"Bete, har cheez ki ek umar hoti hai", parents used to say.
There is a time to focus on studies.
A time to build your career.
A time to shoulder responsibilities.
But in the Indian scheme of things you are never 'old enough' to really live your life the way you want to.
Until ultimately you are old and telling other - "Bete, har cheez ki ek umar hoti hai..."
Philosophy aside, there is a very real dilemma facing parents today. My ten year old daughter (if you ask her she'll say, "11 in 3 months time!") wants to join Facebook.
Now officially you have to be over 13 to be on Facebook but you know how simple it is to circumvent that rule. Her point is, lots of kids in class have Facebook accounts.
I have no way to verify that - and neither should be the basis of my decision. So what do I do?
This is but one example. There is the 'when can I get a cellphone' question.
When can I go to the mall with my friends - and no adult escort?
Recently I was stumped by when can I get a manicure (just want to try it once).
My standard response is:"When you are in class 10". But I doubt I will actually be able to hold out for another five years.
So what are my concerns, why stop her from 'having it all' as soon as possible?
Well, like all parents, I want to protect her. From the big bad world out there. And yet, I do not want to spy. And I do not want to worry when I don't spy (and therefore don't know what company she is keeping).
The hope is, the older you get, the wiser you get. But is there any such guarantee in this world?
At best, you are postponing the inevitable.
I've let her read the 'Twilight' series (it's supposed to be teen fiction but hey.. it's a rage among kids her age).
I switch off 'Desperate Housewives' when she is around but she's just discovered 'Friends' and funny as it is, the storylines are definitely 'adult'.
I've handed down my ipod to her (but strictly forbidden taking it out of home).
Yes, kids are growing up faster - physically and mentally. But you know they're still kids when they ask you - can we do this or that?
The day they 'just do it' is the day they have grown up.
Har cheez ki ek umar hoti hai. The question for parents is, when will be old and wise enough to let go?
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Monday, May 03, 2010
Customer service ha ha ha
The ads depict bank executives who care so much for you that they bring out a laddoo for you, Coz it's your birthday.
Well, if they spent a little less on laddoos and on advertisements, they just might be able to provide what customers really want - like working ATMs.
This afternoon 3 out of 4 ATMs in a large branch in Vashi were not working. The 4th was disbursing cash in dribbles (40 notes).
One or more of these machines is usually not working - every other time you go there.
The executive sitting under the 'complaints' desk is non-responsive. I fill out a receipt book kind of form (carbon copied) - and she non-chalantly mentions that "We don't maintain the ATMs, some other company does it..."
Ah, kitna karti hai company 'khayaal aapka'.
Ultimately, the gent in the 'wealth management' section was kind enough to agree there is a problem. Not just with ICICI but all ATMs in the Thane-Vashi belt. And he will definitely tell the Branch Manager to look into it.
Well, another shining example of customer service is the Reliance Big Flix store. Three days ago - it was functioning as usual, inside Reliance Webworld. Today, all shelves are empty.
Apparently customers were informed by sms that the store will be shutting down. Why? Because the entire Webworld is shutting down, in a month.
Okay.
But couldn't the boy at the counter tell customers who were visiting the shop to pick up or return DVDs (yes, they have home delivery but some of us are just old fashioned).
At the very least, could someone have put up a print out announcing the same?
No, sir.
And while I am at it, let me rant a bit about Kishore Biyani's Food Bazaar chain of stores. I know it's a little desi, but I've always had a soft spot for this store. Despite the arrival of HyperCity I would still drop in at times - but not any more.
First of all, there is a new rule under which ladies purses must be zipped and sealed into a transparent plastic bag. Before you enter the store.
I find it cheap and silly - agreed shoplifting may be a problem, but how much can one shoplift in a purse that too in a store atta, dal and phal-subzi? What was the magnitude of the problem - can someone from Future Group kindly share?
To me, it is a sign that all izz not well at Food Bazaar - and possibly most other modern retailers. That's when you look for where to cut corners, save a little here and there - at the expense of the brand. And loyalty of the customer.
Apart from the purse issue, there are others. Many niche brands which Food Bazaar once stocked - which I liked to buy - are no longer there. I bet some consultant did a study recommending the 'long tail' of products which sell slowly and therefore are less profitable, can be axed.
Well then what is the difference between a supermarket and a kirane ka dukaan? Sure, the price conscious customers who want to save Rs 73 on a bill of Rs 1100, and get a plastic mug free - they will still come.
But if someone else like Reliance Fresh offers them Rs 83 off on the same basket of goods, they would happily go there.
All you get is a price war that no one can win. People like me go back to our local slightly exotic foods rakhne wala kirana(takes far less time at the cash register!)
And oh, there are three Food Bazaars within a 1 km radius of my home - all of which are mostly empty. Why not close two of them and have one, smooth-as-silk managed store?
Well, bolne se dil halka hota hai. So bol diya. Ab halke kadmon se ja rahi hoon... park mein sair karne.
Jai Maharashtra, Jai Hind.
Well, if they spent a little less on laddoos and on advertisements, they just might be able to provide what customers really want - like working ATMs.
This afternoon 3 out of 4 ATMs in a large branch in Vashi were not working. The 4th was disbursing cash in dribbles (40 notes).
One or more of these machines is usually not working - every other time you go there.
The executive sitting under the 'complaints' desk is non-responsive. I fill out a receipt book kind of form (carbon copied) - and she non-chalantly mentions that "We don't maintain the ATMs, some other company does it..."
Ah, kitna karti hai company 'khayaal aapka'.
Ultimately, the gent in the 'wealth management' section was kind enough to agree there is a problem. Not just with ICICI but all ATMs in the Thane-Vashi belt. And he will definitely tell the Branch Manager to look into it.
Well, another shining example of customer service is the Reliance Big Flix store. Three days ago - it was functioning as usual, inside Reliance Webworld. Today, all shelves are empty.
Apparently customers were informed by sms that the store will be shutting down. Why? Because the entire Webworld is shutting down, in a month.
Okay.
But couldn't the boy at the counter tell customers who were visiting the shop to pick up or return DVDs (yes, they have home delivery but some of us are just old fashioned).
At the very least, could someone have put up a print out announcing the same?
No, sir.
And while I am at it, let me rant a bit about Kishore Biyani's Food Bazaar chain of stores. I know it's a little desi, but I've always had a soft spot for this store. Despite the arrival of HyperCity I would still drop in at times - but not any more.
First of all, there is a new rule under which ladies purses must be zipped and sealed into a transparent plastic bag. Before you enter the store.
I find it cheap and silly - agreed shoplifting may be a problem, but how much can one shoplift in a purse that too in a store atta, dal and phal-subzi? What was the magnitude of the problem - can someone from Future Group kindly share?
To me, it is a sign that all izz not well at Food Bazaar - and possibly most other modern retailers. That's when you look for where to cut corners, save a little here and there - at the expense of the brand. And loyalty of the customer.
Apart from the purse issue, there are others. Many niche brands which Food Bazaar once stocked - which I liked to buy - are no longer there. I bet some consultant did a study recommending the 'long tail' of products which sell slowly and therefore are less profitable, can be axed.
Well then what is the difference between a supermarket and a kirane ka dukaan? Sure, the price conscious customers who want to save Rs 73 on a bill of Rs 1100, and get a plastic mug free - they will still come.
But if someone else like Reliance Fresh offers them Rs 83 off on the same basket of goods, they would happily go there.
All you get is a price war that no one can win. People like me go back to our local slightly exotic foods rakhne wala kirana(takes far less time at the cash register!)
And oh, there are three Food Bazaars within a 1 km radius of my home - all of which are mostly empty. Why not close two of them and have one, smooth-as-silk managed store?
Well, bolne se dil halka hota hai. So bol diya. Ab halke kadmon se ja rahi hoon... park mein sair karne.
Jai Maharashtra, Jai Hind.
iSay, you say, we all say, to Nokia
I used to think I would never use a phone other than Nokia.
The love affair began with the Nokia 3310. My first cellphone back in what, 2001 or 2002.
The little grey number was easy to use, felt great in the hand and featured the original version of snake with the long pixels chasing the single-pixel.
Three years later I graduated to the Nokia 6670 - the main attraction was its one megapixel camera. Using the Symbian OS was quite a pain (and prompted me to write an article titled 'Too dumb for a smartphone' at the time).
But eventually, used-to ho gaye, and the silver brick became part of me.
Three and a half years later, in the summer of 2008, I finally retired the 6670 due to extreme old-age issues. I bought another Nokia - this time an N82.
I wasn't happy about it for multiple reasons: it was too bulky, too ugly, had no choice of colour (there was silver - which would look exactly like the one I had used for 3 years and black, which I opted for though it wasn't much of an option).
This phone, sadly, served me for just about 18 months before the keypad conked out. After two cycles of repair I decided it was too much of a bother - kya karein ab?
Well, God heard my prayers as suddenly I received a gift.
"You tell me: iPhone or Blackberry?"
Well, it was a no-brainer for me and today I am the proud owner of an iPhone 3GS.
I'm sorry, but I simply do not see myself using a Nokia - again.
Life has changed after the iPhone in many small ways. The first two weeks I was paranoid about losing it, dropping it or scratching it. Now the iPhone's grown on me and feels safe in my hands.
For the first time in years I actually play games. The iPhone games are way cooler than anything I ever saw on Nokia. My current favourites include Paper Toss, Monkey and Fall Down. All absolutely free, on iStore.
And oh, Bubble Wrap - there is a special childish pleasure in popping the bubbles on the screen with your finger, as opposed to using up and down keys, to do the same.
The second great thing is I purged my mailbox of at least 2 dozen mailers I barely ever read. The reason I did this is data plans on iPhone are expensive and I don't want to pay for mbs and gbs of PR mail and random news from here and there.
In the process, I've reduced email stress on myself - considerably.
Using iPhone as a wireless device is also simply great. Esp now that wireless is available in more and more places (home, office, some public places). That should only get better.
Typing messages on the iPhone - took a little getting used to, but easy enough.
My one grouse is the camera. I think the N82 took far better pictures and in 5 megapixels. So I keep the N82 in my purse - and use it as a camera :)
Poor Nokia, things are not looking too good for them. Businessweek magazine reports: lacking a hit handset in the smartphone category, its profit margins are falling.
And in India, there are too few Apple users to even blame (thanks to the pricing). Go to any shop selling phones and people are walking in and asking for handsets like LG Icecream and Samsung Corby by name.
Nokia's number series has become so very confusing - it's perhaps time they gave some of those phones a naamkaran. And made it easier for us all.
Nokia is still a market leader in the lower end handsets. But there too companies like Micromax are coming in aggressively with high end features at very competitive rates.
It's time for Nokia to go back into the laboratory and come up with something that make you want to chuck what you have and buy a new one. Imagine a stunningly good-looking girl with an IQ of 180 - but in the form of a phone.
I don't know what it could be. Maybe a jellyphone which takes the shape of your hand. Maybe the slimmest phone in the world. Maybe an indestructible phone, a handset which will not break - no matter what.
Just a few crazy ideas. I am sure there are designers and engineers out there can come up with much better.
Because product lifecycles are getting shorter and shorter. If you're not dreaming 'what next', 'what more', your brand is one step closer to the grave.
Nokia still enjoys tremendous goodwill, and marketshare. But it needs some stardust to sprinkle on consumers. To work its magic spell, to mesmerise us into saying "lena to Nokia hi hai, question is 'which model'!"
The love affair began with the Nokia 3310. My first cellphone back in what, 2001 or 2002.
The little grey number was easy to use, felt great in the hand and featured the original version of snake with the long pixels chasing the single-pixel.
Three years later I graduated to the Nokia 6670 - the main attraction was its one megapixel camera. Using the Symbian OS was quite a pain (and prompted me to write an article titled 'Too dumb for a smartphone' at the time).
But eventually, used-to ho gaye, and the silver brick became part of me.
Three and a half years later, in the summer of 2008, I finally retired the 6670 due to extreme old-age issues. I bought another Nokia - this time an N82.
I wasn't happy about it for multiple reasons: it was too bulky, too ugly, had no choice of colour (there was silver - which would look exactly like the one I had used for 3 years and black, which I opted for though it wasn't much of an option).
This phone, sadly, served me for just about 18 months before the keypad conked out. After two cycles of repair I decided it was too much of a bother - kya karein ab?
Well, God heard my prayers as suddenly I received a gift.
"You tell me: iPhone or Blackberry?"
Well, it was a no-brainer for me and today I am the proud owner of an iPhone 3GS.
I'm sorry, but I simply do not see myself using a Nokia - again.
Life has changed after the iPhone in many small ways. The first two weeks I was paranoid about losing it, dropping it or scratching it. Now the iPhone's grown on me and feels safe in my hands.
For the first time in years I actually play games. The iPhone games are way cooler than anything I ever saw on Nokia. My current favourites include Paper Toss, Monkey and Fall Down. All absolutely free, on iStore.
And oh, Bubble Wrap - there is a special childish pleasure in popping the bubbles on the screen with your finger, as opposed to using up and down keys, to do the same.
The second great thing is I purged my mailbox of at least 2 dozen mailers I barely ever read. The reason I did this is data plans on iPhone are expensive and I don't want to pay for mbs and gbs of PR mail and random news from here and there.
In the process, I've reduced email stress on myself - considerably.
Using iPhone as a wireless device is also simply great. Esp now that wireless is available in more and more places (home, office, some public places). That should only get better.
Typing messages on the iPhone - took a little getting used to, but easy enough.
My one grouse is the camera. I think the N82 took far better pictures and in 5 megapixels. So I keep the N82 in my purse - and use it as a camera :)
Poor Nokia, things are not looking too good for them. Businessweek magazine reports: lacking a hit handset in the smartphone category, its profit margins are falling.
And in India, there are too few Apple users to even blame (thanks to the pricing). Go to any shop selling phones and people are walking in and asking for handsets like LG Icecream and Samsung Corby by name.
Nokia's number series has become so very confusing - it's perhaps time they gave some of those phones a naamkaran. And made it easier for us all.
Nokia is still a market leader in the lower end handsets. But there too companies like Micromax are coming in aggressively with high end features at very competitive rates.
It's time for Nokia to go back into the laboratory and come up with something that make you want to chuck what you have and buy a new one. Imagine a stunningly good-looking girl with an IQ of 180 - but in the form of a phone.
I don't know what it could be. Maybe a jellyphone which takes the shape of your hand. Maybe the slimmest phone in the world. Maybe an indestructible phone, a handset which will not break - no matter what.
Just a few crazy ideas. I am sure there are designers and engineers out there can come up with much better.
Because product lifecycles are getting shorter and shorter. If you're not dreaming 'what next', 'what more', your brand is one step closer to the grave.
Nokia still enjoys tremendous goodwill, and marketshare. But it needs some stardust to sprinkle on consumers. To work its magic spell, to mesmerise us into saying "lena to Nokia hi hai, question is 'which model'!"
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Tinker, tailor, plumber, carpenter
I get many emails from founders of startups seeking advice. Many of them just ask for a bit of publicity. So here it is - a bit of advice, and some free publicity to a few entrepreneurs taking their baby steps.
1) www.fix-all.biz
Vaidyanathan Ramachandran from IIM Ahmedabad's PGP X program has founded this biz which aims at providing 'clean, reliable and hassle-free home improvement services'.
Although the name is 'fix-all', as of now they focus only on electrical services in the city of Chennai. This needs to be communicated more clearly, right next to the number given on the homepage.
Is there a need?: Yes, certainly. There should be a lot of people willing to try such a service.
What could be better: The website is basic, pictures could be better. Some information on who are the people behind this venture would inspire more confidence.
The pricing for chhota mota jobs is Rs 90 for labour only. Which my mom thinks is high (the local electrician charges Rs 30). But for complex jobs - like an entire home's electrical fitting, I may be willing to pay a premium for reliable and knowledgeable service.
Pitfalls: What if the electricians under contract with Fix-it start doing freelance on the side. Once I have the cell no of a workman, I can bypass Fix-it and pay him Rs 50 and get my work done. Not saying it will happen, but it's a distinct possibility.
Parting advice: Training and motivation of workmen is key to the success of this venture. Polite, punctual fellows who do their job with sincerity are what you need. Uniforms and smiles would add to the attractiveness of the package.
