This is what half of the graduates in this country do. Prepare for MBA.
So I being a no hotshot started this. Took failures. Thats the fun part!
The society doesnt let you live. Everybody doesnt go to the IIMs is it?
Random Uncle : Kya? Graduation ho gaya? Kya kar rahe ho aajkal?
Moi : (smiling broadly, as the uncle may have a beautiful daughter) I am a software engineer at a Big Filthy Rich Investment Bank.
Random Uncle : (With a shocked face) Kya MBA nahi kar rahe? Aajkal kya value hai ek engineer ki. If you want to progress then you have to go into management.
Moi : (I dont want to admit that this is the third time I am trying, still thinking that I am cool.) But I love to code and I am sort of doing that right now.
Random Uncle : But how will you earn more money, give your kids hopeless Indian education and your family a dream house.
The guy has a point. The kind of fucked up economics of the job market that we have, where software developers are available in truck loads, it does mean that to have a respectable future you must earn more i.e. do management jobs.
But what about the preparation? I was talking about failure.
It sucks the life out. You want to bask in the glory of your own money and enjoy, but that bloody mock doesnt let you live. You want to do things you always wanted to, as we were promised that after engineering from a good college life is easy, but you still have those repetitive chapters left. This is pure painful, agonizing, mind-numbing torture. And out of your pain, the sadist coaching institutes make a ton of money. And then there are peers.....
Random MBA aspirant: I scored 98 %ile dude !!! What a mock that was! You saw that question, blah blah...
Moi: (after abusing to my heart's content because I did miserable): Yeah, good man. You rock. IIMA is waiting for you! (Dog shit.)
Random MBA aspirant: What was your score? Tu to phodu hai be. You must have done very well.....
Moi: (Bhai jaan lele) Naaa I had just xx.x %ile....
My inner voice : Abe padhle jaake, why writing this blog?
Moi: Point!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The River Of Smoke: A review
Amitav Ghosh has a style of mingling history with fiction that results in literature which is just beautiful. The second book in the Ibis trilogy, The River Of Smoke, forces home the above point.
In your interest, I will not include the story turns, however titillating they are.
The first book, The Sea of Poppies, had laid down the base story for this one. If you want to fully appreciate The River Of Smoke, I suggest reading the first one.
The story begins in the typical Ghosh style setting in a far off land with due respect given to a nearby waterbody. The story's chunk takes place in Canton, China. As with the first book, opium wars are at the core of the story. With silken prose, Ghosh takes the reader from Mauritius to Canton, building up the momentum. The beauty and detail with which the ships are described makes one long to see them in real, but make do with imagination for now.
Once the subjects reach Canton, they begin with their lives. Seth Bahram Modi, is an opium trader from India, who has amassed his wealth from sheer shrewdness and acumen. The state he is described in, the stakes of his Canton visit, make the reader feel pity for him. But is it right to feel pity for a drug dealer? Let your conscience answer it and reach your own conclusions. The state of affairs at Canton are described by Robin in his letters to Paulette which will develops this character so well. It is like an insight into the human psyche that results from a tough childhood. Kudos, to the writer.
The high profile meetings of the trader chambers highlight the hypocrisy that the Britishers of those times showed. In the name of free trade and ending despotism, they justify the opium trade. You feel so and start questioning their motives. However wrong they are, isnt it that the Chinese could have controlled themselves? We abstain from cigarettes, alcohol etc, couldn't they? These whirling questions keep the story alive. The mosaic of characters fallen kings, Napolean Bonaparte, righteous men, money minded men, ships, flower-boats etc add pace to it.
The beauty that lies underneath is the way, Ghosh makes the reader think with the subject's mind. When he describes persons like Neel, Bahram, King etc the reader cant stop predicting the story with 'their' psyche.
The final part is at a shrieking crescendo.
This is one of those books which you will surely want to read again.
In your interest, I will not include the story turns, however titillating they are.
The first book, The Sea of Poppies, had laid down the base story for this one. If you want to fully appreciate The River Of Smoke, I suggest reading the first one.
