Part Time MBA - to do, or not to do?

Practically every single day I get a couple of emails with the following query:

I am working with XYZ company as a software engineer/ BPO executive/ something-else but-fed-up-with-it. But for ABC reasons I cannot do a full time MBA. What is your opinion of part time MBA? Can you recommend a good one?

And some put it even more bluntly: Please give all the information about Mba part time and crosspondance courses

The funny bit is they write this after reading this piece written by me on precisely the same subject.

While my overall assessment of part time courses remains the same it has been close to 3 years since that was published. So here's an update for those still looking for answers. To do or not to do: the Part time Puzzle was published in Businessworld's annual 'Mega Indian Bschool Guide' earlier this year.

As readers of this blog were an important source of feedback and the guide has been out for over 6 months now, I am sharing with you my findings. Besides, I really can't reply to each of you personally - answering practically the same Qs!

To do or not to do: the Part time Puzzle
- by Rashmi Bansal
published March 2007

Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa lean? Why is George Bush such a clown? What is the secret of eternal youth? These are mysteries which may yet remain unsolved. But there’s one puzzling question I do have some answers to.

“Should I do a part time MBA?” is a subject weighing on many minds. Assuming you can’t – or don’t wish to - give up your job to pursue a full time course, is it worth spending time, money and effort on? Given that no part-time or distance courses offers placements, will it offer a tangible boost to your career?

The answer is: it depends. Part time courses definitely lack the prestige factor of full time MBAs. But choose carefully and you will reap benefits.

When Zubin George joined JBIMS’ 3 year part time MIM (Masters in Information Management) he was a developer with Innovative Systems. He’s now moved to Citigroup’s information technology division in a management role.

And he has no regrets. “The quality and depth of learning was far greater than what I would have got from a full time course. The kind of questions raised and the quality of answers from the faculty were outstanding”. In other words, more practice than theory - direct application value. That must be why, despite the grueling after-work and weekend timings the classes had a healthy attendance statistic of 65-70%.

Managing work and studies is always the dilemma for the part-timer. The PGPSEM (Post Graduate Program in Software Enterprise Management) program offered by IIM Bangalore is no exception. 33 year old Abhinav Agarwal completed his PGPSEM in 2006. “There are students who manage to excel at work and get straight As but then something’s gotta give. Their personal life suffers”.

Classes are held on every Friday and Saturday but there are also weekly tests and of course, assignments. Is 2.5 years of this self inflicted stress worth it?

Yes, asserts Abhinav. “Over 500 of us have completed the PGPSEM program since it kicked off in 1998.” Unfortunately, no formal survey has been conducted to assess its co-relation with individual career growth. But anecdotal evidence suggests many direct and indirect benefits. “I was a product manager with Oracle,” says Abhinav. “I am now a Principal Product Manager. And yes, I do believe the PGPSEM has accelerated the process.”

There are many interesting twists that PGPSEM has introduced in some careers. Arun Narasani, also from the batch of 2006, started ‘Brain League’, an Intellectual Property services company. The company was incubated at IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL (Nadathur S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning ).

Another student who was working with Oracle when he entered the PGPSEM program, joined venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins midway. He is now a VP at a mobile applications company funded by the same VC.

“Besides what you learn in class I definitely see a networkng effect,” says Abhinav. “You meet a hundred odd people from outside your company and your immediate line of work”. That’s certainly an aspect of the 18 month Executive MBA at S P Jain that Siemens engineer Rashmi Das enjoys. Interestingly, she is based in Bangalore but travels to Mumbai once every 10 weeks for the 10 days of classroom contact sessions. The rest of the time course delivery, quizzes and assignments are conducted online.

Rashmi is extremely pleased with the faculty, the quality of case studies and group work. One semester into the course she says, “Meeting people from other companies and altogether different industries has broaded my perspective.” It’s a similar story with Sunil Malik, Senior Manager Public Relations and Corrporate Communications at XIM Bhubaneshwar, after he enrolled in the broadband assisted long PGCBM (Post Graduate Certificate in Business Management) offered by his own institute.

While Sunil happens to be on the XIMB campus, other participants log in from Reliance centers in their respective cities every weekend. Assignments and quizzes are conducted online, and so are ‘endterm exams’. The highlight of the 12 month course is a 7 day campus visit during which participants meet and interact on the XIMB campus. As far as impact on career goes, the immediate effect can’t always be pin-pointed but participants are confident of a boost in the longer run.

Akhil Agarwal, a CA rankholder and a CS to boot, was part of the inaugural batch of the XIM PGCBM (2005-6). Midway through the course he switched jobs (from Reliance to ICI Paints), with a significant shift in role and salary. But this, he believes, is a break he would have got whether or not he enrolled in the XIMB course.

His classmate Shekhar Rao, however, attributes his mid-course job shift within the telecom industry to his enhanced qualification. “I am getting double the salary today and a responsibility for which ‘an MBA’ was a necessary requirement.” The XIMB name, he says, definitely helped tip the scales in his favour. “Besides, I learnt a lot from the course itself”. And additional benefit: he can refer back to professors for advice and mentorship on problems.

The verdict then is clear: a part time program from a brand name institution does have its value. Although ‘official’ placements may not be part of the deal, the informal network does contribute to a career boost.

While part time MBAs don’t command the same kind of respect as full time ones, some companies do value them more than others. Case in point: 20-25% of the 2006 PGPSEM class comprised of Wipro employees. Infosys also actively supports the program and recently helped IIMB expand it to Chennai.

Says Rashmi, “If you are working in the regional development centre of an MNC, a part time or Executive MBA may not have that much value. But it will really help you in an Indian software company, particularly product managers.” She also believes that one should have 5-6 years of experience and be extremely self-motivated to truly reap benefits.

Much also depends on the attitude of your company. Around 50% of students in part time courses like PGPSEM are sponsored. But it’s not clear how many companies are simply using their sponsorship as a retention strategy, and how many have actually chalked out a post-MBA career path for their employees.

Of course, none of these courses come cheap. While the 3 year Bajaj course sets you back by Rs 1 lakh, S P Jain’s Executive MBA costs Rs 2.65 lakhs (excluding
travel cost to Mumbai for contact sessions). XIMB’s broadband aided PGCBM is Rs 1.5 lakhs for 12 months. Similar certificate courses are also offered by XLRI, IIM K, IIFT, NMIMS etc in collaboration with VSAT provider Hughes Direcway.

In conclusion, ‘cause and effect’ are palpable but not always as tangible as in the full time program. But the very act of stretching onself, of seeking knowledge and opening up to new ideas and opportunities is what perhaps makes a difference.

Speaking of success in terms of ‘formulas’, a participant on an online MBA forum obseves, “Whenever a chemical reaction happens where A mixes with B to produce C, this catalyst helps speed up the process so that C is produced sooner... The catalyst CANNOT alter the chemical reaction to produce D instead of C”.

Given quality raw material, a good part-time MBA could be that career catalyst.

Tomorrow: The dope on Distance Learning MBAs

I-Pill: let's talk about family planning

"Had I known my wife had forgotten her birth control pills, I would've been careful last night."

"My husband and I are worried our family planning method might have failed last night."

Now what to do? The ad copy explains: Take the I-pill - an emergency 'day after contraceptive pill.

You can't miss the hi voltage campaign Cipla has unleashed for its product. What's interesting is how safe the advertiser has kept his communication. Husbands and wives, birth control and family planning. You know - we Indians have sex only when married and more so use contraception because producing another child into this world would mean additional burden to the nation.

OK, seriously, words like 'family planning' disappeared from our vocabulary approximately two decades ago, along with slogans like 'hum do, hamara do'. The inverted red triangle which was everywhere you turned when I was a kid has been banished.

Heck, we're no longer ashamed of our billion plus population but flaunt is as a dhinchakly large consumer market.

But getting back to the i-pill you can see why the advertiser is treading soo..o cautiously. He wouldn't want to be accused of corrupting our Indian youth and so on and so forth.

Indian Express reports:

As the revelries of Navratri draw closer, condom once again has become the bad word. While the NGOs working for AIDS control are steering clear from condom promotion programmes that they usually launch during the festival, the Bajrang Dal has said it will not tolerate any condom promotion or HIV/AIDS awareness programmes around Garba venues this time.

Talking to Newsline, an NGO worker, on the condition of anonymity, said they used to put up stalls at various Garba venues to create public awareness about HIV/ AIDS. This time, however, they will not do so, he added.

“Last time, some activists claiming to represent the Hindus, had beaten up NGO workers in Baroda during Navratri while they were distributing condoms,” the NGO worker said, adding that they have decided against carrying out overt intervention programmes this season. “We will carry out one-on-one intervention programmes instead, and supply condoms to hotels and guesthouses” he said.

