“Every time a student walks past a really urgent, expressive piece of architecture that belongs to his college, it can help reassure him that he does have that mind, does have that soul.”
-Louis Kahn
It is here, some delays surely but it is here.The day when SIIB moves lock,stock and books(the library though is already in place in the new address) to the new building.
The students from the first and the second year will give their first and third semester exams in the new building .
So it began with an exam.
A new building symbolizes the chance to reshape our idea of what the college environment is.A new setting is always a sign of getting ready for bigger and better.
Here's a cheer to the new college campus.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A day at BSE
Date 19 july
Place class (going on)
Time 1.30 pm
“A workshop at BSE by college on Friday, 23 July. The list of students for first bach is attached herewith. Reporting time 4 am”…hussshh… gimme a break…4 am in d morning? r u sure or have they put ‘am’ instead of ‘pm’ previous day…was d first reaction after reading d mail. Routine discussions after reading the mail began among all of us showing our displeasure towards timing….but there was a relief as well that going one day away from lectures and especially the GFM assignment that we get every Thursday……
Date 22 July
Place room no 507
Time 10.30 pm
Heated discussion was going on ….subject was which games should be included as a part of pre events of Leadership Series this year….and then sudden realization…freak…10.30 pm…tomorrow morning waking time…3 am…meeting wrapped with usual conclusion that a lot to be done and we will decide what to be done next time…..goodbyes were exchanged…..responsibilities of waking up each other were shared…
Date 23 July 24
Time 4.00 am
“Shit yaar….bus hasn’t come…could have slept for some more time yaar……chod yaar…aa gayi bus………”
Constant rain, empty roads, morning songs on radio and longing sleep didn’t let us know when we reached Vashi and then BSE subsequently.
BSE. Sirf naam hi kafi hai…this is THE most discussed place in the country, the place about which we had been taught a lot and the place which every MBA finance student MUST visit in his lifetime….The stoic faces of traders, strict (apparently) policemen and nostalgic Fort area of Bombay…..stage was set….. The training was scheduled on 18th floor. The city of Bombay
Training began……. as lectures begin. After one good hour of history, geography, (economics, political science,biology…. and what not) of BSE we finally got a break. A tea break. We went upstairs …opened the doors of dining hall…and oh my holy god….freak…this is Bombay
Post breakfast session was more interesting one…we were taught the BOLT system and how trading actually happens. This was followed by the mock trading session. This obviously created some time for us to attend to our networks u know…Facebook and Gmail. The trading was interesting. We 30 were to trade among ourselves and generate the profit at the end of the day. The game lasted for 2 good hours when luch time was declared. Again…same scenes of Bombay
Post lunch session was on trading again but with lot of details….A detailed explanation of the BOLT processes was given by faculty. The session ended with a sudden announcement of the test which will be held after tea break. Though we know very well that how to pass in a test…but still a test is a test….Again same dining hall…same Bombay
The test occurred…yea….just occurred ….. after appearing for tests by Agashe Sir and Takale sir, this was like a formality. The certificates were distributed. Then we went for a tour of BSE building. The trainer was much passionate @ BSE and its legacy. The portraits of the stalwarts who established it, nurtured it and made it what it is today were really inspiring. We left the building with the same feelng in our minds.
But the visit to Bombay Marine Drive
Busy day…truly a busy day….3 am to 11.45 pm….but a memorable one….
Mukul( Finance - 09-11)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wherein started the freshers party ? The Eastern Economy edition.For sale in India only.
Party animals and early morning classes the next day have as much love lost between them as hare and fox over the last millenia. SIIB's Freshers party for the batch of 2012 yesterday night at St.Laurns and after having attended classes at 9 am the next day prompted a question in one : Freshers party after they have served the symbolic ice-breaking , foot-looseness and mass camaraderie of being at one spot on earth for two years:has it served the same role over the many years Freshers party would have been in place in India under various names at various points in time.
Say, we are in the age of warriors and farmers, the kings and the sorcerers about 900 years back.