The story begins in the typical Ghosh style setting in a far off land with due respect given to a nearby waterbody. The story's chunk takes place in Canton, China. As with the first book, opium wars are at the core of the story. With silken prose, Ghosh takes the reader from Mauritius to Canton, building up the momentum. The beauty and detail with which the ships are described makes one long to see them in real, but make do with imagination for now.
Once the subjects reach Canton, they begin with their lives. Seth Bahram Modi, is an opium trader from India, who has amassed his wealth from sheer shrewdness and acumen. The state he is described in, the stakes of his Canton visit, make the reader feel pity for him. But is it right to feel pity for a drug dealer? Let your conscience answer it and reach your own conclusions. The state of affairs at Canton are described by Robin in his letters to Paulette which will develops this character so well. It is like an insight into the human psyche that results from a tough childhood. Kudos, to the writer.
The high profile meetings of the trader chambers highlight the hypocrisy that the Britishers of those times showed. In the name of free trade and ending despotism, they justify the opium trade. You feel so and start questioning their motives. However wrong they are, isnt it that the Chinese could have controlled themselves? We abstain from cigarettes, alcohol etc, couldn't they? These whirling questions keep the story alive. The mosaic of characters fallen kings, Napolean Bonaparte, righteous men, money minded men, ships, flower-boats etc add pace to it.
The beauty that lies underneath is the way, Ghosh makes the reader think with the subject's mind. When he describes persons like Neel, Bahram, King etc the reader cant stop predicting the story with 'their' psyche.
The final part is at a shrieking crescendo.
This is one of those books which you will surely want to read again.
Friday, May 20, 2011
The Art of Getting Bored
Lets face it, we hear this phrase a lot of times in our life. This is so boring. And perhaps by now you are also saying this out aloud too. The variety of thoughts that your mind conjures up is astonishing when you are bored.
But when are you really bored ? When attending that class where the professor is speaking only to himself ? Or that meeting where "Optimized strategy for bottomline enhancement" is being discussed ? The prime outcome of boredom is a notebook with modern abstract art that can give M.F Hussain a run for his money. But this is the stuff of normal people.
This is how to get bored "strange" style:
1) Yawn, even forcibly
Yes, yawn a lot, till it brings out the tears from your eyes. Yawn so much that people with you think that you were born with this strange mouth.
2) Read The Hindu
If you want to drown yourself in boredom and begin a vicious circle, just pick up this South Indian idea of Page 3.
3) Swallow some air and burp
This is very helpful in meetings. Louder the burp better it is. Even better if you had butter chicken with raw onions. After about 15 mins you will sense a serene calm around you that only an empty air-conditioned room can give.
4) Spread It !
Start a discussion on some arcane topic, Philosophy, Psychology, Politics being the favourite ones. This will help spread the word of boredom around and in future may result in widespread discontent and a revolution begins.
5) Write a blog
So, you see !
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Schindler's List :- Not just a movie
I happened to watch Schindler's list a few days back. I know its an old movie but you seldom get 3 hours 15 minutes at a stretch. So when I finally got, I jumped in.
This is not just a movie. It shows the abyssmal depths to which humanity can fall and supernatural heights that it can achieve simultaneously. On one side is a philosophy of a regime based purely on race and creed, while on the other hand is a man who transforms into a savior by exploiting the vice of every man around.
The man, Oskar Schindler, is a shrewd businessman who can go to any length to build a successful enterprise. This ambition of his is evident from the fact that he considers war as an important ingredient for profit. He starts off well and in the course of the Nazi rule in Poland his transformation begins. First he encounters a one armed Jewish metal worker and then witnesses the liquidation of a Jewish ghetto. The gradual change in the man's ways are marvellously depicted. Once changed he goes on to bribe officials to get more Jews out of concentration camps, now with the sole purpose of saving them. The end is an emotional finale that depicts Oskar lamenting that he could have given away everything he had as bribes and saved 10-15 people more.
The story is a real life one and finds mention with Yad Vashem i.e. the Jewish organisation that remembers the Holocaust.
