I am but an egg

My sci-fi odyssey continues. This time, it's Stranger in a strange land, a beautiful examination of religion, philosophy, love, xenophobia and just what qualifies the term mankind. Strange ideas abound through the book, and once again, I'm surprised by some of the things I've been missing.

A few years ago, when I first read Roy's God of Small Things, a comment on the blurb caught my attention. It said that all good books invent their own language. I guess, then, that all great books are imbibed into the language itself. And here, Heinlein has talent non-pareil. Not just the word grok, he has added what I would like to believe one of the most innocent phrases - I am but an egg.

I interpret it to be mean something along these lines: I accept my ignorance without thought to consequences. I do not try to hide my lack of knowledge. Consequently, I am not afraid of being "found out". In a knowledge-weary world, it is a refreshing attitude. It opens one's mind, makes one seek knowledge for knowledge. It reconnects us with our childhood again. I get the feeling that considering knowledge is power in today's world, people are more reluctant to admit that they don't know something. Especially so in an industry like consulting. This becomes a way of life, unfortunately, which blocks any further progress.

Heinlein's other interesting definition is of mankind itself. When asked who man was, one of the characters answered, man was a creature that laughed at itself. Very poignant. Also, very true! I haven't even begun the more interesting part of the book, who knows where it will lead us.

It's getting late, but I can't resist setting out another poem that Heinlein references in the book, R.L Stevenson's (yes, he of the Treasure Island and Jekyll-n-Hyde fame) Requiem:

 Beneath the wide wide  starry sky, 
 Dig the grave and let me lie, 
 Glad did I live and gladly die, 
 And I lay me down with a will: 

 This be the verse you grave for me: 
 Here he lies where he longed to be, 
 Home is the sailor, home from sea, 
 And the hunter home from the hill. 

Haiku

I've been away for quite some time, travelling and in general being occupied with work. And within this manic world of instant everything, I discovered a form of poetry that I thought I'd never truly appreciate. Haiku.

I've never been much of a fan of romanticist poetry, though it does have extremely evocative imagery. I always believed that poetry should be based on elegance of thought and structure, being characterized by brevity in its form. If not, isn't it cutting it too close to prose ?

On chance, I stumbled upon a couple of scribbled lines of Haiku and that led to a line of interesting research. It turns out that the 17 syllables can convey a powerful image. Like the Japanese language itself, a Haiku, to me, is the hieroglyphic form of prose. To some extent, the development of Haiku in Japan has been aided by both the nature and culture of the land. Buddhism lends itself well to Haiku, focusing on minimalist language to convey the deepest thoughts. For example, the following Haiku in my mind captures the true essence of Buddhism:

a world of dew,

and within every dewdrop

a world of struggle

The best Haiku always instills in me a feeling of serenity and peace. Of realization that there is beauty in this world after all. Of recognition that there is more to life than strife and toil. Of perfection. Of harnessed intelligence. Of quiet contemplation. Of a thousand words.

A couple more that I really liked:

so very still, even

cherry blossoms are not stirred

by the temple bell

--

at the ancient pond

a frog plunges into

the sound of water

Magnum Opus

One of the drawbacks of the internet age is the inability to walk into a bookstore, rummage and walk out with a book and the anticipation of not knowing how it will turn out. It was a good experience, then, to stumble into a Reliance book-store at Korum in Thane. And on a whim, I picked up what ultimately was one of the better reads in recent times. Let's face it, I have had just too many MBA turned authors strutting their stuff on my bookshelf. So it felt good to put my fate in the hands of a writer, someone who's actually studied the art and not decided to follow his whim after friends praised the blog posts! So yes - Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games succeeded in blindsiding me like no other book in recent memory.

I bought it thinking "What the heck - it's about the Mumbai underworld, how bad can it be ?!". Just a simple back-of-the-envelope calculation meant that I'd be occupied for days, in return for just Rs 300/-. Seemed like a good deal to an business grad and so I plonked for it over Nagarkar's Cuckold. And I was pleasantly surprised. The book is about everything, but at its core, it's about Mumbai - the city and its people. It takes the antipodean approach to the city when compared to Shantaram, which sometimes felt detached, as if you knew an outsider was writing about it.

