my first client meet

without much ado, Here is an account of my first client meet.

It was in Chennai, cant name the client though (no no, i do recall the name but professional ethics you know!!). So, i had to meet the CFO and discuss my work with him.
I had tried to prepare myself so that i could talk intelligently on an industry that i had just come to know.
In the course of discussions, he suddenly asked me " Mr. Singh, how is the economy doing this year". Yeh kya ?? "economy must be fine, havent met her lately though" I wanted to say, but something inside told me that this was one of those occasions where i have to use what i learnt in my MBA - i.e. give global gyan or gas - the elixir of all MBAs.
I put on my most serious and thoughtful face and said in a slightly american accent " The fundamentals are strong but Crude price is a concern and might shave of 0.5% from the GDP"
I dont believe i said that. Now, i dont know much about crude - the saudis never gave me the recipe.
But the CFO seemed satisfied, maybe even impressed. In a nutshell, it worked. i told myself l would write that down later , might come in handy someday again.

Rest, the meeting was OK. I njoyed the visit though. good deviation from routine. On a serious note, Client interaction is an important component in a job. gives u a sense that things are for real and it is not just a report but REAL business - although i still dont know, how economy is doing, havent met her lately u know ;-)

- impulsar

Zen and the secret of the master.

There are times when we wonder where this world is going. Although if u applied a little mind, u would know - It is not going anywhere but just circling around the sun (pls laugh here). But still sometimes we get disillusioned with the corruption and lack of moral fibre in our society.
But then there is slways someone who comes and proves that all is not lost.

1 such man accompanied us to our trip to Tirupathi. I wont tell you his name but he is a very nice frnd of Amit,Anshu,Pragati,Harman,Vipul and Mahendra. Chalo 1 more hint- his name starts with a 'V' and is then followed by a,r,u,n. Thats it- enough of hints. Here are two anecdotes which prove what a principled man this guy is.

After getting the diety's darshan, its was time for the famous ladoo prasadam. Only two ladoos were being given for each entry ticket. Now all of us wanted extra ladoos for friends and family. We were told that extra ladoos would be given only if we bought more entry tickets. Not wanting to go through the hassles, we offered to give the counter guy, the money for the tickets to which he agreed.

Now in stepped our Hero- the knight in the shining armour- the saviour. He refused to be a party to this saying that the money would be pocketed by the counter guy and so he would go and buy tickets for all. When he was told that the tickets were available 2 kms from there, he quickly figured out that this was an exceptional case and his principles would not apply here. So much flexibility- so much dynamism. What a profound spiritual experience.

But this is not all, our education from the master continued throughout the journey. I and the master were filling the form for booking our rail tickets for the return journey. I committed a grave error by filling in the wrong age of the master. Can you imagine i dared to make the master a year older than he actually was. I was immediately chided by the master for giving incorrect information and I corrected myself. Not wanting to commit any more mistakes, i requested the master to call Mahendra and others to verify their age. The master said that his phone was on roaming and i could fill up the form by guessing their ages. Not understanding this seemingly double standards of the master I asked him what happened to his principles.

And then he gave me the ultimate knowledge - the universal truth which was to be followed without fail He said
" always be true to your principles, but if the cost of sticking to them is more than Rs 2 , still dont compromise on your principles, simply replace them with a new set ."

Aapne meri aankhen khol deen..
chalo to end the blog, i have a simple quiz for u guys.

Complete the series:
Raja Harishchandra, Bhisham Pitamah, Daanveer Karan, _________?


-Impulsar-

Caught in a Burning Train

Here is the second incident:

I was travelling from Ludhiana to Delhi by train. I was the first one to occupy my seat in the compartment. Travelling alone, I was hoping that the I would have some interesting co-passengers. Maybe a damsel in distress tarvelling alone ;-). But alas! It was not to be. The entire compartment was filled up by a group of retired/semi retired uncles. Agh..!! Why does it happen to me. Raj has all the luck, I thought.

Retired people have a very special characterstic. They are masters of all the subjects in this world and believe in sharing their knowledge with the willing and not so willing listeners. and this characterstic especially reveals itself while they are travelling with their ilk.

So after some introductions and small talk, the discussion shifted to more serious topics like politics, world peace etc. Everybody seemed to be an investigative journalist here (except me who was a mere student). While somebody claimed that George Bush was the one who blew up the WTC, others provided their investigative findings about the Rajiv Gandhi murder claiming Sonia gandhi was the main culprit.

O my God! all these guys are master conspiracy theorists. Maybe they are headed for their world conference at Delhi. Why dont they work for CBI or something, I thought. All they will need to do is to find a rail compartment and all the cases will be solved in a jiffy.

I chose to keep quite while absorbing how the world really was from the masters. But then i had had enough when one journalist 'revealed' that veerapan had actually not died and could be safely njoyin himself in SriLanka or something.

I protested trying to provide reasons why this couldnt be so (e.g. DNA test).

and then the talk seized, all eyes were on me. who was this young brash fellow who had dared to question the masters themselves.

"Kaka assi duniya vekhi hai (son we have seen the world)". Sure I have seen it too on TV - Its somewhat round in shape and looks like a globe :-)

I chose not to give my foolish rational opinion for the rest of the journey. But come to think of it, how much do i really know when i cannot even defend myself against such irrational opinions.

THANK GOD!! these people wouldnt be in my GDs at placements. What if they claimed Russia was behind all the outsourcing by US companies because Putin wanted to weaken China!! I would be just left scratching my head.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: No offence meant to senior citizens (Sharib, u included).

So Much to Liearn....

This blog is based on two incidents which in their own way show how much there is to know and what a long way its going to be.

