Baking: A fun activity for weekends

I entered Sin-A-Mon's baking contest a while back and won this book as Runner Up. It was when I was in search of a hobby after MBA that I came across Monika in Times Life, the Special Edition of TOI.  Looked her up on the Internet and booked a seat for her 2-day baking basics classes.

 

Thus began the story of how I got interested in baking. After scouring over dozens of food blogs that can make you go mad, when I actually attended the classes, a wonderful new world of baking opened up to me.

The amazing taste of home made, self made cookies, muffins, rolls and cakes were a class apart. After that I haven't bought any of the above from store. If I do, those are the things that I buy just to compare the tastes and see if I have made them better. Yes, was the answer everytime.

It wasn't after 2-3 months after classes that I actually ventured into baking on my own. I don't own an OTG (Oven Toaster Grill) and I don't have enough space in my kitchen to keep an oven along side the microwave. After persistent reminders from my dear friend Kanchan, I finally bought all the essential baking items and ingredients and set out to bake. We have made chocolate chip cookies, chocolate muffins, chocolate cake, blueberry cheesecake, savoury onion cheese muffins and vanilla muffins. These have turned out very well and were devoured by family and friends.

Looking forward to buying an OTG soon after somehow figuring out the solution to my space crunch and then baking regularly. With Cupcakes & Muffins book in tow, I should be able to experiment and make some more flavours of muffins as well. More than all that, the heavenly smell that wafts through the kitchen and the entire house makes for such a warm and cozy feeling. 

Happy Baking!

Great lessons from MasterChef Australia 2012

I got hooked to the MasterChef Australia when Season 4 was on. Never understood before what the hoopla was about and I used to feel that it must be boring to watch someone cook. But then I developed an interest in baking. Suddenly, MasterChef became my most (and the only one) favourite TV show.

As the Season 4 progressed, I encountered interesting episodes where I was able observe some great lessons apart from learning difficult to understand dish/ingredient names and sexy French dessert names :-D. Amina, Mindy, Audra and Julia were my favourites in the competition. They were really consistent through out the competition and one unlucky day did each of them in.

1. Being a good individual player and good team player are different ball games. As team challenges were being played out, one could clearly see Debra struggling. All the participants understood that although she was a great cook individually, she was not a team player and she was the last one to be picked in the team challenges. 

2. Alice showed great character and strength when she chose TWICE not to use her immunity pin and chose to contest fairly. And thank God, she won both times. So if you believe in yourself and put yourself out there, you will always come back victorious from the pressure tests of life. One need not step on others while getting ahead. There's always room for skilled individuals, so believe in yourself and be the best you can be.

3. Did you notice that none of the contestants who gained advantages won that particular round? For example, in the Final 6, Kylie who chose to make dessert she was confident to nail, was out of the competition because the cream had curdled. So even if someone else seems to have upper hand in the beginning, it is skill, expertise, hard work, focus that wins the day.... and the challenge.

4. Did you notice that the dessert queens never won the challenges that the others predicted they would because it was their forte? What went wrong? Did the pressure get to them or was it something else? Rookies like Andy, Ben, Sam, who had never cooked desserts before, took the game away from the experts. Determination and imagination can get you surprising results.

5. The biggest surprise was Andy, who transformed from an ugly duckling to MasterChef Cinderella (did I just combine 2 stories into 1?!!). He proved that if you apply knowledge, technique into something you love, you can transform yourself from cooking steaks to mastering the fine dining.

6. The team challenges were always interesting in testing out the contestants' team playing, leadership and communication skills. In one of the challenges, Matt Preston mentions that the red team lost because "there was no Alice in your team". It was not only a compliment to the bubbly Alice, but also a reminder to everyone that communication skills are very important no matter in which field you are.

7. It was heartening to see that during the Immunity Pin challenges, the helpers to the contestants wanted to do better lest they let down their friend who was in fray to win the immunity pin. If it was India, probably the helpers would have purposefully ruined the dish, who knows! I am sure the contestants must have been really competitive but they supported each other throughout the competition. Julia was outstanding and she helped all the others no matter what the challenges were and how tired she was.

Closing note: You can learn lot of management (or otherwise) lessons from a cooking reality show as well :-)

The $10 Trillion Prize - Panel Discussion at IIMB

 IIM Bangalore along with Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) hosted a panel discussion titled “The $10 Trillion Prize: Captivating the Newly Affluent in China and India” today evening.   

