Its all about loving your parents!!

As sidey as this Karan Johar movie line sounds, it is something that I would want to use to dedicate this 50th post to my parents!! Like every milestone (big or small) wouldn't be possible without them, similarly this inconsequential one (reaching 50 posts) would not have been possible if they hadn't tolerated the late night lights kept switched on (that's typically when I write my blogs), given me a broadband connection only coz I asked for it (when there were more pressing matters they had to attend to) or say gave me awesome education, supported me on every decision I took etc. So, YES I am writing this post about those 2 MOST important people in my life (mind you NOT one of the most important BUT MOST important).. There is NO man in this world who would measure up to my father and NO lady who would be as gracious as my mother is... When they show in these teen flicks, how these kids are ashamed of getting their parents to a friend's place or embarassed to hug them in public - I often get confused coz NEVER was I ashamed of my parents and I'm hoping never were they to have me as a daughter... It was with them that I did not experience the concept of "GENERATION GAP". Their adaptability to everything that is thrown at them is one of the reasons why their life stories and what they do now becomes so inspiring for us, the reason why we have good friends but they still remain as one of our BEST friends.

Talking about my father first, he comes from very humble beginnings... He was the youngest of the pack (4 brothers, one sister) and had to fight it out for everything... His family's financial condition needed him to work instead of studying but HE knew the importance of studying so fought with his brother (my grandpa left us when my father was just 10 years old) and completed his education till std. twelfth... He wanted to study further but then had to give in to the pressures of his family and start working... So, in his inheritance - all he bequeathed was responsibilities, hardships and loads of criticisms for not listening to his elders... So, from a small village in Nanded he landed in Mumbai to make it big here... I have seen the earlier places where he used to stay... One room which served as kitchen, living room, bedroom and dining room... One room which held my grandma and him (mind you! inspite of not being well settled he took the responsibility of looking after my grandmaa - of course she did help him in terms of taking care of household chores etc.). Before this house there were instances when he was alone and had to stay on the platform, bench in park etc. while he hunted for a job (he could put up with his brother but he would get cold stares or some nasty remarks about not getting a job and he had a lot of self respect to take this). So, before he got a job in MTNL in 1973 this is the list of things he did... Sold cards on the road, sold cricket match tickets, worked in the a steel factory, founded one steel factory. This is really an inspiring story. My father and his friend started this company called A to Z steels as partners... He saved on all the money he had (money was saved by say not having evening tea, walking till his house to save ticket money etc) and executed his first order. From then on he worked for 3 years where the company grew from its first order of 180 bucks to an order of 30000 bucks... At this point in time, he applied to this government job and got selected... There is a rule in India that a government servant cannot have another job (not even part time) and therefore he had to dissolve his partnership... This company - a fruit of his labor and hardwork - still exists and has a networth of crores... Sometimes he still wonders if he should have fought with his brother (who believed a secure job is better than a risky business) and continued with the business... It makes him sad at times but he is very satisfied with the levels he has attained in his life... Of course, he still remains very ambitious and at the age of 55 he is more ambitious than anyone his age!!! He bought his first house in 1980... He married my maa in 1981 and had 4 daughters in due course of time... Not once has he faltered to give them the comforts which he dint get... He has never once undermined the importance of education and ensured all of them get quality education... He was far sighted enough to start saving at an early age to now meet the expenses of the family of 6 (he has one daughter doing his MBA, one an architect, one doing medicine and one in standard 12th)... I have no clue how he manages every June to pay these exhorbitant fees for everyone and yet manage his household expenses... Our house is entirely a ONE MAN's show... From necessities to luxuries - EVERYTHING is managed by ma paa... Strong believer in neither be a borrower nor lender be - he has NO liabilities or debts... He has helped all his siblings - monetary or physical help - whenever they needed... He took care of his mother from the day he came to Mumbai till the day she left us... As cliched as it sounds - my father is really like a coconut... Huge temper so would say the nastiest things to people who mean a lot to him, be extremely tough in dire circumstances but if any of his loved ones are in pain - HE cannot stand it... I had a fever of 104 when I was young and both my parents dint sleep till it came down to normal... My sister had this small lump at the point where her nose started... Docs said its a tumor and needs to be operated.. He was ready to bear all the expenses but when he took a second opinion - he realised surgery wud not help... He went barefoot to Pali (a famous Ganpati temple lies there) and fasted for many days... Today there is no lump and she is one of the better looking sisters... The architect was a premature baby - wasnt going to survive on delivery - my father ensured that she gets the BEST in Mumbai.. She was under observation, in an incubator with many docs monitoring her condition for almost 5 days after which she came out... Now, she is not only healthy but also his favorite (when I say this - I am sure he will not agree but his attachment to her is VERY visible). There are many such instances where this man that I know as my father did exemplary things... I dont know if, as parents, I would be able to do for my kids but I am certain their grandpa would do EVERYTHING to make them feel the most amazing grand kids on this planet :)))

Behind every successful man lies a woman!! And my father's exemplary achievements would not have been possible without the unstinted support of my maa... There are times when I get super bugged with my father (read - the tough exterior part) but my maa NEVER leaves his side... She gets dragged a lot into these daughter-father fights and poor thing strives hard to not take sides and solve the issue... She will defend my case in front of him and his in front of me... This lady who comes from a similar background as my father (father expired soon, lived with her brother, could not study despite being so bright and got married to come from a village to a huge city like Mumbai) never once let me down. She was my friend when I wanted to discuss something and a mother when she had to guide me. In true sense - She is ma FRIEND, PHILOSOPHER and GUIDE. Her story also truly inspires me and probably is the reason why I am the way I am. My mum in std. tenth lost her father. She moved from one city to another. In std. tenth she changed schools. She did not have books to study from. So, she would borrow them from this friend of hers - study while she was sleeping (and in the street light - since her family could not afford electricity or more oil to let the lamp burning whole night) and then return the books in the morning while attending school... Despite this she secured above 60% which was a big deal then. When she bore 2 daughters, she went and completed her B.A. Going to classes in the evening all the way in Ruia, Dadar (and this was after cooking lunch, taking care of her in-laws and daughters, preparing dinner) to come back in the night - study for sometime (if we dint cry and bug the hell outta her) and then get up in the morning to continue her routine again.. All this only made the importance of education instilled VERY strongly in all of us. She became a housewife to ensure that her daughters get personal care and attention during their formative years... She balances everything so beautifully - her house, her family, her relationships with dad's side/her side/friends etc. Even my uncles and aunts praise her a lot (these are the people who are generally sitting to point out faults in others) and we cannot but feel the pride of being her daughters. What she means to me is completely cannot be expressed in words (though i have tried to write something in this post - http://sharmiliphulgirkar.blogspot.com/2007/04/mothers-you-can-never-predict-their.html)

