Another one bites the dust.

Well, with summers out of the way, and people knowing each other better, I thought that I'd post something here.

Dbab makes more sense, though blogging is much cooler. Let us now see who makes the next move.

And yeah, congrats for the summer placements everyone :)

Yup.....

Things r better now, but ain't not tht better...probably will have to wait 4 sum more time....WIMWI is busy with inter section games tournament though....n life trickles on...

OOPS!

We did it again! :-)

Oops!

I am not sure how many of us actually remember that this thing collab blog was started. and one can't really blame anyone for the same. The first 5 weeks here at WIMWI have been so gruelling, it hardlly leaves any time for activities like blogging. The fact that last post here was on June 19, the day before our term started, is am ample testimony to the fact. But I am sure ppl will get back to their old ways, once they get used to WIMWI. At worst, we might have to wait till our tuchchadom. Till then, just hang on...

P.S.: Arbit CP disclaimers...:D

lull before the storm........

I am sitting in my Dorm room @iim-a, trying to write my first ever blog ...never in my life i thought i would be doing this....right now it feels as if i am in a discotheque with loud music going on, thanks to my second year senior, oops the so called great tuccha here at iim-a...i really dont know why he is in such a great mood, and that too at 1 am in the morning..maybe he has just broken off with his gf or mayb becoz there are no assignments to do for tomorrow's classes...i cant understand why the hell a person has to listen to loud music and make everyone else listen to it....i guess thats the way everything works out here in hostels(dorms) where i have never been...

I m not going to discuss about my preparation for cat and Gd-Pi experiences and all that blah blah...I feel most of the bloggers do it and tell how great they were to crack CAT and the GD-Pi and according to me it makes the blog a bit boring and pompous....getting back to the point, my course for IIM-A PGP-1 is going to start from 21st june but i am one of the few lucky ones who had an oppourtunity to join the initial preparatory course which started from 28th may....Well, its been more than 15 days since i am here in Ahmedabad and at the hallowed campus of iim-a ...the city of Ahmedabad is hott and i mean it ...its hotter than bombay from were i come but i guess i will get used to it..other than this Ahmedabad feels like a small town in comparison to aamchi mumbai..Ok back to the prep course....

prep course: A training period of 20 dayz where they teach a collection of engineers from different parts of the country to calculate limits,probability,integration and derivatives...haha..i forgot about grammer wherein all of us had to learn articles,tenses and all the stuff that a person with an IQ of 10 wud do it happily...My time here at the prep course has been rocking till now..m njoing every single moment here...made so many freinds attended a zillion bday parties and treats and of course played cricket almost everyday.....

THE TUCCHA GYAAN-it was just 5-6 days back that all the tucchas or shud i say GODS at iima, started to return back from their respective summer internships....It was a saturday evening and i was in my room at the penthouse(apun ka dorm-5) listening to coldplay when someone knocked on my door...it was GOD himself who had shown up at my door...a tuccha who had just returned from germany that afternoon after completing his summers....intro happened and i was really surprised when he said "yaar teko mein aaj treat deta hu....tu pehla faccha(1st year bakra) hai jise mein mila hu"...i guess he must have been fed up eating sausages in germany for 2 months and wanted to eat good indian food...well i obliged by gods' command and i found myself at some filmi restaurant in Ahmedabad....As i began to talk and ask for some gyaan from the allmighty regarding life at iim-a , i was soon overloaded with information and soon felt a headache...

The 10 commandments that i was loaded with are as follows:
1.never ask da tuccha wat was his cgpa...which i did
2.never look at any tucchi however beautiful she might be..if u do so u might find her tuccha bf's in ur room...hehe
3.be on time for ur lectures ..1 second late means that u r 2 early for the next class....
4.never ever bring any cell fones in ur class...if it rings u will get a F (its a F grade and not F***)5.playing sports,watchin movies is a dream once the course begins ...only entertainment is eating
6.u will have to skip lunches for there will be surprise quizes at 2:30 in da afternoon and ur classes get over at 1:15...
7.as time passes u will like surprise quizes....it is a level playin feild.."jab apni lagti hai toh sab logo kii lagti hai"
8.be ready to sleep at 5am and get up at 8am in the morning for ur next day's class....
9.sunday's bring a hope for a free day...ofcourse this is not true for 99% of the times
10.and most importantly: "MUGGON FACCHON MUGGON"

after all the gyaan i got it feels that as the prep course draws to a close, it is just the beginning of the end..its a silence before the storm..i guess thats all i have to say in my 1st blog...guess wat its 2:30 am and i m not going to sleep...class ka public are playin badminton ....and i m goin there....


