The Journey So Far...

Life right now seems like a movie in the fast forward mode. It seems as if just a few days back, I came to Joka with bags packed with clothes and a heart packed with a mixture of pride, anxiety, hope and excitement, ready to embark upon an unknown journey. Its been a good 7 months since then marking the end of a quarter of my MBA.

When I came to IIM Calcutta, right after finishing my engineering, I had certain preset notions about life in a college-away-from-home. Though I had heard that life at an IIM is going to be different, I thought to myself - what difference does a few more assignments and a compulsory attendance system would make to hostel life (I was a fairly regular student in BITS despite its no-compulsory-attendance rule). Little did I know, my life would become a roller coaster ride in just few days of coming to Joka. I won't explicitly describe the first 10 days in Joka; lets just say I felt like Alice in Wonderland except the fact that I was expected to act like Superman in Metropolis.

The general belief is - as you grow up, you become more liberal, you have freedom to do things as you wish to. But here, it was different. I felt like I went one step behind instead of going forward. Though, this could be because BITS was far too liberal I guess. Here, you not only have to attend every class but also read prior to it. The assignments are usually in groups (which has its both upsides and downsides (read: free riders)). But academics was just the teaser, the full version was called Summers (the summer internship placement process). Apart from CV making, CV reviewing, PPT attending and preparation we had to do one big thing - choosing the sector of your interest for internship. Well, for most freshers like me - it is nothing but taking the best you can get based on your CV from the pre-defined universally accepted order of preference. Soon enough, you realize that whatever you did or will do in the future, is weighed it terms of CV points.

This is where I would have ended the post if I was writing a few months back. (Of course I did not have the time to post then). But I realized there is more than it meets the eye. The very attendance rule I cribbed about made me realize what I'd have missed if I had slept in my room the day Mr. Anoop Sinha gave insights on the current European economic crisis. If not for the numerous group assignments, I wouldn't have met some wonderful people with their even more wonderful ideas. As for the free riders - I am sure, I will have to deal with a lot many in the future and I'd rather be prepared for it. The placement process does sometimes makes you feel more like a commodity and less like a person - forced to accept what others choose for us. But why do we keep forgetting that it is just a 2 month internship - constituting just about 0.2% of your lifetime (side-effect of MBA: you start quantifying facts). And it is meant for experimenting! So why not experiment with the best you can get right now? It may happen that you end up hating your work. Then it just means, you have one less sector to choose from when you sit for your finals! It surely may not seem as simple as that right now but I choose to believe that couple of years down the line, I won't remember the stipend I was paid during the internship or the kind of work I was asked to do, but I'll remember the fun I had with my fellow interns.

To sum up, life in an MBA college may be hectic, may make you feel disillusioned at times, but it does help you realize your true potential (yes, the numbers of hours you can stay awake at one go adds to it). Learning comes through various sources - sometimes from people you least expect. And who says you don't make real friends at an MBA college? I am lucky to have found friends who never miss a chance to take my case or never fail to cheer me up when I feel the least like it :-)

Who Am I?

When someone asks, who are you, what do you say, your name, maybe your education or your profession. If asked to elaborate, you may say the state you belong to or the language you speak. We take hours to prepare the most obvious interview question "Tell me something about yourself". Well, that is because, we cannot really define who we are and our nationality/religion/profession etc. does not really tell who you are. The answer to this question takes a lifetime to answer. We are constantly changing and moreover we don't know ourselves completely. There are many things which remain the same throughout, and many others which change with time. The key thing is to be aware of yourself.

The following is the song which I truly love -'Bulla ki jaana mai kaun' by Rabbi Shergill. I am also inserting the lyrics and meaning of the song (source:http://rabbism.blogspot.com/2005/07/bulla-ki-jaana-rabbi-shergill-lyrics.html) Do listen :)

Na maen momin vich maseet aan Na maen vich kufar diyan reet aan Na maen paakaan vich paleet aan Na maen moosa na pharaun. Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun Na maen andar ved kitaab aan, Na vich bhangaan na sharaab aan Na vich rindaan masat kharaab aan Na vich jaagan na vich saun. Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun. Na vich shaadi na ghamnaaki Na maen vich paleeti paaki Na maen aabi na maen khaki Na maen aatish na maen paun Bulleh!, ki jaana maen kaun Na maen arabi na lahori Na maen hindi shehar nagauri Na hindu na turak peshawri Na maen rehnda vich nadaun Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya Ne maen aadam havva jaaya Na maen apna naam dharaaya Na vich baitthan na vich bhaun Bulleh , ki jaana maen kaun Avval aakhir aap nu jaana Na koi dooja hor pehchaana Maethon hor na koi siyaana Bulla! ooh khadda hai kaun Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun

Not a believer inside the mosque, am I Nor a pagan disciple of false rites Not the pure amongst the impure Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh Bulleh! to me, I am not known Not in the holy Vedas, am I Nor in opium, neither in wine Not in the drunkard`s craze Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze Bulleh! to me, I am not known In happiness nor in sorrow, am I Neither clean, nor a filthy mire Not from water, nor from earth Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth Bulleh! to me, I am not known Not an Arab, nor Lahori Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari Nor do I live in Nadaun Bulleh! to me, I am not known Secrets of religion, I have not known From Adam and Eve, I am not born I am not the name I assume Not in stillness, nor on the move Bulleh! to me, I am not known I am the first, I am the last None other, have I ever known I am the wisest of them all Bulleh! do I stand alone? Bulleh! to me, I am not known

Not A Secret Anymore!

How many of you believe that man makes his own destiny? And how many believe, that your fate is pre-written?

I personally  and very strongly believe that you can achieve whatever you want to. The toughest of problems usually have the simplest of solutions. The challenge is to find it. Here I am going to introduce to a theory which will help you do just that. It is called the Law of Attraction (LOA)

So what is Law of Attraction? In simple words it means – like attracts like, whatever you think or believe strongly, is what is going to happen.  “When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true”, quoted by Paulo Coelho, in his book The Alchemist is exactly what LOA preaches.  LOA is just like any other law of universe- like the law of gravity. It is impartial and omnipresent. There is a whole bunch of science out there which proves my claims, but I want go into that. 

Now the important question is how to apply it? Simply, think and live what you really want to be. Picturise yourself as the CEO of a big firm, it is quite likely that you will eventually become the CEO. The important thing is to do it with passion and do it regularly. What people normally focus on is what they don’t want. I don’t want it to rain today, I don’t want to be stuck in the office. I don’t want to look fat. All these will actually aggravate the situation. The universe doesn’t care about what you want or don’t want it just gives back more of what you are thinking about. So, the right way to go about is to imagine a nice sunny day, a calm peaceful journey to office and to imagine yourself in your 26inch waist jeans which fitted you a couple of years back.

All this said, it doesn’t mean that if you sit all day and chant money, money, money and expect to become a millionaire. Obviously not! There are three important things to keep in mind. 1) You have to work towards your goal actively. 2) You have to actually believe that you will be a millionaire; you have to have faith in yourself. 3) You have to picturize the end result constantly.

This law may seem a bit hard to digest, because of its simplicity but trust me it works. Try applying it for small things and see the results. Most of you would have actually experienced LOA working for you. Have you given an exam with the least preparation but you feel that you will do well, and you actually do well? That’s LOA in practice. Do try it for small things and see how miracles happen :)

Some TP on TP!

I finally got my new ThinkPad after a seemingly loooong wait. Its a relief to be able to check mails and scan Facebook statuses from my own laptop. After owning a Vaio which is known (only) for its looks, TP may look like its grandmother. But I have learnt a lesson, and a relevant one indeed - Do not judge a lappy by its lid. ThinkPad is just awesome. Nice and sleek keyboard, and track point (yet to get a hang of it though!). Sound, display everything seems great. Lets hope TP is loyal to me unlike Vaio (or maybe I wasn't loyal to it..whatever!). Suddenly, I am feeling bad about Vaio. It did serve me for four years and lots of  memories are associated with it. The endless chats, DC++, movies, TV series and a bit of studies too. And of course the Vaio bashing - Dell praising sessions with friends. We owe many a laughter on Vaio's behalf. Its currently lying there alone in the darkness of my cupboard while i have conveniently moved on. Before you start wondering, yes i do remember, I am talking about an inanimate object :)

PS: I hope you understand the first TP stands for Time Pass. I am pretty sure BITSians would, but a little unsure about the Jokans (Jokans? IIMCalcians? huh..whatever :|)

  