I can go on and on about them but I still would not be able to do justice neither to the hardships they faced nor the perfection with which they have brought up their family. When I do start my family I hope I learn a great deal from them. With the amount of hardships in my life reduced by 90% (thanks to their efforts) I still have a lot to learn. I am still not sure if my kids will grow up to learn, respect and behave the RIGHT way like we do thanks to they instilling those values in us. When you have a child - his/her entire life depends on you - you have a great responsibility and one wrong move can ruin his/her life. And yet this odd couple (they are as opposite as it can get) in their twenties from a small town in a huge city managed to make their 4 daughters responsible ladies with a class who have been given the freedom to do whatever they want and who know to bear the consequences of their actions.. I believe even a standing ovation cannot give them due credit for this feat :)))

I will put an end to this blog with a thought that I will implement till the day I live - I hope ma and paa that WE ensure that NEVER again in your life - would you face hardships again!! Love u so much!! Thanks for everything!!!

Comedy of Errors

When I was in Std. tenth, I had a lesson in Marathi called "Me stadium var match pahato" (roughly translated it means I watch a match at the stadium) Basically it was about his trials and tribulations when he went to watch a cricket match at the stadium. I had vowed then - that I will NEVER watch a cricket match at the stadium - it wasnt worth the effort (clearly evident in the pain the author had to bear). Later on in engineering - I had a cricket crazy group but still we would go to this friend's place and watch a match together - wear blue tees, carry a blue flag, paint our faced in the tricolor etc... Every six/four was a celebration and every wicket we expressed frustration. But it was loads of fun - only because we were at this friends place - eating his mom's home-made delicious cakes and other junk food... In a nut shell, IT WAS COMFORTABLE!

Thus, my interest in cricket was ALWAYS driven by my friends - who were crazy about it... And this was the exact same reason I got emotionally blackmailed into watching the IPL - Mumbai Indians versus Knight Riders match at Wankhede - and the worst part of it all I PAID FOR BEING TORTURED :(

So, Girish asked me to come over and I agreed (read - emotional blackmail for not calling at 12 to wish him on his budday) to leave early and join him for this match. Gaurang and a couple of his frends were joining us... Then I had to refuse my office people who were giving me a 3000 bucks ticket for free (read Girish - so much for the love i have for u)...
I left office and missed a colleague who was going to go to the same place and left at the same time in his car (i used public transport to get there) - Strike 1 I say...

I went to Churchgate and the comedy of errors began... I was supposed to get down at Marine Lines but got a fast so got down at Churchgate (CG)... Gaurang gave me directions and asked me to walk towards Marine Lines (ML)... Now, I figured if I have to anyway walk to ML station - why not take a train to ML. Took and I came there, only to realise both of them came to Churchgate to meet me :( At ML, I waited for a train and got down at CG and again missed Girish (who was on the west side and I was on the east)... Sadly due to the huge numbers present there - mobile networks were jammed which further added to confusion... Finally I met both of them only at 7:15 (40 minutes late from what I had expected) - Strike 2..

Then we went to the Tendulkar North stand for which we had tickets for and as expected we dint get seats. We were standing for an entire match in an extremly crowded stadium and were suffocated by Mumbai heat... Strike 3

Finally the Godforsaken match started... I wondered why did I pay for this... I was standing all the time (thanks to the management which gives out 1000 tickets in a stadium which can seat 500) and we couldnt even see the players clearly... The people around me were like arre wah - some XYZ is standing at deep mid off (excuse me!) and Sachin is in the first slip etc... I also wondered how exactly did these guys see the ball? As for me, I could see the ball in bowlers hand - then him throwing it - then it was a blur till it either went for a 4 or into the fielders hands...

So, why was I there?? I couldnt see the ball, I couldnt differentiate between players (of course 2 teams had different jerseys so inter team differentiation was easy :)..) and I am not crazy about cricket... All the time I glared at Girish for making me do this... To add to my woes - the audience wanted to do a stupid Mexican wave thing - so the idiots sitting in front of me periodically got up to throw their hands in the air to continue the wave... I AM an enthu pot - so the first time when it happened - I was quite kicked and did my bit for the wave but these people continued it for what 5 rounds - dont you think thats too much? I wonder if they saw the entire over that happened during that time (psst - arent people supposed to watch the match when they are in the stadium).

So, this is for the audience bit... The match itself was quite insipid. Now, I am no ardent fan of cricket but little that I know a match esp. a 20-20 match is exciting when there are a lot of sixes, a lot of runs and a nail biting finish (something like 1 over 15 runs etc.). There were new records created here and not the most nice ones... We had:

