To Mr. Prantosh Banerjee

Dear Sir,

Because it seems too sycophant-like to gush in front of you, in the class, here's my gratitude for one of the kindest and most brilliant people who have ever touched me in life. If you ever come across this, please know that this is straight from the heart.

There have been teachers and there have been teachers. And then there is YOU. You're something of a mysterious wizard, considering I don't know anything concrete about you. But it was awesome to study under you. You made me yearn for practiced ease. If there was one single thing that made me feel I should stay on in SCMHRD, it was your classes. And, I have begun to appreciate the finer nuances of almost every subject and the absolute necessity to try and get my brain to understand and internalise what I can read about in front of my eyes solely because of you.

The reasons why I wanted to do MBA in the first place become quite clear only in YOUR class. And it's been a privilege, a wonderful gift, to have been able to learn a number-intensive course under your tutelege. Thank you for making me feel that understanding numbers is in the realm of the possible.

Thank you. 

Sowmya, the nut. :P

2009, A Year Like No Other

I suppose everyone has a year that makes them rethink their whole life and wonder about just about everything they have done. 2009 was that year for me. From being this crazily happy, obssessed-with-PT, yelling, screeching, super-confident, amazingly-sure-about-doing-the-right-thing person, I turned into this confused, half-regretful, half-wistful, completely nostalgic idiot who didn't know what to think most of the time. And incredibly, it was like half and half too. June 1 was the day my life went from straight and clean to completely topsy-turvy.

But towards the climax of the year, I have achieved a semblence of calm - I suppose the worst is over. So here's reliving some of the crazy moments of 2009, in no particular order except the way the flow through my mind and I may end up completely missing some really important points too.

1. I got 99%ile in CAT. No matter what, I shall cherish that score, more so because it came after a long long wait.
2. I realised I can work for long hours and not get tired if I like what I do.
3. I got admission in a "premier" Indian B-School. I was not too sure if I should take admission. Eventually I did. Regretted it. Getting over it. Paid the second instalment so 6 more months. Come to think of it, only about a year left.
4. I am just discovering the fact that I get to explore a new city. I am going to make it my prerogative to ensure that I know as much as I can about Pune.
   
5. I met some really nice people - in fact, a whole load of them in all kinds of places: PT, SCMHRD, Neev.
6. I learned that I am really really dumb.
7. I realised that I have roots as far down as Marianna Trench. I really really miss Baroda. That swine flu break means the world to me.
   
8. My phobia with numbers rose to another level altogether with OR coming my way.
9. I have thrown restraint to the wind.
   
10. I have finally stopped waiting for things to happen in my life. I am finally "in the moment". Not waiting for MBA, not waiting for Neev to get over, not waiting for anything really. This is the moment and the moment is this. * Philmi echoes, faces turning towards me Ekta Kapoor ishtyle * :P
    

And that's it. 2009 was something akin to the tipping point. Now, the glass is overflowing.

Here's to another year of Sowmya. Watch out, world. The retard is still around! :P

Students

It's funny how that bond between my students and me just gets stronger. I love it when we move beyond MBA entrances to become friends with shared interests. There are countless examples of students who have now started talking to me about TV shows, books they've read, places they've been to, funny experiences they've had (because I was big on sharing funny anecdotes in the class.) It is enriching to know so many people, with versatile interests. Life seems richer. (And ah, after ages, this realisation that life is still rich! :D I feel proud of myself. I have crossed a major boulder.)

I should stop. Restraint has flown out of the window.

Chai and Newspapers

There is a certain magic in waking up early to a cold winter morning, making a steamy cup of chai for me and sipping it luxuriously, with NYT and Ahmedabad Times for company. It is a Sunday ritual I always slide into, whenever I can. During PT, the only thing that differentiated a Sunday from the other days was this - the lack of an early morning class. So, it is something that I hold almost sacred.

Not that far

It is a funny feeling. But I feel the warmth of Baroda people wafting towards me. I feel like sitting still and just soaking it in. Hold the comfort closer. Am feeling all cosy, wrapped in my blanket with the warmth of the lappie on my lap too haha. (It's so very cold. It was around 9 degrees in the morning. Now it is only 28. But it seems like 15 or something. Brrr. And when it is cold, I become all hungry :P) I have so many little wishes. Wishes aplenty. For once, I am not wistful either. Just want some things. Like being home with Kanan when she rings in her birthday. Talking more often with eye-candy, who is super busy these days. Watching "Up in the Air" and "It's Complicated". Being with my friends and family during New Year. Finishing all the projects that are occupying my mind. And some of them are fun too. Especially the Green Tokri one - our Co-Curricular Project.

