Monday, January 28, 2008

Nothing succeeds like success..

Behind every successful life is the wary of 200 lifes who did not succeed. Its the game we humans play all our lives. ISB's making it to top 20 has risen many eye brows. The moment this news is broken to big league B school grads, they start giving points against it.
I will put forth some points. Its not just ISB MBAs, its a victory of your nation. Its a testimony of millions of life which bracket under umbrella of tag "Indians". Its the pride for a nation which was brutually killed under slavery and which fought for its freedom.

a) Above everything else, this is victory of my country. There are millions of indians who go abroad to study because their nation was not considered to be the best of the best in terms of providing education. Look at the smiles on faces of indians studying abroad. They now know that they are not a minority, soon they wil have the world coming to their door steps.

b) Say whatever you have to say for rankings. Hard facts- FT rankings are most reputed in world. We have all parameters open in air for people to judge. ISB has been attracting best of the bests for last 5 years. Its we the people. We might not be the core academicians, who work on quant day and night. ISBians are not selected on their knowledge of GK and how well they can vomit out the figures. ISBians are selected for logics, thought process and courage to fight failures in life. The selection process has academics as one part of it, rest of it is all about leadership, intelligence, smartness, and ability to confer and analyse situations. It takes courage to take a path less travelled and win on it.

c) For critics, respect the fact that here is an indian institute which dared to go out to world and test its waters. A ranking of lower than 50 could have made it loose its glamour. It dared to face success and failures with equal grace and it marks the beginning of Indian b school battles in times to come. I am sure there will be a day when we have Indian b schools fighting on global charts while Stanfords watch us play game. :)

Lets take pride in being Indian. I mark this blog to thank all the alums, staff, facility maintenance people and ISB aspirants. We have shown faith in our nation and its products. Its the faith that alums showed for last 5 years that has been given an endorsement.

Cheers to the ISB community!! The only response to the world is "Nothing succeeds like success." I will rest my case here. Flash that card which makes the world look upto you, forget about all other logics for behind every logic is a counter logic. Time to celebrate, we have created a history.

India shines with ISB

The day is 28th jaunuary, 2008. I enter into office and open my outlook. It is a mail from an alumni stating ISB makes it to top 20 in FT global b school ranking. The moment strikes me straight in head. Boss, here all discussions have led to a way which states, anything in top50 to start with is fine, and this is 20. AMAZING!!
But let me verify this. I click on link and am almost ready to shout in joy. Woooo!! A friend of mine over the weekend said 15 lakhs for a b schools, God knows stands where. I said a b school with an average GMAT of 710 is bound to stand somewhere, but then yes, it might take sometime.
And today, there is this proof, that its done in an year, ISB is ranked 20. No joke, indeed a proud moment for nation. We dared to face the world straight in 5 years and achieved a status which is just not a joke.
The ranking has proven the credibility. This might help us attract geographically diverse crowd in years to come.
However,this blog goes to the young(5 yrs), beautiful(Infrastructure) and successful(FT ranked 20) ISB. ( A friend of mine gave these adjectives and i loved them. )

Cheers!! For the day when the term IVY league will be changed for the history of b schools. :)

Friday, January 25, 2008

God's Debris

Ever wondered what is God, life, spirit, universe. About the facts of life which are above and beyond science and human interpretation. I have a thought a million times about everything. While everything seems to be fitting very well in the borders of life, i really dont have answers to why life, what is human and why do certain things happen the way we do. These questions often leave us feeling like a fool. We live in world living a life, but what is world, what is life? Isnt it all a perception, an illusion. Do we know when it started, why it started and where will it end?
I happened to read a book written by Scott Adams called God's Debris. The book is written in narrative format as a conversation between an old man and a young man. The questions that we have regarding life, Karma, religions and God are explained with a very logical explanation.
The author states that we humans are God's debris. We all have fallen apart in form of humans on earth and now God is in the phase of integration. We all will converge and merge to the oneness some day. The author has explained God with probablity. The theory regarding karma, religions, people, our approach in life have been analyzed with such stark and to the point examples that you are bound to give each line a thought.

