And finally my country has witnessed, what the whole world has been experiencing in last few months but what I would not have perceived couple of weeks ago – a mass revolution against the single biggest issue of India, cancer of our society – Corruption ! Salute to Anna Hazare and whole of India who are doing it possible – we guys will do it, this time !

While India is great country, brilliantly tolerant and thus this sustainable society – we are not extremist by any sense. Our economy is growing, the money is flowing and things look good but they could have been much better, had Corruption not being an integral part of our nation. This tolerance while is one of big strength, it has created the atmosphere of “Chalta hai”  … 4-5 people are adjusting in 2 seat berth,we say – “Chalta hai”. Police stops at check point and the first thing we do is bribe. We are 1.2 billion people, fastest growing economy, everyone is looking towards us to lead the world – still we are poor, we are not progressing on education reform front as quick as we should, we are unhealthy, we die in flood as well as in droughts … why ? If corruption is not the answer to all the questions, it’s the answer to most of those.

Our politicians are most corrupt people in the world, people say that we choose them. Right – we choose them but do we have a choice? We choose a lesser incompetent than more incompetent, but everyone around is incompetent. Look at my home state, UP, what are the options – Mayawati vs Mualyam Singh? Whom to vote? Congress is banking on Gandhi dynasty popularity wave while BJP is busy in shuffling off and on Ayodhya. Politics is a gutter, all are dirty and we choose one who stinks less at that point of time.

While Congress government has done well in its first governance, it has been screwed up badly in this part – scam, after scam and more scams – and these are the ones which are unearthed. Prime minister is saying that he was not aware – then why is PRIME MINISTER? He must be aware and if not, then quit. He is clean but so is my maid’s dad? He is knowledgeable, so what, we have large pool of scientists in the country ? He is everyone but politician? He is filling up the time for Rahul Gandhi to be ready and become prime minister one day – such a hypocrite country !

Ohh, this blog is about the recent mass movement that’s taking place in India. Every square is on the verge of becoming Tehrir Square under the leadership of Anna Hazare – the person behind the RTI Act. Few sentences on the objectives of this movement – this is to bring Lokpal bill in the country. This lokpal bill is similar to office of Ombudsman in other countries where there will be body consisting of former chief justice of Supreme courts and high courts, independent of politics just like our Election commission and Supreme court. They’ll have authority to prosecute ministers, public servants and all those cases will be done on fast track courts, leading to quick execution of judgement. There is this whole tussle on the draft of this bill. Politicians, as always wants this bill to be as symbolic, derogatory and symbolic as possible to make mockery of one more bill. Then there are lot of fine prints and media has been printing all that since last so many days and you all should be aware by now? Are you? If not then please be as it’s your India as well.

I repeat that ours is great country and the next wave of development will belong to us. We need to get rid of this corrupt politicians, there is no limit of their greed. Comeon guys, crores make sense but crore of crores are just way too much. All this money is kept in Swiss bank or coming back to India through Tax Havens. This is all our money – our hard earned tax money. It’s we people who are getting bad roads, bad schools, bad healthcare system, bad security, bad transport. Our national sport has died, not because we couldn’t produce players but because our politicians have eaten all their money. After Olympics, China has been talked and praised everywhere – they have shown the world their might and what have we shown? Our corruption. No talks on the success of Commonwealth or to leverage the infrastructure for Kalmadi has made more than the whole event. Bridges were broken, dogs were found in the athlete’s room, labors litter everywhere. I am surprised that we have not got the threat from International Olympics association to get debarred from the games. Alas, they could not – we are the second greatest economy and continue to do so.

My this blog is not my usual or perhaps my most usual. I didn’t proof read it and nor checked the flow of thoughts – there is anger, frustration, sadness. I pray and wish that this movement should not die in the gallop of time and this time, enough is enough. It’s time to rise and do Egypt, Libya and Tunisia in India !

Amen !

Regards,

Pawan

Photo Credit: Deepak

 

This is a guest post of one of my dear friends , Amit Goyal. He is sharing his admisson interview experience for Rice University, USA.

Amit writes,

Interviewer – I am Kolin from Rice University and currently a second year student here. I am basically from States only. I did my under graduation from Purdue University and worked for few years at P&G before I joined MBA.  I just did my summer internship at CITI Group and looking forward to join them by August. So why don’t you walk me through your resume -

Me – I am an engineer in Information Technology, for almost three years I have been working with Wipro, an Indian IT services company. I started my career as an implementation team member in the field of Identity and Access Management. My first project was with Sri Lankan Telecom, later I moved to Dubai and worked as an Information Security consultant for Road and Transport Authority, Dubai. For last one year I am in Saudi Arabia, working as a technical team lead as well as onsite consultant for Saudi Arabian Airlines.

