Day Two: Post Lunch

And the pitch changed its colour again. Batsman had no reply for googlies that the opponent's bowlers threaw at them. It was a tough day at work.

Somehow the day is saved.

Day Two: Morning Session

Batsman must say it was a nice morning to bat. Now let us see if the batsman can continue on this momentum...

Opening day

The game was all set for a nice start. Nice weather, well rested players and a batsman's paradise pitch. It was a nice opening session for the batsmen. But then things turned around quickly and batsmen lost the momentum. End of the day the batting team looks in trouble.

Was it the overconfidence on batsman's part or just sheer bad luck?

End Term

And the exams are here.
7 courses in 4 days - 2 shifts per day.
Once the exam starts times flies just like that. But before that, it's a totally different thing. This is last exam in first year of this course. We have already appeared in 5 of them. By now, we have written 30 odd mid/end term papers (not to forget more than 100 'surprise' quizzes). Still the feeling is same.

Hoping to live through next few days as a fresh start awaits beyond them.

Amen...

Convocatin 2009

The stage could not have been grander. Life has come full circle for 300 odd PGP/PGP-ABM students here in IIMA. Two years back, they landed in this campus with unlimited dreams. Today they got graduated. Some dreams fulfilled, some still to be achieved. Two years worth every moment of it, nonetheless.

Parents, family members and friends - they are all smiles. Their pride is worth every effort that they had to take in order to send their loved ones to this campus. The smile on their faces speaks a volume. It just cannot get bigger than this. Today not only these 300 odd students but their family and friends who have fulfilled their dreams.

I try to imagine the same time next year. When my loved ones will be here watching me graduate. They will be so proud of me. This moment is worth all the efforts and sacrifice.

All the best you the batch of 2007-2009. May you scale the heights of success in whatever you do in your life.

Kaleidoscope

Sayan Sarkar wrote this on last day of classes in first year. It sums up the last one year for each one of us in Section Absolut.
I am using it here without his permission. I hope he does not mind. In any case, do visit Sayan's profile (Orkut, Facebook) if you like this poem and pur your praise there too.

Today melancholy got the better of me
Of emotions I couldn't set my mind free
Thoughts in a cascade broke out
I tried to imagine my life without-

The section meet and handover
The claims to fame and shame
The four-level gallery; the well
The tags with upended names

The night-outs during T-nite
The tempo shouts, the rehearsals
The first instance of togetherness
The bright green Absolut tees

The group meets and deadlines
Assignments, ppts and rand()
The free riders and the free-ridden
The dreaded quiz notice at 1:30

The cold calls and the responses
Globe, arbit and repeat, challenge
"Basically", "Per se", "I agree"
Swinging both ways with a wild cobra

The silence of the first PCCBS
Or the dread of Marketing-I
Fair enough, excellent point
Now you tell me who's your guru?

Spillovers and proposals on Juice NB
Pursuits of heart or hijacked id?
Creativity and mischief ran free
I hope my graceful neighbour pardons me.

Caricatures on the attendance sheet
The proxies, the dozing off, the snores
Coffee during the period-breaks
Flocking for live scores at cricinfo.com

The scramble for the infra resources
Mics conking off at the wrong moments
Debating which lights to turn off in ppts
Fan or AC or both or neither?

So many colours flood my eyes today
All that I can't leave behind
I don't know where I am heading to
But CR7 is where I want to be. Absolutly.

ps: Brilliant work mamba. You just said it all.

Good Bye CR7

Today we had our last class in first year of IIMA life. No more CR7 it will be from now on. It's a mixed feeling. I really don't have anymore words.

Rajwadu - the royal treat

And I got lucky again. After the hectic schedule of last week, this week seems a chiller. Last few days of first years were turning out to be uneventful. Luckily today was a little different. We went to Rajwadu for lunch. Abhinav has been mentioning about this place for some time now. We made plans but could never actually go there. Today finally 6 of us (Me, Saafi, Fochu, Tichki, Hottiii & Bajao Singh) jumped into two autos and headed to treat ourselves to a royal lunch.

