250 characters

Task: Introduce yourself.
Background Info: This writeup is used in the placement profile that is sent to various companies.
Constraints: Max 250 characters. [Yes, you read it right, it is character and not words]

I have spent almost a day solving this riddle.
Give it a shot if you have some free time.

ps: As 'usual', in IIMA 250 characters span just 250 characters.

Clock

Time runs so fast here that we don't even realize it.

It's a lazy sunday afternoon. Here is what my todo list reads like at this moment:
1. PlaceCom survey - by 14/7 23:59:59
2. MicroEco quiz - 14/7 @2:30pm
3. Study for FRA (Financial Reports and Accounting) class
4. Presentation for PS (Probablity and Statistics) due on 15/7 16:59:59
5. Cover ID (Individual Dynamics) backlog

:)

CP bole to Class Pareshan

#define CP "Class Participation"

CP rules in IIMA.
It constitutes almost 20% share in your final performance rating. In principle, It helps the professors in evaluating the learning process on an ongoing basis. Presence in class, attentiveness to the proceedings in class, contribution to class discussions - three major ingredients that make a CP.

This is the knowledge most of us had when we attended our first class in PGP1. And as you can imagine, the whole class was a mess. It was a dejavu from the IIM GDs that we all had been part of few months back. Everybody wanted to make his/her presence felt in the class. There were moments of "let me finish my point" or "I have a slightly different view on that" or even more intersting "we need to look at this problem holistically and think of short term and long term goals." blah blah blah.

But, as we attended more classes, the science behind CP became clear. You don't need to talk crap as the professor knows who is making sense and who is just blabbering for the hack of it. Still there were some creatures who do not want to learn. And bugs like this make everyone's life miserable. You get shorter breaks, and then extra classes to cover portion that should have been covered in the class. God give some brain to these people and save us from their out-of-the-box thinking.

Good news is that things are changing, albeit slowly but. A proposed punitive punishment for nonsense CP has been a good deterrent for many. I hope it continues to be effective. We will come up with more such solutions in time to come.

ps: In an alumni meet, batch of 79 mentioned about one such bug that existed in their batch. So this too is part of tradition. Ooof!!!

post 502

Yaha ki daud bhag ki jindagi me mein ye to batana hi bhul gaya ki I have completed 500 posts on this blog.

And for me, this is a really big achievement for me. I always had this problem of getting bored with something too soon. I have passion for some things, but never ever I was able to turn it into an addiction. It always comes from nowhere and fades away without even slightest of hints.

Somehow I got stuck to this blog. 500 posts spanned over 2 years. And I know I will go on for a long time to come. There are so many things to write about, so many things to share, that I feel that I will never be able to do justice to everything. None of us can do that.

Next two years or so are going to be the most crucial part of my life. And I want to capture each and every event from it.

It's been almost 15 days now in campus. I still have to take out my camera and capture the beauty here. Will do it sometime soon.

For now, its time for some accounts cases. Balance sheets and P/L statements are waiting for me.

ps: I did it, and I did well in the task today. :)

RAMP

After a grueling week filled with loads of activities [all academics related that is], the nicest way to beat the heat is to let yourself lose and dance your heart out.
RAMPs here give such a platform to everyone. A night filled with music and masti.
We had our first RAMP last night. A dance party where everyone was invited.

If you ever thought that these RAMPs are the place for singles to get lucky, think again. 19 girls and 300 guys - this is our batch composition. This is one thing for which I will curse IIMA profs my whole life. Arre yaha to koi chance dete. :(

Anyways.

The dance floor was no different from what we used to have in hostel functions in college. All guys dancing their heart out. Bhangra to dandia to free style and even the snake dance. I-me-myself Dance [origin not known] needs a special mention here. This is one form of dance that does not require any skills. No matter where you spent your life [hostel or home] you have got to be an expert this. Its an inborn skill.

I did some dancing too. You might ask "Bapu!! aap aur nach gana???"
Arre!!! I did dance. Trust me you don't want to see what steps I did in those 2 odd hours. :)

Most of what I have described so far is something I had expected. So not much disappointed. Ab to aadat si ho gayi hai...