Panel Members included:

1.       Ms Vinita Bali, Chief Executive Officer, Britannia Industries Ltd

2.       Mr Srivatsa Krishna, IAS

3.       Professor J Ramachandran, IIM Bangalore

4.       Mr Michael J. Silverstein, Senior partner and managing director at The Boston Consulting Group

5.       Mr David Wan,  Chief Executive Officer, Harvard Business Publishing

 The panel discussion was moderated by Mr Abheek Singhi, Partner and Director at The Boston Consulting Group.

The auditorium was full. The participants were welcomed on stage with thunderous applause.

Abheek presented a brief about the purpose of the book The $10 Trillion Prize on which the panel discussion was based on and some interesting tidbits about how unprecedented growth opportunities in India  and China have changed the life expectancy, disposable income and hope, aspiration, dreams and energy of its people.

After that presentation, the panel discussion was opened with 3 questions. 1) Are there any reasons to be bullish/bearish in these markets and what are the risks involved 2) What does it take to win in China and India. 3) If you look at the government and societies in these countries, what either of them have to do in order to improve the hurdles?

Ms. Bali first spoke about the market and that given the high level of consumption due to population, there is no question that the opportunities are huge and that for huge markets like India and China, at every price point there is a large base of consumers. Be it a Re 3/5 packet of biscuits or BMW/Audi/Mercedes, there is a large consumer base. Hence the absolute numbers add up and make the businesses worthwhile.

Mr. Srivatsa started with a humourous anecdote and went on to talk about entrepreneurship in India and about the opportunities in both countries.

Mr. Silverstein talked about the 'paisa vasool' and the exuberant experience of a consumer when they get a product at a great price point.

Prof. J Ram talked about education and the part it plays in shaping up a nation. Also that the level of importance given by parents in investing their money in education with the hope that the children will have better future. But the challenge is tht there are millions to reach out to. Elitist education is not enough.

Mr David Wan said that the demand is so high that few institutions can not fulfill the requirements of high quality education. And that the HBR blogs and forums get 30% traffic from India where the commentaries are of the highest quality.

After opening comments by each participant, the discussion focused about 2-3 specific topics:

1) Education: What is the way forward for India? Prof. J Ram pointed out that we have a policy issue and that we are focused towards elitist education. IITs, IIMs are not enough. We need faculty coupled with knowledge, hence our PhD programs should be strengthened. Our primary schooling system is broken and it has to be rectified. Only then as a nation, we can be ready for the future.

Mr Silverstein said that India is seriously disadvantaged in terms of education. India is under funded. He specifically said "YOU TOLERATE. You tolerate that 70% of your schools are sub-standard."

China on the other hand directs graduates to study what it wants them to study and it is a global competitor as a category killer.

2) Entrepreneurship: What prevents India from being entrepreneurial? Both Vinita and Srivatsa had the opinion that India doesn't have the ecosystem for the entrepreneurs to flourish and is not conducive. For being entrepreneurial, one needs some beliefs and attitude which is missing. Here even those who are entrepreneurs are  only to meet daily requirements. And one doesn't drive at excellence here and we encounter "CORRUPTION" every step of the way which is a huge deterrent to growth.

Prof J Ram mentioned that an ambition of different order is required to scale entrepreneurial heights and one thinks about the cost of NOT doing while starting a venture here.

 Also significant points were that we should strive for excellence. We Indians tolerate nonsense. And that kind of permeates into accepting less than the best. We must showcase more and unleash the energy (like Olympic athletes strive for excellence). Our education system should be invested in and we should be unwilling to accept less.

Mr Silverstein concluded that the next decade is for India and China. Both must put in the resources and provide access to capital for the nation to grow and the most critical resource for the next decade would be 'water' and that we should strive to improve water access, power, and other natural resources. Corruption costs India and China 2GDP points per year and hence the governance should be put in order and corruption must be reigned in.

Key takeaways:

1) No questions that the opportunity is huge in India and China

2) In India, policy issues must be tackled. Primary and PhD education system must be strengthened.

3) Corruption eats up 2 GDP points every year. Must be handled.

4) An ecosystem conducive to entrepreneurship must be encouraged

5) India must invest in agriculture; in seeds, technology, machinery. It will free up 100 million hands to do some other productive work.

