The countdown begins..

0 days to go... its all over

2006-03-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

Convocation day.

It felt so formal, so awe inspiring, yet so distant.

Brijmohan Lal Munjal gave us a very down to earth convocation address, filled with anecdotes from his life. From the reaction of people sitting around me, I got the feeling that people didn't appreciate it as much as they should have. However, I thought it was brilliant. Insights from his life, examples of how he went about handling problems in life. To me, these were worth much more than some foreign rich dude coming over to give us motherhood about the Indian economy, and how we should make a difference to the world.

The afternoon began with a formal lunch with parents, faculty, invitees and the board of governors. After that, the batch went on to take our photograph.

The board of governors walked in. One man stood tall. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder, Bharti Telecom, and the father of the Indian telecom revolution. The man came and took his seat humbly among the other governors. It was a humbling experience, to be in the same frame as he was, to be in the same institute that he governed.

The photograph was being taken, the batch settled down, with great difficulty. After the photograph was taken, the photographer came up looking at the students and said, "Teek hai, abhi hum faculty ke photo kheenchenge, abhi aap sab log..." (Now we're going to take pictures of the faculty, you all can now...)

The students echoed in one voice, "kat lein?" (Hindi slang for, "get lost?")

Every student in the gathering was clapping, the faculty was laughing, and the board of governors gave a wide smile too.

It was a moment which would remain frozen in time. It was a moment that told me that this batch, the class of 2006, IIM Lucknow, would not succumb to an occasion. This batch would not remain silent when it felt like saying something, just because a Munjal or a Mittal was in the picture. This batch meant irreverence, because freedom is what we had learnt here in two years.

Good luck my friends. Our time here is over, but we really do have miles to go before we sleep.

Go on. Make a difference. Don't stick to boring jobs because they pay well. Follow your dreams, have lots of fun, get married, have children, keep a dog, wait for it to have children, and so on.

This blog has been a good friend to me. A friend who didn't say anything back, but listened patiently while I rambled on. I hope it didn't pain you too much.

Thank you all for reading. Good luck. Bye.

1 day to go...

2006-03-17T11:27:00.000-08:00

The night 3.4 rocked

3.4 is the IIML band. Legend goes that the concept of a band was thought upon by two guys who were walking to IIML from the Sitapur Road. By the time they reached the campus, the concept was ready. In memory of that road on which they thought up the band, it was named 3.4, the distance that it takes from campus to the Sitapur Road.

Ive seen them perform over the past two years, on different occasions. They usually organize a show on Manfest, and also once a term, when they feel like it.

The early few shows used to be held in Samanjasya, the indoor auditorium, but after a while, the outdoor show bug bit them, and most of their shows were held in an outdoor auditorium.

An immensely talented bunch of individuals, it has always been fun to sit through these shows, for the sheer stage presence of many people in the band, coupled with the talent of some others.

3.4 scheduled a show tonight, one night before convocation.

When we walked in with our parents, we expected a show that was a lot like their others, a mishmash of bollywood numbers, own compositions, and some drama on stage.

As they began with a few sedate numbers, I sat back on my chair, knowing that it was going to be just another 3.4 show, an enjoyable experience, but nothing to write home about.

When Harish walked in to sing "Aadat" by "Jal", I had no idea what I would be witnessing. Absolutely perfect rendition, complete with the lyrics and modulations that make a fantastic song, Harish blew me over.

Soon, the show was taking a pace never witnessed before, with a buoyant audience on the verge of leaving IIML, two comperes who kept the crowd dancing to their tunes. One brilliant song followed another, with Manasi, Ramki, Harish and of course, the keyboard by Anand Bhan leading the way.

The crowd on its feet, and asking for more, 3.4 settled into one of its own compositions, the "Liril song". Now this is a number which combines "Dil ko.." from "Rehna hai tere dil mein", with the liril advertisement. A stroke of genius by our senior batch, it has been finding its way to most of our shows till then. However, it was never the same again, because a senior, Krishna, used to render it in his own special way. He was a classical singer by training, and used to use his high pitch and modulations to give life to this song.

As Harish and Arnab began singing the Liril song, I realised just why this 3.4 show was going to be a very different experience. They gave it all they had, with a wonderful rapport between them, and Anand Bhan hitting the keyboard with his usual panache.

As the "Liril Song" reached a cresendo, I was transported to a time when Krishna was singing this song, and I was just into IIML. I was standing in the last row, booing and cheering quite randomly to the beats of the songs.

I was younger, and had two years ahead of me at IIML. Studies were a priority, high paying jobs were the in-thing, and MANAC (Management accounting) was the mantra of the day. I had just got in, from South India, into one of the premier management institutes in the world. Stars in my eyes, hope hitting the skies, full of belief and commitment. I was so different. I thought I knew so much, I thought I could have the world, and I did not know what failure meant.

IIML had changed me so fundamentally, so drastically, that I could no longer identify with the guy who had walked into these hallowed portals.

The song got over. Harish walked off the stage. It was not Krishna anymore. It was a new generation. It was time for the old to move over. One more day, and I would no longer belong here.

2 days to go...

2006-03-16T03:18:00.000-08:00

The night IIML went hungry

Last night, after a luxurious Holi sleep, I woke up at 7 PM, all hungry and ready to attack the mess for my favorite Aloo curry with Aloo paratha and Aloo rice. (basically, Aloo)

I got online to check mail, and I realized, much to my horror, that every single eatery on campus was closed. The mess, the Canteen (fauji's), Nescafe, Pepsi stall (whatever that is called), everything!

I mean, I knew it was a "holi"-day, but this came as a shocker to a hungry soul. I also walked from room to room, realizing that either parents were in town, or the students had taken off to the city to get a bite. Now travelling in the city was also not easy, with colors all over, and most transport insensitive to the calls of a poor and hungry IIML-ite.

Finally, I ordered in from Southern spice, which btw was inundated with orders and hence had to deliver only at 10 o clock, by which time I had almost died with hunger, just two days before convocation.

