and he was a branded womaniser and gambler of sorts. The War prompted him to an enamel related business, and he used Jews as workers for his factory. At some point of time, he was a reformed man - and he was affected badly by the crimes against Jews. Who wouldn't be - even when you are at war!! I have no clue what was the drive for those Nazi soldiers to do such brutal atrocities - there has to be a method to their madness, and some sense too.

Perhaps I am too meek, but just a thought of the probable scenes of Holocaust shudders my heart. It makes me wonder, what drives such hatred in men and women? Is it Wealth, Religion, or Power - three things which humans have sought for most of their existence,and continue doing so?

It also makes me wonder - what makes men and women hail a hero/leader?
Is it pride, devotion, safety, job guarantee...
...or the bleak hope of survival...a cause Schindler sought for the 1300 Jews he rescued; using all his might, diplomacy, conmanship, and millions of dollars...

Nobody knows about the exact motives of Schindler, but his deeds are more than sufficient to celebrate him as a hero for all ages - a man who stood against brutality.

Making a New Year Resolution

As I was going through the Infosys website I came across one of the blogs in the site. The blog is named the "Think Flat Blog". It is based on topics and discussions on the now famed idea "The World is Flat" conceptualized by Thomas Friedman. The title of this post is exactly the title used by Mr. Nandan Nilekani, current CEO and Managing Director of Infosys Technologies Ltd. He wrote the post with the idea of looking back upon the year gone by, and writes primarily about the great promise shown by India, and why a strategic business decision is incomplete without a mention of its name. You can read the blog by Mr. Nilekani here.

I commented on the topic, which will of course be moderated, and might not be posted in the Infosys website after all. Therefore I might as well post my comments out here. The following is the exact excerpt of my comments:

How about making a "Global" New Year Resolution?

The roots of Infosys are in India and everyone admires the positive changes in the nation. But hang on, absurd as this may seem, isn't writing solely about India and its achievements defying the very word "flatness"?

The success of the western world and their consequent up rise suggested the world wasn't flat back then. For every successful nation like the U.S, there was a developing nation like India. The new age success of India, China, and others still does not suggest the world is flat. For every imagination-defying nation like India, there is still an economic and social horror ridden nation like Zimbabwe.

For all one knows, the world is far from being flat; earlier it was unipolar, and now it is multi-polar.

P.S - They did post my comment after all. What's like being on the same page with Nandan Nilekani? Not much actually - nothing in fact!

The frog comes out of its well

The age old story of the frog staying back in its well and considering it to be the entire world is known to most of us. And I almost enacted the frog in its behaviour for the past 30 days or so.

But today was a deviation from the story - a welcome one at that. Thanks to the ever changing schedules at my MBA course some of the students had a "field" trip today, and I was among the fortunate few. Well, fortunate in terms of getting out of college and getting to see a new place, not so much in terms of what one had to endure to do that.

The trip was divided into two parts, first we had to go to SATS - Singapore Air Terminal Services; and the second was a visit to one of the NTUC contact centers. One was left to wonder the utility of such a trip to future MBAs (our group is specializing in IT) - and everyone had her/his own views about it at the end of the day. While the presentations were as dry and dull as they could possibly be, for me it was a welcome change from the same old routine on campus - though this meant I would miss out on my daily dose of chatting with my girl-friend (she is almost my fiancee, nay, my wife).

Learning or no learning, the day was damp in most parts, with a cool breeze of air giving us the respite. The SATS personnel ended up talking about their company in general and HR practices in particular. One was amused at their novel way of defining an "in-house" IT project - they meant no development or support (that was to be done by the vendors), but since they "owned" this particular product with business users providing all the know-how of the system, they had all the legitimate rights to call it an "in-house" project!!

The mid-trip break took us to Century Square Mall, or thereabouts. A swift search for easing up our taste buds meant we spread out in little groups to find what was suitable. The vegetarians had a rough time in getting a decent meal, and the rest of us tried out the chicken and sea food with utmost delight. We were joined by some other students from the college as we left for the NTUC contact center.

Again, although the personnel in the contact center did their best in explaining the nitty-gritty's of their operations, very few of us seemed interested in their prophesies!! A pizza bite before we left back for the campus meant that I had spent the most in a single day on food after I landed in Singapore. Relax folks, history and my burgeoning waist line tells me I can break such records easily :-).

