Thursday, April 30, 2009
Listen!!
This might sound like a simple word, but it is one of the most important words in our lives. Its difficult to not be prejudiced, its easy to form opinions and its very easy to speak your mind out. But this is what an average human can do. If one has to do something bigger and better in life, he/she needs to build the capability to listen. I usually talk a lot to people i am comfortable with and i have opinions about things as well. This time i decided to be a good listener. It is indeed impressive what listening can do. I found that in most discussions, i grew from defensive to inquisitive. I was learning with every word. By the end of listening, i had a clear understanding of what the person infront is talking to me about and whats forming his/her bias. My mind had processed my prejudice and had included the logics of the person in front, it gave me a new perspective. Listening can actually do wonders and i love people in all forms. They are all basically same, what changes them is their experiences in life and they will not come out of it easily to be convinced by you, just because you have repeated yourself 20 times. Convincing requires a strong understanding of what the person infront uses to convince you and for that you need to listen. Give that 10 minutes of silence, give the person in front the opportunity to talk. Speak when you know exactly what you are speaking and to whom. I had heard about Bihani from someone that the guy's silence can kill at times, but thats the way he runs an empire. He listens. One of my best frenz has the same art, he listens every bull shit till one stops. And now that i am convinced it works, i am at it, i am listening. :)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Rajat Gupta Speaks for ISB..Convo 2009..
Let me first add my welcome to all of you and my congratulations to all the friends and family visiting here and of course to the graduating Class of 2009. On this occasion there are many acknowledgements, many thanks that are due. And of behalf of the Board, I would really like to acknowledge some of those. First, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the faculty. There is a large group of visiting faculties who come here at the ISB year after year and really give their very best to all of you. We have also seen extraordinary growth and talent in our own resident faculty. Dean Rangnekar already talked about nine publications in world-class journals. For such a young faculty, that is really an outstanding achievement. I know that they have made extraordinary contributions to you. We all owe a great deal of thanks to their efforts to make this School extraordinary. This School also has an extraordinary group of dedicated leaders who have built this brick by brick, and effort by effort and we must also acknowledge them in making this system work. Particularly noteworthy this time, I would thank Savita Mahajan who has stepped up to take the challenge of building our Mohali campus. Ajit Rangnekar, our Dean, took over under fairly difficult and trying circumstances. I had to make a very simple call and he had no hesitation in saying ‘I will do everything I can’, and clearly what he has been doing with all of you, with the school, has been truly outstanding. Thank you Ajit. And then to M R Rao. His academic excellence, his follower-ship amongst his academic colleagues, the respect that the entire ISB community has for him, his contributions to build this School to where it is, is unparalleled and will be always remembered. Thank you very much M R. M R has agreed to stay on as distinguished professor, as Dean Emeritus, as the senior academic person on this campus, as a mentor of academic colleagues, as somebody who can give a lot of wisdom, do his research and teach future generations. So M R, we are thankful again to you for accepting that. Thank you very much.
I am very proud of the journey the School has been on and what it has accomplished. But as these ratings come out and we get lots of accolades, I would remind you that I in my heart believe that perhaps our brand is a little bit ahead of reality. All this means is that we need to continue to strive to do the right things, continue to improve and not rest on our laurels, in fact be a little insecure and say we probably don’t deserve this ranking fully and then maybe what we need to do is to work harder and build on a number of things and make sure we deserve this ranking. So I urge all of you while we should feel great pride, we should at the same time think that there is enormous amount of work ahead and we are all in this together.
I too, like Arun would like to share with you some of my learning from a long journey and they are actually very similar to what Arun said and I will say them a little bit in my own words. I was in your shoes roughly thirty-five years ago, Arun I have you by a few years! And if I reflect on that time and I reflect on the early years, the thing that I remember the most, and the lessons that I learnt, the first one was, you can learn from every experience and everything that you do. I remember when I came out of business school I said I must have the right job and the right experience and is this the right thing for me to do and so on and so forth. I soon realised that if you have a truly learning mindset you will learn from everything and in fact you learn from unexpected things. And things that you thought would teach you a lot sometimes don’t and vice versa. And what I discovered is the mindset you go with. If you go with a learning mindset you will learn from pretty much everything that you do. The second very important lesson that I learnt was that whatever you are doing, you should think a little bit outside the boundaries of it. Don’t contain yourself to doing your job well or even excellently. That is in fact not fully sufficient. You have got to look outside the boundaries, you have got to look at what is good for the institution, beyond your immediate job and that is how you will learn a lot and develop your leadership capabilities. The third interesting observation is to try to work with people but even more than that to try to make them successful. If you try to make others successful, they in turn will try to make you successful. No matter how brilliant you are, no matter how good you are, no matter how hard you work if you rely only on yourself and if you believe that only your capabilities will carry you to great heights and you don’t need the help of others you are sadly mistaken. If you engage everybody around you by helping them they will help you in turn and you will be more successful than you ever dreamed of. Another thing that is very important in a sense to me, has always been, go outside your comfort zone. As soon as you are getting a little comfortable about something and the way your state is, change something deliberately to make sure you put yourself outside the comfort zone. That will truly make you think more out-of-the-box, think more creatively, learn new things and again be more successful. It is very important that you be true to your own self, that you be true to these values. It is sometimes very expedient and very short-term to do things to please others, to do things to be successful in the short-run; in the long-run they don’t help you. Because fundamentally you have to live with your own self longer than you have to live with anybody else, you have to be true to your own values. Last, and I wish I had done it even earlier, working hard in your career, being successful of course gives you lots of things, lots of material things, own personal power and fame ,but in the end that does not fully satisfy. A great deal of satisfaction comes when you give of yourself without any expectations. So start giving back to society. If you are transforming yourself from working only for yourself or your immediate family into working for some greater good and giving back to society you will feel an extraordinary level of satisfaction. Sometimes people will say I will do that when I have been successful in my career. My advice is do it early, do it in whatever way you can and you will get a great deal of personal satisfaction out of that. Let me close by telling you my story. When I was graduating, it was in 1973, the United States was going through a recession and it was a very tough job market. On top of that I was on a student visa in the US and most employers would not even talk to me. I was reasonably worried about whether I would end up with a job or not. And I went for a set of interviews to McKinsey. After two interviews they turned me down, they said you don’t have enough experience. I had no experience. I went from IIT into Business School into being there. I said I can’t get any experience because nobody else will give me a job, in fact no body else wants to interview me. They said well that is not our problem. That is when a little bit of luck came in. I was sitting in a class pretty depressed. My professor in Retailing called me after the class and said you look very upset what is the matter. I told him that McKinsey had turned me down. He said ‘I will go there, they are making a mistake. Let me write to them and say they should interview you.’ And he wrote to them and said you should interview him and invite him to a full day of interviews. I got interviewed and I got the job. I am sure that many of you sitting in this room are thinking what am I going to do. I am also delighted that most of you have jobs that you wish; some of you are still in that process. Certainly don’t get disheartened; things will happen that will fulfill your dreams of what you want to go forward with. But most importantly it is interesting to me, I look at it and say ok are you doing everything you can. Is everybody around, and I asked the question to our Board, are we doing everything we can to make sure that the Placement experience is outstanding for this batch in this very difficult circumstance? I asked the same question of the School, of our Placement Office, are we doing our very best and I ask the very same question of you. Are you applying your mind and doing the very best? If you are then you should be very happy. The outcomes will be whatever they should be and I am sure that they will turn out to be alright. In a strange way, and I have done this now for all eight graduating classes, I will close with my favourite shloka from The Gita which talks about simply this philosophy which translates into - You have a right to work. Not only do you have a right to work but you have to do that work with the right intentions. Not only do you have the right to work but you have to do the work and do it with the right intentions, but you have to do the very best you can and if you do all those three things then it does not matter what the outcome is. In fact the less attached you are to the outcomes, the better at peace you will be with yourself. This is no excuse not to do your very best, not to strive for excellence, in fact quite the opposite that is what it says. I know that you have studied hard, you have done the best you can in the last twelve months, and you are doing your very best in finding the right opportunities for you. Don’t worry about whether you have the right job at this time or not. It will come. I wish you the very best for your life, for your journey, for your career and thank you again for this day and thank all of your family and friends who have come here to support you. Thank you very much.
I am very proud of the journey the School has been on and what it has accomplished. But as these ratings come out and we get lots of accolades, I would remind you that I in my heart believe that perhaps our brand is a little bit ahead of reality. All this means is that we need to continue to strive to do the right things, continue to improve and not rest on our laurels, in fact be a little insecure and say we probably don’t deserve this ranking fully and then maybe what we need to do is to work harder and build on a number of things and make sure we deserve this ranking. So I urge all of you while we should feel great pride, we should at the same time think that there is enormous amount of work ahead and we are all in this together.
I too, like Arun would like to share with you some of my learning from a long journey and they are actually very similar to what Arun said and I will say them a little bit in my own words. I was in your shoes roughly thirty-five years ago, Arun I have you by a few years! And if I reflect on that time and I reflect on the early years, the thing that I remember the most, and the lessons that I learnt, the first one was, you can learn from every experience and everything that you do. I remember when I came out of business school I said I must have the right job and the right experience and is this the right thing for me to do and so on and so forth. I soon realised that if you have a truly learning mindset you will learn from everything and in fact you learn from unexpected things. And things that you thought would teach you a lot sometimes don’t and vice versa. And what I discovered is the mindset you go with. If you go with a learning mindset you will learn from pretty much everything that you do. The second very important lesson that I learnt was that whatever you are doing, you should think a little bit outside the boundaries of it. Don’t contain yourself to doing your job well or even excellently. That is in fact not fully sufficient. You have got to look outside the boundaries, you have got to look at what is good for the institution, beyond your immediate job and that is how you will learn a lot and develop your leadership capabilities. The third interesting observation is to try to work with people but even more than that to try to make them successful. If you try to make others successful, they in turn will try to make you successful. No matter how brilliant you are, no matter how good you are, no matter how hard you work if you rely only on yourself and if you believe that only your capabilities will carry you to great heights and you don’t need the help of others you are sadly mistaken. If you engage everybody around you by helping them they will help you in turn and you will be more successful than you ever dreamed of. Another thing that is very important in a sense to me, has always been, go outside your comfort zone. As soon as you are getting a little comfortable about something and the way your state is, change something deliberately to make sure you put yourself outside the comfort zone. That will truly make you think more out-of-the-box, think more creatively, learn new things and again be more successful. It is very important that you be true to your own self, that you be true to these values. It is sometimes very expedient and very short-term to do things to please others, to do things to be successful in the short-run; in the long-run they don’t help you. Because fundamentally you have to live with your own self longer than you have to live with anybody else, you have to be true to your own values. Last, and I wish I had done it even earlier, working hard in your career, being successful of course gives you lots of things, lots of material things, own personal power and fame ,but in the end that does not fully satisfy. A great deal of satisfaction comes when you give of yourself without any expectations. So start giving back to society. If you are transforming yourself from working only for yourself or your immediate family into working for some greater good and giving back to society you will feel an extraordinary level of satisfaction. Sometimes people will say I will do that when I have been successful in my career. My advice is do it early, do it in whatever way you can and you will get a great deal of personal satisfaction out of that. Let me close by telling you my story. When I was graduating, it was in 1973, the United States was going through a recession and it was a very tough job market. On top of that I was on a student visa in the US and most employers would not even talk to me. I was reasonably worried about whether I would end up with a job or not. And I went for a set of interviews to McKinsey. After two interviews they turned me down, they said you don’t have enough experience. I had no experience. I went from IIT into Business School into being there. I said I can’t get any experience because nobody else will give me a job, in fact no body else wants to interview me. They said well that is not our problem. That is when a little bit of luck came in. I was sitting in a class pretty depressed. My professor in Retailing called me after the class and said you look very upset what is the matter. I told him that McKinsey had turned me down. He said ‘I will go there, they are making a mistake. Let me write to them and say they should interview you.’ And he wrote to them and said you should interview him and invite him to a full day of interviews. I got interviewed and I got the job. I am sure that many of you sitting in this room are thinking what am I going to do. I am also delighted that most of you have jobs that you wish; some of you are still in that process. Certainly don’t get disheartened; things will happen that will fulfill your dreams of what you want to go forward with. But most importantly it is interesting to me, I look at it and say ok are you doing everything you can. Is everybody around, and I asked the question to our Board, are we doing everything we can to make sure that the Placement experience is outstanding for this batch in this very difficult circumstance? I asked the same question of the School, of our Placement Office, are we doing our very best and I ask the very same question of you. Are you applying your mind and doing the very best? If you are then you should be very happy. The outcomes will be whatever they should be and I am sure that they will turn out to be alright. In a strange way, and I have done this now for all eight graduating classes, I will close with my favourite shloka from The Gita which talks about simply this philosophy which translates into - You have a right to work. Not only do you have a right to work but you have to do that work with the right intentions. Not only do you have the right to work but you have to do the work and do it with the right intentions, but you have to do the very best you can and if you do all those three things then it does not matter what the outcome is. In fact the less attached you are to the outcomes, the better at peace you will be with yourself. This is no excuse not to do your very best, not to strive for excellence, in fact quite the opposite that is what it says. I know that you have studied hard, you have done the best you can in the last twelve months, and you are doing your very best in finding the right opportunities for you. Don’t worry about whether you have the right job at this time or not. It will come. I wish you the very best for your life, for your journey, for your career and thank you again for this day and thank all of your family and friends who have come here to support you. Thank you very much.