One question or topic for discussion that arises is why did the humans fall to such depths ? Why a specific race of people was made a target of hatred ?
Well, true answers would make you sleep, but in short they were economic reasons which led to people believe in a person as convoluted as Hitler. Germany was reeling under hyper-inflation and Hitler offered hope in the form of rapid industrialization and chanelled the hatred of people towards a particular class .
What the movie depicts truly is the lack of remorse in almost every National Socialist party member. They are so deeply and fiercely indoctrined that they refuse to consider the Jews as fellow humans. Let alone the party officials, even the common Germans were well moulded in the philosophy. They were unaware of the cruel facts of concentration camps and believed to the last day that Germany will win the war, that whatever the Fuhrer said is true.
The movie also shows that there is no stopping a good deed. Even in such turbulent times, humans can go to any length when it comes to compassion. Watch it just to come out of your robotic schedules and feel like a human again. Something that makes you feel transcendental to such scale is surely not just a movie.
Friday, March 25, 2011
A democracy held to ransom
Agitation. Protests. There is something quintessentially democratic about these two concepts. They signify the guarantee of Freedom of Speech and Expression, which the constitution of India provides.
Since the past 3 weeks however, this very freedom has been used to hold a country to ransom. Yes, I am talking about the ongoing agitation by a particular section of society. Squatting on the railway tracks, demanding reservation in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. The regular threats of cutting supply lines to Delhi, railway losses and 'retaliation' should galvanize our leaders. Its not just about the crores of rupees being lost daily due to lost productivity, but something deeper.
Lets try to think aloud what went wrong.
Subsidies, reservations, duties etc these are what our governments use to garner votes. India has a long history of "quota" system. Be it people, companies or goods. Giving special privileges to a particular section is a temporary way of improvement. Time and again this has been proven right. A closed economy, with quotas for local companies, brought us to the brink of an economic disaster. But this preferential treatment is the only way to guarantee a large number of votes in a short time. So this becomes a high return political stunt.
In the current context, the UPA government is not able to enforce law and order solely because of the fear of loss of votes from a large community.
This psyche of ensuring quick electoral wins diverted government's priorities. What really should have happened is a massive investment in basic infrastructure. Well connected cities and villages with good education would have suppressed the need to provide reservation. A village with access to a good highway that leads to a city with good government schools. An efficient bus service to facilitate that. This should have really lifted the backward classes out of the ignorance they faced in the independent India.
Now the valid question what can be done to quell this agitation ? This incident is the second instance of what Gujjars started. Will there be more of them ?
There can be a start here. Education vouchers to the poor sections can be provided simultaneously starting up good governmental schools. The current agitation leaders should be convinced that in the long run these measures will be helpful for everybody. To handle the current situation there is no way but to cede to these demands. But the leaders should also take the reverse step, canceling quotas for the uplifted sections, which has not been done since the Mandal Commission report implementation in 1989. That means, well, its not working out.
Since the past 3 weeks however, this very freedom has been used to hold a country to ransom. Yes, I am talking about the ongoing agitation by a particular section of society. Squatting on the railway tracks, demanding reservation in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. The regular threats of cutting supply lines to Delhi, railway losses and 'retaliation' should galvanize our leaders. Its not just about the crores of rupees being lost daily due to lost productivity, but something deeper.
Lets try to think aloud what went wrong.
Subsidies, reservations, duties etc these are what our governments use to garner votes. India has a long history of "quota" system. Be it people, companies or goods. Giving special privileges to a particular section is a temporary way of improvement. Time and again this has been proven right. A closed economy, with quotas for local companies, brought us to the brink of an economic disaster. But this preferential treatment is the only way to guarantee a large number of votes in a short time. So this becomes a high return political stunt.
In the current context, the UPA government is not able to enforce law and order solely because of the fear of loss of votes from a large community.
