....another week in paradise.

Its been a week since my last post. K asked me a few days back why I was not posting anything in spite of the fact that so many things were happening on campus. I believe that I will blog when I have something to express, my perspective on an issue/happening to note or just to jot down an interesting event I have been party to. I would not intend my blog to serve as a diary of events happening around me. That said, I do intend to blog regularly!

It is sometimes essential to log out & take a step back in order to have a macro perspective on any system. I did that yesterday. Often, one tends to get so caught up in the micro details that the big picture goes into the background. It is essential to regularly monitor it & ensure that things are on track. The past week of pre term saw a radical change in attitudes of many a junta. Someone told me last week that you develop all your characteristics as a unique individual by age seven & nothing after that. That maybe true - I could see people actually behaving like kids on many an occasion as far as studying was concerned.

Went to a mall in town where there was a live mini 'war of the bands' sort of competition on with some really good local bands. Enjoyed some jazz & rock music. It was a welcome break before term 1 starts tomorrow (Although I realized how woefully outdated I'd become when one band 'screamed' a song called 'Chopsuey' & a few teenage girls screamed the lyrics with the lead singer).I believe that the greatest achievement in life is 'balance'. Enjoying something till you reach the peak of the marginal propensity to cosume curve; before you start getting negative marginal returns is the key. Do everything in moderation. I tried to do that last week & hope to continue with it next week. I intend to spend an hour playing squash & swimming every morning. I hope the burden of academics shall not dampen my spirits in the days ahead.

P.S. - The photo is a view of our library called the Learning Resource Centre (LRC)

End of week 1

There is this very hot babe on campus whom everyone wants. Atleast 400+ out of the total 425 students have heard of her even before they have come to campus. They have no idea what she's like, have never talked to her, don't know how good their life will be with her but still want to be with her for the rest of their lives. Some have started to know her a bit & even though the voice inside them tells them that she is not the right one for them, they're still unable to resist her sex appeal (Heck, even I was tempted ; fortunately it wasn't for more than 10 mins & I realized with reasonable certainty that she is not the one for me)

Her name?

"Consulting"

Yup, this is the big one where almost everyone wants to get into post ISB. Any & every session on consulting is jam packed with people. If its for the reason that everyone wants to know what consulting is all about, thats great. However, I suspect that at every session, the questions reflect the thought in almost everyone's mind 'How do I tweak my resume so that McK or BCG will shortlist me'. If this thought is an outcome of sufficient understanding of consulting, reasonable analysis & honest introspection (which more often than not, its not), these are the people who should direct their efforts towards it. I believe that one of the most important aspects of self discovery at a b-school is actually getting to understand what you want to do after a year, following it up with more information & then directing your efforts towards that goal, irrespective of how many people around you want to go in for consulting or investment banking.

Happiness is the 'end' for all of us. Pursuit of happiness is inherent in human behaviour. The 'means' or path to this end is ours to choose. A simple poor fisherman living in a coastal village can be happier than the CxO of any top international firm. Personally, I believe in choosing the path of least resistance to the destination that is happiness. Now, how do I create this path of least resistance? Well, this is for each of us to choose based on each one's individual signposts on that path i.e. individual goals. Finally, everyone is trying to reach the same destinations - happiness & peace of mind.

Alums are almost out of campus now. A huge amount of gyaan has been imparted to us. We now have to translate that into implementation. In the words of an alum yesterday night at 2 a.m. 'Be action oriented, don't just sit here & talk'.

ISB rocks - the story so far

It's tough to be level headed & objectively describe what/how ISB is for the simple reason that so many things here blow you away completely especially in week 1. Anyway, here is an honest attempt -

1. Infrastructure - This is the first thing that impresses you. The sheer scale & grandeur of the campus especially the Academic Centre/LRC/Atrium sweeps you off your feet the first time you see it. The overall campus is clean, green, extremely well equipped with all possible facilities you could think of for physical/mental development (ex. sports ranging from billiards to squash, volleyball to table tennis - the list is endless. For the mind you have one of the most comprehensive libraries in the APAC region). Our quads are fully equipped with all facilities. The IT network on campus is truly amazing especially the wi-fi coverage which covers a large part of the campus.