But what disappointed me was the enthusiasm from my fellow fachchas. Just about half of the batch was present there. That is in the first RAMP. Even if one is not the party type, missing such an event is sad. It's part of culture, and we are slogging our ass off here to be part of this place. Everything has its first. And I feel this was the best opportunity for anyone. Best part of these events is that nobody judges you for anything. You get to be yourself. I am really happy for those who came. We might not have gotten what we had fantasized but still we got to become ourselves. And that is important.

Tomorrow I get one more chance to do something that I have never done. It's out of my comfort zone. But it is part of culture, so I know my comfort zone will have to expand. I am here to become part of this glory and I will not miss any damn thing that makes me feel one.

Keep reading for lots of updates from Dorm-3 Room-23

Till then, Good Night. :)

bhag fachche bhag

At 1pm today a bunch of Tuchchas were waiting on the way to New Campus. All set with their cameras, they were shouting "bhag fachche bhag." And bechara poor fachcha, with WAC assignment in one hand, and his eyes on watch was running for his life. It's just one minute to 1pm and 1pm happens to be the deadline of submission. One minute spans only one minute amongst these red-brick buildings.

Deadlines are deadlines. No excuse, no respite. Period.

I can very well imagine we [as our batch] standing on the way and doing the shouting next year same time. They faced it last year, and they doing it this year. We face it now and then our fachchas will face it next year. It's a tradition that needs to be carried out. It's just the way it is.

Sometime I wonder if we are becoming a bunch of sadistic people.
No we are not.

It seems everything that happens on the college is part of big scheme. We are getting molded for the pressure that the world will thrust on our shoulders as soon as we are out of the campus two year hence. Deadlines that are as dead as a dead body, value system that is as solid as concrete - they are just part of this molding process. So college is right on target when it comes to expecting and forcing discipline.

Come to talk about the tradition of WAC run [as this event is formally called]:

Wherever you stay, whatever kind of life you live, you find your own way of finding happiness. Life is successful if we can find even few moments of happiness in a day. What tuchchas did today is another such attempt to bring some smiles on faces around. Spirit should be high, and you can swim through any ocean.

I am pretty confident that this works. 280 odd tuchchas are testimony to the same.

ps: 1. WAC - Written Analysis and Communication
2. Haan... Mein ek fachcha hoon. Yakin nahi hota? To dekho... And he folds his sleeves to show his arm proudly showing a tattoo which says "Mein Ek Fachcha Hoon..."

muggo fachcho muggo

How do you shatter ego of 330 of the best brains from this country?

Bring them to IIMA and take a surprise quiz of PS (Probability and Statics - A course taught in 1st slot of 1st year of PGP course). Profs here will give you a test comprising 4 questions from the portions that most of us are learning (again and again) since class 10th. First reaction - 4 questions and 40 minutes - bahut naainsafi hai. But according to conservative estimates, 98% junta will fail in even attempting all four questions. 98+ %ilers that we called ourselves just few months back. phew...

They say A in IIMA stands for not Ahmedabad but Academics. And this they have been saying since last 30-40 years. So nobody can question the validity of this claim. Still, most of us come from IITs and RECs and top notched institutions, with lots of confidence (or should I say overconfidence) that jab yaha tak pahooch gaye hai, baaki bhi dekh lenge. Suicide it is. These profs have seen hundreds like us every year, and they know how to bring us to our aukat. They are just too good in this. Coldblooded operators!!

Wake up PritS. It's high time you tighten your seat belt, 'coz this ride is going to be one hell of an experience.

PS: Title of the post is the anthem that Tuchcha (defn: PGP 2nd year students; source IIMA) sing when they see any Fachcha (defn: PGP 1st year students; source IIMA). Muggai (defn: To cram, or to Study long hours with a dedication of saint; also to rattofy; source IIMA) is the religion in first year here.

wimwi ka tempo high hai

WIMWI ka tempo high hai...
Baki sabki leli zigzag zigzag...

It's 2am and sleep is still eluding me. This is 8th day on row when I have not slept before 2am. This has to be accepted as a world record in my small world. And I know, it is not yet over. The race has just begin, and the record will be broken again and again.

Life at WIMWI [Well known Institute of Management in Western India] is something one can not imagine. You can not understand from outside. You have to live it to be able to say even a bit about it. And I am doing it now.

