Its been a long time since I posted anything on this site. While the work has gotten me busy, I thought it might be refreshing to start this all over again.
So, here's wishing all our teacher's (past & present), a very happy teacher's day! If I know MR=MC, it is indeed because of you today.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The day of our combined destinies!
FADM or Presidential campaign or a bit of both? While the second round heat catches up, people are now getting anxious to know as to who the next President of GSB will be (me included)!
And the presidential candidates are not leaving an inch or a second to show that they are all part of the proceedings. Parties, sections, SVs, Atrium, competitions, seminars, Q&A sessions - you name it, they (we) were all there. Talking to people, trying to impress. Even when it was not intentional, the topics did turn to the campaign and the polling. Rumor mongers have been busy too. It certainly is the hottest topic in the campus as of now.
As I prepare for one of the most important days in my life in ISB (and even in my entire life), I cannot help but reflect on how well I have been able to connect with you all, thanks to the elections. Far more effective than the speed networking, or anything else that I did on campus so far. The experience itself is beyond words. Every one of you has been so warm, that it makes me feel extremely proud to be with you all.
And as we all wake up to another Monday, another 8am assignment submission awaits. But more importantly, it is a day where you will have to make up your mind regarding who do you think will represent ISB and more importantly, represent you the best. Come one, come all - attend the Presidential Panel and decide for yourself. Good morning to 23rd May 2011, the day of our combined destinies!
And the presidential candidates are not leaving an inch or a second to show that they are all part of the proceedings. Parties, sections, SVs, Atrium, competitions, seminars, Q&A sessions - you name it, they (we) were all there. Talking to people, trying to impress. Even when it was not intentional, the topics did turn to the campaign and the polling. Rumor mongers have been busy too. It certainly is the hottest topic in the campus as of now.
As I prepare for one of the most important days in my life in ISB (and even in my entire life), I cannot help but reflect on how well I have been able to connect with you all, thanks to the elections. Far more effective than the speed networking, or anything else that I did on campus so far. The experience itself is beyond words. Every one of you has been so warm, that it makes me feel extremely proud to be with you all.
And as we all wake up to another Monday, another 8am assignment submission awaits. But more importantly, it is a day where you will have to make up your mind regarding who do you think will represent ISB and more importantly, represent you the best. Come one, come all - attend the Presidential Panel and decide for yourself. Good morning to 23rd May 2011, the day of our combined destinies!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Beginning of Round 2!!!
Congrats to Gautam, Pranjal and Shayan too! And tough luck to the others who got left out. Its been a pleasure to meet them all.
And personally - thanks a lot everyone for your support! It feels good to reach the second round. I wanted to take one step at a time and I met with success in the first step.
And personally - thanks a lot everyone for your support! It feels good to reach the second round. I wanted to take one step at a time and I met with success in the first step.
Now that so many people have put their faith in us four, we will need to work that much harder. Where one step ends, the next begins. I wish to continue on this journey for the next 10-11 months with your support. My door to door campaign resumes tomorrow after a much needed day's break!
The remaining Quads/ Studios in SV2, SV3 and SV4 - here I come.
For now, it is back to SMMD and MGE2 assignments!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Met some more people in SV4 last night
Good morning everyone! The initial ballot begins in less than 2 hours from now. All 10 candidates will be sitting with their fingers crossed. A few butterflies, a few biting their nails. But all in all, it has been a wonderful experience so far.
Last night, I visited some more people, this time in SV4. I got to know more about their aspirations, their immediate needs and thoughts on how they want the President to function and focus. The discussions were quite good and some valid points emerged which I consider as take aways. I will be getting back on those through this blog as I did earlier too. Keep watching!
ISB Internal Chat Messenger
Debrupa Chatterjee asked on Facebook
Hello Could -be-Presidents ;) ... can we have an internal communicator for chatting? It helps a lot for syncing up and quickly deciding on meetings et
My take on it
Yes, I myself have found the need for it very much. I definitely could stick my neck out for it. :)
Action Plan
Will talk to the IT department and find out why cant we have MSN messenger/ communicator when we have MS Office suite of apps installed in our laptops.
Hello Could -be-Presidents ;) ... can we have an internal communicator for chatting? It helps a lot for syncing up and quickly deciding on meetings et
My take on it
Yes, I myself have found the need for it very much. I definitely could stick my neck out for it. :)
Action Plan
Will talk to the IT department and find out why cant we have MSN messenger/ communicator when we have MS Office suite of apps installed in our laptops.
IT infrastructure in Khemka
Keerthi Varier asked on Facebook:
@all - Even though Khemka IT infrastructure will come under Operations, what innovative ideas (regarding improvement of IT infrastructure in general) were running through your head while waiting for technical snags to be fixed......
@all - Even though Khemka IT infrastructure will come under Operations, what innovative ideas (regarding improvement of IT infrastructure in general) were running through your head while waiting for technical snags to be fixed......
- My Take on itThere should be a feedback mechanism that rates the provider for the quality of their services. The facilities that we have in Khemka are good. However, the way it is managed and run is not optimal. That is the one single largest reason why we lose face when dignitaries visit as well. We should have a service rating system which notes down how many times the IT services failed to function and what was its impact - on the speaker and the brand of ISB in general (apart from the loss of time). This is a risk and reward mechanism that would set a certain expectation in the contract.E.g. minor glitches - e.g. those that can be resolved in under 5 mins; moderate glitches - e.g. Projector/ PC not working (and not checked earlier) and takes 10-15 mins to resolve; major glitches - More than 15 mins - These cause major reputational damage and impacts ISB brand image. This kind of model will lay the onus on the contract bidder to deliver quality every single time. If they fail to deliver on their promise, the feedback mechanism will take care of it. This is more on the lines of IT Production Service contracts.
Your theme talks about Research awareness. Why can we not have an ISB Business Journal?
My take on it
It is a very good idea. This will be taken up with the ISB management.
Action Plan
I will find out what are the current mechanisms to publish articles in journals. If economically it is feasible to create an ISB Business Journal, I will push for it.
It is a very good idea. This will be taken up with the ISB management.
Action Plan
I will find out what are the current mechanisms to publish articles in journals. If economically it is feasible to create an ISB Business Journal, I will push for it.
Increase mix of international students
My take on it
As with the previous point, it is important to improve brand image of ISB internationally first, before the effects of an increased intake of international students can be seen.
As with the previous point, it is important to improve brand image of ISB internationally first, before the effects of an increased intake of international students can be seen.
What do you think the impact of ISB Mohali campus will be?
My take on it
It is important to have more institutions that impart quality business education. In that respect ISB Mohali was necessary. What we need to ensure is that the quality of students intake and the quality of professors who come to teach does not go down.
Action Plan
Improve the brand image of ISB internationally so that the international intake can be increased. It will also help bring a better mix of international students too at ISB. This, however is a longer term agenda.
It is important to have more institutions that impart quality business education. In that respect ISB Mohali was necessary. What we need to ensure is that the quality of students intake and the quality of professors who come to teach does not go down.
Action Plan
Improve the brand image of ISB internationally so that the international intake can be increased. It will also help bring a better mix of international students too at ISB. This, however is a longer term agenda.
What is your take on Nescafe coffee vending machines?
My take on it
They should accept all sorts of Rs. 5 coins and not just the new ones. By the way, I just learnt that vending machine coffee have more calories than regular coffee. From a health point of view, it may be better that we get rid of the vending machines altogether and try working on reduced prices of coffee/ tea in the cafe itself.
Action Plan
TBA
They should accept all sorts of Rs. 5 coins and not just the new ones. By the way, I just learnt that vending machine coffee have more calories than regular coffee. From a health point of view, it may be better that we get rid of the vending machines altogether and try working on reduced prices of coffee/ tea in the cafe itself.
Action Plan
TBA
Why don’t we improve alumni interactions – why cant we use the alum database efficiently?
My take on it
We should definitely improve Alumni relations. In my manifesto too, I have highlighted this. The one key difference however is that I strongly believe that interactions and connect can be deeper only when the setting is informal. I would therefore encourage informal alumni meets.
Action Plan
Invite locally situated alums to campus to join us at various celebratory events, movie screenings, or asking them to join us when we go out.
We should definitely improve Alumni relations. In my manifesto too, I have highlighted this. The one key difference however is that I strongly believe that interactions and connect can be deeper only when the setting is informal. I would therefore encourage informal alumni meets.
Action Plan
Invite locally situated alums to campus to join us at various celebratory events, movie screenings, or asking them to join us when we go out.
What is your take on the Grades non-disclosure policy?
My take on it
I personally believe that grading system is necessary as a means to benchmark within the class and to give the student a point to reflect upon. It however, should not be disclosed to the section or the recruiters because it creates a pre-conceived notion of what the persons capabilities are. I personally would prefer the interviewer talk to me and find out what I am worth after an MBA rather than make a judgment based on my grades in class.
It’s a different matter as to how we communicate and persuade companies not to look upon on our grades before selecting, but I guess they will need to trust the school. This can however be discussed in detail around how it is to be implemented.
Action Plan
TBA
I personally believe that grading system is necessary as a means to benchmark within the class and to give the student a point to reflect upon. It however, should not be disclosed to the section or the recruiters because it creates a pre-conceived notion of what the persons capabilities are. I personally would prefer the interviewer talk to me and find out what I am worth after an MBA rather than make a judgment based on my grades in class.
It’s a different matter as to how we communicate and persuade companies not to look upon on our grades before selecting, but I guess they will need to trust the school. This can however be discussed in detail around how it is to be implemented.
Action Plan
TBA
Career (switching) options – Tech/Domain leverage
My take on it
It is a good idea to switch careers especially if one's experience levels are not very high. However, with increasing experience, a career switch may not make good sense for the candidate in the long run.
However, if one has decided to make a switch, then it would boil down to individual choice.
Action Plan
Each one of us 570 batchmates would have built a network in our workplaces and would be aware of technological or domain related people. We can leverage this network to help out people within the batch to decide on career switches. We can work towards it.
It is a good idea to switch careers especially if one's experience levels are not very high. However, with increasing experience, a career switch may not make good sense for the candidate in the long run.
However, if one has decided to make a switch, then it would boil down to individual choice.
Action Plan
Each one of us 570 batchmates would have built a network in our workplaces and would be aware of technological or domain related people. We can leverage this network to help out people within the batch to decide on career switches. We can work towards it.
Safety on campus - What do you propose to do about the snakes on campus?
My take on it
Safety of people on campus is one of the most important aspects. It cannot be compromised. However any action has to be taken after assessing what is the risk that the issue poses. I would have personally wanted the snakes to be driven out, but after I heard what the ISB management had to say, I am convinced with their view point. The same is presented in the next column.
Action Plan
A few of our batch mates spoke to the operations folks. They believe that the animals are an integral part of this campus. While they have said that they will not move them out, they have also highlighted the fact that there have been no incidents in the last 10 years to warrant such an action. The risks are minimal.
However, they have congnizance of the fact that students will be scared and therefore they will conduct awareness sessions before the monsoon season arrives.
Safety of people on campus is one of the most important aspects. It cannot be compromised. However any action has to be taken after assessing what is the risk that the issue poses. I would have personally wanted the snakes to be driven out, but after I heard what the ISB management had to say, I am convinced with their view point. The same is presented in the next column.
Action Plan
A few of our batch mates spoke to the operations folks. They believe that the animals are an integral part of this campus. While they have said that they will not move them out, they have also highlighted the fact that there have been no incidents in the last 10 years to warrant such an action. The risks are minimal.
However, they have congnizance of the fact that students will be scared and therefore they will conduct awareness sessions before the monsoon season arrives.
Election Manifesto
Vision: To nurture thought leadership, that will assist ISB leap into the next decade and beyond, and enabling it in its vision of creating “future” leaders for the world.
Mission: To create a morally, ethically and socially fair, open and trustworthy environment that will foster thought leadership amongst the students and enable them to be “future” leaders. To provide a platform to voice ideas, issues and concerns and act upon the same in a timely, and just fashion. To liaise with ISB management, faculty, alumni and the current batch to improve the overall learning and make the time spent on campus, a memorable experience.
Brief Profile: Near 9 years of industry and leadership experience. Worked extensively across India and for 5 years in UK & USA bringing a global perspective to my profile. Participated and led extensively in CCA from school days. Was selected as the Master of Ceremonies for the Infosys Billion Dollar Day in 2004. Was one among 20 people selected to represent the face of young leaders of Indian IT to meet Mr.Vladimir Putin – the then president of Russia. More recently, participated in TANA 2009 and reached MAA TV Super regional finals 2009 in the USA. Have a good connect with people and I speak 5 different languages (and can understand a few more)!
If given a chance, I promise to
- Ensure that GSB functions (internally and externally to ISB) with utmost integrity, responsibility and accountability in all transactions and interactions, leads by example, and works within the purview of the GSA’s constitution.
- Use social networking (e.g. FB) to effectively communicate to the entire group and to hear the PGP community's ideas and issues on a regular basis, take them up with the ISB management and resolve every issue within practically feasible time lines.
- Work towards further reducing the carbon foot print on the campus by recycling, reduced consumption and effective waste management – such as use of electronic submission mechanism.
- Work towards ‘student pricing’ for few basic items in the on-campus facilities such as Ala Carte in Goel and bringing in transparency in billing.
- Facilitate sessions with research faculty to create awareness of the ISB research activities and to guide interested students in planning their transition to business research after the PGP
- Increase the social involvement of the alums with the ISB student community such as informal meets
- Work with the councils to create a harmonious, safe and lively campus atmosphere so that the stay of every individual and family on this campus becomes enjoyable
- Increase interaction amongst the ISB student community by working with the Class Reps to foster better connect within the batch
ILS 2011 Themes
a. Thought leadership as the way forward for future leaders ‘or’
b. India – leading the way in the global economy
At ISB, I collated information and organized birthday parties; organized section photo shoot. Took initiatives to articulate and become the voice of Section G on several issues, ideas. Initiated and brought together music enthusiasts by forming the Music Club. Participated in dances on Talent Night and sang a song impromptu.
Motivation: The school, its board, faculty and alumni have contributed immensely in these 10 years and we enjoy some of those benefits. It is now my drive to stand up and do my bit to contribute to the Alma Mater in a constructive manner.
· Persona Excellencia Award - May 2009, Most Valuable Player (MVP) award - Oct-Dec 2007 in Infosys
· Selected to the “Tier III Leadership”– an elite group of future leaders within Infosys
· Excellent Performance Reward in BALCO (A subsidiary of Vedanta Group), April 2003
· Secretary of the Chemical Engg Association, REC Warangal (1998-2002)
· Best Outgoing Student Award in school for all round capabilities (1998)
· School Pupil Leader – 1997-98; School CCA Leader – 1996-97
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