Mumbai rains

Mumbai faced one of the worst rains in recorded history. Floods, landslides and building collapsed killing at least 786 people(in Maharashtra as on today) and brought the financial capital Mumbai to a near-standstill.

Weather officials are predicting more heavy rain for the city of 15 million, where schools, banks and stock markets were closed and public transport barely operating... The city's weather bureau said Mumbai received 944.2 millimeters (37.1 inches) of rainfall in a 24-hour period ending mid-morning Wednesday, the most rainfall ever recorded in a single day in India and beating a record which has stood since July 1910.



About 76,000 animals have been killed, and 700,000 hectares (1.72 million acres) of land and 283,000 houses have been damaged.....

What I found to be sad was that, in some of the dairy farms the animals drowned because their legs were tied. The owners had not bothered to untie the animals which could have saved them easily....

What can one year do to you?

It feels as if yesterday i took up my first job! Well, a year has flown by since then.....donno how fast things have changed.

July 26, 2004: I still remember taking my bike out to IT park in bangalore. I was happy about everything, felt very good about myself...afterall this was the first time i was going for a job, yeah was a software engineer at HCL-Perot now. I still remember taking the wrong route and ending up going late for the induction program!

Since then, i have got some very good job offers, changed job, also left that....and now in Mumbai doing an MBA! Quite remarkably, it all has happened in a span of 1 year!

But the first company i worked in is something i would never forget... made some of my best friends there. We were nearly 100 odd people from different colleges undergoing the induction and training program together for nearly 3 months. How can i forget the good times all of us had there...the birthday bumps, first salary treats, ethnic day, weekend treats...etc etc. Twas mostly like an extended college, only difference being - i was being paid for having fun and learning new things...!

Nov 21, 2004: Well, this was the day of CAT.....how i almost missed writing CAT!. Was struck up with a nasty fever for a few days and had almost made up my mind not to write CAT that year. But somehow got better enough to write it..

During tat time changed jobs, had quite a few offers in hand...finally chose SAP. Well....the most process oriented and professional company i have been in.. Was involved in a very good project there, had bindaas time and thought - lemme settle down!

But as things would finally turn up...NITIE happened, landed in Mumbai and again having helluva lota gud time here...! Hope the saga continues....

Ciao till next time, Harsha..

My marketing lessons -;)

It's all about marketing.......

Stage1. Mandi about to start on Sunday, 10:00.

We got Asian Age to cover "Mandi"(which has been the topic of some discussion in a previous article of mine)!!!!!! that too in the front page of Mumbai edition on a Sunday!!

Awesome, I have to say. For me it really was. Because, it was an experience interacting with journos, reminding them, actually doing the donkey work(read paper work+innovating branding of the event as such). Well, this is a good start for the day...

Stage2. Selling, 14:30 - 17:00.

Well...the direct selling of the various products like toys, etc in different parts of Mumbai was something all of us would cherish lifelong. Let me list some of my takeaways from the exerise -

1. Selling is all about getting the right people to see the right things at the right time(a bit Kotlerish I suppose).

2. Pricing is a huge issue...selling a 20Rs. article in a posh mall is difficult, but selling a 200Rs. gadget is simpler, faster and easier. The reverse applies too.

3. Strategise.. Target the right people, know what they are looking for. Why should a 60 yr old man buy a jigsaw puzzle? Incidently we( myself and my friend Shreyas) sold 2 toys worth 500Rs. to an old man. We sold him those as stress-buster toys...he was happy, we were too.

4. Understand the art of attracting people. The funda is to keep ppl interested. Ex. We had asked ppl to try solving the IQ based puzzles....if they got it right, we sold them the toy at 10% discount. It was surprising that only 2 ppl solved the puzzle and also so many ppl got attracted because those 2 ppl solved the puzzle. This inturn led many more to buy these items!

Cool...its over now. Had gone to Phoenix Mall, Lower Parel(a posh mall). Sold 1300Rs worth articles at 2100Rs. A nice profit...isn't it?

If something can go wrong, it will!!

Strange ol' things happen to you when you least expect them....this is a famous line in one of Somerset Maugham's best short stories, 'The Verger'.

Yup....today found out that they really do happen. Today was one fine sunny day, relaxed and chilled for the better part of the day. 'Denovo'(Yeah..another cultural event at NITIE) was scheduled at 5PM. i found myself with nearly 3-4 hours to kill... So, what else could I do other than moving around the city.....well thought of going to NSE(had some work around there and also...just curiosity...for a first timer in Mumbai). I find the bus to Kurla pretty crowded.....from there to Bhandra-Kurla complex which is some 15 mins from there was pretty pleasant. I had already wasted 1.30 hrs travelling..




