IS THIS THE RIGHT DECISION??...WHO KNOWS

You see your batch mates changing jobs even before settling down at one place…. you realize that every change is associated with a decent hike in package…you know it is quite easy to do this…at times it is quite tempting as well…with the alum contacts and HR details of various companies, you even know whom to forward your CVs.

At the same time, you remind yourself of the assignment you accepted when you signed the acceptance letter…The role you are in …is good…. pays decent…. but then as they say “for every good, there is a better…”

You finally decide to stick to what you had decided earlier…you decide to give yourself some time…you realize that your presence has to bring some value to the organization…. and in case you are successful in what you are hired for…its you who will fix your price…but not now…only after proving yourself…and hopefully early enough.

I hope I have made the correct decision…will revisit this post after a couple of years…its only in hindsight, that a decision is good or bad…

IN RANKINGS....

Its a great feeling when you grow with your alma mater....and thats the pleasure... when you are an alum of ISB. I was going through the "alma matters" (the e-magazine) that gives an update about the school to the alums. The initial years are over....minimum requirements are almost fulfilled and ISB is all set to participate in next year's influential Financial Times (FT) rankings....Optimism is high and hopefully an Indian school will earn a distinguished place in the rankings.....

Class of 2004 will be kickstarting a new process (that will give an idea of alum perception and progression three years after graduation)....as these global rankings consider the views of alumni as an important element of ranking.

Its great feeling as an alum of the ISB...as I see the school achieve one laurel after another....at an amazing pace...

ABHINAYA

Those who have been following my blog since its inception may recollect the name “TAS” which I have mentioned a couple of times in my earlier posts. Well…from being a senior in IIT Madras to a senior colleague in my past job…from being a great friend to a great counselor…he has always been an inspiring person.

I remember writing about “Thalir” ….the book, which he compiled out of the stories he inspired amateur authors to write and got published. This book was a great hit is S.Korea, where we were posted those days.

TAS just completed his MBA from INSEAD and will be returning to India shortly, to start his shipyard and design consultancy. During his stay at INSEAD, he decided to come up with an idea to start a kind of website which in its full shape will be a huge collection of art and dance forms, from different parts of the world. So…those who have interest in rare dance and art forms can bookmark the following website. The database is not yet uploaded…but the process is about to start.

http://www.abhinaya.in/

THINGS FALL APART

Weekends are not easy to spend…especially when the rain Gods are busy during this time. I spent the Saturday completely indoors with Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”. Sunday was a tough day….no reserve books to read….no nearby trips…no internet surfing (the broadband connection I took at my place is out of order). Spent the whole day gazing outside the balcony….while the eyes reflexively admired the swaying rain…the mind refused to deviate from the African words and phrases which I had just came across a day ago.

“Things Fall Apart” is the first African novel which I read in recent times. Perhaps the close link which my job shares with Africa enticed me to choose this book from the ground floor office library. This book reflects the mental turmoil, hatred and fear which an African named Okonkwo faced during his lifetime….first due to the shadow of his past….and later due to the destruction of the social fabric by the missionaries from Europe. The book ends with a sad note…and am yet unable to figure out why Achebe gave such an ending to the life of Okonkwo. He raised him from rags to riches….from the unfortunate child of a dull villager to a brave warrior….and finally from the stature of one of the greatest clansmen to a timid death.

The theme is based in the background of Christian missionaries entering Nigeria….and the novel very vividly and colorfully describes the customs, traditions and beliefs of various clans, intertwined with the simple emotions of day to day life. Achebe brings into his novel the faith of the tribes….chi…eneke-nti-oba, isa-ifi, iyi-uwa and ogbanje children, nso-ani, nza, tufia, ozo…..and many such words…each of which is associated with some tradition, which might seem really wild and mysterious to us. From the world of spirits to the sources of conventional wisdom, Achebe has covered them all….

An interesting book to read….liked it overall….and this paves way for other popular African novels. May be, during my visits to Africa, I can have a better understanding of the subtlety of the African culture.

...THAT SPECIAL FIRST JOB

Finally I send the most difficult mail of my life…. hold on…if you think it’s a love letter then you are wrong…it’s even tougher than that….

I had not yet informed about my career decisions to the company which I worked for (before joining ISB). My ex-boss was aware of my post-MBA plans, but unfortunately he did not come to know it from me directly…

I had written the mail earlier but it was not that easy to send the mail, informing that I will be taking a slightly different path. The memories of those lovely four years were even clearer. First job is always the first job…The sweet Nariman Point office (where I had joined this company and from where it shifted to Andheri later) is so difficult to forget in life.

