F-6...A GROUP TO CHERISH FOREVER

“Dil dhoondta hai”…yes…this was the title that K gave to the video he compiled out of some of the most memorable snaps that we had collected over the period of last six months…..I don’t remember how many times I have watched the video in the last couple of days….but each time I watched the video, it gave me the feeling that I am going to miss some of the finest moments of my life which I had been used to since the last six months…

We did not even know each other, 6 months and a day ago…..But now as it is time to part…I wonder what made all the people to be in that mood that evening……I never thought that the meeting will enter deep into the night in such a manner…I could literally see tears in the eyes of H and A….. K was so different from his usual self…although in his typical silent and dignified self…..I don’t know why S kept on moving out again and again…just smoking cannot be the reason…and V….V has always been the kid of the group…he is even more innocent than a kid…..I cannot forget the way he kept his hand on H trying to console her….

We are so different from each other. But somehow the frequency matched real well. It is real complicated stuff….. You never know why you like somebody…why you tend to miss certain people more than others…I have always believed in the “Law of negatives” and most likely this was the reason….Each of us was different…..extra-ordinarily different…both emotionally and professionally …but one thing that was common to all of us was the sense of mutual respect. No friendship….no relationship…can thrive without mutual respect. So was our case.

When I entered ISB, they said that business education is not likely to give you great friends…..Today, I really doubt the authenticity of the statement….Here are my greatest assets that I will carry out of ISB…five people, on whom I can trust more that myself…..throughout my life.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN?

Mckinseys.....BCGs.....AT Kearneys.....the info sessions are in full sway. This is what one of the alums of the class of 2006, who is presently working at AT Kearney had to share. From the words of AW

"Around this time…last year…when I was in your position…I read this somewhere…and wish to share the same with you…

What do you believe in
Every single day of your life
Every morning that you wake up
Before you rub your eyes
Before you sip that coffee
Before you live the day
Before you retire after it
What do you believe in…

The more I get to know your batch the more I am impressed…with the experience…the talent...and the enthusiasm. And for me, the distance between your present and the future that YOU shall carve for yourselves will be determined by “what do you believe in…”. Go figure…and get started right now."

TIE-ISB CONNECT 2006

The much awited TIE-ISB Connect is now well on its way after its inauguration by Chief Minister Y.S.R. Reddy. All the budding entrepreneurs....dont forget to follow the happenings of India's largest entrepreneurial networking event. More details can be traced in the following link.

http://www.isb.edu/TiE-ISB_Connect_2006/

As usual, the ISB campus boasts of the top delegates including the top CXOs of the some of the leading organisations and many leading venture capitalists of the country. Entrepreneurship has always been high on the agenda of ISB and the mega event is just a glimpse of the spirit.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE HIGH SEAS

Information Technology, with all the associated strategies, has been my favorite course for this term. Some of the most intricate strategies, that are normally not so visible, look quite appreciable. “Moore’s Law…. applications of “Two sided Network Externalities”… “the strategies which took Intel to the top”…… “the mistakes which IBM made to give away its leadership position”….."the strategies followed by Google" are among the numerous interesting aspects of the course.

Information Technology finds its effect in the shipping industry as never before. Gone are those days when the mariner used to trust the pole star and his binoculars to guide the ship on her way. Today, sophisticated RADAR systems, auto-pilot systems, DGPS systems, electronic charts, scores of application software involved in the daily operations of the ship, powerful LAN networks, global anti-piracy systems, VSAT networks that can power internet to the high seas and numerous other innovations define the level of dependence that the ship has developed on IT. Even anti-pollution measures are closely knitted to the innovations of IT. Every minor incident happening on the ship can be monitored thousands of mile away.

Under such a situation, the modern day mariner or a naval architect has no choice but to keep himself enlightened about the environment created by IT. Undoubtedly, IT has converted the rough and tough world of shipping into a suave and technology-savvy industry.