The website name is a little tough to remember but I guess you can't have everything!
Well, great minds think alike and more so in the competitive world of business.
2) A similar service - but with its own USPs - is Liveazee.
The site is broader in scope than Fix-it. Right now they offer two services:
1) Electronics repair: TV repairs are done at your home, audio systems and DVD players are picked up and repaired at the service centre.
There is a 30 day guarantee in case the same problem recurs. Charges range from Rs 100-500 + parts.
2) Bill Pay: In a world where ECS and online payment mechanisms have reduced this hassle, there is apparently a large enough market to merit a home pick up service for your utility payments. It costs Rs 150 a month for 10 such pick-ups.
A killer app - in my opinion - is the EazeeBox where a box is installed in your society for this purpose. That makes the service far more economical. (I live in a building full of senior citizens and that makes a big difference!)
But the most unique service this site offers is a 'Home Staff Register'. The idea is to register the personal information of all your home staff - cook, maid, driver, nanny etc.
Now this is something we all know we should, but rarely do. So let's say I download the 3 page form and fill up all the details. I am not clear what is the benefit of putting the info online... May as well go to your local police station and register the domestic with them, no?
Other services like plumbing, electrical, carpentry etc will be offered on the site soon.
Is there a need?: Probably - different takers for different services.
What could be better: The website could use some user testimonials and information about who is behind the venture. Another thing - in the Home Staff Register that I downloaded I did not see any space for a photo.
Pitfalls: Same as above. Finding and retaining reliable workmen, and making sure they are working only on company payroll will be a challenge.
And again, the name. I'm sorry but it did not make much sense until I saw the website. It's Live + Eazee -LIVeazee. (Maybe, it's just me).
Parting advice: Cities where the service is available should be clearly mentioned. Since the target audience would include a lot of working couples and bachelors weekend and late evening services (upto 11 pm!) could be offered. If I am saved the trouble of taking a half day from work to get my flush fixed, I would be willing to pay a premium.
I'm sure there might be a few more young entrepreneurs in this space (like there are in juices!) . Well, the good news is the market is big enough for all. It's a completely chaotic and unorganised sector which makes it a huge opportunity, as well as a huge challenge.
In response to my last post Dhruv Kakar left this comment: "Don't these ideas look like copy cats...what is their USP....How they are different....I think something is missing... something like different...why everyone wants to be CCD or Barista....is entrepreneurship is just a fad."
Well, some years ago I would have reacted like Dhruv. Ki bhai kuch karna hai to unique karo, nahin to mat karo. But I realised there are many routes you can take in entrepreneurship.
If you have a unique idea and faith in it - go ahead. eg Give India (ref. Stay Hungry Stay Foolish).
But if you don't have such an idea.. well, you still gotta start somewhere. Sanjeev Bikhchandani started a small company producing reports - naukri.com came later. In his case, he had the idea of a job directory in 1991 but only with the arrival of the internet could he make that dream a reality.
Because he was already an entrepreneur, he could grab the opportunity and run with it.
Similarly, these juicewallahs and electrical contractors are learning what it is to do business in India. With time, they will get very good at what they do - maybe spot another opportunity before anyone else. Or simply scale up their own operations to a level where it becomes a force to reckon with.
I am reminded of Ganesh Ram of Veta (chapter 3 in my new book 'Connect the Dots'). He started by giving maths tuitions himself. Then set up an all-subject tutorial center. In time, he decided to focus only on English and set up a distance learning program. Today his company runs India's largest chain of spoken English training centres.
So, kuch kariye - as Sukhwinder Singh would say. And karnewaale are welcome to drop me a mail at rashmi_b at yahoo.com. Will try and feature as many as possible in this space.
You can also post your stories at www.connectthedots.in/forums/
1) www.fix-all.biz
Vaidyanathan Ramachandran from IIM Ahmedabad's PGP X program has founded this biz which aims at providing 'clean, reliable and hassle-free home improvement services'.
Although the name is 'fix-all', as of now they focus only on electrical services in the city of Chennai. This needs to be communicated more clearly, right next to the number given on the homepage.
Is there a need?: Yes, certainly. There should be a lot of people willing to try such a service.
What could be better: The website is basic, pictures could be better. Some information on who are the people behind this venture would inspire more confidence.
The pricing for chhota mota jobs is Rs 90 for labour only. Which my mom thinks is high (the local electrician charges Rs 30). But for complex jobs - like an entire home's electrical fitting, I may be willing to pay a premium for reliable and knowledgeable service.
Pitfalls: What if the electricians under contract with Fix-it start doing freelance on the side. Once I have the cell no of a workman, I can bypass Fix-it and pay him Rs 50 and get my work done. Not saying it will happen, but it's a distinct possibility.
Parting advice: Training and motivation of workmen is key to the success of this venture. Polite, punctual fellows who do their job with sincerity are what you need. Uniforms and smiles would add to the attractiveness of the package.
The website name is a little tough to remember but I guess you can't have everything!
Well, great minds think alike and more so in the competitive world of business.
2) A similar service - but with its own USPs - is Liveazee.
The site is broader in scope than Fix-it. Right now they offer two services:
1) Electronics repair: TV repairs are done at your home, audio systems and DVD players are picked up and repaired at the service centre.
There is a 30 day guarantee in case the same problem recurs. Charges range from Rs 100-500 + parts.
2) Bill Pay: In a world where ECS and online payment mechanisms have reduced this hassle, there is apparently a large enough market to merit a home pick up service for your utility payments. It costs Rs 150 a month for 10 such pick-ups.
A killer app - in my opinion - is the EazeeBox where a box is installed in your society for this purpose. That makes the service far more economical. (I live in a building full of senior citizens and that makes a big difference!)
But the most unique service this site offers is a 'Home Staff Register'. The idea is to register the personal information of all your home staff - cook, maid, driver, nanny etc.
Now this is something we all know we should, but rarely do. So let's say I download the 3 page form and fill up all the details. I am not clear what is the benefit of putting the info online... May as well go to your local police station and register the domestic with them, no?
Other services like plumbing, electrical, carpentry etc will be offered on the site soon.
Is there a need?: Probably - different takers for different services.
What could be better: The website could use some user testimonials and information about who is behind the venture. Another thing - in the Home Staff Register that I downloaded I did not see any space for a photo.
Pitfalls: Same as above. Finding and retaining reliable workmen, and making sure they are working only on company payroll will be a challenge.
And again, the name. I'm sorry but it did not make much sense until I saw the website. It's Live + Eazee -LIVeazee. (Maybe, it's just me).
Parting advice: Cities where the service is available should be clearly mentioned. Since the target audience would include a lot of working couples and bachelors weekend and late evening services (upto 11 pm!) could be offered. If I am saved the trouble of taking a half day from work to get my flush fixed, I would be willing to pay a premium.
I'm sure there might be a few more young entrepreneurs in this space (like there are in juices!) . Well, the good news is the market is big enough for all. It's a completely chaotic and unorganised sector which makes it a huge opportunity, as well as a huge challenge.
In response to my last post Dhruv Kakar left this comment: "Don't these ideas look like copy cats...what is their USP....How they are different....I think something is missing... something like different...why everyone wants to be CCD or Barista....is entrepreneurship is just a fad."
Well, some years ago I would have reacted like Dhruv. Ki bhai kuch karna hai to unique karo, nahin to mat karo. But I realised there are many routes you can take in entrepreneurship.
If you have a unique idea and faith in it - go ahead. eg Give India (ref. Stay Hungry Stay Foolish).
But if you don't have such an idea.. well, you still gotta start somewhere. Sanjeev Bikhchandani started a small company producing reports - naukri.com came later. In his case, he had the idea of a job directory in 1991 but only with the arrival of the internet could he make that dream a reality.
Because he was already an entrepreneur, he could grab the opportunity and run with it.
Similarly, these juicewallahs and electrical contractors are learning what it is to do business in India. With time, they will get very good at what they do - maybe spot another opportunity before anyone else. Or simply scale up their own operations to a level where it becomes a force to reckon with.
I am reminded of Ganesh Ram of Veta (chapter 3 in my new book 'Connect the Dots'). He started by giving maths tuitions himself. Then set up an all-subject tutorial center. In time, he decided to focus only on English and set up a distance learning program. Today his company runs India's largest chain of spoken English training centres.
So, kuch kariye - as Sukhwinder Singh would say. And karnewaale are welcome to drop me a mail at rashmi_b at yahoo.com. Will try and feature as many as possible in this space.
You can also post your stories at www.connectthedots.in/forums/
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Chai guy
Last month Vaibhav Gupta emailed me as follows:
Dear Rashmi,
Let me introduce myself. I did B. Tech in Chem Engg from IIT Bombay and PGDCM from IIM Calcutta. I worked for 3 years in Hinduja Group.
Now I have resigned from the job and started Elbbub (http://www.elbbub.in). It is a chain of tea shops across different malls in the country. We offer 30 diferent varieties of tea including Bubble Tea, which we are launching first time in India.
We have started our first shop at Ground Floor, City Centre Mall, Vashi.
Request you to visit our kiosk sometime.
Vaibhav Gupta
MD& CEO
Elbbub Tea Shop
So, last evening, when I happened to be at the very same City Centre Mall with the Elbbub kiosk right in my face as I exited Food Bazaar... I had to try it.
The menu was long, for a tea shop. I decided to try 'bubble' tea simply for the novelty value. The boy at the counter said it is 'like a milkshake'.
Now which flavour to choose? Kaafi ajeebogareeb flavours the, like khus, sitafal, lychee. No chocolate, surprisingly.
I opted for 'peach apricot'. Some mixing and stirring started behind the counter.
This is what the concoction looked like.
It did taste like a milkshake, though I am told the drink contains tea syrup. And it has 'bubbles' in the form of rubber-textured balls (kind of like sabudana).
Not bad. Not particularly good either. Maybe, an acquired taste.
A slightly hassled guy in a striped t-shirt arrived at the counter. The thick chashma indicated he might be Vaibhav. It was.
We chatted for a bit. He mentioned HR issues. Yup - welcome to the world of entrepreneurship!
I think Vaibhav has done a brave thing, by going into business. It's not going to be easy. Bubble tea may be doing well in southeast Asia but may not necessarily work in India.
Right now Elbbub's menu is way too long and confusing. Regular tea, designer tea, bubble tea - and all sold right opposite a Cafe Coffee Day.
But I am sure with time Vaibhav - like any other entrepreneur - will figure out what is working, what is not. He will tweak the product, create new products - kill off the rest.
That is how every enterprise finds its feet.
Rahi baat yeh, ki is this the kind of business an IIM graduate should get into? Well, why not? The food business is as good a business as any.
Of course, it involves more manual than cerebral work. Although in time, you will have to use all those management principles to scale it up (refer chapters on Dosa Plaza and Oriental Cuisines in my new book 'Connect the Dots')
And what is so cerebral about working in some hedge fund or telecom company anyways? I bet you use only a small part of your brain, your accumulated knowledge as you slip into a system which already exists.
Try running the tiniest enterprise on your own and you know - chaar paise kamaana kitna mushkil hai. You will see the bhelpuriwallah who stands at your street corner with new respect!
Lage raho, Vaibhav.
The school of hard knocks iw what prepares you, for bigger things in life.
Related story: IIT Bombay student Prabhkiran Singh runs a lassi stall by the name'Khadke Glassi' on campus.
I like the clear, focussed, limited menu. And the way he has represented each drink with pictures... So much of 'marketing' is simple common sense!
P.S. I am inspired to revive my Young Entrepreneur series. I know there are many out there, but the enterprise must catch my fancy.
Do nominate any interesting business you know of! The id is rashmi_b at yahoo.com
Dear Rashmi,
Let me introduce myself. I did B. Tech in Chem Engg from IIT Bombay and PGDCM from IIM Calcutta. I worked for 3 years in Hinduja Group.
Now I have resigned from the job and started Elbbub (http://www.elbbub.in). It is a chain of tea shops across different malls in the country. We offer 30 diferent varieties of tea including Bubble Tea, which we are launching first time in India.
We have started our first shop at Ground Floor, City Centre Mall, Vashi.
Request you to visit our kiosk sometime.
Vaibhav Gupta
MD& CEO
Elbbub Tea Shop
So, last evening, when I happened to be at the very same City Centre Mall with the Elbbub kiosk right in my face as I exited Food Bazaar... I had to try it.
The menu was long, for a tea shop. I decided to try 'bubble' tea simply for the novelty value. The boy at the counter said it is 'like a milkshake'.
Now which flavour to choose? Kaafi ajeebogareeb flavours the, like khus, sitafal, lychee. No chocolate, surprisingly.
I opted for 'peach apricot'. Some mixing and stirring started behind the counter.
This is what the concoction looked like.
It did taste like a milkshake, though I am told the drink contains tea syrup. And it has 'bubbles' in the form of rubber-textured balls (kind of like sabudana).
Not bad. Not particularly good either. Maybe, an acquired taste.
A slightly hassled guy in a striped t-shirt arrived at the counter. The thick chashma indicated he might be Vaibhav. It was.
We chatted for a bit. He mentioned HR issues. Yup - welcome to the world of entrepreneurship!
I think Vaibhav has done a brave thing, by going into business. It's not going to be easy. Bubble tea may be doing well in southeast Asia but may not necessarily work in India.
Right now Elbbub's menu is way too long and confusing. Regular tea, designer tea, bubble tea - and all sold right opposite a Cafe Coffee Day.
But I am sure with time Vaibhav - like any other entrepreneur - will figure out what is working, what is not. He will tweak the product, create new products - kill off the rest.
That is how every enterprise finds its feet.
Rahi baat yeh, ki is this the kind of business an IIM graduate should get into? Well, why not? The food business is as good a business as any.
Of course, it involves more manual than cerebral work. Although in time, you will have to use all those management principles to scale it up (refer chapters on Dosa Plaza and Oriental Cuisines in my new book 'Connect the Dots')
And what is so cerebral about working in some hedge fund or telecom company anyways? I bet you use only a small part of your brain, your accumulated knowledge as you slip into a system which already exists.
Try running the tiniest enterprise on your own and you know - chaar paise kamaana kitna mushkil hai. You will see the bhelpuriwallah who stands at your street corner with new respect!
Lage raho, Vaibhav.
The school of hard knocks iw what prepares you, for bigger things in life.
Related story: IIT Bombay student Prabhkiran Singh runs a lassi stall by the name'Khadke Glassi' on campus.
I like the clear, focussed, limited menu. And the way he has represented each drink with pictures... So much of 'marketing' is simple common sense!
P.S. I am inspired to revive my Young Entrepreneur series. I know there are many out there, but the enterprise must catch my fancy.
Do nominate any interesting business you know of! The id is rashmi_b at yahoo.com
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Cool summer jobs and internships
If you're a student looking for a summer job or internship, look no further. JAM magazine has a host of listings here.
Some of the jobs I think are most interesting include:
1) Flash games Developer (Mumbai) - Infinity Technologies
Developing interactive Flash games and presentation. Your games would be eventually published on FaceBook.
2) Marketing Intern (Mumbai)- GiveIndia
Reach out to employees in some of India's biggest and best corporates in comfortable workplaces
3) Research intern (Bangalore) - H S Brands International (mystery shopping company)
The candidate review and edit reports to check for authenticity and consistency of information
And here are the two coolest part-time gigs (if you have the skill!):
1) Ghost writing for travel and lifestyle magazine
2) Karaoke hostess at TGI Friday's (Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad)
For the karaoke job you can apply directly to kjsubz at gmail.com
Happy croaking!
Some of the jobs I think are most interesting include:
1) Flash games Developer (Mumbai) - Infinity Technologies
Developing interactive Flash games and presentation. Your games would be eventually published on FaceBook.
2) Marketing Intern (Mumbai)- GiveIndia
Reach out to employees in some of India's biggest and best corporates in comfortable workplaces
3) Research intern (Bangalore) - H S Brands International (mystery shopping company)
The candidate review and edit reports to check for authenticity and consistency of information
And here are the two coolest part-time gigs (if you have the skill!):
1) Ghost writing for travel and lifestyle magazine
2) Karaoke hostess at TGI Friday's (Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad)
For the karaoke job you can apply directly to kjsubz at gmail.com
Happy croaking!
