Blogging at 120 kmph

Here I am, on my way home in an awesome LHB coach of the Shatabdi Express, being pestered by a bunch of bratty young kids on the seat ahead of me, wondering why God never thought of putting a mute button on humans when he created them! But hell, I’m going home, thats what matters!! After 3 gruelling months at WIMWI, these 3 days are going to provide some much-needed respite from the manic life there.

(1/6)^th an MBA, (1/3)^rd a PGP1 survivor.......been quite a ride so far. Slot 2 went surprisingly decently, although subjects like Marketing did take their toll. Group work was in full flow as we were preparing either a presentation or an assignment almost every night. Ultimately it came down to a point where we just decided to assign each person in the group an assignment or project and let them do it! An important learning from this slot though, especially after the exams, is the art of globing! For those unfamiliar with this highly essential concept for MBA grads, globing is the art of writing any arbitrary rubbish as an answer in the most elaborate way possible. This is especially applicable when you either have absolutely no clue of what the question demands but don’t want to show that to your evaluator, or have an idea of what to write but have too much space to fill! In fact, I just realized what I’m writing right now is pretty close to globing! Anyway, things have been pretty routine once T-nite got over........companies have been coming down to give talks in preparation for summer placements. At the end of each talk, we get free food (Pizza Hut if we’re lucky, samosa if we’re not!) and a souvenir (again a T-shirt if we’re lucky, nothing if we’re not!). A lotta fun times too though during this slot......the all-night Mafia/Dumb-charades at LKP, the dorm dinners, some of the fun exercises during IGP classes......great ways to relieve all the stress one goes through. Exams were quite a revelation of how sucky life can get at times. I just couldn’t stop thinking of how to compensate for subjects like Financial Markets whose papers I screwed up like never before. Oh well, I suppose it’s best to keep the golden words of Chulbul Pandey (from Dabangg) in mind: “There eej alwayj a first time, and there eej alwayj a next time”!!!

It’s gonna be quite a hefty challenge balancing acads, placement talks and placement preparations during the third slot......tuchchas are gonna go into overdrive with their “Muggo Fachchon Muggo” chants I suppose!! But, at the same time, I’m sure they’re going to be our mentors and guiding forces during the next two months in the lead-up to summer placements. They’ve already shown tremendous amount of support and encouragement, and have shared invaluable insights especially while we were making our CVs. That’s how amazing the culture out here is – you look out for each other, share in the happiness and lend more than just a helping hand in times of difficulty without any hesitation whatsoever.

Darn these kids are really getting on my nerves now......can’t think straight......I suppose I’ll have to save the rest for later......best thing to do now is put on my headphones and watch a movie! Anyways, until the next.....cheers..!

Charge of the EchchadharEEs!!

Holy cow...! 1 month? Has it been that long since my last blog post?? Wow, and that makes it two months since I set foot here in D15R21.......Slot 1 whizzed past, and now I'm praying slot 2 does too! Marketing, FM (not the Mirchi kind....rather Financial Markets) and PS (Probability n Stats) have already begun to eat into our heads. One major relief would be that, by the end of next weekend, we can say good riddance to WAC at least till the start of the next year!

Slot 1 exams were not as bad as I thought, though now the effects of relative grading remain to be seen. I was ecstatic about my PS paper for exactly 43 minutes after it got over, after which I was duly made to realize that I had screwed up. Trust me, you screw exams and quizzes over again and again here, so when you're this close to having finally cracked one, only to find out you've screwed up yet again......makes you feel sick to your stomach! All in all, it was quite evident that slot 1 was just the first look teaser.........leading up to slot 2 which would be the trailer, and slot 3 the feature film! The worst is yet to come......and the tuchchas are smacking their lips in delight with each passing day...!!