2. Events - The orientation week has been packed with a plethora of happenings right from impressive addresses by our dean, deputy dean, admissions & placements director (the stats for the batch of '07 truly reflect the intellect, diversity & rich experience which people bring to ISB. FYI, ISB has one of the highest average/median GMAT scores of all b-schools in the world today) to 'gyaan' sessions on various clubs here organized by the alums, to a huge number of outdoor activities meant to not only be ice breakers but also for alums to pass on their 'gyaan' on what to do/what not to do/general info on things in the year ahead. One of the events they organized for the incoming batch of 2007 was a party sprinkled with generous amount of cheap booze & awesome music (kudos to DJ199 - Warikoo). We were really lucky that we had rains all through the night ( the party started at 10.30 p.m. & went on till 3 a.m.). Dancing into the middle of the night with retro rock (GNR, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, U2, RHCP, etc) was one of the most awesome feelings I have had on campus so far. Incidentally, we the batch of 2007, threw a party for the alums on campus (11.30 p.m. till the wee hours of the morning). Another extremely interesting experience was the 'Community Service' event organized today where we were taken to a government school in old Hyderabad. We had a chance to interact with the kids there, their parents & the issues they had with studying there. It was a lot of fun to play with the kids, distribute sweets & understand life from their point of view. Just makes me feel so fortunate to have been born into such a comfortable life with so many opportunities. As I was discussing with DD today - where you're born determines 95% of how things work out for you in life. The kids at these school are so bright & cheerful - makes you wonder how much they would have achieved had they had a financially secure childhood. The batch of 2006 has done a great job at nurturing a host of these schools & we intend to take it forward from here. The planning & execution of all the events organized by the admin, the alums, etc is like clockwork - there has not been a single event where I would have found even a small thing amiss.

3. Alums - ISB being a one year program, this is the only time we have to interact with our alums. Where we lose out in terms of time to share with our alums, they make up for by being truly helpful, giving us as many useful tips as possible & even when they're not on campus, by being just an email way. I have been impressed by a whole lot of things the alums have organized in the past few days & the immense effort they have put in creating a huge databank for us to tap through the year . If any of them are reading this - alums, you guys have been truly wonderful on campus - thank you so much!!

Random notes -

Sleep has been rare to come - on an average about 5 hrs daily. Not being used to so much of physical exertion, all of us have aches everywhere around.

It rained here a couple of days back& this place looked like a very beautiful resort. ISB is like another world pakced away by itself with hardly any contact with the outside world.

So much more to say & express but words are few & energy is low. We have been sleeping at about 2 a.m. almost everyday just to get up at 7 a.m. for some activity.

Have played basketball, volleyball, cricket, table tennis, foosball (the one which Chandler & Joey keep playing in 'Friends'), etc . more in the last 4 days than I have in the last 8 years combined.

The profile of people here is truly truly impressive. Our alums have been consistently telling us that our batch is absolutely rocking & that this is going to be a turning point for ISB. We hope to live upto those views.

I have been trying not to be judgemental about people but it is getting increasingly tougher. I have shook hands with & introduced myself to more than 100 people in the last 4 days. Unfortunately, I do not remeber even half of the hundred names that were mentioned to me in return.

Met few of the famous bloggers whose blog I had been following for months now - they are more impressive in person than they have been through their blogs.

Gyaan from alums - Grades are important for consulting jobs, else not. Learn to prioritize, else you're dead. Placement is just one thing - the overall ISB experience is a lot more than that; however, be focussed on what you want to do post ISB & start working on it today.

My study group has 3 IT guys, a guy from the energy (oil & gas) sector & a bond trader working for an insurance company.

