KhAnA KhAzAnA

Oh Calcutta

Gunpowder

Big Chill

Mamagato

Creps and More

Chidambaram

Nizam’s

Karim

Pind Balluchi

CR Park

NFC Shawarma

Punjabi By Nature

Near East KFC

KFC, Nirula’s, Pizza Hut, McD, Dominos

Subway

Chi Kitchen

Café Olive

Khan Chacha

Moets

Andhra Bhawan

Sarvanna Bhawan

American Diner

Wengers

Haldiram

Paranthe Wali Gali

Delhi Haat

Select City Walk, Ambience, GIP malls

Garam Masala

Chocola

Chocolate Room

Yellow Chilli

Lemon Twist

Bercos

Pandara Road

Zen

Deez

Rajinder Da Dhaba

Amici Café

Cola Wala at Green Park

Arabian Nights

3C Mall

Lebanese – PVR Saket

Bonsai

QBA

DU

Chawla Chicken

Kadami

EDM and Pacific

Sec 39

Bengali Sweets

Nathu’s

Om Sweets

Galaxy Hotels

Seven Wonders

Understanding what life means at 45 Deg C

Well, just to give you a background. The author was an investment banker, and had worked in some of the poshest places on the face of the city, with the best facilities around, and without ever stepping out in the heat. Having work for 3 years in such conditions, the author had no idea of what life would FEEL like in a place with no electricity, no air conditioner. A general perception was that of difficulties galore.

DOCC - Development of corporate citizenship, goes the formal name. But this one initiative at SPJIMR goes further than just creating corporate citizenship. It goes to the extent of making one realize that things in life are difficult to come by, and that the intensity of your struggle is only a relative measure against the benchmark. You set a benchmark that you see convenient.

DOCC changes this benchmark. It takes you to unexplored shades of life itself. And in these shades, when you see how even water and hygiene are a luxury, you first feel disgusted.

This is normal, because whatever you may want to feel, you do not like what you see.

But then you see, how people still live with something like this. You imagine, have they evolved to become zombies, numb of all pain, and sense of reality? You imagine, who can survive such a thing.

As you spend time with them, you begin to understand, that how these simple folk, never complain. Their resilience continues to grow with each passing day. Do not mistake them to be passive about not improving their lot. They do have aspirations, but their aspirations are not at the mercy of their present situation. They dont give importance to what gets them to think lowly about who they are. There is enough fire in that belly, to beat the heat of the sun.

AS they take another stride to silently achieve what they desire, you begin to see, the heat can only take away their soul, it cannot take away their spirit. Lesson's like these dont come from the text book, they only come only when you experience the world at 45 deg C.

Weird, Wicked, Wild, Wizard Like, WoW = the First year of an SPJIMR MBA

yeah, why the W word you may think? my Whims...

things get to your head here...
Numbness and a rush of energy.. something you may experience in a matter of minutes.. (like when you get the Quant quiz in Hand, numbness... like you strike a solution in the dying minutes, A rush of energy)

You feel sleepless and sleepy at the same time... Like when you have not slept for day's together, and there is an exam coming up, and like when your colleague is about to start studying, and is expected to do better than you..

You feel elevated and devestated in a matter of minutes... like when you come out of an exam hall, thinking you have 9 / 10 ... and when you hear that everyone is pegging a 10/10.. which under the draconian rules of relative grading means, you are failing ;)

Like you shamelessly adapt, and get a astonishingly original idea... when you doing a Gas filled assignment, and shamelessly copy it, or when you think, well, the source took i t from wikipedia, and since he has not mentioned the original source, i will put it as a link under the write up.. so that the assessor thinks i was the one who got it from there first.

Like you dont know how to cook, and you yet know how to cook... especially when you are hungry and don';t know what to eat, and especially when you are answering a HRM exam.. :)

Like you miss the bus, and you miss the bus... previous one, when you miss the complete quiz, as it leaves you blank... like you miss the feeling of being blank ...