• The Lowest score in IPL (67 all out)
• The Slowest 50 in IPL
• The fastest ever win in IPL (in 5.3 overs - which was good because I had to stand for less time)
• The highest number of catches - The idol worship that Sachin enjoys was something that dawned upon me when I saw this match. Those catches were the easiest catches anyone can take but Sachin was praised immensely for this - which is strange coz they werent any challenges (which merits this praise btw). This done - when he came on the field to bat - the crowd went mad... The gave a standing ovation to him EVEN if he hadnt hit a single ball. (I do not doubt the fact that he WAS a great player but now with his form, I think he needs to prove himself (like all players have to and like Ganguly still needs to) before he gets so much credit for nothing).. Now comes the icing on the cake - this "GREAT" batsman got out on a DUCK... Brilliant bowling by Shoib Akhtar... So, first when Shoib does come to field at the boundary - he gets brickbats... some words uttered cant be even mention on this forum... Second, everyone goes Sachin dint play now coz he doesnt need to... He is giving a chance to others to win the match coz its such an easy target.. WHAT the f#$^$%@? How can ANYONE be so blindly worshipped? Jayasurya who is probably older than Sachin performed brilliantly, Pollock who is of the same era as him bowled magnificiently and yet people choose to talk about those idotic catches that this "AWESOME player who got out on a DUCK" took.. Disgusting that a team is symbolised by this one person - its a sad state of affairs!!
• Highest number of sixes by a batsman (thanks to the 2 measly sixes that Jayasurya hit which gave him this title)

So, thats about it... At the end of the match, I was tired, sweaty, disgusted and extremely bored.. The only entertainment of the day was being with these 2 idiots - Girish and Gaurang :) and those 30 minutes we spent talking at Marine Drive... Ya of course - the cheer leaders from Calcutta could be also included as the high points of the evening (btw - Mumbai cheerleaders sucked and so does the song mumbai has as its IPL anthem). Thus ended my day - had to wait for 20 minutes at Churchgate to get a train and I finally reached home completely exhausted at 12:30...

Came home and I decided that NEVER will I go to watch a cricket match at the stadium again!!!

Local Trains – They predict the PULSE of Mumbai!!!

Out of sheer boredom and reluctance to read newspaper (which btw – is an occupational hazard for me) – I am writing this blog as the only form of entertainment I can have at work. I am done with my part and am waiting for the highly coveted BBG access. Oh btw – for non I-bank mortals – BBG is Bloomberg – a sort of database with current market details etc). So, what should a person do – when there is no mail access – talking on phone for extended period of time in office is considered to be unprofessional and when you are bored.

I decided to write a blog. I know – painful as it may be for people who read it – but good thing about blogs – U ALWAYS have an option of NOT READING. J so, what should I write on? My past few blogs have been abysmally depressing – so I figured why not a cheerful one. But while indulging in this monologue (I often do that) I realized it’s difficult to write a cheerful blog when you are sooooo bored. Therefore, a thoughtful one instead – raise a few questions – give gyaan etc. I mean isn’t that the easiest thing to do on planet earth and something that EVERYONE likes doing – GIVE GYAAAN!!! So here are my 2 cents of Sharmili wisdom (read at your own risk – people knowing me know that wisdom and Sharmili is something similar to the story of a sword in a monkeys hand J…)

These days I travel a lot by local trains in Mumbai. When I was young – a loooong time ago that is – I used to travel everyday by local trains from my house to college, classes, parties etc. For me – some of my best friendships have been formed while traveling on trains. I used to have these random bets saying I would go and talk to this complete stranger for say 10 minutes or say till next station etc. and it used to be fun. One of the outcomes of this bet fetched me a friendship band on friendship day you know J In some cases, people hated me during these journeys (read shruti), some simply adored me (read the girl who gave me a friendship band – I am old u know – don’t remember her name), some got to know me (read sudha) and some became friends for life (read Priya). So, the moo point of this is trains were synonymous with friendships and fun J

Now as I leave the train of the yore and come to the present – a worldwide phenomenon (world here restricted to people using local trains) is listening to music or reading a newspaper while you are on a train. There would hardly be a person without those earphones and glares (typically used as a hair band) or the infamous TOI/pink paper in their hands (me try very hard to be in the latter category but somehow reading newspaper is not too exciting – like my bets earlier were)… Now, the compartments are QUIET!!! The only sound made is by local trains passing alongside. It’s strange! When I was a teenager (would like to bring to notice – that this was indeed a long time ago) – I used to get yelled at for being loud or boisterous and disturbing the peace of the compartment with my gang – but now I die to hear some friends just randomly gossiping about college or just talking about how life sucks (btw – that still remains my favorite timepass J… just need an audience and I am at my best)

So it got me thinking. Recently I have had the feeling that Mumbai is changing – from a very friendly cosmopolitan city it is moving to a more individualistic, space loving city. I am of course too immature to even state this with confidence or dole out the implications/causes for the same. But it’s a little disconcerting. And this is not restricted to local trains only. Kids these days are rarely seen playing. They would go to summer camps (a new phenomenon that has struck Mumbai) or have sony play stations, go to malls, spend time at McDs or CCD (its almost impossible to get a place during summers or weekend at these joints) or watch movies at adlabs. Of course an outcome of greater spending power but is it a better way of spending time?

And of course this environment gets to you – so there are times when I would prefer my parents giving me space (a concept which EVEN my 5 year old niece demands) or listening to music/watching something on my laptop instead of chatting up with my friends/relatives.

Somewhere I have too become individualistic. I feel sometimes that I too would probably react the same way to kids making halla now as those aunties reacted when I was a kid. But some wise man once said – ALL for the BEST!!! So who am I to question that now!!!

A test or A punishment?

Everytime I cry a little
Eveyrtime I die a little
Everytime I explain answers to myself a little
But yet next time, the event repeats itself a little
Everytime I do things wrong a little
Everytime I screw things up a little
Everytime I vow to do things right a little
Yet everytime I lose more than the previous time a little
Everytime I pray to God a little
To end this suffering in my life a little
Evertime I ask him for some mercy a little
Everytime I ask him one final shot to settle
But everytime he give me some hope a little
Only to end up again hurting my loved ones a lot
What did I do to deserve this
When will this suffering end
When will I feel good and chirpy again?
When a change for me will God send?

Journey from Misfortune to Windfall

While I just lamented about how I feel helpless and puny, less than 24 hours ago; what I am writing now is exactly its opposite feeling I felt today!! Somewhere I take this as an incident which substantiates the fact that life follows a Sinusoid - you have days of crests (high points in your life when everything works well) which would be followed by days of troughs (low points when you would feel you should not exist) but be rest assured coz crests ARE going to emerge next... So, when I had doubts about if I am a person at a right place, at a right time yesterday - they just were resolved today!!!