Incident I
I was travelling from Calicut to Bangalore by KSRTC bus. I have always been a source of attraction in Kerala. I think it has to do with my charismatic personality :-) and with the fact that some people find the presence of a turbaned creature in this part of the country quite puzzling. So it came as no surprise when the conductor of the bus sat beside me and started enquiring about how I came to be here.
O No! Not again, I thought. I told him in the most bored manner I could put on - Chetta studying. And the conductor asked me what I was studying? "MBA" half expecting that he would not know what it meant and half hoping he would now stop my interrogation, leaving me free to doze off. So you are in IIM. Yes, I said, a bit impressed. Sure the fee controversy gave us some publicity.
"What are you specialising in?" asked the gentleman.
Ok, this is different, I thought. I didn't expect to be asked about my specialisation by a bus conductor, especially after having experienced the ingenuity of Haryanvi conductors who always come up with new ways to deprive you of your change.
"Finance and IT" I said.

"So you studied financial accounting and cost accounting. Which one was interesting." Then he went on to tell how cost accounting is not taught properly and how it should be taught.

How on earth did this guy know what is taught in IIM and he is even telling how it should be taught.

Was this the future of Finance profs of my college (he he).

Damn curious by now, I asked him his story. He told me that he had studied in Don Bosco school, Shillong and then done his B.Com from Delhi university. (all commerce grads, please pay attention). He taught accounting for a brief period and then the love of his native place brought him back to Kerala.

"Why didnt you teach here" I asked.

" I had to look after my rubber farms and teaching doesnt interest me"

"Does farming pay well here?" I enquired.

"O yes it does" he said quoting some figure to support his answer.

"Then why this job ??".

" O! its a hobby".

HOBBY !! what kind of a hobby is bus conductoring (is there another word for it). sure is an interesting hobby.

Next time I am going to put 'Truck driving' as hobby on my CV. might attract some attention. What say !!

Life sure imitates Art - remember Rajesh Khanna in Bawarchi.

The second incident is really funny. wait for the next blog.

-Impulsar-

Harman Sachdeva - Professor of philosphy

"Chandre Notan ne tera Chann Pardesi Kita" (Chand noton ne tera chand pardesi kar diya)
I read this line on the back of a truck. Let me explain what it means. It is addressed to Mother - (not mother India) but to Mummy (not the Egyptian one :-). It means that your son has to go away for making his living.

I have been away from my home for more than six years and much more away from my place. It doesnt really affect me anymore but sometimes we all feel homesick. There is a very good story that i heard when I was young. Here goes:

"Guru Nanak Dev Ji was travelling with his two followers and came upon a small village. He asked for shelter and food but no one helped him. Upon leaving the village he blessed the villagers and said - "Vasde raho"(May u prosper). In the next village, people offered him with shelter and food which he accepted. While leaving, he gave them the blessing of "Ujad Jayo"(May you get displaced). His two followers were perplexed and asked him the reason behind the seemingly misplaced blessings. To which the Guru replied that he wanted the villagers from second village to get displaced because he wanted them to prosper and flourish. Only when you dare to venture out of your home do you really make progress. You broaden your horizons, make new friends and realise your potential - make progress. You forget what was painful in your past and retain only the happy moments."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a change,I agree with the Guru.

Besides, placements are coming and companies want you to be geographically mobile. Yes Sir, I am mobile - GSM, CDMA Which one do you prefer :-)

Take a chill. Back to work.

The Impulsar

A case study on writer's block

Here's an online case contest with fabulous prizes (Cheese toast with chai in the canteen). Deadline: jab time mile
Case Facts
Following case demonstrtaes the dilemma of a famous blog writer -Impulsar:
"I have decided (as in maybe-lets try) to be regular in posting on this blog. But I am already running out of ideas unless I decide to turn this blog into one of the following type of blogs:

1. Type A: got up at 1, didnt brush, forgot to pee, skipped lunch, bunked class,wore red and that sort of crap.
2. Type B: Describe my love life (or the lack of it) for the whole world and tell people to pray for me. It would be actually pretty interesting to tell you how i managed 5 girlfriends at the same time and how i gave it all up to lead a peaceful and calm life @ K.
3. Type C: The techie blog where I can give all type of fundu links and claim that i have read them all.

No, i dont think thats the stuff for me. I ll stick with what i do - writing about my favorite topics - Dogs, Girls and my scooter (in order of preference)."

Discussion Questions

1. What should the author do? Which type should he choose and why?
2. Estimate the market potential for each type of blog.
3. Can the writer create a long term sustainable competitive advantage in any of the blog types? Use Porter's models for your analysis.

This case was prepared for Faaltu discussion in the hostel. It does not indicate the effective or ineffective handling of personal problems. (c) All rights reserved.(all lefts also reserved)

Impulsar

current mood: Junoon-ish

Of fun, friendship and the fifth dimension

Just when i thought life was so dull and boring in this place.. some ppl decide to turn up at the unholy hour of 3:00 am( when i was more than half asleep- close to 75% maybe) to prove otherwise..
My handsome frnd roshan wakes me up to tell me that my not so handsome frnd Rajat is looking for me.. i go outside where Raj is waiting to give me bath with a bucket full of water he is holding..
SPLASH!! CLICK!!
Oh ! I didn't realise it was a Kodak moment. Thank GOD- I was dressed in my best.
While most people will dismiss this as a fooilsh way of having fun if not a sadistic way, It makes me realise that I am living the golden period of my life. This phase will soon be over soon and there will be more pressing matters to look into than doing a 5 marks assignment. It is upto me how I choose to live my life. There will always be assignments to make, vouchers to submit, placements to worry about but there is always room for fun, for actually LIVING my life and a bottle of beer.
Cheers
Impulsar
p.s. Raj - its not over yet...