jaribio la kwanza

A novice attempt at oil painting.. realized the amount of patience it takes to oil paint. A big thanks to IIMA's Finesse club for giving this opportunity.

Experiments..

Toy Story

Networking!

Term-inates

This blog from me, as the first term of PGPX ends at IIM-A, is a tribute to all those interesting events that unfolded in Term-1.

As we near Term-2 the much awaited rain brings some sanity or more precisely insanity to our newfound campus lives. Its unbelievable how we cruised past these 3 months in a pressure cooker called CR11*. I always wondered the rationale behind starting this program in the harsh April of Ahmedabad rather than in the milder months of August or September as most other B-Schools do. After being here for over 2 months the reason is clear as a crystal. Which other season can best camouflage the intensity of the program than Gujarat's summer?

Getting back to school after an average of 10 years wasn't just challenging but also humbling. It made us realise how old we are. Learning was not an issue for the 80 odd brains; Staying alert (read 'Keeping awake') was. And if one has to learn effectively I think staying alert is key. Before landing here I had knowledge of the compressed nature of this course. Little did I know that a lot of things get compressed including sleep.

But one thing is for sure. I learnt 'strategy'.. strategy to keep myself awake despite the drowning sleepiness. And its a simple and a funny one. When the urge to fall asleep is irresistible; when you are fighting a losing battle to keep those red eyes open; when you are unsuccessfully trying a Kevin Spacey to pretend you are wide awake - thats when you look around the class to see your other partners in crime. Their struggle with their drowsy eyes to keep them wide open & their falling heads, waking them up temporarily - they all never fail to make me feel like laughing. Nothing wakes me up than the effort to control my laughter.

Another interesting event worth mentioning is the placement elections that took place in near Indian style. How I wish I knew this before hand. I could have quenched my thirst a little bit in this dry state. Or I could have demanded a sumptuous dinner at Vishala. Never mind the opportunity lost, but one thing was more evident than others. Those folks who cared less about me seemed to know me better than I thought they did. Or was it the election effect. Now that the election is history I wonder where they are.

Overall, it was a refreshingly interesting journey so far. It can only get more interesting from here. I am sure of one thing though - I will enjoy every bit of it. After all I need the return on my investment!

*CR11 - Class Room 11

Missing it snow much!

Past winter at last.. at least for this season. But I have already started missing the glimmering glow of the powdery snow so much that I left my imagination run a little 'cool'. And the result was this novice painting of nostalgia.

Slumdog is no more an underdog

There is so much being talked about 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Some people are so ecstatic about the movie and others just feeling the opposite. While I do empathize with either groups, what I fail to fathom is the amount of praise being showered on the film. It is no doubt a good movie, very creatively made and well presented. But, at least to me, it is not a movie which has the potential to dwarf other amazing movies. Some contend that it is too good a movie from the Indian subcontinent. That is where I beg to differ. First of all, even though it has a predominant Indian cast, it is still a movie made by and publicized by western folks. And of course movies like 'A Wednesday', 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' were equally superior. And of course there are other hidden jewels from all over India that fail to get recognized. Although I like Slumdog.. I still maintain that it isn't an extraordinary movie to be cherished as historic.

Going to the other side of the story, I don't think the movie has done any good job at tarnishing India'a image. I guess people sentiments towards such notions is mainly drawn from the fact that it is a movie made by a non-Indian. And this I completely understand. If Madhur Bhandarkar depicts realism it is still an Indian's perspective and maybe even called as an eye-opener and hence educative. But if an outsider does the same it might and will be seen as the portrayal of India in bad light. Facts I guess are facts no matter who is trying to convey them. With the ongoing trend of globalization we need to grow to accept such external perspectives.

My hope is that Slumdog helps expand the world's perspective of India and not think of India as the land of elephants, snakes and of course call centers. The global citizens need to see not just the slums of India but its rich heritage, diversity, secularism, culture, history and of course the vibrant landscape treasured with natural and man-made beauties such as the Himalayas and the Taj Mahal.