Raja Rani review - good message, nice package

Raja Rani starring John and Rejina (Arya and Nayantara) is a typical masala fare. But a few points stand out which make the movie a compelling watch

The first thing striking about the movie is the opening lines - There is love after love failure. This sets the expectation of the movie upfront - a bold move for a director also akin to Vishy Anand disclosing his seconds in the recent chess tournament.

Secondly there are not many loose characters. However some important links are missing - Arya's parents for example.

The spoof on Ghajini is very good - Company name Airvoice, Soorya as the name of protagonist, Manobala being CEO etc is hilarious. The AR Murugadoss connection in both movies adds a more funny dimension

While it is possible to blame the frivolous love story of Nayantara/Jai and Arya/Nazim, it is also a plus as the focus of the story centres on the main couple and helps maintain the momentum. Kudos to the director for not trying too much.

Satyaraj has got a role which fits his image and experience at. As a friendly father, he has played his role with maturity rather than making a caricature

On the flip side, there some huge narration gaps. You expect Arya's boss(Rajendran) to be important but it flatters only. to deceive. Case, what was Laila's photo doing in his house? Poor editing.  Where are Arya's parents in his wedding? Songs are not great, nothing hummable. Jai sir, konjam nadinga boss!! Tired of see you as a "vayilla poochi".

On the whole, a film released in Sep that runs after the Diwali weekend speaks volumes of the strength of the movie. Completely watchable...

Indian Ads - Reaching new depths

I just can't wonder to what depths Indian ads can reach. Three stand out as he worst. I still fondly remember the "1 Black coffee please" of Ericcson's which shot Indian advertising industry to fame from wilderness. From there we have come crashing to these ads. A brief rant.

1) Horlicks vs Complan -

It is shocking to see the brazen violation of any semblance of decency in the recent Horlicks vs complan fight. I do not who triggered the dirty namecalling but it is very very bad taste. I am led to understand that there are humiliations slapped on brands and admakers by means of public citations (which until recently was bagged by Ladies fairness creams) This one takes the cake this time around. Be sportive guys. Don't behave like kids.....


2)Horlicks Ad

Yet another cropper from the Horlicks Stable. I was "propahly" horrified when I saw this ad. I do not know who are their current admakers but seriously the top management needs to seriously review their contract with them and AT THE EARLIEST. Is this the same company which gave an ad such as this?

3) Fair & Lovely

An eternal punching bag, the impotency or rather the infertility of human creativity amazes me no extent. While the Indian male has moved ahead in terms of expectations and the description of his "Dream Life Partner", the makers of Fair & Lovely ads have frozen in time to the India of the 60s and 70s. Can't they ever get creative at all? The current ad has in essence diluted the message leaving me wondering " What the hell was the product - the lady or the cream?" Guys, listen, there are hazzar legitimate things which a woman can achieve professionally and peersonally other than getting married. Please highlight them( For more details contact me)


For all the O & M s and other ad agencies, a request please


WAKE UP

Capitalism vs Socialism - the Argument resurfaces

"Privatization of profits and socialization of losses - where's justice?"
screams the tagline of an "intellectual" on gtalk

"Russia turns capitalist in 1991, US turns Socialist in 2008" says another

The last three weeks has seen some phenomenal action on the international arena. Names that popped up were Lehmann, Merill, AIG then came the surrender of Goldman and Morgan and WaMu was the final part of a the proverbial "sinking ship" which sucked the living breath of the entire financial world.

While people cry hoarse over the actions of the US govt and the appropriateness thereof, just sit back and look at it in an impartial manner.

Let us go back to the fundamentals - thousands of years back, when man(rather homo sapiens) discovered the fire, was it a perfected art. Nay. To this day, there are improvisations. This is the case with all human ingenuity - improvisations, adaptability and learnability. The principle of capitalism or socialism is no different.

That socialism died is more a fault of human impatience rather than the flaw in the philosophy. Mind you, Lenin's socialism ( i am told) did talk of graduation from state control to privatization. I am reasonably led to believe in that view point as I do not know of any philosophy that is bereft of any incentives - from sex to spirituality.

