By Raghav

You are the choices you make.

2009-04-05T16:02:00.002+05:30

I chose therefore I am.

If presented with options which lead you to 2 different careers, standing at the cross-roads, always ask yourself one simple question: " Will I want to change the decision I made today 5 years down the line ?" If the answer is a clear yes or no then presto and you have your career path. But what if there is a maybe involved, aha , then just increase the period of contention from 5 to 10 and repeat the assessment. It worked for me. I am 24 today, and have been gifted with some great opportunities that a mid career professional could wish for. I can crib about it and wish for more comfortable circumstances to make the critical decision or think of it as a chance to go out there and feel the heat first hand.

If I fail then it is I who fall alone, and get a chance to rise again. And what more, the experience is just life changing be it failure or success.

Yes, to put it in simple terms life is all about the choices you make.

Road to Class of MMX

2008-12-21T21:44:00.004+05:30

As many of my colleagues and bosses do not know about my moving out, although they do have a hint of it, I would refer to my destination as MMX for this post. I thought about writing a hilarious post on my journey but then stopped short and decided to write what actually I went through before landing up in one of the most prestigious and ever growing community of go-getters that India is witnessing. I am no great at words, so let me tell you that people who wanna see a masterpiece may stop reading right at about this point ! For the others, here it goes:

After having tried to bell the feline on about two previous (2005 & 2007) attempts and missing it by a whisker or 6, I decided to have a go at the other cat in the hat. It was a decision which definitely evolved over time as is obvious. All this was possible only because I had my mind dead set on my career as a general manager and MMX emerged out as a possiblity with its excellent faculty and reach. The location did not matter much, as I had also decided to try my hand at some ivy league stuff. It all started with the "OG" from Pearson in March 2008. The D day was June 25th. Work and academics picked up pace at the same time, and I had too many balls to juggle. It was one of the best learning experiences through those few months, and I started getting a taste of things that were in store, the deadlines, the pressure of expectations etc. etc.

To be honest, I am on the relatively younger side on the work-ex front and did not value my chances a lot when I applied to MMX. But I knew that I had the healthy mix ( acads, scores, sector et al) and hence pressed the submit button on Sept 10th 2008 with my fingers crossed.

The interview was on Nov 1 and the interviewer was Mr. Menon along with a faculty and an alumni. It was like "eternity in an hour", and by the time I was done with the estimate questions and the why now and what next, I felt a shiver down my spine on how well these guys assessed me. It took me 23 years and a few B-school essays to do that, for God's sake ! And the rest as they say is history ( I always wanted to write that :-))

That's all there is to this road. I am sure that the journey to this destination is no comparison to the journey from it, but it's worth a start.

Taare Zameen Par

2008-12-15T22:04:00.003+05:30

I have been a movie buff since my college days and have tried to catch an odd good movie here and there, often ending up going through some breathtaking disasters like Vivah and yes, Ek Vibah aisa bhi ! Anyone for Ek Vivah waisa bhi ?

But then there are times when a movie comes along which tingles every inch of your body and leaves you with those little goose bumps that you get when your emotions know no bounds. Taare Zameen Par did all that and more for me. It showed me the pain through which some of my near and dear ones must have gone through, before finding a foot hold in the society. Every child is special and there is no other better way that Amir could have put it.

Competition is good when you want to sell apples or iphones, but when you have the neighbour's lad in mind, the last guy to win will be your own kid. Let every child find their footing. Being different is far different from being unique. Let him/her be unique. India is a land where we often live our lives under immense pressure always constrained for resources be it for getting a square meal a day or for good college education and hence the competition will always get the better off many.

Creativity resides in seamless minds not bound by the burden of grades and pay packages and this needs ot be imbibed in the very grass root level Indian education system. I have a dream which will ensure that such an education will one day exist on my motherland. Follow and let follow dreams. Only then can the stars come down from the heavens.

Will the Big 3 collapse !

2008-12-13T19:12:00.000+05:30

Legacy, Legacy, and then come the legacy costs (read insurance, retirement funds etc.). Resting on the laurels simply does not get you anywhere. You are as good as your last performace. I guess we would have expected the republicans to oppose the bailout plan unless the worker unions shared the pain, and now only a piece of the 700 billion USD package can help the Fords and the GMs.

For India, our great success story of the post reform era - the auto component industry may struggle to meet their estimated 40 billion USD turnover for this fiscal by a far bigger margin than expected as exports to the US account for about 30% of our exports revenue.

