India INC IPL and Society

With IPL drawing so much fanfare and money even before a single bowl has been bowled a debate has been kicked off. Whether the India INC should pour so much money on a game or whether they should use this money for some cause, for the welfare of the society????

The two views about Private Sector :

1. Capitalist :Is responsible only for its stakeholders and should concentrate only on minting money for them and itself. It is free to use its fortune as it is pleases (within the legal framework of course).

2. Socialist: Having thrived in the society it is responsible for its welfare (A gentleman from Kerala will swear by this , yes I am talking about Mr Prakash Karat).

So where do we stand – I guess somewhere between Socialism and Capitalism. And it is symbolized by the Troika (Mahmohan Singh, PC Chidambram, and Montek Singh Ahluvalia – the Messiahs of liberalization in India) at the helm of the country on shoulders of Left ( The Karats , Bardhan and party).

I feel that investing money is the prerogative of the owner. So if the corporates think that investing in the IPL is the best way to use their money let be it. Some say that consumers prefer a brand which is associated with a cause and so it would make a business sense if the corporates were to invest in causes rather than things like IPL. If there are results and surveys to substantiate the above in Indian scenario then definitely our private sector is prudent enough to do so and the decision is best left to them how to run their businesses.

As far as contributing towards the worthy cause or social issues is concerned it has to be voluntary and not solicited or enforced upon others.

Also Investing in IPL or similar causes is not entire useless if we look from the society's point of view.

• Generates employment and opportunities.

• Builds brand India (that helps Indian economy).

• The profits the corporates make can be utilized for social causes.

These may not be enough for a country with a quarter of a population below poverty line, infrastructural challenges and health care system under a lot of stress?

So definitely there is a need for the corporates and even the cricketers to be a little more sensitive towards the society.

But lets say they are not, they still pay the tax on their profits which the government should use judicially for benefit of the society.

We should remember that we elect the government and it is the government which is responsible for the welfare of the country.

Mumbai Marathon - Day2 (NMIMS)

16th November - 9.00 am, NMIMS. I reached there at 8.30 and interacted with other candidates.
By 9.30 we were all packed in a room having done the document verification and waiting for Vice Chancellor to come and address us.
So here walks in Mr VC a short guys half bald guy. He congratulates us all for this great feat (Oh YES you read it right - great) of getting through to the second round.
And then he started with something that i would least expect from the person of his stature and at this occassion. He started prasing NMIMS and the new plans, the new campuses, the new ideologies, the new format of selection the new everything ............
Well finally he decided to leave us and get us started with the GDs.

So as we were divided into panels- may panel of 8 left for our designated room.

We reached there and get rechristened as No1, No2, No3.. myself No8. well interestingly at all the 3 interviews i.e. IIFT, IMT and NMIMS i was 8th. (this makes me believe in "coincidence do happen").

Two gentlemen enter the room and give us 2 topics
1) disaster management 2) gender equality and quality at the work place and ask us to decide among ourselves.

I address the group and say that lets go with Disaster management as we have seen of late a lot disasters striking the world and incompetent infrastructure. But to my surprise as i stopped the entire batch was on me saying that lets discuss the gender equality as we all work and is more relevant. Wow i didn't know that there was so much unity in the group. so I agreed to them and we proceeded to discuss the 2nd topic.

Everyone staring at each other's face, I don't remember who started the discussion -- probably I did.
The discussion was for 18 minutes and everyone was to get enough time to speak his mind.
I made quite a frequent entries-- with points quite diverse as:
-> education for women
-> labor intensive jobs better suited to men
-> awareness among them abt the opportunities
-> Diff sectors like Army etc where women are very few in number.
but yes most of us forgot that talking about the gender equality we need to talk about even Men -- which someone did eventually remind us . But anyways people had truck loads of points for betterment of the fairer sex so we continued on that. Probably presence of a female candidate in our panel could have brought some fresh and different perspective about the topic.
But anyways it ended and i was satisfied with the way the discussion went for me.