After coming here I had two big realizations:
1. I am no special. There are 600+ more such guys/girls like me who have come here with lots of dreams. They all have proved their determination in the same way as I have done. So it's a level playing field here. We have to "play the game and play it fair."
2. I have become part of something very big.

Last one week has been hectic to say the least. But each moment has brought something special with it. I'll try my best to capture these moments. For myself and for others.

For now, I will go and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning 8:45 class is waiting for me.

-Pritesh
D3, Room 23

home sweet home

Writing this post from Khandwa. This city is known for Kishore Kumar. A city that never changes much. Things here have been more or less same, and everything seems as I left it when I was in class 9th. All my friends here have started their business and most of them have got married too. This is life, stay at home and you get a nice wife, wo bhi bina kisi mehnat ke. :)

My uncle had thrown a big party to celebrate my success. A grand surprise. Photos will be uploaded soon. Missed all you guys [and girls] from bangalore here. You all had to be part of this.
Had been to Jabalpur before my birthday. One big family reunion types. We had a blast there. Bhedaghat, Bargi and lots of chat. Masti hi masti.

This time I celebrated my birthday in Indore. Ice-cream cutting at midnight, cake cutting at cousin's home and nice shahi dinner in evening. Day was amazing. I would not have expected anything better.

Bhikangaon, where my parents have recently shifted, is a small town [or a big village] close to Khandwa. Nothing to do here, except stay at home and talk. Talk to mom, talk with friends over phone. talk talk talk. Oh haan, I forgot to tell, there is 8 hour scheduled power cut daily.

Leaving for Ahmadabad on 19th. Will have a small trip with family before college starts. Till then good bye. Enjoy life....

ps: in too much hurry.

It's the time

I guess the time has come. 24 hours from now, I will be rushing to Railway Station to load my belongings. 7:30 pm there will be a signal, and it is good bye Bangalore (in 2008). The "(in 2008)" part is there because I know I would want to come back to this place. The place that has helped me become what I am today.

RVCE, Riverstone, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent, Juniper, Rotaract Club, Rangashankara, Forum, CCD, Pure n Natural, Samarkand, Mysore Road, Avenue Road, Chitrakala Parishad, Nandi Hills, Bungee, Palace Ground, DreamADream, Jaynagar, Ananya, Alliance, Airlines hotel, Prism Bookshop, Majestic, SP Road, 4th Block, 1st Block, IIMB, Brigade Road - memories are unlimited. I am going to cherish them all.

Moving On - it's very difficult thing. Especially when you know that you are leaving behind a really important part of life. But I guess there is no other way. Something you gotta do.

The-Hangar - my home and my family for last three years. Aditya, Chandu, Ravi, Nikhil, Joyesh, Saurabh, Arpit : guys, I know I have not always been there with you, but trust me, I know what I have missed coz of that. I owe a lot to you. You have helped me reach this stage. You simply rock. Needless to say, it's not yet over. We are a family. And We will remain one.

I am going to miss you all. You have been part of my life for so long and I will cherish each moment I spent with you.

Bbye Bangalore.

ps: I am leaving for home by Karnataka Express on 14th May. I want to make it a memorable night tonight. You all are welcome home, please drop by if you are free.

I will be away from internet for some time. You can contact me on 9986006563 in case of any need.

Countdown Has Begun

6 years, 9 months and 23 days
That is the number of days, I have called Bangalore my home.
Namma Bangalore.

Now this phase of my life is coming to an end.
The countdown has begun. With my MBA plans it had become more and more clear to me that this was bound to happen. Reason for it were two:
1. There is only one world class MBA institution in Bangalore, ie IIMB
2. And I never thought that I will get an opportunity to take an admission in that.
Call it my (misjudged) confidence in my capabilities. But others thought all against the second one; the profs there included. I did get admission there, and for at least 12 long hours, I felt that "yes, this association will become richer by two more years of my life".

But no, this box of chocolate has something better for me.

So it is time to move on. I have given 7 best years of my life to Bangalore, and no doubt it has given me back some of the most important things in my life.
A new phase of life is beginning. But before that I have to wind up the one here. I don't believe in loose threads. I want to keep each of my point of contact intact. As solid and alive as ever.