6) We must strive for excellence. "Chalta hai" attitude won't do. We must not accept anything less than the best.

7) Key question: Will India fix its governance first or China fix its politics first?

Back to BB: Review of Blackberry 9220

After (literally) giving away my Blackberry Curve 8520 which was my life, I had resolutely stayed away from buying a new one. But last week, I decided enough was enough and went to the store and bought myself a BB Curve 9220.

9220 vs 8520

 This phone has the OS 7.1 which is the latest OS of BB phones. That makes the icons and the display a little different than 8520, but not a game changer in any sense. With a better processor, RAM and ROM, it is definitely worth the buy. The frustrating clock that used to appear while processing in Curve 8520 is a rare occurrence in this one. The battery is 1450mAh as compared to 1150mAh of 8520, which is definitely a big thumbs up. So far, I am able to use my phone for 1.5 days without charging it.

FM Radio

Ah, BB has finally woken up to the fact that we Indians like FM in our phones, smartphone or not. So presence of a basic FM is a big plus and that decided it for me. 2MP camera and music player is okay, but then we don't buy a BB for the camera & the music, do we? Addition of a 5MP camera would have made it even more special though. But I am not complaining.

BBM connected apps for those who are addicted to Social Media

There is a dedicated side key for BBM and camera respectively. You may change and configure them to something else though. Volume keys at the side have a small button in the middle which acts as Pause - for the music or FM. The rubber keys on the top as in 8520 are gone and instead there sits a Lock key which is very useful. This will prevent accidental calling and subsequent embarrassment. The hands-free connects on top, so you can keep the phone completely covered and still listen to FM/music.

When I saw the pictures of 9220 for the first time, I hadn't liked the keypad because they looked very fat and blunt, in person they are not bad at all. The trackpad which was one smooth surface in 8520 has been separated into keys (phone, BB, Return and Ignore). Took me some time to get used to, but nothing to complain about.

Keypad of BB 9220

 As soon as I connected to BB App World, I got to know that there is an introductory offer to download free applications worth 2,500 rupees with the Curve. I was prompted to upgrade BB Messenger, BB App World and BB Protect (which lets you remotely track your phone and erase the contents if you lose the phone. by God, I hope not. Not again!). In the last 8 months, Apps have definitely improved in quality and I hope they improve further. Haan, there is a facility in this Curve to set up your payment channel like credit card or Paypal so that you can use these whenever you require to make payments.

I got a Bluetooth headset free with this phone. I haven't used it, so can not comment on it. All in all, a BB for those who don't want to spend too much yet want to have a BB experience. If you own a BB 8520, you will like 9220 too.

Oh! the joy of reading for pleasure...

Being on sick leave has its perks. Devouring as much books as you can. Doing MBA meant I was constantly reading Management books which left me with little time to pursue my hobby - reading. Being on leave, I have got that time get back to it with vigour.I am not much of a reviewer and this is my first time 'writing' about books that I read.

The Sins of the Father (Jeffrey Archer) was a let down of sorts. Even though the book starts with enough suspense, it fizzles out and leaves you extremely disappointed at the end. I don't like reading from different characters' perspective in one story since it doesn't provide continuity, but the first few chapters were entertaining.

The Litigators (John Grisham) I was left wondering if this is the same John Grisham who wrote novels like The Pelican Brief, The Street Lawyer and The Firm. Horrendous story because there is no story at all. Most excruciating book and I would gladly advise everyone to avoid. Kanchan, won't forgive you for not warning me!

Calico Joe (John Grisham) had an emotional story involving the protagonist and Baseball. A quick overview of baseball by the author was extremely well written and the whole book makes for a quick read. Nothing earth shattering, but nothing to do with the Lawyer-giri (like Gandhi-giri) that we have all come to associate John Grisham novels with. After The Litigators, Thank God for that!!

After growing with on staple diet of Mary Clark Higgins, James Patterson, Jeffrey Archer, Robin Cook, Robert Ludlum, John Grisham, I have had enough of firang stuff. I have started reading Desi authors (most of whom are 2nd Gen Indian Americans). Since we are so used to western stories told by westerners getting used to the language and the thought process is a bit difficult, but these books are not that bad as others make them out to be. Of course, I hate those Indian authors who write in such difficult English and long sentences that you forget what it was about when you come to the end of the sentence (just to show how superior their linguistic skills are so they can eye that oh-so-nice Booker prize). But breezy stories make for a good read.

