Anticlimax!!!

There comes a point of time in everyone's life, where you feel that you've just let an opportunity slip by. I am feeling the same!! Though I'm just wondering what different could I have done to not feel this way!!

I'm just back from my GD & PI at TISS for the HRM & LR course. Entry into the course means a lot to me. Great B School Brand, good peers, excellent curriculum and most importantly the much needed, a well paying placement at the end of the course!!! All this crossed my mind randomly somewhere in the beginning of the month of November, 2007. That's when I decided to apply for TISS HRM & LR. Submitted my application and awaited my test on 20th Jan' 2008!!

Man, the Written Entrance Test was surprisingly easy and raised my hopes of being finally called a TISSian!! I was somewhat confident of getting a call, and I did!!! Though without any preparation I was able to crack the written entrance, I felt this strange anxiety about the GD & PI!! I'm sure everyone in my family was ecstatic!!

15th April, 2008 was the D Day for GD & PI. 2 months of social networking on orkut with fellow aspirants added more to the anxiety but also helped clear a lot of doubts for a first timer like me. I know how much my success would mean to me, to my family!! One night prior to the D Day, my anxiety got the better of me, it made me pack my bag, filled with glocose biscuits, newspapers, my DAF and some other important TISS related material!! I felt like a child preparing for the first day of school!!

The day had arrived, and I reached TISS at 9:30 full 1 hour earlier than the time given to me, and a full 30 mins earlier than the time i decided to meet Aruna, my friend I made while submitting application of forms. Also then headed to Room No. 5 where 2 students of TISS 2nd year oriented us on the institute, field work, curriculum and placements etc. We straight then headed to Room No. 7 for the GD. 11 of us in the group with 8 women and 3 men (and they yet talk of gender equality!! lol..)

GD on the topic "Should there be a censon board for TV like there is for films" was mindlessly discussed!! I made sure I got adequate airspace and made a few points. Surprisingly at 11:30 a.m. we were through with the GD. We were then taken to the new campus for our PI. Was part of the Panel 3, serial number 26 for the PI. Throughout the entire process I felt I was nothing but just a number. Agonising wait awaited me. Spent time with a few friends I made there. Also just before I was scheduled for the PI, the Panel decided to please their aptetite and went in for lunch, which ensured that my patience was tested well enough for an hour more!!

Finally I was called for the PI. Entered into the room where 2 relatively old people, 1 gentleman who genuinely looked like a Gandhian and 1 lady who liked any normal Indian lady tormented by family problems told me to sit down! I wished them Good Afternoon and pat came the question, "Tell us about yourself with relevance to HR", I mean Ive never understood this question.... i blabbed some shit about "Im opinionated, I am quite good at managing people, I am focussed etc" and the old gentleman asked "What exactly do you mean by opinionated?" and then I had to justify myself... they way I always have to!!!

He also went through some list and asked me about my graduation BBI. He asked me about the Role of RBI in controlling inflation and definition of capital markets and money markets. I answered the RBI piece well but the second question, nothing really struck me, so I spoke about the capital and money market instruments like equity and long terms debt instruments etc. Looking displeased the gentleman told me what he was looking for, I'll always remember that. "Capital market means short term, and money markets means long term!!!"....

Well, then began the insanity.... "What do you know about the history of Mumbai?" to which I responded that whatever I knew, 7 islands and stuff. "So you've been staying around Churchgate area forever right?", "What is the history behind the name, why is it called Churchgate?" "What is the importance and peculiarity of the areas surrounding Churchgate?"..................... Man, I've never felt more stupified ever before!!!!!

Then came more nonsense, 'have you heard of Bombay First? or London First?" I said NO! "they are organisations, which promote their cities as destinations, whats your view on such organisation?" ..........

Then came their affinity towards local politics. "Do you know who's your local corporator?". "Do you know your local MP?" And then I felt comfortable, Yes, I said Its Milind Deora. "So what are your views on Milind as a leader" etc etc........

And that was the end of my interview!! I dont know the relevance of all of this to HRM. I am also too big a dimwit to relate all this to judging my capability of entering a prestigious course like HRM & LR. With due respect to the Panel and the Institute, I felt let down!!
Let down by myself, the process, its effectiveness and the way it was conducted!!