"LIFE'S ROCKING AS OF NOW .....21st onwards LIFE WILL BE ON THE ROCKS"

Humor of the day...

We are having these corporate presentation classes these days, wherein a group presents on a corporate house for 12mins, followed by feedback on the performance by the class and the instructor…
This Group had a presentation yesterday: Good, well covered, but too much emphasis on history, wherein the slide and info was repeated quite a few times…
The feedback session was going on with full sincerity n seriousness where in came a one-liner from Sirpy@Chimp…great timing dude...

Instructor: Guys, You overshot your time and had a number of repetitions…couple of points in the History of the company were repeated and were redundant…
Chimp(with his typical accent): Ma'am, “History repeats itself!!”

Lolzzz…

In pursuit of The One

It wasn't his day. Night, rather. Or day actually, since the day here begins at 12 am, literally.

He'd been identified long back as 'The ONE'. The one who'd be stared at even as he'd drip wisdom with his every word. The one who'd never be taken seriously, for geniuses never are. The one who'd be laughed at simply coz he was above the lesser mortals...The one who's innocence would be his undoing as he'd be hunted down by a pack of nasty kids-on-the-block...his fellow 'preppies' it seems. The One.

It all began with a harmless b'day celebration. Jeetish Bansod. The guy who's secret desire was to sing 'Yeh mera Dil...' for Helen. We made sure it got fulfilled. (Didn't someone tell you we're angels?) The b'day boy did have quite the time of his life. We ensured that the Ponds face wash tube he'd secretly purchased at Himalaya Mall would get completely used up. In fact, we ensured that the face wash tubes of all alike would be empty the next day. The taps were barely spared. But the buckets were put to good use.

(Adv: Whoever said cake was only for eating?! Come to us. Play Holi of a different kind. In sweltering June. Fee: One kg Blackforest cake and a bucketful of cold water. Guaranteed returns.)

Of course, there was one who was quick enough to flee before his face was decorated. One who thought he'd be spared. The One.

It didn't take long for the rest to figure out. You can't miss the one who everyone wants to get back at. (Don't ask for what. That is bound to remain a mystery for life. Too bad for him)

Within moments of the realisation dawning, people collectively resolved, wiped off the cream that clung lazily to their noses n chins and crept up D13 - his abode. He wasn't there. Smart fellow. Knew people would come seeking him. Full plans of absconding. If only the others wouldn't be smarter...

Something had to be done. Reliable sources revealed that he was to visit the chimp's room in some time to watch a movie. People stealthily moved to the new campus. Ok, laughing n sneering n hooting is not exactly 'stealthily'. Yet.

But what if he'd know? There was no way of verifying.

And then, the inevitable happened. The One walked into the trap himself. One of the comrades had his precious possession which he had to retrieve - his hard disk drive. She put on her most innocent tone, convinced him that she didn't know what was on, and was in fact taking a walk at the LKP. Quite believable. Especially the last part. At any time of the day. Or night.

They decided to meet near the underpass so that she'd pass on what was anyway his. And probably join them for the Telugu movie. Quite unbelievable. At any time of the day. Or night. He should've known.

And then he committed a second error. Called a second comrade to invite her for the movie. She very wittingly said that she was with the first comrade anyway and would see him at the underpass. The trap was laid. No bait was needed. He was walking into it himself. Literally.

The underpass, at an unearthly hour, saw excited movement. About 8-10 odd people, armed with remnants of the cake, now waited behind the bushes, poised for an attack fit for a battle. It was war time.

He walked. With one ear glued to the cell phone. Eyes glued to the approaching comrades. Would've been too risky to let him walk by himself. They virtually escorted him. Lucky chap.