StarStruck (Rajal Pitroda) was my first book by Indian-origin(or shall I say ABCD?) author. We all have our perceptions about Bollywood. This book is about an Investment banker who comes down to Mumbai and as fate might have it, ends up working for a Hindi Film Producer. As the story goes, the story brings up the quirks of stars, the extra marital affairs right under the nose of spouse, underworld links and a sudden twist which ends the story and has the protagonist ending up back in NY and trying to console herself that her i-dream-of-doing-something-different-i-feel-something-missing-inside-me has been sufficiently pacified and that the effort was worth it. Breezy read, not bad for a first novel. I wonder why it is that all the Investment Bankers, Management Consultants shun the mega bucks and turn authors!! :-P (Pun intended, read Dork if you want to understand what I mean).

Hindi-Bindi Club (Monica Pradhan) One more 'Management consultant' turned author. Stories told through the eyes of 6 characters -3 mothers and 3 daughters who see life from different angles and are going through different stages of life. The story has enough emotions, the tumults of being 'India-American', ladies who have spend almost 3 decades in US but still yearn for homeland, a semi-arranged marriage, father-daughter quarrel, a twist with tragedy and the resulting philosophical view when one stares death in the face and has the chance to live again, an extra marital affair(?!! why was that necessary, I wonder), Partition and the painful emotions associated with that memory; secrets held due to unfulfilled teenage love. Every chapter has recipes of most known Indian (read Marathi, Punjabi and Bengali) dishes. So you can cook these dishes as well if it pleases you. All in all, a nice story.

Dork (Sidin Vidukut) It contains all the private jokes an MBA would know and smile about no matter how many times he/she has come across it. All regional stereotypes that we make fun of, those job interviews and politics behind it, life as a 'management consultant'!! First 2 chapters are hilarious and then the language becomes crass and the story too predictable. Some situations are really funny and overall a good read.

2012 and happy to be free*

I have been away for too long this time. Apart from a quick post last Oct, I have been MIA (Missing In Action, for the uninitiated) for more than 6 months now.

Anyways, there are so many things that have happened. 2012 has been great so far. New year, New Life. Following in Prof. Ramya's footsteps, I take this opportunity to count my blessings.

Things I am grateful for
1) Loving and supportive family who supported me through thick & thin these past 3 years as I struggled with balancing work, life and everything else.
2) Professors who made 2.75 years' of my MBA a journey to cherish.
3) Friends who have provided a reality check when I was struggling to stay sane (Dear sis, you count here too).
4) A wonderful vacation in Nepal, which is also my first full-blown International vacation. (UK was more of a pain-cum-pleasure trip (all the dental surgeries being the pain part and some sight seeing thrown in by family being the pleasure).
5) My new car which is so small and so cute!! (Oh, you will hear more about this sooooon, I promise!)
6) An opportunity to receive my MBA from none other than Mr Mukesh Ambani on 30th March
7) A surgery last that took care of the implant in my leg. Am also grateful for having a wonderful Orthopaedic Surgeon who is also my uncle.

Well, with some things crossed off my check list, I am looking forward for the rest of the year. As I recover from the surgery, it is time to unwind but put the plans that have been on hold to action. May God be with me.

Ciao.

* Free in my context means free time that I have (now that I have completed my MBA) to pursue my next round of dreams.

Samskritam aham cha (Sanskrit & I)

IIMB is the best thing that has happened to me so far. It has made one more of my dreams come true.

Samskrita Bharati in association with IIMB has organised a 10-day Samskrita Sambhashana Shibira at IIMB. I am eagerly attending the class everyday. It is amazing how much Samskrit I can speak and understand in just 5 days.

That reminded me that my paternal granduncle (Neerpaje Bheema Bhat) had won Kendra Sahitya Academy award for translating Kalhana's Rajatarangini to Kannada way back in 1998. So I googled and found the announcement in The Tribune. Here it is:

Links: Learn Samskrita through Correspondence

IIMB Presents Vista 2011

Another edition of IIM Bangalore's premiere Business Festival is back this year. Visit http://www.iimb-vista.com/ to know more about competitions, talks, workshops and conclaves organized as part of Vista 2011!

This year also,  there are exclusive corporate events with interesting competitions that enable you to come out of the daily job chores and participate and network with like-minded intellectuals!