Address by Arun Sarin.. Convo 2009
Dean Rangnekar, Dean Rao, Rajat Gupta, Chairman of the Board, members of the Board, distinguished faculty, parents and families, ladies and gentlemen and the proud members of the graduating Class of 2009, I am delighted to be here amongst you. First heartiest congratulations to all of you on being judged the 15th best Business School in the world. This is a high honour given that you have only been in existence for eight years. Dean, no pressure but I guess the next stop is going to be a single-digit ranking. Second, I would like to congratulate all the graduates today. You have just finished a very important milestone in the journey of your life. This experience at ISB will hold you in good stead and frankly I have travelled all the way from California just to be here with you to celebrate your success. You are graduating at a very interesting and exciting time in the history of the world, where many changes are occurring and you can shape the world. There are three things in particular that I want to talk to you about today. One is the state of the world and the state of the business world. Second, my experiences in leadership because that is what you are aspiring to be, and third, if you allow me, a little personal advice. Let me start with the state of the world. At a macro level the world is changing in a very fundamental way at the core and the changes are here to stay. Economic wealth and political influence are moving east. 80 percent of the world’s incremental GDP is being created in emerging markets today. China and India will emerge into big economies in a short period of time. And the current slowdown is unlikely this trajectory. While the current GDP in India is slower than a couple of years ago it is still better than the rest of the world. And this slowdown will abate soon as well.
The world today is a much more interconnected place than even ten years ago and will become even more interconnected in the future. The current financial crisis is felt around the world today and if you recall the Asian crisis of ten years ago, frankly it did not have a global complexity to it. You will see more meetings of the G-20 rather than the G-7 because new international co-operations and bodies will emerge in the future because we are a more integrated world today and will become even more integrated in the years ahead. The political, social and economic systems of the G-20 countries are very different from the systems in the G-7 countries. Think for a moment about China or Russia or India or countries in Africa and how they compare with the United States or parts of Europe. Every country has a different system and the challenge here is to find the best things in each of the systems so that we can march smartly into the future. These macro changes will be frightening to some and will be exciting for others. My advice to you is 'be front-foot and make most of the changes by leading the change that is coming upon us'. Understand the differences in the various economies, learn about what makes them tick and then share the innovative and best practices around the world.At a micro level or a business level, business models are changing and innovation is going to be the key to establishing leadership in the future. Every industry that I can think of is undergoing change and restructuring and will emerge from the current slowdown a different company, a different industry. Customer needs are changing; customers want more value, more choices. If you just think about just the telecommunication industry that I am familiar with, we have gone from fixed voice to mobile voice to text to Facebook to Twitter all in a matter of a few short years. Technology is changing very rapidly and it is going to be an important ingredient in innovation. Think about the energy industry. What is happening in Photo Voltaics or Wind or Nuclear or Clean coal, these are all an important part of what is going to work to be the supply side in the future. And if you think about hybrids and electrics and Nanos they will all be an important part of the demand side. Competition will intensify because of globalisation and because of the internet enabling competitors from all parts of the globe. Think about companies like Huawei in China that are challenging established players like Ericsson or Indian BPO houses that are challenging and taking on the IBMs and the Hewlett Packards of the world. Regulation will change and also play an increasing role in business. Think about the cries that we can hear today about global regulators in the financial services business. It simply suffices to say that these forces will change all businesses and will change all business models. Be front-foot. Lead the change and shape the world. In the future. Innovation will be key to business leadership. First the application of technology is different in developing countries rather than developed countries. Traditional innovation in developed economies is slower because of legacy issues. Green field innovation in emerging markets is faster because of the possibilities of leap-frogging. India and you have a competitive advantage here. As India builds its infrastructure whether it is in communications or in buildings or in real estate, deploying new technologies to make significant improvements are possible and then exporting these best practices is an important thing that we must do. Second, necessity is the mother of invention. Because scarcity has been the order of the day here in India for decades, India has developed ingenious ways to get more for less whether it is in spectrum availability or in railways or in steel making or in petrochemicals. All these learnings are exportable. Become an expert in one of these areas and then export your ideas and your knowledge and your experience. In summary new business models and ideas will abound and India and you have an advantage in developing and executing on these new ideas, scaling them and then exporting them to the rest of the world. This too will shape the world.
Talking about India let me just say a few words about the state of India from my perspective. India has made good progress in the last fifteen years but needs to go on for the next fifty years because progress needs to be felt by the 1.2 billion citizens. We need to continue to develop economically, politically and socially simultaneously for consistent and equitable progress. And frankly much work needs to be done here today. We will require large amounts of capital, large amounts of skilled labour and large amounts of leadership. And frankly that is where you come in because you can provide the leadership that India needs to display in the coming decades.
Moving on to the second subject that I wanted to talk to you about is leadership itself. I have had the privilege of leading large organisations in my career. And in my experience good leaders do three things well simultaneously. One, they are good strategic leaders. Two, they are good operational leaders, and three, they are good people leaders. Let me just explain. Good strategic leadership is about the ability to be able to see your company, your industry and understand where the basic forces are taking this industry, having a vision for your company and being able to develop values and goals so that you can navigate where you need to go. That is a very important skill in a leader which is being strategic rather than being tactical. The second important thing that leaders do is operational leadership which is about taking the wash out daily and performance: day-after-day performance, and being able to make sure that you are organised in a way that you have got incentives, that you have got things that are going on in the company such that you are delivering the important things every single day, execution/performance on a daily basis. And the third thing that good leaders do is that they are very good with people. They can attract the right people, they can motivate people, they can inspire people, they can get people to do things collectively that they wouldn’t be able to do individually. Now I am sure you have heard and read about these things in your studies here or experience them in the past. The hard thing about leadership is the ability to do those three things well simultaneously. You meet lots of people who are good strategists but can’t perform. You get a lot of people who can perform but aren’t good human leaders. The challenge that you have and the thing that I have noticed is that if you start early in your careers like you are today and start practicing to be good strategic leaders, good operational leaders and people leaders that it will pay you handsome dividends in the years ahead. But let me also remind you that leadership is also hard work. It is not just about big compensation packages, flying around in private jets and hanging around with cool people. It is basic blocking, tackling, making things happen. So shape yourself so that you are able to shape the world.
Now moving to the third subject which is a little bit around personal advice or reflections on my part for you. First of all do, whatever you do, do what you love to do. And be really good at it. Follow your passion. Life is too short to kind of waste on things that you actually do not enjoy doing. Being excellent at whatever you choose to do is a very important thing. You have to have in your head that you want to be in the top deciles of whatever your chosen profession is. Be curious, learn constantly. I know many of you, especially at the Dean’s behest here have worked really hard over the last fifty-two weeks and you are graduating and you are saying my god! No more books for awhile. Believe me that it is going to last for about a week or a month or two. You are going to be on some learning journey very soon again. And my view is 'have a great time. Keep learning, keep enjoying because quite frankly life is about continuous life-long learning.' And let me say this again that leadership and doing well in life is about hard work. I don’t know very many leaders who haven’t worked very hard. I have had a thirty-year career and on average I worked between 60 and 70 hours every week for thirty years. So when people ask me Arun what are you doing next? I always say listen I am enjoying the sabbatical that I have earned after thirty years of work. For me, the first 23 years of my life, I did what others wanted me to do. I was a good student, didn’t particularly want to go to an IIT but if you are a good student, everybody went to an IIT, I applied, I got in. I did not want to continue engineering but I got into UC Berkley in the engineering programs so I went to Berkley. And I did a lot of things in my career that others wanted me to do so I did them. And right around when I was 23-24 I decided to go to business school because that was really what I wanted to do. And that changed my life, I was able to apply myself fully and I would humbly say to you, I have done alright. Second thing I would say to you is think big, have big aspirations, don’t think small. You are living in a world where anything is possible. Because of all the things I recited to you earlier in my remarks, but you have to believe in yourself and you have to prepare and improve yourself constantly. There is no rest here. You are going to be coming out, you are going to be going into important jobs, you will find what it is you want to do, you will work hard, you will prepare, you will learn, you will do well, you will get feedback, you will do even better and your responsibility will keep increasing. But the main thing here is don’t be afraid of failure, don’t not do a thing because you are afraid that you might fail and if you fail, what your friends will think of you or what your parents will think of you, don’t worry about failure. If you haven’t failed somewhere along the line, you haven’t tried hard enough, you have got to press the envelope. In my own career after I was President of AirTouch one of the largest companies back in 1999 and we sold the business to Vodafone I was very interested and attracted by the internet. And I had the chance to go become the Chief Executive of a relatively small internet company in Seattle called InfoSpace. And all my friends said ‘Arun what is wrong with you? You have been the Chief Executive of one of the largest companies in the world and you are going to go and become the Chief Executive of a much smaller internet company’, and I said 'yes!' And I did it. Actually it didn’t quite work out but I learnt a lot from it. I learnt about the internet, I learnt about people, I learnt about an industry that I was not completely familiar with. And then when I went back to Vodafone two of three years later and became the Chief Executive of Vodafone, my experiences at InfoSpace were critical in my ability to navigate where Vodafone needed to be. So don’t worry about temporary setbacks in life. Whether the temporary setback is that you haven’t landed your dream job today or you don’t have your dream job tomorrow work at it, it will come. The third thing I would like to say to you is leave the world a better place which is fundamentally about one, being a good human being, whether it is being a good son or a good daughter, or whether it is being a good father or a good mother or being a good family member or a good friend. And use the power, the power that I am sure that you will have in time as you live life. Use that power for a constructive and common good. Integrity and ethics is absolutely core for good leadership and frankly this is not just some idol saying that people have said again and again for a long time. Who you work for matters, what company you work for matters, the products and services that they provide matters.I have always been very excited about working in the mobile industry because it changes peoples’ lives, it connects people. I can tell you, I personally wouldn’t work for a tobacco company. So you have to make choices about ethics and integrity. And frankly when you make it big which I am sure you will, be generous, volunteer, give back, be philanthropic, be a well-rounded human being, be more than just book-smart. Get involved in sports, get involved in music, develop yourself in a completely well-rounded way and have a passion for the world around you. Frankly I am very passionate about this subject and one of the core values at Vodafone was that we would have passion for the world around us. And we would dedicate time and work in under-developed poor parts of the world to make sure that everybody had a chance to succeed in life. My final bit of personal advice to you is that be prepared for luck to play a role in your life. For me luck is not about fate but luck is about preparing to meet the opportunity head-on. You are graduating at a time when there is an economic slowdown around the world. Your opportunities are different from the opportunities that existed a year or two ago. Make the best of the circumstances, find the spirit within you, the entrepreneurial spirit within you, and be positive. Frankly I feel that luck has been very important in my life. I have been at the right place at the right time with the right people and frankly luck manifests itself in many different ways in terms of having mentors, friends, and supportive family. For me I was very lucky. I met my wife at Berkley and she has been a fantastic friend, a fantastic companion and a fantastic partner for me and I couldn’t have done what I did without her. So win or lose, stay grounded and be a good sport.
In closing you are graduating at an important juncture in history. The tectonic changes are happening all around you in every way. Embrace this change and shape the world through your leadership. And develop your leadership skills early in your career and enjoy the journey of life. I sat in your chair, thirty-one years ago at Berkley in California and frankly if I could do it you can too! So go for it, good luck, congratulations and cheers! Thank you very much.
The world today is a much more interconnected place than even ten years ago and will become even more interconnected in the future. The current financial crisis is felt around the world today and if you recall the Asian crisis of ten years ago, frankly it did not have a global complexity to it. You will see more meetings of the G-20 rather than the G-7 because new international co-operations and bodies will emerge in the future because we are a more integrated world today and will become even more integrated in the years ahead. The political, social and economic systems of the G-20 countries are very different from the systems in the G-7 countries. Think for a moment about China or Russia or India or countries in Africa and how they compare with the United States or parts of Europe. Every country has a different system and the challenge here is to find the best things in each of the systems so that we can march smartly into the future. These macro changes will be frightening to some and will be exciting for others. My advice to you is 'be front-foot and make most of the changes by leading the change that is coming upon us'. Understand the differences in the various economies, learn about what makes them tick and then share the innovative and best practices around the world.At a micro level or a business level, business models are changing and innovation is going to be the key to establishing leadership in the future. Every industry that I can think of is undergoing change and restructuring and will emerge from the current slowdown a different company, a different industry. Customer needs are changing; customers want more value, more choices. If you just think about just the telecommunication industry that I am familiar with, we have gone from fixed voice to mobile voice to text to Facebook to Twitter all in a matter of a few short years. Technology is changing very rapidly and it is going to be an important ingredient in innovation. Think about the energy industry. What is happening in Photo Voltaics or Wind or Nuclear or Clean coal, these are all an important part of what is going to work to be the supply side in the future. And if you think about hybrids and electrics and Nanos they will all be an important part of the demand side. Competition will intensify because of globalisation and because of the internet enabling competitors from all parts of the globe. Think about companies like Huawei in China that are challenging established players like Ericsson or Indian BPO houses that are challenging and taking on the IBMs and the Hewlett Packards of the world. Regulation will change and also play an increasing role in business. Think about the cries that we can hear today about global regulators in the financial services business. It simply suffices to say that these forces will change all businesses and will change all business models. Be front-foot. Lead the change and shape the world. In the future. Innovation will be key to business leadership. First the application of technology is different in developing countries rather than developed countries. Traditional innovation in developed economies is slower because of legacy issues. Green field innovation in emerging markets is faster because of the possibilities of leap-frogging. India and you have a competitive advantage here. As India builds its infrastructure whether it is in communications or in buildings or in real estate, deploying new technologies to make significant improvements are possible and then exporting these best practices is an important thing that we must do. Second, necessity is the mother of invention. Because scarcity has been the order of the day here in India for decades, India has developed ingenious ways to get more for less whether it is in spectrum availability or in railways or in steel making or in petrochemicals. All these learnings are exportable. Become an expert in one of these areas and then export your ideas and your knowledge and your experience. In summary new business models and ideas will abound and India and you have an advantage in developing and executing on these new ideas, scaling them and then exporting them to the rest of the world. This too will shape the world.