Interviewer – Thats good to know Amit, so why do you want to pursue an MBA at this point of time

Me – In my three years of career, I have worked with multiple clients and working with them have been given me an understanding of various industries, the way a business moves ahead following a strategy. I have found myself to be working for the completion of larger strategic plans. Now i wish to play a bigger role, however I also realize that i will need few skills like finance etc etc before i move to my future goals   After spending almost three years in Wipro and getting promoted from technical engineer to team lead, I guess that this is the right time for me to move ahead and acquire the necessary skills.

Interviewer – What’s so special about Rice that you would like to come here?

Me – There are couple of reason for me to select Rice University, first being the smaller class size which will give me an opportunity to have a good interaction with my faculty. Another important and unique thing being the ALP program which will provide me a practical experience on industry. I believe ALP is very important for me as I wish to change my career domain. Other factors include the location advantage, Rice reputation etc.

Interviewer – Going back in your life what would be your biggest accomplishment till now

Me – Made up a story, as how got selected in my summer internship through a tough examination: P

Interviewer – Tell me about a time in your professional life where in you went against everyone for a cause you believed was correct.

Me – Again made a story as how my team members and management wanted to go ahead without the clustering in our final Go-Live. However, I convinced people and solved the issue of clustering.

Interviewer – Tell me about a failure in your professional life in which you had a tough time with your boss and what was your leaning

Me – I was working for a sales deal with one of our client, i was quite new in the company. I had to collect data and quotes from various internal departments of Wipro, however the process didn’t go very smooth and the final proposal didn’t come up quite well. We didn’t get that deal, I guess I should have escalated these issues well on time and if people were not responding on time i should have put more pressure. Learning being – a proper communication goes a long way: P

Interviewer – Do you read financial news like finance times etc or some other news through which you keep yourself updated.

Me – I do read various newspapers like Indian news paper economic times, I am also a fan of BBC business news.

Interviewer – Can you share any recent financial news and if you have any views on that event

Me – Well recently President of USA Mr. Obama has decided to levy huge taxes on banks, which from my understanding is not a very god thing to do. These banks have just come out of a difficult phase I guess these banks need more support and should be given 2-3 years more. Such harsh rules will not do any good currently

Interviewer – And if you don know he is pushing these taxes to finance the auto industry that is much worse. One thing I would say here. I interview many people and I always find them very much informed about USA which we Americans don’t know much about other countries like I don’t even know who is the president of India or China. Although i know India will be growing at the rate of 7% .  I guess the basic problem with USA is the uninformed electorate but i find outsiders very much informed

(At that point I thought he was trying to persuade me to say something bad about USA)

Me – I guess the people you interview are quite reading kind of people but our general population is also not that much informed

Interviewer – ya you may be right on that, so now again go back in your life and tell me your biggest disappointment

(I had not thought about this question, quite out of blue)

Me – made up a story how i was not selected at IIT;s and  after that i worked very ahrd and today i find myself competitive to them

Finally he asked me if I had any questions, I asked him few question about internships, jobs, funding etc and Khallas. He wished me good luck.

Happy Republic Day !

I recall to dedicate a post  on Republic Day in 2007. I would say things have not changed much or should say that things have improved by far or ohhh no …. things have deteriorated a lot…. err, am I confused? Guess, no …. let me explain !

Things have not changed much:

Things are same as they have been three years back.

1. We are growing steadily, being seen as world’s future economy, maintaining the recession proof growth etc etc.
2. There are no changes in corruption, terrorism, population, floods, all the problems in the India. You can swear India by them and them by India.
3. Our relations with our neighbors are nearly same with slight ups and down but on a graph, it would be a zig-zag straight line.
4. Our IT indsutry is thriving as usual and so are our cities, with lot of village people migration.
5. To connect all the rivers and to built all the national highways, was a dream three years back and it’s still the same. 
6. We are still religious fanatics and bomb blasts are realties.
7. Bollywood was and is producing the same and highest number of movies.

There are so many things but this is just a spot-on post and has it’s limitations.

Things have improved:

Yes, things have improved.

1. After a long long time, when coalition has become synonym with the Indian politics, people have voted for a single party majority. We should not care if the correct people have been voted, that’s not important but India has voted unanimously. United we stand !
2. We are having better and more consistent cricket team than ever, got 1st position in Test cricket though it’s a short time now.
3. We have given IPL to the world showing our business acumen and now in a position to kind of dictate our rules on the ICC.
4. Our private companies are on buying spree, when US companies are getting bankrupt, we are buying them out.
5. Came out with World’s cheapest car, launched rockets to Moon – all showing that Science is now no more West’s domain.
6. Bihar has got the second highest growth rate in India, much higher than national average.
7. More IITs are setup and so does more Supreme Courts (I count it even though it’s a proposal only).

