Awesome Monday

Its been more than a month here at Delhi, and after those initial hiccups I am now completely enjoying the stint. The days are filled with learning the nitty gritties of the processes and systems in selling chocolates. And the weekends are filled with loadsa fun and frolic. The campus setting is all recreated, what with the same bunch of people staying up together – every night is a potential party night.

Especially the past two weekends have been really awesome, and am sure its going to stay memorable for a long time to come. This post is about the awesome Monday that I had last week.

Early in the morning I was woken up at 4AM (my gawd! Who wakes up at that time? Not even the birds!), and after getting ready into my formal attire we start off to the New Delhi railway station at about 5. The train was to departure at 6:15AM, and we reach the station well in time. After the train departs, I wonder what to do?

Go back to malviya nagar, and start for gurgaon later? No point in this, as I would have to start as soon as I reach home. So a better option would be to get going to guragon (my office for the day, as discussed), though it is quite early to office. I take a bus to Dhaula Kuan, and then take another crowded bus from there to IFFCO chowk in gurgaon. I manage to reach gurgaon at 8 itself, while the office starts at 9:30 something.

After hanging around, and having breakfast at a roadside eatery, and tea and smoke, at about 8:45 i enter the office to find all staring in a strange manner. It was just the maintenance staff doing the cleaning, and by their looks it was apparent they did not recognize me. When I start settling down in my boss’s cubicle a guy comes running towards me.

“sir, kaun ho aap?” (who are you?)

Okay, now that was pretty straight forward.

I reply calmly, with a smile on my face, “mein yahin par kaam karta hun” ( I work here)

Another guy comes in, and remembers serving me countless cups of tea, and thus confirms my appointment.

After lazing around there for some time, and a visit to the bathroom I try settling down in the cubicle. Right then, I get a call from boss, who asks me to come down to rohini instead.

Great! I check on googlemaps on my mobile, and it shows rohini being 40km away form where I am right now. It would take atleast 2hrs to reach there and that too after blowing up a considerable amount of money on travel, and a sojourn in the crowded public transport.

Can I do something about it? No! So, well a sleep starved myself gets on into a rickshaw to get to IFFCO chowk. Now another irony here is, I don’t know the best way to reach rohini. I was initially thinking of reaching Dwarka, take a metro back to central delhi and change for the metro to rohini. Nice option it seemed.

Luckily the shared cab I got into was going to azadpur, and my googlemaps (to which I remained hooked during the travel), showed that it is on my way to rohini. On confirmation with the driver and paying an additional 10 rupee, I could still sit in the cab. I get down at wajirpur (thank you googlemaps), and then catch an auto from there to the distributor point where I was supposed to reach.

At the distributor point I am in for a shock – it is locked. Oh! How could I forget, this market remains closed on Mondays!

I call up my boss again, who then asks me to come down to prashanth Vihar instead. Awesome! The map showed that to be comparatively close. I walk out from the market to the main road, and try loking for empty autos to ply me there. I could just find a rickshaw, who argues of coming only till madhubhan chowk. I was helpless, and I had to take it.

At madhuban chowk, after crossing the huge traffic signal lights there, and the metro above, I get to the other side of the road. I am again looking for an auto or a rockshaw to ply me till my final destination (hopefully). After a wait, and walk, of about 15mins in that hot sun I finally get a rickshaw. And after asking a zillion people, and travelling randomly I finally locate one of the sales officers, and get assured. Yes, I have finally reached the required destination.

I get a call from my friend, who announces her arrival to lucknow. Wah! I am just crisscrossing aross NCR, and within this time people have reached lucknow. The time it takes for me to office, is as good as the time taken to reach lucknow. Well, such is life!

The destination I reached was a food court called rameshwarams. Yes, we generally have our meetings at such places, and that day was the time for mid year review. I just sit on my laptop trying to interact with the sales officers, and trying to complete the work assigned.

After about 4 hrs there in the food court, discussing random stuff ranging from stock markets to the trip to manali, and also working in between, I get to talk to my boss at about 4.Well, the lesser I talk about the meeting the better it is.