Chandra, on the other hand, writes as if he knows it intimately and is familiar with every mote of dust and every drop of sweat. The characters are real, their problems are real and one can feel the research and work that must have gone into the book's writing. I get the feeling, strongly resonant, that the characters love Mumbai not because of its inherent goodness, but because of its frailties. He succeeds in capturing the city's language perfectly, its curious mix of Marathi, Hindi and English, simultaneously giving us a glimpse of its life-force - what it means to live in this city. So even though this book happens through the eyes of a sardar-ji cop, you never feel as if he's an outsider in this world. This is his city and he belongs here. The opening scene alone should rivet you to close attention. Yes, it's opus-sized at 900+ pages. And yes, it does tend to drag a bit, especially during the insets. But the writing is never dull and this book will definitely occupy good shelf space in the Indian author's section. It's disappointing that the book was not a runaway success, though it will be difficult for the author to match the scale and scope of this work.

It's interesting to note a bit of trivia on Chandra. He co-wrote Mission Kashmir with Suketu Mehta, who has himself written a largely documentary-style book about Mumbai - Maximum City (not a big fan). Chandra's sister, Tanuja, makes (or rather used to make) quite half-decent films. Mom Kamna wrote classics like 1942: A Love Story and Chandini while other sister Anupama is Vidhu Vinod Chopra's wife and a Bollywood historian/author herself in addition to being a consulting editor with NDTV. That is a family with some achievers !

This lack of cable TV has really been a blessing in disguise. Have had some good reads in this time. Finally completed Asimov's two remaining novels (End of Eternity and The Gods, Themselves - typical Asimov), Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card's masterpiece) plus Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Brilliant) and will start exploring the Gabriel Garcia Marquez books soon. Interesting times ahead !

I leave you with an elegant quote I came across:

 Life happened because I turned the pages ~ Alberto Manguel

Steed

After a long time, I'm mobile again ! I bought a Hyundai i10 Asta towards the end of May and God, what a relief it is to not depend on auto-wallas again :) I've been meaning to jot this down for a long time, but finally getting around to writing about how I finally zeroed in on the i10.

Since mom and dad were absolutely hell bent on not allowing me a bike (YZF R-15 ?), I decided to opt for a set of two extra wheels. I was quite sure I wanted something small for my first car that had a petrol engine and definitely didn't want a Maruti. The Beat was just too radical for my taste. Finally, the hatches in consideration were Hyundai, Punto, Figo and Polo. While Figo is probably the best VFM out there, I wasn't sure about the quality of the build and the petrol engine. Ford has always been associated to the oil-burner in my mind and it was difficult to break that link. Looks-wise, I loved the Polo, but reviews have noticed a lethargic 1.2L and was expensive for its bracket. That left Punto and Hyundai. I really liked the specs on the Punto and almost decided to buy the 1.4 Emo Pk. The only thing that stopped me was having to deal with Tata showrooms and service centers. That's a big no-no.

Finally, after realizing that manual transmission in the i20 has the same 1.2L which brings down the power-weight ratio, I finally decided that the i10 is the right fit. I've not regretted it in the short time I've had it. Some good things:

• The interiors are plush, compared to the others.
• Seats are comfortable and the space for rear passengers is ample enough.
• It's got a very light steering which is a pleasure to drive in traffic
• The NVH levels are more than acceptable upto 110 kph
• The gear shift it precise
• The music system is sufficient for my use and
• You get good highway handling with ABS and EBD

And now the not-so-good:

• low-rpm grunt is sorely lacking
• Visibility is obstructed due to the front right pillar
• The gear shift sometimes refuses to shift into 1st or R
• The light steering is too light on the highway
• The headlights are bad. Really bad
• Well, there are just so many of them out there !

Overall, though, I'm quite satisfied with the package. For 90% of the time, it suits my needs. In fact, dad's considering getting an AT for himself. That ought to be fun.

