Exploring Inward...

"What is this life full of care,

There is no time to stand and stare"

- these lines occur to me daily, as I rush past the lovely campus, on the way to some class or quiz or getting some Assignment printed. 

Just what am I doing here? Is all this madness justified? Well, yes. Once you start to look at this place as something that adds value to you, not merely in terms of academic grades, but something more, you will realize the worth of being here. 

I have been learning a lot since I came here - and the learning that I did for the mid-terms last week was just a negligible fraction of the whole. The best thing about IIM B is the diversity of people I get to interact with. I frankly did not imagine that a CA-CS who quit SEBI would be my batchmate when I mentioned "diversity" in my SoP! What was an abstract term then, makes a whole lot of sense now. 

And my development as a person is taking a new dimension, these days. Overcoming flaws and trying to identify and interpret the true me are everyday activities here. There have been moments of happiness as well as those of disappointments. Overall, I am learning. To Live.

A Fortnight later!

The fervent packing, the farewell, the train journey, the visits to all relatives and finally, the ride to my home for the next two years! It has been two weeks since I spent my first night here in this cozy room (I am one of the lucky few who got the new block rooms at the hostel here) but everything that happened since then seems to be one crazy blur in my memory, with no sense of date or time. 

The Orientation week had me freaking out (Ah! Proof that I am a normal human being!) and wondering why I even thought of CAT in the first place. What seemed to be endless hours of torturous sleep deprivation, now seems fun! The "official" team activities were both enjoyable and enriching!

The next week was a faster whirl of cherished memories. The classes - some good, some globe - end here at mid-day. Aarambh 2011's drama practice, general body meetings and activities extending well into the next day had us well-occupied. There was a point when, walking alone amidst the trees at 3 a.m., not unlike a zombie, I wondered what had ever happened to that kid Shilpa who was afraid of ghosts in the dark!! 

Aarambh happened yesterday and was a runaway success with our skit being very well appreciated! :) The Exhilaration was fantastic after all the group effort! 

As I gear myself up to face the tsunami of Assignments, tutorials and quizzes, amidst other stuff here, I shall do whatever is within my capacity to visit this space with updates on life @ IIMB or some of my insights which shall truthfully obey Sturgeon's Law!

A Memoir

I remember the first night she spent here, in my proximity. Seven years ago. A scared 14 year old, she jumped up at every minute sound- real and imaginary. There was an instant when she almost ran outside, to her parents; but stayed back due to some magical willpower. And she has stayed, ever since. 

She mostly reads in my company; she occasionally tattooed on me, played ball with me and shared with me every exam scheduled for her. She loved to collect Harry Potter paraphernalia and went about it furiously. Then came this queer contraption she sat with often. She fiddled with it continually and the device even sang for her, played movies for her and had her enraptured. I was jealous- her long contemplations, face-to-face with me, were remarkably reduced. Still, I tolerated it. I was happy to see her study hard and bore her occasional barrage of French words at me, with patience- maybe she was in for something good, though she was always cynical about it. 

To the world, she appeared to be a nerd. But I knew better than that. 

Then there came a time when she was in a mild dilemma. She almost left me. But she chose not to, for several reasons (and I am sure that missing me was one of them!). 

The four years following that most fortunate decision have been the most interesting ones for me. I have seen her in various moods, going through phases- good and bad, making mistakes as well as a few right decisions. I am happy to say that I have truly stood by her through everything.

But even the best of times must come to an end. And she is leaving me. She will return, occasionally, for a handful of days at a stretch. But it will not be like the old times. 

Oh, come on. I should stop feeling bad. In fact, I should not feel anything at all. After all, I am just a wall in her room. 

What after +2?

Yet another academic year has ended and a fresh batch of school pass-outs are now ready to enter college. When I saw the results of the Tamilnadu State Board for Std.XII, the one major feeling that overcame me was Relief! 

Relief that I had completed this four years back and didn't have to face the competition of a batch that has produced 120 students with 200/200 cut-off (for Engineering admission).

