CAT is now a CAT!

The Common Admission Test (CAT) will now be a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT). I totally support this move and am glad the IIMs did it. But in addition to it, I'd suggest, that they give more weightage to work-experience, and consider applications on all parameters instead of just the CAT score for the initial shortlist. They do assign weightages to various parameters and have complicated formulas to evaluate applications, but that is generally for the final offers, where your GD and PI scores also matter. But for the inital shortlist, i.e., for GD-PI, a high CAT score is generally a must. I believe that on the one hand, MBA does not make sense without having worked and experienced the real Business world. On the other hand, CAT scores and the sectional cut-offs, I think, are not the right criteria to judge people's capabilities to become good managers or leaders. IIM Lucknow is the only one among the IIMs to have taken steps in this direction. Right now, both the batches at IIML have a very high average work-ex by IIMs' standards - somewhere between 3 and 4 years, which is neither too high nor too low for a 2-year MBA, and almost perfect for the guys, and the few girls, to appreciate the course content of the program. Right now, IIML has arguably the best people in it (and I am one of them!) among all the IIMs and of course all the B-Schools of India, as far as the 2-year MBA programs are concerned.

Some Thoughts...

I was totally out of my mind when I discovered today that Pantaloon has already implemented all of my business ideas in the food & beverages space. It opened Brew Bar for selling beer, Cafe Bollywood for selling Indian street food, Chamosa for selling chai and samosas, Food Bazaar - the supermarket, and Sports Bar. Each one of these is a great concept in itself and is sure to make good money (if it's not already, because of the recession).

Came across this interesting concept called Reverse Mentoring, wherein those in the senior positions in an organization are mentored by those lower in the hierarchy. The funda is that those higher up usually belong to an older generation and can learn a lot about contemporary stuff, like latest technology, trends, fashion, preferences, thought processes, etc. from the youngsters. It's more important in markets like India where a majority of the consumers are young, while the CEO's and the decision makers are middle-aged. Reverse Mentoring helps you understand the consumer psyche by directly interacting with and learning from the youngsters in your own organization who belong to your target segment (for most products in a young country like India). The concept came from GE's Jack Welch and makes a lot of sense. So for best results, the organizational framework must facilitate and ensure both forward and reverse mentoring, so that the organizational thought process is aligned in the direction that serves all interests best.

I wish we had Reverse Mentoring in our political parties too. But the biggest hindrances to its success are - the inability of the senior person to suppress his/her ego, accept that there is a need to learn and it can be done best from a subordinate, and to develop a will to do it. Considering that and our current political scenario, Reverse Mentoring doesn't seem feasible in the near term. That's sad. I think if our 70-80-90 year old politicians understood today's India better, they'd never have assigned top priority in their manifestos to stuff like building a useless temple or protecting submerged rocks in the sea, stuff which any reasonably informed young Indian does not give a damn about. Nor would he/she vote, coz he/she sees no good options, nor does he/she have belief or hope. It's a vicious globe. Amir Khan's flying back to Mumbai from North America just for a day in the middle of his vacation and Shahrukh's taking one day off from IPL to cast their votes are not gonna help. I don't have solutions to suggest. Nor can I say 'go cast your vote', coz I am not convinced it helps.

Twitter!

It took me just a few minutes, after I signed up, to transform from a non-believer in the twitter concept to an obsessed fool. I was trying to figure out why twitter works in the first place and went to the site to see for myself. I was astonished by the urge that surged within me to tell the world what I was thinking, doing and feeling each moment, as I initially saw others doing it, and as I increasingly grew impatient and anxious to stay ahead of them, to be all over, to let the world know, to be the one seen and talked about, to have as many people following me as possible. Never before did I witness this side of mine so explicitly. I was both enthused and scared about whatever was happening to me. I did a lot of twittering yesterday, though no one among my 11 followers seemed to be following me. It was crazy, and I fear it's going to get crazier. I hope it doesn't.

My Twitter Profile

Jobs and Layoffs

Layoffs are happening everywhere these days. There was a time when getting an IT job was so easy that you could quit your job, purely on impulse, on any day and find another, that paid at least 30% more, the very next day. It was fun! People were always looking for newer jobs in IT. Companies paid exorbitant salaries to people of no worth, just coz they were the best they could find in spite of having all the dollars from the clueless clients in the US.

And now, you never know when you'd be asked to leave. Losing a job is painful, and then, if you have a family to support, you are in a big mess. I am lucky to be spending two years of the recession doing my MBA! It's almost certain that the job opportunities a year from now, when I'd finish my MBA, would not be any good either - that being either the recovery phase or one of deeper recession. But I am not really bothered. I don't like jobs anyway. Whenever I do something for which I get money or grades or rewards in return, I don't feel interested in it. I would otherwise have done a similar activity just out of interest, fought hard to complete it to perfection and enjoyed each moment of being a part of it. So for me, no job is good job. But I have to make money to survive. And support a family too which will come out of nowhere a couple of years from now.

I need a perennial, hassle-free, huge and reliable source of money to support me forever and then, I will go on and do whatever interests me at any point in time. I guess everyone wants this, but...