What's not fun, though, has been the traffic. It's just crazy. It seems like only yesterday that I was weaving effortlessly out of traffic on my Pulsar. But somehow, seated in a car, you realize the mindless risks that people take to shave seconds. Rules are not even recognized, forget followed. Whoever said one has to stop at red light ?! The worst part is that akin to corruption, it is very difficult for an honest driver to make a fist of it. Basically, driving in India is more like loco motion rather than locomotion :)

Transition

So the ride that was ISB finally ended. The graduation day was well organized and I thought all the speakers spoke rather well. I do feel sorry for Mr Sibal, though, having to shake 550+ hands ! All in all, a satisfactory end to an energetic year.

I did expect the ride from student life to corporate life to be rather bumpy, a little like the morning after a night spent painting the town red :) I was pleasantly surprised then, to find that I had almost two and half months of doing nothing! It was fun at first, not having to be on your toes 24x7, but I guess it got a little boring towards the end. A part of the boredom was relieved by the arrival of my spanking new Hyundai i10. Being a newbie, the learning curve in Mumbai's traffic was rather steep. But we did manage to make trips to Pune, Nashik and Alibaug before I joined ZS.

The orientation in Gurgaon was simply a way to transition back into corporate life, I guess. I learnt quite a few things about ZS and the Pharmaceutical industry and survived the rest. The Leela Kempenski where we were initially put up was an excellent choice, but could have done with some better food. All in all, the 1st week was comfortable and a nice introduction to the company, function and industry. The second week was a deeper look at the respective practice areas and we did get a chance to interact with the MD, OMPs and other consultants/managers over dinner. More importantly, the NEO allowed us to interact across designations and hopefully establish some rapport.

Over the weekend, it was also an opportunity for me to catch up with classmates from BHU. I was rather pleased to find out that in this ever-changing world, some people at least have remained constant. With the Germany-England match in the background, it was a nice reunion at Connaught Place. Was burning with jealousy to find out that the Schneider Electric folks are usually home by 4:30 PM. Yeh kahaa ka insaaf hai ?!

The one thing that amazed me is the amount of development that Gurgaon has seen. All things have a new-ish feel to them. But, I was disappointed at the lack of a life beyond the professional circle in Gurgaon. You are expected to be either at work or shopping. For everything else, head to Delhi. I guess it could get really boring after a few days. Without full Metro connectivity and the lack of any mode of public transport, getting by without a vehicle is a challenge to say the least. I was, however, impressed by Delhi's Metro and if the quality of Mumbai's metro is as good, we are in for some comfortable commutes indeed.

After all this, I'm finally back a full circle. having arrived first in Pune in 2004, I'm back in the same place. The same lovely weather, the same traffic, the same attitude. It feels good to be back ! Magarpatta has grown in the years gone by and I notice that almost everything here is expensive, even when benchmarked against Mumbai. There was hardly any time settling in, since work demanded my attention almost immediately. However, I have decided to call a rental in Trillium my home for the foreseeable future.

That's about it for now, I'll try to put up a review of the i10 along with some pics and travelogues a little later.

Disconnecting

Leaving an educational institute is one of the toughest things to do. Even more so at a place like ISB. Just physically leaving the campus is a challenge in itself. For 360 days we have been pampered by Sarovar and nature. I can't imagine what it would be like to make my own bed!! As if to make things worse, summer has arrived with warmth, colors and today, cooling rain. Sigh...

Disconnecting from the more abstract attributes will require greater effort than anything else. In some sense withdrawal symptoms started to creep in after placements. The classrooms seem uninviting, the conversations repetitive and the parties monotonous. I guess I'm yearning for a newer challenge and the accompanying anticipation of the unknown!

For various reasons, term 8 is meant to facilitate this process. The courses are instructive rather than participative, giving us that much free time to create memories. Some choose to move the bull, others find memories a bottle and a few lucky ones like me get to go on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Bangkok! Team Trip-Plan learnt a lot in that visit, made a few good friends and overall had a reality check on what it means to be an entrepreneur. And of course, it wasn't just all work :)

We can do without the campus, without even the daily dose of gyaan since we will find substitutes once we leave this place. What I will miss are the students. Contrary to perception, an institute does not make the students, but vice versa. This is what I found at BHU and what I have observed at ISB. Whatever the ills and criticisms of ISB, what cannot be doubted is the talent inherent in the student body. Who knows if I'll ever find another collection of such specimens (!) in a single place at the same time.