Connect the Dots: FAQs
I've been getting tweets and mails from you guys re: 'Connect the Dots', so let me give an all-for-one and one-for-all answer
1. Where can I buy the book?
Bookstores everywhere.
Yes, I know the distribution has been a bit slow but I'm told you will get 'Connect the Dots' in Crossword and other major chain stores by the end of this week. Do let me know if that's not the case!
2. Can I buy 'Connect the Dots online?
At the following websites:
a) Infibeam: click here
Infibeam will ship the books to locations in India and selected countries including
USA, Canada, Australia and Singapore.
b) Flipkart: click here
c) Indiaplaza: click here
By the way all three websites are selling author-signed copies. Yup, I sat and signed a mountain of books to make that happen...
And that's just the first 500!
3. Yet another title inspired by Steve Jobs?
Yes, the title 'Connect the Dots' is inspired by the same speech at Stanford where Steve Jobs exhorted graduates to 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish'. And I have acknowledged that right at the beginning of the book.
Why am I obsessed with Steve Jobs? Well, I just am (and now that I own an iPhone that might get worse :) But seriously, I was inspired by Steve Jobs a long time ago, when I read the book Odyssey: from Pepsi to Apple.
Steve Jobs persuaded John Sculley, the President of Pepsi, to join Apple with these immortal words:"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?"
That line remained in my mind, and served as a guidepost, when I stood at the crossroads in my career.
That said, I can promise you the title of my third book is not inspired by Steve Jobs :)
4) Is 'Connect the Dots' a sequel to 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish'?
Yes, and no.
Yes, because so many of you asked why does 'Stay Hungry' only feature stories of MBAs - that too from IIMA - I felt compelled to look at the completely opposite kind of profile.
My contention with Stay Hungry was that MBAs can be entrepreneurs and it was the objective (set by CIIE, IIM Ahmedabad) that the book should inspire young bschool graduates to consider such a career option.
Many of the readers however concluded that an MBA is what they should aim for, if they wanted to be successful entrepreneurs.
Anyhow, I thank them for their plaintive emails to me asking "what about us, 'ordinary' graduates". That question set the stage for 'Connect the Dots' and I am happy to say that in terms of sheer variety of people I met, this book was a more interesting experience!
5. So, is 'Connect the Dots' as good as the first book?
Well, I certainly cannot comment on that. In fact I have no idea if the first book was 'good' either :)
But here are some reviews from early readers of 'Connect the Dots':
Have read 5 stories so far, and each one stays, cos it's written so well, and the stories of each of the entrepreneurs are so inspiring. I also like that there's no melodrama and all the interviewees seem to accept things for what they are (for example, Ranjiv Ramchandani when asked if he decided not to cut corners wrt the quality of his t-shirts says, nah it's just that i was ignorant about the quality! Great read...
- Amrithaa on Flipkart
More reviews at Flipkart
Rashmi Bansal’s new book - ‘Connect The Dots‘ is a follow-up to her hugely successful book ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’. The earlier book mentioned the inspiring stories of IIMA graduates. Connect The Dots is about successful entrepreneurs without the typical MBA degree.
The book has classified entrepreneurs in three categories:
1. Jugaad - Ones who have no formal business training and learnt by observation, experimentation and application of mind.
2. Junoon - Ones who are driven by passion and ideas which are ahead of its time.
3. Zubaan - Ones who are creative people with unique talent
The book has a biographical account of the entrepreneur and advice to other entrepreneurs - same style as Stay Hungry Stay Foolish. The selection of the entrepreneurs is interesting indeed which adds diversity to the book and the subject of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs behind success stories like Reva, Dosa Plaza, Su-Kam, Crossword, Tantra T-Shrits, Veta, Fem Care are featured as well as Film Director Paresh Mokashi and Wildlife Photographer Kalyan Verma. Though there are no formulas to success, it is interesting to know the journey of the fellow entrepreneurs.
Rashmi Bansal’s style and language is amazing as always ! She has got another bestseller! Read it !
- Ashok Karania
Reviews on Infibeam
Twitter feedback:
@YouthPad I like the narrative of Connect the Dots.. :)
@ravisagar Read first 3 stories this morning. Truly inspirational stories. Almost finished the book. Why don't you write part 3???
6. When are you having a book launch in Mumbai, Delhi, etc etc?
There will be 'Connect the Dots' launch events in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai in the month of May. Would love to see you there, will keep you posted!
1. Where can I buy the book?
Bookstores everywhere.
Yes, I know the distribution has been a bit slow but I'm told you will get 'Connect the Dots' in Crossword and other major chain stores by the end of this week. Do let me know if that's not the case!
2. Can I buy 'Connect the Dots online?
At the following websites:
a) Infibeam: click here
Infibeam will ship the books to locations in India and selected countries including
USA, Canada, Australia and Singapore.
b) Flipkart: click here
c) Indiaplaza: click here
By the way all three websites are selling author-signed copies. Yup, I sat and signed a mountain of books to make that happen...
And that's just the first 500!
3. Yet another title inspired by Steve Jobs?
Yes, the title 'Connect the Dots' is inspired by the same speech at Stanford where Steve Jobs exhorted graduates to 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish'. And I have acknowledged that right at the beginning of the book.
Why am I obsessed with Steve Jobs? Well, I just am (and now that I own an iPhone that might get worse :) But seriously, I was inspired by Steve Jobs a long time ago, when I read the book Odyssey: from Pepsi to Apple.
Steve Jobs persuaded John Sculley, the President of Pepsi, to join Apple with these immortal words:"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?"
That line remained in my mind, and served as a guidepost, when I stood at the crossroads in my career.
That said, I can promise you the title of my third book is not inspired by Steve Jobs :)
4) Is 'Connect the Dots' a sequel to 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish'?
Yes, and no.
Yes, because so many of you asked why does 'Stay Hungry' only feature stories of MBAs - that too from IIMA - I felt compelled to look at the completely opposite kind of profile.
My contention with Stay Hungry was that MBAs can be entrepreneurs and it was the objective (set by CIIE, IIM Ahmedabad) that the book should inspire young bschool graduates to consider such a career option.
Many of the readers however concluded that an MBA is what they should aim for, if they wanted to be successful entrepreneurs.
Anyhow, I thank them for their plaintive emails to me asking "what about us, 'ordinary' graduates". That question set the stage for 'Connect the Dots' and I am happy to say that in terms of sheer variety of people I met, this book was a more interesting experience!
5. So, is 'Connect the Dots' as good as the first book?
Well, I certainly cannot comment on that. In fact I have no idea if the first book was 'good' either :)
But here are some reviews from early readers of 'Connect the Dots':
Have read 5 stories so far, and each one stays, cos it's written so well, and the stories of each of the entrepreneurs are so inspiring. I also like that there's no melodrama and all the interviewees seem to accept things for what they are (for example, Ranjiv Ramchandani when asked if he decided not to cut corners wrt the quality of his t-shirts says, nah it's just that i was ignorant about the quality! Great read...
- Amrithaa on Flipkart
More reviews at Flipkart
Rashmi Bansal’s new book - ‘Connect The Dots‘ is a follow-up to her hugely successful book ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’. The earlier book mentioned the inspiring stories of IIMA graduates. Connect The Dots is about successful entrepreneurs without the typical MBA degree.
The book has classified entrepreneurs in three categories:
1. Jugaad - Ones who have no formal business training and learnt by observation, experimentation and application of mind.
2. Junoon - Ones who are driven by passion and ideas which are ahead of its time.
3. Zubaan - Ones who are creative people with unique talent
The book has a biographical account of the entrepreneur and advice to other entrepreneurs - same style as Stay Hungry Stay Foolish. The selection of the entrepreneurs is interesting indeed which adds diversity to the book and the subject of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs behind success stories like Reva, Dosa Plaza, Su-Kam, Crossword, Tantra T-Shrits, Veta, Fem Care are featured as well as Film Director Paresh Mokashi and Wildlife Photographer Kalyan Verma. Though there are no formulas to success, it is interesting to know the journey of the fellow entrepreneurs.
Rashmi Bansal’s style and language is amazing as always ! She has got another bestseller! Read it !
- Ashok Karania
Reviews on Infibeam
Twitter feedback:
@YouthPad I like the narrative of Connect the Dots.. :)
@ravisagar Read first 3 stories this morning. Truly inspirational stories. Almost finished the book. Why don't you write part 3???
6. When are you having a book launch in Mumbai, Delhi, etc etc?
There will be 'Connect the Dots' launch events in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai in the month of May. Would love to see you there, will keep you posted!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Launch of my second book: 'Connect the Dots'
Dear ReadersI am delighted to invite you to the launch of my second book 'Connect the Dots' on Saturday, April 3, 2010.
Venue: Crossword, Mithakali, Ahmedabad
Time: 6 pm
'Connect the Dots' is a sequel to 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish'. It features the inspiring stories of 20 entrepreneurs without an MBA who dared to find their own path.
Four of the entrepreneurs featured in the book will be present.
They are:
1) Kunwer Sachdev, Founder, Su-kam
2) R Sriram, Founder, Crossword bookstore
3) Ganesh Ram, Founder, Veta (Vivekananda English Training Academy)
4) Satyajit Singh, Founder, Shakti Sudha Industries
A second event will be held at Crossword, Baroda on 4th April (Sunday) at 11 am
There will be more events in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad over the next month and I look forward to seeing you at some of them!
Thank you all for your love and support.
Book website and 'where you can buy it' (online, offline) will be updated tomorrow.
'Connect the Dots' is published by Eklavya Foundation and will retail for Rs 150.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Up in the Air
“If you have 150 million or 160 million children who don’t go to college, what is going to happen to them 10 or 15 years from now?” asked Kapil Sibal, the government minister overseeing education. “The demographic dividend will become a demographic disaster.”
- quoted in The New York Times this morning
Mr Sibal, let me put the opposite question to you. What happens if 160 million children DO go to college? Another demographic disaster, if we continue to define 'college' as it is today.
Let me give you a small example. The Indian Express carried this poignant piece a couple of days ago:
Maharashtra AHA moment: ‘Tribals don’t fit aviation bill’
About three years ago, every time an aircraft flew over Pen in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, children in the tribal village would look at it and say Bharti Sheed, one of their own, was on it.
It was a matter of pride for the community as Sheed, 24, had made it to the first batch of a course specially designed by the state government for the tribal community at the privately run Air Hostess Academy (AHA) in Pune. And even though she was still pursuing the course then, she was already a star for her community.
Three years on, those dreams have rudely crash-landed for Sheed and more than 100 other tribal youngsters who had joined AHA. None of the students who passed out of the first batch of the course in 2008 or the second one a year later has got any aviation jobs.
Following a lack of response from airlines to students who passed out of AHA, the government has now scrapped the course.
Commissioner for Tribal Development D S Rajurkar goes on to say...
“They are not physically appealing and because of their strong local accent they are not good communicators too. I had met (Civil Aviation Minister) Praful Patel to push for jobs but nothing concrete came out of it”
On the bright side, many girls have got jobs - in the hospitality sector. But, they feel cheated because sarkaar ne unhe ek bada sapna dikhaya. A job with glamour, a chance to move into a new social and economic circle.
And that dream has crashlanded.
The point is: As more and more Indians get a 'higher education', their aspirations rise. Even if I have done engineering from Jhumritalaiyya Institute of Technology, I see myself as an engineer in Infosys.
Is the economy and the job market growing fast enough to fulfil these aspirations? Not by a long shot.
Yes, there are jobs but according to the Ma Foi Employment Trends survey, the top three sectors creating these jobs in the near future are as follows:
1) Healthcare (283,000 new jobs on a total base of 3.6 million workers in this sector)
2) Hospitality (137,000 new jobs on a total base of 5.9 million workers in this sector)
3) Real Estate (136,000 new jobs on a total base of 730,000 workers in this sector)
Real estate is seeing extremely highest growth, thanks to the sundry infrastructure and building projects across the country. But when I met Santosh Parulekar of Pipal Tree Ventures, a social enterprise which trains disadvantaged youth to work in the construction industry, he was blunt.
"Our brochures show pictures of exactly what is steel fixing and bar bending - it is a field job. Otherwise, boys join and then drop out saying they don't want to do this kind of work."
This, despite the fact that placement of Rs 6000 p.m. is guaranteed, the fee is nominal (taken from the student only when he starts drawing salary) and there is opportunity for growth.
But even an 6th class dropout has a picture in his mind, about what kind of job he wants.
The vast majority of India - thanks to higher education - want naukris in air conditioned offices. Jobs with 'officer-like' qualities.
Working on computers.
Shifting papers.
Supervising someone else.
Nothing wrong in wanting, but there just aren't enough such jobs. It's a mismatch of skills with requirements; expectations clashing with reality. The problem exists right at the very top - in the IITs and IIMs. And extends all the way down to the grassroots.
So, what can be done? Well, yeh expectation ka virus aaj ki hawa mein hai. Like dry grass, the young 'educated' person awaits the baarish of opportunity.
The least we can do is refrain from lighting a matchstick and setting off a forest fire.
Instead of pushing tribal girls into aviation, can we motivate them to take up nursing? Because it is estimated that India needs one million nurses.
But certainly not more than a few hundred air-hostesses.
Instead of offering MBA (Finance) to all and sundry can tier 3 bschools be practical and stick to Sales and Marketing? Because every kind of business needs salespeople.
But only a handful require investment banking.
Minds can be moved, attitudes can be changed, students can be gently nudged in the required direction right from school.
Let us communicate that 'ITI' or diploma holders are no less than those with 'degrees'.
Let us make vocational courses a real, alternative career track and not just for have-nots and 'losers'.
Let us not wave around pieces of paper with acronyms printed on them and feel pride in our 'educated' status.
What matters is the skills you have, the ability to contribute and become a valuable member of the workforce, Mr Sibal.
Not merely attending 'college'.
- quoted in The New York Times this morning
Mr Sibal, let me put the opposite question to you. What happens if 160 million children DO go to college? Another demographic disaster, if we continue to define 'college' as it is today.
Let me give you a small example. The Indian Express carried this poignant piece a couple of days ago:
Maharashtra AHA moment: ‘Tribals don’t fit aviation bill’
About three years ago, every time an aircraft flew over Pen in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, children in the tribal village would look at it and say Bharti Sheed, one of their own, was on it.
It was a matter of pride for the community as Sheed, 24, had made it to the first batch of a course specially designed by the state government for the tribal community at the privately run Air Hostess Academy (AHA) in Pune. And even though she was still pursuing the course then, she was already a star for her community.
Three years on, those dreams have rudely crash-landed for Sheed and more than 100 other tribal youngsters who had joined AHA. None of the students who passed out of the first batch of the course in 2008 or the second one a year later has got any aviation jobs.
Following a lack of response from airlines to students who passed out of AHA, the government has now scrapped the course.
Commissioner for Tribal Development D S Rajurkar goes on to say...
“They are not physically appealing and because of their strong local accent they are not good communicators too. I had met (Civil Aviation Minister) Praful Patel to push for jobs but nothing concrete came out of it”
On the bright side, many girls have got jobs - in the hospitality sector. But, they feel cheated because sarkaar ne unhe ek bada sapna dikhaya. A job with glamour, a chance to move into a new social and economic circle.
And that dream has crashlanded.
The point is: As more and more Indians get a 'higher education', their aspirations rise. Even if I have done engineering from Jhumritalaiyya Institute of Technology, I see myself as an engineer in Infosys.
Is the economy and the job market growing fast enough to fulfil these aspirations? Not by a long shot.
Yes, there are jobs but according to the Ma Foi Employment Trends survey, the top three sectors creating these jobs in the near future are as follows:
1) Healthcare (283,000 new jobs on a total base of 3.6 million workers in this sector)
2) Hospitality (137,000 new jobs on a total base of 5.9 million workers in this sector)
3) Real Estate (136,000 new jobs on a total base of 730,000 workers in this sector)
Real estate is seeing extremely highest growth, thanks to the sundry infrastructure and building projects across the country. But when I met Santosh Parulekar of Pipal Tree Ventures, a social enterprise which trains disadvantaged youth to work in the construction industry, he was blunt.