Talking about India let me just say a few words about the state of India from my perspective. India has made good progress in the last fifteen years but needs to go on for the next fifty years because progress needs to be felt by the 1.2 billion citizens. We need to continue to develop economically, politically and socially simultaneously for consistent and equitable progress. And frankly much work needs to be done here today. We will require large amounts of capital, large amounts of skilled labour and large amounts of leadership. And frankly that is where you come in because you can provide the leadership that India needs to display in the coming decades.
Moving on to the second subject that I wanted to talk to you about is leadership itself. I have had the privilege of leading large organisations in my career. And in my experience good leaders do three things well simultaneously. One, they are good strategic leaders. Two, they are good operational leaders, and three, they are good people leaders. Let me just explain. Good strategic leadership is about the ability to be able to see your company, your industry and understand where the basic forces are taking this industry, having a vision for your company and being able to develop values and goals so that you can navigate where you need to go. That is a very important skill in a leader which is being strategic rather than being tactical. The second important thing that leaders do is operational leadership which is about taking the wash out daily and performance: day-after-day performance, and being able to make sure that you are organised in a way that you have got incentives, that you have got things that are going on in the company such that you are delivering the important things every single day, execution/performance on a daily basis. And the third thing that good leaders do is that they are very good with people. They can attract the right people, they can motivate people, they can inspire people, they can get people to do things collectively that they wouldn’t be able to do individually. Now I am sure you have heard and read about these things in your studies here or experience them in the past. The hard thing about leadership is the ability to do those three things well simultaneously. You meet lots of people who are good strategists but can’t perform. You get a lot of people who can perform but aren’t good human leaders. The challenge that you have and the thing that I have noticed is that if you start early in your careers like you are today and start practicing to be good strategic leaders, good operational leaders and people leaders that it will pay you handsome dividends in the years ahead. But let me also remind you that leadership is also hard work. It is not just about big compensation packages, flying around in private jets and hanging around with cool people. It is basic blocking, tackling, making things happen. So shape yourself so that you are able to shape the world.
Now moving to the third subject which is a little bit around personal advice or reflections on my part for you. First of all do, whatever you do, do what you love to do. And be really good at it. Follow your passion. Life is too short to kind of waste on things that you actually do not enjoy doing. Being excellent at whatever you choose to do is a very important thing. You have to have in your head that you want to be in the top deciles of whatever your chosen profession is. Be curious, learn constantly. I know many of you, especially at the Dean’s behest here have worked really hard over the last fifty-two weeks and you are graduating and you are saying my god! No more books for awhile. Believe me that it is going to last for about a week or a month or two. You are going to be on some learning journey very soon again. And my view is 'have a great time. Keep learning, keep enjoying because quite frankly life is about continuous life-long learning.' And let me say this again that leadership and doing well in life is about hard work. I don’t know very many leaders who haven’t worked very hard. I have had a thirty-year career and on average I worked between 60 and 70 hours every week for thirty years. So when people ask me Arun what are you doing next? I always say listen I am enjoying the sabbatical that I have earned after thirty years of work. For me, the first 23 years of my life, I did what others wanted me to do. I was a good student, didn’t particularly want to go to an IIT but if you are a good student, everybody went to an IIT, I applied, I got in. I did not want to continue engineering but I got into UC Berkley in the engineering programs so I went to Berkley. And I did a lot of things in my career that others wanted me to do so I did them. And right around when I was 23-24 I decided to go to business school because that was really what I wanted to do. And that changed my life, I was able to apply myself fully and I would humbly say to you, I have done alright. Second thing I would say to you is think big, have big aspirations, don’t think small. You are living in a world where anything is possible. Because of all the things I recited to you earlier in my remarks, but you have to believe in yourself and you have to prepare and improve yourself constantly. There is no rest here. You are going to be coming out, you are going to be going into important jobs, you will find what it is you want to do, you will work hard, you will prepare, you will learn, you will do well, you will get feedback, you will do even better and your responsibility will keep increasing. But the main thing here is don’t be afraid of failure, don’t not do a thing because you are afraid that you might fail and if you fail, what your friends will think of you or what your parents will think of you, don’t worry about failure. If you haven’t failed somewhere along the line, you haven’t tried hard enough, you have got to press the envelope. In my own career after I was President of AirTouch one of the largest companies back in 1999 and we sold the business to Vodafone I was very interested and attracted by the internet. And I had the chance to go become the Chief Executive of a relatively small internet company in Seattle called InfoSpace. And all my friends said ‘Arun what is wrong with you? You have been the Chief Executive of one of the largest companies in the world and you are going to go and become the Chief Executive of a much smaller internet company’, and I said 'yes!' And I did it. Actually it didn’t quite work out but I learnt a lot from it. I learnt about the internet, I learnt about people, I learnt about an industry that I was not completely familiar with. And then when I went back to Vodafone two of three years later and became the Chief Executive of Vodafone, my experiences at InfoSpace were critical in my ability to navigate where Vodafone needed to be. So don’t worry about temporary setbacks in life. Whether the temporary setback is that you haven’t landed your dream job today or you don’t have your dream job tomorrow work at it, it will come. The third thing I would like to say to you is leave the world a better place which is fundamentally about one, being a good human being, whether it is being a good son or a good daughter, or whether it is being a good father or a good mother or being a good family member or a good friend. And use the power, the power that I am sure that you will have in time as you live life. Use that power for a constructive and common good. Integrity and ethics is absolutely core for good leadership and frankly this is not just some idol saying that people have said again and again for a long time. Who you work for matters, what company you work for matters, the products and services that they provide matters.I have always been very excited about working in the mobile industry because it changes peoples’ lives, it connects people. I can tell you, I personally wouldn’t work for a tobacco company. So you have to make choices about ethics and integrity. And frankly when you make it big which I am sure you will, be generous, volunteer, give back, be philanthropic, be a well-rounded human being, be more than just book-smart. Get involved in sports, get involved in music, develop yourself in a completely well-rounded way and have a passion for the world around you. Frankly I am very passionate about this subject and one of the core values at Vodafone was that we would have passion for the world around us. And we would dedicate time and work in under-developed poor parts of the world to make sure that everybody had a chance to succeed in life. My final bit of personal advice to you is that be prepared for luck to play a role in your life. For me luck is not about fate but luck is about preparing to meet the opportunity head-on. You are graduating at a time when there is an economic slowdown around the world. Your opportunities are different from the opportunities that existed a year or two ago. Make the best of the circumstances, find the spirit within you, the entrepreneurial spirit within you, and be positive. Frankly I feel that luck has been very important in my life. I have been at the right place at the right time with the right people and frankly luck manifests itself in many different ways in terms of having mentors, friends, and supportive family. For me I was very lucky. I met my wife at Berkley and she has been a fantastic friend, a fantastic companion and a fantastic partner for me and I couldn’t have done what I did without her. So win or lose, stay grounded and be a good sport.
In closing you are graduating at an important juncture in history. The tectonic changes are happening all around you in every way. Embrace this change and shape the world through your leadership. And develop your leadership skills early in your career and enjoy the journey of life. I sat in your chair, thirty-one years ago at Berkley in California and frankly if I could do it you can too! So go for it, good luck, congratulations and cheers! Thank you very much.
Deepak Jain's address at ISB convo 2009.. I will remember it for life!!
Address by Dean Dipak Jain, Kellogg School of Management
Let me start by sharing how creative one can be when introducing a speaker. Philip Kotler, a colleague of mine, was once invited to give a keynote address at a major conference but could not attend it. He requested me to go instead. I reminded him that he was getting very product-centric – “you need to be audience-centric; the audience is coming to listen to Philip Kotler, not to anyone else”, I told him. However, the conference could not be cancelled or postponed and so I attended the conference instead. The talk was at 9 am and at 8 am I was supposed to have breakfast with this person, for whom I was an unexpected shock. He asked me what I did. Obviously Professor Kotler had not given him any brief. I said that in some sense I was like the CEO of a company and he understood that language. He said, “Oh so you are the CEO of Kellogg. Now I know how to introduce you”. He later went to the podium, said a good morning and asked the audience – “how many of you have heard the name Philip Kotler”? All the hands went up. He then told the audience, "Today I present to you the boss of Philip Kotler!”In the year 1983, I went to the US to do a PhD in Applied Mathematics. While I was completing my PhD, I got a really useful insight. The insight was that Mathematics was going nowhere. I went to see my advisor .He said, “Dipak you should move to Marketing”. Now unlike him I had never been to Business School, nor had I worked for a business, so I asked him where should I go and learn this subject. He said something very meaningful. He said, “The best way to learn something is to teach because when you teach you have to anticipate what questions you will get and you build this culture of digging deeper.” It was he who suggested to me to get a job at the Kellogg School of Management. “Have some aspirations in life. It never hurts to apply. You miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take,” he had told me then. Another incident I recall is when in 1985 I came to give a talk in North Western. I was nervous because I didn’t know what I was going to speak, and in those days we did not have any Power Point presentation. I went to the classroom and wrote a bunch of equations on the black board, the only thing I knew. For the first half an hour there was pin drop silence. Nobody understood what I was saying and neither did they have any interest. I knew the seminar was going nowhere. Then suddenly Professor Kotler raised his hand and asked me, “Dipak is this marketing or am I in the wrong seminar?” I did not know what to tell Professor Kotler. I looked at the board and said, “This is the future of Marketing. And they gave me the job right there!”
You will remember that when we went to kindergarten or first grade, our parents used to tell us about three ‘R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic. Today you have three Rs before you. The first is Reflection. Graduation is the day of reflection. You have to reflect and think about what you want to do ahead of you. The second is Renewal. You have to renew your spirits. You have achieved something that very few people in the world would have. And the third is Responsibility. We all have a responsibility and the responsibility goes beyond personal success. After becoming Dean of Kellogg, the vision I have set for the school is a very simple word – ‘from success to significance’. That is the theme of the school. What we want to do is to produce leaders who are going to make an impact of lasting significance. Don’t stop your journey at your personal success. Mr Rajat Gupta articulated that if you just optimise your personal success, life would be incomplete. We need to have responsibilities for the communities we come from, the societies we represent, we have to do something beyond personal success.
One point that I want to make to all of you is the biggest strength we have is called our ‘Sanskar’. The word ‘Sanskar’ is basically nothing but core values. ISB or Kellogg is a place where you come with a passion and a purpose, and we help you with tools to combine your passion and purpose to renew your responsibility. And that is what you must think for moving forward and that is very precious. And the thing that differentiates all the Indians is the dedication of our parents towards our education. This is our unique differentiation and I want to congratulate all the parents here. Nowhere in the world have I seen parents taking so much care about the children’s education. They sacrifice their lives, and every opportunity that I get to speak, I always like to mention something about India. When I am in the company of people, any opportunity I get, I share with them some core values of our Indian culture. There is India, there is Indian and there is Indianness within us. I will tell you how these things play out. I was once invited to a very big seminar and there were three keynote speakers. Author Jim Collins who wrote the book ‘Built to Last’ was one of them. Then second speaker was from the treasury department of US, and he was to speak on finance. I was the keynote speaker from the marketing side. Just before the speech there was a dinner. To my side was the Chairman of Coca Cola. On the other side was the Chairman of Wal-Mart and ahead of me was the Chairman of P&G. Before I joined them they were talking about mergers and acquisitions – the common vocabulary of the CEOs. When I joined them the conversation shifted to my experience of Tsunami, while I was holidaying with my family in Phuket, to what makes arranged marriages work in India, etc.? I told them that an arranged marriage in India is like a merger and acquisition activity. And that rather than comparing the balance sheets, we compare family values and that a wedding in India is between two families rather than two individuals. I also recounted my own experience of an arranged marriage and how I had no doubt about the decision of my father. I met my wife for twenty minutes and got married. We have been happily married for twenty years!
The point I want to make is about the core values we have, the respect for our elders, and the sense of humility in us which will take us a long way. Today the times are very difficult. Even at Kellogg a large fraction of students are still looking for jobs. But difficulties come in our way to make us stronger and better, not bitter. I always tell my students uncertainty is inevitable, worrying is optional. My only advice to you is - things could get better, don’t worry. Both Arun Sarin and Rajat Gupta, in their addresses, mentioned about the word ‘luck’. I remembered a question that was asked to Pandit RadhaKrishnan – ‘How do you differentiate between luck and effort?’ He gave a beautiful analogy. He said when you play cards, what you get from the deck of cards is your luck, what you make of those cards is your effort. People with ordinary cards can win the game and people with good cards can lose the game. We often tend to blame it on the cards. And my advice to you is don’t take the current condition as an excuse, keep continuing to work. As the Dean of the school, whenever I market Kellogg and talk about the School, there is always somebody will would raise his hand and ask, ‘Dean Jain what are you going to do about the Chicago weather’. You know Chicago is a very cold place. Nine months of the year we have an extremely cold weather. One day I was making a presentation and a student asked me the same in a very negative way. I am the Dean of the school and I can control many things but I have no control over the weather. I had to say something so I said, ‘I have one piece of advice for you in life. You should believe in the principle of a refrigerator. Things kept in a cooler environment stay fresh for a long time’. I hope he will never ask me that question again. Times come and go, we remain, you all remain. You are the brand, not only of ISB, you are the brand of India, a lot depends on you. There is a saying that the challenge ahead of you is never greater than the force behind you. This evening I want to tell all of you that ISB is behind you, the Board is behind you, the faculty is behind you, Dipak Jain is behind you, go out and do something meaningful and we will all be proud of being a part of ISB. Congratulations and all the best to all of you.