The freshers party of soldiers 900 years back would have (if they were recruited during peace time, and not in war time : the ones recruited during emergency possibly would have little luxuries attached to their initial days) included a warm meal and steady source of income.The soldiers would have been given a place to stay and possibly a weapon to practice.At a practice ground , the drill sergeant would have bellowed:
"The glorious kingdom of BlogHypotheticalPlace asks you to do what is necessary to carry our Most Venerable Emperor(or Queen)'s vision.Your life from henceforth belongs to the Army of the BlogHypotheticalPlace, and we expect discipline ,patriotism and the supreme sacrifice,if needed. Eat and drink for tomorrow we fight"( notice the subtle throwaways to Hollywood dialogues).
A gulp or two would have passed down in the young soldier's mind when he heard of phrases like "supreme sacrifice".But hey ,"we are in the Army now" as the song goes.
You're in the army now / Oh, oh you're in the army - now / You've got your orders to shoot on sight / your finger's on the trigger / but it don't seem right
The Royal Chefs would have possibly planned for the young ones who had decided to devote their lives to smells and crunches divine.
"Hey, you there young lad.Yes, I mean you. Chop these forty kilos of onions for today's lunch . After that , it's those bags of onions which need to be peeled.And do not forget to make sure there is enough firewood for the next ten days in the storeroom. By the way , welcome to the Royal Kitchen.At all times never forget that food is our route to the king's heart, and not of the oily-route some foods give.Our food may decide the mood of the king and often may lead to increased taxes for the peasants if we fail to deliver."
The legend of Akbar's khichdee would be then lovingly told to the young recruit.And then it is off to the lowly ranks of peeling and cutting,before some years down the line the young cook would move up a notch to more "value-added processes" in cooking(notice the subtle throwaways to management jargon).
The best(if that is the right word) freshers party would have to be that of the farmer. The family enterprise that a farming family is,it is likely that all the members of the family from an early age would have had a chance to participate in the farming process ( we will exclude the large landowner from this discussion :the life of manor born usually rests on that money can make work-from-an-early-age a needless concept). The freshers party would have been at a very early hour , much before the sun came out. An early breakfast, and the farmer would instruct the young hands of what needs to be done for the day.The mandatory speech:
"Nature expects diligence ,and she mother earth rewards well.If the gods are kind and we have done our duty of working hard before the rains and the right amount of sunshine will give us a bounty. Lads and lasses, this is going to be hard work ,but we will be rewarded at harvest.So gear up and let that shovel move"(Digression: In Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers,a theory is presented of how folks from South China are found to be good in maths, and the reason is attributed to the traditional farming practices of the region)
Universities, many centuries down the line of course do not have to give such facts-of-life at freshers parties. Arranged and stage-managed, and the fun is the only operating motto.It is our way of saying:" welcome all ye, new students. We open our doors to the best and the finest, and in celebration we shall make merry."
Welcome SIIB Batch of 2012.
Say, we are in the age of warriors and farmers, the kings and the sorcerers about 900 years back.
The freshers party of soldiers 900 years back would have (if they were recruited during peace time, and not in war time : the ones recruited during emergency possibly would have little luxuries attached to their initial days) included a warm meal and steady source of income.The soldiers would have been given a place to stay and possibly a weapon to practice.At a practice ground , the drill sergeant would have bellowed:
"The glorious kingdom of BlogHypotheticalPlace asks you to do what is necessary to carry our Most Venerable Emperor(or Queen)'s vision.Your life from henceforth belongs to the Army of the BlogHypotheticalPlace, and we expect discipline ,patriotism and the supreme sacrifice,if needed. Eat and drink for tomorrow we fight"( notice the subtle throwaways to Hollywood dialogues).
A gulp or two would have passed down in the young soldier's mind when he heard of phrases like "supreme sacrifice".But hey ,"we are in the Army now" as the song goes.
You're in the army now / Oh, oh you're in the army - now / You've got your orders to shoot on sight / your finger's on the trigger / but it don't seem right
The Royal Chefs would have possibly planned for the young ones who had decided to devote their lives to smells and crunches divine.
"Hey, you there young lad.Yes, I mean you. Chop these forty kilos of onions for today's lunch . After that , it's those bags of onions which need to be peeled.And do not forget to make sure there is enough firewood for the next ten days in the storeroom. By the way , welcome to the Royal Kitchen.At all times never forget that food is our route to the king's heart, and not of the oily-route some foods give.Our food may decide the mood of the king and often may lead to increased taxes for the peasants if we fail to deliver."
