Lessons Learned in MBA Life

As the "1-year-10-month-course" (Prof CDG's words) comes to an end, I finally got some time to reflect on my journey here at NM in particular and Mumbai in general. There are a few things I will share, which I thought would be helpful for others who are embarking their MBA journey this year and in the forthcoming years. And some of you could reminisce on the past few years too! Needless to say, these are my personal views - take it or leave it. Take the good things and leave those you don't like.
p.s. This is not a Scoopwhoop post!

Lesson 1 - Read books

I wish someone was there to tell me this earlier. More often than not, this habit will keep you sane, from the hustle and bustle of MBA life. MBA life was mostly busy, and this helped me relax.

Lesson 2 - Invest in friendships
This is not like school days where you automatically become friends. You need to spend time with people. Time is a luxury good in these two years, meaning it's not easily available.
I have been fortunate to meet a few good men (and women) over the past two years, and they have made my life special. Also, some old friends have come of age - life's looking good now. To make best use of this lesson, take time out to make a list of 15 people who matter to you the most - and stick to that list. For more on this, read 'Busy' by Tony Crabbe.

Lesson 3 - Have a strong value system
Values are simple - honesty, integrity. Old school stuff, but important nevertheless. Easy to talk about, easier to forget in real life - especially at the pace of life we lead here.

Lesson 4 - Be ethical
In one of our discussions, the dean, quoting some research, mentioned that MBAs are one of the most unethical people in the world. I don't disagree totally with him. I have seen things personally as well.
Ethics, according to me is simple - use common sense and do the right thing. Remember this great man, next time you face a conflict of ethics:

Lesson 5 - Less is more
One of my biggest lessons from first year at a B-school. Doing more things, accepting everything that came my way, took me no where. As a blessing in disguise, I was not in any committees in the second year and that helped me realize what is important to me in the long term.
Do a few things that will be of value to you in the long run, say 'No' to everything else. That does not mean being selfish though. There's a difference between being immersed in something you like and being submerged in a sea of mess!

Lesson 6 - Let go
There are many things that seemed unfair to me in first year. Later on I realized there was nothing that could be done to things not under my control. So I let go of those stuff. In the process, the clarity I attained was unbelievable.

Keep doing good things and forget the rest, it always worked for me. After all, self-actualization is more important than instant gratification on Facebook!

Lesson 7 - Sleep well
Some friends and faculties have often said that sacrificing on sleep is okay. On hindsight, I can tell with some amount of conviction that it is not okay. I tried sleeping on time and waking up early for a few weeks - those weeks I was more productive in the classroom, more attentive and felt more energetic throughout the day.
I maintain my stance as I write today!

Lesson 8 - Eat three meals
Skipping breakfast isn't cool, it is just sad! Manage time well. On the rare days I skipped breakfast, I was found thinking about food at 11 AM while the lecture was going on - it's not a good feeling.

Lesson 9 - Punctuality is cool
Murphy's law will work here - you never know when the faculty will close the door at 9 AM for a 9 AM lecture. But it will surely happen when you are late [happened to me!]
Punctuality is a good thing, even if there's no one to appreciate it. Over time, I have picked up the habit of carrying something in PDF format to read in waiting time. Five years down the line, I am sure a culture of punctuality will make difference in organizations.

I've made a list of these people!

Lesson 10 - Pursue hobbies
I have seen people with a wide spectrum of hobbies - travel, painting, reading fiction, working on fitness, music, chess... the list is endless. These folks seemed to have a better balance on life, a calming presence and a better head compared to those who didn't have or pursue hobbies relentlessly.

That's about it. Ten is a good number to round off!

In between this hectic life, I have managed to play chess in some beautiful campuses across India - XLRI, SIBM Pune, NITIE, SP Jain, NMIMS and KJ Somaiya. I also managed to visit IIT-Bombay and IIM Indore for other competitions. Overall, this has been a great learning experience.

On a lighter note, I could well be the strongest Indian chess player ever to have an MBA degree from an elite B-school in India :P (For once, let me blow my own trumpet, why not!) So somewhat qualified to give some gyaan!

Thanks to the few great people who made this journey memorable!
ak

Royal thrillers at SP Jain!

It seemed business as usual on a sedate Saturday afternoon for the NMIMS Chess Team (ak, Neel, Rahul and Akshat) After winning first two games with a certain level of comfort with Neel and Akshat, I went to attend lectures from 11.30-14.00, with finals slotted at 3 PM. I came to know later that it was a semi-final at 3.

