Where is the world going?

One question I am frequently asked now-a-days is ‘are you not on facebook’? When I say no, the sense of incredulity that grips the other person is quite perplexing to me. I have stayed away from all of the social networking sites, but for one. That itself seems redundant to me. But for the sake of keeping in touch with some near and dear ones, I have maintained that account. Now that the entire world is moving towards Facebook, I think I will be forced to use Facebook very soon. Today, I read Ramayana, the Facebook way! And I even got a BnCC invite to join Facebook!!

With all the frenzy of announcing to the world that 'you are sitting' and that 'you are standing' and that you hate pasta and then putting up your entire life on display through your albums, is very scary and a big no no to a private person like me. I wouldn't do it for the world. So, when one doesn't upload any photos and doesn't share anything personal, it is no fun, ain't it?

The amount of time I will have to spend on logging in to these networking sites and checking the statuses, I will prefer to use for other activities which will benefit me in some way. As it is, deleting the invites to umpteen useless sites is becoming a big task for me.

Well, even Mr US President Obama has cautioned youngsters to be cautious while posting every aspect of life online, maybe people will sit up and notice. Not only that, when everything is online, the world is losing touch of itself. It has already reached a point where people talk to others sitting next to them online than personally waving and saying a hi, where is the world going?

Random thoughts:
A piece of article recently caught my attention. It was regarding facebook’s search being powered by bing. Now a days, seeing ‘powered by bing’ statement takes my mind back to my strategy classes and makes me wonder the implications of MS’s takeover of Yahoo’s search engine.

Life is like that

Oh, it is good to be back! With Swine flu scaring the hell out of everybody, and exam fever running high in my own class, everything has been a commotion this past month. With one assignment submission done and two more to go this week, 'hectic' has taken a new meaning in my life.

Also, I am entrusted with work in Branding and Communication Cell and Career Management Cell, of which I am a member.

With quarter 1 out of the way, I am looking forward to quarter 2. And I have resolved not to repeat the mistakes I did in qtr 1 and manage my time better and get the best out of the course. In the meantime, I am enjoying peace and tranquility till Sept 10.

The time table for qtr 2 has already been put up and I will be studying Macroeconomics, Managing Organisations and Quantitative Methods - 1.

All said and done, life is interesting and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.

My MBA - one month and counting

It has been exactly a month since I started my MBA and my world has turned upside down. I have been studying Microeconomics, Financial Accounting and Strategic Management. As I write this, I am done with the midterm exams for the first two and gearing up to take SM midterm this weekend.

The chilly breeze and slight drizzle on my face while riding to IIMB every week is the one thing I cherish the most. The ambiance and the stone structures of IIM are awe inspiring; I remember the day I went for interview and sat in the auditorium for Convergenz and wishfully thought it would be a dream come true to study at this wonderful place. The professors are great and very knowledgeable. Phrases like 'competitive advantage', 'leveraging strengths','economies of scope' have started making sense(finally!!) and have become a part of my lingo. To think of it, when people used to effortlessly drop these phrases, I used to wonder how smart they were and what those words possibly meant :-D

Wonderful it surely is, but I must also mention the other side of the story, which relates to life being 'upside down'. Since we don't stay in hostel, has contributed to hilarious incidents. The first week itself, my group members-me included, thinking that we need to make presentation in strategy class, struggled to find time to prepare the case study, met on yahoo messenger and gtalk to discuss the case and then connected to each other through conference calls, only to find out on Thursday night that we should have analysed the case from Porter's five forces angle and then stayed awake till late into the night and got to the class next day half awake. To top it all, we found out on Friday morning that we were not required to do any presentation, but we had to prepare accounting cases, not strategy!! If this was the case with strategy, midterms were all googlies and bouncers. And now, I am sitting on 3 assignments to be submitted in a month's time. Reminds me of my JNV days!!

My life has changed drastically and I guess it will be the norm for the next 2.5 years. I decline all invites for shopping(!!), have been deferring going to all my friends' places, my family considers me absent for all important chores. I do all transactions only online and my nap time while traveling to office has turned into my study time(which I regret the most)...

In the mean time, class of 2009 arranged Pehel on 12th July 2009 and had a blast arranging and participating in it. The journey so far has been amazing. So much of knowledge packed sessions every week, interacting with classmates twice a week and so many seminars on various topics, involving the industry experts and IIMB faculties, make all the efforts worthwhile. I now vouch for the fact - 'No pain, no gain'!

The five competitive forces that shape strategy

The five competitive forces that shape strategy by Michael Porter forms the basis of Strategic Management, one of the subjects I am studying for 1st quarter in MBA. The following video illustrates what these forces are and how they interact with each other and shape the strategy of a company and an industry all together.

What I like about this is, coupled with the case studies that we do in class, it makes perfect sense!