Well I have much more to say about Joka, but more about that later!
Have a happy Weekend! :)

Know Me Better

9 Of My All Time Favorite Songs

•     You are Beautiful – James Blunt
•     Reason - Hoobastank
•     Dil ko Tumse Pyar hua – Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
•     In dino - Metro
•     Broken - Lifehouse
•     Home - Chris Daughtry
•     Kuch iss tarah – Atif Aslam
•     Edge of Desire – John Mayer
•     Choti si Asha – Roza

8 Movies I can Watch Again and Again

•     Swades
•     Dil Chahta Hai
•     A Walk to Remember
•     Ramona and Beezus
•     Dil to pagal hai
•     Taare Zameen Par
•     50 First Dates
•     Notting Hill

   7 Places I want to Visit

         The Taj Mahal

         A Wild Life Safari

         Italy

         The Pyramids and The Sphinx - Egypt

         Niagara Falls

         A Cruise

                                                               Paris

6 Things I Totally Love To Do

•     Shopping for clothes
•     Reading books
•     Sketching
•     Watching movies with friends 
•     Watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S
•     Amusement Rides

5 Things I Just Can’t Do

•     Make-up
•     Flirting
•     Sweet-Talking
•     Get Directions
•     Get up early in the morning

4 Peculiar Things About Me

•     I get dreams that I don’t have the right clothes to wear for an occasion
•     I don’t like pets at all. I dread touching them.
•     I hardly ever like the way my hair looks when I let it down, which is very rare ofcourse
•     I fall asleep only after at least half hour how much ever tired I am.

3 Regrets I have From My Life Till Now

•     I never learned a sport
•     I don’t read newspapers regularly
•     I am a bad planner

2 Things I hate

•     Hypocrisy
•     Fights

1 Thing I Believe In

•     Whatever happens, happens for the best.

Rainbows of Joy

I somehow don't like Sundays. You know why? Simply because they are followed by Mondays. And I better not get started on how much we hate Mondays. I love Saturdays though and again for the same reason – they are followed by Sundays! (Of course, nowadays Friday is the new Saturday) Its kinda sad na? So much is dependent on what future holds for us. We just feel happy by thinking about a holiday, not knowing it may turn into a disaster and when we do get a holiday we feel blue about going to work the next day. I mean we have so many hopes and feelings based on what may or may not even happen. I think most would agree, that the trips that are unplanned and sudden, more often than not, turn out  to be most fun. Even the thrill of an unexpected holiday is better than the approaching weekend. I am sure everybody loves it when it starts pouring on a hot and sunny day, when you least expect it. And that's when we see the rainbow. Unexpected joys are like rainbows, vibrant and short-lived, and they always bring a smile on our faces. We spend so much of our time planning and contemplating about our future. We have hardly any time to enjoy when it’s actually the time to cherish the rainbows that life leaves for us every now and then. Planning is important and but too much planning can kill the fun sometimes. Plus, It creates hopes and expectations and end up hurting us when the plan doesn't work out. I guess somethings should be just done on impulse. Take a day off just to read that book you wanted to since you bought it two months ago. Call that person you had a crush on but never had courage to talk to.  Make prank calls to your friends. Try that recipe of the chocolate truffle cake, you saw on the TV. Visit the salon and get that complete makeover you read about only in magazines. Rejoice the unexpected joys of life and let future unfold at its own sweet pace.

Once Upon A Time at School

“A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen. Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed with a smoldering glare, its muzzle and hackles and dewlap were outlined in flickering flame. Never in the delirious dream of a disordered brain could anything more savage, more appalling, more hellish be conceived than that dark form and savage face which broke upon us out of the wall of fog. ..“ – went on Miss Sunita, my English teacher. She was narrating the story of The Hound of Baskerville.

My classroom had windows facing the balcony and I was sitting next to the window. In the middle of the narration, I heard a noise outside the window. I looked out but did not see anyone. I got engrossed in the teacher’s narration again. After a while, I heard it again and this time when I looked, I just froze. Right there in the balcony not more than 10 feet away from me was the very hound of Baskerville, standing and staring back at me. I was just too scared to move or speak or even blink. It took me a good two minutes to take in what was in front of me. I nudged my bench mate and gestured him to look outside. He let out a small shriek of terror which alerted everyone including my teacher. In no time the entire class was aware of the presence of this hellish creature in our close proximity. Acting quickly, the teacher closed and bolted the door to the entry softly.