Corporate Czars

Whether it is a frail or robust economy, corporate strategies have evolved into newer and newer dimensions. Gone are the days when the mergers, acquisitions and partnerships were based on the prevailing regulatory frameworks or ideology of open standards. Strategies for controlling technology and market access have taken interesting routes with IPR battles and IP trading arising as the front-runner in acquisition strategies.

Is it the ego that is playing the daemon? Are market players moving in the direction of mutually assured destruction?
or is it still the strategically thought decisions that win the bet?
Are you ready to play the role of a protagonist to devise strategies for the next big move for one of the leading market player?

Click here to participate!

Deadline for initial submission - September 16

The Next Big Wave

Innovative solutions crafted with a keen market understanding will be the only straw that will keep the companies afloat in this dynamically changing market. The Next Big Wave challenges you to identify innovative solutions for the live and imminent business problems faced by the emerging industry sectors. Can you ride this next big wave ?

Click here to participate!


Deadline for initial submission - September 16

Corporate Quiz

Vista presents Corporate Quiz an exclusive quizzing extravaganza for corporate participants. Hosted by acclaimed quiz masters, with the top corporate teams fighting it out, the winners would have to dig really deep and bring out their best game to the table. So, come and join us for an entertaining and joyful afternoon which is sure to prick your brain at the same time. Let the sparks fly!

Rise and Raise your voice against Corruption

I have been gone for a whole six months now. Now that I am back, I will tell you a story.

It was Aug 2007. My family had just moved to our new flat in a very calm and quiet area of Bangalore (yes, there exists such a place!). We were the first occupants in our 70+ flats apartment complex. Having moved from Jayanagar, where everything was a stone's throw away, we thought it was only matter of days to get our BSNL connection transferred and installed at our house and get Internet connection in the new house. Little did we know that we would be fighting a long battle against the system and against corruption.

My brother, father and I started making routine visits to the nearest BSNL office for connection. We gave an application and were told that they were short of cables and couldn't service our request and that we had to wait. My brother went to the Regional BSNL office and met the officer and told him how important it is to have a phone connection, since Airtel, Reliance hadn't started their service in our area back then and he needed Internet connection for his study related activities and his sister is a software engineer and needs to work from home. After couple of months, the update was that BSNL didn't have permission for road cutting in order to lay down the cable, hence we had to wait. Adter some more time, it was back to 'no cable' and 'no BBMP permission for road cutting'. We asked them give it in writing.

1 year had passed. After going from pillar to post, we were thoroughly harassed. Bangalore is the IT capital, the Silicon Valley of India with all amenities and services. It was ridiculous that we couldn't get a BSNL connection for our home. We consulted our uncle who is a prominent lawyer in Karnataka High Court. He asked us to provide him with all the documents and he got the case ready. Finally we filed a case against BSNL in the consumers forum. When the case was to come for hearing, we posted an RTI application to BSNL asking for status of the work(asked specific questions seeking answers). In a month, we got a lame reply from BSNL. Our uncle included that in his arguments and the judge fined BSNL and asked it to pay us Rs. 7,500 for the delay. Within a week, we got our BSNL connection.

RTI application is truly empowering. We didn't bribe the officials with a single rupee(maybe that's why they didn't give a connection for more than a year). Our complaints had fallen on deaf ears. No action was taken on erring officers. If a powerful Jan Lokpal bill was there, maybe our  voice would have been heard sooner.

Friends, it's truly a fight for our rights. Right to get a phone connection without having to bribe someone. Right  to get a gas connection, a ration card and documents from government offices without having to face harassment. And if harassed it is our right to be heard. These officers are people working for US. Let us show solidarity in our fight against corruption and fast once a day.

P.S.: Prof J Ram asked us in class today, 'how many of you are fasting?'. No one answered. He said, 'guys, it's not bad to skip a meal to show support. It's even healthy'. I was ashamed. Now on, I am involving myself in the fight against corruption. Maybe once we get a bill of the people, for the people and by the people, our country might be a better place to live.

I'm a Star!

 I have been voted as the Star of the Quarter for Q2 for PGSEM @ IIMB.

Yay!

Of a fall and breaks

There is truly someone up there who decides who gets a break and when, no matter what we puny mortals have planned for.

A surgery. An MRI scan. A CT scan. an ultrasound. an X-Ray. A spinal headache, countless injections, countless tablets.

