EDUCATION at an MBA institute ...

Blogging after a very long time ... This morning at around 7:30 in the train, my thoughts drifted to something which has become part and parcel of my life, unwantedly. The 'RACE' has begun. Everyone is competing for placement, power and marks and what not. A completely different feeling where I come from - a commerce college, where only competition was to get the girls :-) .. And when I look back at those days, I miss them dearly.

The main difference being that, even though we competed for the same girl, we still were friends and always together... and when the time came to make a choice, ironically we always chose our friends over the girl .. Here in the more 'CIVILISED and MATURED' MBA college, the focus seems to be more on the things that you are competing for, rather than enjoying the competition itself. I personally have enjoyed the process of competing more than the end result of the competition. Probably the reason being that the process of competing lasts for a longer time than the result, and consequently I have learnt to stay happy for a longer period of time :-D ..

What surprises me is that in BCom the people seemed to have a long term perspective than the people here in the professional institution. Here, we seem to be caring more about the corporate rather than the students and our colleagues here, without realizing that after we pass out, we will be dealing with our colleagues in future and not with these corporate. The point is that we are not going to be working for the same company for our life time. A time would come when we would want to switch a job or probably a career. And it would be our colleagues in the college and not the corporate who will be helping us to make this switch. We will not have the luxury to go to the companies and 'PITCH' for ourselves. Therefore, I would like to add one more objective for joining an MBA college and probably the most important one at that - TO MAKE FRIENDS. It makes more sense to maintain better relations with the students rather than corporate, which cannot be done when students are forced to do a few things which they do not want to.

A few coveted colleges in the city have reached their position by looking after their students, in the time of the need, and not by looking after the companies. Probably it has helped them build a strong alumni base as well. The recent example being promotion of entrepreneurship by JBIMS, which does not even have the word 'ENTREPRENEURSHIP' in its name :-P ...

Ultimately I have figured out that it is the attitude that matters more than the college. And I believe that is what companies seek as well. They want competition inside the organization. I would prefer to become an MBA student who would make a CEO insecure about his job and force him to update his skills and knowledge, rather than becoming a manager in his company by sucking up to him.

Well, this is what just the 1st semester has taught me ...NOW would All ya Doctors and CAs still dare to say MBA is theoretical :-p .. I have my share of differences with others, but I still love my life and the college ... And I am very sure that we will see the light not at the end of the 2 year tunnel ... but somewhere in between ... And I hope its sooner rather than later..

Time is still!!!!

Hmmmm .... I am posting after a long time ... Well have been a bit busy (mentally) with my MBA admissions which are not yet down ... thought i have secured one :-D ... Just cant wait for something to happen in my life now .. College .. studies anything .. but something .. But it seems as if I am stuck in the same day over and over again - waking up, brushing, watchin tv, surfing on net, eating, sleeping, watching tv over and over again. LOLz, That has been my lifestyle for over 4 months now.

But this seem to be changing. I have regainged my interest in guitaring and have started playing it for over 1 hour a day. Hope I would be able to play atleast one song on chords by the end of this month. And also our politicians dont disappoint us in entertaining and amusing us with there antics, especially during elections. Special to Varun Gandhi and the ever controversial 'THIRD FRONT' - Oh boy!!! Precisely what our country needed at this time to combat recession and terrorism :-)

But even when I have such a huge dose of entertainment daily, something is feeling empty. Although I cant pinpoint on what it is, all I know is I feel that a part of me is missing. Well whatever, I hope the rising summer heat brings a little heat to my ice cold life as well :-)

Tantrums and the fairer sex..

Most men would agree with me when I say that tantrums and women are the two synonymous words. I think all the women are blessed with the quality of innovating new tantrums and also throwing them in such a way that a guy, no matter how determined he is to not let her have her way this time around, is brought to his knees yet again. Well you must be wondering why all of a sudden I have chosen to write a blog on this. Actually this topic was on my mind for over a couple of weeks now or maybe even more. But guess I was short of motivation until yesterday when I was reminded of all the tantrums which were thrown at me by my girl and my other female friends.

So to start with, the incident that motivated me to write on this topic. Yesterday was an ever so common busy Sunday in my life with another MBA entrance exam. Thankfully me and my friend Salil were allotted the same center which saved from the boredom I otherwise experience by having to stare at all the other 'serious' MBA aspirants who read their books till the last minute. After the exam, which went surprisingly well for both of us, we went to a Kolhapuri restaurant in Vile Parle to have our lunch which sucked big time. We were accompanied by his girl friend, a very calm and serene young lady. Well I was supposed to be joined by one of my very special friends who turned me down because she had a blocked nose :-)

Hey, if you are reading this, I am not being sarcastic it is a very genuine reason. It however, reminded me of quite a few tantrums which were thrown at me. To list a few, I have been called at Mcdonalds at Lower Parel all the way from Dombivali only to take away a parcel and finish my Mc Maharaja Mac in a cab. I have been criticised for not saying anything when I am told to shut up all the time :-( Ironically my girl was busy selling rose cards and did not have time to even come out of her college and meet me for 5 mins. There are just too many to list and few of the tantrums had become regular that I had started doubting if they were tantrums at all. Well now when I remember all this, I dearly miss her and her tantrums.

Well the point is that no matter how much we complain about tantrums of the girls, it is no secret that we enjoy their tantrums as much as they do. (Only applicable to my girl) However in some limit :-) I hope all the guys agree with me and even if they don't, they do not have a choice since their companions would :-P

Overprotected?