The last 1 week was all about one thing and one thing only - T-NITE!! The baap of all inter-section competitions, T-Nite gives one fachcha section bragging rights over the others for the rest of the year. Spread over a period of 4 nights, the competition brings out the best in the fachchas creatively, from dances to musical performances to poster-making and even a daily newsletter where each section rips the others apart! This year, it was the turn of Aatank, Bawaal, Cobras, Dang-e-baaz, EchchadharEEs and....well whatever PGPX called themselves.... to set the stage on fire from 5th to 8th August! 4 nights - Pub Run, Mess Nite, RJM Nite 1, RJM Nite 2 - of amazing fun and sheer awesomeness! Every night, we had to put up something new.....new themes, new costumes, new ideas, new events.....coming up with them sure was a mighty challenge, but we were all up to the task!

We EchchadharEEs had begun to make our presence felt in WIMWI way before talk about T-Nite had even begun. Our tempo shouts a few weeks before T-Nite made everyone on campus - tuchchas, fachchas, and even some bewildered campus staff - sit up and take notice. Enthu was on an unprecedented high, and despite not having any past history or proper section tuchchas, nothing was gonna stop us. A few tuchchas ultimately volunteered to mentor us, and their presence and encouragement only seemed to spur us on! Finally, as T-nite arrived, section E was decked up and ready to fight. As it turned out, history was created on those 4 nights, as event after event, the EchchadharEEs blew everyone away and were by far the most consistent section. Our dancers enthralled the audiences, our fashion show (FashP) was without a shadow of a doubt the highlight of T-Nite on the whole, some of us including me rocked the stage with our music performances, the newsletter and creatives team was on over-drive ensuring the EchchadharEEs looked good.......section E was on a roll.

Going into the final RJM Nite, we were well and truly on top, and the T-Nite trophy was within sniffing distance. Time for the grand finale - and what a way to end too!! The dances, the class act, the random and CR acts, the group songs......we well and truly ended with a bang, to rapturous applause and shouts of "Awesome!" from the crowd. Our adopted section tuchchas were mighty proud, and we were even more! The hard work and efforts had definitely paid off, and the announcement of the winners was turning out to be a mere formality.

The formality was completed 2 days later, as it was made official that Section E had created history. A T-Nite win on debut, and the EchchadharEEs had immersed themselves in WIMWI folklore for generations to come. Batch after batch after batch here at WIMWI will soon hear of the awesome EchchadharEEs of the batch of 2012 who stormed to a T-Nite victory in the year of their inception.

More than the win, T-Nite was memorable for one thing - the way our section bonded together. We all now know each other like never before, and each night has just brought all 86 of us closer together. The amount of fun we had.....trashing our classrooms, taking pics, practicing, performing, shouting, screaming.....it really was quite incredible. And even though I was down with viral fever throughout the T-Nite period, the enthu my class showed made me forget about my fever everytime I stepped into the classroom and was in their company.

Oh well......fun's over now for quite some time now I suppose.....back to the grind.....back to marketing strategies, sampling and hypothesis testing, NPVs, and what not......hope to update this space soon again......anyway, until the next....cheers..!

P.S: Saw "The Expendables" last night......let me sum it up by describing one scene: A wall of fire separates our heroes from a chopper which they need to destroy on the other side, so what do they do? This dude picks up this huge, heavy rocket, launches it into the air towards the chopper.....and our man Stallone fires some bullets at it......said rocket explodes, bye-bye chopper!! If you want more of this, watch the film... :P

KhuJLi..!

Yeah that's right....that's my dorm name. We had the solemn dorm-naming ceremony yesterday night, after the initial hoax naming where I was given the name "LoLita". Somehow LoLita created a bit of a spark which I liked, but KhuJLi would catch up too I'm sure. However, I must clarify that the name has nothing to do with the literal meaning of the word or its direct implications! The ceremony was a lot of fun though, thanks to the dorm tuchchas, especially our dorm maa! Quite a few interesting names were given to the other fachchas...."Zigolo, Chhin-Chan, PoomPu, 3Some" etc. Some of the names are surely gonna be a rage out here.