Let me start by sharing how creative one can be when introducing a speaker. Philip Kotler, a colleague of mine, was once invited to give a keynote address at a major conference but could not attend it. He requested me to go instead. I reminded him that he was getting very product-centric – “you need to be audience-centric; the audience is coming to listen to Philip Kotler, not to anyone else”, I told him. However, the conference could not be cancelled or postponed and so I attended the conference instead. The talk was at 9 am and at 8 am I was supposed to have breakfast with this person, for whom I was an unexpected shock. He asked me what I did. Obviously Professor Kotler had not given him any brief. I said that in some sense I was like the CEO of a company and he understood that language. He said, “Oh so you are the CEO of Kellogg. Now I know how to introduce you”. He later went to the podium, said a good morning and asked the audience – “how many of you have heard the name Philip Kotler”? All the hands went up. He then told the audience, "Today I present to you the boss of Philip Kotler!”In the year 1983, I went to the US to do a PhD in Applied Mathematics. While I was completing my PhD, I got a really useful insight. The insight was that Mathematics was going nowhere. I went to see my advisor .He said, “Dipak you should move to Marketing”. Now unlike him I had never been to Business School, nor had I worked for a business, so I asked him where should I go and learn this subject. He said something very meaningful. He said, “The best way to learn something is to teach because when you teach you have to anticipate what questions you will get and you build this culture of digging deeper.” It was he who suggested to me to get a job at the Kellogg School of Management. “Have some aspirations in life. It never hurts to apply. You miss 100 percent of the shots that you don’t take,” he had told me then. Another incident I recall is when in 1985 I came to give a talk in North Western. I was nervous because I didn’t know what I was going to speak, and in those days we did not have any Power Point presentation. I went to the classroom and wrote a bunch of equations on the black board, the only thing I knew. For the first half an hour there was pin drop silence. Nobody understood what I was saying and neither did they have any interest. I knew the seminar was going nowhere. Then suddenly Professor Kotler raised his hand and asked me, “Dipak is this marketing or am I in the wrong seminar?” I did not know what to tell Professor Kotler. I looked at the board and said, “This is the future of Marketing. And they gave me the job right there!”
You will remember that when we went to kindergarten or first grade, our parents used to tell us about three ‘R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic. Today you have three Rs before you. The first is Reflection. Graduation is the day of reflection. You have to reflect and think about what you want to do ahead of you. The second is Renewal. You have to renew your spirits. You have achieved something that very few people in the world would have. And the third is Responsibility. We all have a responsibility and the responsibility goes beyond personal success. After becoming Dean of Kellogg, the vision I have set for the school is a very simple word – ‘from success to significance’. That is the theme of the school. What we want to do is to produce leaders who are going to make an impact of lasting significance. Don’t stop your journey at your personal success. Mr Rajat Gupta articulated that if you just optimise your personal success, life would be incomplete. We need to have responsibilities for the communities we come from, the societies we represent, we have to do something beyond personal success.
One point that I want to make to all of you is the biggest strength we have is called our ‘Sanskar’. The word ‘Sanskar’ is basically nothing but core values. ISB or Kellogg is a place where you come with a passion and a purpose, and we help you with tools to combine your passion and purpose to renew your responsibility. And that is what you must think for moving forward and that is very precious. And the thing that differentiates all the Indians is the dedication of our parents towards our education. This is our unique differentiation and I want to congratulate all the parents here. Nowhere in the world have I seen parents taking so much care about the children’s education. They sacrifice their lives, and every opportunity that I get to speak, I always like to mention something about India. When I am in the company of people, any opportunity I get, I share with them some core values of our Indian culture. There is India, there is Indian and there is Indianness within us. I will tell you how these things play out. I was once invited to a very big seminar and there were three keynote speakers. Author Jim Collins who wrote the book ‘Built to Last’ was one of them. Then second speaker was from the treasury department of US, and he was to speak on finance. I was the keynote speaker from the marketing side. Just before the speech there was a dinner. To my side was the Chairman of Coca Cola. On the other side was the Chairman of Wal-Mart and ahead of me was the Chairman of P&G. Before I joined them they were talking about mergers and acquisitions – the common vocabulary of the CEOs. When I joined them the conversation shifted to my experience of Tsunami, while I was holidaying with my family in Phuket, to what makes arranged marriages work in India, etc.? I told them that an arranged marriage in India is like a merger and acquisition activity. And that rather than comparing the balance sheets, we compare family values and that a wedding in India is between two families rather than two individuals. I also recounted my own experience of an arranged marriage and how I had no doubt about the decision of my father. I met my wife for twenty minutes and got married. We have been happily married for twenty years!
The point I want to make is about the core values we have, the respect for our elders, and the sense of humility in us which will take us a long way. Today the times are very difficult. Even at Kellogg a large fraction of students are still looking for jobs. But difficulties come in our way to make us stronger and better, not bitter. I always tell my students uncertainty is inevitable, worrying is optional. My only advice to you is - things could get better, don’t worry. Both Arun Sarin and Rajat Gupta, in their addresses, mentioned about the word ‘luck’. I remembered a question that was asked to Pandit RadhaKrishnan – ‘How do you differentiate between luck and effort?’ He gave a beautiful analogy. He said when you play cards, what you get from the deck of cards is your luck, what you make of those cards is your effort. People with ordinary cards can win the game and people with good cards can lose the game. We often tend to blame it on the cards. And my advice to you is don’t take the current condition as an excuse, keep continuing to work. As the Dean of the school, whenever I market Kellogg and talk about the School, there is always somebody will would raise his hand and ask, ‘Dean Jain what are you going to do about the Chicago weather’. You know Chicago is a very cold place. Nine months of the year we have an extremely cold weather. One day I was making a presentation and a student asked me the same in a very negative way. I am the Dean of the school and I can control many things but I have no control over the weather. I had to say something so I said, ‘I have one piece of advice for you in life. You should believe in the principle of a refrigerator. Things kept in a cooler environment stay fresh for a long time’. I hope he will never ask me that question again. Times come and go, we remain, you all remain. You are the brand, not only of ISB, you are the brand of India, a lot depends on you. There is a saying that the challenge ahead of you is never greater than the force behind you. This evening I want to tell all of you that ISB is behind you, the Board is behind you, the faculty is behind you, Dipak Jain is behind you, go out and do something meaningful and we will all be proud of being a part of ISB. Congratulations and all the best to all of you.
The happiest countries in the world!
Heard of richest, most competitive, most populous, growing, bla blah blah..
Here is a list of countries which are happiest :D
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/08/0819_happiest_countries/1.htm
Here is a list of countries which are happiest :D
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/08/0819_happiest_countries/1.htm
Toyota Way is Toyota Way, Do i love this firm?? :)
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1020_toyota/index.htm
So,
Hybrid cars
Small smart cars
Cost cutting with suppliers
Raw material cost cutting
0% Finance in US
Reorganizing production
Hybird models for lexus
Lets not lay off employees
If not sports car then fun to drive will do
Innovation and survival drives Japanese, something tells me they dont die that easy. I read about their leaders, the guy heading the Japanese Airlines was the first one to take sal cut in times of crisis and he was surprised when he was told that people from GM and Chrysler flew in chartered planes to seek the bail out package from government.
I do love Toyota Way, but can this be implemented all around or is it just meant for Japanese. Any thoughts?
So,
Hybrid cars
Small smart cars
Cost cutting with suppliers
Raw material cost cutting
0% Finance in US
Reorganizing production
Hybird models for lexus
Lets not lay off employees
If not sports car then fun to drive will do
Innovation and survival drives Japanese, something tells me they dont die that easy. I read about their leaders, the guy heading the Japanese Airlines was the first one to take sal cut in times of crisis and he was surprised when he was told that people from GM and Chrysler flew in chartered planes to seek the bail out package from government.
I do love Toyota Way, but can this be implemented all around or is it just meant for Japanese. Any thoughts?
From Capitalism to Socialism at GM and Chryslar
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/apr2009/db20090428_774578.htm
I will talk about this article which i kind of found interesting. In a discussion with an americal student i got to know about the strong Unions and their high perks in US. I was told that reforms in US are not easy as labour unions have a very strong say given their unity. It was indeed interesting to read about it in Business Week today. So, now these firms want the Unions to be a part of management and understand the issues. When you cant thrust the cost savings, you have to make people sit on your chair and see the issues infront. Is it a good way or are these firms repeating the failures of UA. I think it is a good strategy. When everything else fails and when you know that things have to drive from all dorections, increase the stakes, define it well and guide it well. Idea is to increase the stake and tranparency and let people who can impact the bottom line own it for sometime, but this should not let the higher management lose hold on the strategy and long term focus. UA failed for the loss of hold on vision. Things have to be driven, its just that you make the people who get impacted sit on driving seat to understand the core of the issue. With the high compensation and benefits that Unions have won for themselves in years, management in US had lesser in terms of cost cutting in their hands.
Well, indeed the most interesting question for some of the economists is- Capitalism or Socialism?? Socialism is a poor man's way of securing life, capitlaism is a progressive mindset. They both are a part of every economy, which is right or which is wrong depends on the scenario. May be when things fail completely socialism ensures food for all, when times are good, capitalism ensures exploitation of opportunities. All the Best Biggies!! You are upto something and that probably was the last resort you had.
I will talk about this article which i kind of found interesting. In a discussion with an americal student i got to know about the strong Unions and their high perks in US. I was told that reforms in US are not easy as labour unions have a very strong say given their unity. It was indeed interesting to read about it in Business Week today. So, now these firms want the Unions to be a part of management and understand the issues. When you cant thrust the cost savings, you have to make people sit on your chair and see the issues infront. Is it a good way or are these firms repeating the failures of UA. I think it is a good strategy. When everything else fails and when you know that things have to drive from all dorections, increase the stakes, define it well and guide it well. Idea is to increase the stake and tranparency and let people who can impact the bottom line own it for sometime, but this should not let the higher management lose hold on the strategy and long term focus. UA failed for the loss of hold on vision. Things have to be driven, its just that you make the people who get impacted sit on driving seat to understand the core of the issue. With the high compensation and benefits that Unions have won for themselves in years, management in US had lesser in terms of cost cutting in their hands.
Well, indeed the most interesting question for some of the economists is- Capitalism or Socialism?? Socialism is a poor man's way of securing life, capitlaism is a progressive mindset. They both are a part of every economy, which is right or which is wrong depends on the scenario. May be when things fail completely socialism ensures food for all, when times are good, capitalism ensures exploitation of opportunities. All the Best Biggies!! You are upto something and that probably was the last resort you had.
Dancing away to nothing!! :)
This is about the spirit of dancing. So, there is nothing particular about dancing. I just know that if music is good you must dance and it must come from within. This time i have decided to give a professional look. So, started from Salsa, but i found it boring, its a bit too slow and too polished. Ballroom dancing is fun, but not with everyone, so leave it at that. Then comes the free style or jazz or may be bollywood numbers. I have picked up bollywood numbers as i enjoyed that session the most. Its fun to pick up the funny fast songs and learn some steps to dance on it. I have never taken any classes on dance, so most of the time i am intrigued to just leave the formal learning of steps and dance just as i feel like dancing, but then thats not what classes are meant for, these are choreographed and the guy who teaches us, ensures that we dance to his tunes. So, today was a good day, i led the choreography with "aa dekhe zara kismein kitna hai dam", it was good and i totally loved the way we sequenced it and it came out really well. And it did not stop at that, we ended with desi girl. :D Actually whats interesting is the fact that all the steps match those of the actual ones in movies, so everytime you see the song, you know what has gone behind the move. Dancing has a world of its own. I like the fact that one can use his or her brain totally on learning something which looks so graceful and co ordinated by the end of the day. Also, i learned that if you want to see what coordination and team work means, just jump into choreography, you will learn to love people in all forms and just manage to get them all together to dance on one tune. So, if you want to just chill and dont think about anything, here's something for you, switch on a fast track song and dance away to nothing. :)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Entrepreneurial DNA!!
Is it different?? I think it is, like something tells me a 100 times that i want to do something on my own, and i dont dream of small firm and selling it off, i dream of conglomerates. WHY?? Because papa was one?? Because i have seen him work according to his will and make things unbelievably successful?? Its the DNA?? I know the challenges, the efforts and also the stage of failure, but then i just know that it must have been fun. Its just that the risk taking capability is higher in these people and they dont work for money, money just comes by. Its a mindset and its just there. If i look back at my friends at ISB, i get attached to entrepreneurs, we talk same language, two of my best pals in b school have entrepreneurial DNA. :) There are credentials and anyone will pick such people for any kind of salary and position because they have the attitude, but then they just know that they cant work under anyone for anything. There will be a time when all the money, power and travel will look lame because there is more to life, there is something called ownership and joy of creation. Most of my friends are free spirited, daring, people with strong will power and ability to tranform world if they get down to it. They are just themselves and they are very different from the general crowd in their approach and thought process. There are different kinds of leaders: there are beaurocrats, there are executives and then there are entrepreneurs. Beaurocrats will follow a code of conduct, executives will have lots to learn from past, entrepreneurs will just do what present offers to them, they learn less from past and they dont know which work belongs to whom. May be its really the DNA, there isnt much one can do to change it. :)
Jogger's Park
To all the junk food and lazy lifetsyle and too much stress at ISB, i have bid good bye. :) Since i am out of ISB, i am only working on changing it completely. So, starts with jogging, then some exercises, then aerobics DVDs at time and then the cereal time and all that goes into my body is healthy. Has to be fruits, boiled vegetables or the vegetable juice. I read somewhere tomato juice makes your cheeks look like tomotaoes, so that gets added, then i read green vegetables are good for skin, that gets added, so i have this huge healthy diet and ideally i should have been turned into Cindrella by now, but then since i already am one (ahmm.. ), there isnt much change. :D
So, today i was tired after jogging and thought i will sit and watch the world go by. This was interesting and i totally enjoyed it.