I have had it all in the past week. An experience enough for a lifetime!

It has been 10days since I fell from scooty and went through unspeakable pain. After a knee joint fracture and a surgery to fix it, now that I have been forced to stay in bed for the next 5 weeks, I am quite relieved. The worst has passed and now is the time for resting and for healing.  After recently turning an year older and (hopefully) wiser, I haven't had the heart to ask 'why me?' but have thought 'if it has to be me, so be it!'. That has given me courage to carry on and have faith in myself.

To avoid turning my top shelf from becoming a devil's workshop, I became member of Just Books today (with due permission from my doctor of course!) and I am feeling like a kid in a candy store. Within minutes of becoming a member, I have 2 dozen books in my reading queue. I am really really happy to have got a breathing space, I realise how much I have missed reading fiction. I am breathlessly waiting for the first batch of books to arrive tomorrow. I am going for a vacation, to the world of make believe, a world which some others imagined and brought to life, a world full of action, romance, thriller, horror and happiness.

And oh ya, in all the madness, I am truly very very happy to have become a proud aunt of a beautiful nephew :) :). I wish I could be with my sister and nephew instead of here. Other than that, this break (not the bone break, the rest) is most welcome. I don't think I have had this much free time since I started working.

Happy reading and happy getting well soon - to me :-)

P.S. All belated birthday gifts and get well soon gifts are being accepted now ;)

Insanely insane.....

This week is insane. I am neck deep in high water. Too much work at office and submissions pending in college and one last test & project presentation coming on the same day. I don't know how I will manage. A hundred thanks to friends who are managing it without me... One more weekend to go and that will be the end of 6th term i.e. 1.5 years milestone crossed.

All personal tasks are pending since I have to be in office all week and in college on weekends. Didn't know that 4 subjects would be so highly demanding. Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, Social Entrepreneurship, B2B Marketing and International Business Negotiation Skills. All in all, quite satisfied with the courses taken this term.

Meanwhile, got 4 subjects allotted for the next term. Like always, I haven't got that ONE finance course I seriously wanted to take. Well, for the next term then.

So long...

Good bye dear friend

My friend, my soul mate left me yesterday.

All of a sudden, she went blank... Staring blankly at me, she gave no signs of life. My heart stopped for a moment. "Oh my God!", I thought, "how can God take her away from me? she is my lifeline". I called to her lovingly again and again. My cajols couldn't wake her up. A desperate wail escaped my lips. What was I to do? Where was I to go? My entire life depended on her. She knew everything about me. I could turn to no one else.

I tried resurrecting her with a faint hope that she wouldn't dare give up on me. But this time, it was not so. She truly had left me. I took her to her kind of doctor, he gave me a brief spark of hope that she might not be brain dead after all... May she return to life and give me my life back.

Dear friend, I wish you were still with me. You have been there for me through thick and thin for the past 15months. If only you could be with me for some more years. Thank you so much for all you have done for me. You were the 'apple' of my eyes my friend. Adieus, my blackberry...

UPDATE: My dearest darling Blackberry miraculously sprang back to life after the technicians told me the display wasn't working and that I had to take her to the BB Service Center. Miracles do happen!

SVYM and Dr Balu, a unique Social Entrepreneur

There are several moments in a person’s life that some stark truths stare him/her right in the face. What the person decides to do about it determines what he/she will accomplish in life. The fact that Dr. Balu did decide to take some action, dedicated his life to it and made a huge social impact is truly remarkable. It also struck me that one always starts in a small way and then builds on the foundations of his work and extends it to include a larger section of the society. That is how social changes and improvements come about.

SVYM is not-for-profit, non-religious, non-political, voluntary organization. It was started by a group of young medical students led by Dr. R. Balasubramaniam at the Mysore Medical College in 1984, who were starting to feel that the career in medicine they dreamt of pursuing was very different from the practice of medicine around them. They believed they had in them to make a difference and make a positive impact on the lives of the poor & the marginalized. And so, they started the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM). Dr. Balu shared with us how he was deeply influenced by the writings of Swami Vivekananda at the tender age of 17 and the touching incident about the death of hypertensive patient which prompted him to start community service.  