21-04-2009 04-21-2009

 

Had an amazing day today. Highlights - my manager finalized the project that I'll work on during the summer internship, I watched a 4-D movie, had a ride on a Ricksha, came back a bit early from office and took a nap and have now found time & interest to write something for my hungry blog! The only thing which I am still missing is pani-puri, called as gol-gappe in Delhi. I did try for it twice, but on one occasion, I did not have change, and on another, I couldn't find a pani-puri-wala despite walking a kilometer. It gets so damn frustrating at times, when you don't get pani-puri when you want it.

Won't talk about my project coz a Non-Disclosure Agreement, which I am yet to sign, will soon bind me from talking anything about it. It does seem interesting. Particularly the part which has been newly assigned to me.

The 4D movie was great. If you are wondering what 4D is, it's 3D movie plus an added dimension of physical experience created by stuff happening in the movie hall - like your chairs shaking, moving up and down, air blowing from somewhere, water sprinkled on you as an elephant points its trunk on your face, things tickling you here and there... all based on what's going on in the movie, such that you become a part of it, experiencing what's happening in there. It's interesting. It's fun. It was a short 20 minute animated movie about a guy who discovered Tokla Temple built in ancient times. The guy had to fight the Aborigines. The Tokla Temple was inside a cave which collapsed soon after it was discovered. The hero somehow manages to escape. The name of the movie was The Lost Island. A must see!

We watched the movie at Spice Mall near office. The Ricksha ride to Spice mall from the office and back was joyful and short. The Rickshas in Delhi are relatively new, light-weight and more efficient than the ones in the rest of India.

While coming back, we had all had Cornettos. Amit Vatsa's b'day treat! All of us had the same flavour - Black Forrest Flirt!

Delhi-1

Coming to Delhi is a dream come true to me. It took too long, but finally I am in Delhi, and I feel great. I am here for an 8-weeks Summer Internship program with the Times Group. Like it usually happens, you experience a place more (by visiting popular spots and seeing people) when you go there for a short visit like for a few weeks, than when you go for a longer period, say a few years. This may not be totally correct, coz one who stays longer relegates places of tourist importance to a low priority and focusses more on issues which matter for a comfortable living, which is not an unimportant thing and can give deep insights into the cultural and social aspects of any place. But nothing happens to everyone in the same way, and perceptions differ, and so do our understandings.

I saw the Lal Quila (Red Fort) yesterday. It was beautiful. Something reminded me, as I was walking between its walls, that I am a Civil Engineer, by education. I don't remember much of what I must know because of having a Civil Engineering degree, but I do get drawn to my past for a few nostalgic moments whenever I see any architectural masterpiece. And Lal Quila is one of them.

Since it was the World Heritage Day yesterday, entrance to the fort was free. We were not allowed to carry our bag, which we had to keep in a nice locker-room adjacent to the ticket counter for Rs.5/-. We entered the fort through the Lahore Gate. I was surprised to find shops inside, selling jewelry, art works, handicrafts, perfumes, etc. There is also a small cafeteria inside. We went around, saw Diwan-e-aam, Diwan-e-khaas, overheard a tourist guide explaining their significance to his bakraas (giving analogies like high court and supreme court), then we rolled on grass in the huge lawns, took pictures, I thought about life and its problems for a few minutes, tried to convince myself that worrying is of no use, took more pictures and came out feeling proud of India, especially Dilli.

Then we went to Parathe wali gali in Chandni Chowk and enjoyed delicious aloo parathas with the best lassi I ever had. We walked some distance through the gali and were overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle. The shops were all brightly lit and were full of energy and business activity. I turned my eyes up and saw electric cables running here, there, everywhere. It's so intricate, I was surprised it worked at all. There certainly must be problems, but since it works, there clearly are ways to fix them efficiently.

We were so full after having the parathas and the lassi that there was no way we could eat the famous Chandni-Chowk-ki-Chaat. I found that very frustrating. Being a big lover of chaat items, this was too damn frustrating. I somehow managed to have a plate of gol-gappe so as to get the taste of it. They were different from any pani-puri I had ever eaten. Though good, they were not among the best. But it's chaat in that place that's famous. I will go there again to have chaat, before my internship gets over.

And ya, this was Dilli-6 - the area in and around Chandni Chowk. I found many Indian tourits singing songs from the movie as they were seeing the Lal Quila. Particularly - ye dilli hai mere yaar, bas ishq mohabbat pyar. The song was running through my mind too. It was spontaneous.

From there, we went to the India Gate. Didn't spend much time there, as it was getting late. It was pretty dark by that time. The structure looked exquisite in lights. There was virtually no security there. People were entering the area from all sides. There were no metal detectors, no frisking. We could not go beyond the chains a few meters from the gate, both in the front and the back. I touched the gate at the left side of it (just a moment before my friend showed me a board saying the gate should not be touched). Realized that the surface of the India Gate was just cement plaster. Got confused whether this was fine or I should re-evaluate my opinion about the greatness of the structure. I kept asking myself - what's wrong with cement? - but followed by  - cement??? That was weird. I sometimes find it so difficult to be sure of what I feel about something. Is it so with everybody?

I had a great day. I didn't mention earlier about how I spent the afternoon at Connaught Place known as CP by most Delhiites. Besides learning a lot about Delhi, its people and its cultural aspects, I did the usual roaming around in the Malls and sitting and chatting in CCD and Barista over coffee. I think it's too early to comment on the people and the culture of this city. I think I am liking the city. Will explore more and write more. Keep reading.