Rajwadu is a theme restaurant specialized in serving traditional Rajasthani and Gujarati food. We visited it for it's Daal Baati platter. Daal Baati in student mess is just the namesake of what is actually served in rest of the world. We really needed to train our taste buds back to the real taste of Daal Baati. And Rajwadu did that for us. Nice and soft Baatis served with spicy Daal & garlic chutney. Churme ka laddu to go with it. We ordered some starters to, just for trying some new dishes. Patra is essentially a saag kind of preparation (for uninitiated, it is like spring rolls) made out of Arabi leafs. There were some Muthias (something like cutlets) too made from Methi and Palak. And ofcourse, variety of sweets to end your meal. We ordered Mal Puva, and trust me all of us will vouch for it.

Try anything here but do ask what it is before ordering. Else you will end up having a Kadbuj (watermelon) juice with salt and masala added to it. :D

One warning - Daal Baati is heavy stuff on your stomach. The thaali is more than sufficient to fit one's appetite. So do not order lots of starters before the thaali. There is no fun in eating Daal Baati on half-filled stomach.

And the best part, this place is cheap. For 99 rs, the thaali is value for money. Add to it, the ambiance and service - the place is worth it. In evening the place is lit with Kandils and there are arrangments for puppet show and pottery wheel. Do go there when you want to treat yourself royally.

I recommend.

ps: Location and directions - link

10 minutes

10 minutes to go before I leave for the next class. So here is a quick post. Some random thoughts, a lot of questions as usual...

Why does the news of a student's death due to lack of medical facilities not become as big a news as death of a student due to ragging...

Tucchadom is just around the corner...

Matunga? Andheri? Bandra? Dadar? or something else??

I am saving some money this summers. Thanks to shifting of IPL.

Why do news paper still keep looking for news about IIM placements throughout the year...

I am a passionate photographer - says my profile. But still my photoblog is almost dead. :(

Clocks... Spies... Trouble...

Isn't IPL a flawed product concept?

Bangalore - Chennai - Indore - Khandwa - Jabalpur - Ahmedabad ... That was my last summer...

Chai Unchai or not?

One more to go...

I am saving a lot on phone bills these days. :)

Tol Mol ke Bol

I have never seen actual bidding taking place - be it in the stock market or otherwise. Yesterday was first chance (actually friday if I consider the mock bidding rounds) I got the real feel of a bidding process. We had course/elective allocation (or rather selection) for our 4th term. As in most of the 'wellknown' and 'not so wellknown' colleges in India, this is done using a bidding process. A day long process resulted in we seeing one of the most exciting activity on the campus. Last minute rushe of demand (as seen by the bids various people put on them) on certain courses was something of an experience in itself.
I am not a very good player in these games, so I kind of played safe. Somehow the 'strategy' worked and I got the courses of my linking. Here is a list of the cources that I will be taking in next two slots:
1. Seminar on Retail Management (SRM)
2. Seminar on Brand Management (SBM)
3. Business Government and Law (BGL)
4. International Trade and Investments (ITI)
5. Social Entrepreneurship : Innovating Social Change (SEISC)
6. Media & Society: The Economics, Politics, Ethics and technologies of Mass Communications (EPETMC)
7. Strategic Management II (SM2)
And if I get lucky - Business French (BF) :)

A mix of so-called frauds and in-demand courses. My calender for second year looks as jam packed as my first year. I wonder how people said that life is chilled in 2nd year of MBA. :(

Always and Forever...

Taken at 1804 - Parijat's on holi night...

Mumbai it is

So it is final now.
I will be in Mumbai this summer. Finally!!!