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After a lot of deliberation, I decided to not go to work (because I had to work a little on my report) and instead go to the Barcap versus L & T cricket match at the Oval :) (sounds so psued na...) Even though late - I was there to cheer for my team.

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So, at the match (T20 match) we set an impressive and formidable target of 185 for L & T... Now, with 3 wickets down the audience (ME) was getting restive.. So, I got talking to Sushir (one of my colleagues) and this friendly talk soon became a finance lesson first and then got converted to gambling (which everyone in finance does - like Sushir put it - if you are risk averse - you are in a wrong profession :)...) So, after explaining the bet to me (He had to go short @ 50 rupees per minute if the time taken for match to wrap up is <> 45 min... After a lot of cheating (which he chose to call it as I kept changing clocks - the one running fastest was the one I wanted to take) and miscalculations (stupid me - on settling on one clock I stupidly calculated 10 + 45 = 50 (got reminded of CAT days) :(....which lost me 250 bucks btw...), the match last over finally was being played on the ground...

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Now, ideally an over takes around 3 minutes to complete... Given the fact that there were 4 minutes less for me to break even - I was praying that something happens and the time gets extended... And guess what... Ball 1 bowled - Wide... Ball 2 bowled - Wide... (Sushir had torn his hair apart...) Ball 3 bowled - hit for a 4... (now we were comfortably winning - so the 4 was not so disturbing from the company win POV... but that was good for me coz the ball went faaaaar away and took a few more seconds to retrieve) Ball 4 bowled - dot ball... Ball 5 bowled - hit for a 4 which unluckily landed where the audience was sitting... Sushir was fast enough to run give the ball back to get the game started... Ball 6 - awesome ball - wicket taken... (this is again good for me... batsman walking out - batsman walking in takes time....) The time count is not told on purpose coz the end result would be sweeter to hear then... Ball 7 - dot ball... Finally the last ball of the innings - I was praying for one more extra but then I thought lalach buri bala hai :D... It was a dot ball and the game was finally over... Net result - Barcap won the game by more than 82 runs.... As for me, I won 200 rupees (since the 5th minute was not complete - I did not get a 50 for that...) So, had I calculated properly - silly that I am - I would have won 950 bucks :( but clearly destiny had another lesson in mind (other than reverberating the fact that I make silly mistakes) "lalach buri bala hai..."

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Of course I could not accept the money - so I refused to take it... Then all the others were like he would have taken it had you lost and its difficult to get money outta him so you might as well take it... Get a vada-paav for office people if you dont want the money for yourself :))))

End of the day - I had 200 bucks in my hand (if I do get vada - paav - I will end up spending much more) , I met one of my friends for lunch and had an awesome time, came home and spent time with my family and had a great time here too :))))))))

Why cant days always remain at the crests??? Are troughs really necessary????

From Indifference to Ignorance to Apathy - Salaam Mumbai!

Before you read any further one fact about me - I am very proud to be born and brought up in Mumbai... Like my orkut profile says - I am a Mumbaikar to the core... But there are many things I do not understand about this city... You wonder and you wonder but you dont put a thot to something; till you experience something that forces you to give your mindshare to this issue/event... So, here goes - the cliched melting pot called Mumbai - saw the city come to the rescue when bomb blasts hit the trains - and also saw the Jayabala Asher incident where no one helped and the J W Marriot incident where everyone kept quiet... And while I praised and ridiculed the city when these incidents did happen - tea time conversation - thats all they were...

But then the other day I came in the 8:41 Virar fast from Dadar and I was forced to think... On a different tangent - Mumbai mein everyone runs... U see me running everyday at 7:39 in 3 inch heels to take the 7:40, I see an old lady running to get the bus and I see a bus driver slamming the accelerator to make it through the signal as it turns red... So, yes - it is a fast city... And now this very haste also results in some unwanted acts by Mumbaikars... So, back to my story - 8:41 at Dadar which is 8:55 at Andheri... Day would have been a routine mumdane day if 2 men wouldnt have entered this WOMENS first class...

For all those who do not know the legendary Virar - even if its 1 am in the morning that train is crowded... So, yes this train was crowded and here is the apathy that I witnessed - only one lady was opposing it - fighting with them... asking them to get down... Finally, when they dint pay heed to her - I said something... another girl started... They said - "hum log staff hai - we can come here coz we couldnt get in the gents first class..." I was so irritated... They had the gall to say this... Imagine what nerves they had when they stepped onto this compartment... They would ve thot "Chalta hai... Ladies hain - kya karengi..." And which to some extent is true na - for starters - how many women spoke?? Next - they did travel to their detination in first class... Third - nothing we did served to get the right thing done...

The point of the blog to ask all you people - what are your limits? how much of beauracracy can u take? What all things can you tolerate? I tried to do my bit - try and be a responsible citizen but in the end - beauracratic procedure won, my tolerance gave up... Makes me feel terrible inside - then should I assume that those ladies who dint leave their seats (afraid to be standing till their destination later) are dead inside? would they have kept quiet if it were their daughters instead of me and that girl? and when will i keep doing something and then finally end up dead inside... and if this continues - will this city ever see someone doing something just for the welfare of others? Pareto principle - making yourself better off without making society worse off - can this happen ever in Mumbai again? I am a pessimist and the sad state of affairs only fuels this further so what I would do instead is tell you how this story ended and then as usual I will end this on questions coz - i for one do not have answers to those... may be someone reads and helps me figure things out for me... so this is what I did -

I asked for his IDs - he flashed them but for a time where no details could be taken... only for a fact that his first name was Jayaprakash and that it was indeed a Government ID... we tried to take snaps so that we show it to the station master at Borivli and they leaned outside showing us their backs... I called the 24 hours railway helpline - to call security at Borivli Station (the next station where train was supposed to tkae a halt)... They assured me that someone will be there and when the station came no one was there... Those guys got down and stared straight into my face and smirked at me... I felt puny.. Helpless... The Virar train started and all those ladies went back to their soap discussions and other conversations like nothing ever happened... There at the station were these 2 girls who started the fight for everyone feeling shitty about themselves... Still not giving up - we went to 4 office - station master, railway security, station manager and finally the deputy... no one did anything... kept passing on the buck... finally on insisting - that they check if these guys were police atleast (off duty may be) he said police station jaake aap check karo... I did get the details but at that point is where my patience wore off... after a 12 hour day at office, I really dint want to then get hassled by a policeman... I asked the girl if she needed the details coz I knew I would not pursue it further and she took them from me...