Wonder whether the dals will stake out these venues as well!

According to a pharmacist quoted in the report, "sale of condoms rise by about 70 per cent during Navratri". And this year I am sure the I-pill will rock as
well.

"After iPod, I-pill gains popularity with youth", says Midday:

Alka Kumar, a consulting gynecologist at Gurunanak hospital in Bandra, says, “This product is a boon for married women not planning to conceive. But it may be misused by the youth especially during Navratri when unmarried pregnancies go up.”

The reason for all the action around Navratri is related more to opportunity than anything else. A lot of young people, esp girls, are allowed to stay out late. Dressed in sensuous chaniya cholis and whirring to the dandiya beat , hormones are bound to get into a tizzy. Pehle hota tha, ab bhi hoga. Instead of a botched abortion, many a young woman will opt for an i-pill.

But the two messages "prevention of pregnancy" and "prevention of HIV/ sexually transmitted diseases" have become independent of each other. The i-Pill can help with the first bit but do nothing for the second.

It would be terrible if young people decide to adopt the convenient route: Condom nahi hai? Koi baat nahin - you can always use the i-Pill. So let's go ahead anyways.

That's not what the advertiser has intended, but I bet a lot of folks will interpret it that way. If we accept that the i-Pill will be used by unmarried guys and girls, we can address this issue.But hello, yeh hai India. We will have to continue the charade and keep promoting 'family planning'.

Why not bring back the red triangle as well? Dunno - it just makes me nostalgic :)

Thank you

For the response to 'Speak your mind'. A preliminary shortlist has been made. Entries are now closed.

Details re: who finally gets selected, and the event itself, in a week. Watch this space!

Speak your mind...

... At an important international forum.

You must be
a) born in 1985, or after
b) an articulate speaker
c) have achievements/ interests in one or more of the following areas - social work, entrepreneurship, arts, music and literature, leadership (at college or community level). The list is only indicative - any evidence of initiative taken by you is welcome.

If you think you fit the bill, write in to me with a 3 para description of yourself and a pic.

I am specifically looking for 4 guys and 4 girls, and at least one person originally hailing from a small town. Email rashmi_b at yahoo.com.

Do include your contact number!

Small town syndrome

The key trends that define India today are being formed in the chai tapri's (tea stalls) of Ludhiana and not in the pubs of South Mumbai, according to a recent study, 'The Bunty Syndrome' by advertising agency Euro RSCG.
- report in Business Standard

Yes, there is a lot of energy and desire to consume in tier 2 and 3 towns. And that is something relatively new for India.

But to recognise the rise of small town India as a 'trend' is one thing. To stretch that point into small town India is a 'trendsetter' (as BS declared in its headline) is quite another. It's not clear whether that's a leap the sub editor has made, or whether the Euro study has actually used the term in its report.

A trend is defined as a 'general direction in which something tends to move'. Or a 'current style'.

A trendsetter, on the other hand, is 'somebody or something starting trend: somebody or something that starts or popularizes a new trend or fashion'.

And I don't think new trends are being started in small towns. They may be ready to jump up and embrace trends but the action originates elsewhere.

Take Ludhiana. Till very recently there was not a single decent theatre in that town, let alone a multiplex. The happening folks of Ludhiana did all their shopping in Delhi. If they felt like visiting a classy restaurant, the closest option was Chandigarh.

(How do I know? I visit Ludhiana every year. That's where my husband's side of the family is from :)

Sure, they have this thing for Mercedes S Class (as the Euro study notes: Eighty out of every 100 Mercedes S Class sold in India are sold in Ludhiana). But that's because it's a really wannabe city.

The equivalent of the exporter in Ludhiana who buys a Mercedes S class may be a Mumbai yuppie who's happy with a Honda Accord. It's like Lokhandwala/ Juhu new money vs South Bombay old money or investment banker profile. The former is intensely attracted to brands which shout "You have arrived".

The Ludhiana guy will always look up to Mumbai, Delhi, London and New York. Large cities which allow individuals freedom to think differently and experiment with their lives are the cauldron which produce 'trendsetters'.

And that's why Buntys and Bablis will continue head there. Despite bade shehron ki dukaan aur aisho aaraam heading to their doorstep!

Dress code for CAs?

DNA reports:

The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAI), a statutory body for regulating chartered accountants in the country, has tied up with retail major Provogue to provide a dash of colour and style to the profession.

“A professional should be identified by his knowledge, garb and panache. I believe the new dress code — blue blazer and tie — will give chartered accountants a new identity,” said president of ICAI Sunil Talati.

A well intentioned but poor idea. Doctors wear white coats and lawyers may don black ones. But, they work in specific work settings like hospitals and courtrooms. By ICAI's own estimation 75,000 of the 1.4 lakh CAs registered with the body work in industry. ie. regular corporate office. Can you imagine them wearing 'uniform'??

The remaining 65,000 must be in private practice. But here too, a blue blazer and tie is not going to help 'market the brand'.

A dress code is merely cosmetic, it cannot solve an overall identity crisis.

I have nothing against CAs, despite what you may think after reading this piece.. I do believe however that the MBA has impacted the CA profession. CAs have more 'core skills' but in a world where showmanship, branding, soft skills and a macro view seem to matter more, the CA loses out.

The acid test of a professional's worth is: do I get the last word? If a doctor scribbles out medicine X, you take it. If a lawyer advises defence Y, that's what is argued in court. If you don't agree you can go to another doctor or lawyer. But whichever you finally gets to be the expert. You have to trust him or her.

With a CA, what happens. He advises. The client may or may not agree. Or even believe he knows better. CAs are manipulated or coerced into signing audits they know are false. Inflating or deflating figures. And so on and so forth.

And this is not just in India. As the Financial Times noted after the Enron scandal:

Over the past five decades, accountants have changed from watchdogs to advocates and salespersons. Auditing has become one of a number of services, including consulting and tax advice, in which accountants "sell" creative tax avoidance and financing structures.

No doubt black sheep exist in medicine and law as well but there the regulatory body when it comes to accounting is particularly weak. I have not heard of CAs being 'unchartered' for malpractice. If it does happen, it's an event so rare and invisible that no one is afraid when signing off on doctored audit reports.

Again, not to suggest MBAs are highly ethical but that's a separate story.

As a core skills profession, bound by a charter, CAs need to live up to high standards to regain their rightful place in the sun. And then, they won't need those ties and blazers...

Terribly unsuitable for Indian weather in any case!

Chak De Kudiyaan - II

"We live in the same house, yet my 14 year old daughter sent an email requesting an appointment as she felt it was the only way she could meet me. It shook me up."
- Indra Nooyi, CEO PepsoCo worldwide, speaking to the Economic Times

Ironically, I read these words late last night, just after my daughter flopped off to sleep waaaay past her bedtime. Her reason for staying up most days: You came home late again.

I haven't got an email from her yet but this essay she penned recently for Hindi class on "Meri ma' was an interesting insight into the world as it looks from her side of the dining table.

"Meri ma bahut acchi hai.
Wo mujhe bahut pyaar karti hain...
Meri ma ravivaar ko khana banati hain".

Actually I would amend that to "kabhi kabhi ravivar ko..." but hey, I'll accept her version.

So what's the point I'm making? Just that it doesn't seem to ever get 'easier'. Kids need you at age 1, age 3, age 6, age 9 - and far beyond that. So when is the 'right time' really, for women to get back and give all to their chosen professions...

When the other parent chooses to stay home and shoulder family responsibilities instead, perhaps. But that is something we don't even sit down and discuss. As I scanned through yet another Business Today 'Top 25 women in Business' list a couple of days ago, I wondered if any of them have such an arrangement.

If they do, it's a well kept secret.

I mean at least one very high profile banker kind of fits this bill but she's never talked about this aspect of her life publicly. No glory - in India - being known as 'Mr Carly Fiorina'.

In fact in India most of the women on the 'look how we've come' list seem to have spouses with equally high profile and high pressure careers. Obviously there are grandmoms and maids in the picture but that kid is probably gonna need to send two emails...

So what's the answer?
Yes, men can't have babies but do they have the guts to 'downsize' if their wives are obviously more talented or more driven than they are?

Are women okay with having a husband who looks after the stuff 'moms have always done' without being racked by guilt?

And if they are, can the rest of the world please stop wondering '"Is there something wrong with this guy - why is he not 'working'??"

If only we could move beyond our roles - as defined by society and our egos - as defined by our insecurities.

If only...