Here are some funny things i noticed:
a) Rich aunties will come to park in big cars with ipod on ears and still run with another aunty and talk. Dont ask me why. I dont know either. Lets not even discuss the speed at which they walk.
b) Some boys will change their direction of running based on the girl they find interesting. Well the girl niether looks at them, nor talks to them, but then it dsnt matter. By the end of the day the jog had a focus. :D
c) Old uncle ji will always come with a stick in hand and shoo off the dogs even if it means finding them from deep grass. If there is a stick, there has to be some use.
d) There is always a lean and thin fitness freak who will run like there is no tomorrow. Someone needs to tell him/her that he/she needs something on body to look human. But then he is the fastest runner in the park and his waist line will give complex to Kareena Kapoor.
e) There are two dogs who ensure that everyone runs at fast pace. They come out to scare the woman who scream at their look as if dogs are something new in India.
f) This one is cute, there is an old uncle and an old aunty and a doggie and i love them, i like uncle and aunty a lot, they love me too. They are the best of the lot. Today they were particularly happy because their child is back from US for sometime and uncle told me that he has so much to do for next 15 days. I feel good for him. Its sad that people leave their parents and go, i think its better to have a dog than have such kids who come for 15 days and disturb their parents' otherwise happy rountine. Dont raise hopes which you can not fulfill. I know he will be very sad once his son is gone and then we will come to park and sit in one corner thinking about last 15 days. Anyway Uncle, we will sort it once the idiot is gone. :)
g) There is a huge, tall and strong girl who is from a village in Haryana and is now training in Police. I so admire her, she is just one of her kinds. So, there is this guy who changed his direction to run after her and unlike most of the girls who ignore this, she turned and took it heads on. "Kyun be!! Bahut style maar raha hai, chal thane mein band karun. :D"
h) There is a gang of 10 old uncles who have formed a laughter club and who laugh like there is no tomorrow. They wear tight shorts and white caps and i know they are just happy. This is their way of networking at this age.
i) Alright, here's something interesting. There are some real dudes who come for jog. Now, these are people i kind of know, cant help ( remember, i like good things in life. :)). So, some of us are good friends now. Most of us are MBAs and at times its fun to discuss life and market. Though one in particular puts too much gyaan on pace of running and hours of running, but most of us are just running. :)
j) Last but not least, some people ARE non sense like me. When they get tired, they just watch the world go by and have fun. I am sure people must have hated me for it. But then.. :D
Keep it coming Jogger's Park!!
So, today i was tired after jogging and thought i will sit and watch the world go by. This was interesting and i totally enjoyed it.
Here are some funny things i noticed:
a) Rich aunties will come to park in big cars with ipod on ears and still run with another aunty and talk. Dont ask me why. I dont know either. Lets not even discuss the speed at which they walk.
b) Some boys will change their direction of running based on the girl they find interesting. Well the girl niether looks at them, nor talks to them, but then it dsnt matter. By the end of the day the jog had a focus. :D
c) Old uncle ji will always come with a stick in hand and shoo off the dogs even if it means finding them from deep grass. If there is a stick, there has to be some use.
d) There is always a lean and thin fitness freak who will run like there is no tomorrow. Someone needs to tell him/her that he/she needs something on body to look human. But then he is the fastest runner in the park and his waist line will give complex to Kareena Kapoor.
e) There are two dogs who ensure that everyone runs at fast pace. They come out to scare the woman who scream at their look as if dogs are something new in India.
f) This one is cute, there is an old uncle and an old aunty and a doggie and i love them, i like uncle and aunty a lot, they love me too. They are the best of the lot. Today they were particularly happy because their child is back from US for sometime and uncle told me that he has so much to do for next 15 days. I feel good for him. Its sad that people leave their parents and go, i think its better to have a dog than have such kids who come for 15 days and disturb their parents' otherwise happy rountine. Dont raise hopes which you can not fulfill. I know he will be very sad once his son is gone and then we will come to park and sit in one corner thinking about last 15 days. Anyway Uncle, we will sort it once the idiot is gone. :)
g) There is a huge, tall and strong girl who is from a village in Haryana and is now training in Police. I so admire her, she is just one of her kinds. So, there is this guy who changed his direction to run after her and unlike most of the girls who ignore this, she turned and took it heads on. "Kyun be!! Bahut style maar raha hai, chal thane mein band karun. :D"
h) There is a gang of 10 old uncles who have formed a laughter club and who laugh like there is no tomorrow. They wear tight shorts and white caps and i know they are just happy. This is their way of networking at this age.
i) Alright, here's something interesting. There are some real dudes who come for jog. Now, these are people i kind of know, cant help ( remember, i like good things in life. :)). So, some of us are good friends now. Most of us are MBAs and at times its fun to discuss life and market. Though one in particular puts too much gyaan on pace of running and hours of running, but most of us are just running. :)
j) Last but not least, some people ARE non sense like me. When they get tired, they just watch the world go by and have fun. I am sure people must have hated me for it. But then.. :D
Keep it coming Jogger's Park!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
The FUN is childish!! :)
I was talking to an old friend today and we got talking on how i used to sing all kinds of song even if my voice wasn't that great. He specially remembered the "Hero" song and then dil kya kare jab kisi ko and jane kaise kab kaha pyaar ho gaya, and dont know a whole list. I was like asked again to sing. It was wierd, i kind of know my voice is bad now, i am conscious and i cant sing. I think thats why i love the places where there are karaoke nights and you can just shout out loud and sing. Its so much fun. :D There must be places in this world, where you can just let your spirit free. Life is too much fun when there are no rules, no conditions, its just free and you just enjoy every moment of living it. It dsnt require much and i have learned this from my nephew. He is happy with everything in life as he dsnt know what is good and what is bad. There are no wrongs and rights in his life, he just knows what makes him happy at that moment. I do crazy things with him and i dont think there is anything in this world which makes me more happy than playing with him. We just play, we roll in grass, we make stories and we laugh at stupid cartoons even if we dont understand them. He is happy because thats his only business in life and he just knows that he loves everyone who makes him happy without carrying forward his opinions. Cant we become little less complex, stop forming opinions and live life as it comes and love or hate people for the moment in question. There is so much i learn from him everyday. I have learned love is simple and it does not have ego (remember, if i am angry with him, he will look into my eyes and ask me sweet questions till i hold him and hug him :)), i have learned that there is always too much to do in life and greed does not have to be big, it can be as simple as a dairy milk or a toffee choo. Noni, i totally adore you, your lovely smile, your innocent talks, your holding hands, you have no idea how much. There is nothing in this world which drives me crazy like your innocent smile and your selfless love. You are the most precious thing that i have. :)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Variety!!
I love variety in life and i have done loads in 4 years of my professional life. Starting from a normal coder, to consulting to entrepreneurship to corporate planning and strategy to business development which is my new found love. In my job interview , i totally fell in love with my interviewer. I had one of the most amazing discussions ever in my life. You just click with some people. I usually dont get nervous during interviews, and i am just me, i make it a point that i dont fake anything. The person was one of the top 4 people in the firm and he had been in sales since ages. He started by why you among 70 applicants?? I said if i fail to convince you that i am fit for this job in next 10 minutes, i am not a good salesperson and we dont have much to discuss beyond that. I knew i had a whole lot to prove in 10 mins and then i just remembered Dad's word, you say what you do, you are my daughter, just chill. I was honest through out the interview and i was just me. We discussed on issues, i left aside my bookish knowledge and took each question based on how would have i dealt with in real life. I enjoyed it. By the end of 10 minutes, we were good. Then there were discussions on some issues that he had faced in business development in emerging markets and he finally asked me, so Hunting or Farming?? I said, i will hunt, i want challenges, dsnt matter which way i fall. Frankly speaking, it really dsnt matter which way my life falls, i will live it. I have got one life, i will live it to its fullest.
When people were crazy about Big 4 consults, i was reminded of the sad faces and foolish studious personas and i was like no, i am not someone who can interview 200 people, solve hypothetical probelms, give gyaan, have no life and butter the partner who changes my recommendations at his discretion. NO, i have done it and i dont want to have anything to do with it, i want a life now, i dont want consulting. I enjoyed corporate planning and strategy related roles, but then i was afraid that i was too young for them, no one offered me one on Day 1 and i took my day 1 offer, so this was a miss. Then i thought i was left with sales and marketing, but then i need action and talk, i need to sit across table, may be sales. I am quite excited about my new role, i know i will have a good one year to learn from senior people and take initiatives. I dont know how many more years i will work, but then till the time i do, i will enjoy it.
When people were crazy about Big 4 consults, i was reminded of the sad faces and foolish studious personas and i was like no, i am not someone who can interview 200 people, solve hypothetical probelms, give gyaan, have no life and butter the partner who changes my recommendations at his discretion. NO, i have done it and i dont want to have anything to do with it, i want a life now, i dont want consulting. I enjoyed corporate planning and strategy related roles, but then i was afraid that i was too young for them, no one offered me one on Day 1 and i took my day 1 offer, so this was a miss. Then i thought i was left with sales and marketing, but then i need action and talk, i need to sit across table, may be sales. I am quite excited about my new role, i know i will have a good one year to learn from senior people and take initiatives. I dont know how many more years i will work, but then till the time i do, i will enjoy it.
Time and Tides!! :)
I am reading one very interesting book on beaurocracy in India which was gift of Nehru dynasty to India and how entrepreneurs failed one after another to setup anything because of the "License Raj". Dhirubhai Ambani was the only man who could exploit the system to his advantage given his focus and willingness to move. I dont know, there are millions of questions on his integrity, but this book has transformed my thought process about him. If things around you are completely illiogical what would you do?? Give Up?? Be in the system to fight the system?? From rags to riches he did not reach overnight, he knew Indian democracy was leftist and he made Reliance out of it. Aditya Birla ventured out of India to evade this, but this man played dirty to stay and grow. I dont know, i somehow feel that his approach at that time was not wrong, just that he lost integrity as base in longer run which made mess out of the moral base of his organziation in long run. They found an easy for everything.
Did he sing this to Nehru Dynasty, "Kitne bhi tu kar le sitam, hans hans ke sahenge hum, ye pyaar na hoga kam, sanam teri kasam.. " :D
Did he sing this to Nehru Dynasty, "Kitne bhi tu kar le sitam, hans hans ke sahenge hum, ye pyaar na hoga kam, sanam teri kasam.. " :D
To the Best Baby in this world!! :)
To the Best Baby in this world who cooled my food and spoon fed me tonight, love you Noni, you say it all without words and bua totally loves you!! :)
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain,What I hear when you don't say a thing
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old mr. webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin? you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin? you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all !! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU9jJt-vVUo
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The B school Blues!!
woo woo woo... Its that time of the year when new batch gets oriented and if the batch is enthu, everyone wants to be in the limelight and everone wants a position in clubs in GSB etc etc etc. So, there will be 400 out of 450 people taking the initiatives and organizing meetings. It is the funniest phase in any b school i guess. Self proclaimed leaders and then no followers. :) So, one of the new batch joinees talked about the same thing to me today, he said there are 100 meetings on GM, then corporate strategy under GM, then leadership under GM, one club has so many dimensions. Guess my answer?? I said, why dont you start"Gappe in Payjama, club and become the president of that?? " :D He thought i was kidding, i said just find out the club names of Harvard and Wharton or may be include LBS as well. They are old, so they have millions and ISB is just moving towards it. Moral of the story," Never put 20 leaders in one roof to lead, they will create more firms irrespective of their ability to generate revenue." :D
I wonder if education only means recognition and money. I wanted to study to get matured, to learn about life and people, i never thought about anything else. I was never the ambitious kinds, but i always wanted the best in life. Given a choice, i would always want to learn, i dont care if i work or not. Job and recognition is not my hunger, my quest is learning and growing. I know corporate life is all about stepping on people's toes, proving oneself and blah blah blah. I have done just well in it, but then i think i will be happy outside it some day. :) May be i will write a book or may be just work for National Geographic channel and wear shorts and t shirts and explore the world. Hmm!! So thats one stand in life i will take some time, i will create a club of my own and become its president, because it will be just me, i will lead none and i will follow none. It will be simple fun, in every little thing that i will do in life and i will just enjoy being me. :)
I wonder if education only means recognition and money. I wanted to study to get matured, to learn about life and people, i never thought about anything else. I was never the ambitious kinds, but i always wanted the best in life. Given a choice, i would always want to learn, i dont care if i work or not. Job and recognition is not my hunger, my quest is learning and growing. I know corporate life is all about stepping on people's toes, proving oneself and blah blah blah. I have done just well in it, but then i think i will be happy outside it some day. :) May be i will write a book or may be just work for National Geographic channel and wear shorts and t shirts and explore the world. Hmm!! So thats one stand in life i will take some time, i will create a club of my own and become its president, because it will be just me, i will lead none and i will follow none. It will be simple fun, in every little thing that i will do in life and i will just enjoy being me. :)
Reunion Part 2.. Mrins and Me..
For the famous joker brand pictures, self clicked as we dont trust the tresspassers !! :D
We had momos and VEG MAGGI!! Good old hostel days and our unhealthy taste buds. And not to miss the arbit walks in mall and finding everything too expensive or too outdated for our taste. For those who know me, i just tried 20 sandals, all from different shops and did not like any of them by the end of the day because they were not "my kinds" and Mrins was concerned that "my kinds" is becoming trickier with every passing year. :D
We met after an year almost. We parted in college after 4 years in DU thinking that life will get us back, just that we knew :) and it did, she is ISB 2008 alum and i am 2009. Friends forever. :) So, we talked and talked and talked till we realized the day was ending. Thank You Mrinal for the wonderful evening.
We had momos and VEG MAGGI!! Good old hostel days and our unhealthy taste buds. And not to miss the arbit walks in mall and finding everything too expensive or too outdated for our taste. For those who know me, i just tried 20 sandals, all from different shops and did not like any of them by the end of the day because they were not "my kinds" and Mrins was concerned that "my kinds" is becoming trickier with every passing year. :DFriday, April 24, 2009
A moment of realization!!