"Our brochures show pictures of exactly what is steel fixing and bar bending - it is a field job. Otherwise, boys join and then drop out saying they don't want to do this kind of work."
This, despite the fact that placement of Rs 6000 p.m. is guaranteed, the fee is nominal (taken from the student only when he starts drawing salary) and there is opportunity for growth.
But even an 6th class dropout has a picture in his mind, about what kind of job he wants.
The vast majority of India - thanks to higher education - want naukris in air conditioned offices. Jobs with 'officer-like' qualities.
Working on computers.
Shifting papers.
Supervising someone else.
Nothing wrong in wanting, but there just aren't enough such jobs. It's a mismatch of skills with requirements; expectations clashing with reality. The problem exists right at the very top - in the IITs and IIMs. And extends all the way down to the grassroots.
So, what can be done? Well, yeh expectation ka virus aaj ki hawa mein hai. Like dry grass, the young 'educated' person awaits the baarish of opportunity.
The least we can do is refrain from lighting a matchstick and setting off a forest fire.
Instead of pushing tribal girls into aviation, can we motivate them to take up nursing? Because it is estimated that India needs one million nurses.
But certainly not more than a few hundred air-hostesses.
Instead of offering MBA (Finance) to all and sundry can tier 3 bschools be practical and stick to Sales and Marketing? Because every kind of business needs salespeople.
But only a handful require investment banking.
Minds can be moved, attitudes can be changed, students can be gently nudged in the required direction right from school.
Let us communicate that 'ITI' or diploma holders are no less than those with 'degrees'.
Let us make vocational courses a real, alternative career track and not just for have-nots and 'losers'.
Let us not wave around pieces of paper with acronyms printed on them and feel pride in our 'educated' status.
What matters is the skills you have, the ability to contribute and become a valuable member of the workforce, Mr Sibal.
Not merely attending 'college'.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
What were you thinking?
hii dis is xxx...i m frm xaviers..studying in sybmm.. i m looking for placement.. plz let me knw if der r any...i hav sent u my resumare...plz hav a look at it...
This is a real email.
I swear.
I want to meet this kid.
I want to meet her and ask,"What were you thinking?"
Why did you join a mass media course anyways?
Because it sounds cool, better than doing just a B.A.
Because it sounds like you are on a path to 'somewhere' and maybe, in a good year, you might even land a job.
Of course, the poor sod who employs you will wonder "What were you thinking, St Xavier's?"
Can you at least pick people who can read and write English ?
Can you ensure that two years into the course they are aware of basic etiquette when addressing a prospective employer?
Can you drill into their heads that even though there is Google, real journalism is about going out there - on the street, on the beat.
Media schools, can you teach your students that being a journalist means paying attention to details.
Like recording interviews, whenever possible.
Taking care to quote people correctly.
Doing your basic homework and then asking for inputs.
Think, before you send off an email asking an expert to practically do your job for you.
Please revert me back with your ideas... We will appreciate if you write the story along with me.
"What were you thinking, young journalist?"
Ah, but you never knew journalism involved thinking.
This is a real email.
I swear.
I want to meet this kid.
I want to meet her and ask,"What were you thinking?"
Why did you join a mass media course anyways?
Because it sounds cool, better than doing just a B.A.
Because it sounds like you are on a path to 'somewhere' and maybe, in a good year, you might even land a job.
Of course, the poor sod who employs you will wonder "What were you thinking, St Xavier's?"
Can you at least pick people who can read and write English ?
Can you ensure that two years into the course they are aware of basic etiquette when addressing a prospective employer?
Can you drill into their heads that even though there is Google, real journalism is about going out there - on the street, on the beat.
Media schools, can you teach your students that being a journalist means paying attention to details.
Like recording interviews, whenever possible.
Taking care to quote people correctly.
Doing your basic homework and then asking for inputs.
Think, before you send off an email asking an expert to practically do your job for you.
Please revert me back with your ideas... We will appreciate if you write the story along with me.
"What were you thinking, young journalist?"
Ah, but you never knew journalism involved thinking.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Sugar free matrimonials
While glancing through the Sunday papers, I noticed this interesting new concept launched by The Times of India called 'Equality Matrimonials'.
The tagline: "Because marriage is an equal vow between two individuals. Not two families."
Yeah right. And this is not India, it is Utopia.
Still, for what it is worth let me take you through the "Equality Marriage Contract" drafted by them. Which - they hope - brides and grooms advertising under this column will sign.
Metaphorically speaking, I guess
Equality Marriage Contract
(remarks in italics below each point are mine)
HUM = TUM
Manifesto for equality in marriage
The HUM = TUM matrimonial column is for prospective brides and grooms who believe in a democratic marriage - a coming together of two individuals who value freedom of choices including those of parenthood, family and household responsibilities, social interactions and career-related decisions, as follows:
1. Personal preferences including those related to dress, food and hobbies will be respected, with no pressure from in-laws or relatives.
The wife can respect the husband's ponytail, and the husband can respect her thunder thighs in a mini-skirt. But what in-laws and relatives say or do is hardly in their control!
2. The couple would share the responsibility of caring for each others' parents - while each would remain the primary caregiver for their own parents.
Eh.. means we buy a 4 bedroom house and your dad and my mom can stay with us. But you make sure you have dinner with your own mom?
3. Both partners have an equal right to pursue - or not to pursue - a career and play the role of primary breadwinner. Either one could follow the other's decision to relocate home as per career movement.
Hee hee ha ha.
4. If both choose to work, responsibility for child rearing and home management will be shared equally.
Hee hee hee hee ha ha ha ha.
5. Together, the couple will resolve to overcome attempts by extended family to interfere in their key life choices. eg whether and when to have a baby will be decided only by the couple, not by parents and other family members who will not comment on, goad or influence the couple.
Note: When you have that Big Fat Indian Wedding with chaar peedi ke rishtedaars make sure to give some duct tape along with the mithai ka dabbas!
6. The bride does not 'leave her home' to merge seamlessly or fit into her in-laws scheme of things, she now has another home that she might choose to call her own in addition to the home she comes from.
'In-laws scheme of things'? Thy copywriter doth see too much Star Plus, methinks.
But seriously.
The 'contract' does address some key issues leading to breakdown in marriage today. Possibly, those advertising under this section will not be confronted by grooms who look 'well educated' on paper but belong to the caveman mindset.
I recall the kind of guys my cousin - an MBA and working girl - met through the matrimonials. There was a particularly memorable fellow who said,"You can continue to work but... make sure you get home before me".
Which meant approximately five o'clock. But it's really a blessing in disguise when people with such expectations say it upfront! And conversely, people who advertise in 'Equality Matrimonials' believe both spouses can kill themselves at work.
"Equality in high blood pressure, it is my birthright."
Sorry about the PJs, but you can't take this 'contract' seriously. Equality is an imaginary concept - like finding Blue Aliens Who Use Their Tails like USB Sticks.
Apples and Oranges cannot be equal. They can only exist in a fruit basket in a spirit of mutual respect and enjoy each other's fruitiness.
That's a good marriage.
The trouble arises when the Apples squeeze the Oranges. And when the whole world extols the virtues of being Orange Juice.
Let me say here that the principle also applies in reverse. Apple does not get the respect it deserves, in the pantheon of Juice. It must be strong, because nobody appreciates an apple gone phusky.
Here's a challenge. Show me one woman who is so career-oriented that she and the husband will actually sit down and discuss 'which one of us will continue working after the baby'.
OK, maybe there is one, but show me ten. Or a hundred. Or a thousand.
A majority of women will cite motherly instinct as a Supreme Right. One which precludes busting their butts to be the 'primary breadwinner'.
You get my point, I hope.
And at the end of the day, the things we want at 25, are not the same as at 30, or 40, or 50. So any 'contract' - real or notional - between two people, has to be fluid.
If the foundation is solid, the building stands. Otherwise you're just going to scream during a fight,"To think you found me through 'equality matrimonials'. Ab kahaan gayi equality huh? HUH?"
P.S. I must compliment the people at The Times of India. This is a great marketing gimmick. Folks, if any of you advertise under this column, do let me know how it went!
How you carefully cut the brownie at Barista in equal portions, and discussed how many shoes she would be allowed - you know, to keep things equal!
P.P.S. Abhi inaugural discount bhi chal raha hai - pachchis percent. Hurry, equality on offer as long as stocks last...
The above post was not sponsored by Equal. Zindagi ke pyaale mein asli mithaas ka koi substitute nahin.
As they say, shaadi koi mazaak to nahin so let me end on this senti note :)
The tagline: "Because marriage is an equal vow between two individuals. Not two families."
Yeah right. And this is not India, it is Utopia.
Still, for what it is worth let me take you through the "Equality Marriage Contract" drafted by them. Which - they hope - brides and grooms advertising under this column will sign.
Metaphorically speaking, I guess
Equality Marriage Contract
(remarks in italics below each point are mine)
HUM = TUM
Manifesto for equality in marriage
The HUM = TUM matrimonial column is for prospective brides and grooms who believe in a democratic marriage - a coming together of two individuals who value freedom of choices including those of parenthood, family and household responsibilities, social interactions and career-related decisions, as follows:
1. Personal preferences including those related to dress, food and hobbies will be respected, with no pressure from in-laws or relatives.
The wife can respect the husband's ponytail, and the husband can respect her thunder thighs in a mini-skirt. But what in-laws and relatives say or do is hardly in their control!
2. The couple would share the responsibility of caring for each others' parents - while each would remain the primary caregiver for their own parents.
Eh.. means we buy a 4 bedroom house and your dad and my mom can stay with us. But you make sure you have dinner with your own mom?
3. Both partners have an equal right to pursue - or not to pursue - a career and play the role of primary breadwinner. Either one could follow the other's decision to relocate home as per career movement.
Hee hee ha ha.
4. If both choose to work, responsibility for child rearing and home management will be shared equally.
Hee hee hee hee ha ha ha ha.
5. Together, the couple will resolve to overcome attempts by extended family to interfere in their key life choices. eg whether and when to have a baby will be decided only by the couple, not by parents and other family members who will not comment on, goad or influence the couple.
Note: When you have that Big Fat Indian Wedding with chaar peedi ke rishtedaars make sure to give some duct tape along with the mithai ka dabbas!
6. The bride does not 'leave her home' to merge seamlessly or fit into her in-laws scheme of things, she now has another home that she might choose to call her own in addition to the home she comes from.
'In-laws scheme of things'? Thy copywriter doth see too much Star Plus, methinks.
But seriously.
The 'contract' does address some key issues leading to breakdown in marriage today. Possibly, those advertising under this section will not be confronted by grooms who look 'well educated' on paper but belong to the caveman mindset.
I recall the kind of guys my cousin - an MBA and working girl - met through the matrimonials. There was a particularly memorable fellow who said,"You can continue to work but... make sure you get home before me".
Which meant approximately five o'clock. But it's really a blessing in disguise when people with such expectations say it upfront! And conversely, people who advertise in 'Equality Matrimonials' believe both spouses can kill themselves at work.
"Equality in high blood pressure, it is my birthright."
Sorry about the PJs, but you can't take this 'contract' seriously. Equality is an imaginary concept - like finding Blue Aliens Who Use Their Tails like USB Sticks.
Apples and Oranges cannot be equal. They can only exist in a fruit basket in a spirit of mutual respect and enjoy each other's fruitiness.
That's a good marriage.
The trouble arises when the Apples squeeze the Oranges. And when the whole world extols the virtues of being Orange Juice.
Let me say here that the principle also applies in reverse. Apple does not get the respect it deserves, in the pantheon of Juice. It must be strong, because nobody appreciates an apple gone phusky.
Here's a challenge. Show me one woman who is so career-oriented that she and the husband will actually sit down and discuss 'which one of us will continue working after the baby'.
OK, maybe there is one, but show me ten. Or a hundred. Or a thousand.
A majority of women will cite motherly instinct as a Supreme Right. One which precludes busting their butts to be the 'primary breadwinner'.
You get my point, I hope.
And at the end of the day, the things we want at 25, are not the same as at 30, or 40, or 50. So any 'contract' - real or notional - between two people, has to be fluid.
If the foundation is solid, the building stands. Otherwise you're just going to scream during a fight,"To think you found me through 'equality matrimonials'. Ab kahaan gayi equality huh? HUH?"
P.S. I must compliment the people at The Times of India. This is a great marketing gimmick. Folks, if any of you advertise under this column, do let me know how it went!
How you carefully cut the brownie at Barista in equal portions, and discussed how many shoes she would be allowed - you know, to keep things equal!
P.P.S. Abhi inaugural discount bhi chal raha hai - pachchis percent. Hurry, equality on offer as long as stocks last...
The above post was not sponsored by Equal. Zindagi ke pyaale mein asli mithaas ka koi substitute nahin.
As they say, shaadi koi mazaak to nahin so let me end on this senti note :)
Monday, March 01, 2010
The Constant Gardener
I haven't updated this blog for a while, for many 'reasons'.
First of all, I was writing a book. And now it's finally done. Yes, my second book has gone to print and will be out this month.
It is a 'sequel' to Stay Hungry and yet, different. Better, I think.
Writing it was exhilarating and yet exhausting. Many were the times when I would rather have blogged about Kapil Sibal than struggled with another chapter. Or proofread pages for the nth time.
But, it is over, I have moved on. In fact, I am now completing a third book.
Which brings me to reason # 2, a bigger reason. And that is, many were the times when I could have blogged - despite the book writing - but something inside me said 'stop'.
In a quiet moment I asked myself,"Why?" And I discovered an uncomfortable truth.
Writing has been one of the great joys of my life. A talent, a gift, a skill which has the power to take me out of myself. When I write, I am in flow. Thoughts come, fingers fly, words are strung together and this sequence of events gives me pleasure - as well as peace -at the same time.
And the amazing thing is, what I write - for the most part - touches people.
You appreciate me, you respond, you are moved to share a part of yourself. Although I do not write for appreciation, I appreciate the appreciation, for sure. In fact, apart from love of writing itself, it is one of the reasons that keeps me going as a blogger.
So?
Well, this part of life, the 'writer' part has been doing extremely well. Without any conscious effort. I mean sure, I do have to put my nose to the grindstone and struggle with 'what am I trying to say' at times. But I know it's just part of the process.
I know I can navigate myself out of any tunnel, no matter how dark.
But that's not the case with the 'rest of my life'. The one that involves people, and relationships. I mean, non-intellectual and 'real world'.
For the longest time, this was a part of myself I always thought I could be 'no good at'. Or at best, average.
Pictures of 'happy families' always made me think - "uh huh, lucky people". I've never felt really close in that way to the people I call my loved ones.
Over the years I realised I am a person whose brain always ruled over her heart. In fact, I barely knew how to deal with emotions - at all.
And yet, leading this life seemed okay to me.
Because, 'you can't have everything'.
Because maybe some people are meant to be this way...
But I realise this is all just rationalisation.
It does not matter how 'successful' you are.
How intelligent you are, how capable.
Or how much money you earn.
If you cannot manage your emotions and connect with people in a deep and meaningful way, nothing really matters.
And so, instead of taking refuge in writing, I am learning to live more fully.
To love and understand myself.
To love and understand others.
To take better care of my body.
Make better use of my mind.
To just be, instead of trying to become.
I feel something inside me changing. And it scares me and thrills me at the same time.
To write about what is happening is a challenge.
I am afraid I will 'reveal' too much of myself.
I will stand exposed.
And I wonder, will you understand?
Or even care??
OKAY.
The good news is, I'm not turning into Paolo Coelho.
I will resume blogging on the subjects I am passionate about - careers, entrepreneurship, 'following your dreams'. And the occassional book review, movie review, thoughts on life, the universe and youth culture.
But from time to time, I will also share that work-in-progress part of myself. Because I think all of us - to lesser or greater degree - need to tend to it.
We nurture mighty trees called 'careers'.
But we let weeds grow in the garden of our soul.
That private space, that special place, where flowers must always be in bloom.
To make life beautiful, and fragrant.
To experience the joy of truly being alive.
First of all, I was writing a book. And now it's finally done. Yes, my second book has gone to print and will be out this month.
It is a 'sequel' to Stay Hungry and yet, different. Better, I think.
Writing it was exhilarating and yet exhausting. Many were the times when I would rather have blogged about Kapil Sibal than struggled with another chapter. Or proofread pages for the nth time.