Heart warming tales about Southern Spice Lucknow. Apparently, a student who had gone to find something to eat, saw that the restaurant was closed. He met the owner and found out that it was closed for today. However, the owner asked him if he was from IIML. When he said yes, the owner let him in from the back door and gave him food. As a marketing student, we learn about how such support in crisis makes us a LOYAL customer for life. Also, orders were placed from campus, and Southern Spice opened its shutters for one institute and its hungry students.

Of course, the food was cold and it arrived only at 10 PM, but if not for it, I shudder to think of how the students' would have managed last night.

Sometimes, I think this batch, PGP20, has got to be the most eventful batch in the history of IIM Lucknow. Almost everything under the sun (good and bad, passionate and hateful) has taken place in our two years here. Maybe this was the perfect finish.

3 days to go...

2006-03-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

As my previous post suggested, I was dozing off to sleep when I was woken up by the sounds of loud drums beating outside my room. I went to the window, half dressed, and good ol' council was waiting there, asking me to come down for celebrations.

Now, how could I refuse?

I walked with a large part of hostle 11 (most awakened by this racket) who walked together, past the football field, past nescafe, into the vast expanse of the Commercial plaza.

The first look at commercial plaza, A burst of colors. Colors everywhere, Bhaang (both the intoxicating and the childrens version), sweets, snacks, and of course, guys and girls deep in celebrations. Some people were so unrecognizable, that some almost got beaten up while being misunderstood for ruffians who wandered into the IIM campus.

The fountain in IIML, that famous fountain that works only for two weeks in a year, mysteriously the week of the convocation and the Manfest week, was an odd mix of pink and dark green. My first thought at looking at this strange color was, "Mera wala green!"

Most of this water was filled with members of the IIML community, a lot of them being children of faculty and staff of the institute. The guys seemed in a very savage mood, tearing at each others shirts, and throwing at others what remains of theirs.

Of course, within ten minutes, I found myself in the pool.

The faculty joined us in the celebrations, and we went around coloring them and wishing them a wonderful year ahead.

Seldom in life would we witness such amazing bonding within any community. Lets just hope we feel so strongly about each other even years after passing out. This community should make us proud, keep us together, and be the toast of the nation. Good luck guys.

Sale of the year: I will be selling off a Alcom Nostalgia T shirt, colored pink, blue, green and yellow. Only one copy available. $24.00 only. Hurry, offer valid only until t shirt washed.

4 days to go...

2006-03-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

A trip to Banaras rounded off my series of trips for these two years. Whirlwind trip of two days, I happened to meet so many people there, that I began to get worried campus would be devoid of students.

By the way, holi celebrations have been announced on campus. With convocation in three days, you can be assured of pictures of pink students in black robes receiving certificates from the PGP Chairman for successful completion of a PGP degree at IIM Lucknow.

Update: In a unique strategy, the cultural secretary has hired drummers to beat drums as loud as they possibly can outside my room. I was planning to sleep off holi. Tsk, what can a man do with this racket outside his room.

Later people, its time to party!

5 days to go...

2006-03-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Interesting stories emerge when students talk about their parents' reaction when they announced where they got a job.

One student tells me:

Me: Ma, I got a job.
Ma: Oh thats great. Where?
Me: PriceWaterHouse Coopers ma.
Ma: What water?
Me: PriceWaterhouse ma. Its a good company.
Ma: Oh, why didn't you join a good bank like ICICI? Didn't you make it?

Of course, regulars on the corporate circuit would know that PwC is one of the most coveted jobs on campus, and PwC on your CV can truly throw open many new great options.

Another student reports:
Me: Ma, I got a job.
Ma: Oh thats great. Where?
Me: Ernst and Young ma.
Ma: Oh, but isn't that a tax audit firm?
Me: Yes ma, but they do consulting as well.
Ma: How much do they pay you?
Me: Seven lakhs ma.
Ma: What?? Why? Could'nt you get a better paying job?

Of course, regulars on the corporate circuit would know that E&Y offers money with no hidden costs, and you could actually end up taking a lot more than people with much higher CTCs.

Tsk tsk, does it matter? As long as "Ma" thinks that you are not earning enough, you aren't!

6 days to go...

2006-03-12T13:28:00.000-08:00

Upon waking up again at an unearthly hour (3 o clock), I realised that these would be the last six days of my life when I would be allowed to wake up so late in the morning, and yet enjoy a complete waking day (18 hours).

Did that make me sad? I don't know. I guess everyone has to move on, at some time or the other. Maybe the next phase of my life will be more fun.

By the way, during dinner, suddenly noises of wild cheering could be heard from nearby hostels. Investigation revealed that the greatest one day international ever was being played, as I was enjoying my biryani. I went back, and caught the last few moments.

It was true. History was truly created. And it was fun watching it with people from campus. Maybe I will never again see so many crazy cricket fans in the same common room, rooting for one foreign side, against another foreign side, yet feeling like they were rooting for their own country.

7 days to go...

2006-03-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

I walked into the mess at 4.30 in the evening, right after waking up, hoping to get a bite. The food was unusually good, and I over-ate.

I walked out from the mess, wondering where to go. I found myself wandering towards the classroom block, for the first time since the placements. I walked past the PGP block, that place where I had such wonderful experiences. The Pandal was just being set up in the convocation ground, and I walked past it.

I opened the door of the library, and walked in wondering why I was there. The place was so silent, you could hear a newspaper rustling in the corner, where someone was reading it. I walked past them, and noticed that the library was almost empty.

I walked into the books section, and looked at a series of tables, all empty and beautifully set, like waiting for someone to come and sit on them. Those beautifully designed chairs, well set tables, and the wonderful lighting, it all seemed so familiar. The silence was overwhelming, and the slight buzz of the air conditioner seemed to break the silence occasionally.

I blinked.