The frog finally decided to pop back to its well, but hey - isn't it cool for a frog to croak out its thoughts in the middle of the night for everyone out there? You bet it is!!

Cricket is still a funny game

This statement was reiterated all over again the past weekend in the Indo-SA test series. Indians have had a terrible time in the ODI leg of the South African tour - they have returned back to their hopeless ways of playing cricket, meaningless and without application. With a 4-0 thrashing that they received from the South Aricans in the ODI series, one feels even the best of Indian supporters gave them no chance what-so-ever to give a real fight to the opponents, let alone winning a test match in foreign soil.

History was against them (they had not won a single test match in South African soil), and so was the formbook. With a certain Saurav Ganguly returning back to add some meat (if not matter) to the middle order, one realized that the Indian cupboard is bare - with no fresh talent to grab a position in the team. Those youngsters who had been given chances were disappointing. The bowlers were performing decently, but was it enough?

Come the D-day and India decided to grit it out in their performance on field. A determined batting approach ensured a respectable total on the scoreboard with Ganguly top scoring with a patient 51 not out. But the South Africans had not anticipated what was coming at them. Awesome bowling from the Indians, primarily from Sreesanth, meant the South Africans were shot out for 84, playing out a mere 25.1 overs in all.

From then on, the Indians had to play out to the set theme - and they emerged victorious with more than 5 sessions to spare in the game. On a different part of the globe, the Australians continued their English route, and duly captured back the Ashes. But the Indians had entered a new territory, they have test victories in all the test playing nations now. And they achieved this in a period which was full of turmoils and uncertainities.

The South Africans were given a rude awakening. The roles had reversed, the hunters became the hunted...and man of the match Sreesanth saw the funnier side of it as evident here.

A certain someone...

...is here to update you with the latest from Dubai. It is hot, it is humid and it is all sand around the place this individual lives in.

Phewww...it has been hectic right from day one - the program is structured such that you go back to your villas (that's what my hostel is) only to study or sleep. I must admit I have been a lame duck doing nothing more than that - except for a trip to a shopping mall (that was to buy a SIM card).

Call it my love for the motherland or my love for nature - I hate Dubai....

It is a city which is almost eternally into construction and infrastructure upgradation. The outcome - you have posh residential districts/ apartments/office buildings/malls...picture perfect roads and so many other construction wonders [one has to check Burj-Al-Arab, amazing place - ofcourse I can't afford even peeping in the place as of now ;-) ]. They have managed to create a buzzing city in the centre of a desert ....one realizes that when you go to the outskirts of the city. I stay in an area which is called - Al-Barsha - the only thing you see here is majestic villas - and sand. You have no people moving outside - even in the evenings when the sun is down....and one who comes from the second most populous nation certainy doesn't feel amused.

The misery continues in term of the food we get here - the prices charged in my college campus and residential area are so exorbitant that one has to resort to veggies most of the time :(......with all due respect to the vegetarians, imagine having to survive with ghaas-foos (that too in a desert!) when you are known to nod the head in disapproval for any all-veg meal.

And the icing on the cake is the hostel blues that one has had to face over the past 4 weeks...the college admin hasn't been up to the mark and things ranging from non-availabilty of water to shifting villas to avoid being thrown out of the community (municipality served a notice to vacate the premises coz we were an overwhelming number of bachelors staying in a residential community).

All that has been negated in a certain way by the excellent faculty that have visited the campus since day one. One feels a bit safe if you judge the program based on the faculty/curriculum for your ROI, but mind you - am just talking about a bit, one is never satisfied enough ;-)

My attempt at reviewing a book

Book Review of Free Lunch, Easily Digestible Economics
Authored by David Smith

Book Introduction

Free Lunch, Easily Digestible Economics by David Smith is an attempt on the part of the author to help people, especially non-economists, come to terms with the rather despised subject of economics. It is despised not because of what it deals with – but because of the clarity, or the absence of it, that most of the texts on economics provide. Something that is an integral part in the life of the common man has to be understood properly by the hoi-polloi, but unfortunately that has not been the case with most of the books on the subject so far. Free Lunch has been a welcome change on that front – and as the author claims, it does not seek to replace the gargantuan manuals full of mathematical equations and diagrams; but it does intend to make the life of a person easier with real life examples and analogies associated with several economic instruments and terminologies.