We could at least admit there is a huge problem instead of putting on a smiley facade. As top cop, tough woman Kiran Bedi recently admnitted in an interview to British writer Zerbanoo Gifford:

"If I were to be reincarnated and had to do it all over again, I would want the same mother and father but not necessarily the same husband. There's room for improvement there..."

Wonder what Mr Bedi has to say, in response.

Previous post: Chak de kudiyaan

Change is upon us...

It doesn't matter who wins or loses... but WE WON! WE WON!! As the sms doing the rounds goes: Dr Abdul Kalam's wish fufilled. India is a superpower in 20: 20! :)

And cricket has turned a corner. No erudite commentary about silly mid ons and silly mid offs. Any idiot can understand this game.

Ball maaro, bhaago.
Do a jig.
Hit some more.
AAA...........OUT!!!!!!

With Twenty20, cricket is catering to an attention deficit, exceed-our-expectations generation.

And for once, there is no chest-beating about losing our 'heritage'. If five day matches die out altogether, and one days become occasional fixtures - so be it.

If the stars we've known and loved must bow out and make way for a new constellation, so be it.

Change crept upon us - and we embraced it.

If only we could accept and move with change, in other spheres of life.

Every old building is not a heritage structure.
Every tradition can be updated.
Every dog has his day.

Change is good.
Going with the flow makes it better!

Speaking of change, there is something of that sort going on in my head. More on that, soon...

Chak de kudiyaan

Much after the world and their uncle has seen Chak de India and moved on to the Next Big Thing, I finally saw the movie. And my God, what a film!

Bschools are planning case studies. And of course it is a lesson in team building and all that jazz. But to me, the defining moment of the Chak De was when Preeti Sabharwal asks boyfriend Abhimanyu Singh,"Aur mera career?"

And Singh, Vice Captain of the Indian cricket team replies,"Kahan cricket aur kahan tumhara yeh gilli danda.."

Which sums up the overall Indian attitude to women pursuing careers. Shaadi ke pehle, zaroor. Zaroor, beti, you must get an education. You can work, no problem.

Shaadi ke baad? Well, jo aapke sasural wale chahein. And as Vidya Sharma puts it so beautifully in the film,"Ab parivaar wale bahu chahte hain."

No doubt many of these women do work. But not to full capacity or potential. "Your husband's career comes first..." "Women, you know, must make sacrifices..." "Family comes first..." blah blah blah.

And yes, there are women who willingly choose a supportive and nurturing role but there are many many others who downsize their ambitions, clip their wings, bury their dreams.

Whether it's a Preeti - a modern young woman who has chosen her own partner (on the surface, a modern, metrosexual kind of man). Or a Vidya, who seems to have married into a more traditional family but was assured playing hockey 'would not be a problem'.

But it is a problem when she refuses to leave the camp to attend a wedding... after all 'log kya kahenge'?

To be recognised as an individual - not a daughter, wife or mother - is the secret desire of every young woman in India. And that's what Chak De captures so beautifully, without being a 'feminist' film.

Chak De captures the new face of feminism which is to wow the world with your achievements. Earn respect - don't beg or whine for it. And make a statement but have fun even as you're doing it.

This is such a huge change in attitude from the films with feminist themes in an earlier era. The kind which featured Deepti Naval, Shabana Azmi and other arthouse actresses. Oppressed, suppressed, depressed - until they one day walk out into the sunset and the audience walks out in relief.

Cut to Chak De. There's energy, there's hope. There's the idea that you can have your cake and eat it. If you're smart, and keep your head.

Take the match between the men's team and the women's team. Although technically, the Chak De team lost the battle, they actually won the war by earning the respect of the opponent. The chakle-belan waali team proved it meant business.

It's much the same in a regular career. Whether in medicine or management women still have to prove they are ready for the 'World Cup' - the higher level at which the game is played.

Secondly, women are often their own worst enemies. The back biting and ego issues in Chak De are oh-so-real. Ultimately the team won only when Komal and Preeti decided to co-operate. And Bindiya swallowed her pride to play as one with the team, giving them the benefit of her experience.

So in the real world, women need to make friends and allies to get ahead. You can't do it alone. By putting aside their egos both Komal and Preeti scored a goal each in the final. And both goals were crucial to the win.

Lastly, you don't have to become 'one of the boys'. I think the Australian team was deliberately given this athletic look (even in evening dress they all looked so manly!). In sharp contrast the Indian team was tough on field but also soft and feminine in saris.

The point being that yes, you can choose to become like a man to succeed in a man's world. Or you can balance the yin and the yang and yet get the job done just as well.

Like any sports film, Chak De is a cracking Underdog-wins-the-day, Unity-is-Strength kind of story. But writer Jaideep Sahni makes it something more than that as well. As with Bunty aur Babli, which captured the bubbles of aspiration across small town India, Chak De is a reflection of a prevailing undercurrent.

The hopes, dreams and ambitions of millions of our young women.

Of course there are other, important subtexts. Such as India taking on the firangs and beating them on their own turf. ("Pehli baar ek gore ko tiranga lehraata hua dekh raha hoon" is a bit of a cheesy dialogue but at a symbolic level it works).

The pain of a Muslim whose allegiance to India is in doubt because of a loss on the sports field. "Uske jaise to partition ke time hi Pakistan chale jaate to accha hota" is a telling piece of dialogue...

And of course the pure patriotic angle. Who or what is really 'Indian'? After 60 years of Independence many think all south Indians are the same. And anyone with Chinese features surely can't be a fellow citizen!

Jana Gana mana may not recognise a Jharkhand or a Mizoram but Chak De India does. Making it an updated anthem of an upbeat India.

IIT Delhi Rendezvous coverage

If you are attending Rendezvous @ IIT Delhi and can cover the fest for JAM , do get in touch! Drop me a line at rashmi_b at yahoo.com

Elite b schools the world over..

.. Suffer from the same issues.

Students today are primarily interested in admission to, rather than study at, the elite business schools to enable them to join the best networks in order to make the most money the fastest

That's Prof Rakesh Khurana of Harvard Business School speaking. He analyses the impact of 'shareholder capitalism' on business school education in a new book titled: From Higher Aims to Hired Hands: The Social Transformation of American Business Schools and the Unfulfilled Promise of Management as a Profession.

Joim the dicsussion here.

Outlook bschool rankings 2007

The 2007 Outlook rankings are a significant improvement over previous years. (2005, 2006).

The first good thing is that practically all important bschools are included in the 2007 survey. The IIMs have ended their boycott and participated officially. (Previously IIMs were included but on the basis of information obtained through RTI). Symbiosis was missing last year – it's there now. Sectoral schools like IRMA are also covered separately.

Bajaj and FMS are covered, although in a separate table of 'top university departments', a ranking where there are no numerical scores. (Fair enough – these instis are sadly behind in infrastructure and hence clubbing them in the regular list always results in a poor show).

So who's missing? MICA. IIT bschools like DMS IIT Delhi and VGSOM. Among private bschools: Welingkar.

Outlook does not rank IIPM due to issues with their lack of ethics in providing data to the magazine in the past.

What it says
Let's take a look at the rankings now. Since last year, Outlook has taken to ranking ‘government funded bschools’ and ‘private bschools’ separately. This year sectoral schools are included and ranked separately. You can view the rankings in that format at the Outlook site or CFore site.

We at JAM have compiled a combined table, for your benefit (which they have not provided). Click for larger image. This table has the top 30 ranked institutes - private, government and sectoral listed in order of final scores.

(The term nr* denotes institutes which were not included in last year's ranking).

The top 10 is a major improvement. Except for NMIMS which I would not place ahead of IIM K. No student would! I am happy to see ICFAI Hyderabad out of the top 10 where it was placed – undeservingly – in 2006.

This second table gives the list of institutes ranked 30 to 50. (Pardon the picture quality, some gochi in exporting from MS Word!).

Several schools have tumbled 5-10 places compared to 2006 but this is essentially because bschools which did not participate earlier have been included this time. eg Symbi, IRMA and other sectoral schools like MANAGE, IHMR etc.

These schools may see a boost in terms of applications, as many people would have been unaware of their existence and quality level. Although many sectoral schools rank higher than general bschools I would advise students to go for them only if that specialisation holds their interest.

Value add
There is a very useful table for students which has details on 'Salary offered for Indian jobs'. This could help students in making a decision. And realising the difference in future prospects between one bschool and the next more clearly. Something which is not clear from overall ranking alone.

For example, SJSOM (# 16) has a median salary of Rs 9.5 lakhs while ICFAI Hyderabad (# 14) has a median salary of Rs 6.5 lakhs.

Of course only engineers can apply to SJSOM – and I have never heard of IITians who wish to join IIT bschools. So one man's goose is another's gander...