At about 5, after being dropped to the metro station I set out home. I reach home at about 6:30 and find my cell phone battery down. Damn! Last one minute probably and I try caling up TB (my room-mate), but before he could answer, the battery is dead. It so felt like that scene in hindi movies, where a person is dying in the lap and is uttering something very important earnestly, but before he could say the actual thing he is dead falling on the lap of the holder, mostly with the eyes open.

Now no keys for home, TB had said he would be going to the snooker parlour. And I don’t know where it is. I have a pair of keys that Abhinav ( another of my room-mate) had given me a week back or so. I go home with a heavy laptop bag on my shoulders and hoping that the key would do the job. Nah! How could life be so simple?

After trying hard, and even going to the terrace and having a smoke hoping that TB would be back by then I give up.

I had to use some salesman jugaad (more about it in detail in the ensuing posts) to get through this. I could not be waiting for ever for TB. I walk down to Sharmaji (the tea stall owner), and hav a tea. I was looking for a dispenser hung somewhere with mobile chargers. They are such a common site in malls. But well, why would any pug following company set one up here in this housing locality.

Then an awesome idea strikes me.

“Sharmaji, aapke paas mobile ka charger hai kya?”, I shout to the tea stall owner.

He gets all eager to help and asks his wife to check. The disappointment on his face when his wife finds one was apparent. He obviously did not want me to mess up with his things, lest I spoil them. He anyways gives the charger to me.

Alas! Why did nokia have to change their charger specifications? This one was of a thick pin, while my mobile jock accepts the thin one.

Now if you are still wondering why could I just not call up TB? Well, blame the mobile phones In the good olden days we would all have a small pocket diary having all the important numbers, but no more. The contacts were all in that dead phone. It seriously set me thinking, what if my mobile dies a permanent death someday. I would really land up in tough times.

I again get this rockstar idea, trying to convince myself – “come on dude.. you are a salesman.. use salesman jugaad”

I ask,or did it sound more like a demand “sharmaji, ek baar apna phone dena”.

Sharmaji, who by now was relieved that I had left his charger did not know that I had more serious plans. He replies,

“sorry sir, isme balance nahi hai.”

Okay, I am not interested in using up your balance.

“nahi mere paas bhi number nahi hai.. mujhe to kuch aur chaiye”, i chuckle.

Very reluctantly he hands me over the phone, and just stands beside me. This phone really means a lot to him probably. I am sure, even a stock broker would not take his own phone so seriously.

I start removing the battery, and sharmaji screams as soon as I open the compartment of his phone.

“yeh kya kar rahe ho.. kharab ho jaega!”, he is visibly worried.

“kuch nahi hoga. Aapka phone sahi salamt aapko wapas kar dunga”, I try explaining him calmly.

Yes. The salesman jugaad has worked yet again. I call up TB from my mobile having sharmaji’s battery, and TB gets back home in 5 minutes. I can now go home in peace to open doors.

After such a frustrating day, a person sure needs some vent out. I change into shorts and go out with puneet to CCD. After a relaxing black coffee, without sugar (no! not inspired from love aaj kal, I am addicted to this right since my 4 seasons days in vizag), it feels completely calm.

I am ready for the next day, ofcourse after a good night’s sleep. It seems like days since I have slept.

Thus ended an eventful Monday, after a very good weekend. Now you know where the term Monday morning blues came from

INDEX'08

INDEX- Information through Disguised Experimentation - this effort is aimed at tapping into the sub-conscious of the consumer. Businesses try to do this using conventional marketing tools, but at a high cost in terms of money, time and the inevitable biases that creep in. INDEX is IIM Lucknow's endeavour to provide to the industry quality market research from desensitized data.

Initially, about one and a half years back, when I got into IIML and introduced to these committees, I don't know what? But I was attracted to the INDEX. I so desperately wanted to get into it. But well, destiny had something else scripted for me, and I could not get INDEXed for life, as they would call it. No regrets. I got into Student Exchange Committee (STEX). But then, this pinch that I need to do something about INDEX.