We moved to the waiting area ....

I was again 8th to be interviewed (though i tried to get my interview shifted earlier - but no luck :-( ) .

the interview panel was different from the GD panel.
It was an old lady Ms O, and an old man Mr O.

i knocked on the door and asked to be permitted inside the room.

Mr O) yes please, take a seat
Me) take seat, greet
Mr O) if you were ankit's friend what would you tell about him
Me) ( Oh a nice way to ask a Q) I praised myself ;-)
Mr O) You with Satyam .. how long
Me) Explained well (rehearsed it often)
Mr O) what do u do apart from professional
Me) play cricket ..
and b4 i can speak anything else
Mr O) So what do you do in cricket
Me) Fast Bowler
Mr O and Ms O) looks at me -- as if they wanted me to define fasst bowling
Me) (what to say) yeah i like fast bowling because pacers can dominate the game
(Well dominate a wrong word to utter -- i had realized that )
Ms O) So u like to dominate
Me) (reargaurd action) I meant pacers have a capability to test the mental strenght of the opponent.. and the need to be strong mental at international level, importance of aggression, stuff like that
Mr O) so what Anil kumble -- can he be a good captain
Me) I say yes .. motivator, iconic star,
Mr O) Is he aggressive
Me) yes in a matured way(i don't know what i meant by that or if that term existed, but went on to explain anyways ) he is not aggressive physically but mentally ......
Mr O) Ok, what about MNS and things going on in Mumbai
Me) told how violence was incorrect to prove is ideology, need to look into the core of the problem, Center has a role to play in this .. why people need to migrate to other states for employment.
Ms O) difficult situation at work
Me) (thinking -- what to say-- usually i have been creating difficult situations) said something - not sure if completely relevant
Ms O) ok, biggest mistake in ur life
Me) (again thinking -- mistake and me -- u must be kidding Mam)
just then she interrupts --
Ms O)its ok -- this means u dont regret anything much in ur life ..
Me) probably

Ok the interview is done -- got up and got out...
Was disappointed with the end of the interview-- but the panel will know better..

Came out of NMIMS -- took a stroll on Juhu beach and prepared myself to travel to Bangalore for IIM-Lucknow agri business the next day.

Mumbai Marathon - Day1 (IMT Ghaziabad)

Mumbai marathon lasted for 2 days, it started when i landed on 14th Feb in Mumbai. The date should have already rung some bells for sure..
So here I was in Mumbai the city of dreams to pursue my dreams on an auspicious day which has brought an opportunity for so many young boys and girls to share their feelings and also parties alike to do some moral policing and gain some political brownie points.
Well so it was the day of opportunities and i was their to grab mine ..
The next day i had to travel to Mahalakshmi - Institute of Engineers at 8.30 am.
So at 8.28 am (punctuality personified) I was roaming around on a street around a marriage hall with workers arduously putting up a Shamiayaana. I tried to locate my venue only to find that the Institute of Engineers also hosts weddings and that they would be our fellow occupants of the Hall.

So amused as i was proceeded towards the building and was directed towards an auditorium filled with scores of candidates/competitors with tinkle in their eyes.
We were divided into 4 panels of 15 each and asked to escorted to our respective rooms for the GD process.
So there we found two gentleman nearing 60 and a relatively young lady with waiting for us.
One of the gentleman (Mr A) rose and explained the rules. which were to discuss the topic for 10 minutes and then individually summarize(1 min) and then write a summary (5 min).

The topic was "Senior citizens need to be given special treatment in all walks of life".

So as soon as Mr A set us free to discuss one of us started of with "OLD is GOLD" and the need to love and care for our parents and senior citizens.
Well then I took over from him and tried to give a structure to the topic. the need to discuss the special treatment , its extent, its effectiveness, the pros and cons, and the discuss the perspective of the Govt. and the Senior Citizens.
the discussion they went on for the stipulated time with the tempo gearing up every few minutes.
I was able to pitch quite frequently and put my points.
then the summary was routine with more or less the same points being discussed by everyone.

