The GREAT INDIAN TOUR contd

So here ends my GREAT INDIAN TOUR before I start my lease of new life from next week in IIM Indore. And what a tour it was!!

It was a result of a resolve at client site in US where I hated my beeper support of 24 hrs, that I will chill myself completely in Indian waters before I try a dip at IIMs. And boy oh boy! I lived it throughout. From the rigorous hiking at Vaishno devi to tortuous and torquous (I mean it) biking (Pulsar-ising) at Mussorie, I lived in every moment. From the dangerous rides at Wonder La, Park in Bangalore to amusing chilling waters of Robber’s Cave at Dehradun, from the ever-welcomed ‘Lassi’ of Vrindavan to ‘Bhuttas’ at a height of 2000m at Mussorrie, I simply ROCKED!

Let me start with my auto-travelogue (J), with special thanks to the main characters of the tour apart from yours truly –

Tom, Sam, Gupta and Sapre – Bangalore
My parents – Mathura-Vrindavan-Mehendipur-Balaji-Kaila devi
My bro (Girraj) & Nitin - Delhi-Vaishno devi–Dehradun-Mussorie

The places –

Dehradun/Mussorie-

I never really thought that Dehradun can be such a nice place, it gives you right mix of everything – cool weather, calm surroundings of mountaineering terrain, hustle bustle of McDonalds and lots of good bunch of good looking junta ;)

Sahastra-dhara is a traditional spot to chill in waters but what took my qualms away was ‘Robber’s Cave’. It is a must see for adventure enthusiasts. Basically it is a narrow passage between two mountains with fresh water gushing in between from a fall. As you might have guessed already, its name comes from its notorious use by robbers.

City is small but dotted with institutions like FRI(Forest Research Institute), IMA, etc. Plus is a 30 Km drive to Mussorie, which rocks if you pulsate the terrain of heights and tortuous track if biked with right bikes J. The top is always busy on weekends as lots of honeymooners and people from Delhi throng the place. There is a good rope-way but wait time is a price to be paid. A fall called Kemptee Fall is also there, but nothing in comparison with Niagara of US/Canada J.

Vaishno Devi/Jammu

With a resolve in mind to seek the blessings of the great goddess of Mountains – Vaishno Devi, we started our hiking in the evening at 7:30 and reached the Bhawan at 1:30 am. Though the journey up the mountain was okay but the gross mismanagement at the top, took my breath away (U see I am getting into management na J). The number of devotees was I guess in lakhs and the number of lockers that the trust there provides is in hundreds that too I guess not more than 400 – absolutely free!! What catastrophe might ensue out of this is no secret. People who are lucky to get the locker, take it, get the darshan and never come back until they get a sound sleep! And the line for putting in the luggage remains increasing in the wait of people coming to retrieve their belongings! I was amazed to see such a big fallacy in their model, why not keep an hourly fee, so that traffic keeps moving? Result – We waited in the line throughout the night…..I remembered the days when I did my night-outs at infosys…@##%!^&*

Well we had the darshan next day in the morning and then after coming down, slept for 12 hours straight. Well, all is well if it ends well and that’s what happened. We left happily for Jammu, where did some city-viewing…though there were lots of police check-posts which I guess were signatures of the relationship we have with our neighbour. We then headed straight to Dehradun.

I guess this post can go on and on…..with Bangalore trip still to be portrayed in the right manner it deserves..so I guess wait till the next post! Its now time for some serious packing and preparations at home as I leave for Indore next week! Bye for now.

~ Nits

THE GREAT INDIAN TOUR

I am on THE GREAT INDIAN TOUR these days.
Thought that life would be full time MASTI @ IIMI hence why not make most of the days left with me. Hence thought of giving a surprise to my classmates of GS in Bangalore.

The weekend rocked! We went to Shiv-samudram falls which is somewhat 120 kms from the IT City. Did some serious hiking till we hit the falls. After chilling in waters for some time, came back to have a blast next day in wonder la, amusement park Bangalore. And really I was amazed to see the management at the park..no titter-tatters…no hustle-bustle for tickets or entry…gud to see. Well here are some pics from the Blore trip….and there are lots of videos…for which I guess you need to come to me. Also been to a religious family visit to mathura, Vrindavan, Balaji...i guess to thank for the blessings.

Right now am on my trip to Vaishno Devi day after tomorrow…so till then wait n watch this blog!!

~ nits

M.P. and Indore - A foot forward

I dont know why my life keeps coming back to INDORE...?
May be for good.

For starters, i did my graduation from Shri GS Institute of Technlogy and Science, Indore in Electronics & Telecom engg in 2002. And here i am again into Indian Institute of Management, Indore!