I am not a master of capitalist philosophy but I do know that distortions have always existed - take for instance the concepts of tax, tax subsidy and in the policy of price support ( the last one comes to the front page during WTO summits,watch out) which is followed even in the Mecca of capitalism (oops sorry Vatican of capitalism, to be politically right) the US.

And back home, the recent proposals to relax the ECB norms for the telecom sector to USD 500 mn as against the cap of USD 100 mn. You may call this corruption, I choose "restricted/ limited/contained socialism." (I intend to patent all 3 terms)

The next comes bundling(some call it bungling, that's also partly true) spectrum allocation with service provisioning. Even this license is not auctioned as should be the case in free market but alloted. What is the basis? First come first serve. Is this not blatant government control??

Beneath this is the precept close to Shobha De " The Greatest common good". Which is what the Government is doing. It is doing what it thinks is the greatest common good.

So that brings us to the question - " Who knows what is the GCG" for this is not math to be computed. The answer - "Decision makers' beliefs and capabilities to convince others to bring them to the table. Decision makers at that point in time matter.

The Glass Steagall Act was passsed as it was believed by the decision makers that such a move would prevent a bank run or crises of confidence in future. That was intervention. It worked and for 60 years. Then it was scrapped and came the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Along with SoX Act, it was supposed to bring in more transparency into the system and prevent any mishaps in the financial industry.

But coming to the point, the government of today feels that the wall between the two should fall for the improvement of the financial services. The argument against plenty but net net the thought process has changed. Will this avert another crisis. Time alone can say.

So, what's the conclusion. Well it boils down to Darwin's theory of evolution, natural selection et al.... is the answer.

Tet-a-te (or whatever) with an airhostess

A few days back, I had a close session(?) with an airhostess. I was on board from Delhi to Chennai with Indigo and I thoought why not discover what goes on in the mind of an airhostess. They were pretty. They appeared smart but were perceived to be dumb. So what is their profile. Obviously she had been trained to give the right sound bytes but nevertheless, twas interesting.



The conversation was as follows:



Me:So, Ms (I look for her name badge) Nazma, you have these feedback forms. So why don't you make them thin it will serve the purpose of tissue paper for you?

She:Actually we forward the forms to the relevant people and action is taken.(beep came the sound from the lie detector)

Me: I see. What made you choose this life?

She: Challenge.

Me: (shucks.... I should have spoken to her before my interviews) Interesting...What is so CHALLENGING about this role.

She: Handling people...managing the flight and the like. I have visited most places in India which I now not many people can afford given their constraints. This is what i liked about this. And the money of course.....

Me: So how much is it...if u dont mind

She: Oh absolutely not.....35k to start with and in a year or 2 upto 70k

Me: So where were you before joining Indigo

She: Hospitality ...in a hotel chain. (she said some name which i dont remember)

Me: Does your career stop by 25-30. Rather when do you retire and (couldn't resist this) what is the career progression.

She: There is no retirement. One takes on new responsibilities and moves ahead?

Me: Like?

She: Like training, air traffic control.......etc

By then, the flight started its descent and I had to go back to my seat.

(Gosh!!I had forgotten to note down her mail id!!!) Will make up next time

Nagarjuna Konda beckons ISB

We went to NagarjunaKonda Dam last saturday. A Jing bang of 24 hyper guys & gals left ISB at about 7 AM on a March Saturday in 2008. Simply put, a few people left for the dam on 8th March 2008. After plenty of stops we finally reached the place by about 12:30 at the dam. Half an hour travel on a trawler made one feel as if we were on a vacation. We were on an island which housed a few of the ancient relics apart from plenty of Budhism associated relics.

Ruins excavated belonging to the 3rd and 4th centuries mention that the place was known as Vijayapuri. It is believed that the place is named after Vijaya Satkarni, the Satavahana ruler and founder of the township.

The place was subsequently the home to Ikshavaku rulers. The women in the harem who were deeply influenced by Budhism made this place a Budhism hotbed. In fact, Nagarjuna Konda is namd after the Budhist saint/monk.(need to google about this guy).