In those five months, I had stayed in that office, I got an idea of the real corporate world for the first time. I learnt that its not the long equation mentioned in Taggarts (That’s considered the Bible of Naval) that defines which machinery should be fitted in a ship, instead it’s the decision of the management of how long they want to do away with the ship.

Life will move on…but certain things will always be special…and even decades after... when you will look back….you will try to gather each of those fragmented priceless moments of that very special FIRST JOB.

(And a short while ago I got the reply from my ex-boss. He congratulated me on my decision and wished me all the best)

IS IT EASY??

Two of my newly joined MBA colleagues and myself were trying to analyze the prevalent culture in the top business conglomerates of India. Most of these family led businesses are going through interesting times. They are hiring MBAs in large numbers and developing a mindset that shifts from a traditional hierarchical culture to a young and open culture.

At the same time we were also discussing the problems and the challenges that such huge organizations are likely to face during this process. One of the most important skills we realized is how to deal with people. As an MBA from a leading school, it’s easy to find your first post MBA designations as managers or senior managers (talking about laterals only). These same roles are sometimes even termed AVPs in some organizations. Now there will be a person (twice your age), who has risen from the grassroots and has remained loyal to an organization. But, his designation is officially lower than yours. This provides a difficult situation and dealing with such man-management issues is likely to be one of the biggest challenges.

There is also a kind of cultural mix. Its easy to find a boss, from whom you can learn so many things, and at the same time the traditional support staff can create delay in the execution of various processes. Extremely competitive people as well as the lousy ones will inhabit the same office. Dealing with all these varieties effectively, with due respect to caliber, age and range is quite a challenge.

Its easy to create a job profile which boasts of planning, international business, project execution, fixed asset management, site monitoring…and what not…but at the end of the day all these boils down to the same issue…people management…. technical stuff is always the same (basic finance, accounting, operations etc)…and not the rocket science variety…at least at the level I am in.

THREE SNAPS FROM THE MEMORIES OF KOLAD

While revisiting my Kolad snaps, came across these three...the first snap pictures a cow near a well. The last one captures an evening moment of a dog. Two pigeons can be seen in the second snap...one of them just ready to pick up its flight.

EXPERIMENTING AND ADAPTING

“Keep experimenting and adapting” should be the motto if one wants to stay in this city….

It so happened that I discovered a bus that took 45 minutes from the bus stop (close to my apartment) to my office in the morning. It was a great sense of satisfaction, and I congratulated myself for discovering this bus…so problem of commuting solved… In the evening I took the same bus….but my return journey back home took me three hours…

Next evening I decided not to take the bus back home. I decided to walk till the nearest station …boarded one train, then another and by the time I reached home, it had taken two hours…so I managed to save an extra hour…great.

Third evening on my way back I realized that there exists a concept of share taxi. So my journey started within a share taxi. Share taxi…train 1…train 2….and finally home….and this time I managed to reach home in just one hour and fifteen minutes.

That’s pretty reasonable by the standards of Mumbai. But just as things were beginning to fall in place, heavy rains have been lashing Mumbai for the last couple of days. The trains are delayed; buses are not at their usual best and situation does not look good for the next few days at least…

This city is a tough city….but at the end of the day it teaches a person to keep on adapting and experimenting…and the resilience of the people who stay here is just awesome…

DAYS MOVING ON...

Days moving on…. and I am getting myself accustomed to the new life. As far as professional life is considered, things are quite interesting. The induction period will soon get over…this period has been quite effective in getting to know the top management, as well as the divisional heads and their team members. People in the top are quite friendly and the divisional heads are co-operative enough to help know the processes and the systems well.

Recently I was asked if any subjects (taught at ISB) has been of more help than others…well to give an answer, I feel it’s the complete synopsis of all the courses that helps in shaping the perspective. There are different profiles in an organization and different people who are involved in the systematic processes of an organization. ISB has helped a lot is this aspect to understand an organization, its people and its processes much better.

However, one may need to get a better grasp of certain courses more than others to customize one’s own role. Considering the fact that my role involves planning in the context of international business and project executions, I personally feel courses like International Finance, Management of Organizations and courses related to operations are directly related to my profile. At the same time the basic accounting (both financial and managerial accounting) are likely to be quite helpful.

Having talked about some of the courses, I still feel that it is my pre-MBA work experience, which has helped me quite a bit in understanding the processes.

FIRST WEEKEND

The first weekend was rather dull…. equipped myself with some very basic amenities of healthy survival…called some friends only to realize that work has kept them too busy…most of them are busy traveling around. And others are busy getting used to the transition.

Read “Eleven Minutes” during the weekend…. an interesting book…Paulo Coelho has provided quite an interesting perspective on sensitive topics like lust in the context of love and pleasure in the context of pain…The thoughts may not be as inspiring as in Alchemist, but they definitely possess the sensitive element of human nature and aspirations from a different angle.