SO DIFFICULT....YET SO IMPORTANT

Like to the Pontic sea,
Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne'er feels retiring ebb, but keeps due on
To the Propontic and the Hellespont,
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall ne'er look back.
(Othello, 3. 3)
Sometimes the vision gets so blurred for a moment....control over self is lost....a momentary fit of rage destroys everything....

Am I trying to be philosophical....nope.....just trying to learn the importance of not letting oneself fall into the trap of that momentary rage which is the source of potential destruction. It may not be possible to remain away from anger...its just not possible to be a human being and not succumb to rage.....But it is this moment which dictates the most defining aspect of ones personality....

Hopefully, some day I can learn the trick..... so difficult to learn.....yet so important to learn.

THE FIRST COUNTDOWN

So…the time to close one more chapter is around…just 15 more days for Term-4 to end, and along with it,the core terms. People don’t want to miss any of the activities of this countdown period. Term-4 is kind enough to provide time for late night weekend parties....and no one likes to miss these parties.

Even the lecture theatre moments are filled with a kind of excitement which keeps on reminding that the days in the respective sections are numbered. There is this concept of “X – Day” where X can cover any word that suits your imaginations. Last week Section F had this day called “Funky Day”. Let the snap in this post describe what Funky Day means. Even the exchange students are a part of all the fun. The memory of these days are sure to bring forth a smile in our face, years after we leave this place.

Birthday celebrations are no longer confined to the pool time story but extends deep into the night, with lots and lots of celebrations. The birthday dunking concept is such a sweet thing. This is one time which brings so many people together in the most informal manner.

The kind of bonding that has developed here over the period of last six months is beyond my imagination. Section F will be not exist after 15 days, but the memories will always stay for ever. Group F-6 will remain no longer on the paper, but the spirit of F-6 is going to stay forever. Never did I laugh as much in my life as I did during the group meetings....so much life…so much fun….that added the much needed charm to those continuous night outs.

REVELATIONS AFTER REVELATIONS

Since the last couple of days, I have been coming across revelations after revelations. For the first time, I decided to give some serious time to ORKUT networking and the outcome is beyond my expectations. Some very old contacts renewed and some great changes discovered….. Discovered that the person who was the source of inspiration for all of us during my school days is presently in Wharton doing his MBA…..Realized that one of my friends, who could never manage to get his love in India, finally managed to find his sweetheart in an alien land under extra ordinary circumstances….found that some of the little kids who used to run around in school playground are grown up enough to enroll into Phds.....and many such cases.

Life has changed for all these people….for some the change has been completely dramatic....for others it has been as expected....Getting reconnected to so many people is a great feeling.....looks like I am getting addicted to ORKUT.

THE BLOSSOMING FLOWER

Celebrating festivals is a part and parcel of ISB life. Most of the credit goes to the spouses, who take care of all the meticulous preparation that ensures the celebration of all festivals. Like every other festival, Onam was also celebrated in ISB with all its tradition.




It was indeed a treat to watch the Onam trademark blossom from scratch. The process involved so many things...from meticulous mathematical calculations to special artistic skills. Though I had seen the final version of the art on numerous occasions earlier, this is the first time, I got a chance to appreciate the complete process.

ON THE BREAKFAST TABLE

Today morning on the breakfast table, Major, Jammer, Gomez and myself had a discussion which made me rethink the topic again and again during the whole course of the day. So what is that helps in instilling an ideology….an culture into any concept?

Major was sound and clear. It is not possible to create a great learning environment just by making attendances compulsory…just by making the Honor Code all powerful…just by concentrating on grades. Unless a person himself realizes that he has to respect the Honor Code, not by compulsion but by choice, the culture cannot be created. Unless the student himself feels that he is missing something not by attending the lectures, it is no point synchronizing grades with attendance. I could see lot of point and depth in Major’s contention.