My relation with Mumbai has always been hi-bye types. Except the times when I stayed there for my MBA interviews, my visits to Mumbai have been just a stopover between my journey to/from home. I always wanted to stay in Mumbai. How many times did I imagine myself working in Mumbai! Finally I am getting the chance.

I will be doing my summer internship in Marico ltd. at their Bandra HQ. Looking forward for this summer.

Needless to say, I am looking for a place to stay somewhere in that area (Bandra and around). Any link, lead will be really appreciated. Please mail me at jain.pritesh@gmail.com

A field day

PritS had a field day today.
So did lots of dogs on this campus!!!

ps: Don't ask me 'who' these dogs are. But I am sure that you have guessed that they are not the dogs dogs waale dogs...

Stories from an old city - 2

Here is one of the most recognized image from Ahmedabad.

If you said it is IIMA logo. Well, you are very close to the correct answer. It is the design from Sidi Sayeed Jaali, which was adapted by IIMA as part of their logo. Any guess, which is that tree in the centre of the design?

It's a date tree. Date tree in Ahmedabad? Agreed that it is very hot in Ahmedabad these days, but still a date tree in this kind of environment!!

Actually it is very much the truth. It indeed is a date tree. There used to be date trees around this city. One historical account of this city had a painting by some firang showing date trees all around this city. Looking at that picture, we could not say if it was Ahmedabad or some other city in deserts western Asia. This city was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1411. Since then it has incorporated architectural characters from various styles and origins. If you are standing at Sidi Sayeed, you can observe a modernistic building and a colonial haveli close by. Ahmedabad has done well in adapting to various cultures. Old city is indeed a very good place if somebody is interested to explore and learn from history.

One more story about Sidi Sayeed Jalee is that it used to be one of the gateway or check post to the city. It's hard to believe seeing the way Ahmedabad has grown over the centuries.

Sunday -the 15th March

Masala dosa in the student mess
Tea at the kitlee in front of the college gate
Narial Paani in the fruit market
Grapes in the fruit market
White imlee near fruit market
Kesar kaaju lassi at Girish juice shop
Amchoor and sweet amla
Gatagat and other mouth freshners
Tea at The House of Mangaldas
Choco bar at Wadilal (the oldest shop, the starting of a brand called Wadilal)
Samosa Chat in student mess
Expresso coffee in Shambu's cafe
Cold coffee in Danny's coffee bar
Regular dinner with icecream

That was sunday -the 15th March for me. :)

Stories from an old city - 1

A meal in 5 Rs.
Sounds like a chunavi vaada right?
It's not. It's what some of the restaurants in Ahmedabad have made possible. And they are not doing it as not-for-profit venture. It's a full fledged business.

Whom do they cater to?
Beggers, street people, homeless poors. Anyone in need.

How does it work?
Needy people reach these restaurants whenver they are hungry. They sit and wait in front of the restaurant. They get food when the restaurant owner gets 5 rs for a meal that he is serving. Whenver someone (a passerby or some generous doner) wants to give some money to these beggers and needy people, he comes and gives that money directly to the owner of restaurant. The owner, in turn, lets people in (5 rs/person for a meal) and serves them food. So in essence, he has sponsored a meal for the poor people.

From what we saw, the owner is very honest and clear in his approach. He returned us a portion of money coz there were not many hungry people were waiting. He kept only the amount which was applicable as per his rate Rs 5/person.

ps: I intend to share my experience from the Heritage Walk through this series. Keep reading. More details about the heritage walk to follow soon.

GMBC Inc

Assignments after assignments.

When deadlines start defining your week.
Saturday - WAC
Sunday - SCEB
Monday - BRM
Tuesday - OM
etc...

When you don't have any time to breath, or to feel that you are still a human and not a machine.

What do you do?

Remember when that black street dog used to chase you everytime you left your home.
You were afraid of it.
And you ran.
What did the dog do?
Yes, it ran too. And then it was a struggle for survival of the fittest.

Did you ever try not running?
Don't run. Don't show your back.
Instead, turn around and look into its eyes.