I dunno if she will do anything about it, but if she does -kudos to her spirit... as for me - I am currently wallowing in self pity... :( But tomorrow again - I will be running at 7:39 to take the same 7:40 train...
The main question then remains: Am I still really PROUD to be a MUMBAIKAR?
Beats me!!!

No time but just couldn't stop writing

My time here @ IIMB has been terrific... I mean, yes - it does have its downs (a lot of them actually at times) but the ups more than compensate for it... So, while I have been cribbing that I do not have the time to write anything, today I just could not resist as I browsed through my blog... I have 3 unwritten blogs - First Week @ IIMB, Summers experience, life in general at IIMB etc... So, finally I decided to put an end to this eternal wait for getting a right moment to write a blog and just started typing (so what if FinDev is staring right at my face)... So, what I am going to write about is this one aspect of IIMB students life - Bidding... We do that for eveyrthing... Bid for hostel rooms, bid for courses, bid for the number of students in the club, bid for money you want for your club - everything... And mind you, every such bid is associated with a lot of tension and hajar emotions... So, last 2 days in a row we were subjected to THE BIDDING process...

Day before yesterday - ACAD Council Opens the Bid At!!!!!
What do you do when you want a course very badly and 100 others want too and the professor is ready to only teach 75 students... The only fair way to get those rightful 75 is bidding... So, I was the lucky one with only 2 out of 6 courses to be overbid (overbid - numer of applications exceed the cap placed by the prof)... There were people with 4 courses overbid and some unfortunate ones who did not get their course floated (course is not floated when the number of students applying is les than 20)... Amidst these extremes, here was I who prayed that 2 students somehow drop from the BFMS course which I wanted... The other course prof was nice enough to extend the cap and thus was normally bid...

So, stage one mock bidding - everyone gets an idea of what is the general preference of the batch (in terms of which courses they want and which they dont)... Stage 2 - actual bidding - same results... Stage 3 - voluntary swapping for students who change their mind and go for underbid courses (this is where I was waiting for 2 students to opt out)... Stage 4 - After stage 3, we still had 4 courses overbid so bidding process where you allocate 1000 points you have on the subject you desire the most... Its like auctioning - highest bidder wins... So, if you have more than one subject overbid - your points split amongst those subjects and you stand to lose... Stage 5 - tie between people who have same number of points bid... the subject still overbid... So, random allocation... Thanks to excel for the RAND() function which came to the rescue... Finally, Stage 6 - here the top 70/75 (depending on cap) are taken and granted the course... The misfortunate ones go to Stage 1 for a new course...

Agreed finally it did come to luck but there is no other fair way to give courses to students... You could do something like US Univs have - first come first serve or prof selects the students etc... But they are very subjective and do not give every student the same chance as this method (however cumbersome) gives.

Yesterday - Hostel Room Going, Going and Gone!!!
This is where we first year students select the rooms where we want to live in our second year after we come back from summers... Like in most issues, here too there is a demand supply mismatch... I owuld not even venture into guys hostel allocation which is nothing but huge... So, sticking to that fraction which is one fifth the total population - 51 girls in 51 rooms... Now, the process goes as 8 girls ka groups get allocated first, then 4 girls and then those hapless souls who are with no group... So, initally we were a group of 4 girls frantically trying to get the number to 7,8 or 9... MBA really spoils you because for something as simple as getting a room, you start applying probability theory, game theory etc... So, using one such theories 2 groups of 4 combined (Neha, Reema, Kinjal and Sharmili with Ritu, Aastha,Smriti, NikkySoo) to get the highly coveted K block... First there was a system which said - you give your first preference and if no one bids for it, you get it... The theories were at its best in this phase but to no avail... We still ended bidding for a block which was contested by anohter group... Then some sense prevailed and the bidding for hostel rooms came down to lottery system... Each group nominates one person to go and pick the chit... Who goes from our group now? People asked me to go but just picture this - 7 girls are looking upto you to pick one of the first 3 ranks in group of 8 and you end up picking rank 8... Would you live in peace the rest of your life??? Knowing this fully well, that I cannot do it - considering my luck (there was high probability (here I go MBA again) that I pick up 7 or 8).. So, we had the Jhansi ki Rani of our group Ritu Mittal daring to get us those coveted K blocks... And man she was lucky... We got rank 2 and hence K first which was NICE!!! The group who picked rank 1 could not stop cheering for their group leader... And so couldn't we... Then the hostel secretary wrote - Ritu and Group againt K first and we were so happy to see that one cannot imagine... Of course, there were downsides were groups 7 and 8 got wht they did not prefer, some spilt... Hue and Cry about how our hostel secy sucks (which always happens.. We Indians very easily blame the system and people in it when we dont get what we want), how the process is not fair etc. After the girls rooms were sorted out, guys started which was even more messier...
But at the end of the day - I had the block I wanted, with the girls I wanted the block with and with the guys of our group just a floor below...
Alls well that ends well people say... So, atleast for me these 2 days ended on a high note... And with this content feeling I came to check my mail which had our QAG (a sort of monitor but for a partiuclar subject) mail saying our FinDev marks are out... Now, you know that every crest is followed by a trough... Without even looking at my score I am certain its a trough that I have to face :(
So, thats all for now...
FinDev awaits and guilt feeling is already cropping up for wasting so much time instead of reading FinDev...

Kudos to the most spirited team I have ever seen!!!

I would classify today's tug of war event as by far the most important event of intersection sports and one of the most momentous moments of my life. I could not stop writing about this event, one because I have never gotten so excited post Samhar and second because I have never seen such highly spirited team - like EVER!!! It was a game that was packed with so many emotions that I cannot begin to tell. Some of the highlights of the event - if anyone had missed it.