The legend of Akbar's khichdee would be then lovingly told to the young recruit.And then it is off to the lowly ranks of peeling and cutting,before some years down the line the young cook would move up a notch to more "value-added processes" in cooking(notice the subtle throwaways to management jargon).
The best(if that is the right word) freshers party would have to be that of the farmer. The family enterprise that a farming family is,it is likely that all the members of the family from an early age would have had a chance to participate in the farming process ( we will exclude the large landowner from this discussion :the life of manor born usually rests on that money can make work-from-an-early-age a needless concept). The freshers party would have been at a very early hour , much before the sun came out. An early breakfast, and the farmer would instruct the young hands of what needs to be done for the day.The mandatory speech:
"Nature expects diligence ,and she mother earth rewards well.If the gods are kind and we have done our duty of working hard before the rains and the right amount of sunshine will give us a bounty. Lads and lasses, this is going to be hard work ,but we will be rewarded at harvest.So gear up and let that shovel move"(Digression: In Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers,a theory is presented of how folks from South China are found to be good in maths, and the reason is attributed to the traditional farming practices of the region)
Universities, many centuries down the line of course do not have to give such facts-of-life at freshers parties. Arranged and stage-managed, and the fun is the only operating motto.It is our way of saying:" welcome all ye, new students. We open our doors to the best and the finest, and in celebration we shall make merry."
Welcome SIIB Batch of 2012.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
A Month at SIIB
I have been writing for my blog for quite some time now but this particular article is a little special to me. It was written on the eve of successfully completing my first 30 days at SIIB. I accidentally ran into it while rummaging through my awfully cluttered hard-drive, and on re-reading it I thought it might interest my fellow juniors here. So, this one is for all those of you who have joined this year. Hope your stay is pleasant and you have lots of fun.
Classes are over for today and this, is the one hour , in-between the drowsy last few minutes of the Sales & Distribution lecture and the Circus a little later where a handful of future managers will be seen going-off-the –wall at large near the Cafeteria over the AMR presentation due tomorrow….. The cafeteria will soon be filled up with bright sparks gelling and bouncing off each other in about as much time as it takes this elevator to descend the 6 floors….The library comes before anything else but the coffee gets my preference, always. The Wi-Fi here is amazing but (anyway) the rubbish I’ve keep downloading these days is rarely worth a second double-click. Even as I miss my sweet-corn with hot coffee I can feel my grey cells (or whatever is left of them) readjusting to the AMR assignment modifications suggested last Wednesday… and something keeps me from thinking - MJ’s demise was premature. Sometimes, I’m afraid that I’ve started noticing changes in just about everything that I would have called “Normal”, even a month ago…. even the figures that used to hover around inside my tiny head have grown into the numeric sort. I must have Hi-Five’ed and Hello’ed 30 guys since morning without remembering their names, and yes I’ve heard that Life is Beautiful… it has rained today but I found the essence of the beautiful “Dhurba” somewhat missing … it’s as if Kolkata is on the other side of the map …..
Wait!! There’s more to this day …. It’s exactly been a month since our orientation programme, which formally inducted us into SIIB, ended in applause…. Every morning I manage to wake up, somehow, the bleary eyes remind me that “Oye!!! Life has never been so alive…..” Break-fasts skipped and classes missed are a different story that I’ll tell you the day when I explain why “Symbi Rocks!!!”
Cheers,
ION
Classes are over for today and this, is the one hour , in-between the drowsy last few minutes of the Sales & Distribution lecture and the Circus a little later where a handful of future managers will be seen going-off-the –wall at large near the Cafeteria over the AMR presentation due tomorrow….. The cafeteria will soon be filled up with bright sparks gelling and bouncing off each other in about as much time as it takes this elevator to descend the 6 floors….The library comes before anything else but the coffee gets my preference, always. The Wi-Fi here is amazing but (anyway) the rubbish I’ve keep downloading these days is rarely worth a second double-click. Even as I miss my sweet-corn with hot coffee I can feel my grey cells (or whatever is left of them) readjusting to the AMR assignment modifications suggested last Wednesday… and something keeps me from thinking - MJ’s demise was premature. Sometimes, I’m afraid that I’ve started noticing changes in just about everything that I would have called “Normal”, even a month ago…. even the figures that used to hover around inside my tiny head have grown into the numeric sort. I must have Hi-Five’ed and Hello’ed 30 guys since morning without remembering their names, and yes I’ve heard that Life is Beautiful… it has rained today but I found the essence of the beautiful “Dhurba” somewhat missing … it’s as if Kolkata is on the other side of the map …..