The breadth and depth of activities SVYM have been able to cover in these 25 years is astounding and is a testament to their dedication and commitment towards making a difference in the lives of the poor.  SVYM undertakes community based Health and Education projects and several Community Development Initiatives, catering to a populace of about 300,000 comprising both tribals and non-tribals. SVYM is working on hundreds of projects in Health, Education, Community Development and trains the rural youth to be self sufficient, self confident and guides them to lead a dignified way of life.

“If you measure success by the number of children who have become doctors, engineers and MBAs, perhaps I can be considered as a failure”, announced the nonchalant speaker. He also gave us instances where young tribal boys aged 5-6 knew precisely how to hunt, to identify leaves of 160 types, even mention that the honey released by a tree is toxic and can make one go mad. It again reminded me that what we need in India is an education system that helps us take “Indian way” of life forward. It must help us revive the art, crafts, cultures and native wisdom that have been present for generations together. It must encourage experimentation, practical experiences rather than the rote system we have become so accustomed to. Like Dr. Balu mentioned, one shouldn’t force the tribals to conform to the standards of civilized society; they live in harmony with the nature and protect the ecosystem. Reckless modernization destroys the environment and their way of life. Deforestation, indiscriminate mining have made them abandon usage of traditional wisdom, natural instincts, but they don’t fit in today’s world anymore. Exactly this reason has made youth in one third of the country to take up weapons and fight against the state. The work carried out by Dr. Balu and his team in rehabilitating the tribals is truly commendable.

    Dr Balu speaks on educational innovations of SVYM, at Harvard (Photo: http://blog.svym.net/)

One thing that intrigued me was that Dr. Balu referred to turning to Swami Vivekananda, Shankaracharya for inspiration. He also mentioned that great scholars have mentioned so many great things centuries before the western world came up with the theory. Our Vedas, Upanishads, Gita have propagated the ancient and righteous way of life thousands of years ago. Our mainstream education doesn’t try to propagate this wisdom in any way. This ancient knowledge is available only for those who go in search of it.  So it is good that he has continuously incorporated these Indian values in his work.

Attending Dr. Balu’s energetic lecture on 16^th Oct was a truly eye opening experience for me. It got me thinking on what I could do to serve my community. I have taken so much from the society, now I should be able to give back in a meaningful way that could make a great impact on the society. I have got a free education from Class VI till Class XII in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (set up under Ministry of HRD to provide quality education to the rural children). It has given me an all-round development, has made me what I am today. An idealistic middle class upbringing has inculcated just values that have made me take up volunteering activities in my spare time. Listening to and interacting with social entrepreneurs has been an enriching experience so far, it has made my resolve of trying to bring change stronger.  

Change will be more universal if we are to successfully amend the existing rules and regulations that hinder our society’s progress. NGOs are actively fighting for citizen’s rights and play a major role in influencing the policy changes. It is heartening to see more and more educated people getting into this sector and working towards positive change in the society.

Porsche and others

Just concluded Carrera Task Force negotiation as part of IBNS. As I am strictly against putting up my/others' pics online, I am only posting these beauties for all of you to see.

To think Porsche wanted to ramp down 911 Carrera and stop the production way back in the 70s!! OMG!! I would have missed such wonderful trips cruising down M25.

Jai's Lexus and Carrera S:

Rear-engine, water cooled Porsche 911 Carrera S. Mr. VP of R&D, did I hear "obsolete design" from you??!!!!

Joe's Porsche Targa 4s:

Targa with sun-roof. They did not discontinue this for good, after all....

Others:
(Can I get one of these please?)

Humara Paisa Humara Hisaab - The Power of Right to Information

Social Entrepreneurship in the 6th term has become one of the most interesting, thought provoking subjects I have taken at IIMB. OB classes made me take a look at myself, but SE on the other hand, is making me think how I should look at the world around me and how I can make a difference. In the journey called Social Entrepreneurship, we have come face to face with so many people who have selflessly dedicated their lives to making others lives less of a struggle.

One such person is Nikhil Dey. Founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghathan, a non-party peoples' organization, held a guest lecture at IIMB yesterday. MKSS famously used the right to information as tool to draw attention to the underpayment of daily wage earners and farmers on government projects, and more generally, to expose corruption in government expenditure. Initially, MKSS lobbied government to obtain information such as muster rolls (employment and payment records) and bills and vouchers relating to purchase and transportation of materials. This information was then crosschecked at Jan Sunwais (public hearings) against actual testimonies of workers. The public hearings were incredibly successful in drawing attention to corruption and exposing leakages in the system. They were particularly significant because of their use of hard documentary evidence to support the claims of villagers. 

