Solution to a lot of problems in Life – “NO EXPECTATIONS”...

After a lot of thought and reflecting back on where things go wrong, I have found a substantive answer that addresses some problems in life. This does not correspond to only me, or any one section of the society, but I believe the mass can relate to it.

We frequently face conflict in our lives because we can't deliver to someone's expectations or we expect too much from others. When they fail expectations, we get angry, upset and forget all the good in them because of one failed expectation. For example, angry customers would create a scene if the products or services they bought did not fulfil their expectations. But I am talking of a much broader spectrum of expectations. I see that every day in my personal life, in the lives of my close ones, as well the public. Some hold on to that as a grudge and constantly bring conflict. It doesn't serve well in the long run. I specifically want to focus on the expectations in a relationship, primarily friendship.

It is high time as one gets over with that golden period of any relation wherein everything is ideal and works well, he should realize that friendship is not everything in life. As soon as one realizes it, better for him/her. What if one gets to know that friendship which meant the world for him is only superficial relationship? Some friends just care enough to be there in your good times and one incorrect step they are not there.

I feel like putting my hypothesis as “REFRAIN FROM EXPECTING TOO MUCH OUT OF A RELATIONSHIP UNLESS YOU TOO SURE OF THE RELEVANCE IT HOLDS FOR THE OTHER” because when your friendship becomes your world, and all of a sudden things come to a standstill, you start getting the feel of a lost creature and the whole motive of the friendship has gone astray. The belief takes over us that all the stories of true friendship are just too ideal, but in this world no one really cares. It hurts and makes one sink to the deepest furrow of grieves. This commandment is the best way to survive in this contemptible world where everyone lives for himself first and then thinks otherwise.

I received a text message which is also very true and apt in such scenarios. Never tell your problems to anyone except who genuinely cares for you. Most people would be happy that you are in trouble, and the rest don’t care about your sorrows. With thrashed expectations you can never revive your friendship again how hard you may try. At least when not expecting much from the relationship, everything is casual, and life moves on.

Relentless Thoughts

I think that facts are stubborn things. I believe in that. My life has had a number of insistent moments, which at times leave haunting memories and trails of thoughts behind ,affecting my perception and my attitude towards life and relationships. Despite of what I am writing here, I'm still open minded enough to know that circumstances surrounding facts can and do change. As have mine.

Days have gone, time has passed,
They say time heals, but to me, time kills and rots;
I may not be a great writer or a vivid poet,
But I can portray and scribble the words of my thoughts.

Each passing day, I settle in dismay,
Sitting by the window, all I see is my past;
Perplexed and baffled with the varied harsh experiences,
I wonder when it would be my lingering last.

Relentless thoughts plague me every day,
making me realise how much scathe I might have caused;
Hiding behind a mask of whimsy whims and pretensions,
I feel that the happiness in my life has paused.

I've been hurt in incomprehensible ways,
Hurts that last to this very day;
Tranquillity seems like a distant reality,
With my serenity beset, I guess it will always end this way.

Amidst the picturesque image of the illusions I had,
These thoughts of mine seem stricken;
I’ve realised that life's a bitch with no alluring presence,
Thus from now on there's nothing much on life to be written.

Is this what we want our life to be???

Recently I got a mail from my friend, which had this small description of how life is today. The way our lives have been reduced to being merely work machines, I found it apt and worth mentioning here.

Life is...

“Leaving the house in the morning, dressed in clothes that you bought on credit card for work, driving through the traffic in a car that you are still paying for, putting in fuel that you cannot afford, in order to get to the job that you hate but need so badly so that you can pay for the clothes, car, fuel and the house that you leave empty the whole day, in order to live in it.”

What should I blog???

Initially when I started writing, my contemplations were all about what to write on the blog, how discretely would I write, what shall be the title and the theme; and finally I decided that all these things don’t matter. All that matters is to start blogging and the topics and themes shall follow. And so I bring forward random thoughts and expressions of my life, trying to put them into words in the best possible way.

Today I have been deliberating that it is my blog and so obviously my turn to blog and it has been my turn to blog since Tuesday. But what to blog? I thought of several ideas to blog and here I am...blank. I guess I’ve been sort of blank in my writing these days, also. Not that I don’t have ideas, I always have ideas. All I have to do is go out on the road or think of my life and people around me or watch television, and I get ideas for my own. It is also a great way to get inspired. But lately I’ve been doing summery things. I think maybe there is a time for everything. I know I will write another post soon. I know the time will come. I will see others reading my blog and either smiling, or reflecting back those things upon themselves. But I just want to ensure that I am discrete enough not to make my personal life too open for others to bog me down. Probably I need to write my personal diary.