But let's spare a though on why none of the Big 3 saw it coming and will a bailout package help any of them. In retrospect, harping on the facts that the product line must have been revamped and better terms should have been sorted out with the union workers on pay scales etc. just will not solve the purpose. Letting the big 3 crumble may result in major ramifications which even the best analysts may come cropper at. The interconnections of the industry and the millions employed by them will only result in heating up the world economy.

I would suggest consolidation. Why can't the best come together to become better. Chrysler with its premium brands, Ford with its mid range pick ups which still have a huge market in Australia and US and GM with its futuristic portfolio can form an excellent strategic alliance. The operationl brilliance of these companies will be put to test once again, and the stones thrown at them can can be made into milestones. It is only a matter of time or the lack of it, but the White House must act fast.

How to make a ***** curry

2008-12-09T17:34:00.001+05:30

This blog is for those starved bachelors, who have the gift but yet to discover it. It is a 6 step guide on how to make a good ***** curry.

Step 1: Ask the cooks to set a time target to make the curry

Step 2: Ask a friend to get the groceries (Be kind enough to invite him though!)

Step 3: Browse the recipe on the net.

Step 4: Ask the kind hearted friend to cut, peel, wash, marinate, dance, strip...etc..

Step 5: Reset the time target, and achieve it.

Step 6: Ahem ! Try and eat it. Voila, did we learn something today ( clap clap)

The cooks: Philip and Mono

The friend: Do I need to tell ya

The death of Test Cricket

2008-12-07T12:55:00.000+05:30

As a member of the mid-80s gang ( my birth decade) I have grown up on a healthy dose of test and one day cricket. It has been a time when I saw people inventing reverse and paddle sweeps to pacers and even saw some down-under guys score at 5 runs per over in Tests.

Whatever said, I am a firm believer that achievements in test cricket define the pinnacle of sporting glory as it involves a test of patience, stamina, fitness et al. And all was well till the time 20-20 arrived. It is not that 20-20 is bad for cricket as such, rather, it adds a new dimension to cricket. The adrenalin-surge just got better and the crowds just got more wilder, all good for the game.

But when the amounts involved run in millions, the best is often sacrificed. A case in point would be ICL - the rogue league. Many good players who signed the ICL contracts were thrown out of their national and state sides as the big boss of world cricket - BCCI did not fancy it all because they would lose on the crucial sponsorships and TV rights and so IPL - the approved league was born which mirrored ICL in terms of passion but was a notch higher on the crowdd capacity and entertainment front. It is just shameful to see that BCCI can arm-wrestle their way even around ICC and get things done, the reason being the deep pockets of the BCCI members. And it is just the beginning. When you let someone get so powerful, sad things happen ( read Hitler's rise and fall). Things get defined by the whims and fancies of a chosen few. Moreover, 20-20 can rake in moolah like no other form of cricket as is evident from the player auctioning and prize money at offer. On the other hand the old-fashioned test cricket is treading a difficult path. The game still has its own charm and oomph, as people still throng to watch a Ponting pull a flintoff for six and a Tendulkar come 2 down and resurrect the Indian innnings with a classy half century or for that matter see a Murali rip through the entire batting line-up.

I hope that the passion stays put, but for some smart people in the room, it does not make business sense if the dough does not flow in. We are not far away from the time when a test match is converted to 1 odi and 3 20-20s spread over 5 days just to ensure a sell-out crowd.

Airtel's 3G...Going, Going Gone.

2008-08-31T21:58:00.000+05:30

Sunil Bharti Mittal, kindly activate my post paid outgoing service immediately. It has been barred for the past 3 days due to non payment of dues which are apparently Rs. Zero as per your system. I am in a Catch 22 situation here and definitely your 24X7 service for the post paid customers is not helping.

I am being directed to a person going by the name +919840012345, and he does not exist !!! Why o why are you bothered about the 3G services of your international fruit sellers, when the national fruit basket is rotting due to the closure or overcrowding of routes. Please be aware that what we (I) need is a simple chat with our (my) near and dear ones once during the day. And if that is a little too overwhelming for you, then I guess we (I) need to inform you that swinging from left to right and vice versa will not take time. Apples were always preferable but oranges are as sweet too especially when they come with a lifelong validity of "Indianess".

Why all this communal violence just for the sake of an outgoing call ? Airtel wake up, or India going going gone.

Nanu is what Mamu does.