 
 

I was already in a team – W.I.N. – Whats in a Name?. I did have lots of fun while in the team. Made some great friends. Many mentors among seniors – Prashant (Uncle), the team lead; Abhishek Bhatia; Mandal; Bhunia, and so many others. Also had many memorable memories, exciting adventures and also some learning. In whole, it was an amazing experience, and I had then decided that I would form a team.

I opted out of the exchange program, in my dearth to lead a team in INDEX. We started forming the team right in march with Tanuj and Srinivas as the first members. I had this zealous enthusiasm that I want to win INDEX'08. During my summers I always had this INDEX thing on the back of my mind. I also spoke to Mukesh Patnaik in detail about the whole process. (He is my senior and the INDEX winner last year. I had the chance to catch up with him in vizag during my summers). When the second year started, we were done with the senior team formation (comprising ten members) and after lots of heated discussion named the team – TOTAL RECALL. (The name was suggested by Varun Reddy).

 
 

As soon as the facchas came in, as suggested by Mukesh, we started scouting for them. Getting to know them, interviewing them, explaining them INDEX and then finally taking them in on the three point evaluator – Creative, Jugaad, BhakChod. The process of the junior team formation was tedious and it also raised healthy competition among teams fostering into camaraderie. Tha faccha team was formed and we partied out at nashwa.

Now comes the first step. Proposal making. We needed to win a proposal. We as a team recognised that this was our weakest link, and I had so many nightmares that I would land up without a proposal. A terrible thing to happen. The dynamics are so – there are 13 teams in campus, and INDEX core would get about 9 or maximum 10 projects to be executed. So about 3-4 teams would get dissolved. I at no cost wanted to be in that 3-4 teams. We did work hard and smart, and finally lapped in CITIBANK. That called for a celebration, in an 'unconventional' party. Everyone dressed and ready for the party and we all head to Fauji Dhaba outside campus in a open truck. One party that I am sure everyone would remember. Iit could not not get more weird than that.

Then the unexpected pleasant shock. I got a PPO from Cadbury, and everyone started believing I would have no more motivation. Actually yes, the CV did not matter anymore and I did not see any reason I should work for it. But well, how do I explain that INDEX is something that I was not doing just for the CV. I had things to prove. I still work, of course not with the same rigour, as lethargy and relaxedness had taken toll on me.

 
 

INDEX'08 was scheduled on 22^nd and 23^rd November. We started off with the prop design and the questionnaire design, along with the game design well in advance. It all went smooth, and our props were like one of the best among the teams, I can vouch. The process in place for prop preparation was intact and it showed in the results. The two days at the fair were tiring and fun at the same time. I slept for not more that 4 hrs in those two days. It was a very gratifying experience. We did party out a lot during those two days. Went out to Ritz for team dinner on both days, and also followed it up the nest week with a team outing for dinner. Also, in the tent itself, we arranged for alcohol, and even invited INDEX core for it. All the actors were having their glass ready while enacting their parts to the respondents!!

Now comes the final lag – the report and the presentation. Everyone had lost enthusiasm, and that includes me. The data was not being coded in spite of repeated requests. Mahale was busy preparing for TOEFL, and so were others in their own pursuits. The final blow, I was leaving town and would not be available when the report has to be submitted. Even Srinivas is out of town, and well tanuj was out long back (different story!). So only gaur left, and I hand him over everything with a request to everyone to follow Gaur. On Monday evening, when I was busy having fun in Jaipur at the wedding, I get reddy's message – "Dude, Please talk to gaur. No work is happening". I was like shit; I call up srini instead, and ask him to please complete the formality. Whatever little chances of winning were left are all forgotten, and now it has reduced to just a formality. The report does get submitted.

 
 

Saturday night is the deadline for the presentation to be submitted. I try and divide the work among the team members, but to no avail. No one seems to be interested. Why should i? I don't have anything at stake. Chuck it. Finally, after lots of persuasion, I and Srini start working on the ppt at about 10PM, with some inputs from Mahale on quantitative analysis. We complete some crap by 12 midnight. We then go out to the mess and eat lightly just to follow it up with some pegs of Royal Stag – My lucky charm. Trump card it is Abhinav if you want to call it so.