He'd just taken a shower. Scrubbed himself squeaky clean. Even better.

Then it all happened. In a blinding flash of activity. Junta screamed n pounced. He screamed n ducked. Too late. In a matter of moments it was all over. What was left was his inimitable expression, and the greasy, sugary cream that clung to every inch of his face. Silence erupting into triumphant laughter. Slaps on the back. Pics. Gleaming, mocking faces.

The ambush was succesful. All would sleep in peace. All, but one. The One.

It's not just cricket where they take his case. Maybe it just wasn't his day.

Actually, it never is.

Dream, or something like it...

In a lost time, in a lost world, Chaos happened. I was there. Under the influence of vodka, cigarettes, and free food, I thought that spending two years at this chaotic place would be nice. Delusions of grandeur, though not misplaced, gave my ascetic mind a want, something to look forward to...

But then, life happened and everything was forgotten. Suddenly, after a year and a half, I look back and wonder whether it was due to my subconscious want that I am now standing on the doorstep of these so-called hallowed portals.

Anyway, it feels wonderful right now. Being a part of the best surely does give me a high. And I can already feel the manager inside me, as I notice the blatant self-publicity in my blog link.

Peace.

On being an WIMWIan

So finally I have made it to my dream institute!!!! Honestly, I never thought (I only dreamt) that I could make it to WIMWI. However, once I got a GD PI call, I was more confident about my chances. And here I am today writing in IIM A 2007-09 batch blog and waiting for 21st June when I embark on one of the most elusive journeys in business and management.

How does it feel??? The feeling is obviously top of the world… Also comes the feeling “Will I be able to cope with the rigor for 2 years?” But when 250 people will get screwed together who cares yaar :-) The best part, however, is that you already feel the part of the IIM A community…. The yahoo group with 60-70 mails each day (must confess I have not read all of them), The orkut community, The welcome brochure sent by SAC, The party thrown by the mighty tucchas and the formal meet. The preppies are already there giving us updates about what to expect. All have contributed to the sense of belonging to the red corridors. Everyone wants to help you and has something to tell you. Just looking forward to experience what all of them have experienced!!!!

It also feels great that I have given my parents, sister and friends something to be proud of. If someone is more happy than me that’s my mom. Having not finished her formal education, it’s a matter of great pride for her that her son gets into one of the best institutes in the country. However, there are this uncles and aunties who come and tell me “ Arey yaar ab to lottery lag gayee teri, 2 saal ke baad to ab kuch nahi” They talk as if some names were pot in a box and winner was picked up. When you give CAT multiple times, when you gather information for GD PI, money is not the one and only motivation. You also want to just be there because its IIM A. Anyways this flipside is easily overshadowed by the other great feelings.

Having met Mumbaites and Puneites from my batch, I can already imagine what kind of friends I will make at WIMWI… Just looking forward to be there…

Ahmedabad here we come!!!!!!

Tale of Two Movies

          Squeezing in time to blog regularly with all these blessed assignments, floating around is tougher than what I expected it to be. It looks as if we just came here yesterday and the week's just flown past. And we've seen two movies already. Let me see now.. Hmmm..

Cheeni Kum:

          The first one, "Cheeni Kum" was very good. Movie-wise as well as company-wise. It was a light-hearted movie, inspite of the fact that Amitabh cries his wrinkled eyes out at the death of his over-age young friend. We laughed, whistled and slept through all of Big B's and Tabu's love making or whatever terms it might be described as. Ilayaraja had once again proved himself to be somebody who knows what and where exactly must music be inserted. One singular jarring thing was the title soundtrack being repeated like a broken record. All of us enjoyed the evening if not the movie, at the least. Dinner was also okay, with most of us taking it up at McDonald's and a few opting out for a canteen that unfortunately was closed. Eventually most of us crashed early, quite contented and happy.

Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End :

           The second one, "Pirates of the Caribbean-At World's End" was not that bad. We did make a mistake of booking the tickets beforehand. A surprise quiz was thrust upon us the next day, coupled with an assignment which obviously, we did not anticipate. The second mistake was the abnormal time. It was the only show available which suited our tight scedule and it proved to be the worst show time. Most of us crashed at the theatre itself. We were too tired to enjoy the movie and were more or less waiting for it to finish. Johnny Depp failed to revive anyone with his antics. Orlando Bloom was pathetic. There was some reprise towards the closing portions of the movie with good special effects. Keira Knightley was the only thing that kept us awake, as far us guys are concerned. The best part is, we had our Computer Practice professor sitting right behind us and booing! The movie ended after a marathon two hour forty minutes and we came back, tired-er and hungrier. Anyway, we learn from our mistakes and this won't in all probability be repeated again.

I have uploaded the photos taken so far, into the prep course. You can view it here:

Preppies are in...

The preppies are in and the campus rocks....just got d LAN settings...An intangible feeling it was...the first day...actually I'd say 'a bit lost' would b the mot juste for it!! What with the red brick walls all around thou :) :)...

All of us've been dispersed among scads of Dorms in both New n the Old campus... Place is very humid...u walk n u start sweating...u stand, u still start sweating...I wonder If they've deliberately put AC only in the classes n Comp centre..lolzzz

evenings r free n v generally have a get-2-gether at night...little bit of entertainment...lot of diversity in d present prep batch itself..2 docs, 1 from army (self), mixtue of comm/engnrs...with n sans work ex....

As per d FPM guys in our dorms, this iz d only time u get 2 enjoi on campus...Well!! v sure are..
batch is goin for a movie at 6 today...

Rest of thou...enjoi at home n do come here with lots of goodies...

Was it all clockwork carefully wound by Him???

Two years hence life was so different. Try this... I was one of those fortunate kids who graduated from College of Engineering, Guindy, Asia's oldest technical institution. I had no regrets for missing out on the IITs probably because our college was ranked in the Top 10 and our Alumni held equally prestigious positions worldwide. Yet little did I know that our college had been losing its sheen in the recent past and that the onus of putting our college back on the world map was solely on us students. By the time I realized the changes in the New World Order, it was too late. The so called IT boom had taken its toll and was successfully luring some of the best talents for 'virtually' well paid jobs. Needless to mention I was one of its victims too.

As electronics engineer I had short-listed four career options. While an IT job was almost guaranteed, searching for a core job was still a herculean task. Realists gave their GREs and managed admits from America’s famed institutions. A handful of geeks even decided to do it the tougher way dreaming to do research in IISc and IITs. There was a fourth kind who took over their father’s business or joined b-schools. While I had no interest in doing research I was damn sure that taking an IT job was suicidal. So I decided there was no harm in giving GRE as a backup plan. But within a month's time the placements season started and I was destined to convert my very first interview with Tata Consultancy Services. I distinctly remember the way I felt about my first success that I often cherish and laugh my ass over it till now.

It’s very interesting to see how your career decisions get skewed when you realize you have a well paid job in your basket of options. Thank god I didn’t get placed with Biggies like Microsoft for I wouldn’t have realized the real ‘me’ then. Hailing from a not so wealthy family I can understand how many Indian dreams get buried under a pile of cash. Suddenly GRE seemed a costly affair and too uneconomical at least for my family situation. I didn’t want to join TCS either. It was at this juncture I had to do a serious self-introspection and was surprised why I had ruled out going for a b-school. I could ascribe three reasons for not having considered it. One, no one in my family lineage was a businessman. Two, I didn’t know what MBA can do to a person and Three, securing a seat in IIMs is the toughest of endeavours one can fancy(At least that’s what people think). I was also aware of the fact that from now on whatever silly decisions I took was to decide my entire life. After serious deliberation and consulting from well wishers it seemed that I was way behind from what I would do with my life and an MBA would be a professional way to identify my real passion.

Everyone knows that a work experience can always come handy and is mandatory in the west for getting admitted in a b-school. But having decided to work one has to decide what kind of experience will add value for an MBA. Now that explains why TCS suddenly became a god sent gift. I believe the kind of learning a prospective MBA aspirant gets in a services company like TCS is no less than what I would have gained in Microsoft except for the technical excellence which is of no importance to me. Of course I don’t deny the fact that a Microsoft in my profile would land me better jobs even after a MBA.