The flaws
Outlook has proudly advertised ‘India’s most objective survey’ but certainly the facts provided by the bschools require more rigorous checking.

Here's an obvious mistake which I noticed while scanning the salary/ fee table. The table states ICFAI fees as Rs 5.1 lakhs, although for the top 4 campuses it’s actually Rs 7.5 lakhs , which is a huge discrepancy.

Similarly, my eyes popped out when I saw NMIMS charges only Rs 2.6 lakhs for its MBA. The website states:

1st Year
Rs.1,75,000/- (Open)
Rs.4,50,000/- (Management)

2nd Year
Rs.1,67,100/- (Open)
Rs.4,42,100/- (Management)

It’s not clear what % of seats are open and what % are merit but at the very least the Outlook figure is off by a lakh. I would hope there aren't too many such discrepancies - those of you currently at bschools may be able to spot more.

(Please note for all institutes – boarding, lodging etc is over and above the fees and needs to be budgeted for in the overall cost of the MBA).

I also do not agree with Premchand Palety’s assertion: “Although some are still behind the top IIMs in terms of overall scores, non-government schools are fast catching up. Don’t be surprised if IIMs lose their top positions in our Bschool rankings in the near future. It’s now in the realm of possibilities”.

Um, sure. And the government of India just handed Kashmir over to Pakistan.

Laudable as efforts likethe NMIMS joint doctoral programme are I see no change possible in the top ranking of IIM A, B,C,L, XLRI – at the very least – for the next 10 years to come. As long as the CAT selection process remains what it is

And even as far as research goes – let’s face it. IIMs are not world class in this area. But they will be ahead of the private b schools because they attract people with a more academic bent of mind. And offer more academic freedom.

Plus, private bschools have a much higher teaching load in view of profitability concerns.

Lastly, I think ISB and Great Lakes should be covered. If they can't be clubbed with the 2 year courses, maybe a separate 1 year MBA ranking. Now that there are at least half a dozen such offerings (IIM A & IIM C PGP X, S P Jain Dubai, Singapore etc). Yeah, I know some of these courses are apples and some oranges but a way has to be found to assess their standing.

All in all, the Outlook bschool rankings 2007 are a commendable effort. Of course there is scope to refine it further and it is good to see that the people behind it are open to feedback and strive to better themselves each time.

Lastly, students are advised to never rely solely on rankings and research the specific choices available to them by checking with current students/ alumni of those bschools. It is after all a major decision in life you are taking.

I would also advise a campus visit, especially if you are looking at institutes ranked lower down the placement chain.

Business Today Rankings 2007 dissected

It’s the season of bschool rankings once again. First, Business Today – which has definitely gotten worse. If such a thing were possible.

I won’t go into the details of why their methodology is flawed. I’d outlined my objections to the A C Nielsen ‘Winning Brands’ methodology last year and you can read it here. In a nutshell, winning educational brands are not built along the same parameters as winning FMCG brands – and hence can’t be measured in the same way.

If you use a weighing machine to measure height you will obviously get strange results…

Instead of acknowledging the problem, BT has simply gone ahead and staged a repeat performance with even more mindboggling results. Take a look (click for larger view):













• not in top 30 last yr/ did not participate last year

Chief objections
- No student will choose Symbiosis over IIM L, K and I – keep dreaming
- No student will choose ICFAI Hyd or NMIMS over S P Jain and FMS
- You simply can’t rank MDI Gurgaon # 18 and ABS Noida # 20 as if both are at the same level!
- XIMB should definitely be in the top 20.

Observations
The survey was conducted in 2 phases. In phase 1 ”we shortlisted the 30 b schools that were to be ranked by asking MBA aspirants and recruiters to name those they would consider applying and hiring from, respectively.”

- The first boo boo is at this stage itself. Important schools like NITIE and SJSOM are missing (although IIT Delhi makes the grade).
- Goa Institute of Management, IMT Ghaziabad and IMI Delhi (which any student should count in the top 30) are also missing
- Symbiosis seems to be a ‘blanket’ brand – SIBM, SCMHRD, SIIB, SIFT are not listed separately.
- Sectoral schools like IRMA, MICA are not considered at all, although many students would prefer to join them over other options included in the BT top 30.
- 'BIMT' is apparently in Chennai. It’s actually BIM Tiruchirapally.
- For reasons unspecified, IIPM Delhi has not been included. The college ranked an amazing # 11 last year, ahead of IIM K and S P Jain. The sudden disappearance of IIPM Delhi (and the fall of IIPM Mumbai from # 16 last year to # 26 this year) begs an explanation.

And well, I could just go on dissecting the vagaries of this wasted exercise. But I shall cease and desist. Artistic tables and graphs are all very well but … credibility is another thing altogether.

On the positive side, there are some interesting stories accompanying the rankings.

- ‘A Tale of Two cities' examines the slide of FMS and IIFT in the rankings and notes that both institutes are taking steps to upgrade infrastructure. And that both are ‘centres of learning that have a lot to offer budding MBAs and India Inc’. Their selection procedure is rigorous, course fee reasonable and placement excellent.

FMS in particular – didja know it’s the ‘least expensive management school in the world’ (Rs 20,000 p.a. wonly).

- ‘Chasing the gravy train’ – finance and consulting are the favourite career choices of bschool grads. Of course this is true mainly in elite schools… further down the ladder you are basically marketing financial services, IT. It’s what the economy needs, stupid. You don’t have much of a choice

- ‘Essentially entrepreneurs’ – snapshots of recent passouts who’ve started their own companies.

However, none of this compensates for the lapses in the survey itself.

Overall rating to BT bschool rankings 2007: D.

Kindly re engineer to make this a useful and relevant exercise!

Tomorrow: Outlook bschool rankings 2007 – not perfect but quite useful

College festival organisers

..... please get in touch. JAM magazine would like to cover your events. Cultural, technical, management feats - all are welcome.

Email rashmi_b at yahoo.com with the dates and details.

P.S. If you've attended a festival and would like to send in reports/ videos that'd also be cool

Parenting: the new equation

An insightful column by O & M's Madhukar Sabnavis on parenting in today's Business Standard. An excerpt:

In the advertising and marketing world, parenting has mostly meant motherhood. The father has remained the bread-winner, the person who brings in the money and occasionally plays with his kids. And he is the authority figure — all teenage rebellion happens against him.

In a study done by Ogilvy some time ago, four types of mothers emerged. Interestingly each had its roots in Indian mythology.

The indulgent mother: The one who encourages her child to grow the way she wants to, nudging and guiding him along without dictating. Yashoda is the mythological representative of this type.

The purposeful or disciplined mother: The one who drives her kids to achieve their potential and do well in the outside world. Kunti represents this type — the typical middle class mother!

The ambitious mother is the one who not only has dreams for her kids but goes out negotiating and fighting the larger world to ensure they get their rightful place in the sun. This type has its roots in Kaikeyi of the Ramayana.

The helpless or coping mother, who spends most of her time trying to manage life and provide for the family. Bringing up kids is one more chore to be taken care of in a tough everyday life — this mother largely exists in the lower socio-economic categories and is typified by Gandhari of Indian mythology.

Sabnavis makes some interesting observations:

a) In the last decade the concept of “Badi” (Big) has become “buddy”. From parents telling children what to do, the relationship has became more “friendly”.

b) Secondly, fathers started taking a more active role.

c) Kids have become the teachers of their parents, which was always the case in low income famiies but has become a widespread phenomenon with the entry of technology products which young people understand better than the oldies.

d)Lastly as kids began to grow older at a younger age (thanks to exposure via media and technology) they became more knowledgeable and hence more active members in the decision-making process of many products. Which is why more and more brands appeal to kids. Faith in pester power.

Sabnavis concludes: The dream of parents remains to see their children succeed and make a name in this world. While the Kaikeyi archetype could sound “negative”, it could be a truer representation of what parents today work towards for their children (notice the number of parents accompanying their children to the various talent show trials!).

Actually, I would go so far as to say there is a role reversal happening where bachche badon ke baap ban rahe hain. Like the 'Little Emperor' syndrome in China, except that here they aren't necessarily only children or spoilt silly.

They just have a sense of zid and entitlement that a previous generation did not have.

13 year old Malti (name change) slashed her wrists recently because she came home late after meeting friends and was scolded by her father. This is the second time she has done this, for a minor reason. Her cousin Lata says,"Sab uske pitaji ko bahut maante hain magar woh unki bilkul nahin sunti hai."

This is a true story, in a lower middle class family of Mumbai.

To tell you the truth, I often feel I am being 'held ransom' by my eight year old. We struggle to get her to brush her teeth at night. Something she needs to do for her own good!