With the rains around…commuting is going to be tough. Thanks to Bus No.521, commuting has been easier than I thought it to be.

Today morning was interesting as I gathered a fair deal of working knowledge about my job profile…was offered either to move onsite, or to get an idea of the processes and the corporate culture. I think it is a good time to stay a few months in Mumbai, get an idea of all the relevant processes and then decide to move onsite. “Onsite”, let me stress, is not a passport to the developed world, in the kind of business I am in, rather it is likely to take to much tougher places…. anyway…everything is an experience….

TRANSITION....IS IT??

No more seas and the oceans now....it will be the mountains, deserts and rivers...

No more beautiful ships for the time being...it will be the huge power generating towers....

No more countries of the far east and Europe....the present belongs to middle east and Africa...

No more the giant Hyundai offshore structures being built outside my window....its the Vashi local train junction outside...

Well...those are the biggest changes in my professional career after ISB....though the kind of work will carry a lot of similarities with my past career, yet the beauty that was associated with hard core shipping is missing...

But then it is my objective to gain exposure into sister industries that tempted to move into the energy sector....no regrets till now....and shipping will always be there....

IN MUMBAI

Last ten odd days have been really hectic....the induction process, Kolad adventure trip, entry formalities, accommodation search...

Met 64 other people from the leading bschools of India...got to know some of them quite well...

Finally settled down in Vashi (Navi Mumbai)...hopefully my love for travel will not alienate the Mumbai local trains.

Almost dead now after the induction week...will write in detail about all the interesting things that happened in my next post...

MUMBAI

Mumbai is a city with its own culture. To understand this culture, one needs to be a part of this city. A city, which at times can make someone dream to reach the stars, and at other times, make the same person sink in his loneliness.

I haven’t stayed long in Mumbai…just a few months during the beginning of my professional career…the second half of 2002, to be precise. My stay was indeed an experience then. The experience of the first job in life carries with it some very basic lessons. It is one of the biggest transitions of life.

My post MBA career also follows the same path. It is destined to begin in Mumbai. The industry, which I will be joining, is not very different culturally from the industry which I worked before. Shipping, energy/power, oil industries are closely linked with each other and I can see myself moving within these sectors.

Life in Mumbai will be vastly different from what it has been over the last five odd years. It will be tough in a number of ways. But, I do feel happy on my decision to return back to India. Life outside India might be easy, but something was missing…something which I feel should not be compromised with. Not that I dislike going to other countries…I will always love to visit new cultures and new lands…but the base should be in India now.

So friends…my last post from Bhubaneswar…vacation is almost over. I will try to write as frequently as possible from Mumbai…try to post my experience of Post-MBA Mumbai life.

I am always reachable on my email address: sabyasachimohanty@gmail.com

Don’t hesitate to drop a mail if I can be of any help. Keep commenting, as comments keep on motivating me to continue this blog.

A LONG VACATION INDEED

Five more days remain for my vacation to end…a long vacation...two-months is indeed a long time. The summer heat wave forced me to spend most of time indoors, though occasionally I did visit some places.

The break was remarkable in the sense that I got a chance to meet many relatives and some very old friends.

Read the blogs of Class08. This is perhaps the best way to relive the ISB experience.

Unearthed my complete collection of ISB snaps and arranged them in a systematic manner. The collection looks pretty impressive now.

Played videogames like never before.

Read all the spam mails of all the e-groups, I am part of. Reading spams is quite interesting if you have the time.

Managed to reduce the ISB baggage by three kilos. Still need to get down by three more to reach the standards.

Attended seven weddings…Through the experience…got convinced that people love to make simple things complex.

Slept during the nights and also during the days…will really find it difficult to attend office in the morning.

CONSOLING MYSELF??

The storm had receded. It had rained heavily through out the afternoon. Hail storms are not so regular in this part of the country, yet at times they do make their presence felt. The wide roads were flooded with the fast flowing rain water.

The night was clear. I moved the window screen aside so that from the comfort of my bed, I could see the stars twinkling. It has been always a refreshing feeling to look at these stars. The fresh nocturnal breeze carried with it the fragrance of the jasmine and champak flowers of our garden. It seems as if an age old friendship exists between these flowers and the mystery of the night. The magic of such an ambience was evident. It was as if the beauty of the night was smiling at me.

But at times, when the outside is so clear and beautiful, it is the internal faculty that is shrouded with confusion. The same thought reappeared. I am still unable to discover the reason of my existence. Ancient texts and wise people say that God has created every person with an objective. The Alchemist reiterates the fact that however small it might be, yet every individual plays a central role in the universe, with or without his knowledge. Till now, I am not aware of any role that I am playing, nor can I think of any such role in future. I am just another of the selfish individuals who spend their whole lives in fulfilling their own desires and aspirations.