All of a sudden, I could see the place full of students, buzzing with noise.All the chairs were either occupied, or had books on the table, an indication that some study group had gone for a cup of coffee. In one corner, three students were poring over one book, with one student trying to explain something to them very animatedly. It seemed like accounting. Beside them, in the two seater table, one student had taken off his spectacles and laid them on the table. He had another chair pulled up, and he was resting his feet on it. He had a book on his stomach, and he was dozing away. I walked towards him. A little before I could get there, six students were sitting at a table and whispering loudly, right in front of the "Maintain Silence" board. One of the students, a nerdish looking, poorly dressed guy was doodling away in his book. I looked at him intently, knowing there was something familiar about him.

It was me. In August 2004.

I smiled, and turned around. It was time to leave.

8 days to go...

2006-03-11T02:10:00.000-08:00

The movers are here.

The council has been kind enough to arrange three different movers, to let us leave comfortably. However, these are not the only movers around. It is often noticed that a Government vehicle would be packing stuff for a student, in good ol' babu ishtyle.

People are also leaving campus, for whiter pastures (the mountains), to have a bit of fun before the parents get in.

I also hear rumors that the college band, 3.4, is planning another one of its gigs. Now lets see if that happens.

Over and out...

9 days to go...

2006-03-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Its all over

Yes, 100% placements achieved, another batch of IIM Lucknow has now been given jobs, and their first entry into the corporate world. How far will they go? Only time will tell.

The last few hours of placements were nerve-racking, as many people were sitting on the lawns, near the tents, waiting to hear that the placements were finally over.

The announcement was finally made, at 12 O clock at night, after the last company left the campus. The campus was an uproar, and the drums were brought in, and the beats began..

Placement Chairman addressed the batch, and thanked everyone for their cooperation. Champagne was uncorked, and everyone in Placecom was drenched. Then the drums began beating, and everyone went dancing till the mess.

Then, the shower began. The dear juniors had drums full of water, waiting to drench us all. Everyone dancing.. loud music of the drums, and everyone drenched. Some guy took off his shirt, and ripped off someone else's. The trend began, and within fifteen minutes, all the guys were topless. With nothing to do with the shirts, they began throwing it all over, and mostly at the girls, who were also drenched and throwing shirts back as soon as they caught them.

Dancing, singing, rubbing (open to interpretations), and the likes, the post placement euphoria lasted an hour. After that, the drummers led the batch out of the mess, through the football field, into the baddy court (party hall with professional DJ and speakers and of course, drinks).

The party itself began at 2 AM, and the dancing and the revelry went on till 6 in the morning, until the sun was up. By that time, everyone was so tired, specially after the exhausting placement process and the phenomenal party, that everyone retired to their rooms to sleep.

A wonderful end to two years here at IIM Lucknow. A night I would not forget for a very long time.

Good luck y'all. A new journey is just about to begin.

10 days to go...

2006-03-08T03:57:00.000-08:00

Brilliant slot 2 results, once again.
The job is almost done, with some unlucky people still in the process. For more information, however, please keep reading Economic Times. :)

The thought in this blog post is: Liason your way to a job.

One particular student, popularly known as "Paid", had liaisoned for a company last year, and in a casual conversation, the HR mentioned to him that he would give him a job this year.

Interestingly, this year, in the interview, he was asked, "Do you remember us?"
The student replies, tongue in cheek, "Yes, and I also remember what you promised me."

He made the job, for reasons more than his competency in the nuances of selling sugared water.

The thought for the day is:

Jobs lured John Sculley, an executive with Pepsi-Cola, to serve as Apple's CEO, challenging him, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?" Paid, are you reading?

11 days to go...

2006-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Slot 1 was a bumper harvest. 191 offers from around 30 companies. Absolutely smashing. A lot of people were very happy, since the salaries have gone up this year, and one particular software services company from the southern region of this country decided to rain jobs. I won't talk more, will let the official results come out in the media. Btw, for information about lateral placements, look here.

Results were released at 2 AM, to a classroom full of students, who were waiting for the whole day for this half hour. It is a scene to be seen, so many students, clearly the future of corporate India, waiting to be placed, and knowing that some of the highest pays and the best futures await them, and the direction would be chartered in the next few minutes.

I would carry that one hour with me for a long long time. A more interesting phenomenon took place, when the sign-outs began. The students began to sign out, and the wait lists began moving, bringing moments of joy, anxiety and pleasure to so many people. I'd like to take this moment, to express heartfelt happiness for one particular genius, who almost didn't make it. He did, in a waiting list, to a phenomenal job, and justice was finally done. A relief to me, and Im sure, to a large part of the batch.

The beautiful part is, most people still in the process are in mostly because they want FMCG and similar jobs that come only in Slot 2. It looks like most people are going to land up in jobs that they will enjoy, a rarity in the cattle market that placement season usually is. :)

12 days to go...

2006-03-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

As I write this, slot 1 is almost done, and the results should be out in less than three hours.

The season has been phenomenal, and placements are sure to break all records. But its not going to be an easy night.
Happy nights for few, who have a career in front of them...
Nervous nights for those who have given slot 1 a skip because of greener pastures in slot 2...
Lonely nights for those who were expecting a job in slot 1, and didn't get it...
Dejected nights for those who know they had no chance in this slot...

God bless all of us. Its times like this when the institute comes together for one another. I hope we don't fail each other at this time of need. I hope this spirit never dies in the students' of IIML.

13 days to go...

2006-03-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

Its begun.. Day 1 of slot 1.
With only five companies yesterday, the tension was in the air, but well under control.
Only a class full of students, but at the end of the day, down to a handful.

The process has still not begun in full flow. The mess has not shifted to the placement site, and a lot of the batch still is disconnected with the process.

As I write this, Im half an hour late to report, and I just find out I have another 2 hours to sleep because my company is late to report. Brilliant!

14 days to go...

2006-03-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

GTalk status messages are so easy to update, that one glance at them and you know the mood on campus.

take a look:

"Edgy"
"Its the final countdown"
"102 degrees fever"
"The end is near"
"Gaand mara behnc*&d, sorry, just preparing for FMCG interview"
"Housing, food, education allowance, will they give a liquor allowance?"
"Mumble Mumble"

The paranoia is setting in. Lets just hope everyone gets what they want.