Anyway hoping for the best now, thats all I can actually do. Sometimes I feel SRK is such a criminal to raise false hopes of people by saying things like... "Agar tum kisi cheez ko sacche dil se chahoge, to puri kaynaat usse tumse milane mein lag jati hai!!"

Mayonnaise Jar And 2 Cups Of Coffee!!

When things in you life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee!!

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it up with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The prof, then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. he shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. he then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and pured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "YES"

The prof, then produced 2 cups of coffee from under the table and pured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now", said the prof, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends and favourite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house and car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first" he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all the time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are really important to you.

So pay attention... to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to get medical check ups. Take your partner out for dinner, play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the coffee represented. The prof smiled, "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend!!"

Drishti...

Drishti..... the name of a special cricket match organised for the visually impaired children. The first time, this thought crossed my mind, I felt like a fool! I mean, for God's sake we were calling it Drishti (eyesight)... when the entire premise of the event was that it was meant for visually impaired children!!!


But, Its over these last 8 years of my association with this event and over the last 5 years of it being given this name, I have realised why is it so special and apt to call this event Drishti.

On this utterly obnoxious World Fool's Day, 1st April, 2008 I woke up with this sense of anticipation at exactly 5:45 am. And believe me; this had nothing to do with the BIG farce of a Prelim Exam I had to appear for at 7:00 am for Family Laws Paper!! It was the day when, DRISHTI.. arguably the biggest and most well known project of Rotaract Club of Churchgate (MY CLUB :-)) was scheduled to take place. The phone chain I recieved was to assemble at 7:15 a.m. at CCI ground. Escaping the 1 hour ordeal of my FAMILY LAW Paper I quickly ran upto Brabourne Stadium at 8, only to find a couple of pigeons and crows on the field relieveing their previous night's indigestion. Then came a familiar face, Rtr. Prashant Chari, who was there. Man I thought, this is so irritating, that as a Past President and the seving DRR I was there at my committed time and no one else showed up.*(Egos admitted). Nonetheless, I gathered, whatever passion and love I had in me for the project, and began getting a few things done with Chari, putting up the Sound System, Banners at the boundry line, scoreboard etc. The maalis and the ground staff of CCI appeared more dedicated to the project than any of my club members had ever appeared!! Voila... most of the preparations for the event were done before anyone else showed up!!! then came Rtr. Zinnia (ZBM) our President, she looked a bit ruffled with the anxiety and tension!! After inspecting the ground preparations, she ran upto Dr. Patankar the gentleman at CCI who had helped us get all this together year after year. Then came the almost exhausted Rtr. Aditi Bagri, Community Services Coordinator and Project Chairperson! She came with a bagful of mementoes and certificates, getting them in place had just given her barely 3 - 4 hours of sleep previous night!! Immediately we were all set to go, everything in place except for ... errr... our Members and Kids from Happy Home for the Blind who were the ones who were to play!!

Then began this flurry of calls to people who were to be with the kids in the buses to bring them from their school to the ground, "Where are you'll?? How much time will you take to reach?" .... and them finally came the kids as well!! We quickly served them Marie Biscuits for breakfast, as per their Director & Principal's guidance. The kids were excited, brimming with enthusiasm. Most of them had practiced for over two weeks on their school terrace for this BIG DAY!! There were also two sports teachers, Dnyaneshwar sir, has been with these kids for years together!! and has been preparing the kids for this day, over the last 8 years of this event!! I had to take up the job of scorekeeping. Important but technical job, which I had never done before, but then for me personally this Drishti was of many firsts.... For the first time I actually went to Happy Home for the permissions of the project, first time I was one of the first ones to come to the ground, first time I was to not be the umpire for the cricket match, a role I have really enjoyed playing for the last 6 years....For the first time, I was keeping the scores, a duty I always detested. For the first time I was feeling so lost, I couldnt see Hetvi, Sandy, Irfan and Dharmesh around.... which was also for me a matter of unusual circumstance at a Rotaract Community Service Project.