I asked my mom, "Were we like this?" She says she doesn't remember the details but yeah we bugged her to death for small things. And that we had no 'pet mein dar' (or sense of fear) when it came to interacting with parents. Which her generation did.

While I am sure the parents and kid becoming 'friends' is a great thing, the next evolution - of kids becoming 'parents' - is scary. As is the thought of a country overrun with 'Kaikeyi' type parents.

In an era where there is no counterbalance in the form of a dutiful Bharat. Or virtuous Ram.

An earlier take on the changing parent-child equation authored by me for Businessworld, June 2004: Bringing Up Father

Update: Related reads
1 ) Father as filmmaker: helping his autistic son reach for the Asmaan (Indian Express, Sept 7 2007)

It took a dream to wake Kaushik Roy to reality eight years ago. To reform him from being a pushy father of an autistic boy to one who allows his son to find his piece of sky, and reach for it. This transformation is the basis of Roy’s debut film, 'Apna Asmaan', starring powerhouse performers Irrfan Khan and Shobana...

P.S. Interesting subject but the film has received tepid reviews..

2) How to Train your Parents - a new book by Pete Johnson.
Synopsis: "They think I'M a big problem. Wrong. THEY are!"

12 year old Louis gets fundas from a friend on how to handle parents who care more about how he's doing at school than anything else. An Indian teen offers her own tongue in cheek take, after reading the book (Mint, Sept 8 2007)

Humour Writer found - 1

A couple of months ago I'd put out a 'humour writer wanted' ad in this space. Well, we did get a lot of response and a couple of them from true gems.

Shishir Dash of IIT Kharagpur is one of them. Read his hilarious take on India TV, published in a recent issue of JAM here. It's titled 'India TV ka aatank'.

Of course you really must watch a few minutes of India TV post 11 pm to truly appreciate... the beauty of his prose :)

OK, Shishir. Hope the maska inspire a flood of funnies from your side. The rest of the junta is also welcome.. to keep trying!

Chuck de, India

A couple of years ago I wrote a piece titled 'Career lessons from Bunty aur Babli'. It was inspired, not by the film as a whole, but a single piece of dialogue spoken by 'Bunty'.

Logon ko kaafi pasand aaya. You know, 'pop' management fundas - they always sell.

Now, a leading newspaper wants me to write on 'Career lessons from Chak De India'. I declined. First of all, I haven't seen Chak De India. (Yeah yeah yeah. Did try to, twice, but ticket nahin mila).

Secondly, I am sure Chak de India contains all the usual lessons. Team work pays, underdog can win, every individual counts yada yada yada.

But you don't need me to tell you that, do you?

However, there is a career lesson in Chak de India. It doesn't lie in the film, though. The lesson is: Look beyond MBA, Engineering, Journalism. Any career you choose today, you can make a difference.

I'm not talking about taking up women's hockey. Mera ishaara scriptwriter ki ore hai. Jaideep Sahni is the man behind the story, dialogue and lyrics of Chak De India. He's also the guy who wrote Bunty aur Babli, Company and Khosla ka Ghosla. Each a different kind of film, a different kind of challenge.

A recent interview in the Sunday Express brought to life Jaideep's fascinating journey into the world of film.

Civil servant father, teacher mother - an ordinary middle class upbringing (Kendriya Vidyalaya, DPS R K Puram, computer engineering in Karnataka. Totally non-filmi ("When I came to Mumbai to write, I must have seen 30 odd films").

Jaideep's first job was as an IT consultant with NIIT (one year) and then a stint with Contract Advertising (six years). Scriptwriting? He was introduced to it it by chance.

In the late 90s he stumbled upon John Briley's screenplay of Gandhi in a bookshop. "I was hooked. I read it and thought: it's almost like a computer programme..."

He brgan teaching himeslf the art of scriptwriting by accessing sites of universities abroad which ran scriptwriting courses. The first break came when RGV was looking for a writer for Jungle. Someone recommended his name. He got the job. Company followed.

Aside: Whatever Ramgopal Varma may have degenerated to, today, he must be commended for all the guys he's given a break - when at the height of his career.

That said, the first 'trademark' Jaideep Sahni film was Bunty aur Babli. A film which captured the aspirational spirit of small town India. Which, despite being a comic caper, was oh-so-real. And that's because Jaideep created the sleepy town of Fursatganj from his first hand experience of small town life. Experienced as a territory manager for NIIT in western UP.

Khosla ks Ghosla was similarly born out of a real life land-grab incident in the family. The bits about the mafia erecting a wall around the plot and the Khosla family hiring pehelwans to evict them was true. The rest was fantasy - in real life there was no happy ending.

As for the 'authenticity'- Jaideep actually sent out his team to meet and secretly record conversations with property dealers in Gurgaon.

This Script Writing by Observation is the secret sauce of Sahni's films.

Chak De India was inspired by a single column article in the sports page of a newspaper. But to actually get the flavours seen and enjoyed in the film, Jaideep hung out at national hockey training camps - pretending to be a student writing a PhD thesis.

Sahni's scripts start from a 'subject which catches his attention.'

"Then come the characters, then a kind of story idea starts forming, the character's journey. And from then on it's the craft stuff - screenplay, dialogues, lyrics, all of it."

The interesting thing about Jaideep is that at no point does he say,"I always wanted to write Bollywood films." But he did take different bends in the road which eventually led him there.

Firstly, he quit the engineering-IT way of life pretty early to do 'something creative' - in advertising. I am sure when he made that leap of faith he would have suffered a temporary loss of income (trainee copywriters are never paid as much as IT types!).

When he stumbled upon scriptwriting, he pursued it. And became a student without a 'teacher'. The vast resources of the internet are available to all of us, but how many use them in the way he did?

Then, at some point Jaideep quit advertising to work independently. Apparently his resignation letter was somewhat filmi, it included the line "Do takiye ki naukri mein mera lakhon ka saawan jaaye". Although he hastens to add, they were 'very good years'. Magar all those meetings and stuff were restricting his self expression.

The point is, many of us develop parallel interests along with our regular work life. At some point you may think: "What if I could do this full time. Wouldn't life be a lot more meaningful and fun?" But you hesitate, you think, "Why take a risk?"

Why, because the rewards could be phenomenal. If you are a realist (ie not deluding yourself about your talent !) and yet an optimist (it won't be easy - but so what!), then go ahead. Take the plunge.

Chuck de security and Provident Fund. And you too could Chak de, India.

Quotable Quote

"Salim-Javed never went to a screenwriting school but still ended up becoming a screenwriting school for all of us. Too much education can kill a perfectly smart brain forever. But it's desirable in terms of craft, in basic things like creative writing classes in every university which most people in the west take for granted.

We spend our childhood dreading our Physics-Chemistry-Math scores and hundreds of entrance exams instead, which is a pity for those who are not so inclined.

It's strange, I always say I never went to a film school, I went to Jungle instead-and recently Anurag told me the same thing-that he never went to a film school, he went to Satya instead".

- Jaideep Sahni, in an interview to India FM

Other New Age Bollywood writers who I think rock:
Anurag Kashyap, Abbas Tyrewala

Raju Hirani, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rakeysh Mehra, Nagesh Kukkunoor (of course, they're directors too!)

Pic courtesy: Sunday Express

Adventures in Curdistan

I finally laid my hands on Nestle's Probiotic dahi. You know, the one with 100 crore friendly bacteria which will help my digestion.

Noble cause, but I'm afraid you can only digest what you swallow and I could take no more than 3 spoons of the stuff. It looked strange. It tasted strange. Ordinary dahi will do just fine, thank you.

Whatever Nestle might believe, I don't think we are ready for biologically enhanced curds... yet. Heck, we aren't even fully ready to embrace bazaar ka dahi!

I mean for centuries now, we Indians have been dutifully culturing our curds. No doubt we noticed the tetrapacked variety in foreign supermarkets and enjoyed them. But that's yogurt.

Dahi is different. Dahi is roz ka khana and that's something you take for granted. It's the stuff you expect, by constitutional right, in your humble kitchen. Must you really pay for it?

Well, yes, say the companies. And commerce creeps in to every crevice of the Average Indian Home. The market for bazaar ka dahi is estimated to be 40-50,000 tonnes. Which sounds like a lot but is still a tiny, tiny drop in the ocean of dahi we consume on a daily basis. But of course, with time, that will change.

Proposition 1: Convenience over careful planning
Thought dahi jamaana was easy? It's a fine art! Kam samay rakho, dheela reh jaata hai. Zyaada samay rakho, khatta ho jaata hai. The stuff our moms did without us ever knowing - I tell you!