Like you go to the mess, and recycle the mess.... Going to the mess to eat lunch / dinner / crap, or go through your group mates assignments, and re do the whole mess, improving its quality substantially, making it edible (oops readable)

Like when you talk of giving a damn, and really dont give a damn... especially when asked about a bad exam, and especially while checking the marks for tha bad exam.

Like you hate the DCP, and you want the DCP... especially when you hear inconsequential gas, and especially when you hear earth shattering Thoughts ( bureaucracy and pythagoras theorem)

Like you Want to leave, and so want to be a part of ... especially when you looking to go home, and especially when you want to be a part of the group snap...

This can go on... Hmnnn I can now say a pride, i have enough contradictions to award myself Half an MBA... half an MBA WTF?

Se Sentir Bien

Se Sentir Bien = It Feels GOOD....

And it really does feel that way.. Foundation exams over... And even those who slept over the past two days, while taking their books for their pillows, will spend the night awake tonight, and this could mean either by rambling over a tele-series, or seeing a movie or 2, or playing a hard fought game of Counter strike, or FIFA, or speaking to your girl-friend, or just painting the town red.. the festivity will last till one gets to another round of exams, and then the same dreary activity of sleeping with your eyes open, (to understand more read the article posted a few days back.) begins to get replayed.

However the next few days are looking very promising, with a PG Lab and a trip to khandala summing up the festivities.. however they say too much of a good thing is a bad thing, as it makes re-transitioning difficult... :-) . But for now, let enjoy the next few days.. in the mean while a Khaulti Khabrein PG LAB Special is expected.

A sense of nostalgia

In the mean while, the CAT Notifications came out today, and, having taken the CAT 4 times to finally get though here, it feels genuinely, amazingly, astonishingly, brilliantly, sincerely, truly and pristinely GOOD... Finally you can say with your head held high... you are on the other side of the finshing line of this RAT race.

P.S : the race just got a little more tougher as more than 250K students expected to be in contention ( thanks to extensive marketting efforts of TIME, IMS, CL etc.etc.etc) for the top 10 institutes which have a (ball park maximum figure of) 2500 seats... now I know why it feels so wickedly good...

Hooked on ...

"Love, Devotion, Feeling, Emotion/ Dont be afraid to be weak/ don't be too proud to be strong / just look into your heart my friend/ and that will be the return to your self/ your return to innocence."

A beautiful song from New age world music group, Enigma, and it applies to everything that you do while you are at a B-School. You believe you are the best, till you find that there are many who are far better than what you are, however, you also find that since everything is relative, there are many who are worse of than you as well.. and thus you learn your second lesson... which is the continuation of the lyrics in the song..

If you want/ then start to laugh/If you must,/then start to cry/Be yourself dont hide/Just believe in destiny./ Dont care what people say/ Just follow your own way/ Dont give up and use the chance / To return to innocence.

Life moves on, and each one gets a chance to shine, the point is to continue to do what you do the best, and hope for the best. Because " the Harder you work, the Luckier you get."

Signing off till the end term exams get done.... wishing everyone the best of luck

We had a ball...

Some Pictures tell the story better than words.. This was surely one of the nights to remember.. and the talent on display was absolutely AMAZING... Kudos to all who made it such a memorable night..

Just on a passing note.. what stops this talent to showcase itself further.. let the shacklebolts be ripped apart.... Go Batch of 2008 - 2010 paint the town red!!

Sleeping with... "Eyes Wide OPEN"

This is an art form.. how can one shut of his brains completely, go in a state of in-animation, however remain to keep one's eyelids open, to give an impression of an extreme form of concentration.. to master this art form is MBA...

It starts as you learn it by practical approach to it, while in the class.. and then learn its extended approach while you start / resume your corporate careers in those dreary meetings.

The extension also invloves contributing in a non pervasive way, by nodding your head just at the right time, to give an impression that what has been spoken around is being internalised, and is being consistently reflected upon.

And just like a beer coming out of hibernation, to be its normal self, or the arctic frog coming to life after in a "dead state" from the icy arctic weather, the budding managers come out of their first lecture's Eyes wide open ritual, fresh and more interested than ever to contribute in a real way to the next lecture.. before they find that they are addicted to this process, and sleep again.. with "Eyes Wide Open"

All hail management Education......