This psyche of ensuring quick electoral wins diverted government's priorities. What really should have happened is a massive investment in basic infrastructure. Well connected cities and villages with good education would have suppressed the need to provide reservation. A village with access to a good highway that leads to a city with good government schools. An efficient bus service to facilitate that. This should have really lifted the backward classes out of the ignorance they faced in the independent India.
Now the valid question what can be done to quell this agitation ? This incident is the second instance of what Gujjars started. Will there be more of them ?
There can be a start here. Education vouchers to the poor sections can be provided simultaneously starting up good governmental schools. The current agitation leaders should be convinced that in the long run these measures will be helpful for everybody. To handle the current situation there is no way but to cede to these demands. But the leaders should also take the reverse step, canceling quotas for the uplifted sections, which has not been done since the Mandal Commission report implementation in 1989. That means, well, its not working out.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Recruiting at my Alma mater - a reflection
5th March 2011.
N.I.T Kurukshetra awaited The Royal Bank of Scotland to hire interns. One of the employees to form the interview panel was yours truly.
It feels just out of this world to go back to your Alma mater as a fortune 'maker'. Although I had experienced it on 16th Sep. 2010 also, when I came to recruit full time employees, but this time it was more pronounced and profound.
Owing allegiance to your college and organisation
This is the most exciting part. You know in your heart that it is the place that made you what you are today. You want to select every student of your college and make their careers. Then comes Mr Henry Fayol, shrieking with his theory of subordinating personal interests over organisational interests. The critic in you has to come out and eliminate more than half of your own college juniors.
Still its people who are fresh out of college and go for recruitment that can give valuable feedback on the employability of the students. Simply because they give a damn. One observation though, people need to be more thorough with their interview preparations. Its their sheer bad luck and the company's good luck that the most recent batch of alumni came. Please do away with bogus entries on your resumes! Being on the other side of the table it is very easy to see through every sham and charade. So by eliminating such contenders you tend to profit your organisation.
Some suggestions to students reading this
Don't ever stop enriching yourself. That humble bit of knowledge that you thought was unnecessary may turn out to be the highlight of your interview.
The daily newspaper is not enough. The subjects are also not enough. Keep reading everything and anything. Attend as many speaking and discussion sessions you can. They help every time.
Hoping to come back soon again to the campus of the B.O.K and the land of Mahabharata.
Enough gyaan, goodnight.
N.I.T Kurukshetra awaited The Royal Bank of Scotland to hire interns. One of the employees to form the interview panel was yours truly.
It feels just out of this world to go back to your Alma mater as a fortune 'maker'. Although I had experienced it on 16th Sep. 2010 also, when I came to recruit full time employees, but this time it was more pronounced and profound.
Owing allegiance to your college and organisation
This is the most exciting part. You know in your heart that it is the place that made you what you are today. You want to select every student of your college and make their careers. Then comes Mr Henry Fayol, shrieking with his theory of subordinating personal interests over organisational interests. The critic in you has to come out and eliminate more than half of your own college juniors.
Still its people who are fresh out of college and go for recruitment that can give valuable feedback on the employability of the students. Simply because they give a damn. One observation though, people need to be more thorough with their interview preparations. Its their sheer bad luck and the company's good luck that the most recent batch of alumni came. Please do away with bogus entries on your resumes! Being on the other side of the table it is very easy to see through every sham and charade. So by eliminating such contenders you tend to profit your organisation.
Some suggestions to students reading this
Don't ever stop enriching yourself. That humble bit of knowledge that you thought was unnecessary may turn out to be the highlight of your interview.
The daily newspaper is not enough. The subjects are also not enough. Keep reading everything and anything. Attend as many speaking and discussion sessions you can. They help every time.
Hoping to come back soon again to the campus of the B.O.K and the land of Mahabharata.
Enough gyaan, goodnight.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Got 3G ? Lets peel the onion.
3G, 3rd generation. The latest mobile phone technology fad in India. According to the techno numbers, it allows one to have broadband internet speeds (256kBps) on the go, on a mobile phone.
Considering the current IT revolution in India and upcoming e-governance initiatives, fast and mobile internet can really do wonders. Apart from this increased data usage, growth in revenues due to greater usage form the good part.
