Career Placement Pictures

(L to R : Salil Mehra (Amritsar); Supriya (Bangalore); Tanya (Mumbai); Saumyajit (Delhi)


Ok readers, here's to see how I look in a business suit. The picture below shows me with my study group - yes they are Salil, Tanya and Supriya. The pictures were taken in advance of the career placement cell - wanting to create next year's student profile book. Man these guys in CAS are really efficient. The one below is Supriya on left and Tanya on right. The academic building looms in the background..! BTW, that is the route from our SV to the center...

Exams are coming...

Like the approaching train, the approaching storm, the inevitably approaching fever.. exams are coming.. !! Every second wasted now is a problem becoming one shade more difficult than what it could be had the second been spent wisely.

But then writing and telling is one thing doing is another. ! Somehow I freak out doing everything else but studying..! CAn you believe I spent 1 day (guys i mean it ok) on entrepreneur and venture capital club presentation yesterday...! Just went on and on doing some thing or the other related to the presentation.

You see, i play an active role in the EVC club that we have here at ISB. So, we thought before the term ends let's have Mr Sarma who used to head the WCED center come and give us a speech on entrepreneurship. In addition, I would show a couple of nice videos which I recommend you to see too.

What is Entrepreneurship (2 min)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a10Vg50PzkkIce Cube Venture (6 min) >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHSqySa3Bvo
Startup Advice (8 min) >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUkgu9ZGWwc

Finally, am just back to my student village after the session got over. Session went on time, and Mr Sarma gave a good overview of what an entrepreneur is all about. Of course I conducted the quiz which I spent so much time making..! I was not surprised with the results. You see a psychometric test that too based in US, is sometimes not so relevant to Indians. But all in all it does tell a guy whether he / she has typical characteristics of an entrepreneur...!

Now, I know there is nothing common about an entrepreneur is there? What is similar between Bill Gates, Narayna Murthy, Capt Gopinath, Vijjay Mallya, GVK Reddy, Jeff Bezosm, Ty Warner, Kiran Mazumdar, Azim Premji, Indra Nooyi...? They are strong personalities but very different from each other isnt it? But yes, there are certain traits which are common and I like to say that 'discipline' is the most common trait. It is like the LCM of all attributes of all succesful entrepreneurs (actually all successful people). They have had discipline in their lives.

There I go again!! Fundas!!! If I were to be a lil more disciplined in my studies, I would beat the comptt by light years, yet the lazy bafoon in me wants to do 'everything else' but study. Somehow if I have an idea and am researching on that, I dont get bogged down by numbers, statistics, figures, miles of literature.. somehow the drive in me ensures that I dont get bored. But, I somehow am not able to get the drive by learning the underlying rules of commodity bundling theories...!

Ok guys, end term exams are approaching... they are just round the corner.. almost like the metro train whose lights can be seen but the train cannot yet be seen.

Mid terms (stats and eco) went bad. I was below average (actually 0.5 SD's from the mean - for the statistically challeged readers), which says it all for my grades. But then did i come here to get good grades? Maybe not, I came here to understand entrepreneurship, make my business plan, understand business concepts and lastly make friends....

I hope am able to do something good about the EVC...!! MAKE IT HOT!!

TIll the time that happens see the attached picture and enjoy..!

Party and Dunking

Dunking continues unabated... Oh the innocent fun of crashing into water late in the nite, completely clothed up and sometimes pushed in with shoes...! The ecstacy of getting pushed or dunked into the pool or pushing someone else is just amazing...

It brings out the child in all of us..! Remember seeing that smile that used to come when you burst a cracker in someones face..! It is just that.

Alas, it has its downside too. Before I knew, someone had pushed me into water, and lo behold, my cellphone got dunked!!!! So, am cell less now.. which is a pretty screw situation you know.

What will happen to this generation if there is a power failure I wonder sometimes. Life will stop the moment charging finishes. Think of it, all laptops and mobiles (two things that has come to control life today) have charging that could sustain less than a mosquito's life on the planet.

Would be good fun wont it? Anyways, am used to not having cell for brief periods. It kind of makes you feel less responsible. Also, I can always say - why didnt you email?? Hah??

But then family is family and they need me to be connected always.

Back to dunking, man you should have seen the sight.. All D Section Males lined up next to the pool and on the count of three.. a backward dive into the shady waters way down below, without a whif of fear in the hearts, right from the sets of RDB..