Things have worsened:

No, things have worsened

1. We are the largest democracy but never has become so family dependent. Rahul is next Prime master unless something extremely unfortuante happens- are democracies this predictable ?
2. President has become a real Rubber stamp. Though, he has always been quoted so in India but this time, she has really been. I was reading somewhere that there are no controversies in President Pratibha Patil’s time : Do you really believe that there would be any? Rubber stamps don’t create controversies ! And I even don’t care to write about Vice President which has always been second highest authoirty in country (FYI: Primeminister comes third in hierarchy!)
3. We are less safer. Fine, Chandni Chowk and Mumbai trains- common man has never been safe but we have been beaten, killed inside Hotel Taj, rich man is also unsafe in India. (I would disagree if you quote Parliament attack as then only police guards have been killed and not any politician. The loss was much less severe !)
4. Localisation, division is all time high. Don’t know Marathi, can’t get a Taxi permit is what signifies India? Are we on the verge of breakup? Name it as biggest threat which should be checked immediately.
5. With all the radical economic developments, we are worse than Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Bangladesh on nourishment.

We are soaring at 60 and I wish that we  continue to have such strong democracy for next thousands of years but that doesn’t make us any lenient towards our responsiblities at home. 

Regards,

Pawan

Photo Credit: Sujesh

Sometimes, it’s fun to make a fool out of yourself and that’s what I have been doing since last of couple of days.This damn show has just hooked me up and I am embarrassed to accept that I am doting fan of ‘Rakhi ka Swayamvar’. Guys, if you start pitying me then please stop as many share the same belief and this show has got the highest opening ever in non-fiction tele sops (More popular than both Amitabh and Shahrukh starrer KBC  !). Rakhi, we love you :- D

To check ‘Why Swayamwar’ in Rakhi’s own words, please click here.

Hmmm, so what do I want to write? Blabberings … hehe ! Personally I don’t like her, but don’t you see that I am dedicating my post to the girl and she has got all the attention, she wishes. You may love her or hate her but can’t ignore her. With all her previous evil deeds, right from slapping her boy friend in front of whole media or creating a national havoc after Mika kissed her (’Main ek bhartiya naari hoon, I can be kissed on cheeks but not on lips, wah’ !), she has gone a step ahead and started her Swayamvar like our ancient princess and that too in real princess grandeur, in the mind blowing Fatehgarh palace of Udaipur. Heard that she has got some 12K+ entries and out of those, she has selected some 16 contestants for this show.

Friends, I am not oversmart guy and I am sure that you have also asked these question to yourself?

The show selection form has which all questions? Was ‘If you are married or divorced’? a question? I believe that this should be one of the most basic question to ask and if yes, then how come our Kashmiri police inspector got selected in Final 16. What was the criteria that 20 or 21 yr charlie from some Haryana or Punjab has entered and exited the show the very same day? Anything impressive on his profile or do show directors just wish to emphasize in tele-ads that Rakhi has got aspirants right from age 20 to 35 or something !

It’s all about money, honey ! Remember, there are no short cuts of success and if this show is getting all the credit then it’s because, it’s a masterpiece. I am not sure if Rakhi is going to marry any of the guys in end or not but whosoever has conceived (or steal!) this idea has been brilliant and thereafter it has been crafted well. There can’t be better bride than Rakhi (I am accepting that she is best in something!), there has been careful selection of guys, right from filmy heroes to serious businessmen including business tycoons :- ) However, there has been a bias towards North Indian community? Why is there no Mallu or Telugu or Tamil friend (it’s just a genuine doubt, don’t frame racial charges against me ! ) The 16 contestants have been chosen such that show can have electrifying endings and melodramas like of policeman and marriage counseller from Nagpur. Awesomely awesome !

India is already big and growing big. The K sops can’t hold people to TV sets anymore, they want different and here it is. We have seen elegant cheapness in Rajkapoor’s movies, followed by cheaply cheap double meaning bollywood movies and now we want something trashy. Aha … young India is ready to do anything on bright set lights, right from a brahmin eating chicken, another one stopped his mom’s hands feeding him, to breaking moons and stars and turning iron rods with their throats (this can cost them lives !) and walking on fire coals ! But guys are getting the fame and recognition that they can’t get by toiling hard in their lives. They dine in king palace, have romantic dates in flashy cameras, get prince treatment on their return to hometown, being watched by India. Many are going to get a career out of this show and are sure to return back on another reality TV show (can you recall our Roadie, Ashu ?)

And what’s Rakhi getting? I would say, everything. The way, she is gaining sympathy (I am even stupid enough to check the people’s comments on Youtube videos and conclude that people have changed their opinion from Episode 1 and started loving Rakhi and seeing a nice Indian girl in her who is devoid of love all her life !) and who knows that if she’ll marry someone then she’ll get the husband too. I have no idea how much money she must be making, when there are reports than her necklace is going to cost some 3 million bucks! Is she going to be the highest tax-payer in next season?

I just love the way, India is growing. My country is fascinating. Drama, sound, action, music, emotion, love, lust …aha ! If everyone would say that it’s deteriorating Indian culture, I would love that also, for it confirms that we are different and still the great nation. I love the condom and pill ads that are floated during the serial breaks, sexually active India ! Like the show, like the advertisements !

Question to NDTV: Are you going to show Rakhi’s bridal night too? Cheap me !