Frozen Tears...

This predicament is not for a while,

But often in life, I have to give a fake smile...

Smile, although my heart feels like breaking.

Smile, although I am hurt inside.

Smile, although I feel like crying my lungs out.

Smile, with a lump in my throat that even loved ones don't notice.

I prevent my eyes reflecting my grief, to fight bravely all the fears,

I wish that all my tears turn into Frozen ice, into Frozen tears!!

"Hardest moment is not when you lose something and tears come out of your eyes, but its when you lose something and left broken, but you still manage to smile."

Movie Review - All The Best...

At last, a breather amidst a gamot of bogus movies. All the best is undoubtedly the most entertaining film amongst the 2009 Diwali releases.

Tucked away beneath some pointless songs and overblown action scenes, this is a silly yet surprisingly enjoyable tale of misunderstandings and mistaken identities. The story involves two buddies (Fardeen Khan and Ajay Devgan) who owe an awful lot of money to a local don, but have no means to raise it. Fardeen lies to his elder brother Sanjay Dutt about him being married so as to get more pocket money. Renting out the bungalow to get money was the only option, but Sanjay Dutt suddenly shows up unannounced at the wrong time, leaving Fardeen and Ajay trapped in a mess. Mughda Ghodse and Bipasha Basu, do not strike out as much, but add a lot to the story of mistaken identities. The setup includes a bunch of madcap characters including a mute gangster who communicates by rattling a spoon inside a glass, a Malayali housemaid with a deep voice, a crackpot tenant who can't wait to move into his new house, and a tempo-driver who wants to unload the furniture in his vehicle so he can attend to his pregnant wife.

The maker has got it spot on in keeping the audience laughing with a clean movie, without resorting to below the belt humour and vulgar interludes. Ajay Devgan’s looks are a little cynical, but he showcases his improved comic timing and towers above the rest. Sanjay Dutt adds in with a top form and entertains. Johnny Level and Sanjay Mishra have made the proceedings funnier, with witty one-liners and hilarious sequences keeping the audience trapped.

There is nothing new in this movie when it comes to novelty, but the background score and the performances truly tune well with the storyline. The choreography and cinematography is elegant and pleasant. Thought not very different, it sure is effective.

Like every other bollywood movie, ‘All The Best’ also left some loopholes, but when you watching an ensemble piece like this, such blunders can be overlooked. And reviewing the other movies that have released at the same time, I sure know that this movie is going a long way. All the Best!

Movie Review - Blue...

Third movie in a week, but the consequence was no better than what I had with the other two. Blue has been washed up and deserves to go down deep, failing the expectations it had built with the promos and the cast.

This movie has been claimed by media reports, to be the most expensive Hindi film ever made, with a very strong host of stars including Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif, Sanjay Dutt, a guest appearance by pop star Kylie Minogue; and also the crew members like composer AR Rahman.

But what is the end result of all this money and talent? An incredibly daft underwater thriller.

The plot essentially involves a coveted treasure, but the way it has been put into the story is lethargic. Akshay Kumar is rich, but obsessed with finding the treasure lying in a sunken ship called Lady in Blue. Sanjay Dutt, who is considered the only person in the world to unearth the treasure, is reluctant to even talk about the ship or the treasure. So Akshay puts up a plan around Zyed Khan (Sanjay Dutt’s brother) to get Sanjay in for finding the treasure. Lara Dutta is into the movie probably as an Eye-tonic, and there was no need to Katrina at all.

In the absence of a sane screenplay, we are subjected to some burnout action sequences and bike chases (those who have seen Torque, would notice the extremely close resemblance of the scenes). For most part of the movie, nobody goes near the ship, but when they eventually do, they find the treasure with such ease, that you wonder why nobody else did it before them.

The dialogues are juvenile and with a low IQ. The casualness in the conversations fails to induce depth to the cinema. And the so-called suspense about Akshay Kumar’s gray shade in the role can be easily anticipated and judged in the beginning itself.

For those who still want to watch the movie, should stay tune for – an astonishing cinematography at the beautiful location of Bahamas; the serene beaches and authentic aquatic life; dazzling and sexy Lara Dutta in the first half of the movie, and some nice songs to keep you awake. And of course, the bike lovers would love the Ducati.