Next few days, I will try to pack my memories from all these years. This is not the parting mail, I will always be around.

rainy evening(s) on brigade road

I met her through hi5,
Riya as she was called there
always joking and smiling
charming and cute.

She gave me a new name - spexy
I just loved it
even today I do
and will love it forever.
It is just for her.

We met in our virtual life.
Had to meet in real one too
So we planned to meet
our own 'blind date.'

1st evening:
Brigade Road it was,
most convenient and safe place.
It rained that evening
and it poured heavily.
I was stuck in Mota Arcade
and she in Archies.
We both could not move.
So close yet so far
Rain-god did not seem to mind our pain.
But we had our own ideas too
It had to be our day.
So I moved.
running wildly on brigade road
splashing water all over the places
getting drenched
I moved building by building
taking shelters in those tiny little shops
to catch some breath
and I reached Archies.
So many girls standing there
Who she was, I had no clue.
I gave one nice smile to all of them
and chose one face.
I wished "may she be the one"
I called her over her phone.
One girl picked the phone.
And I thanked God, I had chosen the right one.
She was the one.
Charming and bubbly
480 watt smiles all over her face
I just fell in love.
We set in the coffee day
and spent the time laughing about ourselves.
This is how I met her
One rainy day on brigade road

I met her many more times after that
And I cherished each and every moment of it
We talked, we laughed and we shared our life
She was like my guardian angel.
She still is.
Always there whenever I needed her
to cheer me up
to help me in any situation.
I too tried to do the same.
I hope she felt the same for me.

Life moves fast,
and changes become inevitable
we moved too
to a better phase of this friendship
trust is what kept us going
and it will in years to come

2nd evening:
It rained again last evening
and we met again
on the same brigade road
to cherish that 1st rainy evening
to relive all those memories.
for those same feelings of joy
and happiness.
That cute face
and those bubbly smiles
I fell in love all over again.
She made my day.

I know I am going to miss her a lot
she says the same
and I trust each word of hers.

Sanjana,
Meeting you is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I must have been really lucky to have a friend like you. I am going to miss you a lot.
You rock!!
Just remain the same.
You simply rock!!!

love at first sight

The first time I entered IIMB campus, I fell in love with it. I did not know then that I will actually get an offer to join that institue. And not even in my wildest dreams did I think that I will reject one such offer.

Today, when I crossed IIMB campus, I felt something odd. I actually am declining one such offer. It's a strange feeling. It's like being in love for so long still on that final moment turning your face and moving on.

Anyways. It is confirm now. I am going to IIMA.
WIMWI, as they call it.

its rocking!!!

BLACKI
First few days after result, I just did not realize the importance of getting interview calls from all 6 IIMs. Pagalguy has a term for such cases, a BLACKI. I was happy to be associated with another such acronym. It was the gyan session with Rahul, that I fully understood its implications. Like they say in Spiderman, "with great power comes greater responsibility." That night Rahul was at his best. And he did convince me for one thing.

"End of the day ABC stands apart. I know I will get into atleast one of the 6. But, which one? If among ABC, it will make all the difference. If not ABC, I will repent my whole life for not doing something that I should have."

Call it brainwash or anything you like. That very night, I decided to give my 'all' to the preparation. The events that unfolded after that, would finally define the course of my journey. Good and Bad, I had mixed experiences. Everyone around me has been supporting and encouraging from the word go. And I am really thankful to all.

Jobless for two months
Joblessness - it sucks. It sucks big-time. I had my mission - Mission IIM. Still I can tell you, joblessness kills. I had my time when I wanted to think as if the forced banishment did not happen. But then that was the truth. I had no escape. I tried my best to indulge myself in doing things that will help me overcome the boredom. Eventually it helped me. Reading habit is my biggest learning from this phase.

Preparation
Preparation? What preparation? I do not know what did I prepared. Just to mention, I chatted with lots of people, watched all the movies in town and read lots of books, news articles and blogs. Most important of them read my mind. I convinced myself about my 'self'. I feel that is the most important preparation for any interview. The study of self, it takes you a long way.

D-day
D day was to come on 11th APril, but 'honorable' SC gave its 'historical' ruling on OBC quota issue and the D-day just vanished from in front of our eyes. Quota or no quota, I knew only one thing. I do not have a say in this. I just want my result. And if it is positive, I will be the happiest person in life.