ISB rocks! - preview

For those of you who have been following this blog regularly - my sincere apologoes for not updating it since I got to ISB. I promise a full update with snaps of all that has been happening here in a day. We don't have access to our laptops now since the IT dept is formatting them - we should get them tomorrow evening. Just one thing for now - ISB rocks big time!!!

Adios Ahmedabad, hola Hyderabad

As you would have guessed from this post title, this is my last post from my home town. Although I've left this city before so many times to move to other places, this time is somewhat different. Maybe its because I'm going back to full time academics, maybe its because perspectives change as life goes along, maybe its because I won't be able to come back for a year. Any which way, am reminded of a line from this song by Shaan 'Aankhon mein sapne liye, ghar se hum chal to diye, jaane ye raahe ab le jaayengi kahaan'. A few dreams, moments of excitement, a handful of aspirations, a pocketful of questions - I know not where this path will take me.

Although I've seen people writing things they want to do at ISB on their blogs, I will refrain from that because there would be too many things to write about. However, & this may seem out of context, I feel like saying a BIG 'Thank You' to my parents for all they have done for me. I have probably had a rare (by Indian standards) fortunate childhood where I was given the freedom, exposure & encouragement to be anything I wanted to be in life. My parents were always there for me, gently guiding, never forcing & always supporting so that I was completely unburdened to focus my energies on anything I wanted to achieve in life. May God bless them with peace & joy always!

Time to sign out now guys. Next post from ISB!

The genius of Bill Watterson

I don't know if I'm breaking any copyright laws here, but I just needed to put this up. Saw it on RJ's blog. This sums up perfectly how I would like my life to be ;)

About A

Met with A, one of my oldest & closest friends yesterday. We are so much on the same wavelength & so often think alike that it becomes unnecessary to even complete sentences or topics - each of us knows exactly what the other one is talking about. As always, after the usual 'whats happening in life' part of the conversation, talks inevitably veered towards the abstract, spiritualism, practical applications of the Bhagwad Gita & how not to let the mind become a slave to weaknesses & temptations. We had a very nice discussion on the difference between being 'goal oriented' & 'fruit-of-the-action oriented'. A very apt shloka from the Gita is what we both so completely believe in & which so perfectly sums up the balance between being action oriented yet free from its fruits -

Karmanyeva adhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana
Ma karmaphalahetur bhurma te sangostvakarmani.

"Thy business is with the action only, never with its fruits; so let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor be thou to inaction attached."

A is getting married on the 19th of this month & I'll defnitely try to be there. By the way, this will be one of my last posts before ISB. Will probably write one more post after this pre ISB. Although I was feeling quite normal all this time, am now starting to feel the pulse quicken & the excitement mount slowly but surely.

P.S. - For a fantastically funny (but very accurate) take on what most of us (Class of '07) have gone through ever since the Rs. 1cr/annum salary placement news has come out, check this out.

On life

Ben Graham (the father of value investing & security analysis as we know it today; by the way, when this guy graduated from Columbia at the age of 20 in 1914, he was offered teaching positions in the departments of English, Philosophy & Mathematics!!!! Genius is an understatement), once expressed a desire to a friend when he was almost 80 ' to do something foolish, something creative & something generous everyday.' This simple statement sums up how clutter free one can keep one's life & how one can use one's mind effectively.

CAS ( in layman terms, the placement cell) at ISB has asked all the students of the incoming batch to fill in a form listing 5 firms & functional roles/positions in each of them that we would be aiming for post ISB. This is a good move in the sense that it starts one thinking on the post ISB aim rightaway. It being a 1 year course, this is a wise thing to do. The reason I'm mentioning this is that whenever I've been faced with major decisions concerning job profiles/salaries, it has always brought me to the basics - to question what my value system is, to understand what I really want out of life. Hypothetically, its always easy to say that money does not matter & work profile matters most. But when & if actually faced with a dilemma of great work profile/avg salary vs. avg work profile/great salary, which one would I choose? Its at these times, that I actually start the personal rediscovery process. What makes me tick? Am I as unconcerned about people's perception as I think I am? Does money matter as little to me as I believe? Do I love my job so much that I won't be concerned about how much I'm earning? Net net - Do something you love, money is a byproduct. Salary is just one part of the placement process. Work satisfaction is definitely more important. As they say 'Do a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life'.