Of course, Rahul joined our team for the semis. When we were paired against SP Jain, I knew it was going to be tough. Shyam's SP Jain team has always been a formidable opponent to us since first year. This year was going to be no different. However, the magnitude of competitiveness was on a whole new level this time around.

Disclaimer: This post contains chess notations and some technical terms. Please bear with me if you can't understand - they were all important for this post. All said and done, Chess is a royal game... for the classes!

What the FAA!

It's high time I say something about this. I scored a 'D' in FAA  (by the way, FAA = Financial Analysis and Accounting) and I consider it one of my biggest achievements in MBA, no kidding. Till the results came, I had my heart in the mouth. Whatsapp didn't help much. This is what happened before results came on Whatsapp/Telegram

'9 failures'
'What?'
'Yeah, Nine'
'Someone post the scores please'
One good samaritan went to the college notice board (so much for technology), clicked pictures and posted in Telegram (Whatsapp never worked in college wifi in 2014). 38... 39... 40... 42 (my roll number) ... heart pumping...

Outsourcing the spouse-finding: Climax

To all those who have missed the prequel to this, click here
"If something is not your core competency, outsource it and save time and money"... and heartbreaks!

அனைவருக்கும் வணக்கம்!
Straight ah matterku போவோம்...
Let's say the hero was just doing his business from stage one. ("மூடிட்டு அவன் வேலைய மட்டும் பாத்து இருந்தா...") His parents find him an alliance.

Resources and Capabilities: He would have had a lot of time to explore his personality, build his career and become better. Not much costs and time involved prior to marriage or engagement, except for the sourcing cost. Your resources (parents and relatives) are fully capable of finding a good match. You don't have to build any capabilities. It is an asset-light strategy.

Competitive advantage: Easy (சப்ப மேட்டர்!) He would have got into the best colleges / universities and/or started his own business and/or other stuff! May be he may not have some advantage over others, may be he has changed his game altogether. It's so much easier to focus on one thing at a time than having some nagging text messages all the time.

Yada yada yada... Superior happiness!
"There's always more than one way to reach the destination. Look around."

There's been an interesting video doing the rounds in YouTube recently. Well, arranged marriages are cool. No big fuss. Parents decide - 11 times out  of 10, they are right. And they do know what's best.
And this is not to say they are marrying you against your wish. Assuming you accept and then it is a proper arranged marriage.

Benefits:
1) Straight to the finish line without much hurdles
2) Strong support system - doesn't break often
3) "If you can fall IN love, you can fall OUT of love. No guarantee in that. 'Arranged' is a safer option"
You don't want to find one more thing you suck at, right? Leave this to parents! :P

Tradeoffs:
1) It's not going to be a lowwwwve marriage. That's alright. Strategy is all about deciding what to do and what not to do. There's got to be some tradeoff - you can't have everything in life. Look at what happened to Continental Airlines when they tried to emulate South West.
 நான் என்ன சொல்ல வரேன்னா "ஆணிய புடுங்க வேணாம்!" (What I'm trying to say is, don't pluck the nail)
2) There are people who say "How can I marry someone without knowing him/her at all?"
Hey, come understand me, you have 5 years time. I know people who have said "ஐயோ T.Nagarல ரெண்டு வீடு போச்சே!" after a breakup. Think again! There's no such thing as loyalty, faithfulness in this world anymore. Broken glasses are always replaced with new ones, mostly without much crying over them :)

If you are of the adventurous type, try living with someone in arranged marriage. It's worth it. Our previous generations have done it extremely well. Sure you can do the same. Our generation is better in everything right? Better them if you can!

There's a traditional aspect worth enjoying - all the mantras (if you are a Hindu, others please imagine something I don't know what happens in other weddings) and everything - it's an experience in itself. And the food, relatives, friends, musical instruments. If you can't enjoy 'that' music you are struggling in life!

Coming to the I-am-a-very-modern-person types. Some 'stuff' for you
1) You don't care about the past right? Everyone has a past. Accept it. Still, this strategy works
2) You don't believe in dowry system and other traditions? Men: Stand up and say No. Women: Do the same. Still, this strategy works
3) Bored of dates and fooling around? Try this. Thank me later.