I have always had doubt in the principles of physics as while it is able to give terminilogy to nature and its forces, it usually fails to prove the reason of its origin. The author has beautifully challenged the science with the inherent uncertainities. All in all a wonderful piece of writing. Probably would make me believe more in God for a valid reason.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Failures- No they are not bad :)

Some thoughts are cliched. Some situations have been categorized. Some conditions have been jinxed. Reason- We the human, did not have great feeling about them and the perception that we built was negative.
One of such a wonderful situation that comes into everyone's life is failure. Failure in education, business, relations and for some people its failure to live.
A thought crosses my mind, is failure really a wrong notation? Is it such a bad thing to happen? When i give a lot of thought to failures and analyze the people around me who have failed, i know that each one who failed is a better human today. Failures are not bad, they are opportunities that life throws on one to let him know that he can better himself for he is worth more than what he currently is.
Had it not been for failures, people would have never stretched their limits and moved beyond their horizons. It was failure to survive which stretched the limits of life on earth that we evolved into humans that we are today.
Its not the trouble. Its nature's way of challenging humans. Those who fight them right, survive and evolve. Those who get bogged down by failures, get into a negative mode of life.
With time i have come to believe that humans are very very strong. The key player is mind. God will provide every human with opportunities to stretch his limits and evolve, its the approach with which we analyze those situations and act that differentiates us. Every time we fall, if we stretch our limits, we will overcome one weakness.
Failures are not bad, they are the doors to success. So, if you have never failed in life, you are in a bubble phase of life, someday for sure things will fall apart and then life will seek the testimony of your being human. If you have faced failures, smile, you have a point extra in the curriculum of life. :)

Monday, January 7, 2008

Being Ambitious!!

I have always liked best for life. I liked to study and differentiate. I did not start as the class topper, but i was always one who would study four books for one topic and write my heart out in question papers. No one but for papa appreciated these original writings and spirit to read and read concepts from four perspectives. He encouraged me to do this, while people who read one book ten times, kept on topping, i kept on reading from four books the same concept. Papa wanted me to able to talk about every law and every concept and every idea that came to my mind. He would never sleep without talking to me for sometime. He used to tell me about his work, how he handled issues in a day and also ask me about what i did. It was a habit to discuss every wild thought and every crazy idea. He appreciated and encouraged every silly thing. His strategy was simply, he will set my spirits free to think and explore. :) For me everything was fun and experiment.
DU happened. College time was fun. Lots of people and different perspective. I landed up into a job. While working, something crept into my mind. There are no four perspectives, there is no free spirit. I want to build on my mental capital and earn on this independently rather than anyone else using me. Hmm.. So, ISB happened. People ask question. Investment banking, Consulting, GM???????? I am like i dont know. Nothing may be. :) ?????????????????????????????? NOTHING?????????????? Yes, why not. A free spirit is slave to none. I might not attach myself to a brand post ISB. I might want to be a writer, a columnist, a reviewer, a coach, nething. Is that not a career?
Hmm. may be i am a little less ambitious. But for me ISB is a brand and learning that helps me stand independent. I should be a brand myself rather than working for a brand in time to come.

Years back i asked papa what do you want me to become? He said anything that makes you happy, but remember, you need to be unique because you are my princess. :)

Fitness Mania!!

My latest passion is FITNESS. Run, jog, eat healthy and finally fit into that one dress which ditched me three weeks ago. Phew!!!!!!!!!
The day starts at 5:30 AM. There is a run for gym. Then there is run on tread mill and then there is a cross trainer and then some dumb bells and then ab crunches and leg curlers and ohhhhhh..list goes on and on and on till i jog back home all exhausted. :)
Today was a special day. I happened to walk across the body building section of gym. Not to mention these huge huge monster looking guys. One of the baldy guy was trying to life some huge huge weight. Lost soul as i am, i stood next to him and watched him lift it up. Poor thing was almost out of life lifting that weight. When suddenly he realized that he was being watched over by a non sense called ME. He smiled to make me realize that i was making him conscious, but lost as i was, i smiled and refused to go away, instead i showed that amazement stating can you lift the bigger one, this is fun. :D After free show of power with some 5 weights, he said "probably you came here for leg curlers. You want help." I said NO, its fine, i know, i will manage, but this was real fun. "FUN?????????????" Yes, i mean auggggggggg,eeeeeee, to lift something your body cant stand. Its fun, alright. "Yeah, i realized that you were finding it funny, i do this funny thing everyday, i dont charge tickets. You think i should." I was like, not that great, i wont pay for this. Funny as long as it comes free. :) "Ha ha ha. Okes, free for you."

Sunday, January 6, 2008

10 point someone...........

