Sunday, November 8, 2009

The International Day and K-Nite!!

Last night it rained. An unusual change of weather, as the previous three days were pretty hot and humid. And suddenly a drop fell on the tip of my nose. I knew that the scene was set for a perfect rain dance. Mist was slowly engulfing the Kampus. And it was time for celebrating International Day, for the first time in Kampus. The bunch of forex students took charge of the whole event and just blew us off our feet. It was just amazing. Presentations and Videos about Europe and their culture and also about their experiences in India, filled will good humour made everyone laugh their hearts out. And then came the dinner in European style. Pastas and Tortillas prepared by our very own mess folks, with the help from the forex guys, was something to cherish. But then this was juxtaposed with an MACR project presentation class, which was about to go on till 1 AM. Oops!! So what about the party???

So after munching pastas and tortillas from multiple plates in a heavily crowded canteen, I had to go to the MACR class leaving behing the fun filled mayhem. And after multiple visits to the bathroom ( in the guise ) to evade the boredom of the longest session in K history, I was able to get out of the room by 12:30. The session ended and folks started rushing out of the academic block to the E landing where the scene was set for K-Nite, the 2nd one this year. And within no time the atmosphere became electric and people started dancing in the rain till 6 AM in the morning. Obviously time flies by when you are in K, and you never know whether its 6 AM or 6 PM. You just close your eyes and enjoy....and it was still drizzling in the morning... 

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Till we meet again...

The room opposite to me remains vacant today. The constant breeze makes the door slam once in a while. And in between I see the valley through the open balcony of the opposite room. But then I hate this sight. My part of the hostel wing has practically become empty. PGP11 has said bye bye to the campus. The convocation was held on March 21st,2009. They were an awesome bunch of fellows and left an impression deep in our hearts. But then now they are gone. And the usual painful sight of bidding farewell had to be witnessed. God , I hate to bid farewell.....

But then when I think more deeply, I come to realize that the third term is getting over as well. Little did I realise all the while that I am 1 year old at K. And it has gone just like a flash. May be I am loving this place so much that amidst all the chaos created by the projects, quizzes and mid terms, I still don't realize how fast the days are going by. Probably the fastest year I have seen in a while. May be I say this when every year passes by. But then surely last academic year was special. So many new friends in life and so many new ideas in mind. And summers are approaching. April and May would be spent in some other part of the country. Another experience. And I guess the next year will go like this as well. And one day I too will have to bid farewell to this place. I do not want to think that far. It is cold outside. Let me enjoy the breeze.

Friday, November 14, 2008

IIMK Summers 2009

Summers over! It was quick, easy and accomplished bang on time for a batch of 260+. Great stuff by IIMK in recession times. I'll let the media do the talking:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/What_recession_IIM-K_bags_14_global_summer_placements/articleshow/3676755.cms

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Education/IIMs_gaze_at_internships_for_placement_signals/articleshow/3693470.cms

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RVRELzIwMDgvMTEvMTEjQXIwMDYwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110753891400.htm

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/IIM-K-bucks-trend--100-pc-placement/381983

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/11/06/stories/2008110651652100.htm

http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?tp=on&autono=48865

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Summer-brings-champagne-to-IIM-K-with-102-plum-intern-billings/381887/

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/iimk-bucks-trend-100-pc-placement/381983/

http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/B-School/IIM-K-Grabs-100.html

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Nov52008/national2008110598935.asp

http://www.itexaminer.com/iimk-places-all-students-despite-recession.aspx

http://www.dailypioneer.com/132492/100-placement-in-IIMK-despite-global-meltdown.html

http://www.coolavenues.com/bschools/081101/iimk-summers-1.php

http://www.pagalguy.com/index.php?categoryid=54&p2_articleid=1512

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/education/2008110515026.htm

http://www.mbauniverse.com/innerPage.php?id=ne&pageId=1542

Cheers!!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Konnect

Sorry folks.. I wrote this someday and stashed it away thinking that I will post it sometime.. And then I forgot.. Now that I have found it, let me post it.. Here it goes..

It is said that a match is interesting only when equals compete with each other. And so it was, equals competing with each other, some with vigor poured down on them by the seniors, some rare self-motivated souls, but all competing to preserve the name of their hostels. Lots of games were played, lots of skills came out and lots of shy people came out of the closet. After all, that is the impact that a group has on you. The things you would not do alone, you would easily do it if propelled by a group. Maybe that is why governments discourage mobocracy. However, this was a day when mobocracy was encouraged in the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. The event Konnect was spread over a period of 3 days, with different events on all days. 

One of the most spectacular sub-events of Konnect was a tug-of-war contest, where 25 people from each hostel were supposed to pull 25 equally well-built people from another hostel into their half. The event brought out the passions of all the participating teams, with people from each hostel showing their enthusiasm by shouting, encouraging teammates (even while pulling), strategizing during the breaks, and bursting into whelps of joy after winning. Even the losing teams were equally well-spirited; after each round, there would be an informal sledging competition between both the teams, each shouting slogans proclaiming their hostels to be the best.

Contrast a team event like the tug-of-war with an event like Just-A-Minute (JAM) where individual skills led a person to victory. How much an individual can understand and adapt to a situation determined the results. It is obvious that in a game like JAM, it is more beneficial to catch the errors of others rather than trying to speak more. Some people were able to adapt, some were not. And those who were able to adapt won. However, the passion here was visible in the behaviour of the person. Here, a person would not shout at himself for motivation. Rather the motivation comes from inside. And the strategy too. And of course, here you do not have anybody else to blame if you lose. But then, you do not have anybody else to rely on too if you are not playing well. Also, individual victories are not recognized as much as team victories because it is tougher to synchronize a team.