We live in our sheltered world, have all the right answers to our problems, and think that our managers are our biggest problems in life. We think about how much more package can we get if we jump to another company. We want a bigger car, a bigger house. But what about the 60% of our population, which doesn't even get a Rs. 100 per day? What about them who have no money, no power, no education to guide them through? Take a look at this video and you will know what MKSS is accomplishing in Rajasthan. 

We are all political. Right from the way we treat womenfolks at house, the way we treat our domestic help, the way we see what is going on around us. We are deeply political. But when it comes to doing something about it, we raise our hands and say "what can I do?" or "Our country has gone to the dogs. Only God can save it". We have abstained from the political process all together and have left it to the gundas who are our so called 'leaders', who are only interested in making money for themselves and people who elect them are jokers to them. Have we tried to find out what our elected representatives have done for us? Have we tried to get information about what development works are going on in our area? Can we find out who laid our roads that develop potholes every 3 months, and who was the engineer who okayed it and passed the payments? Do we try to get information on why all the greenery of Bangalore is being sacrificed in the name of development? 

But can we really make a difference? 

YES, WE CAN. 

The right to information act is truly powerful. The government has never been accountable to the people so far. The government is ours, the MPs and MLAs are our servants. We chose them to do our work for us. RTI is that tool with which we can ask them what the hell are they doing, how they are spending our money. The money that we earn by travelling to the other end of the city - day in & day out, the money that we earn by slogging every weekday of the month.

Today, I invite all of you to give it a thought and to participate in our democracy. Try to get involved. If every informed citizen like you and me takes the responsibility to get involved in our democracy, we can make our society better. Especially at the time when our MLAs are ready to be sold for obscene amount of money due to their greed for power, position and wealth. Especially when the legislature is a place for goondas who have made a mockery of democracy. Especially when the elected MLAs have brought shame to the state.

Links: Longer version of the video is available here.
A video that every Indian should watch: Aruna Roy at IISC, Bangalore

हमी नवोदय हो....

End of 1st Year

It has been a while since I have posted about what is going on with my MBA. I had too much fun sitting in class listening to Operations Management, Corporate Finance and Organisational Behaviour and then preparing for the next week's classes in the first half of 4th term. Second half of the 4th term, however,got too hot to handle, with me struggling to be up-to-date with readings and then presentations looming large on the horizon and 3 assignments due dates closing in so fast that my head was spinning.

All that is history now. First year MBA is over and I am enjoying my well deserved break. Now that there are no classes for a month, with the constant pressure out of the way, days seem empty. Today is a saturday and I am wondering how am I going to spend my free time at home till Sunday evening. Never thought I will think this way...

So many things to write about, so little patience. Let me see how much I end up writing in another fortnight.

Till then..

Tidbits for the summer

Use your sunglasses and umbrellas without hesitation this blazing summer. To heck with those who stare at you. I have had a 100% eye infection-free rate for the past 2 years.

Don't eat chats from roadside thela. Gastroenteritis is on its way otherwise.

Drink plenty of water. Go easy on that oily greasy food. Decrease intake of coffee/tea and enjoy a glass of nimboo paani or fresh fruit juice. Eat lite, feel lite.

Use cotton dresses/tops/shirts and a pleasant scented  perfume please. Most people use one strong perfume all round the year, make life difficult for those sitting near them(in bus, especially).

Keep a sunscreen at hand all times, and apply it on face too.

Spend your free time with your loved ones, family and friends. Maybe read a book or simply use the time to sleep :-)

Windsor Castle

I visited Windsor castle on an afternoon. In winter, England gets engulfed by dark by 4pm. By the time I reached there, it was 3:15pm.


There is a also boating facility that takes you on a river cruise of Thames from this place.

Entrance to the castle was closed by that time and could only talk to the guards and click few flicks.

It is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining.

Queen was in residence and hence you can see the flag hoisted on the Round Tower.

Above is the entrance to Windsor castle

The castle is surrounded by road housing shops selling souvenirs, restaurants housed in beautiful ancient buildings preserved even today. A walk to around the castle was pleasant. Since I had time to kill, I crossed Windsor bridge and walked till Eton college. Eton reminded me of a sleepy little town with its hundreds of years of history, housed quite charming shops, each of which had a different story to tell.