I can see only one path which I am likely to take…the path which seems worn out as most of the travelers find this path easy to tread. I don’t possess the courage to take an unknown path…a path which is vastly different from the other path. But this lack of courage is something which defines an ordinary human being. It is the lack of this courage in most of the individuals which makes world an easy place to live in…and lively too. Am I trying to console myself for this lack of courage or for my inability to discover the reason of my existence….yeah…may be.

SEC F REVISITED

While browsing my ISB collection, I came across this snap. This was taken during our orientation more than a year ago. Sec F was newly formed in ISB, and this snap pictures some of the people of this section in the Khemka. Friends who are so familiar now, were busy introducing themselves then...

I heard that Sec F rocked this year (Co08)...they came winner in most of the orientation events....

DREAMY REALITY

Nothing much happening these days…and an idle mind provides the ideal recipe for the genesis of insensible thoughts. When there is nothing to do today, we tend to think a lot about future…like how we will be five years down the line…or 10 years down the line or even twenty years from today. I know these thoughts are as silly as the silliest things in the world (couldn’t find a better phrase within my abilities), but no harm in dreaming….

Well…so what after 5 years…will I be a vice president of a division (most ambitious perspective) or will I be doing my PhD in US….absolutely no idea….but I do want to be a vice president as soon as possible and at the same time I am quite clear to do my PhD at some stage of my life…
(Vice president because I feel that’s the earliest connection to the happenings of the top management)
And how will the moments in the airports and the flights be…will I be still busy admiring the beauty of the air-hostesses… or… the sweetest girl on the planet will be sitting beside me to listen to the crap I speak.

How about life ten years hence?? Quite possible that I might be teaching in some university…being in the senior management (while dreaming, why be stingy) of an organization is another possibility…
And on the personal front…I just cannot imagine how life will be then…but I am sure the sweetest lady on the planet must have got accustomed to me then….may be some new members will have joined then…..with admirable traits.

How about life twenty years from today…well…I think I must be trying really hard to develop the traits which professors like Stine and Jay possess, by the virtue of which they can inspire generations of students whom they have taught….
Now regarding the personal part…just unable to discover the right key to imagine this….

Hahaha….its fun to imagine and dream about life…..especially when it is not clear what’s going to happen after a week…but no harm in dreaming...dreaming to move to the top..both in industry and academics....

ETERNAL ISB SPAMS

ISB spams are eternal….we just cannot avoid them…at times they irritate us and at other times the response to these spams can make you laugh like anything. The latest spam series within the ISB alum mailbox goes something like this

A lady (ISB alum) with a sweet name (the name of girls are always sweet, but in this case it’s just too sweet) writes - “three bedroom apartment available in one of the hottest sea-face locations of Mumbai. Now if “anyone” is interested to share, get in touch”.

A gentleman (unmarried ISB alum) finds the offer irresistible. He replies back to the complete group just to verify if the lady has provided the option of sharing the apartment with the humble beings of the opposite sex as well. This mail in itself is a class act of romanticism painted with an ideal mix of optimism.

This reply infuriates the third gentleman (I am sure many more will be there seriously ready to pick up a skirmish on this issue, but it is the early bird which catches its prey). The mail that followed with an avuncular tone advised the earlier gentleman some serious doses of practicality and a note on email etiquette. This note is another class act in itself.

The reaction of the lady and the first gentleman is not public yet….

(The contents of this post are exaggerated and should be taken in lighter spirits)

BANKI CHURCHIKA

Lately, I have developed a special liking to visit those places which are not the most well known tourist destinations and those which are still away from commercialization, yet hold a deep significance in the minds of the local people of that region. Recently, I visited a temple on the bank of river Mahanadi in a small town called Banki. This temple is called the Churchika Temple. Not many outside Orissa know the existence of this temple, yet in the minds of the local people where this temple is situated, this temple has shaped the myths and legends. No one knows how old the temple is, yet legends say that The Goddess Churchika (the same power clan as that of Goddess Kali) still appears in personified form during the rituals.

Who will believe that such exquisite wooden architecture and paintings can be found inside one of the most obscure temples of the land?

Such architecture reminds me of the Oriental architecture (mostly Japanese and Korean).

River Mahanadi in a serene mood and a distant hill - the view from the Temple. This river is the trademark of Orissa.

HONOR CODE VIOLATION

Here is an example of the consequences of violating the Honor Code in reputed universities.
This news is covered in NYTIMES.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/us/01duke.html?_r=1&oref=slogin