The Team Selection

So, the normal day starts with the usual cop fin lecture, continues with MPPO group having 107 slides to be presented and then by a marathon marketing lecture. Little did we know that this seemingly long commonplace day had loads of energy and ethusiasm in store for us. At 7:30, the team was in throwball court for the Tug of War event. Trials were carried out to get the best 6 players - who were within the weight limit to play for us. Poor Gauri was the one against whom everyone was tried and tested. Sec C was on court and suddenly PMS enters and displays her might. Last minute subs and Kinjal was replaced with PMS. We won the match against B fair and square.

The Problem

As PCN would say - Shit hit the roof after the match. Yours truly displayed her complete lack of mathematical skills because in the heat of moment of getting the best team, we crossed the weight limit. We were the first ones to admit our mistake, apologised our mistake and waited for the sports council to give a decision if it was a re-match or a disqualification. Incidentally, it so happened that Sec B was also overweight and therefore, it was unanimously agreed that we would have a rematch. Before the rematch, there were some bickerings about parllax error in weighing, availability of flat surface, zero error adjustments etc. So, along with my maths skills, my physics fundaes were also revised today :)

The Rematch

Match 2 started with Shruthi not playing the first pull. We gave in to the sec B team but this did not dampen the spirits. Shruthi agreed to play and resumed her position in the front and pulled victory away from sec B team, when they were only a few centimeters away. Hats off to this girl's spirits to one - not have given up realising that we were almost out and two - come and play disregarding her health and keeping the team above it. Of course, hadn't been for the support of the other 5, the front person could not have succeeded alone. After the impossible win (as many spectators later called it) the third pull was a cake walk and then the look on all these 6 girls faces was priceless. I wish at that point in time I had a camera to capture - the victorious smile, the satisfaction of winning fair & square and the determination that we have to teach a lesson.

The Finals

There was a really long break before the finals started. We were playing with no substitutes and not with the winning team combo. In addition, the fact that they had 6 pulls as opposed to 3 that the opponents made things even worse. This game requires hajar strength and we had exhausted ours in these 6 pulls. Yes! the things did look difficult at that point in time and I was dying of hajar guilt. For one, I kept blaming myself for making them go through the torment of a rematch and second for actually thinking that instead of playing the finals, we give them a walkover. Gold glitters the most when it is heated the most.The girls fighting it out (for whatever position) in today's event would have been the only befit ending to this trial by fire. And this was where I learnt the third lesson for the day - place the team above an individual. Kudos to Kinjal to place the team over her beliefs, to come to aid when the team needed the most and finally to NOT give up whatever happened. I'm not sure how many would have done the same thing you did for this section. First pull - Aastha displayed an awesome initial pull to make sure theu get a run for money. However, luck did not favor us and we lost. The bigger problem was Tanu got hurt in the process and we were thinking of calling it off at that point to prevent injuries to others. Thats when the entire team amazed me again - because not only did they play but they won. Aswathy in the front did an awesome job of not letting go and Devi anchored superbly from behind. I almost saw PMS, Gauri, Aastha and Kinjal at 20 degrees to the horizontal to get maximum force. The determination paid off again and we got the final chance to win the event. Similar effort again, this time sec D got a wee bit closer to winning but the team proved their mettle and won...

Aftermath

I do not know how the team would have performed had Shruti been there. I do not know if I would have made any difference, had I been there. I do not know if we had not gotten the weight wrong in the first place, whether we would have felt better after winning the finals. All I know is that if any team deserved to win - it was SEC C... And I do not say this because I belong to this section. Sportsmanspirit and Skill are the two most fundamental things that are tested in any field (events, rules etc become secondary then) and that makes a sportsperson. I proudly say that I have met 8 such true sportspersons who come 10 on 10 on both these parameters.

PROUD OF U!! You were responsible to get a smile on my face and owe you one for that :)

Memorable Samahar!!!

This is not my article but a snippet from the article a friend from IIMB wrote... Its about the Basketball Match between the IIMC and IIMB teams @ Calcutta... The Girls' Baski Team rose like the Dark Horse towards victory adding their bit in the 7 - 4 win over Calcutta!!! Here is how the snippet about Baski Girls goes:-

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Basketball (Girls):

Arguably, the fate of Samhar 2007 was decided by this memorable performance displayed by our Girls Basketball team. Purely going by the average height or weight of the two teams, no one would have given our girls a chance. But our ‘5-feet-someones’ displayed steely resolve, relentless stamina, and exemplary grit to overcome all their “short”comings to register probably the finest moment of the Sports Meet.

Led from the front by Nupur Kalgaonkar, the “Girl from Kolhapur”, the team had a clear mission: don’t let the ball reach the opponents. They snatched at the ball, jumped in unison and did a lot more than what had been seen on a Basketball court before, and, importantly, never gave possession of the ball. In between all the drama, Anjali scored from a free throw to take an early lead in the match, and the score after 2 quarters was 1-0. Another free throw in our favour, and this made the score 2-2 at the end of the 3rd quarter, with everything to play for.
The 4th quarter had some heart-stopping moments but nothing to add to the score. Just when the spectators were getting ready to go into extra time with only 28 seconds to go on the clock, the ‘oh-not-so-shy’ Sharmili Phulgirkar somehow stole the ball from the opponents, raced towards the basket, defied all odds, and actually put the damn thing in the basket, a feat she never achieved during any of the practice sessions!

A special mention for Nidhi Gupta, whose defence was impeccable, and whoever she marked visibly felt awfully stifled! The match was also memorable for the celebrations after every basket, which reminded one of goals in footer matches! (this comment is coz the score was 4-2; yeah! yeah! i know reminds you of a football match score!!!)

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The entire sports meet remains a memorable experience... The girley gossip we indulged the first night, the practice sessions we had a week before that, the cheering squad and its importance, the bonds that were made stronger after the meet, the rain dance in the end where we let our hair loose and finally the BIG cup in the team's hands which just made the entire exercise worthwhile and bore sweet fruits for the pains we put in....