Wait!! There’s more to this day …. It’s exactly been a month since our orientation programme, which formally inducted us into SIIB, ended in applause…. Every morning I manage to wake up, somehow, the bleary eyes remind me that “Oye!!! Life has never been so alive…..” Break-fasts skipped and classes missed are a different story that I’ll tell you the day when I explain why “Symbi Rocks!!!”
Cheers,
ION
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Hitch-hiking @ Hinjewadi
It goes like this most of the times..
Step 1: Keep your hands in Aadhi Mudhra, or in lesser mortal terms, pose as if you are the next Akshay Kumar in the road, practising for the next big Thums-Up Commercial
Step 2:If the bike approaching on the road is driven by Adam,
then
Step 2A: If the bike approaching on the road is driven by Eve
Step 2B: Get over the Akshay Kumar image or else you might be frowned upon as a “dude” trying to get naughty
Disclaimer: This conservative approach is recommended, considering the uncertainty of the forthcoming situation. A classic example of Indian risk-averse approach
Step 3: Strike eye contact with the driver, and do the Akshay Kumar Hand Jig, (Ofcourse, only the hand), with the sincerity and likeability of a student
Step4: If the bike stops within the next 300 metres
then
Step 5: Run towards the bike to respect his time and also demonstrate how excited you are to join him for a ride, and above all
Step 6: Look for visual cues to distinguish the IT junta from the rest. These cues decide the language of conversation. It could also be used for conversation starters. For Eg: An infosys bag in the back of the driver should, under ideal circumstances, lead to discussion on something on Finance or Technology.
It is preferable to start with Hindi
Step 7: “Toda Aage jaana hai…”
Let the driver get back to the charm of driving. Wait for the driver to start the conversation.The driver realizes that a stranger is sitting in his pillion seat. Wih a sense of uneasyness, he asks
Hitch-hikeee or Liftee: “Where do you want to go?”
Step 8: “I want to go to Aundh…However, I ll travel as far as you go”
or
“Muje Aundh tak jaana hai. Aap jitna aage jaayenge main vahaan tak chalta hoon” (depending on the visual and mental judgement of the driver who has been kind enough to offer me lift)
These are the opening steps of my hitch-hikes with hordes of people travelling every day across the Hinjewadi Highway. What started as a necessity, thanks to my adamant ignorance to learn to drive a geared bike stating age-old reasons of true ownership,( in my ego’s words, “I wont drive a bike unless it belongs to me”), has now become a fascinating spiritual phenomenon in itself. Yes, you heard it right. It’s a spiritual phenomenon, as I witness something fascinating in the way every journey unfolds itself into a unique experience while taking me comfortably to my journey. There is a strong sense of uncertainty in this whole experience. I have no clue how and with whom I would make my journey to reach my destination. I have no clue how far the driver is going to be a part of my journey. Often I get dropped in the midst of nowhere. Although I get anxious over this uncertainty, thanks to my obsession with punctuality, often, this uncertainty leads me to a pristine experience where I realize, much to my ego’s dismay, however, to my soul’s gaiety, I have no control over the unfurling of my journey. However, I am cocksure I would be able to reach my place comfortably. This uncertain feeling ,blended with a sense of faith has often left me overwhelmed in happiness! It leads me to a beautiful feeling where I realize, after all, people in this road are travelling only for me!
It makes me wonder, how beautiful my life would be, if it were like this hitch-hike journey! All I have to do is simply sing to my heart’s content to the rhythm of my destiny. How wonderful it would be, if all my relationships with people in this world, turn out the way it happens with these hitch-hikees. You never know who is going to come how far. You simply enjoy the journey as long as he is willing to take you. And yes, you part him good-bye with a big smile from the cockles of a heart swollen with gratitude
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