Mumbai: Heat is tolerable..Humidity sucks...

Mumbai, oh Mumbai.......the smell and intense humidity that greets you when you step off that plane is second-to-none.......I can't decide whether I love to hate it or hate to love it. The fun just begins.

It's like a punch to the gut. You walk out of your place or your car, or any air conditioned place, and you're hit with an invisible wall of such magnitude that it almost knocks you over (usually completely ruining your mood). This of course has been the weather situation in Mumbai almost throughout the year for as far back as I can remember (or as far back as my dad remembers.. and his father would have before him).. It is not the hotness that burns you out, but the humidity which kicks in at around 85% and above, making breathing a chore.

Daytime is death, it literally sucks the life out of you. It's so hot that you'd probably die if you stood in the sun for more than 15 minutes. Air conditioning is one invention that I believe has single-handedly increased the average lifespan of a person in this region by 20 years. And the deodorant market has boomed for sure because of the sweaty conditions, since taking a bath becomes a waste in a matter of minutes.
The ministry of electricity and water thus enjoys playing God. In Mumbai, water cuts are expected after Diwali. And to add to it if you come to know that some guy decides when and for how long to turn off an entire area's electricity, you’ll surely feel doomed.

Amidst this tiring way of living where you need to travel a hell lot tightly stuffed into the local train compartment, or brushing shoulders in a bus, the only good part is the sea. With the gush of cool air coming from towards the sea, one can know that he is approaching a heavenly experience. Sitting at Band Stand, Carter Road or Marine Drive, and watching the sea, is an altogether different experience which can take off the entire tiredness of the day in a split second. I will write more about it in my coming posts, but here I am just re-emphasizing that the financial capital of India doesn’t make life easy in any way.

Two different genres of movies on the weekend...

Last weekend, I saw two movies: Acid Factory (in Hindi) and The Surrogates (in English). I cannot give a detailed review of the two, since they are not worth the effort. But I consider it my duty that others should not be subjected to the same trauma which I underwent in those hours in the movie hall.

'Acid Factory' was a home production for me, produced by Mumbai Mantra (Media & Entertainment arm of Mahindra Group). The secret to this action thriller is a whole lot of gas. No offences meant, but actually the story showcased the chaos and confusion amongst the characters, who suffer from temporary amnesia after a gas leakage in a factory. An under-cover cop operation, a friend’s betrayal, a kidnapping, a villain with a sexy chick – how can this drag try and posture itself as a wannabe thriller? Even with a strong enough cast with likes of Irfan Khan, Manoj Bajpai and Diya Mirza, and the surrounding location as Capetown, the movie seems to be economically made with most part of the movie shot inside the factory. Meanwhile, a hundred chases happen, cars get blown up, and people get killed. The ending gets wrapped up all too abruptly even delicately hinting at a sequel. I would say that the plot was good, but the cinematography and the overall movie could have been made better. Some might call it a suffocating psychological thriller at its core. But I find it a better attempt than saying ‘Sorry Bhai’.

In case of ‘The Surrogates’, it can be only the use of human emotions, some cool technology and Bruce Willis that can save this film from simply being a compilation of similarly themed “Too much technology” lessons. Some science fiction films take us to different worlds or alternate realities, or offer visions of the future. In each of these new worlds, certain new rules apply. In this future world, humans can strap themselves into a chair, plug themselves into a bunch of sensors and have complete control of an artificial being, including movement, speech and senses. It depicts what can happen in the future with such surrogates –what was to help and aid the disabled, ends up even crippling people because of over reliance on surrogates – become human being again. But the movie is too small and rushed, taking a toll on people to understand what’s happening. And the film leaves behind too many unanswered questions in its quest to drive the action forward.

My first experience on the other side of the table...

October 7, 2009 – Another novel experience as a part of my career, when being the campus ambassador of Mahindra for IIM Indore I was asked to be a part of the summer recruitment process at my alma mater. It has been an opportunity one doesn’t get so early in the career, that too when you not from an HR background and just 4 months into the system. For sure, makes me feel proud and responsible.

Four panelists in all, including me, were all geared up at an odd late night hour for the process. Mahindra gets a preferential treatment at IIM Indore owing to the rapport being developed over last two years, and thus the Placom of IIM Indore allowed us to conduct the process on the night before the full-fledged roll down of the summers.