Following it was the summary writing which for some reasons I was not able to complete -- may be the prof gave less time or may be my hands had too much inertia and resisted the thought of finishing in 5 minutes.

So with this the GD was over and we were asked to leave for the waiting area and then started the interviews.

I was 8th to be interviewed and the interviews were lasting for around 10-15 minutes.
So after a wait of 2 hours Mr A comes to invite me to the room.

I follow him and Mr B(the other 60 around prof) and Ms Y(Young Relatively) were there.
Greetings exchanged I take the seat and also Mr A gets seated.

Mr B) I saw you GD-- i got a feeling that you like to lead.. and looks at me expecting me to take over.
Me) (was not expecting to get a chance to hit a six of the first ball) yes Sir that is my natural inclination but then i understand the imp of team play also ..
Mr B) I think you must me taking initiatives in your team and stuff...
Me) (yes yes please Sir i like when people praise me) yes sir
Mr B) what will you do after an MBA
Me) Blah
Mr B) given an opportunity will u like to work in a corporate environment or the factory floor
Me) trying to be diplomatic --both are equally imp and an experience on the floor is valuable when u are in the corporate role ...labor issues .. blah blah
Mr B) I am from the industry .. so wanted to know
Me) (to myself-- that is good, I hope I gave u the answer) smiling
Now Mr B - turns towards the Ms Y who has been going through my profile... and preferences
Ms Y)I see that you have International Business as your preference
Me) (Can't believe my luck today-- had prepared this Q for IIFT but wasn't asked there, so time has come for karma) a good ans with instances from my work ex.
Ms Y) from what u said -- what is the biggest attribute that a manager in a global environ have
Me) Empathy for Cultural difference
Ms Y) I like your answer, I was looking for that -- full marks
Me) (wow -- did i give such a good answers, anyways) thanks Mam
now its turn of Mr A, who has been keenly watching ..
Mr A) so you play cricket -- and looking at u must be fast bowler
Me) yes sir, i am a pace bowler
Mr A)and what is ur shoes size
Me) laugh -- 12
Mr A) so do u get shoes
Me) 10 days head start -- and it is headache
Mr A) so ur headache is in ur foot-- (and then every one laughs)
MrA) what is normal swing
Me) explained
Mr A) reverse swing
Me) explained what -- but not why..
mr A) why does that happen
Me) Pakistanis know better
Mr A) so who started it-- with a smile
me) since i started seeing -- i have seen Waqar and wasim
Mr A) oh yes u wont have seen Safaraz nawaz ...(looks nostalgic)
ok, what is diff between junior management and middle management
Me) something...
Mr A) yes it is quite right but -- (then goes on to explain)
Me) hmmm
Mr A) do u want to ask us something
me) asked about their initiatives and role students play in that (just saw that moments b4 going for the interview :) , specially for this Q)
Mr A, Ms Y) explain well, market IMT, and give some fundas..
Me) (giving a look of extreme satisfaction .. IMT is so gr8 :)) nod, hmmm,

So the interview is done ...I rise wish them and turn to move out -- suddenly Ms Y interrupts and asks me to read Rudyard kiplying's IFs.. she remembered that from our interaction..(well read the poem since then, is an excellent poem- but couldn't relate it to the interview-- if anyone can do that please comment on that)

Was a satisfying experience...
came out of the room with a feeling that -- one gone and now get ready for teh one tomorrow -- which is NMIMS (Narsee Monjeee).. 16th Feb -9.00 am.

IIFT experience

Well just to build the back ground, i got a call from IIFT which means they considered me worthy to attend their GD/PI which is the last step before getting admission to the institute.

the normal procedure includes

1) Essay Writing (not sure what they wanna check. probably hand writing ;))

2) Group Discussion

3) Personal Interview.

Well so we reach Coffee Board in Bangalore near Vidhan Soudha expecting the above process.