But, it is over, I have moved on. In fact, I am now completing a third book.
Which brings me to reason # 2, a bigger reason. And that is, many were the times when I could have blogged - despite the book writing - but something inside me said 'stop'.
In a quiet moment I asked myself,"Why?" And I discovered an uncomfortable truth.
Writing has been one of the great joys of my life. A talent, a gift, a skill which has the power to take me out of myself. When I write, I am in flow. Thoughts come, fingers fly, words are strung together and this sequence of events gives me pleasure - as well as peace -at the same time.
And the amazing thing is, what I write - for the most part - touches people.
You appreciate me, you respond, you are moved to share a part of yourself. Although I do not write for appreciation, I appreciate the appreciation, for sure. In fact, apart from love of writing itself, it is one of the reasons that keeps me going as a blogger.
So?
Well, this part of life, the 'writer' part has been doing extremely well. Without any conscious effort. I mean sure, I do have to put my nose to the grindstone and struggle with 'what am I trying to say' at times. But I know it's just part of the process.
I know I can navigate myself out of any tunnel, no matter how dark.
But that's not the case with the 'rest of my life'. The one that involves people, and relationships. I mean, non-intellectual and 'real world'.
For the longest time, this was a part of myself I always thought I could be 'no good at'. Or at best, average.
Pictures of 'happy families' always made me think - "uh huh, lucky people". I've never felt really close in that way to the people I call my loved ones.
Over the years I realised I am a person whose brain always ruled over her heart. In fact, I barely knew how to deal with emotions - at all.
And yet, leading this life seemed okay to me.
Because, 'you can't have everything'.
Because maybe some people are meant to be this way...
But I realise this is all just rationalisation.
It does not matter how 'successful' you are.
How intelligent you are, how capable.
Or how much money you earn.
If you cannot manage your emotions and connect with people in a deep and meaningful way, nothing really matters.
And so, instead of taking refuge in writing, I am learning to live more fully.
To love and understand myself.
To love and understand others.
To take better care of my body.
Make better use of my mind.
To just be, instead of trying to become.
I feel something inside me changing. And it scares me and thrills me at the same time.
To write about what is happening is a challenge.
I am afraid I will 'reveal' too much of myself.
I will stand exposed.
And I wonder, will you understand?
Or even care??
OKAY.
The good news is, I'm not turning into Paolo Coelho.
I will resume blogging on the subjects I am passionate about - careers, entrepreneurship, 'following your dreams'. And the occassional book review, movie review, thoughts on life, the universe and youth culture.
But from time to time, I will also share that work-in-progress part of myself. Because I think all of us - to lesser or greater degree - need to tend to it.
We nurture mighty trees called 'careers'.
But we let weeds grow in the garden of our soul.
That private space, that special place, where flowers must always be in bloom.
To make life beautiful, and fragrant.
To experience the joy of truly being alive.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Vote for GiveIndia
Rarely do I answer appeals to join online groups or petitions for some cause or the other, but this one's different. It's for a dear friend, it's for a great organisation and it seems to be a case where 'clicktivism' will lead to some tangible benefit!
I reproduce the email Venkat Krishnan of GiveIndia sent me and urge you to go cast your 'vote' and spread the word to whoever you can!
Hi Rashmi,
GiveIndia is 1 of 100 NGOs selected (globally) by Chase Foundation to compete for $1 million on the popular social networking site Facebook. NGOs have to get Facebook users to cast a vote for them and the NGO with the highest number of votes will win the prize.
We were among the 100 top winners of a prize of $25,000 last month after polling almost 3,000 votes, but we estimate that we will need >40,000 votes to win the $1m prize.
If we win, we plan to use the money to educate 40,000 children for a year. more details at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/338730
So 1 vote that takes 5 mins, can literally educate 1 child for a year costing about Rs2500. This must be the highest payoff ever for a person to vote... usually it is Re1 per vote or so...
We're trying to pull out all stops to ensure that the money comes to India :-).
regards,
Venkat
Voting began January 15 and ends on January 22 - which is tomorrow - so hurry!
I reproduce the email Venkat Krishnan of GiveIndia sent me and urge you to go cast your 'vote' and spread the word to whoever you can!
Hi Rashmi,
GiveIndia is 1 of 100 NGOs selected (globally) by Chase Foundation to compete for $1 million on the popular social networking site Facebook. NGOs have to get Facebook users to cast a vote for them and the NGO with the highest number of votes will win the prize.
We were among the 100 top winners of a prize of $25,000 last month after polling almost 3,000 votes, but we estimate that we will need >40,000 votes to win the $1m prize.
If we win, we plan to use the money to educate 40,000 children for a year. more details at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/338730
So 1 vote that takes 5 mins, can literally educate 1 child for a year costing about Rs2500. This must be the highest payoff ever for a person to vote... usually it is Re1 per vote or so...
We're trying to pull out all stops to ensure that the money comes to India :-).
regards,
Venkat
Voting began January 15 and ends on January 22 - which is tomorrow - so hurry!
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Lucky Idiot
It takes talent and a bit of luck to write a bestselling novel.
It takes a lot of luck to get a filmmaker with talent to buy the rights to your book. And create magic out of it.
I am talking about the celebrated Slumdog Millionaire. Adapted from the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup.
Was Slumdog 70% like the original? Doesn't look like it. Many of the key characters, events and incidents were changed. To quote just a small example:
In Q & A, the first-person narrator and quiz show contestant is named Ram Mohammad Thomas, whereas the protagonist is named Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire. Ram was abandoned at birth in the clothing bin of a Catholic church in Delhi, and raised for eight years by a benevolent English priest named Father Timothy.
His surname comes from a family that adopted him for three days before giving him back to the church. Local religious leaders suggested his first and middle names, on the theory that his birth parents might be either Hindu or Muslim.[8] Father Timothy and the Catholic Church do not appear in Slumdog Millionaire, nor does Delhi.
You can play compare-compare here. But despite the many changes, Slumdog retained the seed of the idea which sprang in Vikas Swarup's brain. And that was a boy from the slums winning a million bucks in a quiz show. Because every question asked was in *some way* connected to an event or experience in his life.
That seed was nurtured by people who were really gifted in their craft - making a compelling audiovisual drama onscreen.
The writer of Slumdog Millionaire was the hugely talented Simon Beaufoy (of 'The Full Monty' fame). Because of Simon Beaufoy, the hugely talented Danny Boyle took a look at the script and went on to make the film.
Ultimately, Simon Beaufoy won an Oscar for 'best adapted screenplay. And he did not forget to thank Vikas, even in his acceptance speech...
What's my point? Just one simple thing:
It does not matter how close or how far the film is from the book.
I am sure Vikas Swarup had a kickass agent/ lawyer to negotiate his contract. One who would not agree to let his client's name appear in 'rolling credits' (the ones that whiz by at the very end of the film!)
As for that acceptance speech... You can be a Chatur Ramalingam in life or a Phansuk Wangdu. And you know who we'd all rather be!
It takes a lot of luck to get a filmmaker with talent to buy the rights to your book. And create magic out of it.
I am talking about the celebrated Slumdog Millionaire. Adapted from the novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup.
Was Slumdog 70% like the original? Doesn't look like it. Many of the key characters, events and incidents were changed. To quote just a small example:
In Q & A, the first-person narrator and quiz show contestant is named Ram Mohammad Thomas, whereas the protagonist is named Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire. Ram was abandoned at birth in the clothing bin of a Catholic church in Delhi, and raised for eight years by a benevolent English priest named Father Timothy.
His surname comes from a family that adopted him for three days before giving him back to the church. Local religious leaders suggested his first and middle names, on the theory that his birth parents might be either Hindu or Muslim.[8] Father Timothy and the Catholic Church do not appear in Slumdog Millionaire, nor does Delhi.
You can play compare-compare here. But despite the many changes, Slumdog retained the seed of the idea which sprang in Vikas Swarup's brain. And that was a boy from the slums winning a million bucks in a quiz show. Because every question asked was in *some way* connected to an event or experience in his life.
That seed was nurtured by people who were really gifted in their craft - making a compelling audiovisual drama onscreen.
The writer of Slumdog Millionaire was the hugely talented Simon Beaufoy (of 'The Full Monty' fame). Because of Simon Beaufoy, the hugely talented Danny Boyle took a look at the script and went on to make the film.
Ultimately, Simon Beaufoy won an Oscar for 'best adapted screenplay. And he did not forget to thank Vikas, even in his acceptance speech...
What's my point? Just one simple thing:
It does not matter how close or how far the film is from the book.
I am sure Vikas Swarup had a kickass agent/ lawyer to negotiate his contract. One who would not agree to let his client's name appear in 'rolling credits' (the ones that whiz by at the very end of the film!)
As for that acceptance speech... You can be a Chatur Ramalingam in life or a Phansuk Wangdu. And you know who we'd all rather be!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
CAT: restore the faith
Eight days into the 'mother of all exams' reports of hardware problems, software errors, poor administration, repeated questions) and other testing issues are still coming in.
It is time the directors of IIMs acknowledge this experiment has failed and call for a re-test - in old fashioned paper and pencil format. A high stakes exam like CAT is an act of faith. When that faith in its fair delivery and character of merit is at doubt, it no longer serves its purpose.
Just like when it physically leaked in Nov 2003; and had to be re-administered.
But the issue goes beyond this year. At some level we've all accepted that computer based testing is better, more efficient than traditional methods. Is that really the case?
The issue is not just hardware or software - but more fundamental. This exercise is a 'CAT and mouse' game - and not just because the exam went online this time.
On the one hand you have a couple of hundred IIM professors, a handful of whom would sit down, rack their brains and come up with the CAT paper. On the other hand, you had hundreds of 'experts' preparing mock CATs, analysing past papers, predicting future patterns. And many of these experts are IIM grads themselves.
When it came to setting one paper a year, the CAT could somehow pull it off. Remain distant, difficult, unpredictable - the Mount Everest of all exams. Putting it online - with a poorly set question bank - has taken it down to the level of a Sahyadri.
This destroys everything the CAT has stood for - all these years.
Now one can dispute whether CAT actually does select people with the best managerial potential in the first place. An article posted on fairtest.org notes that in 1985 Harvard Business School (HBS) decided to eliminate the GMAT from their admissions process.
John Lynch, the Admissions Director at the time, gave several compelling reasons. In a blind test, Harvard found that admissions decisions made with and without the GMAT were essentially the same. Success at Harvard depended on intangibles such as motivation, interpersonal skills, perseverance and hard work – all factors not measured by GMAT.
Looking at undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), ethics, leadership, community activities, prior work experience and the interview made GMAT scores "superfluous".
However, 11 years later HBS reinstated use of the test. The point is, as long as you are using a GMAT or CAT, let there be no doubts about the administration and standards of that test.
Which brings me back to the question of computer based testing. In 2008 there was a GMAT Cheating Scandal involving Scoretop, where 'live' questions were posted on a members-only website. This article published at that time reveals some interesting facts:
1) The item pool is periodically refreshed, but the same questions are reused for at least several weeks.
2) The testing industry was well aware of the vulnerability of computer adaptive tests to what it calls “pre-disclosure.” Before the 1993 introduction of the computer adaptive Graduate Record Exam (GRE), two researchers at the Educational Testing Service (ETS) wrote about their “fear [that examinees] will remember questions and reveal them to their friends or to a coaching school” and that “a group of examinees [might] memoriz[e] subsets of the pool and combin[e] their knowledge.
3) To expose the problem, staff from the Stanley Kaplan Education Center took the computerized GRE, compiled a list of items they had memorized, and presented it to ETS officials. ETS, which then administered the GMAT as well as the GRE, responded by suing Kaplan for copyright violations, even though the questions were never made public (see http://www.fairtest.org/ets-and-test-cheating).
4) After this incident, test-makers said they began using much larger item pools and changing them more frequently, but there is no proof for this claim. In 2006, ETS lost the GMAT testing contract after a series of administrative and scoring errors. The test is now run by the global conglomerate Pearson.
Under 'Indian conditions' where stakes are so high for both students and the coaching classes, I think it will be far more difficult to maintain the integrity of the question bank!
In conclusion, computerised testing can work - but requires herculean effort and partnership between the IIMs and the testing agency. It's not an exercise which IIMs can simply sub-contract - like housekeeping!
Brand IIM is like the venerable banyan tree, and the CAT forms the mighty roots of that tree. Destroy those roots and the very tree will start withering...
The IIMs must reclaim the CAT immediately, or they will lose the ground beneath their feet.
For more on the issues related to effectiveness and fairness of SAT, GRE and GMAT see articles on www.fairtest.org
It is time the directors of IIMs acknowledge this experiment has failed and call for a re-test - in old fashioned paper and pencil format. A high stakes exam like CAT is an act of faith. When that faith in its fair delivery and character of merit is at doubt, it no longer serves its purpose.
Just like when it physically leaked in Nov 2003; and had to be re-administered.
But the issue goes beyond this year. At some level we've all accepted that computer based testing is better, more efficient than traditional methods. Is that really the case?
The issue is not just hardware or software - but more fundamental. This exercise is a 'CAT and mouse' game - and not just because the exam went online this time.
On the one hand you have a couple of hundred IIM professors, a handful of whom would sit down, rack their brains and come up with the CAT paper. On the other hand, you had hundreds of 'experts' preparing mock CATs, analysing past papers, predicting future patterns. And many of these experts are IIM grads themselves.
When it came to setting one paper a year, the CAT could somehow pull it off. Remain distant, difficult, unpredictable - the Mount Everest of all exams. Putting it online - with a poorly set question bank - has taken it down to the level of a Sahyadri.
This destroys everything the CAT has stood for - all these years.
Now one can dispute whether CAT actually does select people with the best managerial potential in the first place. An article posted on fairtest.org notes that in 1985 Harvard Business School (HBS) decided to eliminate the GMAT from their admissions process.
John Lynch, the Admissions Director at the time, gave several compelling reasons. In a blind test, Harvard found that admissions decisions made with and without the GMAT were essentially the same. Success at Harvard depended on intangibles such as motivation, interpersonal skills, perseverance and hard work – all factors not measured by GMAT.
Looking at undergraduate grade-point average (UGPA), ethics, leadership, community activities, prior work experience and the interview made GMAT scores "superfluous".
However, 11 years later HBS reinstated use of the test. The point is, as long as you are using a GMAT or CAT, let there be no doubts about the administration and standards of that test.
Which brings me back to the question of computer based testing. In 2008 there was a GMAT Cheating Scandal involving Scoretop, where 'live' questions were posted on a members-only website. This article published at that time reveals some interesting facts:
1) The item pool is periodically refreshed, but the same questions are reused for at least several weeks.
2) The testing industry was well aware of the vulnerability of computer adaptive tests to what it calls “pre-disclosure.” Before the 1993 introduction of the computer adaptive Graduate Record Exam (GRE), two researchers at the Educational Testing Service (ETS) wrote about their “fear [that examinees] will remember questions and reveal them to their friends or to a coaching school” and that “a group of examinees [might] memoriz[e] subsets of the pool and combin[e] their knowledge.
3) To expose the problem, staff from the Stanley Kaplan Education Center took the computerized GRE, compiled a list of items they had memorized, and presented it to ETS officials. ETS, which then administered the GMAT as well as the GRE, responded by suing Kaplan for copyright violations, even though the questions were never made public (see http://www.fairtest.org/ets-and-test-cheating).
4) After this incident, test-makers said they began using much larger item pools and changing them more frequently, but there is no proof for this claim. In 2006, ETS lost the GMAT testing contract after a series of administrative and scoring errors. The test is now run by the global conglomerate Pearson.
Under 'Indian conditions' where stakes are so high for both students and the coaching classes, I think it will be far more difficult to maintain the integrity of the question bank!
In conclusion, computerised testing can work - but requires herculean effort and partnership between the IIMs and the testing agency. It's not an exercise which IIMs can simply sub-contract - like housekeeping!
Brand IIM is like the venerable banyan tree, and the CAT forms the mighty roots of that tree. Destroy those roots and the very tree will start withering...
The IIMs must reclaim the CAT immediately, or they will lose the ground beneath their feet.