Alternatively, this video can be viewed here

ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಜೀವ

ಶಿವರಾಮ ಕಾರಂತರ ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಜೀವ ಓದುವ ಅವಕಾಶ ಕೆಲವು ದಿನಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಒದಗಿತು. ಇದೇ ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಕಾರಂತರ ಕೃತಿ ಓದಿದ್ದು. ಓದುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆಯೇ ಊರಿನ ನೆನಪು ಉಮ್ಮಳಿಸಿ ಬಂತು. ಎಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಸುಳ್ಯ, ಪಂಜ ಸೀಮೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವರ್ಣಿಸಿ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆಂದರೆ ಮರಳಿ ಮಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿಬಿಡುವ ಆಸೆಯಾಯಿತು. ಮಧ್ಯೆ ವಿಟ್ಲ, ಪುತ್ತೂರು ಸೀಮೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆಯೂ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸಿದ್ದು ಓದಿ ಸಂತೋಷವಾಯಿತು. ಗುತ್ತಿಗಾರು ಬೆಳ್ಳಾರೆಯ ನಡುವೆ ಹಾದಿ ತಪ್ಪಿ ಗೋಪಾಲ ಭಟ್ಟರ ಮನೆ ತಲುಪುವ ಲೇಖಕ ಶಿವರಾಮ, ಭಟ್ಟರು ಹಾಗೂ ಮಡದಿ ಶಂಕರಿಯ ಆತಿಥ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಮನಸೋತು ಅವರ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಕೋರಿಕೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೆಲವು ದಿನಗಳನ್ನು ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಕಳೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಅವರ ದೈನಂದಿನ ಜೀವನ, ಏಕತಾನತೆ, ಕೃಷಿಕ ಜೀವನ, ಕಾಡಿನ ಮಧ್ಯದ ಬದುಕಿನ ಹಲವು ಮುಖಗಳನ್ನು ಲೇಖಕ ಕೆಲವೇ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಾನೆ. ತಾಯಿ ಶಂಕರಿ ಮನೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೋದ ಮಗನಿಗಾಗಿ ಹಾತೊರೆಯುವುದು, ಭಟ್ಟರು ದುಃಖವನ್ನು ಮರೆಯಲು ಕೆಲಸಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗುವುದು, ಸಾಕು ಮಗ ನಾರಾಯಣ ಅವನ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯ ತೊಳಲಾಟ, ಆದರೂ ಕಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಡು ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದ ಸಾರ್ಥಕತೆ ಕಾಣುವುದು ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಚ್ಚಗೆ ಕುಳಿತು ಬಿಟ್ಟವು.

ಕಾರಂತರ ಬರವಣಿಗೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ಸುಲಲಿತವೋ, ಅವರು ಬರೆದಿರುವುದು ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಸತ್ಯ. ನನಗೆ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯವನ್ನುಂಟು ಮಾಡಿದ ಸಂಗತಿ ಎಂದರೆ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿಗೆ ಚರ್ಚೆಗೆ ಬಂದಂತಹ ವಿಷಯಗಳನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಆಗಿನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲೇ ಅವರು ಬರೆದಿದ್ದುದು. ಪೂರ್ವಿಕರ ಕಾಲದಿಂದ ಬಂದಂತಹ ಆಸ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡಿಕೆ, ತೆಂಗು, ಬಾಳೆ, ಭತ್ತ ಬೆಳೆಯುವುದು ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಈವರೆಗೂ ನಡೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ವಿದ್ಯಾವಂತರಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಊರು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಪಟ್ಟಣಕ್ಕೆ ವಲಸೆ ಹೋಗುವುದು, ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ಆಳುಗಳು ಸಿಗದಿರುವುದು, ಬಂದ ಘಟ್ಟದ ಮೇಲಿನ ಜನ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗುವುದು, ಇವೆಲ್ಲ ದೇಶದ ಬೆನ್ನೆಲುಬು ಅನಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ರೈತರಿಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲದ ತೊಂದರೆಯನ್ನುಂಟು ಮಾಡಿವೆ. ಗೋಪಾಲ ಭಟ್ಟರು ಮಗನಿಗೆ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಕಲಿಸಿದ್ದೆ ತಮಗೆ ಮುಳುವಾಯಿತೇ ಎಂದು ಚಿಂತಿಸಿದಾಗ ನಾನೂ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು ಅದೇ ಅಲ್ಲವೇ ಎಂಬ ಅಪರಾಧಿ ಭಾವ ಬಂದಿದ್ದು ನಿಜ.