15 days to go...

2006-03-02T23:47:00.000-08:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the countdown has slowly begun.. 6 days to the next insti party!
By the way, Slot 0 has started. Good luck IIML, lets hope you make us proud!
A lot of slot 1 shortlists are out, and at last count, we are awaiting about 9 more shortlists from slot 1. These are good times, these are bad times.

Rumor has it that six women from IIML were at Lakme Hazratganj at the same time preparing for placements! Tsk tsk, and I thought Kotler would do the trick! All the long locks on guys, french beards, stubbles and earrings have taken a vacation, and everyone has cut himself to size for placement season, to fit into the niche that the company is looking for.

As one junior placecom member began in his speech to the junior batch when they mass-bunked a placement dry run, "The economy is booming, its upto you to create history!" Quite an irrelevant quote, but I really felt like using it!

16 days to go...

2006-03-01T23:15:00.000-08:00

Further delays in this post.. but not my fault, mostly blogger's.

The PCom batch meet happened last night, amidst much fanfare. The Placement Chairman made his maiden speech to the batch, telling us to take medical examinations before the job interviews, just in case "we don't have something that is required for the job". And then he corrected himself, thankfully, to saying that we should check if "we have something that they don't want". He has recently become legendary for such errors, and it was enjoyable to sit through them. I just realized I'm really going to miss all this!

Junior PCom made an entry, with a series of contradictions. However, considering that it was their first time addressing a senior batch, it was quite understandable. Good luck to them! More shortlists are in, more heartbreaks are in (some due to the placement process, some otherwise). I hear one particular prominent software services company made 28 offers in IIMK! They are coming to L, but for a profile one level higher than that at K. Unfortunately, I have a shortlist in this company. Will it be back-to-Chennai for me? Will I get stuck up in the company I came here to escape? To find out more, please keep watching this space.

Yesterday I filled up a form by a life insurance player from the ICICI stable, with began operations in India as a joint venture with Prudential. There was a 108 page psychometric test going on, a pain by any standards. One funny post on blondie by someone after taking this test said:

"WHO AM I... My hearty feelings to all those who gave *&* online test... Goshhh...."

Update: Shocker! A prominent bank has the exact same 108 page psychometric test! 108 pages!

17 days to go...

2006-02-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

Placement fever begins..
The big ticket shortlists are in: HSBC, HLL, and rumors are that Accenture, KPMG and E&Y are in too.
We had a sweet and pleasant surprise from Placecom today, being suddenly informed that the placements begin 2 days in advance! March 4th, to be precise. Frankly, I would've preferred a cake at 12 midnight, but this surprise is okay too. Luckily for me I have no big shortlists, and no hope of any such shortlists, so ladies and gentlemen, anyone wanting to take a short rishikesh trip with me until slot 2 please give me a call.

From other parts of the country, the big news is that students' of SRM engineering college in Chennai are going on a rampage. It reminds me of the big St. Josephs strike 3 years ago. Ah, golden days!

Batch meet at 10 PM tonight. Yep, this is the time when the placement chairman will address the batch. It is also the first meet addressed by Junior Placecom. Will keep you updated. Have a nice day!

18 days to go...

2006-02-27T23:34:00.000-08:00

Horrors of early day network problems came back.. with a 12 hours network blowout that messed up quite a few company forms. I'm not really complaining though, but I think this blog is.

The budget 2006 has been released, and students seem to be suddenly sprouting jargon regarding the same. I don't know if this should be called Budget fever or placement fever. The companies should have a field day trying to question the students' regarding the budget, one of the few topics of relevance of all types of companies. By the way, good news to the aam aadmi, the prices of ice creams will be down. Aaj tak decided that this was worth a "flash news". Me thinks Aaj Tak should stick to doing sting operations on unsuspecting smalltime TV actors.

One kind soul somewhere on the IIML network (popularly known as Weedstock) has managed to get most of the movies considered for the "Best Picture" Oscars. Evenings are suddenly getting busier, with Brokeback mountain the new flavor of the season.

A private equity firm made an appearance on campus yesterday, much to the delight of millions of finance students. One question by an Alumnus, "How many of you have read te RJR Nabisco case?" was enough to excite them. Tsk, these finance students' are so easy to please! We also had an intense cross Q&A session, with some fin guys (and one particularly popular "fin-atic" girl) so kicked about the occasion, that when they ran out of questons, they decided to ask the same question over and over again!

19 days to go...

2006-02-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

Another lazy sunday, the third (or was it fourth?) one I am writing about.

The sad part of leaving is the farewell parties... A certain committee which thought it was taking its newly inducted juniors for a party suddenly realized that it was actually a farewell for themselves. Sources say they were initially shocked, but upon realizing that they didn't have to pay the bill, were quite relieved.

A sad episode in the external dry run today. Out of 140, only thirty first years turned up for a placement dry run. After all the effort put in by the controls, systems and the ops teams, the mess was empty all night, with no attendence to take the dry run through. I hope things get better, or I won't get a job!

Of course, this ensured that I had lots of Bread Pakodas at 2 in the morning, four at last count, and two lying on the table beside me. So if you want any, and you're a hot girl, please come over to 1132 for some. (Bread Pakodas, I mean)

PS- I apologise for the incoherent nature of this post. After preparing for systems jobs for two hours and soap companies for another two hours (and reading the mission statement of Asian paints for half an hour), it directly reflects the state of my mind.

20 days to go...

2006-02-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

The official and unofficial farewell, an excellent evening in the commercial plaza.
Very much like last year, we started a little later scheduled, at about 8 PM. We had an official farewell, with most of the batch turning up. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the faculty for being there. Yep, all four of them.

A half an hour included an interesting mock-awards distribution ceremony where I was nominated for something that sounded like "global" something something.. and I thankfully didn't win. I did believe I had much bigger (and more demeaning) prizes planned for the rest of the evening. Hence I was grateful to walk away empty handed.