So, when the thought of going back came to my mind......the weather gods bowled a googly, sunny weather turned to cloudy, started raining heavily.....being a genius at predicting weather hadn't taken an umbrella...with nowhere to go around caught a bus in the wrong direction, and found that out only after I was sufficiently far away from returning to that place. Had to catch 2 more busses.....back to home sweet home.....NITIE.

Meantime with the Dinovo also over....remembered Murphy's law - if anything has to go wrong, it sure will.

Only silver lining was the refreshing snacks waiting just for me!

Ciao....Harsha

IMPRESSive

I just found out that journaism is a BIG fart.....should have known it much before...anyways, late but not lost.....

Have this Mandi thingy comin up.....bloody called up something like 20 odd journos.....asked them to cover the event and stumbled upon the truth - mediamen suck man....they really do.

Talked with one chap(read a journo) about the event to be covered...i missed recording his response, regret it now. Was surprised to find how much the ego can burst out from the phone...phew.

It's 12.00PM, sleeping early today...GN

Ciao, Harsha

Well....where's the time?

TIME is the most elusive thing on the planet....i am sure not one person is happy about the way 'time' is spent.... I feel there has to be a mechnism to elongate the day and shorten it as one pleases....of all the inventions one can conjure up if someone can come up with a 'time adjuster', he would become the greatest scientist ever!!

Everything is sooo cramped up. Day starts at 8 O'Clock in mornin...usual stuff(read classes) till evening, lunch and tea cramped in between....some or the other events scheduled to keep busy for rest of the day..(Mandi starting on this weekend, so contact the media ppl...get some articles written, MastishK quizz...also there, etc etc....) Sleep sound sleep earliest at 1.30PM.

What the hell is happening......tats one question which keeps comin to my mind? Is this all one needs to do.....learn, earn and yearn?? Is that all.....there has to be something missing in between all these, there surely is something missing.

The other day was reading some poems mostly ordinary ones. And lo...found one tat possibly touched me the most. Thought I will introduce the reader to my favourite poet William Davis(this poem of his gave an indication to what most of us are missing):

What is life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare!

How true, isn't it?

Ciao till next time...harsha

Do you know what is MANDI??

How is the courses thought in an MBA institute?? What is it that is done that differentiates the Good B-Schools from the Excellent?

Is it just the teaching methodology adopted in the classrooms that make a difference or is there any other method of learning? Are there no practical learning methods which can drive concepts better than mundane theory and 'Global Gyan' given in the classrooms.....

These and many more are common questions in everyone's mind, be it an aspiring MBA student or just a layman knowing what is "MBA" all about....I thought atleast with NITIE as an example let me provide some info about practical learning methods.... The challenge for management education currently is to bring students closer to real world situations. This has been met with some success in NITIE where a unique learning method has been implemented for the first year management students. "MANDI" is a teaching method where ‘Learning becomes Self Discovered’.


Students with MANDI toys ready to sell!

“When you find a bunch of young enthusiastic students on the roads of Mumbai selling innovative gadgets and toys, don’t mistake them for a group of innovative salesmen, or just creative geeks. They are some of the best minds in the country, students of NITIE, carrying out some project work that is part of the curriculum”. This was what a leading business magazine had to say about Mandi.

Mandi is an exercise where students engage in selling some toy products in the market whereby they learn the art of management. Each and every student is expected to participate in Mandi to understand and discover management wisdom. Students’ performance in the field is taken as one of the criterion for arriving at the academic excellence of a student.

One interesting thing is, last year 70,000 Rs was collected through selling the toys on a single day in MANDI, and what more all proceedings went to an NGO(Navnirmiti), to educate less fortunate children.....

Well, i think I have bored most people with seemingly "academic" looking articles.....the next article is gonna be one on a lighter topic and not sooo boringly long!!

So, till next time ciao, Harsha...

Tha aura of Hiranandani!!!

If you have visited Mumbai and not come to Hiranandani's you have missed something. This buzzing place is like a lifeline to all the inhabitants of NITIE and IIT Powai. The place always seems to bring us back to the commercial buzz of Mumbai.....well am i sounding somewhat psychic when i say "commercial buzz of Mumbai"? as Mumbai is the most commercial of all commercial places in India??

Well, if one has visited NITIE's pristine campus, then the comment i made just now would make sense. NITIE is located in the scenic north Mumbai, flanked by the Powai and Vihar lakes amidst the lush green environs....it resembles more of "God's own country"...yeah Kerala, than the crowded metropole, Mumbai.