The historical importance of this township came to light in 1926 when Mr A.R. Saraswati, an Assistant is the ASI, along with M.H. Kuraishi and Mr. Longhurst, Superintendent, Southern circle ASI recovered and excavated the sculptures leading to finding a number of monuments, monastries and other sculptures. The good work was further consolidated by Mr T.N. Ramachandran who succeeded in excavating many more such monuments.

The compulsions of building the Nagarjun Sagar dam post independence (remember – temples of modern india argument by hamara Panditji) led to ASI making a determined effort to salvage the ruins before the submergence. In a short span of 6 years, over 100 sites spanning the entire length and breadth of the valley; from early Stone Age to late medieval period were discovered. As the site could not be preserved, a new way to combat cultural destruction was found. The entire findings were transplanted to safer locations and about 9 monuments were rebuilt in their original size and alignment and kept for display. Some of the statues had been reconstructed piece by piece.

We then had a brief look at the Budha statue which was stationed at a location nearby before hurrying back to the mainland. This was an experience in itself, the boat ride. The sight of the sun with the reflections on the water body was a sight to behold. The rocks and the imposing dam(though dry) against the backdrop of the setting sun was imposing. Indeed, a shiver went done my spine at the thought of the humungous construction which the country had witnessed in the 50s and 60s. (See pics)

Sadly, the inconveniences of going with a big gang prevented visiting further places. There was a water fall apart from some temple which I thought I would visit later. Some of the people who had come in smaller groups later said that the falls was great too.

One thing I noticed in this place was the pathetic network coverage. It surprises me coz, I expected better service in terms of lower congestion as it is a tourist resort. But it was not so. Those who go there better have a BSNL sim, which I expect to have better network in rural areas.
Night set in and it was dinner. The only thing about the restaurant worth remembering would be this…….The hotel stood for transparency. A "outsider's" view of the loo.

We returned to the hotel by about 11:30 post which we played Killer, a game.(more of it later. It is now a rage in the campus) Then we played thumbola and slept early by about 3:30. We left the hotel by about 10 in the morning and reached campus by 3:00 PM.

This weekend, I am planning a trip to srisailam. Will update soon.

A watchman and a cook

Yesterday, a cook who made omelettes in Goel ( our internal mess equivalent) said that he had quit and he would be joining a ship in Italy. "So what?" 1 might wonder. Just that I always knew that he was slated for better things. Serving over 200 students everyday during breakfast, he knew the preferences of most of them, and knows on what days a particular student doesn't have eggs etc. He was also an active orkutter apart from being fluent in english, french, hindi & telugu.

When I slept over this, I remembered the watchman at my school. As the sole watchman for primary school, he was the care-taker for more than 2000 kids. He knew the pick up guy for each student and would ensure that every student went only with specified guy. No student could ever move out of the campus without his knowledge. He was such an indispensable resource that he had to continue working till about 65 years.

Looking baack, both these individuals impressed me a lot. Just thought will record this.

Experience - over the past year

Ok let me tell this with a caveat - " Thou shalt not question me whether I practised what I am goin to preach." My claim to fame rests on the belief that I can disseminate information and learnings of people who made it to what they wanted - be it consulting, I banks. I too did so, but it was accidental only.
Ok first things first. I intend to give my gyan in capsules hence I am dividing the learnings into various parts -

a) Managing expectations
b) Acads - including electives
c) Relationships & Career choice
d) Extra curriculars - including b-school competition & spikes
e) Preparing for fin interviews
f) The d- week - already covered in the previous blog.
g) Handling disappointments

I hope to cover each of these issue separately in th coming days.

Till then
Ciao

Placement week - is it the worst nightmare??

Hi guys,

Back after a long hibernation. The placement week just got over. While the school will come out with statistics later, here are some of my experiences. If you follow this, the week becomes easier to handle.

Rule 1: The Shortlist hungamma
If you don't have a single shortlist till day -1, don't panic. From Day 2 onwards, walkin starts and entire exercis of shortlists make no sense at all.
Corollary: If you have 6 shortlists for Day 1, still you could get placed only on day 6 or even later. This is a test of character and self-belief. Have faith in yourself. I won't say making to ISB is great. All I am saying is 1 week can not, I repeat CAN NOT determine the course of your life. You have done well before coming here(I suppose) and ISB cannot undo what u have done before.