Of surprise quizes

Fifteen days after setting foot at this place.. life has changed seems to be a hackneyed phrase.. life has changed and more than that has changed the way one reacts to changes..

When things dont remain under your control.. there is only one thing to do.. let go.. and what has to happen will happen.. either by default or by design.. and this has been the greatest learnings in the past few days..

This becomes very apparent when you have a bombshell exploding over your head when the Prof brings with himself/herself a wicked smile, and points out of the impending disaster (read surprise quiz that you have no prepartion of) about to happen to you.. and all you say is "oh f***"

You smile at your misery.. thinking how you prioritized time over surfing some stupid website.. or playing a keenly contested game of counter strike over the network, or downloading any crappy movie that you could lay your hands on.. or just wiling away your time doing pretty much nothing.. and then you realise what has to happen.. has to happen .. either by default or by design.. which means that if you have to fail.. there is nothing that can stop you...

That leads me to my second conclusion.. since no amount of studying is goona do you any good why not continue doing what we did.. hopefully this time the design favours us.. after all every dog has his day.. and every thing is relative.. even the scores you accomplish..

Apart from the business school has just begun taking its toll.. For eg.. getting used to sleeping for 5.5 hrs a day.. and not by burining the midnight oil.. but by watching that feaking stupid movie you happen to lay your hands on the P2P software overnight..

Hope some lessons are never learnt :-)

Finally a post from here....

Well finally we have a post on the blog after officially becoming SPJites. It seems after landing in Mumbai we all forgot about this place..Anyways the last 15 days here have passed away just like a breeze. It has been an amazing fortnight starting with Day Zero (16th june) till date. Classes have started with full flow and when you add to it the assignments, group works and obviously the tests you realise that the MBA "mania" is catching you..!!!

We are in the foundation course right now and it seems the stepping stones will be tough to climb, so I guess one can imagine what will happen when proper courses begin. But in any case the soldiers are out with their swords and the battle is gonna be really interesting and will definitely last for the coming two years. History tells us that there are almost no lives lost in such battles, specially when the battleground is SPJIMR, so I hope the current fight will be no different.

I will be back soon after reminding the warriors that they are supposed to pen down their experiences here, so that there are records to fill up History books...:)

One more week to go...

As I write this there exactly remain 8 days more between the joining date to claim your hostel rooms and the MBA program to start for good. Anxiety and expectations have put their grip tightly around every other thought that crosses the mind. Anxiety about how the changed world awaiting us will receive us, and anxiety whether one will be able to successfully adapt to change.. however expectations are the flotsam that keep us aloft and one only needs to think as much. Expectations as to how this one choice (of doing an MBA program, and working hard to achieve it) will change ones life for better, is enough a cure for any negative thought, and this is what will help one keep going forward, in times of distress and in times of joy alike. Expectations that the new people we meet turn out to be friends for all times to come will help us pass through many a anxious moments.
The countdown to this change is now nearing its far end...

The Road to Heaven passes though HELL.....

Whoever said that has said it correct.

As students of a premier institute like this one, we are all looking at our life 5 years hence, where-in we will have great paying jobs, lovely home, blissfull life.. etc etc etc. And I am sure that all of that will be true, for everyone.....But before that we still have to meet our fate accompli... and the going in the next two years will be grueling, and a constant feeling that will accompany us at all times is a feeling of getting badly screwed.. I put this in such harsh words because there will be no escape, and prisoners will not be taken...

A small indication in that regard has already been sent to us in the form of PFC and E-course, tests are on their way even before we have started with the school.... life is about to see some real turmoil..

However, there is no glory in going down without a fight...

I finish this thought on a note.. Gold gets its sheen only when it gets burnt.... on that note i go back to my books.... wishing everyone all the best...


I

This is what it is all about.....