2008-08-25T19:20:00.000+05:30

Well, Singur is at it. again . Here's a sneak peek to a dialogue between Mamta Banerjee (MB aka Mamu akka) and Ratan Tata (RT aka Nanu da) at one of the many protests staged my the Trinamool Congress that will give you a taste of things to come.

Mamu: I bill naut let peop0ll of Singoor be a victim of partisaan politics. On one hand we want the farmers to phlauris through CMP and on the other hand you baunt to take away their land. How are they supposed to phlauris bithout land.

Nanu da: Well, Ma'am, with utmost sincerity, your logic is highly ..ahem..logical, but considering this logic to be logical enough, similarly you will also find our logic of creating employment through investment in such a profitable project for the country perfectly logical.

Mamu: Nanu da, for your kind info, I am not exactly good at logic, so keep all the logicaal explainations for Buddhaji, bhen you have to explain him of your bithdrawal from Singoor. The only thing I knob is that I am the unopposaaddly elected in the Panchayat polls at Singoor and thereby hab the duty to protect the interests of the pharmers. so gibh me baak my 400 acres.

RT: (Almost irritated) When did they become your 400 acres!!! The land belongs to the govt of West Bengal and I have rightfully taken what I have paid for. And more so I have been trying my best to get the farmers relocated and have them employed as per their need and capability. I am doing no disservice to you or to the people, and if anything, I am trying to build the manufacturing industry in West bengal for the state's good.

Mamu: ( Still at it): It is so kind of you to ask that. Bell, as faur as the laand is concerned it is OURS and naut yours for the taking. I bill die here, but not let the phaarmers suffer because of your peepolls car dream. We already have Our peepolls car here - the bullock car and it is bell below your $2500 phigure.

RT: (in tears but to himself): (I have shown my patience long enough. I need to warn Buddhaji that I am ready to roll back inspite of the heavy investment already put in and also to get this lady an english teacher.)
Bell, I mean well the best solution to all our problems.Let's have a voice vote in front of this large gathering and see what the people have to say about it.

Mamu ( to the gathering): Bhaut do you baunt , MAMU or NANU.

People: Be Bant Nanu to dhrive our bullauck caarts.

Strike while the iron's hot !

2008-08-24T14:24:00.000+05:30

Abhinav sparked it and Vijender wrapped it. The end of the most successful Olympics campaign in the Indian history. Let's keep the stats apart here for a while.

Abhinav Bindra went on record after his gold medal winning performance saying that he had a feeling of emptiness after climbing the peak of sporting glory. Well none of us would know about that, as he is the only one, legible to comment on that. But the feeling of void is completely his personal, as the rest of India is filled with emotions ranging from national pride to vindication. His performance may even have broken the barrier that most Indian athletes face when they perform at the biggest stage of them all, and may have even helped Sushil Kumar and Vijender in their individual events.

But let us hark on the past a little. Say a Malleshwari and a Rathore , also did spark that National pride, although eventually it was more of a spark than a fire. What we lack or what we have needs to be analyzed for sure to perform better at London 2012, but more efforts should be put on what we need to do. And when I say we, I mean we the people. Today entrepreneurs - most of them budding graduates, are willing to create multi million dollar start ups, and they have the right financial and strategic atmosphere to do so. Although I do not blame them for going into lucrative ventures, mostly in IT/ITES sectors but this time around why can't we tap the sports sector. We have the right atmosphere and people would be more than willing to lend a helping hand.

A business model that provides budding athletes the right training facilities and a long term income opportunity, will be a shot in the arm. Strike while the iron's hot !

Mother of all olympics

2008-08-22T22:24:00.000+05:30

The other day while reading on how much do the countries mint from an Olympics, some stunning facts emerged through.
1) China is supposedly to earn about $240 million from television relays.
2)Olympic games will create commercial opportunities worth 3 trillion yuan, half of which apply to service trade.
3)Overseas visitors have grown 7% YOY since 2001 Beijing Olympic announcement.
4)And lastly, Beijing olympics are supposed to be the most profitable Olympics in the game's history, according to the International Olympics Committee. Sales of the official mascots, FUWA alone are expected to net $300 million in profits.