Regards,
Pawan

Photo Credit: 4.bp

Hey, the regular sight of children being squeezed at the handlebars of motorcycles or sandwiched between mother and father, while mother is trying to side-saddle herself is now going to be uncommon. Ratan Tata has added another glorious chapter in Indian Automobile Industry today by launching perhaps World’s cheapest Car (have to check on this extrapolation of mine )

I still remember the hype which was fashioned when Tata launched Indica. It was depicted as Indian Car (afterall, it was misnomer of country name), and to own Indica was like a symbolic patriotism. At that time, it was being given various titles like Car of the year, Indian revolution and some other exuberant credentials which I’ll not write here as it’s past now and Nano is the In thing [:-)] 

Ratan Tata seems to be in hurry to launch his this dream project otherwise I am sure if he would have waited for couple of more years then with India’s rapid economic growth, this project would have lost its sheen [:-D]  Jokes apart but it’s truly a commendable achievement for which Tatas should be given the full marks. They have always been ethical and people oriented. Fine, no business can sustain without profit making but how many can dare to have this project in pipeline?

Just two days back, there was announcement from Bajaj Auto which is currently only into the two wheeler and three wheeler market to produce it’s own low budget car (however, they have made it clear that it’s not going to be as cheap as 1 Lakh !). Also, we might see a rush of such broadcasts from the likes of GM, Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Nissan etc. I don’t get the privilege to see the car closely but as reported, it’s 80% of size of Maruti 800, and at the same time, it’s giving around 30% more interior space. They have peculiarly designed the car such that tyres are at the extereme end and few like things. The money which Tatas have spent into designing this car would now be easily saved by its rivals. Afterall, it’s not easy to design a thing as car in as much price as Rs. 1 Lakh. They must have spent a fortune in hits and trials and all those painsticking efforts now could be easily copied. With Nano out, we can expect many more to follow and can be sure of crowded companies even in this market arena. God bless India and its population where there is ample space for everyone and everything [;-)]

I don’t wish to predict the future of this car at this point, though i am more than inclined to be optimistic. If the car provides a satisafactory performace, then undoubtedly it’s gonna be smashing hit. A welcome news for Indian consumers who have one more choice for their money and perhaps bad for Indian roads which are already in dilapidated state. With millions more cars, we can just pray for our daily commuting.

Kudos to Tatas.

Whats the analogy between PV Narshima Rao and Pawan Verma ? No marks for stating that both are humans or both are Indians ! One late prime minister of nation and other a student at one of the many institutes of the nation. Okie, no more mind boggling … i am in habit of delaying the things to the last minute. Man, this post is due since my A interview i.e. on 18th Feb and today is 1st of March. I read somewhere that Mr. Rao also has this proclivity of delay.

As mentioned in my previous post, i stayed at IIMA itself and one of the few lucky chaps to get benefited by the last minute tips of IIM students, but don’t know if i would be able to materialize that or not ? Fingers are crossed !

GD

It was business case. A swiss company, well established in India, is going to launch an expensive watch in India. There are two ways to go to the market, either to go by franchise option or to open its own stores. The case was  single page, with lot of no.s and facts. The two marketing strategies were described in detail, around a para each with details like profit margin, initial investments etc etc.

Here comes the twist. In the last part of the case,its given that company operation in charge of the above  product is skeptic about the product and is not sure if it’ll click. So now the problem statement is what he should so ? Whether he should go to the management to scrap the product or go against his intuition and with the market research that product will attract customers. (Man, the whole page was about marketing strategies and in the end, the problem statement was absolutely different? What the heck IIMs want us to discuss !!)

Anyways, as soon one of the profs asked us to start, the guy sitting right to me, started in a high pitch, summed up the case and when it seems to me that he is going to say something new, his pitch goes down and he was interrupted. Don’t think that it was great start.

Hey, i forgot to tell you about my GD group. It was 8, a guy from Lehmann Brothers (IIMA top recruiting company) , another with 5 year of work ex in power sector, one from 2 and half yr work-ex from Infy, two guys from IITB(don’t know about their work-ex), one from DAIICT(i guess), one from NIT (don’t recall which one?) and poor me !

So, GD got a kick, and there was a chaos for being second speaker. I also thought to be one, but when saw all fighting for place, keep my mum. The one problem that i noticed in the GD is that everyone was speaking about the marketing strategies, as all the facts and data was given about them. Guys were not interested in the problem statement, which i thought was more crucial. Anyways,i pitched in, after 4th speaker i guess and tried to convince people that we can discuss both the marketing strategies, if we come to the conclusion that manager should go with the product else there is no sense. But noone was interested, and i hold back. Again, i pitched in after a min, discussion was going about the franchise option and i put something like breakeven analysis, time taken to reach profit and thus franchise option is more beneficial. However, i didn’t continue the point. I was not appreciating the way GD was heading and thus a but reluctant. No new points and guys were streching uselessly. Suddenly, ‘human factor’ came to my mind, and i spoke, guys lets look at the human side of the case, but seems that everyone is too professional. Again, i didn’t get much chance to complete my full point. The GD continued, people were tiring and repetition started. I spoke in the end again, giving something like midway path and the complete business plan for the same to the top management, although the point is already in the air for sometime.