Proposition 2: What's the price?
This is where the slip up lies. I wouldn't mind picking up dahi every two days, along with my loaf of bread. But at Rs 15 for 400 gms most bazaar ke dahi are priced on the high side. An entire litre of cow milk costs Rs 19-20, so in effect you are paying a 100% premium for your baahar wala dahi.

And while price may not matter to yuppie couples and singles who are simply grateful that such a convenience exists, your average housewife will slot bazaar ka dahi into the 'rainy day category'. Something to buy only during emergencies.

But the even bigger block is this: the bazaar ka dahi does not 'taste the same'. At times, it's good. But often it's not. The consistency, the texture, the smell, the taste - it is just not uniform. Of course, it's the same story with ghar ka dahi. But hey, when you pay for it, and it's slightly sour or a little bit watery - heaven help. Humko nahin chalega!

And that, ultimately, is the problem with this probiotic thingy. The dahi we sampled was a bit 'loose'. And whether imagined or otherwise, it tasted 'different'.

As much as we all care about health, I think most consumers believe dahi is healthy in any case... So why bother to go probiotic? Unless you have a specific problem such as lactose intolerance.

Meanwhile, companies plod on. Trying to convert us to a commercially produced 'just like home experience'. Here's another other example:

Krd Rys : pre packed South Indian style curd rice or thayir sadam. This is the world's first 'branded curd rice offering' from Hatsun Agro. Currently available in Tamil Nadu.

Methinks the average curd rice eater is a bit of a finicky eater so it's gonna be an uphill journey. Unless the taste and freshness exceeds expectations...

Might do better as a 'snack offering' in the ignorant-about-the-real-taste north Indian market!

P.S. Just realised I'm writing about dahi just on the day when there are dahi handis being broken all over Mumbai. Divine coincidence :)

Manisha Girotra: Banker with a difference

I rarely stay tuned to CNBC for long stretches. Coz I don't follow stocks (on a daily basis) and neither do I care for stuffy corporate types.

But I recently caught a very good interview with Manisha Girotra, head of UBS. Manisha has been the lead investment banker on some of the biggest transactions of the year: Vodafone-Essar, Hindalco-Novelis, UB-Whyte and Mackay, to name a few.

Manisha was relaxed and candid, giving some interesting insights into the deal making process. But the fag end, where the interview got into personal territory was the most revealing. Here's an excerpt from the transcript:

Q: Some day her deal making experiences will make for a best seller maybe with a slim chapter on what it is like to be a woman in the old boys club of banking.

Manisha Girotra: I think it is tougher at the home, in personal life it is tougher because you still have the responsibilities that you have at home. So to that extent, it is a huge personal day-to-day juggle but in the outside world, you are only as good as what you produce. You will be as well regarded or disregarded as a banker whether a male or female if you do not come up with the right ideas, aren't able to come across credibly and knowledgeably and I think that mindset of "oh we do not deal with woman" has changed.

I remember twelve-thirteen years ago in Delhi when I started going to these public sector companies and ministries, nobody would shake my hand, they used to say Namaste to me and they all used to think that I am someone's secretary who has come in to take notes. They used to ask, Sahaab kab aa rahe hain?" When I used to say that no there is no Sahaab, this is it; they used to get psyched. From that, it has come a long way.

Q: You have to ever compensate?

Manisha Girotra: Maybe initially yes, but not now. I think my team will tell you - I work the least. There is some upside of working seventeen years.

Q: Most women would feel pressure to be in a job like this, you are not in straight jacketed suits, you are lot more easy, casual comfortable, friendly, warm, I am just wondering has it been a battle to retain that, keep that, maintain that, did you ever feel pressure that I need to fit into this little groove of heart investment banker?

Manisha Giotra: We have taken for annual trainings to fit into that two years ago, but clearly they did not train you well. When you start training from 1994 onwards, you are basically trained on how to walk, talk, eat, present, everything because you are expected to be straight jacketed, for the first two-three years all analysts go through a very strict training programme.

So I went through that too but at the end of the day, I always wanted to remember this is a job and I am doing it because I enjoy it and I love every minute of it and then if I am not happy through that process then what is the point.

Q: I understand, your husband is in a conflicting space because he is also in the banking business and there are these cute stories we hear of how the two of you stay away from conflict at home, I will allow you to give us the story because I do not want to give it away?

Manisha Girotra: My husband and I met at work and we both compete for businesses. We are used to competing for business because we have been doing it for the last fourteen-fifteen years, all our clients know that we are husband and wife and that is quite comfortable.

It is quite a joke actually, at times. But I think because we are in the same business, we respect each other; we know that professional lives need to be kept away Having said that, we still take our calls from our own bathrooms, we do not let anyone hear anything, so we have double barrel doors. We keep it very seriously; anyway after thirteen-fourteen hours work day, you do not really want to take work home.

Wow. Talk about maintaining your individuality, focus and ambition. Although separate, sound proof bathrooms... and competing for the same deals... sounds super stressful!

P.S. I also like her dress sense :)

from left to right: Falguni Nayar (Kotak), Manisha Girotra (UBS), seated: Dr Swati Piramal.

Two great new Indian blogs

... by folks over the age of 25.

The first is by one of my favourite people and market researcher par excellence, Piyul Mukherjee. Piyul runs an independent qualitative research firm, Proact and blogs on her site.

A recent and interesting post: Getting Bangalored, getting Bill Gated.

What I like about Piyul's blog is that she combines personal experience with some larger insights. And she writes in an easy, no nonsense style - which is also how she speaks :)

The second blog is one I noticed through a post made by Gautam Ghosh.

The OD Collective blog is an effort by a group of 12 HR professionals based in Delhi, from companies ranging from Frito Lay to NIIT. The first post by Abhijit Bhaduri (author of 'Mediocre but Arrogant') is a good start. Especially the title...

People Are Our Greatest Asses (oops ...Assets) .

Now if only these fine people would all start posting more often! And keep it candid or provocative, like Abhijit.

Maybe set an example to juniors on the fine line between honest blogging and a little too honest blogging which ultimately creates problems for HR!

Update on IIM Shillong

Just noticed, it's Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Shillong. RGIIM? As anyone who's attended an IIT or IIM would know the acronym 'RG' is strangely ironic!

Actually more than the name it's the location which will RG this new effort. That's what happened to IIM Kozhikode. In an insightful column published in Mint Premchand Palety notes :

There is no direct flight from Delhi to Kozhikode. The only Indian Airlines flight goes via Mumbai and it takes six hours. After the usual delay, the flight finally landed in Kozhikode...

...From the airport, it is a 45-minute drive to the IIM-K, which is located at Kunnamangalam, a small town famous for a large number of small, green hills. Situated on two hillocks, the institute is a great place for nature lovers... Had the government set up a resort there instead of an IIM, it would have been an instant success.

Based on feedback from students, faculty and a former director Palety concludes:

“Setting an IIM in a place so far away from industry is a mistake. Setting the same campus in Cochin would have been a relatively better idea.”

I'm guessing the next best option for an IIM Shillong is to combine placements with an IIM Calcutta. But what about faculty? Once again it boils down to social objectives over practical ones. But that's the pound of flesh the government takes for its funding.

So where would I recommend setting up new IITs/ IIMs? In the general proximity of large metros. For example: New Bombay or Pune (near Mumbai), Gurgaon, Jaipur or Chandigarh (near Delhi). Even a destination like Goa with great connectivity.

Meanwhile if we can have an RGIIM we can well imagine an RTIIM (Ratan Tata IIM), SMIIM (Sunil Mittal IIM) and so on and so forth. After all who were 'Harvard' and 'Stanford' but wealthy donors?

More IITs, IIMs: how, why, when

On the 60th anniversary of India’s independence Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced spelt out his vision for eradicating poverty. This vision rests on ‘a revolution in the field of modern education in the next few years’. And it encompasses:

6,000 new “high quality” schools
370 colleges in districts with low enrollment rates
30 new Central universities
5 Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research
20 Indian Institutes of International Technology
And the icing on the cake…
7 new IIMs, 8 IITs

But let’s forget the specifics of the announcement and look deeper into the spirit behind it. The connection between getting an education and getting out of poverty is finally clear. Not just to the classes, but the masses.

The mai baap sarkar can finally move away from the promise of the occasional fish, to say, “We’ll teach you how to fish instead.” The aam aadmi recognizes there’s an ocean of Opportunity out there . And that an education is the modern fishing boat with which the next generation will chart New Economy waters.

So far, so good. But when and how will this vision translate into reality? Last heard the government was agreed on putting all its eggs in the primary education basket, Most notably, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. Why then is there talk of more IITs and IIMs?