Source: The Beijing Organising Committee; International Olympic Committee

Wall.E (Version 1.0)

2008-07-16T22:42:00.000+05:30

Had a chance to catch the movie. Impressive watch. The picture painted by Walt Disney for the future looks dark (but obvious!), but then there's always that silver lining. A garbage dumper robot, with his futuristic robot 'E probe' gets a chance to save planet earth. What is more startling is that these animation movies are able to bring out the right kind of emotions from within us more than people in flesh and blood can do. May be it is more to do with these Saans-Bahu serials and an overdose of the reality shows with all the plastic emotions that have completely ruined our emotional quotient.
Every thing in the future now a days seems to look bleak (ask Al Gore). There's the doomsday scenario being shown that runs millions of pages in the newspapers (they are made out of trees apparently!) across the world and on Discovery, National Geographic et al. And maybe, there are people who are doing something about it. The only question to ask is, why not us. Maybe the scenario is not as bad as it looks, but with a little help it can only get better.

So for the starters, walk those extra few steps to the nearby grocery store and another few to the nearest dustbin. Old habits die hard. But it is all worth the try.

Games India should play

2008-07-12T16:31:00.000+05:30

As I read through the book by V Raghunath on "The games Indians play" I increasingly feel amazed at how the small things in the Indian psyche affect the bigger picture. The act of being rational is just another way of saying how selfish one needs to be in order to get things done is what the author points out.As I read through, there's this bolt of lightening that strikes me when I co relate the same with the movie " A beautiful mind" and what Russell Crowe, essaying the role of John Nash, the famous nobel laureate and a master at game theory, meant.
The setting is thus: A group of guys at a bar, ogling at a group of girls. Of course, there is this 36-21-36 figure among the girls who our stud is after. But then so are the other lads in the group. What Nash quickly points out is how the dead lock can be broken with a win-win situation for all, just if all the guys let go the "Ms. Universe" and go for her friends instead. Everyone gets what he wants and no one affects the libido of the other.

Well, the book does relate a lot to the social dilemmas faced by Indians and how they can be tackled through simple game theory logic.
A simple case, out of personal experience would be the parking lot dilemma. How difficult is it to park in the right way, so as to ease out the ingress and exit of vehicles in a parking lot. But then there has to be that odd creative genius, who presumably has a great sense of orientation and tries to park his vehicle so as to ensure that even Lord Ganesha on a rat would find it hard to get some parking space for his mode of transport. Well, no doubt. it is due to these people who do not give a tiny rat's ass, that others follow suit and we soon have a compounded parking lot chaos at hand. The attitude of "If I cannot succeed, then at least my neighbour needs to fail" is what the author truly points out to be the bane of the Indian society.

We surely are the champions of such games. I guess on a scale of 1-10 on games of deceit and trickery we could rate ourselves well above a billion and and counting....

2008-07-06T22:03:00.000+05:30

The blog is being posted at the same time as India are going down to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup finals and Federer is 2 sets down at the Wimbledon finals.
Thereby being unsure of the fate of either match, what I would like to comment on is what makes "the best" tick in pressure situations, which I think is a safe bet to comment on, the point of contention being subjective enough.

So as I speak, to be able to compete with best involves a lot of things, but the most important of all, according to me,is belief. If you lack the belief in yourself, I guess you are as good as done and dusted. Past records, overwhelming opposition, weather conditions et al are just another set of statistics which just can be brushed aside if you believe that you have the matter to compete and be the best you can on the given day.
Federer as I saw him standing against Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros, had none of that in his eyes or his actions. Nadal on the other hand, had tons of it. The source of such belief though a debatable topic can be surely agreed upon to have its origin in the person himself. It may be his perseverance, his luck, his optimism, his hard work, or even his persona. But finally whatever it is, it belongs to him. So now the whole point is, why can a particualr person have it on a given day and at the same time the other person lacks it, although both are pitted against each other due to their ability to beat the best in the business and are the owners of their own beliefs. Well, that's what separates the best from the rest. On certain days, the rest just give up the ownership of such a source and hope for something to happen. And there ends the story.

Federer my boy, India my country, please o please, start believing. Rest will follow.

Fedex fails to overcome the Rafa barrier_08.06.08

2008-06-08T20:58:00.000+05:30

The point of contention: What does Federer need to do to beat Nadal on clay ?

Well, as far as the results of today's final indicate, I see only a couple of options
- Kill the Mallorcan or,
- Change his name to Rafael Nadal.
The 12 time Grand Slam champion just did not bring the right person to the court today. It wasa case of total annhilation if the 6-1 6-3 6-0 scoreline is anything to go by. On one of his days, Federer with those deft backhand slices, and deep forehands down the line would have been handful for even 2 Rafaels but today there was everything amiss in the champs game. The flowing poetry that he exhibits in his game on grass just does not suit his clay court play. Federer complains that he is wary of the slippery courts of Roland Garros, but to be honest, he is just not getting the footwork right for clay. Meeting the ball on the rise and hitting great angles with brilliant hand speed is Fedex's strength and as it turns out his greatest weakness on clay.
The clay courts of Paris, do not give Federer value for money for his great angles, because they just aren't fast enough. Not to undermine the nimble footwork of Rafa, but Federer just needs to be a little less poetic so to say, and be a fighter with a do or die attitude for every point if he has to get past this man on clay. Ever. Speaking of Nadal, he just continued where he left off against Djokovic. The guy has been flawless all through tournament. With a 4th consecutive French Open title he equals Bjorg's record and enters the anals of sporting history.