Three Cheers for IIMB- Hip Hip Hurray!! Hip Hip Hurray!! Hip Hip Hurray!!

Aila - Kya match Tha!!!!

The first event at IIMB which really got me excited :))))))))) The names might not be familiar but the mood is!!!!
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The phrase - A cricket match is not lost till the last ball is bowled actually proved its verity in yesterday's match. The girls' cricket match between the PGP1 and PGP2 girls was not only very exciting but also surfacing of hidden talents of our batch... For all those people who missed the extremely captivating match, here is a small account -

Amidst the confusion of having the event or postponing it, I finally got a message from Parul (lot more about her later) saying the match is @ 11:30 pm and the team is ready. As budding managers, we meet just about every deadline perfectly, so both PGP1 and PGP2 girls brought in their teams on time.

The match began with Parul and Ragini opening. It was nothing short of Virendera Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar opening. Sixes, Fours, Running between wickets was fantastic. Then on Shruti's (PGP2) bowling, a stupid tree came in the middle giving Nidhi a very easy catch and sent our very own Ragini back :( Then came Madhumita who gave the same support to our captain (Parul) who only spoke the language of 4s and 6s. The highlight in their fielding was a spectacular catch taken by Mansi Gupta (sideways, lower than her knees) which unfortunately was on a no ball. This stroke of bad luck proved deadly for the PGP2s, since Parul was unstoppable after that. She had got a chance and she meant business!! So, finally after 6 overs we were 119 with the fall of one wicket.

With full confidence, our side came to bowl. We had set a very difficult target and that only boosted our players confidence. Mansi Gupta and Saumya were their openers and Sarbjeet our bowler. Mansi hit 6s in first 2 balls and after which Sarab changed her bowling line. Mansi came ahead and tried to hit the ball which happily went into Madhumita's (wicket keepers) hands who was prompt enough to get her stumped. Third ball and one wicket (one of their good batsman) down and our confidence was on cloud number nine. Then came Saumya who miraculously changed the game from 12 for 1 in 1 over to something like 88 for 1 in 4 overs. Man!! would we lose the match :O Tension on both sides. With the huge number of 6s hit, 32 in 2 overs and Saumya being there, it seemed feasible.

Next over by Sarab and the scene was 19 off the last over. Parul came to bowl in this high pressure moment. The first ball bowled and a 6. The second one went off to the boundary. 9 runs off 4 balls - VERY doable. Neha doing everything to ensure Saumya is on strike and here she was. then the next 3 balls were dot balls. Parul finally got the length right. So, one ball and 9 to win - the match was ours. The celebrations already started among the PGP1s and just then, Saumya hit a 6 on a no ball. The result - 1 ball to go and 2 runs needed. And just when we thought the match was lost, Parul came up with an awesome ball, bowling Saumya off the last ball to get us on the road to victory!!!!!!!

Kudos to the entire team! A special mention to all the guys/girls who stayed up after a looooooooooong day to cheer the team... It DOES make a difference!

Expressions

You go to any card shop - archies, hallmark - and you are bound to see one section called - Expression Greeting Cards... The cards of this genre - express things that you never verbally say (lack of courage or opportunity)... I found myself going to that section when bang came a mother's day, father's day or sister's day etc.... Was it coz I wanted to give flowery cards with poems or roses or Anne Geddes babies??? But this might not be the case since more often than not, I ended up buying a very simple card - its crux being - thanks for everything you did in my life and for being there or a plain I love u... Funny, aint it! These are the very people closest to me and I cannot say a simple thanks to them or a I love you to them!

What kind of a coward am I; I need a card made by a stranger and a day started by another stranger to tell them that they are appreciated, that they are special!!! To add to this miserable feeling, I am not even sure why did the firangs come up with this day... Every year I decide to check it up and every year after the card is given - this mission goes into oblivion! This makes me such a bad person - doesn't it? And given this very logical fact - why aren't these people doing anything about the bad person in their life??? Hasn't my mother completely lost it with my cribs and my ingrate nature? Hasn't my father lost his patience with my impertinence? When will my sister quit shopping for me - despite me not showing any enthusiasm for what she shops? And a scary thought comes to me - what if all this I mentioned above came true? The answer to this is very evident too - I'll DIE!!! Coz there would be no support system that helps me survive... Not remotely belittling the presence of friends and relatives in my life... But when the central existence of your life loses meaning, nothing else can help...

And so its very easy to take them for granted - Coz they are there - ALWAYS... A strange kind of love that has developed, over the years, with the sense of belonging and the knowledge of blood ties that bind us all... This love is well aware of its destructive power as well as its constructive powers and this makes miracles happen... There is this very sticky glue of acceptance that is the core of these relationships! So, if I move on to the next THE MOST IMPORTANT relation in anyone's life does this theory hold true? The relation is Spouse, isn't it? So, can we actually expect someone who has lived the formative years of his/her life in different surroundings to reach the same comfort level w.r.t how much to be expressed? Everyone, in their own right, does the same things to their families - then - can they do the same thing to each other and survive?

How important is expressing in this case? Does expressing on only few occassions suffice? If not, what is the point when you know that you have expressed enough? What if these points dont match? How do you cross these turbulent times to reach the ultimate halcyon in your lives? I know the answer of most of these questions is going to be - its dependent on the people involved.... Also, simple maths tells me that for this relationship there are more means to express (physical and emotional) and more time (considering average life of 60 years still gives this phase 35 years...)... Yet, we hear an anomaly - increasing rates of divorces, fights and misunderstandings blown out of proportions along with decreasing number of long lasting relationships...

Why does this happen? The simplist in me begs the answer to the following question - Why cant equations just be as simple as they are with our family... Why do we complicate the matters when a new person enters the core... Family and Friends just seem to do fine with or without the expected levels of expressions - then why does this ONE relationship get affected so much by it.... It works for family coz of the reasons cited above... In case of friends, even if they do get affected by this - I believe the repercussions of a broken friendship are a layer above the core and this helps absorb the undesirable change much better...