The different skill-sets of the different genders also came out. And some were in stark opposition to the established beliefs. Hence we saw girls beating boys in some physical tasks, while the top three teams in Antakshari, considered to be a feminine favorite, were all boys. Some games like "Who eats fastest?" involved a lot of strategy. While some games like LAN gaming required gaming skills and comfort with the laptop. Some hostels were extremely ecstatic about each game, while some hostels like the K hostel, where no seniors were present, saw an extreme lack of participation, probably because of lack of seniors there, and corresponding lack of enthusiasm.

“Winners don't quit and quitters don't win.” Moral of the story. Period.

(Yours truly also won 50 points for his hostel K.. Ensured that hostel K didn't end up last.. Since these were the only points hostel K won :-(  )

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Almost a transformation

Getting back to books and classes after a hiatus of 2 years was a different kind of feeling. It was as good as I thought it would be. Not everything can be thought of; few things turned out to be outstanding, something which was not exactly a transformation as it was supposed to be but close enough to alter the chemistry of grey cells. A course on Social Transformation in India wasn't something I was keen about when I incuriously glanced over it in the course curriculum. I vaguely remember the first lecture scheduled in evening someday. One thing was sure that the Prof wasn't boring, never knew he would turn out to be so influential and towering as he is physically. The lectures were on random topics which dealt with India, her history and all those social unevenness which we're well aware of but never felt it in our esteemed lives. The concealed sexism and racism in advertisements, the atrocities against women to keep her in control as prescibed by religious books, the history of Kashmir(which we all consider to be an integral part of India) were some of the disturbing facts that was well kept hidden in school textbooks. Above all, the Prof's cynic attitude towards MBA and capitalism was just the right dose for all those who thought they are elite. Nothing will change. Everyone including me will still run after fat pay-checks and capitalism as it suits our way of life. At least, I will see certain social issues in a new light. This too will fade with time, what doesn't?

Sunday, August 31, 2008

3 wEEKS more....and then...there is freedom

May be i am loving STI more than ever before,that the word freedom appears more jazzy for me now.The days have gone by in a flash,filled with assignments,tasks,STI movies at night and of course bakkar.I just peep into the calendar for the first time since i have come here.Its the last day in august,2008 and i understand that,20 days later,i shall be 8 hours from IIM K - at my home.

I remember my engg college days when the hostel corridors used to become silent the day after the exam and the place used to look like a cemetary with an occasional sound of a security guard breaking the silence.At night,it used to get more eerie.Of course these are just my imaginations as i have never been that unlucky to stay back ,after exams were over.But these were facts to many others who came from north India as they just went home once in a year as Calicut was very far from their home.

These facts will get reiterated to many , 20 days from now.Most of us will be at home but some unfortunate fellas,will have to stay back.But then kerala is quite beautiful and I guess they would not waste time by sleeping in hostels.Theres lot for them to explore.The western ghats surrounding the campus bears testimony to the fact that,there is a lot of things awaiting them in those hills.And of course the backwaters.

But next 20 days is gonna be eventful (of course in a bad way) with projects and assignments and quizzes.But the very thought of goin back home after 3 months does give some real relief.But i pray that exams on last day should go on well coz you run out of patience on the last day,with the thought of catching the train.

But there is one relief.For PGP11 guys,some people left early as their exams got over earlier.Some poor souls had to stay back for another day.Atleast for us,we dont have to bear such a wrath.Everyone has to bear the same burden.

And the next term is gonna be a real screw in the head as the summer placement season shall turn the heat on.But as of now,i just dont wanna think of all those.As of Now..............................

"Mamma......I m coming homee..................I m coming homeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee........."

Thursday, August 7, 2008

The night goes on and on.....

The gruelling mid terms have just come and gone, and everyone went through a real hectic schedule.To top in midterms have gone out of my mind,coz everypaper had thrown out some surprises leading to mounting levels of despair and frustration.To give it a free ride is out of question,coz death would be the only result in this battlefield if one chooses to do that.
Now if I do feel and think that , midterms were just the end of it all, then i am terribly mistaken.A heap load of assignments and tasks are following this and i just scribbled down on the various tasks I have to do parallely every other day. And it somewhat looked like this
  • MIS project (havent started and the deadlines are nearing and none in the group including me have an idea of what to do next.Have to do something soon)
  • Arthanomics ( Have volunteered for this - have to build up the CV ;) and the tasks are just about begin)
  • Konsult - Have to start working on the blog and as well as the tasks given.
  • IBOK- have just started with that and if it should make some sense,I should slog to put in some sense to my work
  • Summer preparation - The GDs and interviews are gonna begin and have to prepare for them as well
  • Academics ( all the works related to academics-The alternate day MM case work does make this even more tighter,leave alone to keep up with daily studies)

If you do see the list,the acads are positioned well below it all.It does say everything- I have no time left in my life to just have a peep into the books to understand what the hell is going on in my class.Life is getting busier.24 hours just dont seem to be sufficient and dunno where the whole world is heading to.A collapse--naah,being an IIMite i can neva think of that.I am preparing my forces to combat these monsters and well god knows how successfull i would be in that battle.

Every morning i wake up just with a wish to do atleast half of these tasks i have planned and by the time my clock shows its 4 AM, i find that even half of them havent been touched.And when I pen down these words,my senses tell me...

  • IBOk hasnt been touched today
  • MIS project still remains virgin
  • KONSULT hasnt been taken care of

Just done with MA and have to go for MM case discussion in a few minutes...and the night goes on and on...but my dil doesnt go mmm mmmm... In the hope that the next 24 hours shall give something to bring a smile on my face... Adios...Amigos...