Coming to the traditional types...
1) Soup boy / girl? This is your only resort
2) Waiting for someone special? உனக்கு straight ஆ 60ம் கல்யாணம் தான்! அப்பா அம்மா சொல்றத கேளு! நல்ல வருவ!
3) Fell in love by mistake? Never too late. Escape or face facts! :P
And yeah, do MBA!

Like sarcasm, 'bro'?
"In a love marriage, you marry your own girlfriend. In arranged marriage, you marry someone else's! Sounds hot, right?"

Yeah, deep. [Same for women. Not being sexist]

In B-School you don't learn management alone, you learn a lot more. Putting it in a different way, it teaches you management only, but you can learn a lot of other things, starting from philosophy! And you understand people better. May be it's got something to do with age, doesn't matter. Whatever it is, I have never had so much clarity about many things in life than I have now. Hence this post!
Yeah, it's a little brutal and more realistic than usual. But then, you know...

மீண்டும் சந்திப்போம்!
Au revoir!

___ing the spouse-finding: A strategic viewpoint (Part 1)

"Wow what a cute couple!!!"
"Made for each other"
"Awesome" [ with 'N' number of hashtags ]
If you are one of those people admiring facebook posts like that one and wishing fervently that it happens to you some day in the near future, I am here to throw some cold water on your face. And for those people who are double (my favourite term for those who are not single) right now, I don't give a damn. Love, dating, relationships... are way too overrated in this digital world. And social networking websites, Whatsapp, Snapchat and other communication monsters have convincingly sold this point to the larger population that it's the 'in' thing to find that special some one during college days or school days for posterity.

These buildups (a South Indian slang word which means building a mountain out of a mole hill) are usually followed up with some home-cooked stories about arranged marriage, all of them showing arranged marriages in bad light. Now that I am nearing 'that' age inevitably and interacting to some extent on those lines, the time has come to give some enlightenment to the world.
Now that the context is set, get ready for some gyaan!

MBA Life - One year done!

One year at NMIMS has gone like a dream. It might sound cliched but in a B-school life mostly goes in autopilot mode. You never ever stop to reflect and dwell upon things you do, or don't!

MBA is radically different from engineering or IT life. For highly individual personalities like me, the transformation has been a little difficult. If I could divide my life over the past six years before June 2014 into 3 buckets, it was all similar in one way or the other.
1) Chess - Prepare, play, eat, sleep, repeat
2) Engineering - Study, write exams, go for tournaments, repeat
3) TCS - Sign in, Do coding, Leave
It was all quite simple, yet immensely meaningful. I had loads of time to stand and stare, enjoy music without a slightest feeling of guilt, wake up sans the sound of cellphone alarm, in a nutshell - a lot of control over what I wanted to do.

Enter NM, and none of this were even remotely similar to my lifestyle. Nothing is individual here. May be I wasn't good enough, may be I was, I can't pretend to know the answer to this question. But I know this for sure - most of the Management students don't know what they are doing either; and first year is something that is too fast for most of us. It's just an environment of total noise and everyone just tries to dance to something that's not exactly musical.

That's not taking anything away from what this colossal institution has offered me, something that every lucky soul that lands up here gets for free - the experience of meeting various kinds of people, the crazy lifestyle and Mumbai. Whether we learn good management subjects are not, students do become philosophical at least once a day!

From my own experience I have seen a variety of people - some good souls who are quite honest about the fact that they have no clue and work towards finding something worth pursuing, some annoying creatures who do anything under the sun to put one extra line on their CV, the CGPA mongers who pretend to have a life outside numbers, some very intelligent people who make a mark in everything they do, a few good friends for life, hypocritical species who say anything to the gallery and shamelessly go back when time comes, the list is endless. The hardest challenge was maintaining one's individuality in this environment. And I am not making this all up - find out for yourselves!

The climax was the internship. The experience was amazing. Due to obvious reasons, I am not commenting on it, but it was definitely an above average experience, more than what I expected it would be. And I did meet people who were better in character than the average individual back in my college. All is not wrong with the corporate world.
"There's still 'good' in this world"

The end of internship is really the end of an era. A summer internship will never happen again. So will another full year of college life. The remaining nine months, I pray God, will be as exciting as the first 12! And I wish to be put up a better performance.

On that note, I wish all the juniors (as a responsible senior), the very best for their last gig at student life. Am pretty sure you will think about your IT life more than once during your stint here. Remember me then!