Rule 2: The myth about EoI.
Many spend atleast an hour or 2 on EoI. It is not worth it. It is just NOT WORTH IT. Instead spend time, identifying what the role would involve and customize your resume to it. Forget about consulting resume, there are enough people to help you with it. If Mc or BcG has "identified" u as a potential, they will be behind you to work on your resume. It is more important for fin jobs. For instance for research, the resume has to be process orientaed - say " Conceived new process blah blah..." for relationship, it has to be people oriented - " Secured management consensus to implement X,Y,Z process blah blah" . It wont make any sense now wait till December when things be clearer .

Rule 3: What is your USP?
Know about the company and the role fairly well. Browse their website, study the role, WRITE DOWN what strengths and weaknesses you are going to talk, Why this company, why this role. AND AND AND PRACTISE THEM. People will help and support you but end of day you have to take the initiative. Beyond Day 2, that is the differentiator. Depending on your nature, you could be depressed then. Then it becomes difficult to do this. But somehow do it. It helps. It boosts your confience during the interview and it reflects in your response.

Rule 4: The first mover advantage
By God's grace you should be placed by Day 2. But 420 people, there will be a possibility of not being placed by then. Don't despair. More importantly, please dont carpet bomb the same resume to all recruiters. Identify 3 (rather a few)companies and target them. Customize your resume to the role and go to the interview location by 8:45 AM. Be the first to drop your resume for walkin the earliest. Chances of getting a shortlist is higher.

Rule 5: The desperation is two sided
As much as you want a job, they want to fill vacancies. So chill out and do not despair. Be casual in your approach and do not get desperate.

Rule 6: Your PI preparation contributes only 30 % of the actual interview.
Starting mid-term 6 or early term 7, people start preparing for the D-week in all earnestness. It would be great if you can start earlier, but most people do not. While you prepare day and night on technicals, they are useful for Day 1 & 2, max Day 3. Beyond that companies do not care about your technicals much. It is more important to prepare on PI such as your workex, why mba, why isb, instances when leadership was displayed etc.... These will help you than all the mugging you have done of PE multiples, industry facts etc. Believe me, I am speaking the truth.

Rule 7: Go to the interview with an open mind
Sometimes companies come with a preconceived notion that they will recruit for a particular profile.(Blame it on other colleges which have only freshers.) When they come over, they realize that they can get a candidate for a better role. Of all the interviews, it happened to me atleast on 3 occassions. Be open to diametrically radical roles. In one case, I applied for an analyst role which was advertized and ended up interviewing for the role of the head of a different department.

There are plenty more which you can see on other postings but these are my experiences only. Hope you found them useful.
So long ......

Time flies at a 1 year MBA.

It appears so fresh in my mind my coming to ISB, I still remember the first person I spoke to on campus. But as I sit today, the count down to placement and Convocation has already started. Just in case, some prospective ISBian saw this, I thought I should share some thoughts......... Some golden rules: (The views expressed in this article are strictly personal and expressed under the influence of alcohol. You can't question me later on these opinions.)

1) Listen attentively during pre-term to alum gyan.. and make notes.. I didn't.. I suffered. It's very difficult not to get enamoured.. but try your best not to.
2) Enjoy the first 2 terms. Life gets miserable after that.
3) Develop rapport with ur study group during pre-term. It helps. Trust me
4) If you thought your study group was very strongly bonded, wait till term 2. Markstrat is the litmus test.
5) If you don't get beyond 3.3 CGPA in Term 1 & 2, start working on ur spikes - volunteer for events, join Net impact, do anything but start.
6) It is important to be part of ILS task force. Even if you don't do any work, this is a good spike.
7) If you are a smart alec, u are saved, else cling to one. (Come here to find out whether u r an alec), the school changes ur perception drastically.
8) Develop rapport with alums early in the school.
9) Go through all the folders in generalhomenew in week 1 of preterm max week 2.
10) Don't trust anybody after term 4.5. U r digging ur grave.
11) If u r done with ur dinner, wait for the other person to complete, even if he takes 20 mins. atleast till end of term 2.
12) Be attentive in Bob Stine' s class, Krishna Kumar's class, Jagmohan Raju MKTG, Suren Mansinghka/ Bhagawan choudhry & Ramana Sonty.
13) Attend parties and dunking.
14) Try for GSB election. You get the opportunity to meet a lot of very special people whom others may never meet.