ಭಟ್ಟರು ಕಾಟುಮೂಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಡು ಕಡಿದು ತೋಟ ಮಾಡಿದ ಸಾಹಸ, ಚಿಕ್ಕಂದಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಬೇಸಿಗೆ ರಜೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಟುಮೂಲೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಲಾಗ ಹಾಕಿ, ಮಾವಿನ ಕಾಯಿ/ಹಣ್ಣು ತಿಂದು ಊಟ ಬೇಡ ಅನ್ನುತ್ತಿದ್ದುದನ್ನು ನೆನಪಿಗೆ ತಂದಿತು. ಗುಡ್ಡ ಹತ್ತಲು ಸುಲಭ ದಾರಿ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಸಾಹಸ ಎಂಬ ಹುಂಬ ಧೈರ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲೋ ಹೋಗಿ ಜಾರಿ, ಬಿದ್ದು, ಎದ್ದು, ದಿನವೆಲ್ಲ ಕಾಡು ಸುತ್ತಿದ ನೆನಪು ಇನ್ನೂ ಹಸಿಯಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದಿದೆ. ದೇರಣ್ಣ ಗೌಡನು 'ಮಂಗಗಳ ಕಾಟ ಅತಿಯಾಗಿದೆ, ಈ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು ಮಂಗಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಡೆಯಲೂ ಹಿಂದೆ ಮುಂದೆ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾರೆ' ಎಂದಿದ್ದು, ನನ್ನ ಅಜ್ಜ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಕೋವಿಗೆ ಗುಂಡು ಹಾಕಿ ಗಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಂಡು ಹಾರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದದು ನೆನಪಾಯಿತು. ಭೂತದ ಕೋಲ ಮಾಡಿಸಬೇಕು ಅಯ್ಯ ಎಂದು ಬಟ್ಯ, ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಖರ್ಚಿಗೆ ಹಣ ಎಲ್ಲಿಂದ ತರಲಿ ಎನ್ನುವ ದೇರಣ್ಣ ಗೌಡ, ನೀವು ಹಣ್ಣು ಕಾಯಿ ಕೊಡಿ ಎಂದು ಭಟ್ಟರು ಎಂದಿದಕ್ಕೆ, ಬಟ್ಯನ 'ನೀವು ಜಪ ತಪ ಮಾಡಿ ವಿಭೂತಿ ಹಚ್ಚುತ್ತೀರಿ, ನಾನು ಕೋಳಿಯ ಬದಲು ತೆಂಗಿನ ಕಾಯಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಕಲ್ಕುಡ ನನ್ನ ರುಂಡವನ್ನೇ ಹಾರಿಸೀತು' ಎಂಬ ಉತ್ತರ ತಮಾಷೆ ಎನಿಸಿತು.

ತೋಟ,ಗದ್ದೆ, ಗುಡ್ಡ, ಅದರ ಪಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲೇ ಹರಿಯುವ ನದಿ, ನದಿಯ ನಂತರ ಕಳನ್ಜಿಮಲೆ ಕಾಡು. ಕಾರಂತರು ಮಾವೆಗೆ ಬಂದಿದ್ದರೂ ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ಬರೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೋ ಏನೋ... ಅಥವಾ ನಮ್ಮ ಸುಳ್ಯ, ಪುತ್ತೂರು,ವಿಟ್ಲ ಸೀಮೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂಥ ಎಷ್ಟು ಗೋಪಾಲ ಭಟ್ಟರೂ, ಅವರ ಕಥೆಗಳೂ ಕಳೆದು ಹೋಗಿವೆಯೋ ಏನೋ... ಗೋಪಾಲ ಭಟ್ಟರು ಶ್ರಮ ಜೀವಿಯಾಗಿ, ಹಟ ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಸಾಹಸಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ಮಗನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನೊಂದಿದ್ದರೂ ತಾತ್ವಿಕರಂತೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿ ತನಗೆ ತಾನೇ ಸಾಂತ್ವನ ಹೇಳುವ ಪರಿ, ನಾರಾಯಣನ ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ದಾರಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಟ್ಟು ಅದರಲ್ಲೇ ಸಂತೋಷ ಕಾಣುವ ತ್ಯಾಗಮಯಿ ಜೀವ, ತನ್ನ ಅರ್ಧಾಂಗಿ ಶಂಕರಿಯ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿ, ಮಮಕಾರ - ಇವುಗಳು ಮನದಾಳಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳಿದು ಉಳಿದು ಬಿಟ್ಟವು.

Orientation 2009 at IIMB - the full story

It was a very very very hectic weekend at Orientation at IIMB(seniors say - "Get used to it!"), but also fun filled. Orientation, along with L-CUBE activities, not only showed us how physically unfit we are(from all the running around in campus for all the activities) but also got the grey matters working with the case studies...