I continue to believe in the basics - honesty, integrity, sincerity, trasparency, hard work, loyalty, compassion, humility, intellectual curiosity & above all - living life flat out! Good night & good luck.

Everything official about it!

Finally, ISB came out with its official placement info yesterday with simultaneous press conferences in Hyderabad & Delhi. All the TV channels started flashing out the news noon onwards - Rs. 1 cr is a magical figure to splash across in the media. After all, the media does thrive on sensationalism & I could see firsthand proof that it was successfull in creating the desired effect when a couple of family friends/relatives called up & talked to me in over excited tones as if someone had just given me a suitcase full of Rs. 1 cr. The fact that it was a dollar salary converted to rupees & that 1/345 student had gotten it was apparently lost on them.

But, media hype aside, the ISB placement numbers were very good. It was interesting to see that the kind of profiles offered ranged from COO levels to Head - Marketing to Country Manager sorts. The shift in fields for a few students was also unique. As I've mentioned in a previous post, mentioning average salaries & highest salaries is just part of the data. Median salaries, lowest salaries & no. of students in each salary range also need to be mentioned. Still, for those interested in the numbers, here goes -

Average Indian salary - Rs. 11.77 lakhs
Highest Indian salary - Rs. 30.34 lakhs

Average International salary - USD 120,700
Highest International salary - USD 233,800

425 offers were made by 143 companies to 328 students who participated in the process. About 10% of the offers were iternational positions.


Our batch is going to have one hell of a time topping these numbers & the expectations next year will be sky high!

ISB grads rake in record salaries!

Today's Economic Times -

ISB grads rake in $200,000 packet
• Dollar Dreams Hit New High
VIVEK SINHA, NEW DELHI
THE B-school moolah route has hit a new high this year. Five students of the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, have been offered $200,000 plus (about Rs 1 crore) pay package. This is just the floor level. While the figure is one of the highest ever, the fact that as many as five students from one batch have been offered such a package is unprecedented in the history of ISB.
You would be surprised to note that chief marketing officers in America earn base salaries of that level, and here we are just talking about MBA grads out of India. To be fair, these are lateral placements, and so these students are not 23-year old fresher who have bagged such a deal.
Though exact figures are still under wraps, it is believed that at least one of them could have even been offered more than the all-time record in India clocked by an IIM-C grad five years back — $225,000 per annum.
ISB spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the news saying: “We will be making a public announcement about the placements this year next week.”

Sensationalism created by such news is exactly the reason which creates the craze for most students in India to to go for a top b-school. As I'd already discussed in a post ( 'A Balanced Perspective') before, there is so much more to b-school education than just a salary (Of course, the representation of salaries should be correct. How on earth does one simply convert USD to INR? Isn't there any concept of PPP - Purchasing Power Parity? Again, these are CTC figures & what one would get in hand is a whole different ball game altogether! )The takeaways from any top b-school affect diverse areas of one's life by adding a lot of value to each of them. However, all the dull (yet most imp) stuff is lost somewhere in the midst of the glamour of money. And if you do have to mention salaries, don't just mention the highest or the average which is very misleading. Please indicate the median salary, the lowest salary, the % of students in each salary range for & other relevant information.

For better quality MBA grads in India, it is the collective responsibility of b-schools, aspirants & the media to hone a mature perspective on why one wants to do an MBA, why at this point of time in life & what one expects to get out of the course. Unfortunately, glassy eyed youngsters, hardly out of college work furiously to get into the best b-schools. While their determination, ability & effort are commendable, the key ingredient which is clarity of thought is clearly absent which would help form the foundation for a far more satisfied & successful professional life.