See you soon :)

Disclaimer: The views expressed are personal and do not represent the institutions mentioned here in any way.

Mumbai – Dating OK, Marriage NO!

 Mumbai. Really?

Crowd

Good or bad, Mumbai is just way too crowded. You got to feel for Mumbai, people come here to make a life for themselves and the influx of population is just inevitable. But that’s none of my concern; if it’s crowded it’s crowded and that is it. A spade is a spade! Compared to Chennai or Delhi or Kolkata, Mumbai scores for the worse.

Still, it’s Mumbai man!

The fact that people are nice here is no justification for the fact that the crowd is okay, which brings me to the next aspect.

Whose Goal is it Anyway?

Some people and management from all the NMSL teams arrive at the ground. All teams were supposed to be present on the inaugural day.
Chandru: Pallavi… Pallavi, where are you?
(Jha calls to find out that Gangstars management were still in their photoshoot)
Chandru: Okay, let’s see if the other teams have arrived. Krusherz?
Dawar: I guess they are a little slow… Remember the auctions?
Chandru: Oh yeah…
Dawar: Dream Kickers are here.

Doke was busy with his mobile phone. “Hey guys, what, no ‘#SirDoke’ in facebook and twitter today!? ” Rhea was hooked to her tablet trying hard to get 1000 likes for DK facebook page. “Any ideas guys? Shall we upload selfies? Shaleen what do you say!”

NMSL 3.0 Auctions – Part II

NM Shooterzz
Shooterzz is one team whose auctions largely depended on one man – Ishan Jha. He more or less ran the show entirely for the team. Ably supported by Gagan, Nikita and ex-Shooterzz bloke Shrey Arora who is the owner of the team this time around, this lot managed to put up a really decent show at the auctions. They seemed to operate with a definite plan in mind. Solid in defense, solid in approach, Jha decided whom to go for, and whom not to.
May be, the approach to game and life is pretty similar to most sportspersons (including yours truly!)    

Under control: NM Shooterzz – Putting the best man in driver’s seat

NMSL 3.0 Auctions – Part I

The auctions held last Sunday evening was a whole lot of fun. Kushagra Patwa and (Mr!) Tanuj Baru truly rocked the show and helped a great deal in the smooth conduct of the auctions till the end. The session which started around 5PM ended only around 8.45PM with all teams fighting it out for the best possible squad.

Let the a(u)ction begin! (Baru, Patwa)

Let’s see how the teams fared in the auctions… the hits, misses and much more.
NM Gangstars
“No team has loyal followers, as much as Gangstars does!”

NMSL 3.0 – A run up to the auctions and the exhibition match

MBAs are good businessmen – can handle pressure well, use money wisely and make critical decisions in short spans of time. All these are easier said than done. What do all this have to do with sports? When the sun sets on Sunday evening (Dec 21), the teams of all five NMSL franchises will be tested on all these skills and much more when the auction for this season of NM Soccer League begins. It’s not going to be easy.
“Sports is serious business”
The fact that Mr.Tanuj Baru is expected to co-host the auction adds much weight for the Super Sunday here at NMIMS. All teams have a virtual fund of $1,000,000,000 each, to play with.
This is how things stand at the moment for the five teams.
NM Gangstars

NMSL 3.0: A Curtain Raiser to the most-awaited sporting event of NMIMS!

“When it’s January, it’s time for action!”
While there are many ways to welcome a new year, NMIMS has its own way of doing it in the beginning of a calendar year. Not sure how many professional B-schools have this kind of kick start (literally!) so soon in their scheme of things. We do things differently!
Cometh January, five big teams will be competing for ultimate glory – the Championship of the hugely successful NM Soccer League. This edition will be a continuation of our success story from last year, and the players will be looking to continue the rich legacy left by NMSL 2.0. Let’s have a look at the teams and how the story looks like so far …
NM Gangstars

Team Owners: Pallavi Kini, Amulya Goomer
Position Last Year: Winners

The Royal Game: Fostering friendships, promoting joy!