So in short, one can notice that i chipped in 3-4 times. Not satisfied. I think i could have done better. Initially, i should have taken a lead and speak firmly about discussing problem  statement first. Anyways, not contented.

PI

I was 6th in panel, so a long wait is due to me. I indulged in talks with the guys there. A perfect mix of guys, Eco grads, CA work ex, toppers, entrepreneurs etc. The general feedback is that panels are cool and are asking about the basic acads and general awareness. Also checking your thought process some time. As usual in typical IIMA style, toffees were there.

I was called for PI. Was a bit nervous and trying to convince myself that i am one of the best suited candidate for IIMA. But as soon as i entered the room, all those emotions evaporate, it was casual, amiable.

Panel consists of three members, one smart prof with sparkling eyes and mustaches(SE), other one shrewed faced, clean shaved (SF) and third looks most intelligent, but also frustrated soul (FS). Don’t know how interviewees before me have behaved ? And i am their bakra (Moi/M)

M: May i come in sir ?

SE: Yes Pawan, come in. Good morning to you.

M: Good morning to u too sirs (tried to share that good morning cookie among all three)

SE: Have a seat.

M: Thank you sir  (and i tried to sit …. but again what the heck … the chair looked like rolling chair but when i tried to slide it slightly, it didn’t get as it was fixed. Was IIM checking us at this too ? Nyways, i managed to sit without any scene or noise..if i am being examined, i think i should score some 8/10 )

SE: Can we have a look at your certificates ?

M: Sure sir and handed over the file.

In the meantime, SF was going through my form and FS was staring at me, as if he is doing some psychometric test over me ? I looked at him, gave a feeble smile but he was not a kid or a girl obviously, so he didn’t returned my smile.

Now slaughter starts …..

SF: So, you are doing PG.

M: I am into 5 yr Integrated Post Graduate Course.

SF: But you have mentioned in form first three years in BTech category and rest two in PG …(what the heck, its being instructed to do so for 5 yr course students)

M: Sir, we have been instructed to do so.

SF: So, you are already doing MBA from ABV-IIITM Gwalior? Why another MBA ?

M: (aha…. the interview started with classical question …y another MBA .. kewl man ! I have mugged up the answer by heart… need was just to pour it out confidently)  Sir, I am into 5 yr IPG course and moreover my insti is perceived as IT institute. The kind of exposure and values i was expecting from my current MBA program was not imparted to me and at the same time, i have studied Management in bits and pieces and developed interest and thus thought of going to complete two year program from IIMs. Also i have discussed this issue with my friends and seniors and they also advised me to do so. (I forgot to mention my point of IIM praise like rigorous nature of course and case study pedagogy but in any case, the profs were getting restless)

SF: So in management, what are your subjects u studied ?

M: (fuck man …) I said, Financial Risk management (the most sought after course in MBAs), kept a mum and in a second realize that they wish to me speak more .. said, Marketing Management (have average command), again no reaction …. do i need to speak more … i recalled God and said … Operations Management, Statistics, Economics  ( ise kehte hai apne pairo par kulhaadi maarna)

SF: Risk… interesting ! So, define Risk ?

M: Risk is the possibility of negative impact on some process or event in future. It is also referred to as probability of loss and is generally measured in term of beta.

SF: How is risk calculated? Explain to a layman !

M: When we calculate risk, we keep in mind two things, first the frequency of loss and second the amount which is at loss (don’t know, if he was expecting the same thing or not but he didn’t interrupt and listened attentively). So depending upon how frequently are losses occurring and whats the amount of money lost in each los, we calculate the risk. Risk is more or less calculated on the past data.

SF: You mentioned something about beta ? Whats that ?

M: Its the a measure to know the relative movement between a particular security and stock market. Like if we say that a stock moves up in the same degree as sensex moves up then it has beta of one, and if always moves in opposite direction, then its -1. For no correlation between them, it’s 0.

(Man, i was gambling! Trying to throw some words in btw which i think i know though carefully … know that chances of getting butchered are very high but stakes are high too .. IIMA !)

SF: Okie, then what is Sensex and how’s is calculated ?

M: Sensex is the sensitive index of Bombay Stock Exchange. It consists of three companies stocks. the criteria for choosing these 30 companies consists of couple of factors like market capitalization,  above a particular trading limit daily in last 150 days and past healthy track record.The sensex is calculated on the basis of weighted market average of the 30 stocks and then its comparison with the base area which is 2003-04.

(seems that i didn’t articulated the answer well, missed couple of points like oldest index etc but yaa i was confidently speaking and giving the impression that i know the answer)

SF: How do you calculate beta ?

M: Beta is covariance of a security with the index divided by variance of the index.

SF: What is covariance ?

M: It is the product of std deviation of  x and std deviation of y and the correlation between them.

SF: What is correlation ?