For more on the issues related to effectiveness and fairness of SAT, GRE and GMAT see articles on www.fairtest.org
ET 500: Old is gold, alas
I usually scan through the pink papers in under 5 minutes. But this morning I picked up the annual "ET 500" report (free with do rupaye ka ET every year) and actually spent over an hour poring through it. Just.
It's fascinating for many reasons. The # 1 company in India, by revenue, is IndianOil. Its revenues of Rs 290, 946 crores are double of the # 2 company Reliance Industries (Rs 153, 138 crores). But Reliance profits are 5 times that of IndianOil www.icocl.com (Rs 15, 296 crores vs Rs 2,599 crores).
Both companies are in the very same space (oil & gas). And no, I am not saying Indian Oil should be 'doing better' - that would be comparing apples to oranges!
A few other facts which caught my eye:
* 6 out of top 10 companies are PSUs - that's pretty much the story, every year.
* Only 1 out of the top 20 companies is what you can call entrepreneurial (started by a first generation entrepreneur in last 20 years). That company is Bharti Airtel. In fact such companies are pretty much non existent even in top 100.
Infosys (# 22), Pantaloons (# 73) and Kotak Mahindra bank (# 75) are the few exceptions although technically, they're all over 20 years old.
* Bharti Airtel and TCS are the only two companies from 'new age industries' in the top 20 (Wipro & Infosys are # 22 and 29 respectively). Oil, steel, auto, banking, power, capital goods dominate the top 50.
Interestingly, apart from ITC (# 35) and HLL (#36) and a few banks like ICICI bank (# 10), HDFC bank (#29), Kotak Mahindra bank (# 66) and maybe an Asian Paints (#95) and Reliance in its myriad avatars - you won't see any of the top 100 companies on this list on India's top 20 bschool campuses.
Except in a recession year (like this one).
And even then, they aren't places MBAs would like to join.
Which brings me to the question: is there a disconnect between bschools and the business realities of India? For long, bschools have been accused of producing 'managers' not entrepreneurs. Ok - but even within that definition, they want to be managers only in certain kinds of companies and sectors.
I understand there are cultural issues. That the majority of these top 100 and even top 500 companies are old (if this was a gathering of people you would see mostly grey hair!) A large number are fuddy duddy, family or government run enterprises.
But surely these are the very places where so called modern management principles and bright young men and women can make a difference - in the longer run.
It would be interesting if ET could come out with a report on how many MBAs the top 500 companies in India today employ. And what is the profile of the people they do employ.
Cynics might wonder whether these companies are healthy because of lack of MBAs... There's a thesis waiting to be written by someone, somewhere, on that!
Lastly, I noticed 5 companies from the 25 Stay Hungry profiles make it to the list (not counting Sintex, where Dangayach is not the owner). The highest ranked is Shree Renuka Sugars art # 227.
Am sure there are other interesting stories hidden in this list... and I'm sure someday I will tell some of them :)
It's fascinating for many reasons. The # 1 company in India, by revenue, is IndianOil. Its revenues of Rs 290, 946 crores are double of the # 2 company Reliance Industries (Rs 153, 138 crores). But Reliance profits are 5 times that of IndianOil www.icocl.com (Rs 15, 296 crores vs Rs 2,599 crores).
Both companies are in the very same space (oil & gas). And no, I am not saying Indian Oil should be 'doing better' - that would be comparing apples to oranges!
A few other facts which caught my eye:
* 6 out of top 10 companies are PSUs - that's pretty much the story, every year.
* Only 1 out of the top 20 companies is what you can call entrepreneurial (started by a first generation entrepreneur in last 20 years). That company is Bharti Airtel. In fact such companies are pretty much non existent even in top 100.
Infosys (# 22), Pantaloons (# 73) and Kotak Mahindra bank (# 75) are the few exceptions although technically, they're all over 20 years old.
* Bharti Airtel and TCS are the only two companies from 'new age industries' in the top 20 (Wipro & Infosys are # 22 and 29 respectively). Oil, steel, auto, banking, power, capital goods dominate the top 50.
Interestingly, apart from ITC (# 35) and HLL (#36) and a few banks like ICICI bank (# 10), HDFC bank (#29), Kotak Mahindra bank (# 66) and maybe an Asian Paints (#95) and Reliance in its myriad avatars - you won't see any of the top 100 companies on this list on India's top 20 bschool campuses.
Except in a recession year (like this one).
And even then, they aren't places MBAs would like to join.
Which brings me to the question: is there a disconnect between bschools and the business realities of India? For long, bschools have been accused of producing 'managers' not entrepreneurs. Ok - but even within that definition, they want to be managers only in certain kinds of companies and sectors.
I understand there are cultural issues. That the majority of these top 100 and even top 500 companies are old (if this was a gathering of people you would see mostly grey hair!) A large number are fuddy duddy, family or government run enterprises.
But surely these are the very places where so called modern management principles and bright young men and women can make a difference - in the longer run.
It would be interesting if ET could come out with a report on how many MBAs the top 500 companies in India today employ. And what is the profile of the people they do employ.
Cynics might wonder whether these companies are healthy because of lack of MBAs... There's a thesis waiting to be written by someone, somewhere, on that!
Lastly, I noticed 5 companies from the 25 Stay Hungry profiles make it to the list (not counting Sintex, where Dangayach is not the owner). The highest ranked is Shree Renuka Sugars art # 227.
Am sure there are other interesting stories hidden in this list... and I'm sure someday I will tell some of them :)
Career query of the week
Hi Rashmi,
I've been working in XXX (a much admired American company) as a software engineer for the past 1.5 years. I did my BTech from YYYY, probably the best college for a computer science degree in the country.
I was always convinced that this would be sufficient even for the best tech jobs in India. However, lately I've been hearing that students who return with a "phoren" MS degree get paid almost twice as much as we do, even though their job profile may be the same as ours.
Now, I'm confused whether I should go for an MS or not. I do not wish to leave the country, neither for higher studies, nor for a job. However, I'm quite sure that an MS even from the best colleges in India does not compare to a degree from a US university, in terms of market value. Since it makes a huge difference, I think I should consider going abroad... its just a matter of 2 years, right?
Even though at this point, money is the only incentive for further studies; in the future, its possible that better jobs come to our country which require atleast an MS degree. I'm only 23 years old now. Isn't it best I do an MS now, rather than growing 30+(which is too old for an MS) and feeling sorry for not doing it when I could?
I should also make it clear that I am absolutely not interested in any kind of MBA. I love tech, and I do not wish to become a people manager. So NO IIMs, ISB, etc.
This has been a very long mail. Lets summarize.
Objective: A challenging tech job in India. Get paid as much as the other guy who is doing the same job, but may have another degree!
I have the following options:
1. No more studies. Be content with BTech and current job/salary.
2. MS from Indian univ. Will make resume a little prettier, but will it increase my package? Is it worth staying away from work for 2 yrs?
3. MS from some Indian univ affiliated with a foreign univ. Ex - JIIT(jaypee) affiliated with University of Florida. Again, I'm not sure how good this is?
4. MS from abroad.
Please advise!
S
dear S
I'm not too happy to learn about the foreign MS degree holder getting paid twice as much as you.. but that's life I guess. I think an MS from a top university in the US is a good idea for you.
As for which school, which program - I leave it to the wonderful readers of this blog to advise you! Folks, please do share what you know with this young man...
I've been working in XXX (a much admired American company) as a software engineer for the past 1.5 years. I did my BTech from YYYY, probably the best college for a computer science degree in the country.
I was always convinced that this would be sufficient even for the best tech jobs in India. However, lately I've been hearing that students who return with a "phoren" MS degree get paid almost twice as much as we do, even though their job profile may be the same as ours.
Now, I'm confused whether I should go for an MS or not. I do not wish to leave the country, neither for higher studies, nor for a job. However, I'm quite sure that an MS even from the best colleges in India does not compare to a degree from a US university, in terms of market value. Since it makes a huge difference, I think I should consider going abroad... its just a matter of 2 years, right?
Even though at this point, money is the only incentive for further studies; in the future, its possible that better jobs come to our country which require atleast an MS degree. I'm only 23 years old now. Isn't it best I do an MS now, rather than growing 30+(which is too old for an MS) and feeling sorry for not doing it when I could?
I should also make it clear that I am absolutely not interested in any kind of MBA. I love tech, and I do not wish to become a people manager. So NO IIMs, ISB, etc.
This has been a very long mail. Lets summarize.
Objective: A challenging tech job in India. Get paid as much as the other guy who is doing the same job, but may have another degree!
I have the following options:
1. No more studies. Be content with BTech and current job/salary.
2. MS from Indian univ. Will make resume a little prettier, but will it increase my package? Is it worth staying away from work for 2 yrs?
3. MS from some Indian univ affiliated with a foreign univ. Ex - JIIT(jaypee) affiliated with University of Florida. Again, I'm not sure how good this is?
4. MS from abroad.
Please advise!
S
dear S
I'm not too happy to learn about the foreign MS degree holder getting paid twice as much as you.. but that's life I guess. I think an MS from a top university in the US is a good idea for you.
As for which school, which program - I leave it to the wonderful readers of this blog to advise you! Folks, please do share what you know with this young man...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Double Life of Ramalinga Raju - a review
Flying can be hazardous to mental health these days, unless you have a book or two to help you cope. Well, despite being well stocked up on a recent trip, I bought this one at Mumbai airport.Ramalinga Raju beckoned , "Pick me up, pick up!" Pick up and read all about the bad-bad things I have done in life.
Well, quite like Raju's life, the book too does not live up to its promises. Agreed, nine months is a short time to put together and release a book but one does expect to learn *something* new?
"The Double Life of Ramalinga Raju", unfortunately, is like a 180 page long newsreport. With neither the brevity nor the breathless immediacy of 'news'.
Starting from the infamous "confession" the book takes you 'back' - but very superficially. There is a chapter on the crucial board meeting of Dec 16, one titled 'A Scheme is Hatched' - on the sub prime crisis and its effect on Raju's ill empire.
In between there is some mention of Raju's early days, his family, a faint whiff of his personality. But too soon, we are back to Maytas, Hyderabad metro project - the exoskeleton of the scam. What's missing is the pounding of the heart, the taste of fear, the rush of blood!
Author Kingshuk Nag thanks dozens of people connected with Satyam and the Rajus for 'sharing their insights' but very few of these insights shine through. And none are actually attributed to anyone.
While I don't expect a 'jeena isi ka naam hai' with Raju's primary school friends being asked to comment on him, surely some former confidantes could have been persuaded to talk?
Among them D V S Raju (a cousin who was instrumental in setting up Satyam between 1987 and 1992) and Srini Raju (brother in law, who helped run Satyam till the year 2000. Also the fesity Income Tax dy commissioner who almost derailed Raju with her queries back in 2002... wonder what *she* has to say!
At the end of this quick read, I gazed at the puffy clouds around the aircraft window and thought to myself...
a) Ramalinga Raju , you did all this for land, land and more land. But tell me, tu lekar kahaan jayega?. Kingshuk Nag makes just this point by referring to Tolstoy's classic short story "How much land does a man need?"
The answer is:"A man needs only six feet of land to cover him from head to toe..." Unfortunately this country is full of Rajus, who never quite understand that!
b) Raju was the proverbial dork who wanted to be Mr Popular. Quoting from page 76.
"It was partly a deep inferiority complex that made Raju embark on this unholy path... Raju knew that he could neither match Narayana Murthy nor Azim Premji, as Satyam procured mucht of its business by quoting cheaper rates... But Andhraites had made him into an icon and he had to live up to this image".
Raju had to show 'as good' quarterly results as an Infosys or a Wipro - hence he fudged. The company actually waited till Infy released its figures and then decided what numbers to show!
c) Lastly, blind love for his sons was another fatal flaw. Again, common with Indian politicians, actors and businessmen. No known cure for this affliction!
To sum up, 'The Double Life of Ramalinga Raju' will sell decent numbers but does satiate the thirst to get inside the mind of this smooth criminal. Perhaps someday we'll have a 'David Frost' to do unto Raju a full and final confession.
I think, like Nixon, he would probably justify his actions and say, "Karna padta hai - sab karte hain". Only to rue the fact that he was the unlucky one who got caught.
'The Double Life of Ramalinga Raju' by Kingshuk Nag
Rs 250, Harper Collins
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Career question of the week
Q: I am a software engineer working in a product based company in Bangalore for the last 3 years. I want to go for higher studies (M-Tech) but at the same time i cant leave my job. So can you please suggest me some reputed institutes where i can pursue my M-Tech as a part time or by correspondence. My problem is that i need reputed institutes only because i have done my B-Tech with a private engg. college in U.P. and now i want a tag.
Also please tell me the value of that M-Tech in the market. I know i am asking for too much but please suggest. i am confused.]
Dear Confused - the best (and only distance learning MTech) I know of and can recommend to you is BITS Pilani. However from what I gather you need the consent and support of your organisation, including a Mentor at your workplace.
Can anyone who's completed this program provide more details? Also info about any other such 'part time MTechs' which have value in the job market.
You can post comments here or drop me a line at rashmi_b at yahoo.com
Also please tell me the value of that M-Tech in the market. I know i am asking for too much but please suggest. i am confused.]
Dear Confused - the best (and only distance learning MTech) I know of and can recommend to you is BITS Pilani. However from what I gather you need the consent and support of your organisation, including a Mentor at your workplace.
Can anyone who's completed this program provide more details? Also info about any other such 'part time MTechs' which have value in the job market.
You can post comments here or drop me a line at rashmi_b at yahoo.com
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Business Standard on IIM Shillong
A day after my story on IIM Shillong Business Standard has done a wonderful report on the very same issue.
IIM-Shillong loses half its faculty over differences with director
Archana Mohan & Kalpana Pathak / Bangalore/New Delhi November 10, 2009, 0:31 IST
In slightly over a year since the inception of the Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RGIIM) in July 2008, nearly half the 13-strong faculty have left following differences with the institute's Director Ashoke Dutta...
The story made it to the front page on some editions :)
I do hope MHRD & the Board of Governors of IIM Shillong as well as other stakeholders find out the facts for themselves and take corrective action. The time to act is now!
IIM-Shillong loses half its faculty over differences with director
Archana Mohan & Kalpana Pathak / Bangalore/New Delhi November 10, 2009, 0:31 IST
In slightly over a year since the inception of the Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management (RGIIM) in July 2008, nearly half the 13-strong faculty have left following differences with the institute's Director Ashoke Dutta...
The story made it to the front page on some editions :)
I do hope MHRD & the Board of Governors of IIM Shillong as well as other stakeholders find out the facts for themselves and take corrective action. The time to act is now!
Monday, November 09, 2009
IIM Shillong - a mockery in the name of 'IIM'
IIM Shillong - a mockery in the name of 'IIM'
- Rashmi Bansal
Can a person without academic credentials or a PhD be appointed as director of an IIM?
Can administrative staff attend faculty meetings and interfere in academic matters?
Can faculty be denied their allowances and even the contributory provident fund (CPF) due by law?
All this and much more constitutes the shocking state of affairs at IIM Shillong - the newest IIM which started functioning from July 2008. Every process, from the appointment of faculty members to the purchase of equipment, has been subverted, resulting in an institute which is only an IIM in name.
No less than 7 of the 13 full time faculty members who joined IIM Shillong in 2008 left in less than a year, leaving a demoralised student body and questions about how an institute by the name of 'IIM' can get by without following any prescribed norms.
At the core of the issue is the appointment of Ashoke Kumar Datta as director of IIM Shillong. Dutta's profile includes 40 years of erratic corporate experience and does not list any academic credentials. Directors and faculty at IIMs are generally required to have a PhD in their subject.
Mr Dutta's biodata lists his qualification as PGDM from IIM Calcutta and 2 years on the doctoral program of Case Western University between 1971-73 (he left without receiving the degree).
At the time of his appointment Mr Ashoke Dutta was already past the age of 60, a fact which should have disqualified him from what is meant to be a 5 year term.
A source who was closely involved with IIM Shillong at inception stage says, "Mr Dutta's appointment was not cleared by the PMO and earlier by the Dept of Personnel for a full three/four months after selection. I understand there was a problem of Security Clearance and a question of age besides the PHD which kept them from clearing the appointment. It took the intervention of the then MHRD Minister through a letter to the Prime Minister to obtain the clearance".