But to our relief we didnt have to strain our hands to write the essay in that cold january morning. They have done away with that process .

So we start with the Group discussion.

Normal GDs start with each person asked to speak (of course on the topic) for 90 secs and then the actual discussion starts. this first part of the GD where you get to speak gives a advantage to the intial speakers because there points have not been covered by then. But i was the poor soul to speak 9th among the 12 candidates.

Anyways i managed to speak out a couple of points which were not covered hitherto on our topic which was "Rupee appreciation against the dollar, impact on Indian economy"

Then we started with the discussion where there was a randomly selected moderator of the group for 3-4 minutes.

Discussion was normal with a couple of guys trying to monitor the groups and others trying to religiously pitch in with their original or inspired (please no mention about Anu Mallik )ideas ..

So 20 minutes down the discussion one of the Faculty members rose and asked us to stop (may be he had enough of our discussion and needed a coffeee desperately).

After that there was a short break where we were served hot Coffee (you might have expected that .. the venue being Coffee board)..

Then the Interview process started:
I was 9th to be interview in my group and the three groups were being interviewed simultaneously.. we started getting reviews that the interview are cool, no stress no pressure.. no nothing -- atleast we hoped there were marks offered..
And the news that IIFT director is going around in the different rooms and observing people.

Well then came my turn ...
I was confident and i approached the interview room.
Knocked the door and asked for permission to get in.. I was allowed in .. and one member of the panel just left as i entered.
Inside the room there we 3 gentlemen sitting.
Mr A) he welcomed me in .. and was turning pages of my profile ..
Mr B) Was sitting back and religiously reading my profile
Mr C) -- IIFT Director was almost relaxing dozing .. in the corner.

I was asked to take the seat by Mr A.
He started turning the pages again and asked me
Mr A) So u r an Engineer
Me) Yes
Mr A) so u work for Satyam..
Me) Yes
Mr A) how long u have been there -- 2 years ?
Me) 2.5 years
Mr A) still wanna study?
Me) yes Sir
Mr A) ok u have read Business Maharajas, who is the author
Me) yes ... blah
Mr A) which all personalities it is about
Me) Blah
MrA) Ok so tell me about biggest problem that Mr Khaitan faced..
(I dont know how these people come to know that i had left half of this chapter :()
Me) said the prob -- but added i am not sure
Mr A) y u havent read the book -- or jsut glanced through it
Me) No sir -- only this chapter i wasnt able to complete (i knew this was a bad start , made me consious)
Mr B) starts with my work
Me) answer him ..
MrA 2 MrC) please sir -- u also ask
(Now Mr C from his relaxed pose gets into a firing position )
Mr C) So do u know about Imports and Exports
Me) yes sir
MrC) % of SMes in our exports
Me) dont know sir
Mr C) ok which are the highest exported goods
Me) I said gems and jwellery --
MrC) have u heard abt Textile goods
(i remember suddenly -- oh yeah i read that somewhere)
Me) Oh yes Sir it is one of the biggest
Mr C) Engg Goods
( i remember - Oh yeah have heard this also -- but didnt wanna encourage him to remind me everything, kind of risky proposition)
Me) No Sir.
Mr C) do u know wht is an RTA..
Me) Yes sir Regional Trade agreements -- and explained that
Mr C) example
Me) NAFTA etc
Mr C) one where India is there
Me) Safta
Mr C) it was a non starter tell me sth else (Didnt like the fact that i was able to ans :( )
Me) Cant recall Sir
Mr C) Oh.. have heard of Indo -Srilanka
Me) No
Mr C) Indo thailand
Me) No
Mr C) Indo -***** (some country)
Me) I smile (enough sir)-- and say no
Mr C) Ok Ok

Then the panel looks at each other ... and they decide that they have had enough Fun .. and would like to torture the next candidate ...
I rose and thanked them and wished them a good day...

this was my story -- now cant really say it was good -- but just hoping other did even worse ;-)
ha ha