M: It’s a measure to know the relative movement between two securities. It always goes from -1 to 1.

SF: But that you said is beta ?

M: No sir, beta is the movement of a particular security with reference to index. Where index consists of a no. of securities.

SF: I guess beta serves the same purpose as correlation. Why is this covariance come into picture?

M:(Man, this is mathematical framework, what should i say?)  Sir, correlation tells us the movement between two securities. Thats it, like if i take the example of steel and aluminum bond, then it might be possible in market the prices of one are highly correlated with the other. But when we have to compare it with the index, we need covariance.

SF: then what is covariance ?

M: (Yaar, abhi to bataya tha ….)  Its the product of std devaiation of x and std dev. of y and correlation btw them.

SF: No maths …

M: (Fuck man …. i m not able to colelct exact words to define) Sir, we need covariance to calculate the diversification effect in the risk.

SF: No diversification effect. U  take aluminum and steel example, take the same again!

M: But sir, in this case there will be correlation.

SF: No covariance ?

M: There will be (i revised the formula in my mind and logic says that its there)

SF: Then ?

M: Sir, if we know that correlation, we can find the covariance.

SF: Its easy to find correlation or covariance ?

M: (fuck man … this guy is so good … know everything … damn me) Sir, its relatively easier to find covariance as we can directly find it through past data sets. From that, we can find correlation.

SF: Okie, yaa … so again, what is correlation ?? Think think …..

I was pretending to think then just after 3-4 seconds, SE took the charge (till now only SF was interviewing me and i noted that FS and SE both went through my form in the covariance-correlation saga !!! )

SE: So, Pawan you are thinking ?

M: Yeah sir !

SE: Can we talk (in pretty cordial voice)?? (All three laughed …)

M: (What the hell, i m giving, you are taking…do as u wish)  Yeah sir … sure !

SE: So, you are from Gwalior, tell me about it !

M:Yeah, i have been there since last 4 and half years. Gwalior is city with rich heritage, basically famous because of Schindia regime.

SE: Tell me some of the family members of Schindia tree ?

M: Present or old ?

SE: As u wish

M: Okie … named … Jiyaji Rao Schindia, Jiwaji Rao, Madhav Rao and Jyotiradiya Schindia…

SE: Who is most famous of all ?

M: Sir, all are pretty famous, yet i guess its Jiwaji Rao Schindia as the fort and museum is being  made by him and there is university named after him.

SE: Who are the present young Schindia family member ?

M: Jyotiraditya Schindia …  He is congress MP from Guna distt.

SE: Not from Gwalior? Y not from Gwalior?

M: (I thought to answer, uska mann …. ) Sir, its mainly because that they have their good base in Guna district which is just adjacent area.

SE: Who else is there from Schindia family ?

M: Sir, its Vasundhra Raje Schindia. She is CM of Rajasthan.

SE: Which party ?

M: BJP

SE: (He started laughing … don’t know why) Don’t u see any paradoxes involved ? One famil, two parties .. they are controlling risk … (now i do understood )

M: Yes sir, definitely. Its a kind of risk hedging they are following. (i begin to laugh too)

SE: Okie. There is some controversy recently on pension issu. Know that ?

M: Yes sir, there is the controversy that govt wish to invest the pension fund of employees in the stock market for better growth, but owing to its risky nature unions were opposing it and asking to raise the interest rate.

SE:  Do you think that Indian politics should be youth oriented or experience heavy. (and from there on, he goes on talking like …. there are leaders who can’t walk properly, gave me my institute name example ABV-IIITM, is it okie)

M: (A sparkle came to my eye i was going to answer that it should be a mixed form  but even before i can start .. tht man himself added )

SE: or is it a mixed form ?

M: I recommend mixed form as many a times, youth might be immature so experience there helps and when old becomes stereotype then youth can come with new/innovative ideas.

SE: SO there should be some retirement age for politicians. (from there on, he spoke himself with other profs, why there should be)

M: Yes there can be. But  in case of politics, it’s difficult as to reach the top, it takes a no. of years. We can’t deny any politician any seat just because he goes 61. Bureaucracy is different thing.

(have a perception that he might not have liked the idea)

SE: What’s the retirement age of officers ?

M: 60 years

SE: 60 or 65 ?

M: 60 sir.

SE: What’s the speed of aeroplane?

M: (aghast ! Did i hear rightly ??) Pardon me sir?

SE: What’s the speed of aeroplane?  Okie, don’t tell me direct, find it out for me.

M: (Man, now what’s this ?) Sir, the jet planes travel at the speed of sound and i.e. 330 m/s. Jet planes are considered faster. So aero-planes must be a bit slow. Also It takes around 2 hrs from Bangalore to Delhi which is around 2000 Kms. So from second data, the speed of plane comes around 1000 kms/ hrs and from first also around the same.

(Don’t know, y i took the jet example, i should have gone only the distance way, but it strike me after i begin to approach the probem … deep shit !)

SE: Okie, so have u thought about covariance?