But then, when Jammer is around, things get real interesting. How is it possible to instill such culture into Indian students? Will it be a good idea if the Honor Code system is discontinued? Under such a situation will students have an incentive to invest the best of their abilities into the assignments? The Honor Code was never there when ISB started. But the situation forced the creation of such a committee. And if attendance is not made compulsory, then will classrooms wear the same look as it does now…..may be it will…..may be not.

While Major and Jammer kept the discussion on, Gomez kept on meandering, sometimes supporting Jammer and sometimes the Major. And I kept on wondering why is it so difficult to create a culture without forcing a person to do something. What does it really take to create that culture…the kind of culture that exists in the big names like Harvard and Wharton?

TERM-4 ARRIVES

After the dreamy hibernation of the term break, it is time to attend the lectures again. Term-4 looks so different from other terms. Apart from “Investment Analysis”, the courses look very much theoretical. The names of these courses also sound different from the typical ISB courses-

1.Government, Society & Business
2.Strategic Analysis of Information Technology
3.Management of Organizations
4.Investment Analysis (the only numeric course)

Looks like not much number crunching this term. The courses are more aligned towards understanding the sensitivity of various organizations and people. Some of the cases are linked with the concepts of Sociology and Psychology. After the exhausting sessions of Corporate Finance and Operation Management, it is time to understand the softer aspects of management.

Term-4 brings the real placement fever into action. People aspiring to work as investment bankers and in similar roles have plenty of reasons to smile…..and why not…with some of the biggest names lined up as early October to grab those finance whiz kids for their international recruitment.

A SUBTLE DESIRE

As I closed my eyes, I could hear the magic of her violin. I could see that expression in her face as she used to lose herself in getting the best out of the strings. I remember how easily she used to snatch the violin from my hands to play the tune so that I could understand that there is something called rhythm which separates music from noise. She could not speak my language and I could not speak her language….yet I could understand what she wanted me to understand….perhaps that’s the power of music.

Music is such a wonderful concept….so divine….so pure….so platonic. It has the charm to create a desire within you…it has the ability to quench your confusions….it has the ability to carry you in the pursuit of the eternal happiness….. Away from the confused materialistic world….to the corridors of serenity where you can sit down for a while….forget the daily mundane stuff and submit yourself completely to your subtle self.

Someday, I hope I can play the violin as I have always wanted to. Someday, I wish she will be there by my side…not to snatch my violin to let me know the real rhythm…but to listen to what I play…with a smile on her face and with her eyes closed.

THE STORY OF ILLUSION

You hear a song…..and you feel like hearing it again….and again…The desires of the heart....
You think about something…..and it is just not possible to come out of it…..The imaginations of the mind...
You try hard to understand…..and it is not possible to fathom the depth…..The reality of the world...
Immeasurable…..inefficable…. unfathomable…..it’s the story of illusion...The power of truth

TERM-3 REFLECTIONS - BLOGS

"Keys to imaginations" didnot get enough contribution from me in Term-3. The reason being I dedicated the time I preserved for blogging to appreciate the creativity of other blogs. I doubt if there is any blog related to ISB and I have not read it.

In this term, I discovered three blogs during this period which possess a creativity, beyond the figments of daily imaginations. Two of these belong to my batch mates while the third one belongs to an amazing friend of mine who is presently undergoing his MBA in INSEAD. The links to these blogs are - Ironic , Dhi only one and Sandith.

While the first two blogs are not very much into the technical details of ISB, but they do possess the freshness of the morning dew mixed with the complicacies of the sweetness of human emotions. Really nice blogs.

Now, coming to Sandith's blog, let me write a line or two about Sandy (as we call him). He was three years my senior in IIT......was my senior colleague during my job...... and more than all these, a great friend. Anyone interested to know about life at INSEAD can follow this blog.

Sometimes, I do admire the power of blogging. Initially I started this blog just to capture my journey in ISB, but it has turned out to be a wonderful networking tool. I have come to know so many people through this blog and hope that the number will only rise with time.