My old pal was here on a visit and whenever we meet, i have too much to talk and it had been 14 months since we had met, so i had to speak :D. I was my usual self, telling a 100 stories about what happened and how things moved and how will my next job be etc etc. Suddenly i was reminded of all the gyaan he gave me before i headed for B school, he is a Harvard alum and the guy who made me write my GMAT. I stopped to say thank you, i mean it was odd, since we take each other for granted, but then i thought he did deserve it. I can never forget what he told me and i think i am fortunate to have the right people around me. I know this guy is going to make it big in life and he features monthly in my blog but then does anyone know what positivity and moving ahead mean??
Well, this is my best pal, someone who lost his entire family in an accident. He was young and he did not know what to do when all his property was taken away overnight by some nasty relatives . I have been around him as a kid, never seen him crib, never seen him cry, he just grew with things. Its just that he was always more matured than me, and i know that i can not take anything against him. As we grew, he went to boarding and i was sent to one too, but i was my papa's baby and i cried once and papa got me back home. He was bright and intelligent and he can just excel at anything he is put into, and he did. Topped year on year, was school prefect and talk about it and he had it - looks, intelligence, attitude and thought process. I have always been so proud of him.
There was one thing constant that we were friends. We were a family, we never dis respected each others thought process, there was always too much support and unbelievable as it may sound, we have not fought in 14 years. I know that he wants the best for himself when it comes to his life. He is a self made man and he is someone who can take on any challenge, so when he told me some years back on one birthday that he wanted to study in Harvard, i knew he was one of the guys in there and he did. There were a lot of ups and downs in his journey, but he just managed them well and what he is at this young age is not what any of us can even dream of. As the world sees it, may be he is big and he is only bound to go up in life. And i am still so proud of him. There is a lot that i have learned from him. I was not born this way, but i am calm now, small things dont bother me, i usually takes things positively and i just know that life is all about moving on.
Today when i thanked him, he told me some amazing words, he said that he had lost everything too early to realize the loss, but what he knew was that there was something to gain in life. He just moved towards it, he knew he could not have died mediocre. He said that he does not know what family means, but he had to thank me for giving all positive associations to it as he thought i have been all that family meant to him. From sharing food and toys, to pocket money and dreams. He said that our friendship was his only fuel to keep things moving when everything else stopped and then he wonders if anyone in this world has what he has and if thank you could have done justice to me?
I was in tears. Here was a pal who has been with me in the toughest of times and who made my life in more than one ways. Till date i have no idea about his busy schedules and work, i just know that whatever be the time and whatever be his work, if i need him, he will be there. I have learned from him that tears are not the way to live life, you just take things heads on. He is the one who made me stand when i did not know if i ever will. I had no clue what to say. I knew thank you were wrong words. There are some people who will give you even if destiny takes away everything from them and they will grow up in life to do good for the world. Its just that for some people you dont have any words, you probably thank God that you were fortunate that he gave you such pals.
I have learned something today, there are some people who will take you for granted and that words like thank you and sorry will hurt.
Well, this is my best pal, someone who lost his entire family in an accident. He was young and he did not know what to do when all his property was taken away overnight by some nasty relatives . I have been around him as a kid, never seen him crib, never seen him cry, he just grew with things. Its just that he was always more matured than me, and i know that i can not take anything against him. As we grew, he went to boarding and i was sent to one too, but i was my papa's baby and i cried once and papa got me back home. He was bright and intelligent and he can just excel at anything he is put into, and he did. Topped year on year, was school prefect and talk about it and he had it - looks, intelligence, attitude and thought process. I have always been so proud of him.
There was one thing constant that we were friends. We were a family, we never dis respected each others thought process, there was always too much support and unbelievable as it may sound, we have not fought in 14 years. I know that he wants the best for himself when it comes to his life. He is a self made man and he is someone who can take on any challenge, so when he told me some years back on one birthday that he wanted to study in Harvard, i knew he was one of the guys in there and he did. There were a lot of ups and downs in his journey, but he just managed them well and what he is at this young age is not what any of us can even dream of. As the world sees it, may be he is big and he is only bound to go up in life. And i am still so proud of him. There is a lot that i have learned from him. I was not born this way, but i am calm now, small things dont bother me, i usually takes things positively and i just know that life is all about moving on.
Today when i thanked him, he told me some amazing words, he said that he had lost everything too early to realize the loss, but what he knew was that there was something to gain in life. He just moved towards it, he knew he could not have died mediocre. He said that he does not know what family means, but he had to thank me for giving all positive associations to it as he thought i have been all that family meant to him. From sharing food and toys, to pocket money and dreams. He said that our friendship was his only fuel to keep things moving when everything else stopped and then he wonders if anyone in this world has what he has and if thank you could have done justice to me?
I was in tears. Here was a pal who has been with me in the toughest of times and who made my life in more than one ways. Till date i have no idea about his busy schedules and work, i just know that whatever be the time and whatever be his work, if i need him, he will be there. I have learned from him that tears are not the way to live life, you just take things heads on. He is the one who made me stand when i did not know if i ever will. I had no clue what to say. I knew thank you were wrong words. There are some people who will give you even if destiny takes away everything from them and they will grow up in life to do good for the world. Its just that for some people you dont have any words, you probably thank God that you were fortunate that he gave you such pals.
I have learned something today, there are some people who will take you for granted and that words like thank you and sorry will hurt.
Why India??
I always wanted to write about this long chat which i had with an exchange student from America. He was finding India interesting and he wanted to know why i liked India and given a choice why would i stay in India?
I never knew i loved my country so much till i got to stay abroad for an official work. Everything was great and in place, but i knew i wanted to go back to India. I remember when my Boss called up from India and told me that i have to stay in Switzerland for some work, my first reaction was that i dont want nething, no money, no luxury, no amount of sophistication can keep me here. I love the smell of my country and my people, i love India.
So, i told the guy that i love it here. Its what i have seen all my life, its what has made me and i like the fact that everyone on the road looks approachable to me in India. I know its just the kind of place you fall in love with. It is complex, it asks me to struggle for every little thing, its what had made me what i am and i stop growing the moment i am put in developed locations. My innovation dies, my spirit to struggle dies and i feel i am an alien. It is my nation and i m its citizen, it does not throw me out in odd times. It is just mine. I own this country. Go out, travel and learn, but remember God gave you citizenship for a reason, and sometime in life one needs to pay back. I had choices in life always, among b school admits, among the job postings, but i chose India and it was never an emotional decision. On practical grounds, this has always worked. Now, when i see so many of my friends struggling for visas, being jobless in US and UK and now when they are dying to come back despite them calling India poor and useless, i feel they must be denied the citizenship. They dont deserve it.
It might not be easy for me to stick to India with my new job, my salary negotiations have happened in USD and INR and i know that once the travel bit starts it wont stop, but given a choice, i will always want to grow India and grow with it. I am lucky that i was born here. I know that the social setup and mindset in India is a bit old now, but still i think it is improving and it has to get better.
I am not saying that there is anything perfect about India, it needs better security, it needs technology and there is more in form of refining the educated genre in here, but then this is mine and i must do something for it.
I never knew i loved my country so much till i got to stay abroad for an official work. Everything was great and in place, but i knew i wanted to go back to India. I remember when my Boss called up from India and told me that i have to stay in Switzerland for some work, my first reaction was that i dont want nething, no money, no luxury, no amount of sophistication can keep me here. I love the smell of my country and my people, i love India.
So, i told the guy that i love it here. Its what i have seen all my life, its what has made me and i like the fact that everyone on the road looks approachable to me in India. I know its just the kind of place you fall in love with. It is complex, it asks me to struggle for every little thing, its what had made me what i am and i stop growing the moment i am put in developed locations. My innovation dies, my spirit to struggle dies and i feel i am an alien. It is my nation and i m its citizen, it does not throw me out in odd times. It is just mine. I own this country. Go out, travel and learn, but remember God gave you citizenship for a reason, and sometime in life one needs to pay back. I had choices in life always, among b school admits, among the job postings, but i chose India and it was never an emotional decision. On practical grounds, this has always worked. Now, when i see so many of my friends struggling for visas, being jobless in US and UK and now when they are dying to come back despite them calling India poor and useless, i feel they must be denied the citizenship. They dont deserve it.
It might not be easy for me to stick to India with my new job, my salary negotiations have happened in USD and INR and i know that once the travel bit starts it wont stop, but given a choice, i will always want to grow India and grow with it. I am lucky that i was born here. I know that the social setup and mindset in India is a bit old now, but still i think it is improving and it has to get better.
I am not saying that there is anything perfect about India, it needs better security, it needs technology and there is more in form of refining the educated genre in here, but then this is mine and i must do something for it.
Reading has a world of its own..
So, i have this huge collection of books which have been gifted to me by my friends and collegues. I did not find time to read much last year given tough life at b school, but now i am opening all those closets which were closed last year. I have the best collection in this world. I dont read classics but i have Les Miserables and i have some very nice and interesting non fiction ones. I will be writing my review on "India Unbound" shortly. Its time i finish off with those good ones that people gifted me at different point of time, the ones i got from my friend's library and then the ones i aspire to read. The reading bit gives you a kind of high, it kind of makes one think, though at times i am totally not in synch with what writer writes and at times i want to tell him or her that he or she is wrong, but then still there is a thought process which you kind of follow through out the life cycle of your reading.
Given that i want to write a book of my own sometime in life, i am very very critical of writings in life and i want to really see what is it in a book that keeps me hooked to it. There is no straight answer but i do feel that reality is what strikes me. The kite runner and a thousand splendid suns sell the plight hidden in reality. Then five point someone and snapshots from hell sell the reality in experiences, so is this what makes things interesting or is it the creative side of being a writer or a thinker?? Alright, takes me back to the ted talk video i have listed in my blog. Dont expect writers to be creative every time, they are human. :)
I have an answer, i think i need to go back to Scotland to write a novel :P, see JK Rowling, she is such a hit because she lives in Scotland and writes there. Remember, writer creates a world of her own and thats how reading has a world of its own.
Given that i want to write a book of my own sometime in life, i am very very critical of writings in life and i want to really see what is it in a book that keeps me hooked to it. There is no straight answer but i do feel that reality is what strikes me. The kite runner and a thousand splendid suns sell the plight hidden in reality. Then five point someone and snapshots from hell sell the reality in experiences, so is this what makes things interesting or is it the creative side of being a writer or a thinker?? Alright, takes me back to the ted talk video i have listed in my blog. Dont expect writers to be creative every time, they are human. :)
I have an answer, i think i need to go back to Scotland to write a novel :P, see JK Rowling, she is such a hit because she lives in Scotland and writes there. Remember, writer creates a world of her own and thats how reading has a world of its own.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Taking for granted!!
This post is about one thing i hate in life. I dont like people taking me for granted. This is one thing i find very difficult to tolerate. I might have accepted somethings in life given the condition and situation, but i will not accept it ALWAYS. Know that please. I take every situation one at a time and there are no generalisations one should draw out of my decision making process. I need to evaluate my stands in life and take a call on them and ONLY i can do that for me. This is one help i dont need in life. Suggest, dont enforce; talk, dont command; acknowledge adjustments, dont make them a practice and yes, i learned one thing today, always ensure that you tell people that you have gone out of your way to do things, its important to show the effort, as it will prevent them for taking things casually in life.
Dont hesitate to say, "I dont usually like to put in this kind of effort, but for once let me call it a much needed adjustment for this time. Next time it might just not work." It is so important to show off what you dont like, prevent the state of being taken for granted. I dont know about others, but i want my due in life: respect, discuss and then decide. I dont take anything which is given to me on platter on my behalf. If my name exists, it needs to come out of my brain and my decision making process. Simple!!