Two years have gone past and when I deliberate on the events that have shaped my recent past, I am overwhelmed. I couldn’t have asked for more from God and I am about to embark on a historic odyssey to discover myself shortly. After having decided my career there was no reason to turn back. I went on to enroll myself for the best coaching available and I made sure I left no stone unturned since it was a make or break situation to me. There was no room for second chance. Now my hard work has paid off and here I am scripting my success story. :)

If you didn't know, companies like TCS and Infy are the breeding grounds of future leaders. One won't be astonished to find someone from the next cubicle sitting for CAT. One gets to meet different people from different cultures and different walks of life with different needs and wants. TCS is the place to understand Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. You get to decide what you want to be there. You will find achievers yearning for big things in life and poor souls dreaming for onsite( no intention to hurt anybody) co-exist with seamless integrity. The corporate experience has indeed been earth shattering and enlightening as well. In the sense, it has given me a taste of the real bad world out there.

Was it all clockwork carefully wound by Him?? Or is it a mere coincidence that things have been getting better and better? According to Second Law of thermodynamics things left undisturbed should get more unordered everyday. In short the entropy should always increase. If my guess was right the day Murphy wakes up should not be too far. By the time he does I should be inured enough to take on any uncertainties in life.

Made it in, at last :)

A dream come true. A dream that had its genesis sometime in 2000 (yup, circa 2000), is at last bearing fruit, a wait period of about 7 years, just like any of the innumerable govt saving schemes that abound!!

This journey from Mumbai to WIMWI took me through the plains of Bangalore and Hyderabad to the Texan oilfields to the British Midlands.
Quite a circuitous route (or in US terms, the "scenic" route", but I am there at last!!
A little bruised and battered, but I am there at last.
Maybe a dent here or there, maybe a few kilos more here or there (now thats an understatement), but I am there at last

I am sure that the next 2 years of our lives would be the nearly THE best time that we would ever have!!

So here is to Class of 2009 at the WIMWI!! :)

Hopping onto WIMWI !

I have jumped onto many a roller-coaster. Kept my eyes open for some and closed for the rest, felt the world falling apart, and then stepped off and disappeared into the mystic mist.

As I hop onto the WIMWI roller-coaster, I am not quite sure what to expect. Hindsight's taught me not to buy too much on expectations but let life take its course, but as with so many of life's lessons, you just don't learn. You keep making them again and again.

Well, before I step on this time, I am going to come in with an open mind. My expectations? Fin/consult/marketing/operations?? No, I don't know and I am going to pray that I would get some time off to stare out at the stars and let them answer these and more. For today, I can only hope that I get a chance to choose a profession where I can put in that extra drop of sweat with a smile!

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens would be impressed!

Welcome onboard

A warm welcome to everybody here on this 2yr long trip on this ship called WIMWI...
Itz gonna b tough, at times just swell, at times d most happening place 2 be...
Whteva it maybe, these 2yrs are going to b the most memorable times of our lives. This blog is the place where the next batch n others r gonna find whtz rife at WIMWI n v'll mk it happening...

As for me, I'm the only fauji (I guess), in d batch, haven't even seen college life ppl (NDA..thtz why....}wanna see tht too...
So once again, ciao dudes n dudettes...Welcome 2 d Second home!!

ciao
.

The New Life

Wow! It feels so wonderful to be posting here. Like me, almost all of us were just dreaming that they would get a chance to study at WIMWI (at least when we first started preparing for CAT).. Seemingly impossible at the outset; just a wish may be..
But now here we are; ready to embark on the most memorable journey of our lifetime. I have already made friends with a lot of prospective batchmates and the interaction so far with seniors has been wonderful too.
This collaborative blog is a great idea where we can share our experiences and put down our opinions on anything that may concern us. We can use it for discussing the happenings on campus, any social, political, economic, sports (blah blah) issues, or just for plain gossip. There need not be any underlying theme on the posts here.. Let the blog flourish on its own. :-)

Happy Blogging and Congoz to everyone on making it to WIMWI!

Test

Testing the post

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Thanks,
Sumant.