But lets peel the onion. What I said above, or what companies and marketing gurus say is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg or in our case the inedible onion peel.
Peel it off. What do you see ?
Layer 1 : Increased power demand by the service providers
With almost all mobile service providers rolling out 3G, it goes without saying that they will require an altogether different set of equipment than the current 2G. This implies that this new machinery to churn the ever greatest KBs will need more juice. Judging by the speeds expect power consumption to increase approx 15-20%. This means more power demand i.e. more burning of fuel to heat more water to produce more steam to produce more torque to produce more rpms of the turbine. More carbon emissions, quite obvious.
Layer 2 : Increased mobile phone dependency mostly unnecessary
TV on the move ? Gaming on the move ? Not to sound Luddite, but give that mind a rest ! It has been proven clinically that brain grows faster when it is given some rest to assimilate information and thoughts. That's why the boffin in your R&D lab is all by himself and thinking !
Wasn't the calling functionality of the mobile a distraction enough ? On the move broadband is certainly going to show some interesting changes.
Faster social degradation through unwanted internet content will be on steroids now.
Layer 3 : Data security
More bandwidth means more space to do things. Simply put, malicious intent can now be used on the go. Expect large organizations like banks, MNCs, consultancies and governments to install additional security infrastructure. More power consumption again? You bet !
Although this may lead to increased ease of corruption and malpractice reporting.
Layer 4 : Privacy invasion
Spam video calls, anyone? Or for a more macabre situation, a cross connected video call ?
These concerns which rose due to increased mobile 2G usage, will be equally applicable to a 3G user too.
Consider a hacked in camera of the 3G mobile phone. Tapping and surveillance taken to a whole new level. Big Brother just got more kit !
Burrrrppp ! onion gone !
What is needed is not just self regulation on the part of mobile authorities but also some form of a regulatory framework. Current policies do not take into account the unique challenges that high speed mobile data transmission poses.
Considering the current IT revolution in India and upcoming e-governance initiatives, fast and mobile internet can really do wonders. Apart from this increased data usage, growth in revenues due to greater usage form the good part.
But lets peel the onion. What I said above, or what companies and marketing gurus say is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg or in our case the inedible onion peel.
Peel it off. What do you see ?
Layer 1 : Increased power demand by the service providers
With almost all mobile service providers rolling out 3G, it goes without saying that they will require an altogether different set of equipment than the current 2G. This implies that this new machinery to churn the ever greatest KBs will need more juice. Judging by the speeds expect power consumption to increase approx 15-20%. This means more power demand i.e. more burning of fuel to heat more water to produce more steam to produce more torque to produce more rpms of the turbine. More carbon emissions, quite obvious.
Layer 2 : Increased mobile phone dependency mostly unnecessary
TV on the move ? Gaming on the move ? Not to sound Luddite, but give that mind a rest ! It has been proven clinically that brain grows faster when it is given some rest to assimilate information and thoughts. That's why the boffin in your R&D lab is all by himself and thinking !
Wasn't the calling functionality of the mobile a distraction enough ? On the move broadband is certainly going to show some interesting changes.
Faster social degradation through unwanted internet content will be on steroids now.
Layer 3 : Data security
More bandwidth means more space to do things. Simply put, malicious intent can now be used on the go. Expect large organizations like banks, MNCs, consultancies and governments to install additional security infrastructure. More power consumption again? You bet !
Although this may lead to increased ease of corruption and malpractice reporting.
Layer 4 : Privacy invasion
Spam video calls, anyone? Or for a more macabre situation, a cross connected video call ?
These concerns which rose due to increased mobile 2G usage, will be equally applicable to a 3G user too.
Consider a hacked in camera of the 3G mobile phone. Tapping and surveillance taken to a whole new level. Big Brother just got more kit !
Burrrrppp ! onion gone !
What is needed is not just self regulation on the part of mobile authorities but also some form of a regulatory framework. Current policies do not take into account the unique challenges that high speed mobile data transmission poses.
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