After a forty minute formality, we moved off to a dinner, a mess special, devoid of non-vegetarian due to the Bird Flu scare. Three fourths of the mess was full, and another one fourth was rather empty. Needless to say, it was the faculty section.

We also had a sprinkling of Alumni who had come over for their company-preplacement talks, and so on. We ate like there was no tomorrow, and re-assembled at the commercial plaza for the post dinner, minus staff session of the awards distribution ceremony.

Sameer Bhatt, the guy doing the compereing, whom I have made prior mention to, in regard to excellent cricket match commentary, was outstanding. His references to a certain "Globina" and her "vertically integrated Class participation", where she would ask the question and answer it herself sometime later, were classics, and will be remembered for a long time.

Awards include the "Knocking on Heaven's door" award, the "I came, I saw, I gave up" award, "Best walk" award, "Best roomie" award, and so on.

Each award was followed by resounding applause, and most of the nominees were made to explain their stand, why they were there, and so on.

All in all, an unforgettable evening filled with bonding of the highest order.

Sikander Update: It is officially over. The Council sends a mail:

Hi

Congratulations to Hostel 12 on winning the Sikander Trophy 2005-06.Trophy
would be handed over to them on Convocation day.

Well done....

21 days to go...

2006-02-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

The update on Sikander is, Hostel 11 has lost the match to Hostel 12, hence losing the Sikandar at the altar.

It is not a happy year in the history of Hostel 11. First we lose all our council members, and now this!

IIML saw a PGP1 girls versus PGP2 girls today. After last year, I thought I would never see a brilliant commentator like a certain senior of mine, who passed out. The hindi cricket commentary was truly brilliant. Looks like we have a PGP21 successor, who is equally good, if not better. Alumni are duly invited to campus sometime to listen to this guy go!

The Council decided to hold a formal farewell on 25th, for the students, with the faculty and their family (??) invited too. Initially, we were told to wear formals. To which we said "yeah right". Then, they told us that its okay to wear informals, but "please do wear something". Something tells me this sense of humor belongs to a certain former cultural secretary, although I do not have concrete evidence to this effect.

Like last year, we are also having a share of the famous "awards ceremony", such as the PITA award and the Cerelax baby award. Now THIS is something to look forward to. Please stay tuned for further updates.

22 days to go...

2006-02-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

The cycle of students making city visits also seems to follow the Sin curve.
Initially, in the wave of joining IIML, most students prefer to remain indoors, and enjoy the beauty and the calm of the IIM campus. Mostly people who have worked before.

Before long, they decide that its basically the same mess, the same nightmess, and the same twenty girls of the senior batch and the same forty of their batch, and so they start venturing out to explore Lucknow city. The first trip is usually known as Lucknow Darshan, and it includes a trip to the Imambada and the revered Tunde Kabab.

Of course, then there's the term break, and when the students come back, they find themselves in term four, and they really don't know what hit them. Most students' have such enormous problems just trying to pass themselves out of term four, that the city remains a pipe dream. The committees have ambitious projects in the pipeline, before they realise that the corporate world might not quite be as excited about sponsoring them, as they themselves might be. So then, the trips to the city again start reducing. The lucky ones with the bikes, or ones with the babes (or the b*&^%^&ds with both) get to make trips to the city, mostly because they can.

In term six, as I sit in my room at 4 in the morning, I realized that I had my third visit to the city today, and I couldn't stand the place, and was missing my computer as soon as I stepped out of the hallowed portals of IIML.

Besides, with no offence to Lucknow city, the spots are quite thin, with Cappacino Blast, Ultraviolet, Ganj and now Mint, being the only four really metro spots to hang out.

Lets hope the juniors have a more eventful two years, as the frequency of the hangouts in lucknow seem to be increasing rapidly these days!

Notice: Hostel 11 plays Hostel 12 for the Virtual Sikandar finals. The winner shall take the Sikandar. The loser shall get bumped.

Be there, or fill forms and regret it for the rest of your life (if you happen to make it to one of them soap companies).

23 days to go...

2006-02-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

February 23rd, 2006.

Happy Birthday Manjunath.

24 days to go...

2006-02-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

A beautiful time of the year to begin playing Cricket, and we are doing just that.

Sikandar, the inter-hostel competition to decide which hostel is the coolest, based on the principle "Jo Jeeta wohi Sikandar" began cricket yesterday. H11 is close to winning the Sikander, much to the delight of one young man who used to don the mantle of Sports Secretary. However, H11 could lose Sikandar if it loses Cricket. In summary, you could say H11 is truly under "Prasher". (what did you expect? Indian Jokes by Russell Peters?)

Matches have been going on at a furious pace, and some of them get over before you can fill a form and get back!

27 days to go...

2006-02-20T15:12:00.000-08:00

Due to a miscalculation at the beginning of this blog, despite daily posts, the number of days to pass out was miscalculated. It was found out, upon analysis, that the miscalculation occured due to an assumption that February would have 30 days, which, is not likely to be true, despite rumors.

The dates shall be revised from tomorrow.

Today was mostly form-filling. However, one FMCG major, popular for having a large percentage of its revenues from cigarettes, and currently looking to diversify, was on campus for a PPT. Most marketing guys, in full gusto, gave up on a few forms and went to attend.

I slept.

Halfway through the ppt, I get a message from a friend from the ppt:

"I think I'll get nightmares of this guy chasing me with a powerpoint and a mike!"

28 days to go...

2006-02-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

The big forms are in!

Ernst and Young was to be submitted a couple of days ago, and the next couple of days will see a flurry of forms to be filled in by eager students wanting to be consultants, marketers and analysts (or marketing consultants, marketing analysts and consulting analysts). Students keep calling one another with queries about if they happen to know a "strength" that he might not have thought of already. In keeping with the confidence of the students, the most confusing question has proven to be "Three major weaknesses".

Some forms are rather polite. A certain confectionary giant has a section titled "Could you share with us a few aspects about yourself?" Among the sub-headings are achievements, strengths, secrets, sizes, etc. Some smart students, god save them, are hoping to answer "No, I'm sorry, I'd like to keep this relationship purely professional." I happen to think it is rather funny. If you are from a certain confectionary giant, I hope you agree. I hear this certain confectionary giant offers branding profiles.