The season has started and it has started with a speed more than that of a Ferrari on a F1 circuit and believe me I am not trying to exaggerate. Many of us got a mail last nite at about 11 (just imagine what a time to get a mail from a teacher) about the e learning module. It had a surprise for all of us, now we are going to have 3 online discussions followed by tests and all this even before getting to the campus. With PFC material still on its way, e learning module to be studied, the though of a test would have been the last thing. It doesn't end there, we are also going to get assignments and we will have to complete them in the given time.

I never had imagined that the preview will be like this, God knows what the movie will have for us. With just 16 days before we get to campus, many are still finishing their office work, some having final year exams, I have no idea how will people manage this surprise. Now it seems that what ever our seniors had said earlier about first year being very hectic was true and we will have to be on our toes every single day.
But having said all that I think and I hope the excitement of being a part of such a good B school will take us all the way in doing the assignments, taking the tests and facing any other surprise from S P Jain.
Vamos SPjites...!!!

Google the great..... from a non believer to a believer...

I write this because it amazes me no limits, as to how a 150 people who have mostly never met each other before are today interacting and thriving as community online, and all this on the basis that they will be joining a business school in future..

One only needs to look at the Orkut community of this batch, and its easy to make out, that people know about each other's background, know their relationship status, know their weird habits, know about each others hobbies etc etc, and the list goes on. all on the basis of simple online networking.. So far i was a non believer in the power of social networking websites, thinking that they were a passing fad.. but the sheer quantum and quality of information, and the ability of this concept to unite seemingly unknown individuals has made me change that opinion.. Five years back when I entered college to graduate, yahoo group email was as far as social networking went. But, today the number of options available and the enthusiasm of people, make sure that people left behind feel that they should catch up...

Thanks to Google and the people there, to present something as simple yet as elegant as Orkut, and in it an idea that will take the concept of communication many places...

Keeping my fingers crossed and literally hope that the online camaraderie materializes itself in the real world as well...

P.S ...just wonder if the excitement of meeting everyone new in person, like the old days will still exist ??? comments welcome...

Rishav

Hey guys....
This is one crazy personality for you...as far as the zodiacs are concerned..i am a capricorn (3rd Jan). But you shall find lots of surprises in store. Im kinda impulsive, majorly adventurous and love making friends. Politics is something i loath, so stay away from it. Born and brought up in Calcutta, graduated from NIT Jaipur (one of the prettiest city in the country) and worked in Mumbai . Frankly im in love with mumbai as well. The attitude is just too awesome.
Personal interests.. Dancing is my diehard passion. have done it all through my life hitherto. "Just play it on" attitude runs deep. Other interests include reading,swimming, music and watching sports and movies.
Books.. read anything i get my hands on. latest was Chowringee, one of my better reads till date.
Movies.. again open to all. Few favourites being pursuit of happiness (Will Smith rocks), life is beautiful, 300, Troy, Lord of the rings, etc.... the list goes on..
Sports.. try my hands on all but man i goof it up completely. but watch them a lot. Im all the way for the reds.. ferrari and Man U. Tennis cals for nadal and sharapova.
My memory ditches me quite a number of times and also get too lazy at times (Thanks to engg.).
Im really excited to join the college..new life new people and of course the hostel life returns.. Hope excitement accompanies this journey..
Thats me folks.

Dhairya

Hello all,
So..it all begins with the arrival of the PFC E-learn module..slowly but surely the journey starts. Am sure the next 2 years will be a magical and whirlwind ride..

about myself..a capricorn (jan 2nd) born and brought up in mumbai..seeing the sights, smells and sundry other things happening every second of the day (and night) here in mumbai for the past 24 years..have already done my bachelors in management studies from Jai Hind college in mumbai..so MBA was the best bet as a post graduate study option (figured no other field would take me :) )..work ex of arnd 2.5 years..want to specialise in finance..

i just love travelling..the best way to de stress..have been fortunate to vist some wonderful places so far.. believe India has all the possible places you would ever want to visit. some unknown and hidden gems which will surely make your jaw drop....developed an interest in photography (a possible side effect of my being bitten by the travel bug)..