Filling up the year book did bring back tons of memories. It was surprising to note what people actually thought of you. For some, it was payback time :) . The last section party was great and given the large turnout, it absolutely rocked. People are now busy collecting pictures, videos, books, presentations, anything at all that defined their time here. I'm not sure if that's the right way. We tend to accumulate just too much baggage.

SLC has promised an absolute blast for the next three weeks including parties, lunches, paintball fights and what not. With the Hon. Kapil Sibal expected for Graduation Day, the coming days offer a plethora of entertainment.

I'm left wondering sometimes, though, what it would be like to call ISB an alma mater. How would people perceive me ? Would I be branded as snobbish and elitist or smart and wise ? Time will tell...

Validation

These last few days of free time have really brought on introspection. I'm yet to form an opinion of my time here at ISB. Unlike at BHU, where I was nostalgic even before I left, ISB seems to defy classification. So I decided to go hunting for other similar experiences.

Of course, talking to ISBians is too small a sample. But the overall feeling I got was that most of my MBA friends (ISB, IIMs, US etc) were underwhelmed by the MBA experience. This effect was even more pronounced with those who had harrowing placement experience (and hence could be discounted to an extent) but the nagging feeling that an MBA is not all that it was cracked up to be could not be shaken off. Why is it then that the stereotype of the MBA Gods has spread like wildfire ? Does society's perspective of MBAs differ significantly from the students' ? If so, why ? Perhaps it is because our benchmarks change once we're inside.

A couple of interesting reads helped put things in perspective. Keep off the grass by Karan Bajaj takes a "pot" shot at management education at the IIMs. It's a must-read to appreciate some of the absurdity that goes on behind the scenes in Indian management education. A second, and probably more cultured, version of the B-school experience is Ahead of the Curve by Phil Broughton. Based on his two years at HBS, he puts a more realistic spin on the pressures faced by the students at an international B-school and comes very close to what my experience at ISB was like.

Both authors speak of the pressure to perform, of somehow finishing top of the curve. They also talk of the serendipity of success, of learning to take failings in your stride and not being overwhelmed by peer pressure. Easier said than done when every incoming student will be fighting tooth and nail for that pot of gold called IB/VC/PE/MC. Is this correct ? Students will have to compromise simply because of demand supply mismatch. Is this fair ? Why ask people to write lofty essays about goals when you know almost 80% of them won't be able to achieve them ? I think the GSB prof was on the right track when he asked - How much will you bend over for ?

My own personality has undergone some change since I came here. I was always introverted and critical to begin with, but now I sense that I have become more cynical. A sameness begins to creep in after some time and diversity and participation become mere buzzwords. As managers, when we are taught to question everything and deal with the uncertainty of everyday business, it can easily become the twisted prism through which we view life. I would not like this cynicism to be my greatest takeaway from an MBA. Entrepreneurs, especially, will have to figure out how to retain their dreams when surrounded by this ocean of randomness and pessimism.

Don't get me wrong - there's no experience like B-school. Everything about them is larger than life. For a few months, you're likely to be more alive than ever before and you'll be challenging everything you thought you knew about yourself. It's a grand adventure. But, like all adventures, it's not without risks. I only wish that starry-eyed folks who come in expecting the moon can be better prepared to imagine the worst-case scenario and have the right contingencies planned.

Final Stretch

Term 7 is done, dusted, and with that begins the end. It's been a nerve-wracking past few weeks. And to be honest, I have almost no recollection of the time between Dec - Jan. It's as if someone reached into my skull and ripped my memories out. I guess that's what stress does to you. Now that I have a job and time to kill, it's about time I started stocking on books. The first one I ran across was Alice in Wonderland (this book has to be on the pre-read list for O-week) and came across this scene to describe my own personal placement experience:

Alice asked the cheshire cat sitting on top of the tree

"Which way I ought to go ?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to" said the Cat.

"I don't much care where so long as I get somewhere"

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go" said the Cat.