The Hiranandani gardens thus becomes a very important place for all NITIEans to hang out and chill.....thinkin of Hiranandani's made me to do some research on the place as such. Found out that the place before construction of the township was a hilly region with thick green cover which was a dreaded place for the lay man to pass by as robberies was rampant in the area. Though now with the fine construction no such incidents are known to happen :)

"The Goal"

Lemme share some thoughts about the latest book I read....read on..

Was reading the book "The Goal" by Eliyahu Goldratt. The story is captivating and interesting and offers food for thought for managers in any field. Although it is a novel, this title is more appropriate for business collections. In this intriguing, readable business novel based on up to date economic thinking, Alex Rogo manages a failing manufacturing plant. He is facing losses in his manufacturing plant and needs urgent help to increase profits. In comes the elusive business guru, Jonah who teaches him how to cut costs and reduce inventory, thus in overall sense how to make "profits". A very key feature in the book was the stress given on the "Goal", i.e., aim of manufacturing plant....to make money. Cutting costs on individual basis or increasing the efficiencies on individual basis may not add up to the bottomline. A more holistic approach needs to be taken to achieve the "Goal".

An assembly line

Plant Layout

Well, all ppl interested in taking up SCM as their bread and butter have to read this book to know what is "Supply Chain", "inventory", "efficiencies", etc.... May be after reading this book, I myself have cleared some doubts regarding the processes and techicalities involved in the manufacturing industry....atleast on the basic level.

So till next time ciao...harsha

Life in a B-school??!!

Well....its been quite some time i posted here.....donno, sort of kept postponing posting.. As u may already be knowing from my last post, i joined NITIE. So hows the place?, whats the atmosphere like?, what about the junta - will i be outshone in everything i do?, can i cope with the pressure?, etc etc......yeah, these were some of the questions which had come to my mind before coming here.


The POND in NITIE campus, the hostel block also seen.


Have spent nearly 2 weeks here. So, whatz my first impression about this place? it's "heaven", beautiful and comforting. Yes, comforting beause i am away from home for the first time( tat too for 2 years...chill).

The first few days have been really hectic. Average time to hit the bedz somewhere around 2 'o clock ( talk about early to bed and early to rise funda!!).

There have been a lot of activities going on. There was the induction program from the seniors for the first few days...( man was that fun, u bet! ).Then came the "Parichay nights- TOPA"....well tats what they are called. Wondering wats it? yup coming right to that point. The freshers are divided into groups of 7-8 , and each group is given a topic to make a skit (mine was something like "Coffee with Mallika Sherawat"). Yeah we had TOPA spread over 3 days(oops...sorry nights, as it used to start at 9PM at continue till 1AM).....and all the skits are made to be lively and chirpy as this sure can act like an ice breaker among the batchmates when the creative juices start flowing. The whole exercise was one big success, the room filled with laughter each time a new joke came up and was really a good way to kick off......

By the way, our skit was the best and we won the best skit award( though my role was quite small, that of Jackie Chan!!)...

Now about the acads......the classes have been quite full surprisingly(a pleasant surprise compared to engineering days). Most of my batchmates as i found can be grouped into what is usually termed as the "cream", as most of them are CAT toppers......recently found that the lowest percentile in the class is around 97!! ( well.....talk about intellectual ability). The lectures have been lectures, how else can i describe them. They have been pretty informative and interesting. The most interesting thing was the amount of discussions and arguments we had in each session. Other than this there have been lots and lots of assignments to be completed, deadlines have been pretty sharp( i mean.....not enough time to complete!!).

Yeah overall its been pretty good.

And yes, before i signoff there's some important thing i missed out. Yes the "seniors"....they have been anything short of amazing. I don't know from where they get the energy, but they really are serious about the commitiee activities and the student initiatives. This brings in the other topic i had missed out : commitiees. Yes, these are student bodies that involve the students and are carried out for the welfare of the students and NITIE as a whole. We have a lot of commitiees like - Prerana : which looks after the inter B-school events, IMpress : which handles the media related activities( yeah...this is the face of NITIE), IMPACT : which handles induction programs for the new students, Placecom : for the placement activities and let me name the rest and not bore you with details... Cybercom, Alumni, BGyan, Samiksha, Mastishk( this is an online strategy game by the way....designed completely by the students). Hope to make it to one of them...the interviews are taken by seniors, got over yesterday( yeah...slept at 4.30 yesterday!!).

Its been a long post....for further posts just check out my blog.....now ciao!!!