My best freind. Having stayed in one room for three years with one person, does make that person important for rest of your life (does it?:)). With diverse ideals, starkly different thought process, yet completely indispensible has been our friendship. I can not stay even for a minute after having fought with her. In short, i love her. And not to forget, she has been constantly in love for the years that i have known her ( though the person changed as her thought process evolved :)).
So, here's the latest. Saturday afternoon, cell rings. "Hey Gary!! how are you? You know i have something great to share with you." Hmm.. and whats that great news ( another boy friend? ). "Well, there is this cute guy( #1. every guy is a cute guy (with beards, without beards, white,black whatever) )i met and i kind of like him. (#2. Alarm bells. Liking is subjective. This should not convert into love and then reality and then fall and then job for me, crib about a man , you have never met to bring her out of trauma. :)). Oh, great news yaar. But abhi jane de. I mean, you are hardly out of the tragedy( #3. i have spent some 30 nights, one hour on call, explaining how bad the last cute guy was), let it be ok, and these cute guys keep coming and going , you know. "Huh, now this is where you turn out to be an old fashioned emotional fool ( #4. i have been in love once and i still love the one i loved, so this is boring, but then what to do, i take a lot of time and guys hardly look cute to me nemore :( ). Look here is a guy, he is cool (#5. Every guy is a cool guy), he talks sense ( #6. He has not talked in ages, for he dates with girls who are extremely talkative, so since he sits quite, he talks sense till he decides to open his mouth and becomes an ex boy friend) and all above that he is .. ohh.. he is everything that last boy friend was not. (#6. Final nail in the coffin. This is it. He is the best till another cute guy comes into picture. No point explaining. :)). "
Great yaar, he seems to be everything. I mean, cute, cool, talks sense and what else?
" Oh yaar, you should be like WHAT ELSE, you are never excited about my love story(#7. Its 4th love story my dear and all seem to be having same endings, i do get bored unless you decide to add variety.)."
Hey, forget it yaar. Why waste time on a guy of all things in this world? We have better things to discuss, new clothes, books, movies and yes, our stupid college time adventures. And incase you have decided to give it a try, just make sure that you are not an emotional fool.
"Offo yaar. You know i know everything.(#8. I will be emotional again and will look for your shoulder to cry. ) And then he is different.( #9. He is new, his commonality will unfold as days pass by.) Forget it, you will never understand. (#10. I have decided to go for it and you have to book an hour every night after next 60 days, when i will call you and discuss on how all the above stated qualities never existed in him. )"

Okes Babe!! I guess you are right. I mean, you know i am not all that well versed with boyology ( science called boys et al). So, if you are cool and happy, so am i. Aur bata?
"Sighhhhhh!! Bas yaar aur to kuch nahi hai. I will keep you updated. Oops! My boy friend is calling me, chal will call you back. "

Okes!! :)

And then here's my sweet sweet friend. She will call me everyday and will update me about everything which is like a fairy tale to me( given i dont know the characters) . I do try to give her gyaan, but then i am like, she is happy and thats what matters in the end. Just because, she is gonna cry after few days( which might not turn out to be a fact) , is not a reason good enough for me to grill her current happiness. So, babe thumbs up!! And yes, keep your eyes and ears open for the next cute guy. :D

Animal Kingdom!

This is about a novel based on true story," Not without my daughter". Its on life of a lady who marries an Iranian man in US and is made a hostage in Iran, because her husband cheats her and takes her to Iran and the law of the country does not let her come back. The novel scares me. I was wondering if there is any situation or any relation worth being put too much trust into? Every page and every line of the novel unfolds a culture which is filthy, where woman is just a non existent entity. There is no law, no justice, no free will. Most importantly there is no brain, its just fanaticism. But what i am particularly interested in is the fact that whats the power that kills rational thought process of a human. How come an educated, intelligent, decisive person, suddenly turns slave to all feelings and emotions and fall in for a trap which seems to have no key out.
After reading this novel, i somehow dont have any sympathy for woman in picture. She does emerge as a brave lady, who fights odds and finds way back home. But, i still dont know who is to be blamed. Its the man who has never seen women to be independent and respected in his culture and who supports this part of his culture meekly or the woman who failed to understand this aspect of his character.
I feel sad about the state of women in such countries. Covered in black from top to bottom, rules on every little aspect of their life, restricted on every little imagination of theirs. Its not culture, it just showcases that males of that culture somewhere acknowledge that women are better than them and hence do not have courage to face their free spirits. Also, i am sorry to say but there is a bigger question mark on their being human, they just showcase that they do not even have brain and control circuits of human, if you need to protect yourself from them, just like you do from animals, you need to hide and stay covered in black.
And yes, thank God, people dont fall in love with eyes, else even they had to be covered. I guess they should cover eyes, its a blind leading of life anyways in animal kingdom, so why live in an illusion with open eyes.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Social Enterpreneurship