Now the atmosphere in the room was very tensed. Not a single sound to be heard. Slowly people started moving towards the other end of the classroom, occupying the farthest corner of the room, all huddled up. All this while the hound was just standing there looking at everybody through the window, its fiery eyes moving from one corner to another, with a kind of coolness in its eyes, which made us even more petrified.

After what seemed like hours, I stood up and went near the window. On looking down beyond the balcony, I could see a lot of people had gathered there. I could see school staff, parents of my classmates and I could even see some people in khakis, may be the police or people from animal control. I don’t know exactly why they were just waiting there and not doing anything. May be even they were scared of the hound too and didn't know what to do. For sure, it wasn’t natural to find a hound in a school.

While I stood there trying to reason with my little brain and trying to make some sense of the situation, I heard my mother’s voice and instead of comforting me she was scolding me. Something about how I have overslept and I will miss the school bus. It then hit me I was just dreaming! I should have known it, it was so illogical and unreasonable, but that’s not how dreams go, right? ;)

My Acknowledgements with Truth

Disclaimer: This post may have an overdose of sentiments and emotions, people who are averse to matters which come straight from the heart please stay away.

Yay! Gossip Girl is back and so am I! The events of this week, if asked to describe in a word i'd call it Life-changing ( yeah I know, stolen from GG :| , nevertheless very true). Yes, I got into IIM Calcutta! *Applause* Even though my dream college was IIM Ahemdabad, I am ecstatic with this result, to say the least. In fact, getting an admit in only one of the top 3 colleges in the country has its own advantages. For one, I know for sure that I am going to a good college and two, I don't have to break my head over deciding which college I should go for. Should I go for the college with the better brand value or the one which boasts to be best finance college in the country; or which is more tolerable: sun-burnt skin or taking multiple baths in a day due to sweat?

The journey to this goal of getting into IIM's officially began in January 2010, when I joined coaching for CAT at BITS Goa but truly speaking, for me it began in the summer of 2010 when I sat down and went through the CAT syllabus for the first time. It has seen its share of ups and downs. The most comforting part was, I wasn't alone in this journey. I had the guidance and support of so many people around me. Foremost would be my parents. It was my dad's dream to see me getting an MBA degree from IIM since as long as I was in school. Both my mom and dad have constantly encouraged me ( in a very non-interfering manner) and helped me in any and every way possible. Any number of thank you's would mean nothing in comparison to the support they have given me.

My parents were geographically far from me, but there were so many people near me, most of them sailing in the same boat as me. I can't thank Kinshuk enough for his constant motivation and never-swaying trust in me and my capabilities. I must have cried a thousand times about my not-so-good score in the mock tests but still he listened to all of it with immense amount of patience and understanding. My friends Kinshuk, Rajoshi , Hitesh have beared with my mood swings and sacrificed a good number of outings so that I could attend my CAT classes! If it weren't for Komal, I think I wouldn't have survived the long and painful Quant classes and boring Verbal classes. I remember the frequent nervous and self-loathing (for not studying seriously) sessions with Dhanlakshmi. Every once in a while we used to knock at each other's door and discuss about how scared we were and how less time we had before the C-day. Even after the results we used to constantly discuss about how to prepare for GD/PI and update each other on any news about the results. Though Deepak was not on campus, his timely advice, time management strategies and above all, his dedication towards the exam, kept me motivated. All these people and so many more (Devina, Trishla, Prakhar, Ajusal, Rohit, Himanshu, Pankaj, Rashmi, Priyal, Paridhi..) have helped me in more ways than one and made my dream come true. A big thank you to all you guys. Will forever be indebted to you. :')

My idea of a Superhero

I am no superhero buff. The idea of a superhero just doesn't fascinate me. Ever noticed every superhero, though fictitious, has a weakness. Superman's weekness is Kryptonite, Spiderman's is his desire to be just another guy. Batman has no powers at all! Isn’t this strange? They are just a figment of someone's imagination and yet they are not perfect. That's because the whole concept of a superhero is based on a wrong theory - Physical power is the greatest power. I beg to differ. My superhero would be something like a Patronus!