And say GMBC...

Exactly that is what I did today.

Hate

I guess this is not the right forum but still let me put it here.

I am trying to figure out something. Here are two questions that I posed to few of my close friends.
1. What do you think I hate the most?
2. What do you hate the most about me?

Got some really insightful answers.
If you think you know me to some extent and want to answer it, comment, or drop a mail at jain.pritesh@gmail.com or IM me on jain.pritesh (Gtalk)

on a long enough timeline

A hectic day.
3 classes - 1 long quiz - 1 extra class
1 term paper - 1 case summary - 1 case analysis
2 case readings
& don't know how many pre-reads

jaane kya hoga hamara re...

ps: On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.

Jukebox

1. Sa Trincha
2. It's been a while - Stained
3. Wakeup - Rage against the machine - (The Matrix OST)
4. Aint no mountain high enough
5. Lonely - Akon
6. Every breath you take
7. Fabric/Aaja savariya [Come to me, my beloved] - (Monsoon Wedding)
8. Faith - The sunsent lounge orchestra
9. Offsprin
10. Aint no mountain high enough
11. Simarik - Tarkan
12. Shakalaka baby - A.R. Rahman - (Bombay Dreams OST)
13. Hallowed be thy name - Cradle of filth
14. Mozart symphony
15. Free Falling - Tom Petty
16. Careless whisper - George Michael
17. Fuse box
18. Youth of the nation - P.O.D.
19. Ghosts - MJ
20. Blue - Eiffel 65
21. Du Hast
22. Ya ghali
23. Soak up the sun
24. Another day in paradise
25. Bitter sweet symphony
26. Lost in space theme
27. Come undone - Duran Duran
28. Take it easy
29. Iris
30. Losing my religion - R.E.M.

ps: I spent my saturday night listening to these songs. :D

A day to look forward to

• Queuing theory application to problems in an insurance company
• Market research for launch of a packaged refined oil
• 360 degree review in a MNC's eastern hemisphere office

These are three things that we are supposed to discuss/study/learn on a lazy saturday morning. These are the reasons my weekend is starting around 18 hours late than all my friends. And some of them will be the reason, I will hardly have a weekend this time.
Grrrrrr...

a quick bite

Why does every reading on strategy have a mention of Southwest Airlines?

00:33 hours

It's just 00:33 hours and I am feeling tired. Not sleepy but tired. It was a dull day, did not do anything useful. I believe it stands the same for last few days as well. It's a strange feeling. Wimwi me ye sab ekdum unheard types hai...

It's going to be 3 more classes tomorrow morning, followed by a surprise quiz. Intution says I should study corporate finance, but my mind is not registering anything right now. I have been thinking a lot last few days and I really need to give it a break. It will be a luxury if I can give it a break, unless ofcourse I try to be adventures and let it break free.

I am confused.
Few days back I had status msg saying "Pritesh is getting addicted" One of my friend commented aptly completing it with "to confusion."

ps: I think I am losing something. :(

CnH wisdom

If you care, you just get disappointed all the time. If you don't care nothing matters so you are never upset. - Calvin n Hobbes

ps: Copied from Priyanka's status msg. :D

TimePass

Got inspired from deep's blog to share some of my work. It cannot match deep's work still I feel I can be proud of my work. My mom surely will be proud. :D

PS: Please don't tell to my prof. about it :D

O Goriya Re...

Yesterday Naina got me into a nostalgic mode. For over an hour we discussed some of the old songs from the time of Chupke Chupke, Chitchor, Nadiya Ke Paar. What an era it was!!! Soothing music, poetic lyrics topped with velvety voice. In today's Kala Bandar and Mohabbat Hai Mirchi world, we hardly get to cherish this ultimate combo.

ps: My network admin will be cursing me for youtubing so much last night. :D Finally I downloaded two Yesudas Albums from LAN and now I am on my own. :D