It was a surreal Sunday last week (November 9, 2014) at NMIMS for the chess folks. With no games scheduled the previous day, the players got some time off. Scheduling became an issue for Sunday. As is often the case, the ‘cruel’ B-school mails before we close our eyes at night meant that I had to stay awake till 2AM (essentially running into Sunday) to finalize the fixtures for Semi-finals and Finals. With help from ‘sporty’ seniors over Whatsapp, I somehow managed to do so!
‘It’s a B-school; we cannot do everything single-handed!’
The big four teams of the semis were NM Warriors, SP Jain, Sydenhams and KJ Somaiya. The first semi-final of the day was between host NM Warriors and SP Jain. The visitors arrived bang on time at 1 PM. This time they reached the correct building without any hassle! After logistical delays, the match started at 1:30 PM at room 507. Fittingly, it was the Student Council room for the day, which gets a place in this article today.

I am waiting!

In a little over 12 hours, NMIMS University will experience a euphoric mix of agonized ecstasy and infectious enthusiasm, as the curtains draw open for the annual sports fest, ‘Samarthya’. It’s not often that these things happen. When they do, make sure to make the most of it. So, what’s the big deal about it?

For some people, it’s just another happening in this extra large MBA world, full of events. For others, it could mean holidays. For sports buffs like me, it’s everything. People ask me “How do you feel when playing?” I mostly say “Alive!” There’s more to it than meets the eye.

The Perspective

After every day in college, you mostly feel like a fruit put in the juicer

Arcadia Day 2 – Spotlight: Chess

“Silently they made history!”

It’s not often that chess hogs the limelight when there is a wide array of spectator-friendly sports going on around the campus but today was an exception. The day clearly belonged to the royal game – possibly it was time for the silent game to make the loudest noise!

Chess was slotted to begin at 4:30 PM. Division A won its match against CM and BM won its quarterfinal against CMB. The much-awaited quarterfinal match between HR and defending champions ‘F’ began around 6:15 PM. All three boards went beyond 30 minutes. After the first two boards finished, it was all fair and square at 1-1. HR cracked under pressure to give F division their semi-final berth.

Arcadia 2014 – Day One

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going”

This classic line is always true, more so at NMIMS. Balancing academics and extra-curriculars is a herculean task in MBA life. Given that we have classes at all odd hours here, it was always going to be tough.

Arcadia 2014 began with a bang on Tuesday, the 7^th of October. All of the indoor sports – Badminton, Carrom, Chess, Counter Strike, Squash and Table Tennis. Scheduling the events required meticulous planning and you got to say the Sports Committee did a fantastic job. The timetables of every class, both I and II years, had to be checked each time a fixture was put. The first years had more than just academics to handle, which meant lesser players being available for the event. Hopefully some day, sports gets due recognition in this campus; only then we can match the allure of events like Valhalla et al.

Destination XLRI Valhalla 2014 – Part Two

Thanks for making it to Part 2.

Day two was all about upping the ante and elevating the performance to the next level. And yes, the cheering and sledging were to intensify too.

First in action was our chess team – 10.45 AM, semifinal against XLRI. Well, it was scheduled to start at 10.30 AM, but then, when did NM boys reach on time early morning? On a Sunday?

“NM habits die hard!”

A 15-minute delay was okay, and the organizers were kind enough, even though they were visibly frustrated a little bit. We defeated XLRI 3-1 to reach the final. This game was more difficult than the first. XL played well and initially threatened to draw level. By one fortune swing, we were through. Clearly, we were happy to beat XL once at least. So much for history! FMS Delhi won the other semifinal to set up a final showdown against us. By the way, when this semifinal was going on, outdoor games also started around 11 AM. Intensity was at its peak on day 2.

Destination XLRI Valhalla 2014 – Part One

It’s not often that you go to a different city with your college folk, play sports, sledge, and cheer, make noise and have fun, especially if you are in a B-school, and a top one at that! But that’s exactly what happened for 30-odd adventurous folks of NMIMS, over the last weekend of July 2014.
Our contingent for Valhalla, the flagship cultural event of XLRI Jamshedpur, reached the XLRI campus on Friday evening, the 25^th of July, for what would turn out to be one of our most memorable events. On reaching the Tatanagar railway station, we were received by a liaison officer, a first year Sardar student, good man. He had come to pick us up in a van. The journey to the XLRI campus was smooth as silk. A little bit of rain made the atmosphere pleasant, it was a 30-minute travel to the sprawling campus. Accommodation was provided in XLRI’s newly constructed hostel – we were possibly the first ones to occupy it, for, XL’s own students had not yet ‘experienced’ it.