Well, a loving gentleman called Harsha Bhogle came for the toss, he was sporting enough to shed his legendary status as a cricket presented and very lovingly gelled so well with the kids. He was at complete ease with the kids. He loved them I could see. He genuinely believed in what we were doing, and wasn't there to oblige someone with his celebrity presence. He also very warmly addressed players with their first name, wished both the teams luck and happily did the toss. RED Team captained by Mahesh Mhapdi lost the toss to BLUE Team captained by Mahavir. Blues chose to bat first and captain Mahavir, the star player took to the field. Harsha was so endearing that he mixed around with people in the stands, he also did commentry in marathi so that the kids could enjoy it and after spending his good 45 minutes of valuable time, took leave. But we also had the good fortune of having Mr. Rajsingh Dungarpur the patriarch of CCI because of whom this event saw the light of day at CCI, the mecca of Indian Cricket. We at RCC, couldn't have possibly thanked enough for his presence year after year and his undiluting support and encouragement towards our initiatives. The match began and for over 2 hours Mahavir kept on hitting the ball to the fence till he reached 250 runs and his team was at 325..... in 20 overs... then came the most touching moment, against the run of play and at the cost of glorifying his position in the unwritten annals of history of Drishti... he declared himself out.... So that his other teammates could also get some batting!!! What a captain... what a sport!!! Chak De Mahavir.... were the chants.... crowd went beserk... so did his teammates.... In my 22 years of cricket fanaticism.. Ive seldom seen a man more loved and respected by his peers...

The Blue team had scored a mammoth 405 all out in 23.5 overs. The target for RED Team was massive one. It needed a hero to stand up and be counted. And so once again, the captain courageous responded. It was now Mahesh Mhapdi who put his hand up and acknowledged the cheers of the crowd on completing his century... unfortunately just like the Indian team, just when the RED team looked poised for a historic victory, Mhapdi fell at a personal score of 189 to a run out... and then there was a sudden collapse. The RED team made a commendable 354 in reply, but fell almost 60 runs short of the target.... What a day!!! Our members were upto their normal antics. Some came, some left, I didnt even care to keep a track. Some other Rotaract Club members came, which was heartening to see. The ever supportive Rotarians were there in full attendance to encourage us. Some alumni of the club were also there to show their support. Then came the man.. everyone was waiting for. Sunil Gavaskar.

The ordinary looking short, stout man who was one of India's first cricketing superstar. Though I'm not his biggest fan, kids went crazy, shaking hands, taking photographs. He was the chief Guest of the Prize Distribution Ceremony. The Best Batsman was Mahesh Mhapdi for a wonderfully compiled 189 runs. The Best Bowler was Srikanth for two decisive wickets. And obviously the star performer, Man of the Match was the young Mahavir for his wonderful captaincy and a score of 250 declared! Needless to say the Winning trophy went to the BLUE Team. The kids joy was boundless and overwhelming to see. We were quite happy that we pulled off another year of this event well!! I am left with too many afterthoughts.... about the club, about the people, about the blind kids, about the future of the youth in this country...... how things could be better in future.... maybe for some other time....

We Have Brains!!!

It was a sports stadium. Eight children were standing on the track to participate in the running event. "READY........STEADY....... BANG!!!!

With the sound of the toy pistol, all eight girls started running. Hardly had they covered 10 - 15 steps, one of the smaller girls slipped and fell down. Due to bruises and pain, she started crying.

When the other seven girls heard this sound, they stopped running, stood for a while, and turned back. They all ran back to the place where the girl fell down.

One amongst them bent, picked and kissed the girl gently and enquired, "Now pain must have reduced".

All seven girls lifted the fallen girl, pacified her, two of them held the girl firmly and all seven of them joined hands together and walked together and reached the winning post.....

Officials were shocked ..... clapping of thousands of spectators filled the stadium. Many eyes were filled with tears and perhaps it had even reached GOD!!

YES, this happened in Hyderabad recently. The sports meet was conducted by National Institute of Mental Health. All these special girls had come to participate in this event and they were 'spastic' girls. Yes, they were 'Mentally Challenged' as the world knows them.

What did they teach this world??

Teamwork?