The initial shortlist was given on the basis of their resume scores, based on the information provided by them in the forms. Out of over 200 forms, 30 were picked. A group round followed by interviews, was what we had scheduled for the shortlisted candidates. It was a Bingo round aiming at finding out the qualities of individuals from the public, wherein all the 30 were grouped together, and they had to speak about any other person in the group. The response was over whelming and the participants were also happy to hear about themselves.

8 made it through to the interview, and we split ourselves into two panels for the same.

Interviews are not 100% foolproof means of selection. But the process went nicely, making me realise those aspects of an interview which while I was the interviewee for so many years, did not understand that well. It is an altogether different ball game when you face questions and when you ask. So be it as interviewer, or an interviewee, stepping into the other person’s shoes is necessary for expectations matching and to make the interview a worthwhile selection process.

Eventually, the HRs boiled down to taking 3 people, but I staunchly argued to persuade and get one more person in, more because I had interviewed that candidate and found her knowledgeable. Probably the difference in opinion with my senior co-panellist, because of reasons I wrote about in “Openness and Transparency”, created the dilemma. But I knew the frame of mind in which a fresher is when just into the MBA program. And by god’s grace, I succeeded in convincing the HR.

9.00 PM at night to 4.30 AM in the morning – it was exhausting. But definitely, the pains were worth the experience.

Subtle art of indirect communication...

One who reads this title must be wondering that am I so knowledgeable that I am writing on something so big and difficult. The answer is NO. It is just the change in the schedule on being in Mumbai has driven my brain into motion, provoking my thought process to think a little intellectually as well as rationally.

Subtle and indirect communication – that’s an art I don't have, and NO, being frank and speaking straight is not an asset. It is a big big big disadvantage.

Saying "I don't know, and I'm sorry I don't have the time to do it" is not right. Yes there's a right answer to it, I just don't know it.

Saying "I'm not going to do this bullshit, simply because someone else is idling and not doing it" is incorrect. Yes, once again, there is a right answer to it, a right way to tackle it, and I don't know that either.

Saying "this is not a fair price, I'll pay x amount", isn’t a smart way of bargaining either. And yes, you guessed it again; I sure as hell don't know the right way to go about it.

This is something I've been thinking of a lot lately. Things that happen at work, at home, amidst friends, when you're out shopping, or just trying to negotiate with life. I've always had a tendency to say straight out what I am thinking, and somewhere along the way, lost the art of getting work done by a circumlocutory way, what we term as ‘ungli tedhi kar ke ghee nikalna’. I am not good at it, and I also realise that it costs me. I pick more quarrels where I'm left looking like the offending party, when I could have answered obliquely and got back my own. I complain and nag about things which I can't seem to change, which I could perhaps have manipulated better and got better results. I am almost unable to bargain, since that’s one area where this skill is put fully to use. And needless to say, I end up getting upset and hurt, with a tag that I portray a lot of unnecessary attitude.

So effectively, my ineffectiveness at this effective way of communication has taken a toll on my efficiency in all aspects of life.

Anyone know of any diploma courses I could take in this??

Openness and Transparency...

Four months into my professional career, I get bewildered by certain thoughts. Openness and transparency – they seem to be such favourite buzzwords in the corporate world. All this talk of the utopian little universe where hierarchies have been flattened, levels reduced, there is free flow of communication and information - both upwards and downwards. But wait, we just flattened the hierarchy right, ok then, so let’s just say there's free flow of communication and ideas.

Of course there is much to do about openness and transparency, if we seek a work culture where resources operate in unison for common goals.

Writing this while I am in Mumbai for some work, and meanwhile I discussed several key aspects of the attitude and behavioural aspects of a profession, with my seniors.

Sometimes, some places seem to make an honest effort –to actually do things transparently. But I wonder, if perhaps it’s a cultural thing, especially in India, to fight against these things. To go out of the way, to close ranks, create hierarchies, use information as power, firmly treat managers as bigger people than others, try to keep people in their "place" so to say. And this trend is more prominent in the conventional family owned businesses, even though they grow up becoming MNCs. The conservatism still prevails.

I'm not saying that other countries/cultures have an inherently open or better culture. Just that here the different strata seem to pay inordinate amounts of importance to different things. The seasoned veterans will still value years of experience at work and traditional mindset over a fresh gush of thoughts. And the newer generation needs more dynamism and radical changes, but instinctively classifies parts of work as lower grade. Becoming an MBA, you consider yourself to be of a different pedigree, and then you have a list of tasks as “touch-me-not”, a list of people you don’t attend to, and what not. An honest attempt at openness is actively discouraged. Very actively, by whatever means necessary.