M: (Screw this covariance …i was in jovial mood after talking a lot about this nonacad thing) Sir, its the mathematical measure that we use to know the risk of any process.

(SF seems not convinced … don’t know)

FS was staring continuously me. He didn’t ask any question as of now.

SF: So u have done a project on Financial Risk thats why u r talking about all this beta and all ?

M: Yes sir, i have done my summer training at iflexsolutions, Bangalore.

SF: Tell me other risks except Financial risk

M: IT risk

SF: U r BTech IT .. leave IT risk …. what else ?

M: Enterprise risk … (wish me to speak more …)  Macro risk …also known as political risk where due to political instability the economy might be in risky state. Many agencies give sovereign rating to countries.

SF: What else ….

M: (man ….. what do they want ? Nything specific !)  Sir, if we talk this way than we can say anything and add risk to it. There is risk in everything. To walk on road, everything.

(Jyada ho gaya tha .. shayad … don’t know)

SF: What are the risks you are facing sitting in this room ?

M: Sir, one leg of chair might get broken and (he completed the sentence …u mite fall down)  nd sir … this fan may fall over me and also Gujarat has a very bad history of earthquakes so it mite be that there can be an earthquake and whole room may get collapsed (seems they got frightened at the earthquake idea !)

Looked at FS. He didn’t do nything except staring at me.

FS: Draw the graph of (3-|x|)^2

I didn’t hear correctly, asked once again and drew in less than 10 seconds.

SE: Thank you. You may leave now. Take some toffees.

M: Thank you sir. It was nice meeting you all.

=========================================

It was nice, i guess. Especially after my not that good GD performance,i feel okie with PI. It was feel good sorta interview, where i answered almost all the questions asked, atleast put a fight and might be wrong answers  in some covariance-correlation case. I have an intuition that if i’ll get rejected then it will be only because there is nothing sparkling in my interview. They didn’t ask me about my reading habits or extra activities which are definitely setting me apart. Don’t know, fingers are crossed. But yaa it was definitely an experience to talk to these guys …. might be out of some whim, i have written something wrong /bitter about the guys … but no pun intended … they were simply the fellows who rightly know that who are the guys that deserve a place at the most prestigious institute of Asia.

Photo Credit: K Pradeep Menon

Nyways, at other hour of the day, i was reading ‘Business Maharajas’ by Gita Piramal. The first chapter is of Dhirubhai Ambani …. suddenly this movie came to my mind as i have read in the review that this is a biographical account of Dhirubhai … and it was just next instinct when i went to movie.

(Bhai ab to movie kee kahani suru kar di jaye )

I like Guru. Although, the perception which i carried to the theater was not fully met, its not a biographical account but yaa obviously an inspiration from Dhirubhai’s life. There’s talk of polyster,shares, export-import, license raj,football meetings in typical Dhirubhai’s style etc, but not in detailed manner. In no way, it’s biographical, infact i say that indians can’t make biographical movies as once GD Birla said that Indians can’t write biographies.

Its the story of a young man, who dreams and dreams. He has his ideas, his ethics and his values and that he kept whole life. Guru Kant Desai, a young man, went to Istanbul, did some low skilled work, performed well and accelerated and at one point left all. For what ? For his dream ,and that is, “apna biziness karna hai”. His father demotivated him, but he sought after his dream and there the saga begins.

He married a girl, least bothering that she’s older to him, that she had run away, just for sake of a big dowry that girl’s father had kept aside for her. The money was a capital investment for him. He came to Mumbai, faced the monopoly, got some luck and continued making his way, crossing landmarks one after another. Finally his company emerged as the biggest company of India.

Maniratnam has always been my favorite. Whether, its Dil Se or Roja or Yuva. I like them all, just because they are different. They are offbeats and i think that Maniratnam is delievering great movies to industries. But sometimes, i feel that being kind of Maniratnam, or Kamal Hasan or Nasir must be difficult, so much expectations, so much pressure. I still can recall, how did i manage all my friends to watch Nasir’s “Yun hota to kya hota” and the movie was such a big disaster !

Hey, I haven’t mentioned about Abhishek yet ! Such a bad review He is fabulous, geniune, dreamy, real, passionate and simply excellent. One of the best performances ever ! The role was not easy .. to be a plump bania, no fights, no NRIs sequence, no big dance no.s and to replicate a “bigger than life” business person. And i guess, he delivered. Aishwarys should understand that she is good for nothing actor and she can’t act. Better be married and let our soul rest in happiness.Its a pleasure to see Mithunda in a better role after so many days, a treat. I always think that he is a fine actor being devoid of roles. He is good as independent and whimsical newspaper owner alongwith Madhvan and Vidya Balan. Although the duo has not got much time on the screen.

Here comes the wider picture. Whatever i have wrote is evident. Everyone and anyone having watched movie must be knowing about the details i have just now written, where is I in this post ? I should be coming….right ?