Humanity?

Equality among all?

Successful people help those others who are slow in learning so that they are not left far behind...

We can't do this ever..... because WE HAVE BRAINS!!!!!!!!!

Kaun Banega Crorepati!

Every year we hear stories about the BIG money offered to IIM grads.. This year too, almost as a matter of routine, we have been told a student of the IIM Kolkata who recieved a job offer for a salary of Rs. 1.3 Crore a year, only to be topped the next day by a student from IIM A who got Rs. 1.44 crore a year from an international finance company. It reflects the esteem that the students graduating from these centres of excellence enjoy in the corporate sector.

But these institutes are also about opening minds, raising social awareness, and most of all, creating an entrepreneurial mind set. The founding fathers had envisaged institutions that would turn out managers who would work for the country's advancement and the original IIMs have managed to fulfill their charter.

This is evident in the fact that the young man offered the Rs. 1.44 crore salary turned it down. Instead, Neela Nageshwar Vittal of Wadala wants to start a pocessing unit for medicinal plants. Vittal is an example of the new India which is moving upwards with dignity and awareness. He has grown up in the slums of Mumbai, when his father was a driver for the Lijjat Papad Co - Operative. The family fortunes have improved in time and he went to the IIM A, while his siblings became computer engineers.

The IIMs of course weren't created to make high class babus. The past few years have produced more than one story about young people like Vittal who want to use their training to become entrepreneurs or look at social betterment. Many of the people who go to IIMs are not from the rich and comfortable backgrounds. They come from families who have struggled with tougher side of life.

This is the kind of story which is worthy of Shining India. The young man has rejected his chance to go abroad on a massive salary - surely the dream of a middle class India - to follow a dream of his own. This is making the best use of his IIM training to suit his own needs.

There must be many more Vittals around, in IIM and elsewhere. Their story is inspiring and their example worth emulating. There is enough written about this generations materialistic aspirations; its time to also see the idealistic fervour among them. So the next time you see your so called "ICON" ask you with all his charm.... "Kaun Banega Crorepati?"..... just think twice before giving the answer!!!!

Will Every Man Please Rise!!!

Mills & Boon writers have a new plot - a dashing 70 year old tycoon in a passionate relationship with his 25 year old virgin secretary. And thanks to an elixir, there will be a happily ever after.... That's the story of "Viagra", the little blue pill, which will go down in the annals of history as the sexual elixir that revolutionised society. Next Month, on March 27th, Viagra - the drug that changed the sex life of the modern man turns 10 years old!!!

On 27th March, 1998 it became the first FDA approved pill to treat erectile dysfunction in the US. And while it hit Mumbai seven years later, men around the world embrace the pill as their new - found 'Best Friend'. Between 1999 - 2000 Pfizer, the company behind the pill recorded annual sales of more than $1 Billion.

Well, there are some things that are just a God's gift to 'MAN'kind... This is one them... So... Happy Birthday to you!!!

Small is BIG!!

This is a thoughtful piece I came accross, hence felt like sharing it....
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For years we were told to think BIG. And so we did. So our buildings became taller, our spacecrafts flew higher, our wars grew deadlier and somewhere in all this mayhem our egos became bigger until early January, this year the NANO happened. This small meaning car made us wake up to a simple fact that "Small is BIG"

If, as they say, "Little drops of water make the mighty ocean" and the "Little grains of sand make the pleasant land" then how about little changes we can make to make a BIG difference.

For Instance,
That one drop of water not wasted..
That one appliance not left 'On' mode when not in use...
That one extra mark that can help a child pass an exam..
That one word of encouragement that can build hope..
That one smile that assures us that everything is fine..
That one minute of prayer to thank God for his kindness...
That one moment of self - control when we are angry..
That one bottle of blood that can save a life...
That one simple test for Thalassemia that can save a life from misery...
That one extra effort to spend time with an aged parent..
That one dip into the pocket to give someone who has less..
That one moment to ask ourselves why we are doing what we are doing...

If each one of us can achieve even one of these things, then we can assure ourselves that it might be one "NANO" step for man, but one giant leap for mankind!!! Thats why.. "Small is really BIG"