L-CUBE event kicked in with a debate from the industry experts, PGSEM alumnus and Prof DVR of IIMB on 'Executive MBA - A faster way to the top?' and gave way for interesting view points. After dinner we were asked to participate in cultural events(regarding which I wont divulge anything) which went on till 11:30PM. This was followed by a shocking news that we need to submit a case study before 8AM next day and we got the PGSEM motto - "SomeHow, In Time!" :) Wow! Did life seem really interesting at that moment...

After catching a wink, the formal IIMB PGSEM orientation began and we were addressed by Prof Venkatagiri and Prof Aggarwal. As a part of icebreaker session, we participated in a mystery murder game. Then began the case study by Prof L S Murthy. We all had spent a sleepless night, analysing the case and were very confident that we were prepared and all set for our first case study of our MBA. As Prof Murthy took us through the case, prodding us for points, facts, data and then flipped the case study in such a way that our whole analysis and the sleepless night we had spent analysing, discussing, rearranging the points of the case seemed just ridiculous. Our minds opened up to a new insight of our own 'unconscious incompetence' and came out the auditorium with a wow! moment of my life :)

This followed with more surprise activities had us all running in the campus at night competing with other teams for points and getting stuck in the rain. Boy, is IIMB campus huge or what!

The final day of the orientation had a student profiling activity and also a talk by Sanjay Anandaram on entrepreneurship, the conclusion of orientation program with address by Prof. Pankaj Chandra, Director, IIMB and ended up in Prof. Venkatagiri handling the PGSEM mantle over to Prof Aggarwal. The entire afternoon was then a plethora of quiz, cultural and sports activities. I went back home, with the satisfaction of a weekend well spent and with an enthusiasm to return to the campus at the earliest for classes.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the activities, even though I was exhausted at the end of it. There were many a wow moments(case study, Prof. Venkatagiri speak), many groans(when we were asked to get ourselves in motion), some jubilation(on winning events), some disappointments(on not winning the House Cup). I am not yet ready to go semi-philosophical(Hope you know what I mean ;)), so let us just leave it at that.

Send a mail without forgetting the Subject

I was looking for a way to make sure that whenever I sent a mail from Outlook, I should not be able to send without a subject line. Finally got a way to do it and here it is:

1. Open your outlook.
2.Press Alt+F11. This opens the Visual Basic editor.
3.On the Left Pane, one can see “Microsoft Outlook Objects”, expand this. Now one can see the “ThisOutLookSession.”
4.Click on “ThisOutLookSession”.
5.Copy and Paste the following code in the right pane.(Code Pane)

Private Sub Application_ItemSend(ByVal Item As Object, Cancel As Boolean)
Dim strSubject As String
strSubject = Item.Subject
If Len(strSubject) = 0 Then
Prompt$ = "Subject is Empty. Are you sure you want to send the Mail?"
If MsgBox(Prompt$, vbYesNo + vbQuestion + vbMsgBoxSetForeground, "Check for Subject") = vbNo Then
Cancel = True
End If
End If
End Sub

6. Save this and now close the VB Code editor

This macro makes sure I don't send a mail without subject.

Orientation 2009 at IIMB

I am off to IIMB for orientation this weekend. Loads of interesting stuff planned by SAC and lots of competitions too for the new PGSEMers. This, coupled with L3 and guest lectures, should make the 2.5 days a breeze.

Classes are due to start from June 19th and am pretty excited about it.

ತೇಜಸ್ವಿ ನಾವಧೀತಮಸ್ತು..

ಭಾರತೀಯ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಾ ಪ್ರಬಂಧ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಎಂದ ಕೂಡಲೇ ಏನೋ ರೋಮಾಂಚನ, ಈಗ ನನಗೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕಲಿಯುವ ಭಾಗ್ಯ ಒದಗಿ ಬಂದಿದೆ ಎಂದಾಗ ಕನಸೋ, ನಿಜವೋ ಎಂದು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ನಾನೇ ಕೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇನೆ.

ಎಲ್ಲರೂ 'ತುಂಬಾ ಸಂತೋಷ, ಕೊನೆಗೂ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತಲ್ಲ', 'ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು, ಒಳ್ಳೆದಾಗಲಿ', 'ಒಹೋ ಭಾರಿ ಒಳ್ಳೇ ಸುದ್ಧಿ, ಪಾರ್ಟಿ ಯಾವಾಗ' ಅಂತ ಪಾಟೀ ಸವಾಲು ಹಾಕ್ತ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ. ನನ್ನನ್ನೇ ಕೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದಾರಾ, ನನಗೆ ಬಂದ ಈಮೇಲ್ ನಿಜವಾಗ್ಲೂ ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದನೇ ಬಂದಿದ್ದ, ನನ್ನ ಕೈ ನಾನೇ ಚಿವುಟಿ ನೋಡಿದ್ದಾಯಿತು. ಹೌದು ನನ್ ಹತ್ರನೇ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕೇಳ್ತಾ ಇರೋದು..

ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲದ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ, ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಫೋನ್ ಮಾಡಿ ಹೇಳಿದ್ದೂ ಆಯಿತು, ಎಸ್ ಎಂ ಎಸ್ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದೂ ಆಯಿತು.

ಎರಡು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಶ್ರಮಕ್ಕೆ ಫಲ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿತು. ಇಲ್ಲಿಗೆ, ಒಂದು ತಪಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಇತಿಶ್ರೀ ಹಾಡುತ್ತ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ತಪಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಅಣಿಯಾಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ..

ಏನು ಬಡಬಡಾಯಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾಳೆ ಅಂದುಕೊಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದೀರ, IIM Bangalore ನಲ್ಲಿ MBAಗೆ ಅಡ್ಮಿಶನ್ ಸಿಕ್ತು ಅಂತ ಇದ್ದೀನಿ...

ಜಯವಾಗಲಿ!

-ಸುಪ್ರೀತ

PGSEM interview @ IIM Bangalore

I attended an Alumni interview and a Faculty interview at IIM Bangalore for PGSEM 2009.

Alumni Interview questions:
1. Where are you located?
2. Why do you want to pursue PGSEM?
3. What are your short term goals?
4. What are your long term goals?
5. What do you mean by growth? What does it mean to you?
6. Your project, what is your contribution, what does the tool you develop do? About the client and the process followed in that sector(Chemicals and Petroleum).
7. Do you know how much time is required to complete this course?
8. What is a normal work day like. How do u spend your day?
9. Do you have family or financial commitments?
10.Why so many change of companies? What kind of organisation do you like better(Indian/MNC)?
11. Have you applied to any other PGP courses? Why only PGSEM, why not some other course(PGP, PGPX) from IIM or regular MBA?
12. Is this the first time you have applied to PGSEM?

The interview lasted around 15-20min. It was informal and the Alumni wanted to know in general whether you wanted to get an MBA just for the heck of it or whether you will be dedicated, and if you had the right attitude.

Faculty Interview questions:
1. You have mentioned about business processes in different industry sectors. What processes were you referring to?
2. You have done social service. Why did you start doing it? What work have you done so far?
3. What is your take on moral policing? Is it right that today's youth drinks and goes pubbing? What are your thoughts on this?
4. You want to do management, what management books or articles have you read? Talk about one topic for two minutes.
5. What are the 2 things that you will bring to this MBA class, that we should consider your candidature?
6. Why do you want to do PGSEM? You have got pretty good score, you could have got into full time MBA in any decent business school in India(of course, other than IIM).
7. You are inclined towards social service, why have you not considered taking up FPM? (FPM is a 4 year residential doctoral program by IIMB).
8. Why have you changed companies so often? Are you a rolling stone? (:))
9. What do you like about your present company? Everybody does the same work, what is special in the work you do?
10. How do you rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10? Why?

The interview lasted 20minutes. The panelists were very friendly, and I wouldn't say they grill you, because once they ask some question, they really listen to what you have to say in the matter and ask further questions based on your answers. I was my normal self and was honest about my goals.

Background:
Post Graduate Program in Software Enterprise Management is an MBA for working IT professionals provided by IIMB spanning 2.5 years. It is a general management program and the course fee is 8.5 lakhs.

Some useful links:
IIMB PGSEM Website
IIMB PGSEM Blog
PGSEM in Wikipedia
IIMB Alumni Association
Useful FAQ

I am just lazy to write more than required and so, I would point you to this blog for the PGSEM application process.

Are you ready to Vote?

Are you one of those who crib about bad roads and don't know what to do? Are you one of those who wonders where all that tax you pay to the government goes? Do you belong to the group which wonders how you can make a difference in society? Well, here is your chance..

15th Lok Sabha Elections are coming near and those who had missed the bus during the Assembly elections can rectify that and make sure that they vote and make a difference this time. I just got my Voters ID card made today and wanted to post some information to those who want to get their voters ID.

You should fill Form 6(available online and at voters registration centers) and submit to your Voter Facilitation Center along with your address proof and age proof. You will get an acknowledgment for the same. Once you submit the form, your name will be included in the Electoral Roll. When your name appears in the electoral role, you will be given information notices by the Electoral Registration Officers of your area. These notices contain your name and age, house number, constituency number, and polling booth or part number.

You need to go to the registration center (officially called Designated Photographic Locations or DPL)of your ward and get an Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) made.

You may register at Jaagore and make use of resources like Form 6, your registration center etc. Jaagore is also running a national campaign aiming to register 1 Billion voters in the next five years and is trying to spread awareness among citizens.

You may also refer to this article and get more information.

Let us all be responsible and choose our leaders with care. This time, cast your vote and make it count.

Haan, inclusion of names in electoral list ends on March 25th, 2009. So hurry!