That's all for now folks. Bye

Academic and intellectual affairs @ ISB

On the intellectual side, I passed my X(with a Centum) , XII, B.Com and my CA, shifted 3 jobs in 2 years before I landed at ..........

The ISB at Hyderabad......Hereafter this space shall cover all the events at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.

Its been a month since i ve landed here and man..it has been crazy ever since.......Lot of people have been updating on the weekly/daily/some even hourly progress but ....................



Here I go...........I hope to update the space on a regular basis



The first week was induction wherein we had the alums talking to us abt life here....they were alums not seniors. For those who dont know, the PGPM @ ISB is a one year program. No ragging, no gyan. Help is plenty though. Every 'senior' drills us the same message "When in doubt, consult." Very helpful ppl, provided you go that extra mile

The next week was pre term . For the benefit of people from different background, the school "tries" to make a smooth transition. The modules are on Financial accounting, statistics and mathematics.

Main terms started on April 30. The school functions on a 4 day week schedule with four hours of class day. All people are grouped in teams of 4 or 5. Division into groups is done keeping in mind the need for diversity in the group. Rarely do 2 CAs or 2 entrepreneurs come together in the group. Each term is of 6 week duration and there are 8 terms in all.

Assignments are given which may have to be completed in groups or individually. All these are graded and count for your final marks.

This year we had four subjects for term 1 viz, Financial accounting and decision making, Managerial (micro) economics, Marketing and Statistics.

The best part of the course is the visiting faculty model at ISB. Teachers, mostly from Wharton and kellogg come here to teach. And man, most of them are fabulous. A few things stare at your face when you listen to them. First, their sense of humour. The humour they bring to teaching is marvelous. In stark contrast are the home bred faculty. No doubt, they are technically as brilliant as their counterparts but the zest and zeal is evident in its absence.

The next is their exam orientation. The economics prof of the first half of 1st term(an indian) did not dare to venture out of the confines of his room for nearly 3 hrs after the eco mid term fearing repercussions. In contrast again, the faculty for accounts from Wharton was elaborating on the exam pattern, method of study etc in class and stuck to the schedule in the exam. Not only this, the orientation in class of this faculty from Wharton was on the practical side. Teaching, analysis etal.

Thats all folks for now...........

Coming up ...........Acads is a very small part of ISB life.........life beyond the classrooms with photos... Until then byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Where do I begin

"Where do I begin ...to tell the story of how great love can be ... the sweet love story that is older than the sea.......Where do I start"


Ok. let me begin from the beginning. God seperated himself from himself to love himself. And on the sixth day of creation he created man.............Fast forward.

To cut the long story short, He achieved perfection at 2:57 PM (ok there is confusion on the timing though) on the Dec 3, 1981 in the erstwhile Madras. (Why should i be any different?Let me blow my trumpet.)

And so the years passed by and I crawled,rolled, ran,rummaged and ruined the roads of Chennai ruthlessly. 24 summers ran by..................................Oh my God, I didnt realize that... I still remember the brown colour shirt my dad was wearing when he dropped me in kindergarden and the rocking duck which I occupied pushing a kid out.

In the meantime I did achieve some things in life .........started copying in Std I, first crush in class II,( I'll talk of her later), shuttled between life and death on 3 occasions(in one case, the doctor had given up........more about it later) broke my teeth, cracked a few glasses and so on...

On the intellectual side, I passed my X(with a Centum) , XII, B.Com and my CA, shifted 3 jobs in 2 years before I landed at ..........

(Hi, hold on.................the best is yet to come.................stay tuned for regular updates.......till then....... ciao) (Coming up next................where did Sampras go and whom did he want to impress?)