That's the perfect way to capture my emotions. All this expectation that any MBA student should have a clearly mapped out itinerary for his career is mostly bull. As managers we are expected to deal with uncertainty day in day out. I notice that people who deal with this the best are those who are flexible instead of stubborn. They are not zappered by a role/industry/function and instead can recognize a good opportunity when it knocks on the door. Is that what ISB must start looking for while admitting students ? We seem to have crossed the half way mark and further progress can be expected in the coming days. It's the last few remaining who'll face the toughest time.

As for the other tomes, I did manage to hunt down a modern rendering of the Mahabharata. It's been on my to-do list for far too long and after my failed attempt at reading the Gita translation, I realized that I needed a simplified version to appreciate it. An appetizer before attempting the real thing, so to speak.

Since our team was shortlisted for the Asia Moot Corp competition, I'm looking forward to going on a break to Bangkok!! We have tons to do in the meantime and my job is to get the prototype working before the end of Feb. You can never really separate a techie from code for too long. I've never really built a core Java app of this size and I guess timelines are going to be a challenge.

Anyways, I guess I'll be posting regularly in the coming days. Until then, adios...

Insanity Unbound

A new year. A new dawn. The same ol' ISB marathon. This spicy mix was stirred with a generous dollop of additional craziness. Yes. Placements are here.

Classes are half empty (pessimist?), assignment boxes too, and yet, LRC burns brightest as the future consultants dissect simulated cases on industries ranging from bubble gum to satellite launches. It's fun. Watching people stutter, stammer, blank out and come up with ludicrous solutions under the guise of "innovation" is truly a humbling experience. Campus abounds with nervous energy and yet is so deserted that you might expect a tumbleweed to roll past like a spaghetti western.

All the creative CV skills we have learned in our precious experience are on dazzling display. Would anyone notice if we added a few zeroes to the project value, a dozen more resources to teams managed, an award here, an appreciation there, all topped of with "strategy", "critical", "value", "client", "international", "global", "culture", "inter-personal" and other such lofty words ? Oh what fun the recruiters must have!!

The shortlists are in, the warriors chosen and battle lines drawn for Jan 16. As time passes, you can feel the tension rise. It's like in a circus, as the trapeze artist prepares for the final jump and the drum roll reaches a crescendo. It's unbearable, really.

Different people deal with this in various ways. Some try to hide a smile, others a nervous twitch and the rarest of them all are those who shake hands with confidence during these times. It takes brave souls to wake up each day and find out if you are worth anything in the market. We take valuation courses, but this is the ultimate test of what rupee-worth you place on yourself. Some short, some long, some just don't care. As always, ISB's diversity is tremendous.

And just as you feel you can't take it any more, the drums stop. There's a clash of swords as the trumpeter announces the commencement of battle. The audience waits with bated breath. By this time, you can't walk in campus. The tension's so thick, you actually have to swim through. Those with multiple interviews run around from room to room. But for the vast majority who don't partake of the spoils on offer on day 1, it is but a trailer of the things to come.

The Consulting sisters are in their full array of feathers and fur. Egos prickle, schedules disintegrate, escalations happen and then, poof - like that it's all over. 48 hours and a deathly silence settles before the final offers. There's gossip galore, the smart ones take wagers on who'll make it where. ISBians being ISBians know when to make a quick buck. Finally, it happens. The first offer, a clap on the back, a muted celebration, mindful perhaps of the hundreds still out there.

A sigh of relief and ISB settles down till the next day to repeat the pattern on a miniature scale. It's been two weeks now and it truly has been a learning experience. From people who believe risk can only be lowered by diversifying, i.e., applying to all sectors/roles/pay-checks/locations/companies irrespective of their preference to those who app to a selected few, it is a test of skill, focus and endurance.

How will this year be ? Who knows, each batch tends to react differently IMO to the same set of offers. Circumstances are not ideal and our batch is large. But we have some atypical profiles and new recruiters. I think we'll get there. Eventually.

I know - if you've read so far, the question is almost on your lips. Yes, I did get a job on D2. Consulting, but importantly, around Pune. Deja Vu. Disengagement has already begun while simultaneously, the class of 2011 begins their journey here

A la prochaine...