Dont hesitate to say, "I dont usually like to put in this kind of effort, but for once let me call it a much needed adjustment for this time. Next time it might just not work." It is so important to show off what you dont like, prevent the state of being taken for granted. I dont know about others, but i want my due in life: respect, discuss and then decide. I dont take anything which is given to me on platter on my behalf. If my name exists, it needs to come out of my brain and my decision making process. Simple!!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
And i had fun again!! :)
Its one of my close freinds bday today. She decided to throw a theme party on birthday eve and we had a great time organizing the same. We decided on theme to be hawaii and prepared for the same end to end. Lil planning, making the list etc. Doing this was just too much of entertainment. Its just that every happiness needs to be celebrated. :)
Last night was fun. I had always heard about her new freinds in various discussions, but this time i was meeting them i person. Not that i knew all of them, but some were so familiar to me because they appeared in every discussion she had with me in last few years. I instantly connected with some and some remained strangers throughout the night. I usually keep smiling and eating or dancing in the parties. So, since there was no dance, no one seemed to be eating and drinking was not me, i kind of decided to chat with some well known characters. So, there was a long discussion on parvathi valley,( I dont know much about dope and hippies, so i totally enjoyed it. :)), a guy got a PVC pipe and blew it for some kind of music, and then the most interesting one was numerology. Doesn't matter you know anything or not, the astrology bit sells. So, this guy had a huge crowd of girls around him and he totally did not deserve it. :P
I am usually silent and i kind of observe the events and have fun. Yesterday too, i was siletly listenting to all, some were boasting a lot, some were too high on themselves. I kept my mouth shut and called myself jobless till one woman got over my nerves. She thought i was actually jobless, and started giving me gyaan on how being an MBA helps. I kind of enjoyed listening to it and finally told that i was a post grad from ISB and will join my new job in may end, hence jobless. The expression on her face was worth a capture. That was one moment, i wondered why is today's generation so hungry for recognition. I will never understand why does one need to sell oneself or prove oneself?? A gathering is about having fun and connecting as individuals. I really dont care what one has done or what will one do. Out of millions in life there will be 10 richest guys, 10 leaders and 10 other arbit people whom world will know and they need not spend time in marketing themselves, their actions will speak and people will follow them, rest all will die in mediocrosy boasting about themselves in places where they could have had more fun by being no one. I just believe in one thing, either do something which makes you reach the top 10 cadre, in which case, please work towards it rather than talking about it, or else live your life and enjoy it totally without bothering about people whom life you can not impact with your glory anway. :)
So, fun filled day. My friend was smiling and radient, people had fun and i am happy that i can connect the talks of my friend with faces now. :)
Last night was fun. I had always heard about her new freinds in various discussions, but this time i was meeting them i person. Not that i knew all of them, but some were so familiar to me because they appeared in every discussion she had with me in last few years. I instantly connected with some and some remained strangers throughout the night. I usually keep smiling and eating or dancing in the parties. So, since there was no dance, no one seemed to be eating and drinking was not me, i kind of decided to chat with some well known characters. So, there was a long discussion on parvathi valley,( I dont know much about dope and hippies, so i totally enjoyed it. :)), a guy got a PVC pipe and blew it for some kind of music, and then the most interesting one was numerology. Doesn't matter you know anything or not, the astrology bit sells. So, this guy had a huge crowd of girls around him and he totally did not deserve it. :P
I am usually silent and i kind of observe the events and have fun. Yesterday too, i was siletly listenting to all, some were boasting a lot, some were too high on themselves. I kept my mouth shut and called myself jobless till one woman got over my nerves. She thought i was actually jobless, and started giving me gyaan on how being an MBA helps. I kind of enjoyed listening to it and finally told that i was a post grad from ISB and will join my new job in may end, hence jobless. The expression on her face was worth a capture. That was one moment, i wondered why is today's generation so hungry for recognition. I will never understand why does one need to sell oneself or prove oneself?? A gathering is about having fun and connecting as individuals. I really dont care what one has done or what will one do. Out of millions in life there will be 10 richest guys, 10 leaders and 10 other arbit people whom world will know and they need not spend time in marketing themselves, their actions will speak and people will follow them, rest all will die in mediocrosy boasting about themselves in places where they could have had more fun by being no one. I just believe in one thing, either do something which makes you reach the top 10 cadre, in which case, please work towards it rather than talking about it, or else live your life and enjoy it totally without bothering about people whom life you can not impact with your glory anway. :)
So, fun filled day. My friend was smiling and radient, people had fun and i am happy that i can connect the talks of my friend with faces now. :)
Saturday, April 18, 2009
In love with Alma Mater!!
So, i am usually this balanced kind of person, who does not have any extreme opinion about things in life. I am only emotional about things and people, i have decided to be emotional about. Then what happened to me now?? I went to ISB thinking it was my alma mater, i will do my MBA for one year and i always knew that i dont have to get attached to a place in one year. I just fell in love with it and this is what i realize a week after i am out of it. There is this strong feeling to go back and relive the moments. It was life lived. I miss the hard work, the long walks, the rocking parties, the familiar faces, the study table in my room, the large sized window from which life just flew by, the innumerable movies, the shopping, the eating outs, the mid night buffets, the arbit gapp session.. I dont like the fact that everything that belonged to class of 09 is now open for class of 10. Am i jealous?? Oh yes, i am. I have become possessive and irrational, exactly the state of mind i have resisted all my life, i am in love with ISB. I am jealous, i am possessive and i want it back. I want everything back and for one of the very few times in life, i dont want to move on. Nothing seems to be good enough, i just want the last one year of no sleep, Goel's food, late night talk sessions, the arbit CPs back. Its crazy to the extent that now i think i wish i had failed in my MBA and stayed back at ISB to live it one more time. Its over and its not sinking in. I dont want anything to change, i want to go back. I cant believe myself. I have always moved on in life with minimal feelings about past, but this is tough for me. I have lost my rational and practical thought process, its just the childish hunger to not let go the hold on the past. Indeed, i think i understand today that some things will just take away the ground beneath your feet, no matter however much you try to hold it. Till last day i thought, it was ok, things change, time change and people change, ISB was just of those. But it wasn't, as i sit and think, neither my heart nor my mind has moved yet, its just wandering in those corridors of learning and fun.
Some ISB memories.. :)
Rain Dance Night
Nagen and me!! My study group mate and guy with a heart of gold.. :)
Chota Talli(One of my B plan partners, we will always remember our sexy excel and the presentation :P) and Me on Graduation!! He thinks he is a diamond and he will be fondly remembered as one!! :)
The Grad day Procession.. Mr Dhand, my arbit talk partner marching fast!! :)
Ankur - The cutie pie and Me!!
Teena and Me while going for one of our eat our adventures!! We can write a book on where to eat out in Hyderabad. My Partner in almost every crime. Love u!
The New Year Night Cruise with Teena, Sarang, Vikram and yes we were 100 of us celebrating new year in mid water cruise!!
Now thats Nitin Mamu, the guy who would rock the dance floor, have never been on dance floor and not been a part of the crazy circle around him.. :) See the guy next to him, he is THE enterpreneur, check out for Deepesh's name in times to come..
My dear study group!! To those crazy night outs and all the support, love you Varun and Nagen!!
Ankur - The cutie pie and Me!!
Teena and Me while going for one of our eat our adventures!! We can write a book on where to eat out in Hyderabad. My Partner in almost every crime. Love u!
The New Year Night Cruise with Teena, Sarang, Vikram and yes we were 100 of us celebrating new year in mid water cruise!!
Now thats Nitin Mamu, the guy who would rock the dance floor, have never been on dance floor and not been a part of the crazy circle around him.. :) See the guy next to him, he is THE enterpreneur, check out for Deepesh's name in times to come..
I am just too happy.. Finally an MBA, the love of my life!! :D
My dear study group!! To those crazy night outs and all the support, love you Varun and Nagen!!
Rock E, my sections E guys and Gals!! The sleepers, the performers, the gamers and the CPers ;)
With the brains in blue all around!!
And i wanna fly this one day!! Huh!! I want to buy this one day!! :)
Saurabh Kapur!! This is the oh not so happening photography walk! When we all woke up for Golconda photography, reached the venue at 7 AM to discover that it dsnt open before 10.. What the heck, we climbed some other place around it.. :)
My Dandeli trip!! Back pack and goooooo.... Fun@ tree house, rafting and much more.. Remember Gan Pat Rai and Anurag with a guitar at that time was dangerous.... ;)
One of those arbit party pics with Teena and Rishi!! Pose, Photo, photo, photo...
With the brains in blue all around!!
And i wanna fly this one day!! Huh!! I want to buy this one day!! :)
Saurabh Kapur!! This is the oh not so happening photography walk! When we all woke up for Golconda photography, reached the venue at 7 AM to discover that it dsnt open before 10.. What the heck, we climbed some other place around it.. :)
My Dandeli trip!! Back pack and goooooo.... Fun@ tree house, rafting and much more.. Remember Gan Pat Rai and Anurag with a guitar at that time was dangerous.... ;)
One of those arbit party pics with Teena and Rishi!! Pose, Photo, photo, photo...
Some things you just love!!
So, i have this record of staying longest on dance floor. Before i left for ISB, we went for a party and me and a friend of mine danced for 5 hours 20 mins straight. It was my last record and then ISB gave me enough opportunity to break the same, but assigments and lack of food and sleep did not leave me with enough enery. This week i did it, i broke my old record. :D
Rain dancing at ISB was one event where i danced from beginning to end practicing for this so coming event when i had to break my own records. I so love it. Free dancing is my love, just have the good DJ, could of fun friends and dance till you drop dead.
Anyway the blog is about what happnes after the fun of breaking records. So, this is about the next morning. There is no energy left in body. Cool, will eat. Lets talk about the feet. So, as i try to get out of my bed, they refuse to move and out comes the voice, ooh aad ouch.. Sadly, the Iodex maliye kaam pe chaliye, dsnt work in my case.. The feet is hurting, the eyes are dropping, the music is ringing in the ears, and i am still smiling like the "Tom & Jerry's TOM" who had been beaten black and blue still he wants to show off his lovely smile. I am so damn happy about dancing like crazy, about the fun time, about being with friends, about just thinking nothing and moving with the music that had taken life out of me. So, with my hurting feet, smiling face and lots of pride in breaking my self created record, i sign off my blog.
Rain dancing at ISB was one event where i danced from beginning to end practicing for this so coming event when i had to break my own records. I so love it. Free dancing is my love, just have the good DJ, could of fun friends and dance till you drop dead.
Anyway the blog is about what happnes after the fun of breaking records. So, this is about the next morning. There is no energy left in body. Cool, will eat. Lets talk about the feet. So, as i try to get out of my bed, they refuse to move and out comes the voice, ooh aad ouch.. Sadly, the Iodex maliye kaam pe chaliye, dsnt work in my case.. The feet is hurting, the eyes are dropping, the music is ringing in the ears, and i am still smiling like the "Tom & Jerry's TOM" who had been beaten black and blue still he wants to show off his lovely smile. I am so damn happy about dancing like crazy, about the fun time, about being with friends, about just thinking nothing and moving with the music that had taken life out of me. So, with my hurting feet, smiling face and lots of pride in breaking my self created record, i sign off my blog.
Friday, April 17, 2009
A for real "How YOU doin?" :D
So, as i would like to call it, i am having fun. I need to add to this fun by adding the travel part and this time i am going for rafting to Rishikesh with a totally unknown gang, so it would be all the more fun. I am also planning to explore the Gurgaon city and watch television like there is no tomorrow. Currently, i am also reading "India Unbound" and i like Gurcharan Das, he is bloody good.
Also, the fun thing that how u doing has always been with me, now i have started implementing it.
Here are some funny situations:
A) I went to find out about the free style dance classes around my house and there was this dude standing who would not move and hence would not let me move. I was like UNCLE JI, HOW U DOIN? He was like huh, UNCLE? To show off his style statement he turned, i found the much needed space and moved on. (Yippie, it works) :D
B) I so badly wanted to know this girl who comes to run in park infront of my house. She is in police and i just wanted to know her more. So, we both were tired and we happened to sit in front lawns. I turned and said, "So, tiring and fun at the same time huh. Isn't it? How U DOIN?". She said i am fine, running just makes me fine, how are you?? (Yippie it works) :D
C) A very very wierd condition where 6 people sit on table and after some 10 minutes of chatter, there is a long silence. Joey time buddy, so i just looked around at all and said, "SO, how have U been DOIN? " Wow wow wow, everyone has a 15 minutes story to tell.. (Yippie it works) :D
D) So, this was a dance party and we are very good friends for last 6 years now, how?? Simple, the person turned on dance floor and said, "Did i step on your feet?" I said NO. "So, how U doin?" I love dance floor, i am good. And we were friends for life. :)
I was always right, Joey is damn cool and intelligent. He has the most simple and practical words that can open the closed mouths and bring on that smile. OKIE Joey!! You will be my role model and hero, DEAL!! :D
Also, the fun thing that how u doing has always been with me, now i have started implementing it.
Here are some funny situations:
A) I went to find out about the free style dance classes around my house and there was this dude standing who would not move and hence would not let me move. I was like UNCLE JI, HOW U DOIN? He was like huh, UNCLE? To show off his style statement he turned, i found the much needed space and moved on. (Yippie, it works) :D
B) I so badly wanted to know this girl who comes to run in park infront of my house. She is in police and i just wanted to know her more. So, we both were tired and we happened to sit in front lawns. I turned and said, "So, tiring and fun at the same time huh. Isn't it? How U DOIN?". She said i am fine, running just makes me fine, how are you?? (Yippie it works) :D
C) A very very wierd condition where 6 people sit on table and after some 10 minutes of chatter, there is a long silence. Joey time buddy, so i just looked around at all and said, "SO, how have U been DOIN? " Wow wow wow, everyone has a 15 minutes story to tell.. (Yippie it works) :D
D) So, this was a dance party and we are very good friends for last 6 years now, how?? Simple, the person turned on dance floor and said, "Did i step on your feet?" I said NO. "So, how U doin?" I love dance floor, i am good. And we were friends for life. :)
I was always right, Joey is damn cool and intelligent. He has the most simple and practical words that can open the closed mouths and bring on that smile. OKIE Joey!! You will be my role model and hero, DEAL!! :D
Thursday, April 16, 2009
My Dear Friend!!
So, i am off to bed in 10 minutes. Want to tell my dear blog about my buddy who makes me smile everytime he calls. So, this is my childhood friend and he has no particular time of calling becuase he is always travelling and he never bothers to know that i am not. Killer Consultant!
I was about to slip into my bed and here comes his oh so unwanted call. I was irritated. But then as i mentioned in my last blog, some people have gift of gab, he surely has and he was just born like that.
So, here's another example of smooth talker, " Hey Hey hey.. Did i wake you up or am i holding you from sleeping? Alright, whatever, so the point is, i need to talk. (Its always that he needs to talk and i dont mind because he has good sense of humour.)
I was like, ok buddy, shoot, tujhe aaj tak kisi ne roka hai? :)
"Cool, so we are good. Now, i have 2 presentations tomorrow and i know i have 5 minutes of your time before you say yes to me for helping me with it. Dekh yaar, deal simple hai, havent slept since last 2 days and i know you have been sleeping like there is no tomorrow. I need to optimize. You need to work on one. All for your btiful hands, amazing brain and kind heart."
"Hah!! I am not yet pumped up to work, go on buddy."
"Babe!! i cut all my deals in 10 mins, you are my most difficult negotiation partner. I thought if i decide to marry a woman i will negotiate in straight sets of 2 talks of 10 minutes each, if it happens to be you, it will take lifetime. Anyway, since its you and i will do whatever it takes for you, let me explain why? Its because i think you are good enough to replace me, its because i know i can trust you and its because its you and there is no second you i can think of when i havent slept and eaten for 48 hours and i know that this is crucial for my life. I know i have messed up with my life and i am messing up yours too, but then dont you think you are sleeping too much while i have none? Plz, will you now??"