All very well, maybe with our current kind of work and the mix of people who work, that is the only system that can perform. Maybe assembly line sweatshops can only operate in that environment, and not in one of the utopian concepts.

But the question still remains. Can you actually have creative output in that environment? Can you actually make the much envied "world class product" in such a setting? I don't think so. I might be motivated to keep my head above water, but beyond that? Is a collaborative approach possible?

Who knows...

Choosing a bike is so damn difficult...

The Great Dilemma – this is what one faces in choosing which bike to buy, out of a vast portfolio of offerings in the market. But for me, the thing has been worse.

My confusion started with a decision to be made between buying a car or a bike. Must be sounding absurd that why should there be a confusion since both cater to different needs. But my situation has been different. I just needed a vehicle, and had no inclination towards either a car or a bike.

And I got no help whatsoever at home in clearing the air, since Dad said Yes for both. The exact statements being “Ye bhi le sakte ho”, “ Jo lena hai le lo”, etc. :) Lots of constraints went in - like how much I need to travel, when would I shift to Pune, formalities while shifting, financial outflow, etc. etc. Eventually after lot of deliberation and discussion, we boiled down on taking a bike.
But now the Great Dilemma was in front of me. I knew for sure that I would go for 150cc+ segment, but even that has so many models, and each model has a variant. Bajaj Pulsar 150, Bajaj Pulsar 180, TV Apache RTR 160, TVS Apache RTR 180, Hero Honda Hunk, hero Honda CBZ Extreme, Yamaha FZ16. God! Bewildering situation. I decided to go and get the quotations for each, and also the financing options and festival offers, thinking that this might help me. But everywhere I went, things seemed to be identical. The specifications of all vehicles are so similar, that my mind stopped working. Totally blank.

I resorted to the next option – reading reviews. But bloody these reviews, there is no clear stance in the comparisons they make. They give the pros and cons of each, and leave an open ended frame of mind again. Waste of time going through those reviews.

Finally, I thought of asking the people who owned these bikes, and ask them about the performance, maintenance requirements, etc. I probably missed out on the fact that no one says bad about his/her own belongings. That is what happened with me. Everyone gave me a majestic view and vivid description of the attributes of their respective bikes. This exercise again went in vain.

Currently with a few days to go for Diwali, I am in such a fix that have not been able to decide anything. I need mileage, as well as power. I need looks, as well an economical proposition. Arghh. Leaving the choice to my Dad. If someone has suggestions, forward them to him, not me.

Fire-fighting percolating to enhanced learning...

This is a description of a week at my workplace, just a fortnight ago (third week of September).

After a takeover, what follows is a plethora of unforeseen problems. This came true with Mahindra & Mahindra after they took over Kinetic Motor Company Limited in November 2008. Mahindra took on-board all the employees of erstwhile Kinetic, but the problems had just began.

Since the beginning, there had been issues over wage agreement with the workers, which went on for months, until this week which I am talking about. Amidst all the negotiations happening, one day, the assembly line came to a standstill. And what followed, was a strike from the workers. The situation was much serious than what it would have been in normal circumstances, because for an automotive company already under financial distress, halting of production at a time when it has just launched two new models in the market could be a big jolt, that too when the main selling festive period of Navratri and Dussehra had come.

So in this situation of crisis, the onus was on the staff and managers to somehow manage to take the ship across without getting severely daunted by the storm. And they successfully rose up to the occasion. For the entire week, the staff and managers took the responsibility of running the entire plant to the best of their capacity. Every individual took up the task according to his skills, and slogged over time to maintain considerable production. It obviously took time to get used to the work which we all usually oversee and not perform, but we managed to produce 100 scooters a day easily, even with all sorts of line stoppages occurring.

My primary reason for mentioning this incident is that the amount of learning that percolated through each and every individual during this week has been far greater than what one can think of. And for me, it had been one of the best experiences over the few months of my professional career.

The persistence of the management, continuous communication and motivation broke the barriers which prevented the staff and managers to dirty their hands on the shop-floor. Everyone learnt the minute details of making a scooter. The learning was immense. Even I now know how to assemble and dismantle a scooter, how the wiring harness is laid, the connections done, etc. Though I had been spending ample time on the assembly before this incident, I lacked so much clarity. Touching and feeling the product at every stage of its development gives a totally different feel. Now I can proudly say that I work in a manufacturing company, and I know in detail what my company makes. This probably is something which many people would otherwise lack, and they would just know the superficial aspects.