By the way, a small note on branding. All students who specialize in marketing, with rare exceptions, want to join companies and do branding. If you are a company on campus and plan to offer branding profiles, please mention the term with care. Students are known to exhibit crazy reactions upon hearing the B term. Popular reactions include tearing off one's shirts, screaming, tugging at one's hair, etc.

However, I completely agree with company forms, because they test a lot of characteristics of the applicant. For instance, persistance. I could just print a CV and let PCom do the rest of the work. But if I have to write a 12 page book (yes, publishing rights are for the taking, please email me) on personal details such as whether I have pets or not, only the tough would survive. The tough survive to see another round of interview, while the meek are packed off in fancily packaged titles like "Young Leader" and "Thought Leader" and sent to Rampur or sit in front of computer terminals in Bombay.

Another instance of characteristics the company could be looking at, while filling a form, is the problem-solving skills. I filled a form today where I had to "talk about a situation where I was to convince my team about an idea, and how we implemented it successfully." Now, if answering this question isn't a problem, what is? Successful solutions range from calling up friends in shady software companies in Chennai to reading corporate-world blogs in the US.

Do you have it in you? If yes, fill in the form.

If no, fill it anyway.

29 days to go...

2006-02-18T16:48:00.000-08:00

Insti party night, but this one was like nothing I've ever seen before at IIML.

Every single individual was more emotional and more passionate than they usually are. The dances were more vibrant, the gestures were more straight, and the emotions in the air were palpable. The spirits were high (pun intended), and most people were very friendly with each other, forgetting all the battles they are going to fight with each other on the job front and the corporate jungle that awaits every one of us.

It was beautiful, that a bunch of such competitive individuals could shower so much affection on each other. I'm back to my room at 7 AM, after two such parties, lots of emotions and a lot of love.

Everyone realises we are passing out, and this is the last time we will be with this set of incredibly talented and yet such a closely bonded community.

We will pass out in less than a month, but this night will live forever, in the hearts of every dude who was at the party. The next party will be on the night of the placements, when everyone in this batch will have either a bond or a soap to sell. That night will be something to watch out for. I will wait.

For everyone who decided to sit in their rooms and prepare for placements, you suck!

30 days to go..

2006-02-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

A new record. An end term exam has been finished in 36 minutes!

Among other news, Hostel 11 sees a new entrant in its ranks. The name is Boo: BooBoo. Yes, its a stray dog, which an unidentified (Indexed) alien in Hostel 11 has adopted, and rumors of a raging affair are on.

The Tata Administrative Service is plumbing new heights (or new depths) in order to recruit new talent. All the students have received a personal and signed envelope from Satish Pradhan of TAS inviting us to apply for TAS. Overcome by emotion, a lot of students have decided to apply. If only they would apply their brilliant PR to the payscales that they offer too.

The application spree has started, and students are feverishly asking each other for answers to classic questions such as: "What are your long term and short term goals?"

If organizations know we are not going to hang around more than a couple of years (even by a highly optimistic estimate), why would they bother wasting their time and ours with such silly questions?

31 days to go..

2006-02-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

The PGP1's seem to have an exceedingly easy life. The day their exams get over, the dinner halls are empty, the night mess is deserted, and Nescafe is spic and span. All three are indicators that the PGP1's have left the campus, to find some relief in the mountains. This year Mussorie, Nainital, Mukhteshwar and Rishikesh seem to be the flavor of the season. Just like last year, and the year before that.

The second years on campus, particularly ones with job offers seem to have found new excuses to give parties. One person is actually throwing a party because its his bike's third birthday. Plans include having a birthday cake, blowing the candles with the exhaust, and so on!

The more adventurous PGP2's are all set to take trips as soon as the last exam ends, in another five hours. Some have jobs, some know that their companies are not going to have submissions in the next two days, and some just don't care.

Silent night.. IIML night..

32 days to go...

2006-02-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today was the last exam for most of the "finance guys", the budding investment bankers and the budding equity researchers.

This itself called for a celebration. Celebrations are usually incomplete without a drink, and the night mess was hence filled with people who were in unusually high spirits.

This post is also devoted to a certain individual who, in drunkard parlance, "lost his virginity" (got high for the first time). Somehow, the culmination of finance courses called for the biggest celebrations on campus, because they entailed the completion of a struggle by most of the toppers on campus, most of which are the biggest party animals too. Names will not be taken, in case marriage proposals are being sought after, and this blog is being used as a source.

This post goes out wishing all the finance guys a brilliant and successful career in "moving the market" and "striking the deals" that will change the future of corporate India.

Cheers to that!

33 days to go...

2006-02-14T19:02:00.000-08:00

Exams.. sleepy eyed.

One interesting phenomenon I've been witness to in these exams is the fact that students seem to be breaking records in the amount of time they are finishing the exam and returning the paper. One guy sitting beside me yesterday in the exam received the paper, kept it and slept for forty five minutes, got up and submitted the paper and left!

Another guy in the ERP course, I hear, started writing the answers before receiving the question paper(!), and returned the paper in 58 minutes (yes, someone was actually keeping count) and walked out of the class to resounding applause. The ERP prof, quite popular amoung the students, was quite shocked, and kept requesting the student to sit for a while and write on. Finally resigning, he apparently concluded that the student must have a valentines day date, much to the amusement of the class.

34 days to go...

2006-02-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

One good thing about these exams is, they are all scheduled in the late afternoons or the evenings. It gives us PGP2's enough time to get up and brush our teeth. The sorry state of attendence in the batch was emphasised today in the mess by a friend who said, "I didn't know there were so many students in International Finance until I saw the number of students in the exam hall." What an apt way to sum up term 6.

The professors had all been sympathetic in their own way. Some professors even buy excuses like, "Sir I overslept", and "Sir insti party last night...". Very Un-IIML like!