Presentation at 9:30AM on Sunday morning. My hair is oiled so I necessarily have to bath in that cold chilling fog filled weather. I mail the entire team to be present without much hope, and then mail some key members separately asking them to join me compulsorily. In Vain, I realise next day morning. I wake up baka and ask him to wake up Gaur and Mahale at least. Gaur replies back blatantly – "NO, I am not coming". Srini asks him some details about his part, and then me and Srini head to Mahale's room. After lots of requesting, he agrees to come but not in formals. We were like, "come in whatever way you like. Just come and present the quantitative part" He replies back, stopping where he is, "no Dude, I am not presenting anything. If they ask any questions I would defend you". With the fear that he would retract back to his cozy blanket, we agreed.

 
 

The first presentation people re walking out, and now thankfully we also have Ankush and Ali – none in formals. The saving grace were Swati and Shwetha who came in formals. At least to show the team bonding, and the gender diversity we have something. I and Srini are on the stage trying to explain everything in the uttermost smartness we can. We do a good job I am sure. I present the major part and Srini handles one part. In the end part of the presentation was the quantitative analysis of which I knew no shit, so I just skim through it. After we end with the thank you slide, the judge from ac neilson does not seem very happy, and remarks, " you gave a good presentation, but you know what? Somewhere in the middle I completely got lost". He then started shooting questions along with his counterpart on the rational of using various data, and the methodology by which we arrived at the numbers. A hard core statistician. My weak area. We try fielding him for some time with some globe, but of no avail. Now enters Mahale, who was just sitting idly all the while. He replies back in the same numbers tone and speaks quant for some 5 minutes. (maybe it was greek and Latin, I did not know). Then the judge again provokes Mahale by further introspection. Mahale is raged, and gets down to the stage. He takes a chalk piece and starts drawing the most obscure signs and equations explaining things with some graphs. Now I am sure it was latin, many of the signs on the board were. After the detailed explanation he retorts, " NOW AM I RIGHT?", after a brief pause, " YES, I THINK I AM". The whole hall is silent, and the judges awestruck. (Abhinav one more trump card this is for TOTAL RECALL). Prof. DDG, who was also the judge along with those from ac nelison finally asked some question to break the silence. This I handed with élan. My core competency as Baka calls – Speaking.

 
 

We have little hopes on the outcome, and only I and Srini attend the presentation ceremony in the evening. Shweta followed after sometime, and Ali and Ajit also were present. Other teams had a good 10-15 people representation. Great. First the traditional speeches by the judges. Thankfully they were brief. Then the individual stages results. We do not win any. 

 
 

Now for the final results. Overall INNDEX'08 winners. First the 2^nd runners up..

TOTAL RECALL

Whoa! I and Srini were like the most surprised people on the planet. We just keep staring each other for a moment. And then after Kaushik signals to come over, do we go the stage to collect the award. Huh! Finally it paid off.

We partied in the night at genesis club, where I got totally drunk! As usual!

 

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Life at a stand still

PPO from Cadbury. I have not yet announced this to my Collegian readers. Yes people, i have got a Pre Placement Offer from Cadbury India Limited - the place i interned last summers.

My two months in cadbury were very eventful and i enjoyed every bit of it. It made me a frequent flyer with KingFisher, and am also the prowd owner of KingClub Card. I was also made rich by 50K during the course of two months, and had a chance to visit the choicest of the places in India( Vizag - Home!!, Delhi and God's own place - kerala). Also, i had the chance to reside in the best of the hotels and live life to the fullest.

tangible things apart, it was quite an enriching experience. The people there were quite friendly and inspite of the huge age differences, everyone was so amicable and easily approachable. The Power Distance (picked up this word in the Advanced Oral Communications (AOC) class today) as such did not exist at all.

On the whole, my two months in corporate life, my first ones for that, were like the ideal setting for the perfect work experience i wanted. i always believed i worked really hard during those two months, and the PPO just added the cream to all the cherish able moments.

Needless to say, with my weakness for chocolates, I have accepted their offer and have signed out of the campus placement process.