The appointment of a number of faculty members did not follow due process as well. A former professor at IIM Shillong, recounts the horrific way in which rules were flouted to accomodate some faculty members.
"A prospective faculty member is generally required to present a paper before the students and existing faculty, before being invited for interview. In the case of at least one faculty member, there was neither a presentation nor an interview."
Another shocking case was that of a candidate who was rejected by the interview board and yet appointed as a 'faculty associate'. Three months this person was promoted to the post of assistant professor.
Another professor was recruited to teach a subject, despite having no experience or background in this subject. These and many more decisions related to academics were taken by the director unilaterally, without consulting the Dean and other faculty colleagues.
The collegial system of governance, the Director's complete lack of powers in appointments and his accountability to the Faculty Council are at the heart of the IIM model of merit and excellence.
Apart from these processes not being followed, major issues with the organisational culture soon became obvious. Some of the strange practices at IIM Shillong included:
a) Daily faculty meeting for 1 hour between 9 and 10 am with no specific agenda
b) Administrative staff being invited to attend faculty meetings where they have no locus standi
c) Administrative staff interrupting lectures on minor pretexts.
d) Officer on Special Duty (Finance) sending emails questioning professors on issues related to CAT interview selections
e) Professors being humiliated in faculty meetings, intimidated verbally and through memos; and being told by the director "you are welcome to leave" if they raised their voice on any issue, including issues like CPF (contributory provident fund) not being provided by IIM Shillong, as per prevailing laws of the land.
A former IIM Shillong professor who spoke to me recalls, "I realised there was a problem when on 5th July 2008, when the director tried to force a faculty member to teach the accounting paper. The faculty member had refused citing lack of experience in teaching that subject".
"The Director insisted the faculty should teach accounting or resign. The person in question did resign but was later asked to stay on."
But this faculty member was not the only one to suffer thus.
Another such person was an eminent professor of Economics, who relocated to India from the US, where he taught at reputed schools including NYU. His wife, a professional with 20 years experience at leading American banks and financial institutions (and a visiting professor at schools like Northwestern university) also joined IIM Shillong as faculty member.
This professor objected to several of the goings on, including a faculty member being appointed in the economics area without his knowledge.
In less than 15 days, the economics professor became persona non grata. The director found an excuse to withdraw the offer made to his wife and he did so in the most callous manner - by serving a discharge letter while she was in the midst of taking a class.
Both professors left the very same day and subsequently joined another IIM.
IIM Shillong also failed to provide the basic support required by professors to do their jobs smoothly.
"I have spent substantial amount along with the student co ordinators for the winter placement activity. The money spent on STD calls, faxes, couriers and so on was not provided by IIM Shillong." says the former IIM Shillong professor.
Matters came to a head when in a faculty meeting he requested Mr Dutta to release money due to the faculty under CPF (Contributory Provident Fund). Since the probation period for faculty had been extended from 1 year to 2 years, various allowances such as relocation allowance and foreign travel grant were also not being provided.
"In fact I was not reimbursed for the travel cost incurred in my recruitment interview. The Faculty Development Allowance of Rs 36,000 per year which is provided to professors to subscribe to academic journals and magazines was also withheld, despite being specifically mentioned in my appointment letter," he says.
Ultimately, the director terminated the services of the professor who raised his voice - without citing any reason.
The former professor adds,"I had a very high rating from students, the highest for any faculty member. I was relieved because I am not a yes man and because I asked questions about the improper functioning of IIM Shillong." These questions included financial irregularities.
These include the following:
* Mr Dutta happens to be the chairman of a company from Kolkata, the All India Technologies, which is appointed as the webmaster of IIM Shillong for designing and maintenance of the institute’s website.
* Another related party transaction is the procurement of a web conferencing solution from Intellisys ltd, a company in which Mr Dutta occupies the position of a director.
Sources also allege that Mr Dutta is hardly present on the campus, with innumerable foreign and domestic tours taking him away for Shillong for 15-20 days in a month. Mr Dutta was to take the Business Communication course last year but only took 2 lectures. The rest of the course was handled by other faculty members.
The two areas where IIM Shillong has maintained sanctity are the course curriculum and the intake of students. In both cases external advisors are involved. Prof Paul Srivastava of Bucknell university has helped to design the PGP course curriculum.
Former director of IIM Ahmedabad Jahar Saha was the Chairman of the Admissions Committee of IIM Shillong and with the help of former IIMA and IIMC professors, conducted the interviews of shortlisted students. This process was smooth in both 2008 and 2009.
"The Ministry of Human Resources and Board of Governors of IIM Shillong is fully aware of what is going on, but not taking any action," says the former IIM S professor who spoke to me.
The biggest losers in all this are the students, who have no option but to graduate from IIM Shillong, making the best of a bad situation. They are silent, for fear of repercussions and harassment, as well as adverse impact on their placements.
(It is interesting to note that IIM Shillong had trouble filling up seats this year with scanty acceptances from the first and second list released by the institute. A third, fourth and fifth list was released before all seats could be filled).
In response to an email and fax questionnaire on all of the above issues, Mr Dutta stated that, "Most of the points raised by you pertain to jurisdiction outside the purview of the director."
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) acknowledged they have received my questionnaire but would not commit on a timeframe in which they would answer.
All in all it is a very sorry state of affairs. With four more 'IIMs' slated to come up over next two years, it raises important issues of academic standards, governance and accountability of new institutions toward their stakeholders. And the IIM brand name.
- Rashmi Bansal
Can a person without academic credentials or a PhD be appointed as director of an IIM?
Can administrative staff attend faculty meetings and interfere in academic matters?
Can faculty be denied their allowances and even the contributory provident fund (CPF) due by law?
All this and much more constitutes the shocking state of affairs at IIM Shillong - the newest IIM which started functioning from July 2008. Every process, from the appointment of faculty members to the purchase of equipment, has been subverted, resulting in an institute which is only an IIM in name.
No less than 7 of the 13 full time faculty members who joined IIM Shillong in 2008 left in less than a year, leaving a demoralised student body and questions about how an institute by the name of 'IIM' can get by without following any prescribed norms.
At the core of the issue is the appointment of Ashoke Kumar Datta as director of IIM Shillong. Dutta's profile includes 40 years of erratic corporate experience and does not list any academic credentials. Directors and faculty at IIMs are generally required to have a PhD in their subject.
Mr Dutta's biodata lists his qualification as PGDM from IIM Calcutta and 2 years on the doctoral program of Case Western University between 1971-73 (he left without receiving the degree).
At the time of his appointment Mr Ashoke Dutta was already past the age of 60, a fact which should have disqualified him from what is meant to be a 5 year term.
A source who was closely involved with IIM Shillong at inception stage says, "Mr Dutta's appointment was not cleared by the PMO and earlier by the Dept of Personnel for a full three/four months after selection. I understand there was a problem of Security Clearance and a question of age besides the PHD which kept them from clearing the appointment. It took the intervention of the then MHRD Minister through a letter to the Prime Minister to obtain the clearance".
The appointment of a number of faculty members did not follow due process as well. A former professor at IIM Shillong, recounts the horrific way in which rules were flouted to accomodate some faculty members.
"A prospective faculty member is generally required to present a paper before the students and existing faculty, before being invited for interview. In the case of at least one faculty member, there was neither a presentation nor an interview."
Another shocking case was that of a candidate who was rejected by the interview board and yet appointed as a 'faculty associate'. Three months this person was promoted to the post of assistant professor.
Another professor was recruited to teach a subject, despite having no experience or background in this subject. These and many more decisions related to academics were taken by the director unilaterally, without consulting the Dean and other faculty colleagues.
The collegial system of governance, the Director's complete lack of powers in appointments and his accountability to the Faculty Council are at the heart of the IIM model of merit and excellence.
Apart from these processes not being followed, major issues with the organisational culture soon became obvious. Some of the strange practices at IIM Shillong included:
a) Daily faculty meeting for 1 hour between 9 and 10 am with no specific agenda
b) Administrative staff being invited to attend faculty meetings where they have no locus standi
c) Administrative staff interrupting lectures on minor pretexts.
d) Officer on Special Duty (Finance) sending emails questioning professors on issues related to CAT interview selections
e) Professors being humiliated in faculty meetings, intimidated verbally and through memos; and being told by the director "you are welcome to leave" if they raised their voice on any issue, including issues like CPF (contributory provident fund) not being provided by IIM Shillong, as per prevailing laws of the land.
A former IIM Shillong professor who spoke to me recalls, "I realised there was a problem when on 5th July 2008, when the director tried to force a faculty member to teach the accounting paper. The faculty member had refused citing lack of experience in teaching that subject".
"The Director insisted the faculty should teach accounting or resign. The person in question did resign but was later asked to stay on."
But this faculty member was not the only one to suffer thus.
Another such person was an eminent professor of Economics, who relocated to India from the US, where he taught at reputed schools including NYU. His wife, a professional with 20 years experience at leading American banks and financial institutions (and a visiting professor at schools like Northwestern university) also joined IIM Shillong as faculty member.
This professor objected to several of the goings on, including a faculty member being appointed in the economics area without his knowledge.
In less than 15 days, the economics professor became persona non grata. The director found an excuse to withdraw the offer made to his wife and he did so in the most callous manner - by serving a discharge letter while she was in the midst of taking a class.
Both professors left the very same day and subsequently joined another IIM.
IIM Shillong also failed to provide the basic support required by professors to do their jobs smoothly.
"I have spent substantial amount along with the student co ordinators for the winter placement activity. The money spent on STD calls, faxes, couriers and so on was not provided by IIM Shillong." says the former IIM Shillong professor.
Matters came to a head when in a faculty meeting he requested Mr Dutta to release money due to the faculty under CPF (Contributory Provident Fund). Since the probation period for faculty had been extended from 1 year to 2 years, various allowances such as relocation allowance and foreign travel grant were also not being provided.
"In fact I was not reimbursed for the travel cost incurred in my recruitment interview. The Faculty Development Allowance of Rs 36,000 per year which is provided to professors to subscribe to academic journals and magazines was also withheld, despite being specifically mentioned in my appointment letter," he says.
Ultimately, the director terminated the services of the professor who raised his voice - without citing any reason.
The former professor adds,"I had a very high rating from students, the highest for any faculty member. I was relieved because I am not a yes man and because I asked questions about the improper functioning of IIM Shillong." These questions included financial irregularities.
These include the following:
* Mr Dutta happens to be the chairman of a company from Kolkata, the All India Technologies, which is appointed as the webmaster of IIM Shillong for designing and maintenance of the institute’s website.
* Another related party transaction is the procurement of a web conferencing solution from Intellisys ltd, a company in which Mr Dutta occupies the position of a director.
Sources also allege that Mr Dutta is hardly present on the campus, with innumerable foreign and domestic tours taking him away for Shillong for 15-20 days in a month. Mr Dutta was to take the Business Communication course last year but only took 2 lectures. The rest of the course was handled by other faculty members.
The two areas where IIM Shillong has maintained sanctity are the course curriculum and the intake of students. In both cases external advisors are involved. Prof Paul Srivastava of Bucknell university has helped to design the PGP course curriculum.
Former director of IIM Ahmedabad Jahar Saha was the Chairman of the Admissions Committee of IIM Shillong and with the help of former IIMA and IIMC professors, conducted the interviews of shortlisted students. This process was smooth in both 2008 and 2009.
"The Ministry of Human Resources and Board of Governors of IIM Shillong is fully aware of what is going on, but not taking any action," says the former IIM S professor who spoke to me.
The biggest losers in all this are the students, who have no option but to graduate from IIM Shillong, making the best of a bad situation. They are silent, for fear of repercussions and harassment, as well as adverse impact on their placements.
(It is interesting to note that IIM Shillong had trouble filling up seats this year with scanty acceptances from the first and second list released by the institute. A third, fourth and fifth list was released before all seats could be filled).
In response to an email and fax questionnaire on all of the above issues, Mr Dutta stated that, "Most of the points raised by you pertain to jurisdiction outside the purview of the director."
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) acknowledged they have received my questionnaire but would not commit on a timeframe in which they would answer.
All in all it is a very sorry state of affairs. With four more 'IIMs' slated to come up over next two years, it raises important issues of academic standards, governance and accountability of new institutions toward their stakeholders. And the IIM brand name.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wanted: beer drinkers in Mumbai & Delhi
If you are a beer drinker living in Mumbai & Delhi and can spare 2 hours of your time for a study on what the youth think & what they drink - drop me a line.
You get cool cash (Rs 1000 to be precise!) + dinner/ high tea depending on time of day + meet some interesting people.
You need to be free on these days depending on yr age category:
MUMBAI
Males (18-24): Fri Oct 9, 7-9 pm
Females (18-24): Sat Oct 10, 4-6 pm
Males (25-35): Sat Oct 10, 7-9 pm
Venue: Ramada palm grove
DELHI
Females (18-24): Sun Oct 11, 4-6 pm
Males (25-35): Sun Oct 11, 7-9 pm
Males (18-24): Mon Oct 12
Sunday is in south Delhi (Lajpat nagar) and Monday at DLF phase 1 in Gurgaon.
Please note that you must not work in the advertising, MR, PR or alcohol industry. And that this is not a beer tasting or sampling session - you will only *talk* about beer. However you are free to go and blow up your cash however you like :)
If u think you fit the bill drop a line with your contact details including tel no to rashmi_b at yahoo.com.
You get cool cash (Rs 1000 to be precise!) + dinner/ high tea depending on time of day + meet some interesting people.
You need to be free on these days depending on yr age category:
MUMBAI
Males (18-24): Fri Oct 9, 7-9 pm
Females (18-24): Sat Oct 10, 4-6 pm
Males (25-35): Sat Oct 10, 7-9 pm
Venue: Ramada palm grove
DELHI
Females (18-24): Sun Oct 11, 4-6 pm
Males (25-35): Sun Oct 11, 7-9 pm
Males (18-24): Mon Oct 12
Sunday is in south Delhi (Lajpat nagar) and Monday at DLF phase 1 in Gurgaon.
Please note that you must not work in the advertising, MR, PR or alcohol industry. And that this is not a beer tasting or sampling session - you will only *talk* about beer. However you are free to go and blow up your cash however you like :)
If u think you fit the bill drop a line with your contact details including tel no to rashmi_b at yahoo.com.
Why the IIT faculty is on a hunger strike
Airline employees strike.
Bank workers strike.
But IIT professors? It is a very sad day when they go on strike!
Something must be very rotten in the state of Denmark - in a manner of speaking - for these gentle souls to take such an extreme step. Certainly IIT professors deserve far better salaries but rest assured it is not merely for a few extra bucks.
I am reproducing an email put out by the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay which lucidly explains why they took this stand.
Dear Friends:
HRD Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal has been making comments which incorrectly portrays our protest as being for salary only. This is far from the truth and a look at our memorandum dated 21/09/09 will make it clear that the IIT faculty are fighting more for autonomy, dignity and honor that the MHRD is systematically robbing the IITs of. Our main concerns are the following:
1. In the UGC system there is a percentage cap on posts (like 10% only can be Professors). This has failed them since meritorious people may not be promoted if there is no vacancy. MHRD is trying to impose something like that on IITs, where, till now, promotion is by merit only. This is direct interference in the academic autonomy of IITs.
2. IITs heavily depend on recruiting bright young people as soon as possible after PhD. MHRD has offered that a fresh PhD graduate can only be given a contractual post with a salary of about Rs 28000. Does anyone think we can recruit the large number of good people, that IITs need, with this salary? (IITs need about 6000-8000 new faculty in the next 7-8 years)
3. The Goverment of India has honored DAE and ISRO by giving them something called PRIS (O) since they are “centers of excellence”. Everyone from the sweepers to the senior scientists are getting that which is a 20% added amount to salary. They have nt given this yet to IITs. Are IITs not as “excellent” as DAE and ISRO?
This is about prestige and honor of the faculty. All these can only have one outcome: destruction of the IIT system over the next decade or two. The faculty are fighting to prevent this from happening. The minister through the media claims that it is about money. IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY. If at all it is about money, it is for people who are not yet a faculty member here, for students still doing their PhDs (or even in earlier stages of their career, who have the potential to teach in an IIT, but may not feel that such a career is viable)
I believe that honour and prestige is the crux of the issue. Yes, IIT and IIM faculty feel they should be paid better but I don't think they would ever go on strike for money alone.