love reading..books can possibly offer the best companionship (i.e. if you cant get through to any of your frnds)..a way to escape reality..count agatha christie, arthur hailey, john grisham, ken follet, erle stanley gardener, tintin, alistair maclean, malcolm gladwell amongst favourites..other interesting and wonderful books i have read include iaccoca, life of pi, to kill a mocking bird, the curious incident of the dog in the night time, three men in a boat, freakonomics, fooled by randomness and banker to the poor etc..

sports and movies - this is like the daily bread and butter..ardent cricket fan..(t-20 is good timepass but give me test match cricket any day)..tennis (sharpova and ivanovic :)) - roger federer is probably the best tennis player ever but i still like to support rafael nadal..soccer and arsenal football club..formula 1..like playing cricket, tt, chess, soccer and badminton..also love playing board games and cards..movies..well have a looong list of awesome movies..maybe someday later (thank god! - most of u might be saying)

finally an ardent quizzer..as u guys must havve guessed..i really have nothin to do these days hence this long blog..apologies for the same..

so c u all very shortly and spend atleast 2 wonder years with u all..

MEOW !

I got my first dope on CAT about 3 years ago. My friend and senior - lets just call her "so!" - gave me some gyaan: Don't join any class just write loads of tests. And I didn't join a class. And looking back it was a great idea! For most of my friends (who had joined classes) were finding novel ways of skipping class or trying to convince each other with stuff like 'progressions to aata hai yaar.... kal tenses ke liye jaayenge'. But the 'kal' never came. And they also had to deal with the guilt of paying 15 thousand bucks and not making the most of it!

A potent combination of laziness and procrastination meant that I wasn't writing too many tests. Actually, I wasn't writing any till the test series started. And IMS, TIME etc. didn't have test series beginning a year in advance..... so what could poor li'l me do about that!

Soon the CAT came along, screechin' et al (what with the newspapers going bonkers with all the hype and hoopla!), and before I could say MEOW it was over! This was followed by loads of feline analysis which put my score around 98. (In this respect TIME was the best - they predicted a couple of IIM calls for me :)) Hmmm.... that sounded high enough!

But along came "so!" and it was time for a reality check. SPJIMR was my best chance, so! she said ;) And for once I had the horse sense to fill up the SPJIMR form. Moral of the story: Don't join a class, write lots of tests and listen to your seniors ;)

The Season begins...

Well, it seems that the MBA season has started with "e learning" modules and with the PFC materials being on their way. Yesterday we received the mails for e learning for Financial Accounting and now I guess is the time to set foot on the court. I havent opened the course yet, just took the pre assessment test, and to my surprise I was really terrible in it, despite being from commerce background. So I guess I will need to be more serious, which unfortunately I have never been in my life..:)

For engineers, I think the real fun begins now but I am sure they will do well (Just like Federer facing Nadal on a clay court). I had never thought that I will have to study before getting to Mumbai but as it seems now, all my plans have been washed away by SP Jain. I hope we have to study less when we go there cos we are already going to study now..haha...
Ya but jokes apart I think its time to get serious ( for me this in itself is a joke) and I am sure many of us will get into that mode very soon.

So I take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the MBA season and wish them all the very best, rite from the "e learning" modules to the PFC test to the last test in SPJIMR in 2010...Enjoy the season...:)

[Introduction]: Charanya Kannan

Hello All!!

I realised formal intros are much easier. Things like this are getting harder by the day!

I'm a typical Aries, which makes me quite impulsive and outspoken. I love dancing , cozying up in a corner with books (anything from Annie frank to Vikram Seth), hanging out with friends and getting drenched in the rain!

Did my schooling in DAV, Chennai, B.E EEE from SSN, Anna University(07 pass out) and gave up my job in CTS and worked as relationship manager with an educational organisation just so that i have something worthy to talk about in B school interviews. It paid of I guess!

I'm into marketing! I was actually like "only IIMS" and was even considering giving cat my third shot, but on seeing such an amazing peer group i guessed the experience at SPJ with you all is definitely more rewarding. Guess our batch profile is much much better than any of the IIMs!Hurray!