It's been a pretty chill ride so far, although I'm sure this is the last day of that journey. We've only had 1 quiz so far in almost 15 days of classes, so I expect the coming week to be loaded with quizzes, probably beginning with FARA tomorrow, so gotta get to mugging soon! Club and committee interviews are also in full flow, and will carry on through the week I suppose. I sure hope I get into one at least, given the intense competition among 400 odd fachchas! The prestige associated with getting into these clubs is enormous, and can do wonders for one's skills and self-confidence, apart from of course adding to one's CV.

Procrastination levels reach new heights on weekends, at least for now. It does tend to get a tad worrying at times, and we sometimes wonder whether we're relaxing a bit too much, but then that age-old Indian "chhod yaar, chalta hai" attitude manages to come to the fore. That being said, from this weekend, quizzes are always going to be at the back of our minds so there's motivation enough to get some serious work done at least through the latter half of Sundays.

Saw "Knight and Day" yesterday.....decided it wasn't worth writing a review about! It's been a while since I saw such a stupid movie, even though it was decently entertaining in the first half. Cameron Diaz is old, Tom Cruise is way too old! I think its about time they started considering parental roles..! Anyway, the most-awaited movie finally arrives next week - Inception! If the movie is even half as good as its trailer, then we're in for a real treat. Christopher Nolan (of Dark Knight fame) in that sense rarely disappoints, and I'm sure he won't this time either.

Well, I suppose that's about it for now.....will try to update this space as regularly as "WIMWI-ly" possible! Until the next....cheers...

A memorable and eye-opening week...

The events of the last one week, particularly over the last 3 days, have truly been incredible and have served as an invaluable eye-opener. I struggle to remember when was the last time I learnt so many useful lessons in life in such a short span of time. It's been a period where I have had the privilege of witnessing first hand why IIM-A is what it is....the no. 1 management institute in the country, the land of Gods, the most awesome campus to live and learn in, and being in the presence of the most helpful and loving bunch of "tuchchas" anywhere, anytime. In obedience of the sanctity of this institute and my duties as a WIMWIan, I won't reveal any of the events that transpired on campus over the last few days.....but all I'll say is that, I'm in awe of this place and it's inhabitants! Professionalism takes on a whole new meaning out here.

Classes began on Friday, and so we were introduced to the case method of studying. One thing's for sure...this method ensures you don't laze around. Preparation is everything out here.....u don't come to a class prepared -> u would have no idea what's being discussed -> u can't take part in the discussion -> you're screwed. Each case contains a situation that requires a person or an organisation to make a decision. Invariably, the prof. begins the session simply by saying "What should xxx do?"; there's no summarising the case or dwelling upon the facts, so if you haven't read it, you're nowhere. That also leads up to the dreaded concept of "cold-calls", where if you aren't prepared for a case, and a prof. points to you and asks for your opinion.....well...u get the idea! There's only one thing to note: tolerance for any kind of academic indiscipline is non-negotiable and ZERO (in fact I would say it strays into negative territory!).

This weekend would be our first WAC submission....a phenomenon unique and made notoriously famous by IIM-A! It's going to be quite an experience staying up all Friday night and preparing the WAC report. Although I would try my best to avoid that situation during the week, I'm fairly certain I would eventually succumb to the customary rituals of WIMWI...everyone does! Let's see how it goes. Anyway, that's it for now....rest later....cheers..

A short, sweet and warm welcome...

It seems here at WIMWI, even though you're strapped for time, days especially in the first year just zip past. For me, classes haven't even started, but today sure has flown past before I even knew it. I finally got a chance to play TT.....had to trudge all the way to the new campus to get access to a TT table.......in that way, the guys in the new campus have access to all the fun....TT tables, pool tables, foosball.....whether they get time for all that or not is another issue! But 40 minutes of TT really took its toll on me, and I realized that if I were to stay up long enough and clock enough time on cases, sports unfortunately need to take a major backseat. Hopefully, the first lesson I learn out here in WIMWI is time management!

A nice nap in the afternoon (boy I sure will miss those!) was followed by the official welcome address by our Director and introduction of all the programme Chairpersons. Some familiar faces and names came up, and it was good to see some of the profs have a witty side to them.....hope to see more of the same in the classroom. Later in the night was an introduction to the Student Activities Committee or SAC. They gave us the requisite gyan on life at IIMA, most of which we already knew anyway thanks to our highly active Google group. An entertaining Q&A session ended the round of ceremonies for the day.

