Qualifications and Politics

Bhartiya Janta Party took on board IIM Calcutta graduates to 'manage' their campaign.
The result is that they had a loss of 22 seats.

Just reinforces my belief that qualification has no role in Indian Politics.

Its been a long time...

It has been really long since I have posted anything here. Going by some of the comments, I have been missed by some. Thanks for that.

There has been a lot that has happened in my life over the last four months but although it is important for me, (the new job, moving to Mumbai, earning again) there is not much masala there. I work with a Dotcom firm now that is known for the interesting comments on its message boards. I have seen some of them on my blog too, and that is something that I am not happy about.

It is a free world, we all have opinions. What is important is how we express them. I was a 20-21 year old not so long ago in my life, and have seen some of them on MTV Roadies. I always believed that the Roadies culture was a one off thing. I have never seen such obscenities mouthed in real life and I certainly do not endorse them.

One must understand that certain things is this world are contextual. An American will not understand Gajodhar Bhaiya jokes. Someone who has lived in condos all his life would not be able to see the challenges people living in a house made of thatched roofs face during the monsoon. There is a wide spectrum of experiences that people have, and nobody can feel all of them.

We all must learn to respect when we do not agree or understand.

A comment by a gentleman/lady by the name of Readoholic and its reply by anonymous is what I am talking about.

To Readoholic: You do not have the judgment of what to read and what not, then it is not my fault. I am sure you would not dare to say such things when you meet people face to face, else you might have your face rearranged. But Internet gives people like you a place to hide. Good for you, bad for us!
To Anonymous: Thanks for defending me. One's dignity must always be maintained! My father taught me not to bite a dog when he bites you, and I think you can use the same advice.

May be, we all need to learn a bit of netiquettes.

An extraordinary love story!

These are bad times, in every possible way. Economy, politics, jobs, even the Gaza strip, there are things the way they should not be.

I am sure there are tales of doom to be told, but I will try not to add to the general sinking feeling that is around and will tell you a story. A story which happened around me, a story that I think would leave a smile on your face, and if it doesn’t, then you have been tracking the financial world a bit too much. Leave the pink paper down and read Calvin and Hobbes for a change!

I was standing at the Chatlet Le Halles metro station in Paris, waiting for the M4. I was annoyed about the fact that time between two metros at around mid night is 8 minutes instead of the 3 minutes during the day. My education has taught me that it minimizes cost and optimizes performance but when you are waiting on a cold night at a station, you don’t really care much about economic sense.

It was not really crowded and I was waiting for the train. My attention was caught by a man who was signaling something to a woman on the opposite platform. He threw a kiss at her and she blushed. Buoyed by the fact that there were not too many passengers around, she responded.  The man went down on his knees as if proposing. She extended her hand as nodded as if she agreed. They were both smiling and throwing kisses. I said to myself, Paris is indeed a romantic city.

I was smiling as I looked on, but the drama was cut short as her train arrived. The woman got into the train and leapt for a window seat. She was still smiling and throwing kisses. The man waved his hand and she reciprocated. They kept waving to each other till the train disappeared. The man stood on the platform waving his hand.

My train arrived and I got in. I left for my apartment wishing all the happiness in the world for the couple. I wished them good health too, so that their love lives long. I guess they needed it.

And yes, the man was over 65 and the woman was atleast 60 years old. 

Snow and a song

It was snowing last morning,
And I was feeling like a kid.
I thought of taking some in my bag,
Rest assured I did.

I want mom to be here some time,
With flakes of snow all around.
I want to jump up and down again,
My joy would know no bound.

"What crap", you might think
"This is a nursery rhyme"
I totally agree with you but,
the kid in me had a bloody good time.

Help needed!

Hi,
I am doing a project on "Ethics in International Business" and I can use your help.
Irrespective of the country you are reading this in, please spare 2 minutes of your time to take this survey.
http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=c17b5f08-31cc-460d-9cc6-c3cd7be9a71f
Please spread it among your friends as I can use as many responses as I get. The more geographies I cover, the better.
Thanks in advance.

Desperation and Inspiration

I have completed a year in a B-School. But the learning has just begun.
In case you want to join a top B-School in the country and are reading this for all the good things that happen to you in a B-School, sorry, I will disappoint you.
The first year went by and I felt that I have not learnt much. I came with an idea that I will come across open minds, people sharing their experiences and willing to learn as they argue. I have now realized that when your own mind is preoccupied, you cannot learn new things. I know I am restating the age old wisdom, but you only realize that it is wisdom and not a fancy quote when it happens to you.
We all joined with high hopes and dreams of making millions. Then the sub prime happened. And now the markets are bleeding. Just today a friend of mine was not offered a job because he did his internship on Credit desk and nobody wants to utter that word in the market today, leave aside dealing in it. The future is not as rosy as we thought it would be. The India growth story seems history. From the dreams of the best job we are slowly preparing ourselves to the reality of any job, as long as it is some job! Add to that the expectations people have when they know where you are studying. The media doesn't help it either! I never thought that the news could be so far away from truth before I came here.
The times are turbulent. I have this opportunity to start something of my own. But I lack the courage and the conviction to do it. All these years of schooling has indeed done one thing, killed my risk appetite. In case you want to read what B-Schools should be doing and what they do, this is an excellent article. THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR
Just as I was getting into one of those spirals of disillusionment and disappointment, I came across this gentleman's lecture. I have heard inspirational talks before, but this is just not any other talk. In case you have the time, please watch this 76 minute long video on youtube. I am sure you will find something worthwhile, just I like I have found inspiration.
Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture
Now that the fear of future has subdued, the reality is here and it is not very pleasant one to look at. I have my exams from Monday and just like the last year, I know NOTHING!! Got to study Indian Legal System for the exam! Who wants to read that subject, I mean, if I am the manager, I would hire a lawyer if I need one! Somebody should teach Specialization of Labour to my Institute's directors!
But a man must do what he has to do before he can do what he wants to do!
I am off to study, but I want to thank Mr Pausch again! Thank you sir. Thanks a ton.

The best morning in quite some time!

Today was one of the few days when I am glad I studying in this college!
I was busy chatting last night and by the time I realized that I need to sleep to attend the morning 8 o'clock class, it was already 4.30 a.m! I chose to watch a movie, "Khuda Ke Liye" which is a pretty decent flick!
Had the breakfast, served hot. Puris and Aaloo! These are the times I like the mess food!
Then I went to attend the lecture for Management, Culture and Creativity! That is the name of the course that I have taken. There was a performance by Dr Rajeeb. The gentleman is not only a famous Sarod player but also holds a PhD with his thesis on "Use of Computing to teach North Indian Classical Music"!
It was such a pleasure listening to him in the pin drop silence, sitting in the MCHV center! Then to hear his views on creativity and risks in making a career in music industry was equally amazing!
Then I came back and slept for 8 hours! :-)
Before I end, my heartfelt thanks to the Anonymous who gave me a lead for my project! Thank you very much!
I am doing my project on "Child labour in the Apparel Industry- Case Study: Nike".
Thanks!