By the way, we had a pretty shady party yesterday with bhangra pop + engo pop music and one wharton prof - (Mark Finn) and one kellog prof (Robert Stine) thrown in and of course our local marketing guru and managerial eco guru Sridhar and Amit Bubna also in the party...

Let D Dunking continue..

Marketing Splash

By now, we are well settled in our small cosy groups, created by ASA (Academic and student affairs), and very much in tune with each other. My group consists of Supriya from Bangalore, Tanya from Mumbai and Salil from Amritsar. Supriya was into IT, Tanya into Marketing and Salil into Banking. So, that leaves me as the odd one out into urban planning, IT et al.

Just completed marketing group submission last week and man what a humongous time we spent discussing the case..! The case was on Splash Corporation, a cosmetics producer in Phillippines for whom we were creating the strategy for 2006 and beyond.

Man we went crazy with crazy thots ranging from suggesting that he sell the company itself to suggesting he open up a beauty parlour..! But then it was a good feeling to submit the case in time. Supriya treated all of us to a few hundred dishes from the cafe... literally finished everything that the manager had in the cafe that night.

Had a few laughs while putting the assignment into the box kept in the atrium for submission!! Told another group after they put in the assignment that this was not the box, and that they have put the assignment in the wrong box. With 15 mins left for closure, you should have looked at their faces..!

Anyways, good fun as usual!

Consultancy or Entrepreneurship or Business Technology

(Gyan Sessions from Alum 2007)

Well if you are to join ISB, let me warn you in advance, that you better have some clarity in your mind as to where you want to go post ISB. This place is so amazing that very soon you will find yourself wondering.. what do I really want to do?

As if this were to be my own choice. Matter of fact is that it is not my choice. A lot depends on my past background, my nature (extro / intro), my upbringing, my priorities in life and of course my inclination.. ! Consulting is a good profession, if you like to solve problems, get intellectually stimulating and challenging assignments, work with the best brains in the industry, like to travel to crazy places, like to experience variety of experiences. However, forget being with family, evenings spent reading books..... and the other softer aspects of your life. But it is a good option for career shifters.

PE / Investment B is again a highly paying and highly demanding job. I find it extremely interesting as for the interested person this is actually very very demanding and almost sucks you into taking decisions every now and then..! You need a sharp mind, analytical nature and of course number skills.

My take is increasingly on entrepreneurship. Man this is the field to invest your life in. I call it a field as it requires study, knowledge, passion, wisdom, money, creativity, guts and a whole many more things to become one. But then if you are a gambler to your core, you will realise when I say that nothing beats setting up something of your own. Can you imagine the feeling of pride..? Of course amongst all options post ISB, this remains the least travelled and most respected..! But then you cant pay EMI with respect can you?? So, although am extremely keen on going on this track, I have to play this track carefully...

By the way, have initated activities on the EVC (Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club) and successfully organised its first meeting for 2008 batch a couple of days back. Found a couple of like minded people. Am keen to just stick to this club and make this club a success. Only other club where I am interested is the photography club. Rest can rest...

More later..

ISB 2008 Orientation Over

Oh My God. It is only now that I can say - "I have arrived". Where? At ISB of course. And thanks to a bunch of super achiever 2007 alums and a set of highly motivated faculty members who have made the transition from pre ISB to @ ISB a fun event. Especially thanks to Alok, Mama, Sanjeev, Ali and many more who gave very 'classic gyan' which I must add has already made me think on my reason for existence as they say.

Orientation week got over with Talent Nite last Saturday. And I played my usual lil unseen unappreciated yet self satisfactory role. Won the photography competition, took part in a skit (tug of war role) and did a 5 minute perspective sketch of the campus using crayon and canvas, while some of our more talented brethren and sistren were dancing to Punjabi Bhangra..! Well, I was happy to be part of it all.

Made a couple of friends and no enemies... yet! But hey I seem to have suddenly become very clear about what I wanted to do.. (more in the next section.)

(Picture to left is the one which won me the comptt)

Best part is that my wife (Navdeep) and son (Hridyanshu) are loving every second here. Huge lawns, swimming pool, friends, TT, playroom ... is all making them look forward to their stay here. Logistics of maid, morning milk and paper, dhobi, ironing is already settled very well and she has become a pro in operating the laundry washing machines also. ....!

Only thing which am not being able to do is 'party....' which I must add is a daily event..! You see, it is a thin balancing act between family and academics. Although I love to party, it is also important to stay at home.

More later...

(Picture to your left is the complete Section D for 2008 batch)