All this happened in November first week, during Summer placements. I was given three days to accept, or reject the offer. These were like the most confusing three days in recent past. Accept?? or Reject?? (And chase my dream of PnG, HUL and likes??). After lots of consulting, talking to family,friends, seniors, teachers and everyone possible i just could not resist the tempting offer.

Cadbury is THE BEST FMCG company and no doubt i always so wanted to join it. My only consideration and the reason for confusion was - What would i do for the rest of my tenure at L? Till then i was busy day in day out preparing for various competitions, participating in all extra curricular events, etc.. Now after the PPO what would be the motivation level?/ Would i still keep myself engrossed with these? Or would i have to search new avenues? Finally i decided - Enough of this mad rush and blind follow the herd mentality. Follow my own dream, nurture my own stature without any kind of Peer pressure. pursue all those activities that i always wanted to do, but could not find the time for..

After seeing the movie Dasvidaniya i made my own MBALIST (Something like Bucket List with a list of things i would like to accomplish before completing my stint here for MBA). i have made a list. And hope i reach each one of them. hope i be able to tick away on successful completion each one of them. Would disclose my MBALIST very soon, after it is completely drafted.

Btw, I hav joined Salsa Classes here at Lucknow to learn shake my hops more better!!

So till i learn shaking my hips to the Cuban tune, have fun watching the new Khan flick Ghajini. Have a look at the poster of Ghazini or Gajodhar..



p.s.: Going to jaipur, Rajasthan, this Saturday to attend my cousins wedding.

Andhra Wedding

Marriage day!!

Okay guys, before you start assuming things, and the grapevine catches fire, let me calm it all down. No, I have not got married and nor do I think I would be married in the next five years at least, if not more. one more basic thing. I in all probability wouold not et married in Andhra Style, well, unless Trisha hops on proposes, and insists on a telugu traditional wedding. Ah! She was looking so hot in Athadu.

Well, anyways.

This post is about Srini (Nah! He has not got married). His sister got married in april, and we were all invited (nice innovative ppt he had made for the invitation). Quite a dare I should say. Inviting us. Finally, as expected, not many could turn up as everyone was deep buried in their quests to manage a pappu (PPO). Me and Santosh (Yes, the ITC sutta guy, who himself does not smoke!) decided that we would attend.

Marriage on Wednesday. Tusday night 8PM, me and Santosh casually talking on gtalk. We realize that Srini’s sis is getting married, and also that we are both vella sitting home, so decided to go. Even till 9:30 PM I had not informed anything at home, and then I suddenly break the bubble, announcing I am off for a day. Mom’s quite used to these kind of shocks I guess. So, off I go, Konark express, general class at 11PM.

It was one horrifying journey with no place to even stand. I finally manage to reach at about 7AM. Srini was kind enough to come to the station to pick me up. Little did I know that I would be doing this chore for all his other friends who were to come.

Saw the true telugu kinda setup in his house - ones they show in movies. Relatives all over, rituals going on and on. Everyone decked up in the maximum jewellery (I am sure even Tanishq would not be showcasing this amount of jewellery in its shows), and the brightest of the silk sarees. Surprisingly, the men were too simply dressed compared to their better halves. Kids again are all in the showy spree. Donning full suits in the hot Summer.

Lunch is one thing that deserves special mention. 100 kgs of chicken, around 40 goats and I don’t know what other animals are slaughtered for the event. ( Source: Srini). The grandness of the marriage function is measured by the opulence shown in the food. The more the varieties, the better it is.

We had a ball, and and hogged like pigs. We also, completed touring the entire City( that is what Srini claims, it is no better than a village). the entire "city" would take a complete 3 minutes, 38 seconds to see it all. Now you should know how large the "city" is.

We returned back inn the afternoon itself, after the wedding, and by night i was home.

On the whole an amazing memorable wedding, and am now waiting for Srini to get married for the same feast. I am sure that would not be long, say another 2 years maximum, and yes, many of us – friends want to surely go to his wedding. TG dude. And also, to FEEL HAPPY, and NOT SORRY on ourselves. To get some solace on seeing Srini’s…