Supreetha

ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೀಗೆ...

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆಯಬೇಕು ಅಂತ ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡು ವರ್ಷಗಳೇ ಕಳೆದಿವೆ, ಇನ್ನೂ ಏನು ಬರೆಯಬೇಕು ಎಂಬುದು ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ. ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ಎನ್ನೋದಕ್ಕೆ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು ಹೇಳೋದು ಅಂತ ಎರಡು ನಿಮಿಷ ಯೋಚ್ನೆ ಮಾಡಿ ನಂತರ ಸುಮಾ ಹತ್ರ ಕೇಳಿ ಬೈಸ್ಕೊಂಡೆ... 'ನಮ್ಮ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು' ಮಹಿಮೆ ನೋಡಿ! ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗಳಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಕಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಮಾತಾಡಿ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸ..

ಮೊನ್ನೆ ಹೀಗೇ ಆಯಿತು ನೋಡಿ, ನಾನು ನವೋದಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿದ್ನಾ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾಂಶುಪಾಲರು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಷಣ ಮಾಡು ಅಂತ ಅಂದುಬಿಟ್ರು. ನಂಗೆ ಒಂದು ಸೆಕೆಂಡ್ ಕಣ್ಣ ಮುಂದೆ ಕತ್ತಲು ಕಟ್ಟಿತು, ಮತ್ತೆ ಶುರು ಹಚ್ಕೊಂಡೆ, ಮಾತಾಡ್ತಾ ಮಾತಾಡ್ತಾ ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು ಹೇಳೋದು, ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನು ಹೇಳೋದು ಅಂತ ಯೋಚ್ನೆ ಮಾಡ್ತಾ ಮಾತಾಡಿದೆ. ಪಾಪ, ಆ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ಅರ್ಥ ಆಯಿತೋ ದೇವರಿಗೇ ಗೊತ್ತು...

ಆಮೇಲೆ ನೂರ್ಜಾಹಾನ್ ಮಿಸ್ ಅಂದ್ರು, ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಬರಿಯಲ್ಲ ನೀನು, ಕನ್ನಡ ಮರೆಯುತ್ತ ಇದ್ದೀಯಾ ಅನ್ಸುತ್ತೆ, ಅಂತ. ಅಯ್ಯೋ ಹೋಗಿ ಮಿಸ್, ಬರೀಬೇಕು ಅಂತ ಯೋಚ್ನೆ ಯಾವತ್ತೂ ಮಾಡ್ತೀನಿ, ಆದ್ರೆ ಟೈಪ್ ಮಾಡ್‌ಬೇಕಲ್ಲ... ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಹೊತ್ತು ತಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೆ. ಅಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲ patience ನಂಗಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ. ಅದು ಮಾತ್ರ ಅಲ್ಲ, ದಿನ ಇಡೀ ಆಫೀಸ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂತು ಆಮೇಲೆ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಪ್ಯೂಟರ್ ಹತ್ರನು ಸುಳಿಯೊ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಬರಲ್ಲ. ಆಫೀಸ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಘನಂದಾರಿ ಕೆಲ್ಸ ಮಾಡಿದ್ರೆ ಒದ್ದು ಓಡಿಸ್ತಾರೆ, 'ಸಾಕಮ್ಮ ನೀನು ಉಪಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು, ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಕೂತು ಈ extra curricular activities ಮಾಡು ಅಂತ'.

ಹಾಂ, ಕಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದೆ... ಬೆಂಗ್ಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆಟೋದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋಗೋವಾಗ ಮಜಾ ಇರುತ್ತೆ. ಬಲಕ್ಕೆ ತಿರುಗಿ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ರೈಟಾ ಲೆಫ್ಟಾ ಮೇಡಮ್ ಅಂತಾರೆ. ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವರು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತಾಡಿದ ನಂತರವೂ ಕಹಾನ್ ಜಾನಾ ಹೈ ಮೇಡಮ್ ಅಂತಾರೆ. ಅದು ಹೇಗೆ ಮುಖ ನೋಡಿ ಇವ್ಳು ಕನ್ನಡ ಮಾತಾಡೋಕ್ಕೆ ಫಿಟ್ ಅಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ನಿರ್ಧಾರ ಮಾಡ್ತಾರೊ!

ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವೆಡೆ ಬೋರ್ಡ್ ಗಳ ಅವಾಂತರ ಹೇಳತೀರದ್ದು. ಜಯನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಬ್ರಾಹಿಮ್ಸ್ 'ಇಭ್ರ್ ಹಿಮ್ಸ್' ಆದರೆ ಬ್ರಿಗೇಡ್ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅತಿಥಿ 'ಅಥಿತಿ'ಯಾಗಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ಗೊತ್ತಿರೋರಿಗೆ ಒಂದೋ ಕನ್ ಫ್ಯೂಸ್ ಮಾಡುತ್ವೆ, ಇಲ್ಲ ತಲೆ ಚಚ್ಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳೋ ಹಾಗಾಗುತ್ತೆ.... ಇದು ಖಾಲಿ ಸ್ಯಾಂಪಲ್ ಅಷ್ಟೇ, ಲಿಸ್ಟ್ ಮಾಡಿದ್ರೆ ಮುಗಿಲಿಕಿಲ್ಲ(ಬೆಂಗ್ಳೂರ್ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ 'ಮುಗ್ಯೋದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ')...

ಸಧ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಇಷ್ಟು ಸಾಕು, ಆದಷ್ಟು ಬೇಗ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಲೇಖನ ಬರೆಯಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ....

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಟೈಪಿಸಲು ಅನುವು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಟ್ಟ http://quillpad.in/ಗೆ ಹೃದಯಪೂರ್ವಕ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು.

ಜಯವಾಗಲಿ!

-ಸುಪ್ರೀತ

Idle banter

Sensex is in dumps @9951 and Nifty down 198 points and at 3070.55 at the moment.

Just gave some blood for blood test on the occasion of Women's Well Being Day at office.

Wanted to get back to writing since long and then after a friend insisted on knowing why I don't update my blog, I thought I better do.

Hope to write something more meaningful from next time.

Pranayam - A panacea!

'Prana' means breath and 'aayama' means control hence pranayam is the exercise of controlling your breath. Why control your breath, you may ask. Pranayam enhances the amount of oxygen taken inside, removes the toxins and waste from the body and hence results in a healthy body and mind.

Normally, we do not pay attention to our breathing when, in fact, it is the most vital part of being alive! So a series of breathing exercises brings more oxygen to blood and to the brain and automates flow of blood throughout the body. It regulates the breathing and brings in the vital pranic energy and rejuvenates the mind and body.

Pranayam has innumerable benefits. Regular practitioners have reported relief to many problems like headaches, joint pains, acidity, asthma, diabetes, constipation etc. Even healthy individuals can practise pranayam to keep fit and reap the other intangible benefits.

Pranayam is best when done in the morning on empty stomach. But it can also be practised 4-6hours after meal. Take 2-3 deep breaths between every exercise to relax. One can sit in either padmasana, vajrasana or sadhasana, whichever one is comfortable with, while doing pranayam. One should learn pranayam under the supervision of a doctor or a yoga teacher before practising it independently.

Pranayam is practised as given below:

Bhastrika
Sit in comfortable position in dhyan mudra*. Take a deep breath. Breath out forcefully and uniformly. Repeat this for 5 minutes. Point to note here is that the breathing in and out are done with equal force and pace.

Kapalbhati
Sit in comfortable position in dhyan mudra*. Inhale a little and exhale through both nostrils forcefully. Inhale again and follow with another forceful exhalation passively and effortlessly. Continue these cycles. The frequency should be about 60 strokes/minute. Kapalbhati can be done for 5-15min with short breaks in between.

Anulom-Vilom
Sit comfortably in dhyan mudra*. Close your eyes. Close the right nostril with the right thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril. Close your left nostril with the ring and little fingers of the right hand and exhale slowly and completely with the right nostril. Again inhale through the right nostril.Close the right nostril with the right thumb. Breathe out slowly from the left nostril. This is one cycle of anulom-vilom. This pranayam can be done for 5-15min.

Bahya
Sit comfortably in dhyan mudra*. Breathe air out, touch chin to chest, squeeze stomach completely and hold for a while. then release chin, breathe in slowly. This can be done 3-5times.

Bhramari
Sit in comfortable position. Inhale completely, press the base of nostrils with little fingers, close the ears with thumbs, keep the index fingers on the forehead, close the eyes with ring and middle fingers. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee. Repeat it at least three times and maximum up to 21 times.

Udgeet
Sit in comfortable position with dhyan mudra*. Breathe in deeply, and chant 'Om' while exhaling. One should inhale and exhale so slowly that he or she should not feel the sound of respiration.

The session is concluded with 5-10min of Shavaasan.

Your comments/experiences/thoughts are welcome.

Some links: DivyaYoga Pranayam on IndianEducation Pranayam Tutorial Pranayam on WikiHow

*dhyan mudra - Touch the tips of the thumb and index fingers with each other and keep the remaining three fingers straight.

Of this and that...

My workstation. :) nice, eh? Again, i'm publishing this from Sony Ericsson W830i. Since i've got internet connection in my phone, have truly been able to explore the features. Pretty cool this is! I can play radio, and record bits of music and make sony Ericsson remember it for me. I can browse through all news portals, blog, check mails, google, Download songs and ringtones etc etc. I even get RSS feeds directly into my phone!! I'll keep this up as long as i'm connected. Tempting it is, but will get heavy on my pocket!