Orientation begins tomorrow.....quite a packed day it is too. Until the next, cheers...

WIMWI - First impressions....

A tingling feeling ran through my body as I entered the gates of the "Well-known Institute of Management in Western India" (WIMWI) a.k.a IIM, Ahmedabad a.k.a my home for the next 2 years. I couldn't believe it......the day had finally arrived, here I am! The sheer grandeur emanating from the red brick walls that constitute the marvellous architecture in the campus reminded me of the enormity of what I'm about to venture into. As I stepped out of the cab, the Harvard steps loomed in front of me......something that until now I had only seen pictures of. Greenery everywhere......but even at 8.45 a.m, one thing kept coming up in my mind.....damn it's hot! And why is the air so still.....can't there even be a breeze of like 0.01 m/s??! Is that too much to ask for??

Dorm 15, Room 21. That's where I've checked into. First time in a hostel, yet suddenly I didn't feel alien.....in fact I felt quite at home. The room is in many ways similar to my room at home (except for one notable omission....an AC!). One thing's for sure.....IIM Ahmedabad definitely has it's own unique ways of reminding you why it's right up there at the top.....be it the magnificent Louis Kahn Plaza, the Harvard Steps, the subway connecting the two campuses lined with pictures and clippings, the characteristic WIMWI dorm architecture with the two huge round holes in the middle (looks like a mega-size speaker case with the actual speakers removed!) etc.

Some pics:

That's my dorm....dorm 15

The famed Harvard Steps

LKP...magnificent!

Am yet to venture into the mess, so can't comment on d food yet. Revisited Pakwan with my parents....food there is as delicious as ever! Some shopping done....a look around the campus....yeah that was pretty much my day today. Registration tomorrow. Shall post more later. Cheers...

Let the games begin...

Once in 4 years, comes an event that captivates......an event that spawns hysteria through the globe.........an event that adults and children alike sit up and watch with their hearts in their mouths.......an event that unites generations, cultures, traditions and peoples.....an event that gives boyfriends/husbands the sole and undisputed authority over access to the remote control.......and 4 years on since Fabio Cannavaro lifted the Jules Rimet trophy aloft in joy and ecstasy at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup is finally here!!

The favourites tag this time around is firmly rooted on the men from Spain, with the Argentines, Brazilians, Germans and English following behind. The reigning champs, the Italians, seem to have few backers, with many citing an aging squad as the reason for not backing them. They may want to look back at the 2006 World Cup, where a supposedly "aging" French team beat Brazil during a remarkable run to the finals. They may also want to note that both England and Brazil, two of the favourites to lift the trophy this time, have average ages higher than that of the Italians (28.7 and 28.6 respectively, compared to 28.2). Discount the Italians once again at your own peril!

I will be religiously supporting Spain. With a midfield boasting the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Alonso, Busquets, Pedro etc. and an attack led by Villa and Torres, how can one not enjoy and be mesmerised by the style and panache in their game! If my predictions come true, it'll be semis line-up of France vs Netherlands and Argentina vs Spain, with the Dutch and the Spanish clashing in the mega-final. Viva la Español!!!

Another 7 days to go before I leave for WIMWI, and it's slowly beginning to dawn on me that I am going to experience something completely new - a new environment where the stakes are higher than ever before. I'm just hoping that I'm at least psychologically prepared to handle it. A combination of excitement and nervousness is flowing through my body right now, as I begin preparations to leave the place I've called "home" for the last 10 years. One thing for sure.....it'll be great fun to watch the World Cup with a huge bunch of football fans (provided I get the time to watch matches)!!! :P

Anyway, I suppose my next post will be from within the red brick walls of WIMWI....so cheers!

P.S: For those confused by the term "WIMWI", it stands for "Well-known Institute of Management in Western India".....a.k.a Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad!