Day 650 - Reaching the 6th Mountain

One sixth of the distance is covered. It was not long back when we were unsure of this journey, with quizzled minds and puzzled looks, thinking about where we end up. Not many have seen some light atop the 6th mountain but it sure has given them its source. As we reach the peak, the fog settles down and it starts becoming clearer. The tough and strenuous climb is all been accounted for, when we take that final step on top. Covering the mountain takes us one step ahead in the hexagon, gaining knowledge in all six dimensions.

To start off was Financial Accounting. It is like a new language that we can use to decipher the Economic Times newspaper. The double entry system, which raises a lot of doubt in the engineer's mind on grounds of obviousness and common sense is not so easy as it seems. It has lots more to it and followed by all top organizations in the world. Thus to assess any organization, we must assess their financials. And that is precisely what it has taught us, to diagnose and treat the organization financially.

Next up was for the creative bunch of Marketing. Almost none of the crew knew there was more to marketing than sales. A visionary of a leader and many were inspired right away. The classes that were strictly as per the book, and yet so knowledgeable and interesting. Not to forget, creating our own business on paper and projecting it 5 years down the line.

The majority of learning and transformation comes in the brains. The subjects that affected this the most was OB. The propensity to think, evaluate and transform has a whole new meaning. It touches some profound and deep concepts of the human brain without touching the deeper philosophical aspects of morality. Though all learning on this boat is directed to make us better individuals first and anything else, post. The direction and transformation of the decision making is what will help us strategically after our journey is complete.

God will not be on your side, unless you have data. And simply possessing the data is not enough. What is even more important is how you take it up and what it implies. Statistics not only give a mathematical definition for most of the problems today but is the prime forecasting tool today. However irritating the weekly quizzes and marks may be, we all knew that a sailor must know swimming. Excel was another discovery for most of us with its wide range of features and implications.

To speak up is to have courage, confidence and charisma. Though lack of it does not mean it cannot be acquired. The Saturdays and Sundays were on campus speaking sessions where we spoke and more importantly we listened. We listened to what each of us had to say. To know your fellow man is the greatest asset you can find. You listen and you know more. The individual presentations in the Manegerial Communication not only made us aware of our batch but the feedback given gave us some useful insights and challenges to overcome. We could even see most of it applying it practically already.

Finally, we must overcome our fears. Personally for me it is reading and I had to face it in Written analysis and communication. Though its an irony that we had to read more in the written class, but the analysis is where many falter. The analysis of data that had no apparent meaning and writing briefly about things you have no idea about are some of the main take aways.

There is no end to this journey. For what we take out of this shall continue to live on, with us, for the rest of our lives. It is this cycle of knowledge which makes the propellers rotate and the ship move.

One side of the hexagon

Day 651 - Read to Speak

Words are the cannons fired out of a shell. Once its out of the barrel, there is no way we can get it back. The receiver can either respond to the cannon and there is a war in terms of the perceivers. The importance to use control of your language is the utmost feature of judgement from the people whom we are communicating to and how society perceives us on the whole. There are 3 main entities in this process, the sender, receiver and observers. There is another interesting thing called Noise which acts as barriers for the message to reach from either part to another. It sometimes amazes me that how some things in Learning has propensity to trigger such deep profound thought and creativity. The chapter was on Communication, its types, barriers, complexities and where it is important. The process of communication had similar structure as we had seem in Marketing communication with different entities involved. Most of the things that we either ignore or take for granted have such huge impacts or roles to play in the organization. And we never realize it till we read about it. There were two very interesting examples in the book pertaining to use of Social networks and Gossip at workplace. Both unavoidable and yet very critical to control for managers. But the bigger picture which I took from all this is one, to keep the Personal and Professional life separate. Something which is very very easy to say than done.

The process of transfer of understanding

Day 652 - Why do all good things come to an end?

There are certain people who are absolutely flawless and personification of discipline. One such person was Venkatesh Sir who took the last and final class for Marketing this term. And like they say, he had indeed saved the best for the last. The day was about advertisements, their types and other means of marketing communications. So obviously there were lot of Ads in the class being played and discussed. One such thing discussed was the Competitive ads and its ethics in business. It was surprising to see the TOI and Hindu rivalry and how Sir was in favor for it. He continues to surprise me with his opinions and ideologies and like me, he is the role model for most of the students here. The marketing basics and career option has been seen with a new scope and vision after his lectures. His knowledge of wisdom on the industry and his unbiased way of answering student queries is known for. When we were dreading the cases in WAC and OB, here we were looking forward to his Case studies. The Ti Cycles and Radio Mirchi case, I am sure each and every student had been involved so much and learnt how to really structure a case study. Not to forget the marketing project. Not only has it taught us the basics and core of marketing, but also stressed on the 4 Ps, Taught us a lot in Team work and gave us an opportunity to go off track and add value to our proposition. It also made us learn some new techniques in doing work within a group and extract the talents of team members. For me personally, Marketing was best subject that had been offered in IFMR and its all because of Venkatesh sir. You will truly be missed for the next year to come.

Pic Taken from Facebook

Day 653 - The grass is always greener on the other side

I was such a big fan of yours. The way you overtook Ullrich over the Time trial of 2005. It is still right in front of my eyes. The way you dominated everyone on the black beauty, Trek. The way you had 130+ cadence. The way you taught me the real way to ride a bike. The body stable as a rock when the legs swiveled as a machine. When the Rush of epo took you miles ahead in rhythm of power and performance. But on a relative scale, does it really matter? Does it make you any less strong? Does it tell you, all those miles, all those hours on pedal, all those technical insight, all those maneuvers, those off saddle winning sprints, those historic alp de hues climb, crunching on the trainer, restrictions of life, all for nothing? Like their fanboys say, is it all relative?

The infamous hero that refuses to exit the brain

Day 654 - Run, Ride, Explore

What do you expect when you have a facebook feed full of people completing marathons, ultras, cycle races, brevets etc. Aug 15th is the season for all such events and I am overlooking a forest from my window. To make best use of the situation, it was time to explore and it was time to do it right. It was me Sneha and Shruti, we set out to run early on in the morning towards the forests. Both of them were novice runners and I had to be slow to jog with them. we did the usual loop going till the entrance of the forest and while coming back, I saw a trail that raised a few questions in my head. Immediately after returning, I took off in my bike to explore the in and out of that area. And it was a dense forest indeed. What seemed to be a row of trees stretched acroos to a large plain and it was really very confusing. There were 2-3 instances when I had no idea what direction I was headed to. There was a forest hut in the middle which I used for directions. While taking one of the loops, I found a old covered up jeep trail and decided to take it. It was very challenging and rough terrain and the recent rains just made it slush and messy. After covering the jeep trail, it led on to a rocky trail which was tricky and dangerous. Once my pedal hit one of the stones and it was a close call. Somehow, I managed to keep balance and I slowly maneuvered to the next section of the forest and passed along. Totally it was one hour of pure MTB offroad fun and learnt some new tricks in my bike as well. I have decided to film the entire course that i discovered on video.

Trails in the forest early morning

Day 655 - Mutiny

When the entropy of a system goes above the charts, it is pretty clear that a revolt is on the cards. The captn of the ship with high levels of immunity, leading a group of young sophisticated sailors aboard a rough sea. Some are bound to fall, some were falling sick. When the captn showed least concern, the murmurs started spreading in the crew. It was a jitter that spread through the sea and united the crew as one. With recent sense of independence among the mates, they built courage on each other's shoulders. For they decided, they cannot hold it anymore. It was time to act and time to speak up. One had to stand for all. All had to sit for one. Post sunset was the time, when they gathered on the deck. For they were anything but happy in the least. It was the anger in them ready to fight back. But the civil behind their masks made them calm and relaxed. There was no question that the captn can pass. He was answerable to one and all below his knees. In a civilized way we carried out the progression. The first mate promised us monday to be the day, the improvements will begin. With a sense of commitment, the crew pacified. We accepted the desert and the surroundings. It was by choice that we boarded this ship. And it will be us who will take this back ashore. Even though the sceptics lost confidence in the captn, with a longing for Monday, we got back to work.

Captn addressing the crew

Day 656 - United we stand

The independence day. It was the day 68 years ago when the country was formed. Though technically, we are are on a voyage, miles away from what we can call home. The journey aboard doesnt make us any less Indian back when we were at home. The creed of a ship is in its flag and the face of the crew is in its flow. The common religion that we share is the love to our Motherland. And you realize that love the most when you are away. Even though we are stranded in this ship with no clue where we are, we still have one direction when it comes to patriotism. With the pride of a waving flag on our mast, we look ahead positive and vibrant. The desert which looked non-inhabitable, now looked more promising and fertile. The sails were parallel with the breeze as we stood to sing. The song that we grow singing about our nation. The sailors song is the one that is heard through oceans and continents. It is a tale of the sail and sailors alike. The tunes that seem promising and reassuring for a safe and successful return.

Two things I am extremely proud of

Day 657 - Independence from hell week!

"Finally". Was the word uttered by most of us when the clock ticked 4 on Thursday afternoon. The week was bullish and it made us stay up late in the night. for us, it was time to sleep now. Time to forget the end term exams and rest. Though it came at a big price but still it was time to take a break and that is what we precisely did. To celebrate this day, it started with Nipeksh stating he is not from this country but from Pakistan. Astonished and surprised, we started singing the patriotic national songs for him. When a group of people sing, people sing along! and slowly, the singers keep increasing till it was the whole hostel. The chorus was one, the passion was one, the emotion was one, the voice was one, it was that for India. It was truly a memorable 2 hours when we were united with the patriotism from within.

Me and Dipesh trying to convince the Kashmiri that he is an Indian

Day 658 - Transformation is from within

A sum of ten lakhs is not so easy on anyone who is on the non-green side of the glass. A sailor has to live on the reserves and make sure the destination and his sacrifices are always on his mind. Similar were the thoughts that I keep getting flashes of everytime I blink. The guilt just adds up as and when I keep leaving from Prof Lahiri's mouth. From what I learnt today, my personality test gives me a ENTJ which is supposed to make me Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinker and Judgemental. However, there were little of these which reflect in us, when we show incompetence. When a teacher is not teaching well, listen and work harder is what we;ve been taught. Question and do not care what the society would tag you. For it is knowledge that takes priority. Whether we like it or not, this knowledge costed me 10 lakhs which gives it some good weight. Its not just about the money but learning as well. Everytime I flash, get a yawn, make sleep take over, distract, miss out on flow, immediately I get the huge loss that I incur. The intangible loss that cannot be accounted for in the balance sheet that we prepare for period in IFMR. It is this deep sense of guilt and thirst of knowledge that keeps the flame of learning burning in me. The environmental pressures and work stress are just immaterial and are to be added to your assets. Accounting is quite relevant not only in economics but in general day to day life as well.

Going right is easy, turning back isn't

Day 659 - Suit up

Ive been growing up watching american telecoms, and one such fascination of mine is Barney Stinson. He and his obsession with suits was a big reason for my love of suits. Though I could never really convince myself financially to acquire to buy a suit. Everytime I deflected buying a suit, I used to act cool and tell people how I find it soo lame to wear suits. This derogation of suits kept on building up so much that I completely shut myself to them alltogether. After Cognizant abolished the dress code, all my formal shirts and pants went to the bin. Then on I was totally a Jeans and T-shirt person and my suit aspirations were long gone. A business suit was part of the IFMR fee and we had to buy it no matter what. Initially the false perception of suits made me complain and cry about this expense but it didnt last long. The moment I saw the shine, the elegant tie, perfection in a fit, I couldnt control the kid in myself. I was overjoyed and happy to wear my first ever suit! Yaay :D

Suit up!

Day 660 - Powerplay as we enter final overs

After a taxing weekend of running errands, it was the second last week before the first term ends. Not only was it going to become hectic for the students but for the teachers as well. Suresh was taking lectures starting from 9.30 in the morning to 8.30 in the evening. Mr. Lahiri, who had lost his wife to a car accident last week had to come back to teach despite his loss. We could almost see the mourning in his eyes and in this condition, he had to catch up a week of classes which we lost last week. Then it was Prof. Venkatesh who despite having extra classes to finish the course, still spent one extra class on a case study discussing about Ti cycles. The accounting flows and ratios which are ever so confusing and never seem to defy any assumptions that we make. The MAC exam that was preponed, FAC presentation that was due, OB quiz up this thursday and QABD quiz tomorrow. We were now getting a real feel of how an MBA college is like. Under-stressed is just quite the opposite word to use.

The FAIRLY hectic schedule

Day 661 - Patriotism over the internet, a sin?

There are some laws and then there are some rules. Some are really crazy to read and implement. One such law states that using the national flag as a profile picture for a group is illegal. Whats the use of a flag that you cant hoist? A ship without a flag is a same as wandering deserted in a desert. It is always good to be part of a crew and the crew must be represented with a flag that can unfurl and swing to the waves of the breeze. It is that aspect of the flag which captures humans and make us respect it more than any other immaterial personification. The flag which identifies you nationality, belonging, tradition and race. Here is my whatsapp contact list that looked like this before I learnt that it is breaking the law.

Proud to be indian

Day 662 - Saturday, the Errands day

The list piles up when you are cut out from the world. You keep dreaming and making up lists that you would do when you go back home. And two months is a long time without replenishing the dailyware. After a rainy ride to chennai and with sheer determination not to waste another weekend in chennai just browsing useless stuff, I managed to complete 90% of the tasks that I planned. Ofcourse there were some which I couldnt due to unavoidable laziness. The bike servicing got postponed. The visiting relatives that was not entirely necessary got postponed. But Im glad the commodities shopping and TV tuner got done. Its going to be a couple of weeks more to end SEMS and then finally I can attend to my relatives and my bike.

The errands list

Day 663 - Monsoons finally?

It was high time that we had fun in our journey. Offbeat is very essential to maintain your focus and I was lagging behind on my jogging as well. So it was me and Sruthi in the morning and we did 3 strong laps around the campus. All throughout, the climate was overcast and about to rain. Im not a very big fan of monsoons in the city. To complement the climate, we got another news that it was Ganga sir's last class in IFMR. It was emotional for him and us and we made the best out of his last class for Excel. I had chennai on the cards for the evening and and it never stopped raining. Not shaken by fear, I continued my journey of two hours without any stops to Chennai. It was pretty evident onset of monsoons. But this is the first time I will be witnessing it from a thick, viscous desert. Will it change my perspective. We have to find out.

Ganga Sir's last class on Excel

Day 664 - Ti Ti Ti - Now the whole world gets to talk about cycles

The second case of Marketing was Ti Cycles. It was a case that was very personal to me as it involved the cycling industry. It talked about how Ti cycles started the Indian cycling industry and how they revolutionized cycling in india with the legendary standard cycles. Then came in Hero to ruin Ti's party and conquered whole of Indian market. Ti cycles today still has the reliability advantage and cost advantage compared to hero and the case provides an opportunity to think about the logical way forward for Ti. A golden opportunity indeed. Whats a blessing in disguise is that many of these students in IFMR will realize cycles as a solution and will talk about the many many advantages of cycling. Im just hoping that few of them also convert to take up cycling rather than just talk about it. A bit far fetched but still a hope.

Day 665 - WAC and whacked

Written Analysis and Communication has got nothing to do with presentation skills. Yet we were to analyze the annual reports of companies and present their 4 year data. The company we chose was HCL Technologies and Aveek, Anu, Aravind and Bala were in my group. The times were tough as I hadn't so much as read the annual reports the day before the presentation and I was getting an uncanny feeling that I might not be able to complete it!. So I sat at 7pm the previous day and it took a session of 9 hours at a go to complete it. I finally completed it at 4 am and managed to catch 4 hours of sleep. To my luck I was called upon for the presentation and it was fair. 6/10 and I had absolutely nothing to complain.

Large number of people gathered in my room for WAC

Day 666 - No one shall escape the Devil's judgement

The devil had passed its judgement and there was a tide waiting to sweep us. The tide was intense and it was going to rock the entire ship. Those who were acclimatized to the conditions and made their positions well and firm were entitled to survive the attack whereas it was the ones with the lose grip that slipped away. The performance of the crew was dismal and sad. The devil had played its cards and we had to be the ones bearing it. 666 - The number of the beast!

15/30 on QABD was no coincidence. It was judgement by the beast!

Day 667 - Be as creative as you can be

There were testing times in Statistics. We had two concepts of Funda and Goli. It was time to present our skills and prove that we are not full of shit. Though my presentation was not so eventful and my solution was not 100% explainable, I still tried my best. I started off with giving a relevant example describing the savings decreasing over the newer generations and using IFMR and IIIT as examples. I was glad to have scored 10/10. I found that to achieve the next mile, you have to put in your creative head in this institution rather than work like a dog and do mechanical work. The practice which makes a man perfect has a totally different meaning in this ship. Here practice refers to taking your brains to experience totally new dimensions which nobody has ventured out before. It is that which will give us the relevant knowledge.

Fighting to see if they are funda or goli

Day 668 - Time to celebrate the companionship

It was a day for joblessness. and it was indeed for that. I had initially planned for a boating trip in the morning followed by WAC work in the afternoon. And guess what? I did niether. Procrastination is very easy to defeat but it gets easily over you when you look back. In the morning, due to the intense sun, there were not many people interested for boating, and I decided to call it off. But there were a few interested folks who went ahead and enjoyed it. Looking at their photos I was so jealous and upset. So while they were boating in the morning and returned for lunch, My morning was spent just browsing and doing useless things. Similarly the afternoon which was supposed to be for WAC, ended up another jobless afternoon with me repenting on the missed boating trip. Finally when there was some room for productive work, people called me to witness a cricket match where I was in no way involved and wasted couple of hours there. The only good part of the day was a new route that I found using my bike which leads from the forests behind IFMR to the ancient 15th century temple in Sricity. Post that there was a lot of drama, adventure with me and ronak crying over the dried up petrol in my bike and losing time.

Some selfies

The cricket match which had no role for me

Some more jobless selfies

Friendship day to end the day

Day 669 - 35 kilometer exploration

After looking at the climate, only an idiot would sit at home and not make the best use of this climate. So I decided to finish all my work and head out in the evening. But it was not easy. Finished the Stats homework and presentation as soon as I could and immediately prepped my cycle. Dipesh walked into my room and decided to take him along. It was good exploration with checking out some remote roads of Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh.

35 kilometer exploration

Day 670 - Consciousness

It was time to wake up. There a limit to heuristics and everyone in this earth knows it. Only a baby, aged or an addict is a person that has to depend on others. All the others apart from them are competent enough to carry out their tasks. Interestingly, god designed the humans in such a way that he gave us something called ego. It is one of the most interesting traits in human beings. It makes people act in very unpredictable ways in certain situations. It can make a person stop the free fodder and make him do some work in order to eat the fruit. And sometimes it gives us brilliant results. The drive which makes people work on their own for their own fruit is the purest form of work = outcome system that can exist. It is also the drive that brings out the efficiency and perfection in our work. The competition and selfish attitude are by products of such a system which are also vital if channelized properly. The selfless person must cease to exist and he doesnt defy the laws of human civilization.

All that said and done, its equally dangerous if the ego is not controlled. Most of the times, it is an hindrance in the proper functioning of system and work. It is the reason it is seen as a negative trait when mentioned by an individual. Ego is synonymous to rebellious these days, which is quite surprising as they mean totally different things. I just wished we could learn and realize the positive effects of Ego in the very first stages of schooling so that we are not victims of its ill effects.

Random connecting thoughts on a random day