Most people around me are making plans to go places after the convocation. Some are looking at exotic locations in the Himalayas, and others seem to be headed down south to get a taste of South India. One ambitious soul even started a Blondie thread, trying to get the whole batch to take a trip to Goa. A true business school student, he had listed out the different "benefits" of the entire batch taking a trip to Goa. Among these was a reason that blew me away. "Doing something that hasn't been done before (not to my memory) across campuses". I was immensely impressed with the way we try to create history in even matters like taking a partying vacation to Goa.

Thoroughly inspired, I am planning to convince the batch to take a biking trip to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This is one record that no other B-School anywhere in the world would even try to equal. IIML would shoot up the Businessworld rankings on the parameter titled "Risktaking abilities of students". Please send me an Expression of Interest for the same.

35 days to go...

2006-02-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is how Blondie now looks.
We are now informed of the exact number of minutes and seconds we have left here in IIML. The countdown is truly on.

Last night was a batch meet called by the Placement committee, a ritual that takes place usually one month before summer/final placements. This is usually the place where the placement chairman comes and abuses the batch about the lack of preparedness and the lackadaisical attitude of the students, with the placements just around the corner.

This batch meet was a little different. A batch consensus was taken on whether want hundred percent placements or not (An issue I'd rather not comment about), and then we got down to interesting debates about whether CG should be revealed or not. A routine meeting, but as in all PCom meetings, right after, the buzz and the excitement is palpable. The excitement is in the air, and every other person is having animated discussions about some of the more sensitive issues concerning placements.

These days, it is becoming rather difficult to find a group of people who are discussing a topic other than placement rules (CG disclosure and the 18 company cap), HLL or P&G, and the functions being offered by HSBC. These three topics have become so goddamn commonplace, that I find that most of the discussions end up making the same points over and over again. In this vein, I have decided that I'd rather leave such conversations when I see the above topics coming up, and work on more serious and pressing issues (such as this blog).

As I settle down with a plateful of dinner, someone whom I don't even remember sitting opposite me looks up and says, "So Shravan, what are you looking at?". I'm confused for a second, because I'm obviously looking at the carrot kheer on my plate. I immediately realise he is referring to placements. Almost as a reflex, my reaction is, "Sales and Marketing man, and you?".
"Dude, I'm a PGP1"
"oh, sorry".
It's back to carrot kheer.

The other day, I was sitting with my watchman beside the fire, on a foggy night, and he suddenly starts lamenting about his children and their lack of opportunities in life. I nod sympathetically. He looks at me very admiringly and says, "Aapka tho koi problem nahi hai. Badi company mein badi naukri lag jaayegi".( You people won't have a problem. You will get a big job in a big company.) I smile with false pride and mentally thank the media for their contribution in making us seem like heroes for the lower middle class. So what if we end up selling soaps, colored water and paints in villages for the next three years of our life? So what if we have no practical applicability for our education since the only learning we will be doing is the abusive language required to deal with distributors and retailers? As long as my watchman thinks I'm going to be rich, who cares?

As I write this, lazy PGP2's are waking up from deep slumber, clearing their tables of cigarette butts and old newspapers, dusting polycopies and textbooks issued along with registration, and getting down to study for the final end terms that they would probably take in their academic careers. Yes, the final end term exams begin in 6 hours.

36 days to go...

2006-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Class was eventful today. It was my last class, and I was also presenting on one of my favorite topics: Small is the new big.

It was a strange feeling. I would probably never sitting in a classroom ever again. I would never go through these fun moments, sad moments, sleepy moments, enlightening moments, and embarrassing moments. A class has been my life for the past 18 years. I will now be stepping out to the real world, a world where there are no second chances, a world where there is no one to guide you if you are lost, and a world where life is measured by money and power, not knowledge and friendship.

This day, I would like to thank every teacher who ever taught me, for every bit of learning they gave me, for every exam they passed me, and every quiz they failed me.

Ever the classy orator, just towards the end of class, Prof. Neerja Pandey says, "I was walking in to class after the break, and a fellow professor asked me how I am so excited and so energetic when I am going into class. I told him to come into class and sit with me, and he would know why it is so exciting to teach this class. Everytime I see all of you, I get assured that the future of the country is in safe hands."

Thank you ma'am. I hope we don't let you down.

37 days to go...

2006-02-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the last day we will be attending classes here at IIM Lucknow. We have just received a mail with the following text. I quote:

"Hi,
There are very few moments in our lives which we will remember and
cherish forever. It is difficult to remember all the moments that we
attach with a place. But we can surely remember few special ones which
define our love for it.

Tomorrow will be the last day that all of us will ever attend a class in
a residential school setting. So isn't it a special moment to cherish for
the rest of our lives? Lets us all make it special by wearing business
formals to all classes tomorrow.

Hope everyone feels the same and make tomorrow an unforgettable day.

Thanks & regards,
Yayati"

38 days to go

2006-02-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

Overheard in the wee hours of the morning:

"Man term six has been bad for me. For a long time I kept waking up so late that I was missing breakfast. These days I am waking up so late that I'm missing lunch too!"

39 days to go..

2006-02-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

The problem with the finishing stages of any course in life is, that lethargy sets in so deeply, that it becomes difficult to do anything even remotely related to academics. More so for people who already have plum offers on hand.

Even more for people who don't have jobs, and have people who have plum jobs on their project team. Welcome to the world of Shravan Sampath.

It is five o clock in the morning, and we have been working since nine o clock, totally demoralized and lazy, just hoping that you get it out of the way. At times, you contemplate telling the professor that you have absolutely no interest in doing this project, and he can give you whatever marks he feels like.

Invariably, nothing ever happens, and you slowly walk back to the room at five in the morning in the mist, wishing it was term one, because this project would have been finished three days ago.

40 days to go...

2006-02-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

Television viewing in IIM Lucknow follows a very interesting pattern.
In the first few days of joining, the workload is so high that TV viewing is a pain. However, this is just the official excuse. The real reason is that the movies on the network keep the student fully occupied. Parents and friends outside often get to hear that the workload is so high that TV viewing has become an impossibility. Avid cricket fans also refrain from watching television, since it is not fashionable to "not have time" to watch television.