"Hmm.. :D What do i get?"
"What do you want? Nething for you. Me, my life, my work, my food, my books, my dog, my bank balance. Bol."
"I dont know why do all sales have useless things out on display, i am not interested in any of your offering. Chal, tu bhi kya yaad rakhega."
:D
Some people will just not change. 48 hours of no sleep and no food, hmmm, i better do some work else poor thing will die in work load. :)
I was about to slip into my bed and here comes his oh so unwanted call. I was irritated. But then as i mentioned in my last blog, some people have gift of gab, he surely has and he was just born like that.
So, here's another example of smooth talker, " Hey Hey hey.. Did i wake you up or am i holding you from sleeping? Alright, whatever, so the point is, i need to talk. (Its always that he needs to talk and i dont mind because he has good sense of humour.)
I was like, ok buddy, shoot, tujhe aaj tak kisi ne roka hai? :)
"Cool, so we are good. Now, i have 2 presentations tomorrow and i know i have 5 minutes of your time before you say yes to me for helping me with it. Dekh yaar, deal simple hai, havent slept since last 2 days and i know you have been sleeping like there is no tomorrow. I need to optimize. You need to work on one. All for your btiful hands, amazing brain and kind heart."
"Hah!! I am not yet pumped up to work, go on buddy."
"Babe!! i cut all my deals in 10 mins, you are my most difficult negotiation partner. I thought if i decide to marry a woman i will negotiate in straight sets of 2 talks of 10 minutes each, if it happens to be you, it will take lifetime. Anyway, since its you and i will do whatever it takes for you, let me explain why? Its because i think you are good enough to replace me, its because i know i can trust you and its because its you and there is no second you i can think of when i havent slept and eaten for 48 hours and i know that this is crucial for my life. I know i have messed up with my life and i am messing up yours too, but then dont you think you are sleeping too much while i have none? Plz, will you now??"
"Hmm.. :D What do i get?"
"What do you want? Nething for you. Me, my life, my work, my food, my books, my dog, my bank balance. Bol."
"I dont know why do all sales have useless things out on display, i am not interested in any of your offering. Chal, tu bhi kya yaad rakhega."
:D
Some people will just not change. 48 hours of no sleep and no food, hmmm, i better do some work else poor thing will die in work load. :)
The impressive talkers.. Gyaan??
I love people who can talk well and when i mean talk well, i mean people who can smash with words.. I remember how crazy i was about Karan Thapar, Peter Russels.. Its not the vocab, too smooth english, its the simplicity and ability to strongly put the point forth that impresses me totally. Very few people have it. And the gift of gab is probably the most sexy thing to possess. As crazy as it may sound, i want to remind myself years later, i never bothered to visit any faculty outside the classroom time unless it was need of the day, there is one prof, i would just walk by to listen to. I went to this prof a day before the placements in ISB started, as i walked back, a frend of mine asked, how does that guy help a day before placement? Gyaan? I said "Attitude Man!! This is pure attitude, somethings are simple pleasure in life, some poeple, you just want to listen to, doesn't matter even if its bull shit." It wasn't really. I remember i went to my mentor in office before my ISB PI, i said what do i do? He said you have 20 minutes to turn your life, just smash it and being yourself is all you need. I did exactly that. It worked for me AND this prof just did the same to me , "He said, you have 30 minutes to market and sell. If i were you, i would have rocked the world in 30 mins, make sure you do that too and things will come your way. Look what all i have gained out of just 30 mins, thats the kind of time you have in life. Go, kill." I know its gyaan for some, but i so love the attitude of the prof, it was so damn infectious. Some people just get on you, and you know you adore them and you will cut your way, make an effort and give them space, after all they could talk their way into your mind in the first 30 mins that you spent with them. I will never forget what the prof told me, decisions are taken in moments, you will not have time to run excel, do analysis and get back, life needs quick goes, so what matters is the ability to take decisions and put your 100% to twist, turn and make them work to achieve the final goal.
I will list two of my fav talks in life:
A)
"So, how does MBA help?" And the best answer, "I dont know. I can just think bigger, i could have learned a lot in terms of what fails and what works, but i will leave that knowledge here, i will commit my own set of mistakes to move in life. I like challenges and mystery more and i love more people. BTW, i love to dance and MBA gave me enough opportunity to do so. I love to walk at midnight on street and ISB is safe to do so, i like to listen to good speakers, and this place has the best in the world coming in, i like to stretch my limits and i can now stay awake for 20 hours. I have learned that everyone around is fun to be with, there is just so much life floating, be it gol gappa drives, talking with close friends, observing people drowning in beer bottles, crazy times, it was life lived, i loved it. It may not have done somethings magical, but it has done something for sure. I have a smile, and i know it will remain because i have learned to live and do more. I feel my life is shorter than what i wanted it to be. "
B)
This dude for sure impresses me every time he opens his mouth, deserves space in my blog:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/tim_ferriss_smash_fear_learn_anything.html
We are a poor nation!!
It was early morning. The maid had rung the door bell. I woke up early, so i thought i will open the door. I opened the door and suddenly a ground reality struck me. Things have not really changed much. There is a woman in shattered clothes, there is a young girl, both of them have had nothing in the name of breakfast and are out on work. I was suddenly interested in who had been working at my home. I asked my mum, she told me, she is a refugee from Bengal and is very poor. I could see the poverty. I started thinking. I have spent some 4-5 years of my life in southern part of India now, the poverty is surely not of this grade down south. I can see rickshaw puller and i can see really poor workers in Delhi.
The lady does not know the language. She will do more than what she is paid for because need for the minimal justifies for all that life asks out of her. My mum has a very soft corner for her. She often feels for her and her daughter and keeps telling me that however much i earn in life and whatever i do, i must know that no poor person from my home should go hungry, thats the minimum we as humans can do to soothe the pain of destiny. She also tells me that i must always remember that this could have been me, its just that God was kind to give me good basic start in life and rest i have built upon.
I wanted to think on all strategy and reran through my entire education cycle. I also looked into self help books and books on you make your own destiny. I looked at the little girl sitting in one corner, did she make her own destiny? Did she really have much control over being a refugee and thown to a large city to wash utensils. Had she not done good for herself and her mother by running to large city, find small job and eat two meals? Isnt she the best example of heroic woman in my life? I wanted to interview this woman.
I sat next to her started questioning. She told how she had spent 15 days and nights of no food when she decided to go out of village in search of food. There were caste issues, woman biases that she had to face. She then contacted some people who help them go to city. They promised them a fair share of monthly income in city to pay the ticket fare. The expenses were taken care of by the agency and they were then sent to Delhi. She and her mother took help of other refugee village woman to find households where they could find work. She had a smile, we have to work less harder than we did in village, and we have assurance if nothing we will have food. She said there are houses in which they work and the rich woman shout at them because they dont know the language properly and often they have to work more for lesser money, but then things will be ok once they settle in the city. Last one was just the kid in her, she said she wants to reply back and shout at woman who shout at her, she wants to run away and not do any work, but then she looks at her mother and also the two siblings who go to school. She is proud that she could pull off all this.
So am i. Street born kids have just the right kind of attitude and strategy to cut through anything in life. I love it. Reminded me of one day when me and Nams were driving and suddenly a kid came to sell something. Nams started playing with him by opening and closing the window. She told him to go away and he said nahi jaunga. :D Nams turned and told me, i like them, they are just too cool, they live life their way, inspite of what comes and goes. I like them too. They have the DNA of success, pick them and support them, they can overrule anyone. Can i do something for them sometime in life?
The lady does not know the language. She will do more than what she is paid for because need for the minimal justifies for all that life asks out of her. My mum has a very soft corner for her. She often feels for her and her daughter and keeps telling me that however much i earn in life and whatever i do, i must know that no poor person from my home should go hungry, thats the minimum we as humans can do to soothe the pain of destiny. She also tells me that i must always remember that this could have been me, its just that God was kind to give me good basic start in life and rest i have built upon.
I wanted to think on all strategy and reran through my entire education cycle. I also looked into self help books and books on you make your own destiny. I looked at the little girl sitting in one corner, did she make her own destiny? Did she really have much control over being a refugee and thown to a large city to wash utensils. Had she not done good for herself and her mother by running to large city, find small job and eat two meals? Isnt she the best example of heroic woman in my life? I wanted to interview this woman.
I sat next to her started questioning. She told how she had spent 15 days and nights of no food when she decided to go out of village in search of food. There were caste issues, woman biases that she had to face. She then contacted some people who help them go to city. They promised them a fair share of monthly income in city to pay the ticket fare. The expenses were taken care of by the agency and they were then sent to Delhi. She and her mother took help of other refugee village woman to find households where they could find work. She had a smile, we have to work less harder than we did in village, and we have assurance if nothing we will have food. She said there are houses in which they work and the rich woman shout at them because they dont know the language properly and often they have to work more for lesser money, but then things will be ok once they settle in the city. Last one was just the kid in her, she said she wants to reply back and shout at woman who shout at her, she wants to run away and not do any work, but then she looks at her mother and also the two siblings who go to school. She is proud that she could pull off all this.
So am i. Street born kids have just the right kind of attitude and strategy to cut through anything in life. I love it. Reminded me of one day when me and Nams were driving and suddenly a kid came to sell something. Nams started playing with him by opening and closing the window. She told him to go away and he said nahi jaunga. :D Nams turned and told me, i like them, they are just too cool, they live life their way, inspite of what comes and goes. I like them too. They have the DNA of success, pick them and support them, they can overrule anyone. Can i do something for them sometime in life?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Boundaries..
I strongly believe in one fact of life, no two people are same. Each human has a mindset and he or she evolves out of his or her circumstances. I find it very wierd when people thrust their thought process on others. I partucularly hate it when people try to impose their thought process on kids. Given that i am vacationing at home these days, i have lots of time to play with my nephew. There is a huge park infront of my home and i like to take the baby out in evening. We both go out to park and play with his pink ball. The smile and excitement on his face shows that his spirit is free and he wants to observe and explore the world. I saw a couple with their baby in the park. They had marked an area for him to play, everytime the baby came out of it, he was awarded with a slap. After some time i noticed that the kid sat with the ball in one corned and was afraid to walk or run around. I feel sad for such people. They have filled an innocent explorative mind with fear and contempt. Its these grown up idiots who know fear and boundaries. Kids should be set free, dont impose your learnings of ages and years on them. Protect them and run after them if needed, dont stop them. I so wanted to pull the baby out of the boundary. His parents dont realize may be, but just for the want of comfort of sitting in small space, they have contracted the world of a free soul.
There is more to learn from kids than learn from them. I see the untiring desire to learn and do, humility to ask what they dont know, undying enthusiasm to try everything in life. This gets faded with time in all of us because either society or our experiences set boundaries and fade away the life within. There is no wrong and right answer to anything in life. What works for one , does not work for another, then why impose thoughts and learnings. Set everyone free and let then find their own solutions. My dad always did that, for every question he had just one answer, "My life answered it this way, but it could be different for you, go find yourself. Remember, i am right behind you, if you fall once, i will life up, second time you fall, its harm done by choice."
He indeed meant that there are no hard lines in life, just go and create your own. I went to the parents of baby in park and told that they had closed the baby's smile and play in a circle, he dsnt like it, may be they need to run and find new boundaries with him.
There is more to learn from kids than learn from them. I see the untiring desire to learn and do, humility to ask what they dont know, undying enthusiasm to try everything in life. This gets faded with time in all of us because either society or our experiences set boundaries and fade away the life within. There is no wrong and right answer to anything in life. What works for one , does not work for another, then why impose thoughts and learnings. Set everyone free and let then find their own solutions. My dad always did that, for every question he had just one answer, "My life answered it this way, but it could be different for you, go find yourself. Remember, i am right behind you, if you fall once, i will life up, second time you fall, its harm done by choice."
He indeed meant that there are no hard lines in life, just go and create your own. I went to the parents of baby in park and told that they had closed the baby's smile and play in a circle, he dsnt like it, may be they need to run and find new boundaries with him.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Graduated!! 4th april 2009
It was the day i received my degree. Every one wore the scholar's gown and happiness was visible on every face. This was the day marked by our achievement, it stood as a testimony for all the hard work and fun that was a part of our lives for an year now. There is so much that has gone into our being in last one year, it was no joke. It was not just a piece of paper, it was a gate pass to the outer world. We all stood in queues in corridors smiling to be a part of a procession to a red carpet welcome, this was our graduation hall. Friends and families cheered and the look of proud and happiness was so evident on their faces. It was an amazing feeling.
Adressing the students were Arun Sarin, CEO, Vodafone, Deepak Jain, Dean, Kellogg, Rajat Gupta, Dir Mc Kinsey and Ajit Rangnekar, our very own dean. There was one common message from all, do good and do something for society while you grow. There were some good things to notice, one should be able to think strategically and manage people for sure to lead larger organization, rest everything comes there after. After the short speeches, ISB grads were called on stage and awarded the degree.
I was an engineer before i headed for an MBA. This was a moment which added to my education set and which added to my being. I trule cherish the day and i thank ISB for making it so special for all of us.
I miss you ISB, you made every moment of out time spent so special. I know i took a right decision and i am proud to own this degree. :)
Adressing the students were Arun Sarin, CEO, Vodafone, Deepak Jain, Dean, Kellogg, Rajat Gupta, Dir Mc Kinsey and Ajit Rangnekar, our very own dean. There was one common message from all, do good and do something for society while you grow. There were some good things to notice, one should be able to think strategically and manage people for sure to lead larger organization, rest everything comes there after. After the short speeches, ISB grads were called on stage and awarded the degree.
I was an engineer before i headed for an MBA. This was a moment which added to my education set and which added to my being. I trule cherish the day and i thank ISB for making it so special for all of us.
I miss you ISB, you made every moment of out time spent so special. I know i took a right decision and i am proud to own this degree. :)
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