There are days when we feel overprotected and overcontrolled and there are also days where we overprotect and overcontrol others. Right from the days when we are kids and our parents do not allow us to play till late at night or watch TV, especially late in the night, we are exposed to this feeling of being 'Overprotected.' But as we grow up, our parents start diluting their control over us and try to give us more and more room and in fact encourage us to make our own decisions in life. During our teenage, our parents mellow down by our reluctance to listen to them which forces them to change according to our wishes, for the heart they have for us  But we have our own "WORLD" by then, which does not involve much of our parents. They still advise us when they feel that we are going to fall and the fall is going to be grave. In other cases they let us fall and learn from our own experience. And how well they do it! They adapt so well to our growing up and readily give up the authority which they have been so used to, and which in a way played a major role in our shaping up.

A few days back when I was having a quiet dinner with my mom, along with a little chat, which is becoming rarer by day, she happened to say that she knows there are few things in the back of my mind which I regret like not performing up to my capacities in the exams especially during graduation and CA-inter. Normally I am very reluctant to admit that I regret something. I like to think that whatever I did is right and I do not have any regrets about it. But on that occasion i couldn't deny it. I just smiled at her. Today finally when I have got some time to think about it, I realise how well she knows me despite the fact that we do not talk as much as we used to and I cannot open up in front of her like I used to before. Well guess what, I don't have to. She knows me perhaps better than I know myself. And for the very first time, after a long time I am missing her "Overprotection." How I wish I was a kid again!!! 

I now realise that its not their nature but our perception that has changed over the period. Now, we  consider their care and concern for us as an intrusion in our superficially important "Private Space." There are few parents who really are controlling. They might have their reasons but they are not helping their cause by imposing their decisions on their children. But we need to realise that our parents are humans after all and they are equally prone to making mistakes as any of us. After all we are going to end up in their shoes sooner or later. 

Politically Correct?

It was a normal morning, when I got up a little earlier than usual and decided to 'gear up' myself for probably the second most sought out event by all the news channels only after the spiced up "BREAKING' news as entertaining as if not more entertaining than the daily soaps. I am talking about the poll results for the five states of Delhi, MP, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Mizoram.The media all set to do the analysis of the polls along with their political gurus and experts, interviewing the ever so cocky and confident ministers err contestants in this context. The irony was in the fact that all of them were overconfident of winning.  I still have not figured yet whether to attribute this to their imbecility or their arrogance. The results, as I found out later during the day, were Congress winning in Delhi, Rajasthan and Mizoram and BJP in MP and Chattisgarh. 

What I found disturbingly funny was the way these politicians politicised our catastrophes for the sake of winning votes. They themselves refer to these as their 'political issues and agendas' which tend to be their issues and agendas even for the next election and an election after that and yet another and so on and so forth. It never seems to end. For instance, they have been successful in politicising even the dastardly terrorist attacks in Mumbai, by accusing other parties of politicising them. Well I agree that all the politicians are politically correct and they are doing everything possible to win the elections. But is a politician required to be just politically correct to win the elections without much attention to their moral bearings? If no then why do they succeed in winning an election even though they are morally wrong? Is it again because the Indian constitution gives a fundamental right to vote even to a person who is incapable of exercising his diligence? Why, in spite of so much talk, is there no minimum education qualification prescribed to contest an election?  

Still we fancy ourselves as the largest democracy in the world, in spite of knowing it is this large democracy which is hurting the interest of our citizens. The problems we are facing now are the result of the excessive freedom given to the people who misuse it and do not deserve it. And yet we are reluctant to bring a major change in the constitution which was adopted in a totally different era, which is suitable only to that era itself. But sadly we have reached a point where it will take a large scale political upheaval to change this rotten system once and for all. I sincerely hope this upheaval has begun with the economic and security problems we are facing today!!!

My first blog - An Outburst

As I sit here to write my first ever blog, my mind seems to be clogged by many thoughts and worries which have not received any decent outlet. Thoughts about my past my actions, which I wish I could change, although there are not many of them  and worries about my future, my admission in a decent B-school and my career in this recessionary meltdown. Expectations of receiving that so much awaited email or perhaps even a call from someone very special. Anger on helplessness that I feel in changing somethings which I didn't choose and which I still feel are not right. I cant help but compare this blog to a blank white page of a drawing book which used to be in front of me during my school days on which I could depict my thoughts, my imagination and everything I wanted to express, but not directly. I miss it so much now. Well, so much for my introduction as a sad heart broken boy full of worries, which I am not. These are just the things which have been on my mind for a long time but hardly were ever talked about.

Turning to a rather happier side of my life, lately I have started exploring my rather creative or should I say non-theoretical side. In the past year, I have started playing a guitar, HAD started working out regularly and have been in an actual relationship, perhaps the biggest achievement in my life. lolzzz. Also, finally I have gathered the guts and the determination to learn driving, which I consider nothing less than any art if you are driving on the crowded streets in Mumbai Suburb. And today of course I have started writing my blog. 

Well, not bad. I am feeling much better after writing all this. And to all the near and dear ones who may be wondering whats missing -  I have not used any smileys :-D ... oops trying to control that in my blog. And last but not the least, a special mention and loads of thanks to one of my best friends (in the eighth category.. lolzz) who suggested me to start writing a blog. Guess you were right about this universe of blogs, and I have to agree with you, yet again!!!  

See yaa ..

One Happy Blogger