After a few months, realization dawns, and the love for cricket and other sports goes up, as does the population in the TV room on the eve of the match. I never wasted my time with such distractions. All my focusses were diverted towards other non-academic pursuits, but I digress.

As an occupant of a room ten feet from the TV room, it often becomes easy for me to figure out when an exciting moment has come up in the game. Usually a wicket of the opposite team would be followed by a violent outburst, cheers and claps, while a wicket of the Indian cricket team would be followed by irate fans leaving the TV room muttering among themselves. I would pick such moments to go to the TV room, in time for the replays.

Now, as it is time to leave, I have come to realise that sheer boredom (and poor network download speeds coupled with a ban on DC++)has driven many students into getting a cable connection in their rooms, and cricket matches have now become a room-to-room entertainment affair.

The India-Pakistan match yesterday was no exception. Every television in sight was occupied, and crazy fans were screaming at the top of their voice for every possible occasion. In fact, I was in Manthan, the MDP block for a "leadership discussion" (read global sessions with DC), and some people were calling up their friends in the TV room for minute to minute updates.

Its a long journey from June 30, 2004. But our TV viewing habits have returned right back to us, while we step out from IIML, back to the real world.

Meanwhile, the mess notice board has become a virtual professor-lines compendium: "Boy o boy o boy.. brilliant" and "There are two classic peppors in your polycopy, one of them is written by me-The dashboard".

41 days to go...

2006-02-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

The good thing with passing out is that, well, you're passing out!

The bad thing, however, is that it leaves you with very little to do in life. The days seem to be a lot longer than they used to be, and this is definitely not a cosmic phenomenon. The most useful value adding things that I have done in the past few days has been to clean my room and, one particularly desperate evening, read up for the next days "Advanced Oral Communication" lecture.

Dinners at the mess tend to get longer than they used to be at any point in life, because almost no-one in the group has anywhere important to go, or anything important to do. Of course, for this, one must ensure that he never hangs out around people who specialize in finance.

Last night was particularly special for me, as I was catching up on a few brilliant movies that I have no excuse for missing this far. One was called October Sky, and the other, Troy. Both of this have the same intellectual effect on a person as a CBM lecture followed by an IM lecture (Pls note, IM Vipul). After this, a campus walk with friends, and it was time for breakfast. In the course of the breakfast I realised that this is probably the last place in life where I would be eating half-cooked Vada's and soggy idlis. Immediately, I became intensely nostalgic.

By the way, for the aspiring B School students, there are three categories of students in your last days at a Business School. The first categories are called "The Job Seekers". These are regular, normal guys like me. The second category is called "Almost signed out". These are people who have great jobs in hand, usually foreign i- banks, or the biggest Sabun companies you can think of. The third category of students are called the: "Screw you, I'm outta here!" (SYIOH henceforth) categories. These are people who have signed out of the process with plum jobs, or have been laterally placed, or have decided to start their own venture. Usually, you would find these people around Fauji Dhaba, or at unearthly hours in the Mess, trying to argue on vague global topics. Most of the next month for these people is trying to avoid attending PPTs by convincing PCom, or taking off for treks into obscure parts of the Himalayas.

Warning: Conversations between Category I and Category III are usually very damaging for the confidence of the former, and should be averted at all costs. Popular excuses could include "I have a ppt to attend", or "I've got to go to the loo", or, for the luckier ones, "ek minute yaar, girlfriend ka call hai" (One minute, my girlfriend is calling).

Notable addition to the mess notice board: "They killed PGP20, you b@$t@rd$!" and "We have done the things!" (Corporate world lingo at AKM Inc.)

42 days to go…

2006-02-05T15:15:00.001-08:00

The aftermath of an insti party, most of the crowd is usually grounded. The mess is silent, the party dudes are recovering from the hangover, and I’m catching up on movies.

Rang de Basanti is clearly the flavor of the season this time. Very often while walking past someone’s room, you find a “Roobaroo” in the air. Very interesting initially, but now the tunes are really getting to me. We badly need some new Bollywood hits!

Dinner is usually a fun affair, and today was no exception. People start giving dinner parties for cooked up reasons. Today, I was at a dinner for a friend who had qualified in an NSE qualification exam. A good CV point, and this was good enough for a party. Southern Spice seems to be the biggest winner in our “last-few-days-bonding” drive. Dinner conversations also seem to revolve mainly around events of the early days on campus, or the “fun-times” that took place in a prof’s class, and so on.

Notice board in mess: "In fact in fact it has been a great pleasure" (in an ancient language for wizards, known as Bansal-tongue)

43 days to go…

2006-02-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

The good part of leaving IIML is that all around you, you see people getting warmer and friendlier towards the place. There is less littering, less cribbing, and generally more warmth in the air. For instance, the insti-party last night. It was the first party by the new students’ Council, which was sworn in during the course of the last week. They did a reasonably good job of arranging a party, but PCom CV submission extended to 2AM ensured that the party was never really going to get going.

For a large part, the party was empty. Of course, the drinks were flowing, and a lot of people decided to take full advantage of that. The lack of crowd at the party was compensated by the high spirits (pun un-intended) of the people present. The crowd was boisterous, sentimental and a lot of fun! We had to close down at one thirty, but by then, it was very clear to me that the next one month was going to be one large burst of adrenalin, just like the party had been.

The poster in the mess now says, “Don’t be senti, we are the PGP20”

As the end begins...

2006-02-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

The Students’ Council every year comes up with a poster in the mess that says “days to go” and it keeps updating the number everyday, giving us PGP2s an indication of how long we have in IIML. Last year, they inverted a Tansen poster and scribbled the number of days to go. This year, it’s an inverted Manfest poster.

When this concept was initially thrown up, I remember being in the mess, and students around me getting all sentimental that they are being reminded that it is time to leave. Some contemplated taking it off, some just scribbled all over it and the rest just reconciled. People like me were watching the fun.