The concept has attaracted me since the time i have heard of it. I like to work for people, understanding their issues, getting innovative ideas out of their brain and enabling them by inspiring to make their ideas a reality. When i first sat on last bench of one of the SE seminars, i dint know i was going to be so much in synch with it. Imagine working on something which makes life easy for millions and employ millions.
The ability to reestablish Dharavi, by selling some innovative better cheap to construct houses in a public , private partnership model could be one such idea. We, a group of four people, picked up idea of promoting rural development, since we had no money to start with, we started with easiest. Tourism. Just take the people to the REAL India and charge them to showcase the same. The money creates a pool, which gets reinvested in making villages better. When villages get better and you understand the problems, prioritize them, attract NGOs and put them to work on identified problems. (Trust me there are many NGOs busy attarcting funds, but they dont know what to do with the fund, but for paying themselves. So, put them to work, dont create a new NGO.)
Everything developed from a word on paper. The more we get on ground, ideas hit and expand. If i think of this idea today, i can say that if i am able to give it 100% of time, this has potential to earn millions for millions on ground, and every success in this direction will make my "India Shining". Whats magical about it is the fact, " We teach people to catch fish, we dont give them fish to eat."
Papa always told me that life is about giving the right thing to right people at right time. Anything that comes for free, gets consumed for free. So, if you really want to do good, enable, dont sympathize.
I feel social enterpreneurship is exactly what he meant. While the words at that age were like fables and fairy tales, its fun that i doscover his vision in everything i do today and they are not fairy tales anymore, its a reality. :)

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Being Lazyyyyyyyyyyyyy

wuawwwwwwwwwwwww.... gud morning!!
Its so difficult to get up in morning and come to office, specially when its winter. Lying inside my cozy blanket, i wished good morning to myself and looked at my laptop bag with a smirk. The good me said," Get up Gary, time to look outside, fresh air, ye wo. Jump, run, aerobics, gym.......". The bad me said, "Hang on, cozy warm blanket, nice sleep, no work, eat and eat.. what a life."
So what do you both suggest? Bad one said, "You are not well. Dont you see, its so cold outside, you dont feel like working." But i dont feel i am not well, also you know i never have leaves balance. Bad me, " Come on, work from home.Log into all visible channels and sleep." Hmm.. good idea yaar. :) No traffic jam, no travelling, no dressing up, i can stay in my night suit and work. Good. Good me," Hey, your company pays you for the hard work. You are what you are because of your work. What is its cold and you feel like sleeping. You have given sleep a good amount of your time. Get up for a new day.You dont have to work from home and not dress up in new clothes. :). You will miss all the people around you. Good girl, now get up muaaaahhh."
:((((((((((((((((((
I want to sleep good me. I dont want to work. I dont want to run. I want to sleep and wake up at 1 PM and have royal lunch and watch TV with pop corn and ice cream and then sleep again. Why do you talk of hard work, and work and existence and this and that. If sleeping beauty had not slept, she would not have been called so. Its so important to be lazy and careless.
Bad me, "Egggxactly sweetheart, pick up your cell and tell that khadoos that you can not come."

OK OK!! I get it. Bad me, i love you choooooooo much. Remain as you are always.

Bad me ;)

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Smart, Smarter, Smartest..........

One of the brilliant talks on Ted.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/91

Saying something stupid.....

It was new year eve and i was with my frenz. Old pals whom i love a lot. People who have never left me, whether i was irrational or utterly butterly good. :)
Sitting in one corner were four of us and for a change i was quite( people say radio ki battery 10 baje ke baad down ho jati hai. :)). Suddenly one of my pampered frend turned towards me and said, " Do you dream ? " A common question, but i thought for a while and was amazed to know that i dont dream. I said i close my eyes and get into a blank world, there are no daemons and no fairies? Do you dream? He said yes i do, of office, of work, of good of bad, but i would want not to dream and i see that you dont. I never hear you talking about your work, your botherations, do you really dont bother about what happens around you? I thought for a while, i said i do, but its just not in my system to think of it, i take it as it comes. He said how? I said i just know that when things will fall on me, i will handle them and i dont want to extend that botheration beyond the time it really needs attention. He said, do you fight with situations? I said only if they are worth being fought with, its better to give up at times.
He said, what is it that you love the most in this world? I said noni. why? because he dreams of toys, of bua playing with him, he smiles at his thoughts and he doesnt want to close his eyes for a blank world. He is still not conditioned to survive, he just knows how to live and i hope he always does.
With this discussion ended, but i was left with a thought that i love noni coz he is everything that i am not, i love the spirit in him and i wish i could save this spirit in every child on this earth.