That apart, I've also been playing the role of a career counselor ( :D ) to quite a few relatives and friends. The one thing that is unshakable in all of them is the belief that a degree in Engineering is the one and only elixir in their lives. Looking back by four years, I find that I was quite determined about this degree too, that is, after my earlier career choice of journalism was ruled out. Did I have any particular reason for taking up this course I've been through these four years? Frankly No. It was one of the best available options for my rank and its "scope" was highly spoken of. Hence, I cannot completely criticize those 198.somethings and 199.somethings for their choice of Engineering. But the advantage of a B.E. degree is restricted mainly to the college from which one graduates. 

The various factors that people consider for choosing among several similar colleges are: 

• Faculty
• Infrastructure
• The most important one - Placements

Faculty- this factor is no longer relevant. Even in some of the most respected colleges, all you find is a handful of professors who know their subjects and are in the profession for something more than the monthly cheque. But it is a fact from personal experience that a really good teacher will make one love the course and study it in depth.

Infrastructure- This too, does not matter and can be obtained with a few hundred crores of rupees (which should not be a problem with the private businessmen who start Engg colleges as more of an investment). 

Placements- This is where the hitch arises. The companies that recruit in masses from most of the colleges do not offer job profiles suitable to the knowledge gained through the four year course. Relevant jobs (the really good software jobs and the core jobs for hardware students) are offered only to students from the cream of all colleges. 

A very important factor that is not looked into properly by the diehard engineering aspirants with lower cut-offs is the peer group. However high one's aspirations may be, if he/she is part of an unmotivated group, it doesn't take long to lose focus.

The gargantuan demand for an Engineering degree is understandable. In four years, you start earning 20-30k per month which most students' parents didn't earn until they reached their 40s. But what I'd give more preference to is the suitability of the candidate to the job he takes up. This is where our Indian Education system's serious flaw comes to mind. 

For a Science group higher secondary student, any degree other than B.E. or MBBS (at ANY college) or their approximate equivalents like the integrated MSc (at a few reputed colleges) is a shame to hold. A friend openly told me this when I advised him against a B.E. at a college that would suit his cut-off. The reason for this - jobs cannot be obtained easily if you are not a B.E. holder.
We all prefer a stable life. Fulfilling our personal passions with respect to career is not as important as keeping our family happy and satisfied with that steady monthly salary. But at the same time, we are not as independent a society as in some Western nations. We are family-oriented. We like sticking together rather than live as strangers under a roof. All these are things I love about Indian culture. But this in itself should not be a deterrent to following one's passions. For this, we need the families' and at large the society's support. They don't need to do much. Allow enough space for the "other kind of" professionals to exist and achieve whatever they are talented to do, in life.

Oligarchy in Camouflage

The Tamilnadu Assembly election results, declared on Friday the 13th, bore no suspense or surprise. Those who genuinely expected the incumbent party to return to power would have been the people who would have believed the voting populace to be short of the six senses that human beings are generally endowed with.

Yes, People have voted for change. But is it a change for the good or for the lesser evil?  

For the past two decades, we have had the two biggies - DMK & AIADMK - taking alternate turns to rule the state (and fill their coffers). Now it is simply the latter's turn. 

I couldn't understand why people wanting a change for better governance would elect convicted people. After all, with an 80.3% literacy rate in this state, would people be averse to having some fresh air in the arena of politics?

A new party, started by a common man and not a well-known (and of course influential) cine actor, seems to rise to power only in movies like "Ko" (what it takes for that to happen, is quite plainly shown in the film). The Lok Satta Party, that fielded candidates who looked fresh and ready to bring in some change, has lost in all constituencies. A truly inspirational candidate, Mr. Sarathbabu, lost in Velachery, coming behind not only the AIADMK but also the candidate of PMK which is a party that is the embodiment of absolute fickleness! How many BITS, Pilani + IIM A graduates would give up lucrative careers to serve the people? The few stalwarts who do so are nipped in the bud. How can we then expect more youngsters to join the losers' bandwagon?

India is a democracy - so said my Civics textbook. But it looks more like an oligarchy. 

Ko!

The last movie I have seen, as a B.E. student during official college hours. The movie was fresh in its look and theme. A very brief recap-

The Good:

Unusual characters. A photo journalist as the hero who keeps clicking away even when he is about to be thrashed, kindles the shutterbug in anyone possessing a camera. For me, it was a sneak peek into the world I wanted to inhabit, as a teenager. No one is clean- be it the incumbents or the opposition. Politics is a dirty world. We are obviously thrilled to see the hero cruising through it, armed with a Canon camera! The twist in the tale towards the end is very good. The climax has been handled beautifully.