Till then, tata!! :)

Christmas in Pune.

Merry Christmas, to all my bloggie readers!! :D

Yesterday night was Christmas Eve. My mom sent this cute little package of goodies from home - chocolates and cookies and pillow covers (hehe, now that I actually ordered, but well yes, it was a part of the goodie-bag, so including it in them).

Today, early in the morning, (apart from eye-candy surprises :P, I shall never cease to be amazed by the unexpected) we set off for breakfast. We visited this quaint little Parsi place called Vohuman Cafe. It is a place frozen in time. It had Goldspot and Citra listed on its menu, tinned roofs, those big glass jars that we had in the early nineties in which grocers used to keep candies and the best of all: an overload of baby posters adorning every piece of the wall. It is quite a cafe. I loved every bit of it. And the person who owns it is a dear old man, grandpa-like (in fact, very school-principal like - he screamed at a guy standing outside and merrily reading the newspaper even as his order was waiting for him hehe.) and very very cute! We even took pictures with him (and considering I am click-crazy, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.) I loved the little place and I plan to visit it again.

Then, we visited a road called MG Road (it is no surprise that every city has an MG Road. But then, I realised when my classmate told me that every MG Road also has a Bata. Haha!) This road is Colaba-like. It has colonial styled buildings. I believe it is also Parsi-ish in its outlook. It looks really pretty. Some buildings reminded me of Daman. (Actually today's entire trip brought back a lot of Daman memories because Parsis are generally found in abundance in Daman). There were many stores with clothes, bags, footwear, antiques... It's real fun walking around these lanes.

Finally we found our way into a superhot SGS Mall. It had Westside!! Looking at the hoarding of Westside, I was so so happy. Haha! It seems like I've seen it after ages. But the last time I saw it was as recent as November 3. (Okay, sighing about Baroda and moving on :P). The coolest part about the mall was the two palm trees that we could see inside. (I love palm trees. I've always wanted to wake up in a room from whose balcony I can see the sun rising through the palm leaves. :P)

And we took many many pics. Most of them, naturally, are up on Facebook.

All in all, I had another wonderful day in Pune. Seems like this city is finally showing its true character. :D

Tootsie babies, and everyone else!!

Rocket Singh

Went to catch the movie today early in the morning. Set out by the 8:35 bus for the 9 am movie. It was unlikely that I'd have made it on time. I was prepared to miss the first few minutes of the movie. But when I reached stupid E-Square at 9:15, there was a huge crowd. On a Tuesday morning. Guess Pune really IS the students' hub. So, I waited waited waited and wailed within. :P But evenutally, they understood what the "Convenience" charge of an extra Rs. 11 stood for, when we book on bookmyshow.com, so I skipped ahead of the line and finally made it to the screen. Inox is the BEST. All these wannabe multiplexes. * Resigned sigh. * Can't be helped. This is the closest.

The movie was wonderful. I liked how Ranbir was so very earnest. Sweet little must-see-once. And then, I ran out again to catch the 11:45 bus back to the campus.

It is fun to move out once in a while. I plan to do this often. I love the hustle and bustle of mainstream life. I saw some micro human beings sitting inside a firestation staring at some firemen. Really little ones. Life is so really simple for children. They just have to sit there and look cute, while people spew logic around them. Unlike running complex calculations and wondering what monstrous algorithms are taking place behind the facade of a friendly looking software. :P

All in all, it was fun. :D

Company

Company matters. I go to all kinds of places in this new city. But somehow, I turn around, look around, I need someone to share my observations with - and it's generally Tuls who comes to my mind. I miss her so so much. I thought that once I started going to the city often, I will like this place. But then, the wavelength matters. There's something so magical about my babies. :) They're just irreplaceable. I love them.

Trident Trip :D

The top 20 students (academically) from SCMHRD, were taken to a lecture by Mr. CK Prahlad, at Hotel Trident, in Mumbai. Now, I am not in those top 20. I must have been 23-24 or something. But because some people dropped out, I became part of the top 20 that went to this event. My roomies were also going, so I was really happy.

We left for Mumbai at 5:30 in the morning. Travelling on the highway made me feel I am going back home. But the highways everywhere in India are the same. Love the sound of the roaring trucks, the cars whizzing past, the solid feel of India on the move. I am a total highway-aficionado.

Mumbai arrived in broad daylight. South Mumbai is such a delight! I remember writing about the cobblestoned streets and the colonial-styled buildings. And even now, when I see them, I just fall in love with them all over again. It makes for picturesque images in the mind. One of my happy places :D.