A dear friend always tells me - its easy to point of faults, its even easier to ask questions but what is difficult is giving a way of handling the same... I am not going to be presumptuous and trivialise this issue and come up with some scotch tape solution... But I feel what i say below works as a solution for everything.... I feel that just going and shouting helps - Go out there people! Talk, set your expectations right and make sure there are no loose ends coz they would then take the form of unrequitted EXPRESSIONS that cant close the loop.... And the argument will begin all over!!!!!

Jolted back from Inactivity

The inactivity was partly due to a sudden transition on a personal front (moving from a professional to a student) and partly due to my uncanny knack of getting things done in a complicated way... Gimme something that can be easily done and be rest assured that I can easily complicate it by introducing hajar variables... Sad story of my life but true...

A trip to Singapore had been planned since April first week... It was May last week that I finally made it there... But, this trip was wrought with hajar complications...

First - Tickets!!! My agent (ticketing one) suddenly got very busy and could help me out only by Monday (which was 21st May) I strongly believed that this is very late considering a 30th flight I wanted to take and the visa wasnt stamped... couldnt possibly book before that (as you all must ve wondered) coz my last date was not getting finalised... So, till those formalities were done, I could not go ahead with the booking... So, I asked Vraj to get it done for me on a Friday!!! (since monday seemed too close to the departure date) Smart, you wud think! But, the stupid Malaysian Airlines have no E-ticket and they courier tickets only to US addresses forced Vraj to order to his addr and then courier it to me (which reached only by Friday).. However, the itenary was sufficient enough to get a visa and it served my purpose...

Second - Visa... By now you would have thought 21st I shud ve started the Visa process right.. But, my agent (yup this is not the same person...) had to go on a 2 day leave the same week :( Net Net - no visa process till 24th and tickets were in USA... Finally Visa process was about to start (meaning docs were all given) and my agent says it would be better if Sudha sends a signed invitation... She sends... But her affinity for June (her bday) and July month (my bday) came into picture... Instead of saying 30 May to 6th June, she writes, 30 June to 6 July... So, poor thing had to fax the copy again... Many such docs made Sudha run in Singapore and me run from bldg. 14 to bldg. 1 a lot on the 24th... Finally, everything came thru and Visa was supposed to be with me Tuesday (29th May)

Third - Perhantian trip (highlight of the trip - one of the top 10 most beautiful places to visit as per TIME magazine) - This required me to start a Malaysia visa process.. Docs should be same except for ticket difference n that invitation letter... Everything was in place but one issue... Passport in SGP consulate and we cannot start Mal visa till we get it... It takes 7 dys to get Mal visa so in no way could I start visa process for Mal... But good news... I can get on entry since I am going for only 2 days!! Great luck I thought... Told Sudha and waited for passport to come through...

Fourth - ECNR - Chat with GS... on 28th May

Me - "YEEE! I am coming to Perhantian... Cool na"
GS - "what about visa???"
Me - "on arrival"
GS - "Cool, so have an ECNR right..."
Me - "excuse me - ECNR?????"
GS - "arre, its a stamp - blah blah blah - you need it to get Mal visa.. Should take around an hours time"
Me (slighltly panicky but firmly) - ok! can do it on Wednesday.. (confirmed with agent - personal presence not reqd)

Fifth - Forex - Cannot get till you get a Visa... So, cannot happen before Tuesday! But, got everything arranged so that it wont be a fight on the last day...

Finally the events that followed were -

1. got the SGP visa on tuesday but in Mumbai...
2. ECNR process was supposed to be started by Girish with an authority letter from me.. But, Mal e-ticket was not allowed, train tickets were not correct, personal presence wasnt there, TIME wasnt there... SO, after a fight (in SGP, Pune and Mumbai) we realised we cannot get it done :((((((( As depressing as it sounds but the Perhantian trip got cancelled... All the snorkelling dreams went into drain... And to add to my variable list, passport was with Girish in his office in mumbai...
3. Forex did not come thru to Pune in time before I left... So, had to collect it from Mumbai house...supporting docs copy (passport, Visa and itenary was with me in Pune...)
4. Last day at work was incidentally the same day of my flight... So, major running around happened and finally finished all formalities by 3:00 pm only... which made it impossible to reach my house by 6:00 when forex came to my house...

So, the vairables involved in this trip -
- Me in pune... had to make it to airport by 9:00 pm sharp as that was checking time (despite leaving 1.5 hour after the planned time)... On my way, volvo bus broke down, AC stopped functioning in the claustrophobic bus, landslide happened at the ghats on the way - leading to a major traffic jam...
- Girish in his office with my passport... I think its somewhere in South Mumbai...
- Dad with forex and bag - Coming from Borivli.. Now, getting forex also was a herculean task for my father and stud that he is - he could get it done... No docs were present at Borivli... So, finally after some phone calls he got it done.. Btw, my phone battery drained out - so during this time I (who had all the information) was out of reach...
- Namu coming with my clothes that I had to change (was in office formals since came directly from office) from Borivli... Clothes needed some altering and were at the tailors place till 4:00 pm...

I am sure by now who survied this account of terrible planning have concluded that I havent made it to SGP... And even if the optimistic folk believed that I made it, they must have thot - with the highlight trip out of the plan, the trip wouldnt have been too much fun... And all must have agreed the dire need for me to do some management course... C'mon - I must have got atleast one right ;))))))

But, here is the reality...
All variables converged @ airport at 8:40 (before time - in my case - is a big deal)... Me changed into jhakas clothes and got all the things in place... Came to SGP in one piece (despite this my first flying experience, despite having connecting flights - not direct ones and despite the fact that had Sudha not come @ airport I would have been completely lost... But nothing that my pessimistic brain suggested happened and I reached safely... Today is the third day (this was when I was supposed to be back from the ful-filled Perhantian trip) and the fun hasnt still stopped... Is it because of the place, the people, the excitement or just a change - I do not know... But, fact remains - that I am having fun and am all geared up to learn management lessons after a refreshing, badly-managed break :))))))