The kindest explanation is that the vision is a far sighted one. When you send more and more kids to school, there will be increased demand for good colleges. And so, the government steps in and expands capacity.

The more cynical explanation is that IITs and IIMs are like the Taj Mahal. While the monument of love is one of the seven wonders of the world, the IITs and IIMs are one of the few wonders of modern India.

These institutes stand for excellence. For ‘merit’. For fairness and incorruptability. The IITs and IIMs are symbolic of the Great Indian Dream. Dimaag ki taakat aur mehnat se har koi is mukaam par pahunch sakta hai. Money or power have no role to play.

Of course, this belief is not strictly true. Access to good coaching (esp for IITs) and fluency in English (esp for IIMs) make a helluva lot of difference. But there is enough popular folklore of poor but brilliant and hard working young men and women who made it to these institutes to give the common man a feeling, “Perhaps I could too.”

The value of a lofty goal in firing the imagination - is never to be underestimated.

Nitty gritties
But how will the government itself get these projects off the ground? To frame it like the typical CAT question:

If 6 IIMs : 60 years
Then 7 IIMs : ? years

Let’s take a look at the case of IIM Shillong for the answer. The proposal to set up an IIM in the Northeast (either Guwahati or Shillong) goes back to the year 2004. The actual IIM – in Shillong – is to come up in the year 2008.

However, things might be changing. The Planning Commission is to meet on August 28 to discuss several important education related issues. The Plan panel proposes to increase public spending on education to around 5 per cent of GDP from the present level of 3.79 per cent. The panel is also expected to take a decision on funding of the newly proposed IIMs, IITs.

One of the proposals put forth is to set up 4 of the proposed 7 new IIMs in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

The term ‘public-private partnerships’ in brings to mind infrastructure: roads, bridges, airports and such like. The cost of the project and onus of development is shared between the government and the private party. And the private party, in return, gets a share of the spoils.

I am, however, unclear how such an arrangement would work when it comes to education. Apart from the philanthropic angle (“let’s give back to the community’) and prestige value, how would the ‘returns’ kick in?

And would private involvement necessarily make the IIMs more ‘autonomous’?

Vested interests
"The IIMs should be granted autonomy and they should not depend on the government for funds," said Rahul Bajaj, Chairman of Bajaj group and a member of Parliament in a recent interview.

"Till these IIMs depend on the government for funds, the government will
have the right to take decisions for them," he added.

Mr Bajaj’s statement implies that non-governmental funds will be completely free of vested interest. But nothing could be farther from the truth! The American university system, funded by wealthy donors and alumni, for example, is actually bhai bhatijawaad and paisa power at its worst.

The stench of money and influence has long been concealed by the heady fragrance of ‘High Up There’ college brand name. But a recent book by Pulitzer Prize winning Wall Stret Journal reporter Daniel Golden painstakingly unmasks it all.

‘The Price of Admission’ chronicles how America’s ruling class buys its way into elite colleges. And ‘who gets left outside the gates’. Now I was dimly aware that universities Harvard let in a few rich kids whose great grandfathers may have donated a building or two to the college. But the book tells you just how many such rich kids make their way in – and how. And the numbers are shocking, to say the least.

The book offers insights on:
- “How the ‘Z list’ make the ‘A list’” (or how losers like Albert Gore jr make it to Harvard.)

- “Recruiting the Rich” – how Duke university built its corpus by admitting kids of wealthy parents who pledged to donate substantial monies to the college. These applicants are actually referred to as “development cases”.

- “A break for faculty brats” – Free and easy entry for children of professors

- “Rise of the Upperclass Athelete”- by offering ‘scholarships’ for sports like fencing, rowing and polo, colleges create an easy entry route for elite, white, private school applicants.

And oh, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest scam so to speak is ‘legacy enrollment’. Or preference given to sons and daughters of alumni. To quote an example, “Harvard, America’s oldest university, admitted 63% of its applicants in 1952. Half a century later, it admitted just 11% of applicants overall – but 40% of legacy candidates”.

And these kids are certainly displacing very bright but non-connected candidates. Most legacies have lower SAT scores and less impressive high school records. A few are downright embarassments.

The Ivy League boasts a lofty ‘need blind’ admission process. But the process ensures that only 3 to 11% of students in these most selective colleges come from the lowest income quartile in the first place.

Golden notes: “Legacy preference provides affluent families with a form of insurance from one generation to the next, which might in turn lead to a decline in wealth and power. Just as English peers hold hereditary seats in the House of Lords, so the American nobility reserves slots at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and other august universities.”

Over the years the alumni donation-offspring admission nexus has become firmly established. Alumni contributed $ 7.5 billion to higher education in 2005, representing 27.7% of all private donations to colleges. No college dares rock the boat!

Clearly corporates, alumni and wealthy donors take a generous share of cookies from the cookie jar. In much the same way as our government has been demanding more and more ‘quotas’.

It could happen here
In India, we’ve historically had two distinct breeds of colleges: the Merit based and the Donation based. Government established colleges like IITs, IIMs, NID, NIFTs, IHMs lead the ‘merit’ brigade. The premier government run engineering and medical colleges also fall in this category.

However, of this lot I think only the IITs and IIMs (and perhaps NID) can boast of never admitting a politician’s son or daughter under duress.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are private institutions where, officially, there is a management quota. Under this quota, most institutes will admit just about anyone who can pay enough money. The smart ones – like a Harvard or Yale - strike a balance between merit entry and money entry. But the short sighted and the greedy go all out for the moolah.

Such colleges fail to attract top notch students and while they may be profitable businesses, their sphere of influence remains stunted.

The bottomline is: Education brands require investment and long term vision. Promoters must build facilities, foundations, faculty and freedoms that result in individual advancement as well as a greater common good.

In the context of India, that good lies in IITs and IIMs remaining islands of ‘merit’. Untouched by quotas – whether government, or ‘management’. We need these ‘Taj Mahals’, to keep our faith in an otherwise fallible system. To keep alive the dream of Ultimate Upward Mobility – for all.

Sons and daughters of IIM grads, IIM profs, mediamen, moguls and mantris – there’s always Harvard and Yale if your kid can’t clear the CAT.

'Bombay Lawyers': avoidable!

Caught an episode of Bombay Lawyers, NDTV's recent foray into fiction programming. The idea is great and so is the choice of subject. NDTV and 'legal drama' is plausible.

Unfortunately the show is really, really bad. All the actors, barring Mita Vashisht are unknowns. Which is okay except they just can't bloody act. That's probably why the camera keeps a safe distance from their chehras. Imagine a drama in long-shots!

There's plenty of great American shows in this genre. Starting from the one and only L.A. Law to Picket Fences and Ally McBeal. More recently we've had Boston Legal. A variation on the law firm angle is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit which starts from the criminal investigation and ends in the courtroom.

The trick is to create unique and memorable characters who people care about, and weave in unique and interesting cases. Bombay Lawyers lacks both.

Imagine a case where a husband and wife are 'colluding' to get a quick divorce. The judge smells a rat and asks the lawyer to investigate. Turns out the husband is dying and would rather leave behind a woman who is a divorcee. "Kyunki hamare samaaj mein widhwa hona aaj bhi ek kalank hai."

Uh huh.

In an era of 'breaking news'... spicily packaged facts are more interesting than badly acted fiction!

Brand baaja

Heard a song on the radio the other day. Thought it was pretty cool and idly wondered who the singer might be.

Then I catch the same song on TV and ... shudder. It's Abhijeet 'Indian Idol' Sawant. Full marks for earnest effort. Zero for guy-who-sings-whom-girls-swoon-over. Apna Ahijeet, boy next door, does not make a convincing singer of soulful ballads. Yes, the 'brand' does matter. Ears aren't impartial, they take a cue from the eyes.

A recent study in the US revealed that food in McDonald's wrappers tasted better to kids.

McDonald's-labeled samples were the clear favorites. French fries were the biggest winner; almost 77 percent said the labeled fries tasted best while only 13 percent preferred the others.

Surprisingly, 54% preferred McDonald's-wrapped carrots versus 23 % who liked the plain-wrapped sample. If I were McDonalds I might just add a stalk or two of salad or fresh fruit and offer a 'Healthy Happy Meal'. More attracive to parents!

The bottomline is branding is everywhere, and it's almost everything. Sure, many of us now buy generic products for the cost saving but in that case we put our trust in the store or retailer selling the item. "Usne rakha hai to theek hi hoga".

Which brings me to the curious case of Axis bank. The renaming exercise of UTI Bank looms large on the Mumbai skyline these days. "Everything is same except for the name" explains the hoarding, featuring two identical twins.

