Fight of a Genius

"A Beautiful Mind" has inspired this post.  

I was apprehensive about watching this movie, initially. I'd heard that it was similar to the horrenduous "Mayakkam Enna" (ME)- a recent Tamil film that made me resolve to never watch any creation of the director Selvaraghavan again. There are people who saw some form of genius and beauty in the film. Not me. My simple purpose was to unwind after back-to-back Finance and Quant quizzes. ME achieved something never before done by any movie- making me shut out all sight and sound, wanting to run away from the theatre!

Hence, on a lazy holiday evening, I double-clicked the icon "A Beautiful Mind" in my laptop, deciding to close it in less than five minutes if it were anything similar to ME. 

But i forgot the small "x" button at the top-right corner for the next two hours. This story- which in contrast had a logical flow comprehensible to mere mortals like yours truly- was engrossing. And yeah, there is the fact that parts of my Microeconomics reading did help me relate well to the dating logic explained beautifully in the pub (this was soothing, given that the reading didn't help a bit in the exam).

The film talks about an extreme genius whose brain imagines to the extent of making him schizoprenic. The wife's care that helps him cope with it is touching. Yes, some of this part of the film seems to have inspired ME but if this is the director's way of improvising and adapting a story to a different context, the attempt has been pathetic. There is no part of the older movie that can be called gory. Everything seems natural and credible. There is no so-called "stark reality" that pains an average movie-watcher.

Both movies have a happy ending- the protagonist wins a prestigious award. But as the adage goes, it is the journey, the storyline, that matters. One shows a genius fighting a disease and winning over it, while the other portrays a sequence of random happenings- weakly linked, gross and mostly illogical.

'Term'inated

Okay, I am one-third an MBA now. Almost, that is.

It has been a mind-boggling ride so far. Term 1 initiated me to the system and showed me the various aspects of life outside home. But the most strenuous and memorable one was the second term, which deserves this blogspace.

On day one of term 2, a senior at the breakfast counter gave me a warm welcome with "If you survive this term, you can survive anything within and outside IIMB. All the best!". Apprehensively, I began the term. The academic load was minimal, compared to the previous term. It was more than compensated for by the much-dreaded "Summer Internship Placements". Days were filled with Pre-placement talks, pizzas, resume mentoring, preparatory group formation and getting back to school and college teachers to verify your accomplishments that you never gave much thought to, back in the good old days.

As the days went by, the shortlists started arriving for the much-hyped "Day Zero" firms and preparations took a serious turn. The Summer heat was on! Well into the wee hours of each morning, the consulting aspirants were seen cracking cases and making guesstimates while those inclined towards finance were invariably found sleeping with books open on macroeconomics, derivatives and puzzles, or reading up on M&As, sectors and valuations. Newspapers- those non-white-coloured ones we booked in the first term with dreams of reading "Business stuff" (but never did anything beyond dump them in a corner)- started being respected and read religiously. "The Economist" became The Bible.

Those were the dark days when no one was happy on campus. While the agony of the non-shortlisted candidates was obvious, the shortlisted people were bothered about impressing the company representatives and ensuring that they beat the fellow shortlisted people in getting that dream job. There were just a handful of guys cool enough to either remain nonchalant or sign out of the process to pursue their dreams.

Well, everything scheduled to happen will invariably happen whether you fear it or not; so did the "Day Zero" on the 9th of November. The beautiful MDC lawns were filled with people in dark business suits, looking smart at the outset. A deeper look into everyone's eyes revealed the tension within. The following five days were a medley of cheers and tears. Gratitude for the unwavering support offered by the senior batch in helping us all get through those days is etched deeply in every junior's mind. Come November 14th 2011- we were all back to our childhood in a way- cheering, applauding and celebrating the end with champagne!

And the campus started looking more beautiful. Though a mountain of assignments, projects and quizzes eagerly awaited our return to academics, we were not worried. Life was more chilled out than ever. The four weeks from then to now remain a blur of strenuous academic activities, all going late into the night, but done on a light note. 

Surprisingly, Spring has come after Summer to our campus! And it shall stay on. 

P.S. Again, I left the campus for the vacation with the strong belief that friends make life beautiful and cheerful, during times good and bad. :)

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.