Book Layout

The author has managed to draw a wider section of audience to the book by making it a light-read, interspersed with a generous dose of humor and wit. The title of the book builds up the interest of the reader – many of us have heard the phrase “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. The book tries to find out why such a phrase is apt for the society which we live in. The book layout – in tandem with the title – has been set out as a meal plan with appetizers, a set of main courses, desserts and coffee. Many well known economists such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes don the apparel of guest speakers and their contributions to economics have been examined in the book. Works and beliefs of some lesser known economists such as Robert Malthus, David Ricardo, Milton Friedman and John Stuart Mill have also been discussed by the author. The hand-book is complete with a glossary of key words/phrases mentioned at the end; and for the benefit of the interested reader, Smith goes on to mention economic websites worth visiting and a few recommended books on the subject.

Book Content

The book starts with the general definition for economics and a discussion on housing prices with an analogy with potatoes. The discussion moves on to illustrate how the economic behavior of people affects the functionality of the financial system. Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, is then introduced as the guest speaker and his ideologies in The Wealth of Nations are discussed briefly. The concept of “the invisible hand” is described at length and so are issues like division of labour and economic freedom.

The book then talks about the concept of macro-economics, economics as a whole rather than about individual parts of the economic system. Value added tax (VAT) and saving tendency of people is discussed after that. The content drifts to consumer spending, government spending, investment, exports and imports and how they end up as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Smith then discusses other economists namely as Robert Malthus, David Ricardo, and John Stuart Mill and their philosophies.

After that Smith tries to educate the reader about businesses, individual firms and how they operate. Costs and profit making, monopolies in business, real world competition, investments in business, business game theories and business ethics is discussed over a few pages at this stage of the book. The role of internet in business also makes waves in print at this stage. The discussion veered to another giant in the economic world, Karl Marx. Marxism is discussed briefly and Marx’s view on capitalism is showcased. Marx’s Das Kapital is mentioned as one of three greatest books on economics ever written. Another important aspect of the economics is then discussed – namely the role of governments. Government spending is spoken about in an elaborate manner – why is it necessary, what is the right level of spending, how to multiply government spending, all about taxes and the budget, various fiscal rules, response to the taxes imposed, etc. are mentioned briefly.

Smith then dedicates an entire chapter to John Maynard Keynes describing how influential he has been for the various economic theories over the years. The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money gets a mention in the book, so does other Keynesian philosophies. No discussion on economics is complete without the reference to Money. The origin of money and monetary policies are discussed, the reader is made to understand how it is related to inflation and growth, and how monetarism is linked to economics.

So far Smith had been discussing economics with the British or European context. He then describes the American connection to the entire story – and how they have been the true leaders in the world of economics in the recent past. Key American economists like Irving Fischer, Paul Samuelson, Milton Freidman, Robert Lucas, etc. are mentioned after that. In the final stretch of the book, Smith addresses common economic debates that have been occurring over a long period of time. He tries to analyze key questions like why are some countries richer than others, is globalization a bad thing, is Euro a good idea, etc.

The Critique’s Approach

There is a slight glitch or two in this attempt by David Smith to educate the reader on the not-so-glamorous world of economics. Smith has based his entire discussion more-or-less with examples of the United Kingdom economy. While the general concepts and scenarios are applicable to one and all – still a variety in the settings could have helped the reader to co-relate the issue with her/his surroundings. There is a cardinal mistake on Smith’s side as he wrote the book with a certain bias towards capitalism and its merits. Ideally he would want the readers to have knowledge on different aspects of economics, not impose his beliefs on why a certain philosophy is right or wrong. While he mentions Karl Marx, his theories are showcased as wrong because they are not working in most part of the world as of today. Smith also mentions Japan, China and “tiger economies” of Asia – but hasn’t thrown light on how they operate – for there one could have been presented with a different point of view.

Conclusion

The book has been successful in making one understand how different elements of economics combine to shape the financial system. Without complicating things, Smith has managed to create awareness of the various economic principles - there will always be a category of people whose appetite has been whetted further and they would like to delve more into the subject. At the end of it, the reader will be assured that she/he can deal with the finer nuances of economics and related topics.