The Bad: 

The lack of an element called logic. Well, though it is an accepted fact that Tamil films always have super-heroes, I still find it difficult to digest the unreal stunt scenes from an objective point of view. 

The Ugly:

The song "Venpaniye" is nothing short of a pain in the neck. A complete irritant, it has been inserted at the most inappropriate place. The heroine's mostly passive screen presence. Well, I can't call it acting. The character was a good one. An expressive portrayal would have done justice to it. And seriously, her questioning the link between the hero and another guy while the former is on the verge of a huge discovery is stupid to the normal senses, whatever significance the ensuing flashback holds.   

On the whole, "Ko" was definitely worth a watch, though I'm still wondering as to why it has been named so! (if any reader knows, kindly put it up as a comment)

Red vs. Blue!

Feb 14, 2011: Coimbatore was draped in Red. Banners, Hoardings, Boards over petty shops and what not! 

The reason was not Valentine's Day.

It was the arrival, in Coimbatore, of "Times of India"- a newspaper that never had a dominance in the South. The loud entry was accompanied by aggressive marketing strategies, including a one year subscription for Rs.299/- which also entitled you to the gift of a very useful travel bag. People naturally signed up for it, in hordes; my household included. My uncle's family, based in Mumbai, has frequently endorsed ToI and regretted its non-availability in Tamilnadu. They felt that "The Hindu", which is easily the King in the Ring of South Indian Newspapers, focussed too much on regional news only. 

I was all set to experiment this new flavour each morning. Especially, as this was the time I used to scour newspapers hungrily for GD/PI preparation, an extra paper meant extra knowledge to my simpleton mind!  

ToI's entry here was a cause of serious concern to our dear old "The Hindu". They tried to advertise themselves too. Suddenly, many a bus-stop had a backdrop of their blue hoarding with a picture of a cute family reading their traditional newspaper. I was completely amused!

ToI was very articulate. Lots of attention-seeking images and nuggets of news in bits and pieces of message balloons strewn around. I initially liked it. Like most human beings, I prefer pictures to words and it was good to see a colourful paper. They announced a contest "One Day in the Life of India"- asking for entries in various categories- comics, photos and jokes. The shortlisted entries made good food for entertainment. But I realised I was leaving out something when I read ToI. And that something was nothing other than my mind. I was enticed by the loud captions and colours; I took in silly jokes. I was reading more gossip-stuff than real news that mattered. The one column that brought me back to my senses was the one on Parties going on in the city. I was shocked to see that they found it worth reporting who came to which party dressed in what, spending time how and with whom, etc.! Seriously who'd give a damn about all this, maybe except those party-freaks who got pictured in the paper?!  

Meanwhile, my "The Hindu" was still there. Quality reporting. Top-class language ( I once thought I'd identified a usage error in the paper and sent them an email. They called me back to clarify it! Such a huge organization cared enough to clear the doubt of a college girl they might as well have ignored! ) And Absolutely No Gossip. The supplementary editions made good reading, as usual, with no nonsense. There was good humour in the words of Indu Balachandran in Sunday's "Magazine". Wow, I even remember the writers' names as I type now. Goes on to show the impression the paper has made on me. 

ToI's crass reporting became obvious to me when they put up the news item of a boy from my college committing suicide in the hostel. Well, the data given in the report was illogical and did not corroborate with my knowledge of my college's functioning. Maybe they were given wrong facts. But publishing every word heard without giving a thought to verifying the data obtained is not responsible journalism. Come on, which 20-year-old will take his life due to wheezing problem?! Has common sense become so uncommon? The Hindu had no trace of that news item.

Blue has won my permanent respect. They surely don't focus on the South Regional news alone. Which Indian newspaper got the rights to the WikiLeaks India cables? And I'm just happy with the amount of other International and National News I get from "The Hindu".     

ToI, I shall take a leaf out of your book to learn marketing strategies. Your entry was good. But sadly, your core workforce (at least here in Coimbatore) is not up to the mark, to retain the attraction you gained.