Apart from the technical knowhow, I personally gained a lot of advantage in terms of the networking I could do in a week. I got a chance to intermingle with personnel from every department, and seeing me work at par with them, made them also open up with me more, which wasn’t possible in the usual circumstances. Sharing ideas, discussing views, telling stories – this informal interaction did wonders in enhancing my knowledge and knowing more about my workplace. Following a routine, punctuality and timeliness are the qualities that I got to develop even further in this one week.

To add to all the positives, even the workers on seeing us work started getting restless, and realised their duties. It was palpable that they all want to get back to work. So finally, the management and the union came to a consensus, and the strike was called off, restoring the activities in the plant back to normal. The way workers happily talked to all the managers and staff after that, shaking hands and congratulating, truly showed the emotions that go while one works at the workplace. It is not only a means of earning livelihood, but also a place of worship.

All these experiences of mine would be a part of my memories as one of the best experiences of my career, which people cannot usually under go.

Footprints '09...

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same. Going back to the college days is always fun - an opportunity to know what my batch mates or my seniors are doing now, and a chance to relive those memorable days together - a prospect to catch up with all buddies.

This is what Footprints 09 had in store for me, and all other alumni of IIM Indore.


October 1 evening: Though Footprints was scheduled from October 2–4, 2009, I and Asoka reached the campus the previous evening itself. The place was all buzzed up with the preparations for Indore Marathon happening the next day. It made us go back to the same day last year, when we slogged our asses out for organising the Marathon. Of course, we had lesser resources and more work to do that time. I and Asoka decided on going for a night-out at the marathon venue, as we did last year. So we packed our bags, and were all set to get into the bus, when suddenly laziness surmounted us, and we decided to watch a movie and take a nice nap.

October 2: The juniors were exhausted with the amount of work they put in for the marathon. And most alumni were going to arrive on 2nd itself, but Charkha was there early in the morning. So with a kind thought of utilising the time, we went to watch “Wake up Sid” with some more friends of mine. No doubt had a good time, but what was waiting for us back at the campus were floods of abuses and curses by the friends who were shouting like anything that why couldn’t we wait for them to go to the movie. Alas! All we could do was ‘hear and nod’. The day passed chitchatting and gossiping, pulling each other's legs.

As usual, the night life at the campus was remarkable. Counter Strike and cricket – what more did we need to mark an end to the first day of footprints. Back to the hostel with serene environment, surely was amazing. And to add to our joys, the weather showed a turnaround from scorching heat to pleasant breeze with drizzles.

October 3: It was the institute’s Founders’ Day, but no one bothered to go and listen to the exorbitantly intellectual talks by some eminent people in the morning. In the evening, we did go for the formal inauguration of Footprints, which as usual started at IST. But it was compensated by our diro, Prof. Ravichandran, who did us completely with his witty but thought provoking talk. The developments happening in our alma mater and the diro’s vision for future, truly made us feel proud.

I don’t know who suggested organising ‘Gandharva’ music late in the evening when a sumptuous dinner was laid out for us in the lawn. So as obvious, most of us preferred eating over listening to the music which wasn’t our taste. Relishing the food from ‘Sayaji’ has been something which we had been doing for the two years at campus. What followed was an awesome play “Breaking News” by Idanim, which acted as a cherry on the top of the pudding.

And eventually, the most awaited dealing for all the alumni as well as the participants. The famed melting pot and D-block basketball court of IIM Indore, which has been witness to many a students and events across years, was the venue of the informal party organised by the juniors (call it ‘DJ with Drinks’). Varied tones, from hard rock to Punjabi songs, kept everyone’s legs moving. The booze did the rest. The party went on till early morning, with Apoorva and Thagela being amongst the last to leave the dance floor.

October 4: After the sort of party that went on the previous night, one should not expect to see early risers. So it was the Alumni-com who went banging on doors to wake us up and get us to the mess for Brunch with faculty. Reluctantly, we all started filling the mess, with a lesser inclination to meet the faculty, but more interested in the food.

The mega-reunion came to an end on October 4th itself, with the reaffirmation of the clichéd saying, “I came I saw I conquered”.

IIM Indore still generates a strong affinity amongst its alumni, this was reflected in the number of alumni who willingly invested their time to attend the meet, coming from all over the country. As expected, the maximum junta was from the batch of 2009, i.e. my batch. But whosoever turned up, would surely have had a gala time.