At present the tally stands like this. Federer - 12 ( 5 wimbledons, 4 US and 3 Australian); Nadal ( 4 French). It will be a shame if Federer does not get the French under his belt at the end of his career, a nagging blip in an otherwise exemplary career.

Well, Sachin 117*...nothing more nothing less

2008-03-02T20:57:00.000+05:30

Maah 34 year ol' kiddo has done it again. Whatta playa !
Elephant in the dressing room, Manjrekar ? On your face, critics and fans alike.

Honestly , what I do is keep the stats aside and just sit back and relax. The guy may retire within a couple of years and then the void created will take some time to heal.

On a different note, I thank the owners of Anu Ega cinema for following the policy of not locking the doors while the movie is on or else hell would have broken lose on Friday the 29th, Feb 2008. For the uninitiated, Jodha Akbar is a movie, which may have had Akbar turning in his grave, about a zillion times. The movie sucks. Not one time, not a 100 times, but big time.
The saving grace were Badri's comments, a flabby duck beside me who for once thought that Rajnikanth on a space shuttle would have been a better substitute to Hrithik on an elephant. I couldn't agree more.

Best moment of the movie: When Akbar gets high on cocaine, and goes Khwaja mere Khwaja, right phil?

Underestimating Sachin's worth - The IPL fiasco

2008-02-22T21:37:00.000+05:30

Yes, yes, yes. Another of those Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar fanatics. A die hard fan of Sachin as much as I am, my heart bled to see Sachin being tagged at a mere 4.5 crores, where as the Jharkand lad mopped in a cool 6 crores worth of booty. Well not that he does not deserve the praise and money, but then so does the little master. The stature of the man deserves, by no doubt whatsoever, a price tag worth more than the Ferrari he drives.
Any way, as the news mongers go about harping on the fact that there were some hidden deals struck between the team sponsors of Saurav and Sachin which ensure them a 15% premium over the highest auctioned player in the IPL bid and not, I repeat, not over the highest auctioned player bid of their respective teams. But then this is just the beginning. An event which as sealed its television rights for a whopping Rs. 4000 cr. would surely not be devoid of any "saans-bahu" drama, for the starters at least.

" Well, I was little disappointed by the auction, I guess mate. My brand surely deserved more than that, uh mate? I may discount the fact that the recent Bhajji fiasco may have something do with I being auctioned for that amount but then hang on mate, a bloke called Simo was involved in that too, what say mate, eh !- check mate ? " Ponting goes on to say. And he surely has a point. Symonds for 5.4 crores and the world's best batsman, in both forms of the game mind you, for a mere 1 and a half cores - unacceptable !

08/08/08 8:08 PM: makes sense ? naah ? well that's when the Olymics start. Beijing 2008, as they call it. About less than 6 months to go for it. A nation of billion blah blah blah....first summer games 1928...no individual gold medal...unacceptable too ! Well these guys surely are pathetic. They should take a leaf out of the books of their compatriots representing our actual national sport. No wonder these guys are struggling to put together a budget for training for international competition and hardly have any facilities to pitch them against the best. No wonder, that although they may reside in the same interiors of the country from where our pin up boy Mahi comes, but hardly do they deserve the same praise.

105 crores and counting and we rest our hopes on a sport called shooting - I am crest fallen ! These guys should seriously consider alternatives, if possible. No wonder that the IPL bid may have eaten into a teeny weeny bit of the sponsorship pie that these guys may have got to get themselves up and ready for the games, get that extra bit of push before the games. get that extra bit of hope that the nation still believes in them; but then I do not have an iota of doubt that these guys do not deserve it. I mean come on, give them all the facilities and let them train their hearts out, let them get the best of nutrition and international competition and then hope that they win us a medal or 2, is that what the Olympics is all about, Altius, citius, fortius or whatever !!!
Gimme a break, ahem,so where was I, well Sachin you deserved at least 10 crores, right fellow Indians ?