I couldn't for the life of me understand the logic behind the campaign. I mean the name was a huge part of the attraction of UTI Bank - 'UTI' being embedded in the public consciousness as a trustoworthy institution. Despite the sad state US64 was eventually reduced to.

IDBI Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, UTI Bank - all three had this mix of 'we are old, but we are new' kind of image. Of course ICICI and HDFC are way ahead of the other two in many respects. The UTI branch I visited a couple of years ago was so public sectorish I decided against opening an account even though the location was ultra convenient.

If it really had to change I would have hoped other things would be tackled. The name was not really a problem!

Then I read this piece in Mint and discovered why someone would go to all this trouble. They didn't have a choice...

The bank had to change the name before a January 2008 deadline; that’s till when it had the rights to use the brand name of its erstwhile parent, the Unit Trust of India. UTI Bank was hived off from UTI in 2002.

“The last time a bank actually changed its name in circumstances that did not involve a merger or a takeover was in 1955 when Imperial Bank was renamed State Bank of India,” says Hemant Kaul, head, retail banking, Axis Bank.

A senior executive from a media-buying firm estimates ad spends for the name-change campaign to be in the region of Rs10 crore. Then there’s the cost involved in changing signages at 580 branches and 2,157 ATMs.

Why Axis?

The new name, experts say, will help the bank shed its unintended association with public sector banks and also give it an modern, global feel that could appeal to younger consumers.

I'm afraid the word 'axis' was hardly the most modern or global choice. The bank chairman, P J Nayak, is apparently a mathematics buff and just might have used head over heart when it came to name selection. Although even the head bit might have been exercised more. Looking at the problems...

For example, they did not anticipate how difficult it would be to write a word like 'Axis' in 17 different languages. It took quite a while to get the maatras right.

Ah, the pleasure and the pain of branding!

Too much, too soon...

My daughter celebrated her 8th birthday on Sunday. Yes, the party was at home and there was no magician/ juggler/ fancy caterer.

The kids played games involving a lot of jumping around and they later ate cheese sandwich, gulabamuns, mini cutlets, wafers and gobs of cake off a thermacol plate. But the smiles when they left with their return gifts made it worth it all the effort.

Yes, hosting a party at home actually means a helluva lot of effort. The easier option is to go to McDonald or Pizza Hut. Just pay and they take over everything: menu, decoration, games, return gift. "Aaj kal ka fashion bhi to yehi hai," parents nod sagely.

Well, I'm not so sure. A home birthday party is a tradition. It's an excitment that has to be built up. The fun of putting up streamers and balloons the night before. Moving away furniture and planning the games. Deciding which music to play and what food to serve. And in our house, making a very special birthday cake.

I started this tradition when Nivedita was turning four because I wanted her to remember something special I did for her. So we always order one cake from a cake shop and bake one cake at home. It's the same cake every year: heart shaped, chocolate and covered with gems. The ghar ka cake holds its own against the frou frou frosting - most years.

I guess I'm being old fashioned. Recreating the 'just like when we were kids' kind of party. It's just a matter of time before she says,"I'm a big girl now," and wants to organise it differently. Perhaps at a Pizza Hut. And I'm ok with that.

Unless she expects me to host this kind of party. To which the answer is no, nyet, nada, never... period. You have to watch 'My Super Sweet 16' on VH 1 to really understand what I mean. But a wikipedia description should give you an idea:

My Super Sweet 16 is an MTV reality series documenting the travails of upper class teenagers preparing for various coming-of-age birthday parties... Apparent prerequisites for a Super Sweet 16 include:

an outrageous theme no one has thought of
invitations that are "impossible" to replicate
a grand entrance with a gorgeous escort
many glamorous, poster-size photographs
"VIP" group of close friends despite large guest list
one or two designer or specially-made outfits
a well-known musical performer or group
an expensive gift, usually a car

During the planning of the event, the sweet 16er usually gets upset that the parent isn't getting specific details right. In some cases, arguments arise over drapery or center pieces. In other cases, arguments arise over grand entrances, the birthday present, or the musical guest. Usually, it's the parent who is concerned about the cost of specific things, but almost always the sweet 16er states, "But I always get what I want" and does.

The one episode I saw featured 'Sophie', a much-too-plump almost 16 year old planning a Moulin Rouge theme party. Highlights of the show included:
- the girl swearing at her mother while buying her dress (bleep*bleep*bleep)
- snatching an invitation from someone who 'is not invited' (more *bleep* bleep *bleep)
- running after someone who stared at her 'rudely' to ask "why?" (*bleep *bleep *bleep).

She did have the perfect sweet 16 which 'everyone will remember for the longest time and talk about to their grandchildren'. Did I mention, she got a brand new BMW as a birthday gift from mommy as well?

Who can blame Sophie if her parents want her to have 'everything' as soon as she possibly can? If they can stand her abuse and her tantrums and try to buy her love only through 'stuff'. Which you can never get enough of. And which is not what you really need or want.

What Sophie clearly wanted was to be loved, admired and seen as popular. And there are other ways to achieve that. Money is a convenient shortcut but it has nothing to do with who you are. Money is camouflage used by a person who thinks no one will love and appreciate 'the real me'. Sooner or later, it stops working.

Which brings me to the tragic case of 16 year old Adnan Patrawala. 'Living with parents, party every night' reads his orkut profile. And now, orkut is being blamed for the boy being lured to his death. Ironically, one of Adnan's testimonials online is titled: 'Shootout at Orkutwala'.

The website may well have been the medium of entrapment. But the magnet was the lifestyle. Midday reports:

According to police sources, Adnan use to spend huge amount on his friends from Versova and Millat Nagar. “For the last couple of months, he was seen spending time in bad company. He was big-hearted and often spent thousands of rupees playing video and poker at entertainment parlours.

Though, he was not an adult and had no driving licence, he participated in friendly races in his Skoda on Express Highway,” a source who knew Adnan said.

Sophie and Adnan live continents apart but they're really very similar. Sadly, one kid's money bought fame in life. While the other's brought fame in death... God bless the poor kid's soul.

Cultural Blues

Sunday afternoons can be spent in many ways. A visit to the Chhatrapati Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly known as Prince of Wales museum) should not be one of them.

I have a dim memory of visiting the museum in class 2. Kids in uniform and ribboned up chotis walking along in single file. No idea what I saw but I remember the feeling "never again!"

Not much has changed. As an adult I can see there are some spectacular examples of Gandhara art. And a lot of other neaty displayed items of historical and cultural significance. But 15 minutes after entering I am exhausted and listless.

Is it the gloomy lighting, the lack of air conditioning or most importantly, the question,"How does this all matter?"

The classification of things has clearly been made from an academic's viewpoint. There's little or no attempt to excite the ordinary visitor.

You can hire an 'audio guide', of course. This guide comes free with the ticket for foreigners (who pay Rs 300). While Indians who get in on payment of Rs 15 must pay Rs 200 separately.

But that's besides the point.

All great museums are places which showcase the past, but make it come alive. Living monuments like an Aamer fort or Versailles palace of course, have it easier than museums which collect and display stuff from all. That's because you close your eyes and almost feel what it might have been like to be a king 400 years ago. Whereas a musuem only gives you the bits and pieces.

Then again when you enter va great museum there is a sense of grandeur. The British Museum , for example. On a 2 month internship in London I visited and fell in love with it. Of course I knew that many of the exhibits had been plundered and brought back to Britain. Which is why I felt no guilt about not making a voluntary donation which visitors are encouraged to make. (There is no official entry fee).

Another problem with the Prince of Wales museum: there is no Star Exhibit. That one thing everyone has heard of and has to see. The Louvre has the Mona Lisa, the Egyptian Museum 'Tutankhamen'. Yahan yeh bhi hai, woh bhi hai koi Shahrukh Khan nahin.

Agreed, all museums don't have the funding or a 'loot lo and add to your collection' advantage. But surely an effort can be made to connect with the aam junta. Nehru Science Centre for example, is no match to any really great science exhibit in the world. It could be far better maintained and much more innovative. But they are at least trying.

The Victorial Memorial in Kolkata is another fine example. Their exhibit on the 'History of Calcutta' is amazingly and interestingly put together. No wonder it attracts the maximum crowd. However, discount some of it. This is the only section which boasts of air conditioning :)

Lastly, museums are perhaps the shauk of advanced civilisations. Or the final resting place of dead ones. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo showcases a lost culture about which there is constant curiosity value. The things you see in Prince of Wales are not that strange or unknown. Sure, that Buddha statue or miniature painting may be 1000 years old but a similar (knock off version) might very well exist in your home.


Our culture is a living and breathing culture. Unfortunately the museum is suffocating.