May 1st did not hold any special significance, other than being a holiday, for me till this year. But as the end of April approached, it became clear that it will be the day that will define my future. The new D-day. I waited eagerly for it, with my heartbeat breaking every speed record I knew of.

And it begins
May 1st, 00:00 hours IST, and it began.

IIM Bangalore came first. Bora gave me the link. My heart was pounding as I keyed in the address in my browser. IIMB was my worst performance in any interview. I did not have much expectations from it, so. Still I saw my number there. OMG. I am there. I just could not believe. I checked 6-7 times, refreshing the page, and downloading the result again and again. Finally I accepted it. :) Yes I did it.

IIM Calcutta next. Again, it was Bora who sent me the news. He wanted to check it for me, but somehow I felt like checking it myself. I was out for breakfast. I headed straight to home on full speed on my bike. Keyed in the registration number. Guess what, my heart is still pounding. And I was there too. IIMC was one of my best interview performance so I had lots of hopes with it. I converted it. Two big ones in my kitty. One more to go.

IIM Kozikode has an interesting story. There was a IIMK result link on PG which was not visible on the official IIMK page. During first few minutes, this link gave "Sorry, your name is not there in the list." message to every query. I was surprised and did not want to believe it. So waited for some more time before giving this 'news' to anyone. And whoa... the next time I keyed in the details, the results had changed. I was there. Still the link was not yet on the IIMK site, so waited some more minutes. Finally as soon as the link became official, I cracked the news. I am there. It is 3/3. For records, IIMK interview was the only stress interview I had. A pathetic GD performance. On my 'request' they had stressed me in the interview. :)

The BIG DADDY
All the while I was checking IIMK result, I was refreshing IIMA site. Big Daddy was supposed to give its result at 11am. There was no update, but. 11:30 - still no update. What the hell!!! The wait is killing. I just could not enjoy my success so far.
Again it was Bora who gave the link. And again the heart was in the same state. My whole preparation was in front of my eyes. And I was there. I had got through IIMA. For the first time, I shouted on top of my voice. Yessssssssssssss. ABC it is. Yes I DID IT.

L and I came pretty late in afternoon. Somehow I checked them with the same enthusiasm I checked the first result. L made it 5/5. Last one to come was Indore - my hometown. My mom was very happy to know that there is an IIM in indore and I can study there. But when I told that I do not intend to study from there [unles ofcourse I do not get admission in any other college], and that even if I join it, I will live in the hostel, She settled for any MBA college in country. :) Bora again gave me the link, and it worked again. It is 6/6

About Bora, he rocks. He has some miracle touch.
Thanks a lot Bora. You rock. Looking forward at sharing the dorm with you in IIMA.

I am a BLACKI again. :)

I have no words to describe this feeling. It's just wonderful. It's rocking.

And here comes the most important part of this post/mail. I want to thank every soul that has helped me reach this stage.

My parents for helping me to become what I am today.
My sister and jiju for the never ending support.
We the people at the-hangar (Me, ravi, chandu, arpit, aditya, nikhil, joyesh, saurabh) have spent each day as a closely neat clan. And I know it would not have been possible without you guys. Thanks so much.
Rahul and Rout: You two people have been the inspiration. You rock!!
Shashank: you are my elder brother. I can never forget the support that you have given me all this while.
Bhushit: Boss, you know it. I owe it to you. You proved it to me that one does not need an MBA to become a good manager. Now that I will have an MBA, I will try to become a better one.
My team at Juniper: I might have disappointed you guys but I know you will forgive me. I respect and thank all you guys for the help you have been to me. Vasu and Tao, thanks for being the best manager I could have got there.
Brijesh sir, Gulshan sir and Ajay sir - for all your help in preparation.
Namratha: Your mock interviews helped a lot. You can be cruel at times. Still you rock.
Sumana and Sanjana: for all the books and the support. I know you too wanted me to leave your bangalore as soon as possible.
Too all my friends: Thanks a lot to all of you.

And to myself - for holding on to it for so long.

01:14 hours

It's 1:14 hours on May 1st. I am wide awake. And I know it is going to be a sleepless night.

I have made it through IIMB.
YES, I DID IT. :)

Dad and Mom are sleeping. I woke them up to give the news. :)

Thanks one and all...