My first opinion and that’s songs must be scrapped at all. Infact there should not be any songs in movies, let them be during casting or some emotional scene as background music to produce the feelings, but why to disturb the focus of the audiences ? Especially the song after the birth of daughters is simply a waste. Other songs are also not that good and defintely its in no way close to Maniratnam and AR Rehnam combo. As i said that its difficult to be AR Rehman, Sachin Tendulkar and Maniratnam.

The perception with which i went to movie that i would be learning about Dhirubhai was not fulfilled. It didn’t cover in any way the detailed event of Dhirubhai’s life, however it defintely had skimmed over a lot of events. Maniratnam has covered the breadth but left the depth and noone should be unhappy with this too. There are different movies of different tastes, some revolve around single instance, while some just move at faster pace and this particular movie is in later catergory. It didn’t emphasis on events that lead to the greatness of business tycoon. It didn’t answer, what are the charges against Guru or how did he manage to bribe the ministers, no such scene in deep detail, no scence showcasing his matriculate negotiation skills etc. However what the film has shown is the focus and values of Gurubhai and his passion for his business.He made friends and foes, went outside domains for his business, looked for the loopholes in the system and took advantages.He lost one hand, but what he didn’t loose is his passion and his spirit and that’s what is successfully portrayed by Maniratnam.

Some words should also go in praise for technician. I loved the period color shown of Gujarat, Turkey and then Mumbai. Even the casting in newspaper style is eye-catching. Abhishek in matured getup was in no way artificial.

And should i write that this movie remind me of Ayn Rand ? Laughing or smirking?Okie ! It goes like, when i was watching the last scene of the movie, Abhishek delivering a hailing speech to the audience and there i was subconciously wondering, if i have come across such scene anywhere else, in some other movie or real life or some book and there i recollected and this too subconciously that its from Ayn Rand and there, the speech was of Howard Roark and that speech too was in court. I should accept that Ayn Rand is surely one of the most emphatic writer, long speeches and such that you can always recall. Even this time, when Guru was saying that he knew only one thing and that’s making Polyster, i recall Hank Rearden who used to say that he knew well the art of steel making, best steel. Ms Rand, you still had an impact over me !

Anyways, Guru is a good movie, and worth watch.

This is my personal opinion about the movie. I have read the book, n its my all time favorites. Page turner, thrilling, a masterpiece. Its written and publicized as real, but still classified into fiction and not theology. Controversy convoluted the movie with the charges of defaming the Christianty. Its hard to understand, how the biggest and most powerful religion can be threatened by a single movie or book. Its because, its something special….:)

Its hard to give a short story of such movies, they are so fast tracked,with intewoven facts, characters intermingleness. But one can always try… The movie starts with grisly ritual murder of the director of the Louvre, french museum and Robert Langdon, the Harvard expert in religious symbols is found to be the chief suspect on the ground that Director send him some message before dying. Another policewoman, who also happens to be the granddaughter of Director masterminds the escape of Mr. Langdon. Before escape, there is some of the fact gathering by the duo on the basis of various hidden clues. Its thrill to watch but this is not as vast as it was depicted in the book. In movie, its directly shown that they got the answer after a little brainstorming, whereas in book a few chapters have been dedicated for the same. But i am sane enough to understand that here its was not possible to show each and everything in detail.

Thereafter catching one fact after another, an hour later enters Sir Leigh Teabing, an extereme rich fanatic of Holy Grail. I should confess this character is one of the most impressive alongwith Silas, the albino monk. Silas is villain bit he succeeds to gather ur sympathy in the end. No credits are being snatched away from Tom Hanks and Sophie who are obviously lead characteers and special ones. The multimedia picturisation where Teabing presents the hidden facts of "The last supper" is great infact more impressive than reading about it in the book. Also during his explanation of facts to Sophie about the ancient christian sects, the past scenes are shown very nicely in the present. Here are some mind blowing, deeply affecting scenes like atrocities committed on females by ancient catholic priests. How pregnant females were captured and brutally murdered, i felt sorry for my ancestors !

In this hour, is the part which is controversial, where Teabing out of his fanaticism literally naked the church. How steadily and heavily they are trying to propogate the false information about Mary, the wife of Jesus. How a sect called Priory of Sion is protecting the royal bloodline of the Jesus and his wife. In the end, after a lot of melodrama, everything got a fine end, but yaa to the serious movie watcher, it left many an unanswered questions to dwell his mind over them.

The movie is perfect in the story direction, based totally on the novel. However certain characters are dropped into the movie like Sophie's brother etc. Watching the locations is a great intoxicating pleasure in itself. From Franace to England, Langdon and Sophie searches exhaustively the museums and churches.

If we talk on the story telling side the direction is good, but Director must have faced the main problem of keeping the momentum of the movie. TO read complex chapters may be a pleasure but to watch the same on screen would have been boring and there Director Howard show himself as master. He gave movie the necessary touches, interweaving visual re-creations within the narration.

At the end, i shoud say that its a unique complex movie about the ideas. Its not a sequel to some super duper hit, neither some war movie nor some science fiction, yet people are so excited about it. Its a movie that comes once in decades.