My First Mobile Blog

I'm excited to post my first Mobile blog ever! This pic was taken at the lalbagh flower show.

View Website as Graph!!

After one particular frustrating and boring day at work, I went on an Internet-browsing spree(equivalent of window-shopping in the real world). I came across a lot of new concepts, some surprising and others weird..

Just stumbled across this amazing site. If you give your website address, it parses it and loads it as a Graph!! The program executes an applet to render the graph. It slowly builds the graph and it looks as though a colourful Hydra is spreading its tentacles and stretching itself. You can have a look at this site by clicking here.

My site looks like this:

System Requirement: J2SE Ver 1.5.
Link Courtesy: VishnuPrasad
Related Links: Author | Processing | Traer Physics | HTMLParser

Want to know where your bus is? SMS `Yelli Iddira'

When techies and tech companies have gone hi-tech in India's Silicon Valley, why should BMTC be left behind? A first of its kind in India, BMTC has started a revolutionary SMS initiative called YI to track Volvo bus where about. YI is a short form for "Yelli Iddira" which translates into "Where are you?" and you can ask this of the Volvo buses v356C and v335E by sending an SMS. And you will get an instant reply of the whereabouts of the bus.

Currently, the service is available on two Volvo routes — V356C between Kempe Gowda Bus Station(KBS) and Electronic City(EC) and V335E between KBS and Kadugudi via ITPL. To avail oneself of the facility,one has to send an SMS from the mobile phone in the following manner — YI Volvo Route Number U or D to 9945634666. For example, YI 356C U to 9945634666.

But there is one problem. There is one 356C plying out of KBS every 20-30min. And the total journey time from KBS to EC is around one to one-and-a-half hours depending on the traffic on 356C's bus route. Bus Routes info can be found here: ಕನ್ನಡ and English. If you SMS YI 356C at, say, 9.30am, the bus which started from KBS @8am would have almost reached EC, the one started @8.30am would be near Madiwala/Silk Board, the one which left @9am would be near Wilson Garden/Dairy Circle whereas another would just have left KBS @9.30. Whereas the SMS should give info regarding all the 4 buses, it gives the whereabouts of only one bus. So the yardstick for deciding which bus will be included in the SMS is not clear. The same happened to me one day. I SMSed @9.40am from Madiwala and the SMS said v356C is near Wilson Garden, and lo! another bus is in Madiwala( much to my delight!!).

All in all, a truly commendable initiative by BMTC and hope it will be extended to all the other volvo buses soon. And who knows, we may also be able to know where our regular BMTC bus is, in not so distant future!!!

Your comments/thoughts are welcome.

Information regarding the firm that developed this software can be found here.

Related Links:
Nidhi's Article on Volvo
Volvo Bus Routes |ವೋಲ್ವೊ ಬಸ್ ಮಾಹಿತಿ| The Hindu Article
For more Info Regarding the SMS Alert: YI

Nike Crazy Ad

I happened to watch this ad on TV over the weekend. I fell in love with it!!! I wonder how they picturised it.... An Ad I'd blindly rate with 5 stars!

My First Post

First impression is the best impression.
Having read this so many times, it popped up the moment I sat down to write my first post. Made me think whether the first impression is truly the best.

Is it not true that the first impressions we have had of people change due course of time as a profound understanding of plausible reasons for a person's behaviour at the first meeting dawns over us? Is it not true a song that we first thought was despicable grows on us so much sometimes, that we find ourselves humming it unconsciously?

Well, what I think is, first impression is not always the best impression. We can not see everybody under the same light. Because the circumstances in which we meet different people differ and most importantly, the people we meet differ in their attitude, thinking, upbringing etc which deeply influence a person's behaviour. True, one who is boisterous and full of interesting pieces of anecdotes may present a positive first impression whereas someone sitting silently at a corner of a room observing others may incite negative first impression. But it is when we truly get to know him/her well that we truly understand how he/she thinks and why does he/she do so. If we judge someone on the basis of how serious or jolly he/she looks, we would be making a big mistake. Because there are so many people who appear reserved at first but turn out to be quite easy-going, funny and friendly (read,ME :-)). The body language itself is capable of telling the entire story on its own. But what I say is never make a judgment on the basis of first impression, who knows; you may be missing out on the finer-things in life just because you erred in haste.

How can I forget to include about making first impressions in the corporate world? It is stressed upon so much during the endless training sessions that we go through; that a good first impression is crucial to gaining respect, trust and confidence and that it will take you a long way in your life. So in the corporate world, you must always be ready to present your best self and make the first impression the best (Then what about later? It's truly difficult to impress later, don't you think? Beacuse how will you better the best???).

Ok people, that's all from me.
Let me know what you think... Are first impressions truly the best?