Before moving on, for those who aren’t well-versed with Harry Potter lingo -

"A Patronus is a kind of positive force, and for the wizard who can conjure one, it works something like a shield, with the Dementor feeding on it, rather than him." (Remus Lupin in Harry Potter)

I would want my favorite superhero to have a Patronus -like ability. That is, the ability to infuse positivity in our surroundings, to uplift our moods. I believe we have the power to do anything we wish, right within us. We just need to believe that we can do it. To have that sense of confidence, we should be filled with positivity and willingness. A patronus would just do that. It will erase out the Dementors (read insecurities, fears, doubts..) of our life and fills us with positivity.

In fact, we can conjure our very own Patronus. How? In the same way in which J. K. Rowling makes her characters conjure theirs.

“In order for it to work, you need to think of a memory. Not just any memory, a very happy memory, a very powerful memory… Allow it to fill you up... lose yourself in it... then speak the incantation "Expecto Patronum". (Remus Lupin in Harry Potter)

This actually works(minus the wand and the spell of course!). When you are feeling very low, browse through some old photographs, talk to an old friend or just think about some good times you have had. Think of a time where you made others feel proud about yourself. When you achieved something, you barely thought possible. This will make you feel so nice about yourself.

Do try it out and do tell me what's your Patronus? :P

PS: Harry Potter reminds of a question I was asked in an interview recently: Describe one thing from Harry Potter which you can actually implement using technology (ofc which is not already implemented), and also how you will implement it.

Any ideas?

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Bizzare Swan!

The other day I watched Black Swan on my laptop. I did not know what to expect before the movie and I was equally clueless after watching it. I am not saying it was a bad movie. I am just saying it was queer, just as queer as Nina (Natalie Portman) was in the movie. Black Swan is the story of an ambitious, controlled, prim and proper Nina, whose life is just about dance and ballet. But there is a major transformation in her life when she is offered the lead role in Swan Lake - a play where she is to play both the white and the black swan. The director of the play knows very well that she is perfect for the white part- pretty, delicate, fragile but the real problem is the black part. But Nina, being as obsessive about Swan Lake as she is, wants to impress the director and be the black swan - lustful, free and evil above all. No wonder, its a humongous task for the petite Nina and it has a psychological affect on her. She starts hallucinating, thinking that others are behind her for the role. Life isn't the same anymore.

What I was waiting for the most - the transformation, the black Nina, was sadly what I was most disappointed with. I did not see the black Nina, at all, all I saw was a delicate, subdued Nina in the beginning, a crazy, freakish and confused Nina later. She becomes a shadow of herself.

Other than this, the movie was great - visually and technically perfect, great performances and really good ballet!

But, definitely it is not my type. I prefer movies, which gives me a happy feeling, at least in the end!

Happy By Default!

"We are sad, due to a reason, always, but we can be happy without a reason"- one of the many pearls of wisdom Bawa (Khursheed Batliwala) shared with us in the Art of Living session I attended last year. How true it is! You need absolutely no reason to be happy sometimes. You have a beaming smile on your face, a bounce in your step and someone asks you 'Whats the matter? Aaj bade khush lag rahe ho'. You just smile back in response and say 'ainvayi'. Happens so often na? Thats the beauty of life. Happiness is our default state. All other moods are due to some reason or the other. Once that reason is gone we are back to our happy state.

This realization is in itself a reason to be happy, since, the key to happiness is in our own hands. Agreed, you can't do anything about some problems; the solution may not be in our hands. But you can surely try to ignore or forget your problem for some time at least. Ya, I know we are not computers and we can't magically erase problems from our memory. But since we are human we can fool our memory by distracting ourselves. TV, books, painting, gossip..the list of distractions is endless! We just need to direct our energies into something else and when we get back to our problem, trust me, it will seem a lot less difficult.

So just cheer up - its in our nature to be merry!

One last shot

Time is such a strange thing! It passes by so discreetly and unnoticed when we are busy and stares in your face endlessly when you have nothing to do!
Well, you'd have guessed till now. This very boredom has prompted me to turn to blogging to kill time. I always felt I am not a good writer. A number of thoughts pass by mind which i feel like penning down but when i actually try to, poof..its all blank! It's weird, but happens always. I love reading, especially personal blogs and always envied people who can write so well. I have tried it before and here am giving one more shot. I hope this post (and posts after it) actually makes it to my blog :) :)