In fact, whenever I speak to faculty about whether they would jump ship as soon as some fancy foreign university sets up shop they say,"Not necessarily."
Apart from salary, professors value academic and operational freedom.
Their status as members of a respected institution.
The kick of teaching the 'best' students in the country.
If the government keeps its hands off and allows the older IITs and IIMs to chart their own destiny, they'll have a fighting chance. Else, the war will be lost... even before the battle has begun!
Bank workers strike.
But IIT professors? It is a very sad day when they go on strike!
Something must be very rotten in the state of Denmark - in a manner of speaking - for these gentle souls to take such an extreme step. Certainly IIT professors deserve far better salaries but rest assured it is not merely for a few extra bucks.
I am reproducing an email put out by the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay which lucidly explains why they took this stand.
Dear Friends:
HRD Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal has been making comments which incorrectly portrays our protest as being for salary only. This is far from the truth and a look at our memorandum dated 21/09/09 will make it clear that the IIT faculty are fighting more for autonomy, dignity and honor that the MHRD is systematically robbing the IITs of. Our main concerns are the following:
1. In the UGC system there is a percentage cap on posts (like 10% only can be Professors). This has failed them since meritorious people may not be promoted if there is no vacancy. MHRD is trying to impose something like that on IITs, where, till now, promotion is by merit only. This is direct interference in the academic autonomy of IITs.
2. IITs heavily depend on recruiting bright young people as soon as possible after PhD. MHRD has offered that a fresh PhD graduate can only be given a contractual post with a salary of about Rs 28000. Does anyone think we can recruit the large number of good people, that IITs need, with this salary? (IITs need about 6000-8000 new faculty in the next 7-8 years)
3. The Goverment of India has honored DAE and ISRO by giving them something called PRIS (O) since they are “centers of excellence”. Everyone from the sweepers to the senior scientists are getting that which is a 20% added amount to salary. They have nt given this yet to IITs. Are IITs not as “excellent” as DAE and ISRO?
This is about prestige and honor of the faculty. All these can only have one outcome: destruction of the IIT system over the next decade or two. The faculty are fighting to prevent this from happening. The minister through the media claims that it is about money. IT IS NOT ABOUT MONEY. If at all it is about money, it is for people who are not yet a faculty member here, for students still doing their PhDs (or even in earlier stages of their career, who have the potential to teach in an IIT, but may not feel that such a career is viable)
I believe that honour and prestige is the crux of the issue. Yes, IIT and IIM faculty feel they should be paid better but I don't think they would ever go on strike for money alone.
In fact, whenever I speak to faculty about whether they would jump ship as soon as some fancy foreign university sets up shop they say,"Not necessarily."
Apart from salary, professors value academic and operational freedom.
Their status as members of a respected institution.
The kick of teaching the 'best' students in the country.
If the government keeps its hands off and allows the older IITs and IIMs to chart their own destiny, they'll have a fighting chance. Else, the war will be lost... even before the battle has begun!
White Tigress
Punjab may be the land of milk and honey but it is not the land of airports. So I found myself in a shatabdi (no complaints, excellent train!), on the way to Ludhiana, a couple of days ago.
The seat next to me is occupied by a 'typical Punjaban'. Pink suit, pink lipstick, pink cheeks, armful of red and white bangles. Add a sarson ka khet and a tall glass of lassi and I'd be on the set of a Yashraj film...
Of course there is no lassi; instead I make tea from an Indian Railways thermos. And just as I attempt to get some 'work' done (hurrah for railways - modem bhi chalega!), she strikes up a conversation.
I am a bit surprised to learn that "Pretty in Pink" - let me call her Ruby henceforth - is actually an MTech in Computer Science.
"I was teaching at ABCD (well known engineering college in Punjab) but then I got married. Now I am looking for a job again..."
Ruby's husband is in the software industry and has just joined a company in Mohali. Arranged marriage. In the general spirit of chattiness I ask impolite Indian questions: "How did you decide.. how did you know he was the *one*?"
And she replies,"I left it to my 'payerents'. I said you know what's best for me... you decide".
In fact, Ruby did not even 'meet' her husband separately before marriage. Ladka ladki ne ek doosre ko sirf dekha, with a hundred relatives hovering around with chai and barfis. As is the Great Indian Dekhne ka Tradition.
But don't boys and girls usually meet separately a couple of times these days... before making a final decision?
Yes, but in her mind, it was a 'foregone' conclusion.
They did speak about a few things. Like she would work after marriage - as a lecturer.
"Actually my husband is less qualified than me. He is only MCA, that too distance. But he was in a good job, good family, earning well... "
Isliye pitaji ko theek laga.
It's tough to find a job right now as the semester has started, she added. Perhaps she should also look for something in industry.
"No, my father told me long back ki beta you join academic line. If both husband and wife are in industry then there will be no time for family..."
Of course she has no plans of having an 'issue' for next 2 years. "I want to enjoy married life", she adds.
Great, but she does not seem too happy to me.. just one month after. I wonder, if marriage has been this compromise, a duty to be fulfilled, what happens if one fine day she meets someone who makes her heart flutter?
"You mean someone who I can really connect with."
*Thinks*
"No it can't happen."
Why not?
"Because I cannot think that way.. feel that way. I am not an expressive girl..."
Us tarah se kabhi kisi ladke ko dekha nahin... Aur agar kisi ne dekha to I won't give him a chance to get close to me.
Fresh from reading the White Tiger, the words Rooster Coop flash in my mind. There is one coop which keeps the have nots in their places. And another which does much the same for women - The 'Hen Coop'.
You bring up girls in this society *knowing* and *believing* it is dangerous to dare. And of course, to dream.
Abort your unborn ambitions at the altar of family. Ensure the heart is like banjar zameen where 'love' cannot and will not take root! In return we offer izzat, motherhood, lots of jewellery and the tag of Mrs to use on Indian Airlines...
The Hen Coop is what keeps the Great Indian Family going, even as the rest of the world hurtles towards chaos. Not that 'all is well' behind the closed doors of a courtyard where one SUV, one Honda city and one Alto (best for going to sabzi mandi!) stand proudly.
And then Ruby blurts,"Actually if I had met my husband properly before marriage.. I would not have married him!"
Bhai kyun?
"The other day he told me.. he had many girlfriends before marriage.. he was working in IT and BPO you know wahan to yeh sab hota hi hai."
Better before marriage, than after marriage, no? I venture.
Her eyes flash,"What guarantee is there that he will not be tempted after marriage also? So many families, so many, I have seen like that...!"
And suddenly I get a glimpse of a completely different person.
"I told him clearly one thing. If you ever have any hanky panky with anyone.. that day, that moment I will walk out and NEVER come back."
Under the pink salwar suit, I see stripes.
I see a 'white tigress'.
The seat next to me is occupied by a 'typical Punjaban'. Pink suit, pink lipstick, pink cheeks, armful of red and white bangles. Add a sarson ka khet and a tall glass of lassi and I'd be on the set of a Yashraj film...
Of course there is no lassi; instead I make tea from an Indian Railways thermos. And just as I attempt to get some 'work' done (hurrah for railways - modem bhi chalega!), she strikes up a conversation.
I am a bit surprised to learn that "Pretty in Pink" - let me call her Ruby henceforth - is actually an MTech in Computer Science.
"I was teaching at ABCD (well known engineering college in Punjab) but then I got married. Now I am looking for a job again..."
Ruby's husband is in the software industry and has just joined a company in Mohali. Arranged marriage. In the general spirit of chattiness I ask impolite Indian questions: "How did you decide.. how did you know he was the *one*?"
And she replies,"I left it to my 'payerents'. I said you know what's best for me... you decide".
In fact, Ruby did not even 'meet' her husband separately before marriage. Ladka ladki ne ek doosre ko sirf dekha, with a hundred relatives hovering around with chai and barfis. As is the Great Indian Dekhne ka Tradition.
But don't boys and girls usually meet separately a couple of times these days... before making a final decision?
Yes, but in her mind, it was a 'foregone' conclusion.
They did speak about a few things. Like she would work after marriage - as a lecturer.
"Actually my husband is less qualified than me. He is only MCA, that too distance. But he was in a good job, good family, earning well... "
Isliye pitaji ko theek laga.
It's tough to find a job right now as the semester has started, she added. Perhaps she should also look for something in industry.
"No, my father told me long back ki beta you join academic line. If both husband and wife are in industry then there will be no time for family..."
Of course she has no plans of having an 'issue' for next 2 years. "I want to enjoy married life", she adds.
Great, but she does not seem too happy to me.. just one month after. I wonder, if marriage has been this compromise, a duty to be fulfilled, what happens if one fine day she meets someone who makes her heart flutter?
"You mean someone who I can really connect with."
*Thinks*
"No it can't happen."
Why not?
"Because I cannot think that way.. feel that way. I am not an expressive girl..."
Us tarah se kabhi kisi ladke ko dekha nahin... Aur agar kisi ne dekha to I won't give him a chance to get close to me.
Fresh from reading the White Tiger, the words Rooster Coop flash in my mind. There is one coop which keeps the have nots in their places. And another which does much the same for women - The 'Hen Coop'.
You bring up girls in this society *knowing* and *believing* it is dangerous to dare. And of course, to dream.
Abort your unborn ambitions at the altar of family. Ensure the heart is like banjar zameen where 'love' cannot and will not take root! In return we offer izzat, motherhood, lots of jewellery and the tag of Mrs to use on Indian Airlines...
The Hen Coop is what keeps the Great Indian Family going, even as the rest of the world hurtles towards chaos. Not that 'all is well' behind the closed doors of a courtyard where one SUV, one Honda city and one Alto (best for going to sabzi mandi!) stand proudly.
And then Ruby blurts,"Actually if I had met my husband properly before marriage.. I would not have married him!"
Bhai kyun?
"The other day he told me.. he had many girlfriends before marriage.. he was working in IT and BPO you know wahan to yeh sab hota hi hai."
Better before marriage, than after marriage, no? I venture.
Her eyes flash,"What guarantee is there that he will not be tempted after marriage also? So many families, so many, I have seen like that...!"
And suddenly I get a glimpse of a completely different person.
"I told him clearly one thing. If you ever have any hanky panky with anyone.. that day, that moment I will walk out and NEVER come back."
Under the pink salwar suit, I see stripes.
I see a 'white tigress'.
Monday, September 28, 2009
The White Tiger - a review, and then some
I picked up Aravind Adiga's 'White Tiger' only recently. Definitely a late lateef purchase and no, not from the traffic signal. I hate badly printed books and do not pick up pirated copies as a matter of principle. It's the least one author can do for another :)
Well, the first 40 pages of 'White Tiger' did not take my breath away.
a) I felt it was written for a foreign audience. The way journalists write about India in Time magazine. (Yes I know, the author was a reporter for that very same magazine not long ago!)
b) The idea of Balram Halwai, the driver from the heart of Darkness writing a letter to the Chinese Prime Minister in the Queen's English bugged me. I mean, really, it did not seem like his voice.
But 100 pages on I fell into the rhythm of the book and started enjoying it. And I was filled with sneaky admiration for what Aravind was trying to do.
The White Tiger addresses the issue that we live with each and every day and which shocks every White Man who visits this country. How can we as a nation exist skyscraper to slum, BMW to bullock cart, PVR to piss-on-the tracks and never quite blow up?
If the have nots outnumber the haves by so many millions why don't they simply rise up and finish us all off?
Well, the answer according to Aravind, lies in the 'greatest thing India has ever invented' which is the Rooster Coop.
Just like roosters who are caged and accept their fate at the hands of the butcher, so do human beings accept the cage they are bolted in. The poor have a station in life, which is to serve the rich, and theirs is not to question, or to rebel. As Balram aka White Tiger puts it:
"A handful of men in this country have trained the remaining 99.9 % - as strong, as talented, as intelligent in every way - to exist in perpetual servitude; a servitude so strong that you can put the key of his emancipation in a man's hands and he will throw it back at you with a curse."
Hmm. Dark thoughts but much of the book is laced with equally dark humour. Or so it appeared to me - one man's tragedy is another's comedy as they say!
Never before have people like me smelt the insides of a servant's quarters and visualised the nocturnal dancing of cockroaches. Thought about how icky it might be to massage hairy feet. Or realised the importance of caste, of religion, of 'background'. Even to get a lowly driver's job.
(Yes, we had 'Slumdog Millionaire' but that was more of a fairy tale)
I was also fascinated by some of side characters like Vitiligo Lips, Pinky madam and the idea of drivers passing their time reading Murder Weekly (is there really such a publication? Perhaps a spicier version of Manohar kahaniyan which I remember from summers spent at my native place!)
I wonder how much time Aravind actually spent observing Balram types, to be able to touch upon the hierarchy that exists even in a servant quarters. Like in college - "Main tera senior, zara bach ke rehna"!
For every blonde Ukrainian prostitute there is the fair skinned Indian with the dye job. Because everywhere, there are two Indias.
There's English liquor and country liquor.
There's penthouse and basement.
There's Light and there's Darkness.
We who type away at a computer connected to broadband in a language left behind by our former masters are in the 'light'.
But every day we brush shoulders with those in the darkness. Maids, cooks, ayahs, sweepers and of course, drivers.
I am surely a much kinder employer than the Mongoose or even the well meaning but ill fated Ashok (for context, refer book!) but when one Rajendra Yadav reports to work tomorrow... For a moment, I will be reminded of the White Tiger.
As long as the tigers - or the roosters, who form the majority - remain in their cages, life as we know it will go on. Naxal movements are wreaking havoc but are yet to touch the main cities. And so it that we have the occasional report of murder or dacoity but on the whole still feel 'safe'. And believe we will stay that way, for another generation.
But who can really say?
I sure hope our various social upliftment programs do some good because I really don't want to see more 'entrepreneurs' like Balram Halwai... angry and not so foolish ones! The kind who get their start up capital by slitting their employer's throats.
And then cross over to Our Side, melt into the neighbourhood and become 'high net worth' customers.
The White Tiger, Rs 395
P.S. Harper Collins, I hope you are coming out with a paperback edition soon coz the Balrams of the booktrade have been hawking it for months now!
Also read: my blog titled White Tigress
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Amazing grace
I went to Hypercity today thinking I would pick up a couple of things. Went a bit berserk (vegetables! detergent! icecream!) and emerged with five not-so-light shopping bags.
"Can I take the cart upto level 1?" I asked a guy in uniform near the exit.
"Aapko ricksha lena hai.. chalo main chhod deta hoon," he replied.
We got into the lift, then out, I walked slightly ahead of him - no particular reason. But maybe unconsciously in memsaab mode.
I fiddled in my purse to find change. First I took out a five rupee coin. Then I thought nahin, I have shopped so much. Should give him at least 10 bucks.
He patiently waited for rick to come ahead, carefully arranged my bags and then I got in.
I said, "Thank you" and handed him the note.
He gave a really wide smile and shook his head,"No madam, yeh to maine dekha aapko.. to aa gaya saath mein.. insaaniyat ke naate."
That guy - I don't even know his name - left me humbled.
There are good people everywhere, practicing random acts of kindness. I was feeling a bit low today - he made my day!
May more insaans practice this insaaniyat ka naata. And make the world a more beautiful place.
"Can I take the cart upto level 1?" I asked a guy in uniform near the exit.
"Aapko ricksha lena hai.. chalo main chhod deta hoon," he replied.
We got into the lift, then out, I walked slightly ahead of him - no particular reason. But maybe unconsciously in memsaab mode.
I fiddled in my purse to find change. First I took out a five rupee coin. Then I thought nahin, I have shopped so much. Should give him at least 10 bucks.
He patiently waited for rick to come ahead, carefully arranged my bags and then I got in.
I said, "Thank you" and handed him the note.
He gave a really wide smile and shook his head,"No madam, yeh to maine dekha aapko.. to aa gaya saath mein.. insaaniyat ke naate."
That guy - I don't even know his name - left me humbled.
There are good people everywhere, practicing random acts of kindness. I was feeling a bit low today - he made my day!
May more insaans practice this insaaniyat ka naata. And make the world a more beautiful place.
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