When we reached Trident, just the security checks made me feel all rich and luxurious hehe. I still have the security-verified band that they hung on my handbag. :P Once we entered the hotel, a very beautiful fragrance of rose filtered through the air. It felt plush, pretty and strongly Indian. Amidst all the foreigners, I felt like preening, "This is MY country, my people, my place!" :P (These bouts of patriotism generally come only in Mumbai and Baroda hehe.)

We went to the place where we were supposed to sit: "The Regal Room"... I felt like a ballerina. I could have waltzed around the room, twirling in my saree. :P

Mr. CK Prahlad had some insightful comments on co-creation, the BoP and core competencies. He said that offering customers a unique experience is what separates the winners from the also-rans in the market place. This was the insight into co-creation. He gave all sorts of examples - Build-A-Bear, the most foremost among them. Then, we ventured into BoP, where he elucidated the principles he mentioned in his book, when he talked about tapping the BoP. My only dispute is that when MNCs target the BoP, they advance the western philosophy of "Consuming More" on an already resource-constrained society.

Mr. KM Birla was down-to-eathedness itself. Soft-spoken, open-minded, very polite, he asked some pointed questions. He also let us take a picture with him, which is already up on Facebook.

But, ah, after the lecture, I had FOOD!!! Boy, what yummy food, salads dripping Mayo, cold boiled mushrooms in Mayo, apples, fruits, mango yoghurt, awesome chocolate cake slices AND khaman!! khandvi!! patra!! :D I don't like Khandvi rolls all that much, but oooh wow, seeing them displayed in Trident made endeared them to me, hee hee. So I did gobble them down. I loved the food. It was yum yum yum! We could also see beautiful plants from the picture-windows near the food-place. That added to the luxury.

All in all, I had probably one of the most luxurious times in life. The 8 lakhs are giving some returns at least. :P

:D

 ...And it's done. The war is over. Armistice. Truce declared. NEEV'09 comes to a close. Met some really kind people, had some really amazing learning experiences (and let us not forget - moaned a lot, lot, lot too. :P - ask eye-candy and my babies haha), but the last few days were real fun. Looking forward to NEEV'10 (of course, I don't intend to be part of the organising committee. NEEV is probably the best part of SCMHRD. I am glad, willingly or otherwise ;-), I was a part of something like this. :D

Tootaas!!

NEEV 09: Day 2

Day 2 began with a bang, as we had Colonel Ranjit Chako (or some such surname) address us on the army and how to lead a good life. Some excerpts:

• India doesn't embark on a full-blown war with Pakistan, because, more than anything else, war is very expensive and it will put us back 25 years in terms of development.
• China will also not go on a war for the same reason.
• Intelligence-gathering could be tweaked in the country.
• The army is a fantastic organisation to work for, even in terms of the compensation.
• Civilization and democracy are the height of human refinement. 
  

I  really liked every bit of the speech. He seemed so very refined and so genuine. He made me want to be a better human being. He also said something on the lines of what I have been thinking of ever since I joined SCMHRD, when he exhorted us to be proud, not of who we are or what we are capable of doing, but of what we DO everyday. I especially agree with this, because I feel I don't do much here (except, of course, how can we forget, moan and crib :P) and that I am defined by what I do. So, I am a cribber, essentially. :P (Again, oath to myself, DO NOT CRIB.)

After that, I participated in... hold your breath... TAEKWANDO workshop!! Haa haaa haaaa!! I loved every minute of it. He made us do all kinds of exercises. Eventually, he made us do some kicking. It was real fun. I jumped around making boxing gestures and generally, had a ball. It was incredible fun hee hee. I also broke Sanket's watch, when I mock-boxed him and actually hit his watch and it fell out hee hee!

Of course all the exercise made us all sweaty and weary, so we left towards the end. We watched some people play a 1-minute game of downing Pepsi hee hee. And then, we left for the auditorium.

And that was when the legen... wait for it... dary thing happened. Harsha Bhogle came visiting!!! He was all COOL and funny and wry and he said some really nice things about liking your b-school, about having a "test-cap" - an accomplishment you are proud about. He also emphasised that we should all play a sport - at whatever level - just to get a taste of the DESIRE to win and the disappointment of losing. I also believe I lack that - the desire to win. I don't have that killer instinct. I think I should start playing something. NEEV is fast turning into a major learning experience and I feel more like me with each passing minute and all my beliefs about me are also getting reinforced and I am getting pushed to do more. I think that is the best part of this event. :D

Then, we again had food. from 8 pm onwards, Motherjane is going to play on the campus. I am looking forward to that. They have some nice songs in their repertoire. So, yay! I would have attended a concert too. One more thing on the To-Do-List getting crossed out. BTDT! :D

SCMHRD is finally making some sense. :D

Tata, babies.