Well, will not beat around the bush, M.P. and especially Indore is catching up with the rest of the indian states now. Here is the story . Gud to know :)

~nits

Infosys - the grooming grounds!

Today, when i am writing this post, i have already divorced a dream-fairy which picked up my imagination(along with my resume) and gave me a near-perfect world of dreams( that came along with the appointment letter!). It simply seems like a dream that is over after 3 years, 7 months and 13 days. It was like an arranged marriage(?)...it was turning sour after those many years :). The dowry was huge when i got married to this cute looking coding-job, as i was sent on a honeymoon to Bangalore Campus (Huge number of buildings, food courts,etc). The early days were great as i made new friends from different places and speaking different languages. I still remember the days, when i used to sing ghazals of jagjit singh in the bus and later they would label me as 'jagjit singh' (poor jaggi :(). But as in all arranged marriages...sweet days were soon over and i was sent to Bhubaneswar(city of temples)...probably as a penance for ruining jaggi's name!

Life started again with memories of big building of Bangalore...being replaced by ancient temples of 'Lingaraja' and 'Jagannath-puri'. But, i guess the place gave me perfect entry into my utopian world - where there was arts, poetry, opportunities for social contribution and visiting challenged-children(deaf & dumb, orphans) along with coding and testing in the black mainframe world. And i was more than happy to grow and learn from all such non-technical acts - be it 'The Orators Club', 'Akanksha - social forum' and 'Horizon - The literary newsletter'..and two years went away! Though i don't want to put down the nitty-gritties of pathetic appraisals, bandings, the following cribs, bad bosses...etc....i guess those are part and parcel of each and every job. I also interviewed M.D. PAi (CFO, Infosys), Basab Pradhan(then Marketing, sales head - Infosys) and the feelings were special each time....i mean when you are shaking hands and having tea with people which are the poster boys of business dailies and magazines...its really special. I guess, hanumanji(monkey god) had something else on his mind as i got the visa for a long visit to our client in USA.

Phew! That was my reaction when i boarded the first international flight of my life(no..its not that i have never been to any foreign country..have been to Nepal..would have been to Pakistan as well but probably they(Paki officials) detested(at that time) my date of birth...it falls on 15th August!). I was sitting in a plane with 80% junta being white...i remembered Charlie Chaplin movies where he used o land in difficult situations in foreign land...well landed safely to the 'Melting Pot of World'...and soon 'Starbucks', 'Dunkin-donnuts'..became usual part of life. Have been to various places which i only earlier saw on silver screen. The times were also a bit difficult here as being at client site can be anything between bad to worse...in initial days. 'Beeper Support' is something which i will never forget from this 1.25 years stint...throughout my life. I mean its really pathetic to be on call and work through nights and days....continuously. I still remember that beeper was the culprit behind my frenzied receding hairline(probably my wife-2-be will condone it..if from the IT world). But, i guess, i learnt a lot about work-place and specially in software...be it politics, client relationships, etc which i guess will come handy through-out my life.

As, i wrote earlier, because of some unavoidable circumstances and inner-calling, had to fight to come back to the motherland....Hey this post is turning into a travelogue...missing the point...time to get back on track. After coming back, i worked as a module leader and really enjoyed the work as its more towards people management, resources-management, etc which i really would say love to do. All in all, it wouldn't be excessive to say that Infosys has really helped me a lot in transforming me into a person who is more of a professional rather than a plain rustic from a small city. I still remember on the last day so many people replied to my adieu mail(don't know if it is just a custom to reply)...but it really gives a unique feeling to know how many people still remember you may be for different reasons...be it your poems, sketches, ghazals, writings...or may be plain mediocrity ;)

Here ends my arranged marriage with Infosys....i will miss you, my darling :)

~Nits

The Road Ahead!

Life has been alive once again!
With news of getting the dream, people are pouring in congratulations. Even people who haven’t talked to me since my engineering have called. Some of much more qualified people than me have mentioned me as a role model, some of them have written things which you will always dream off in your sleeps! And last but not the least; my parents are now thankfully playing a different tune, than the wedding bells 

Thanks-you Almighty! As they say – ‘Tere ghar mein der hai per andher nahin hai’ (Its late in almighty’s listening of prayers not never).

Now, coming back to the reality grounds, India from the heavens of fantasyland; I was amazed/shocked/petrified to see the birthday database of the IIMI PGP 06-08 yahoo group. The feelings – just what a dianasaur feels when he gets into 2006 . Most of the people are from 1984/85 bracket….and me 1980  (looks like an old vintage car amidst Ferraris). Well, but I am not cribbing; its better than an IT work-force to be with 

Apart from that, I was amused to read through the yahoo chat of our group, as well as queries posted by some of my classmates-to-be. Though I believe they were genuine concerns, and I detest mentioning some of the weak ones here. But, being a lesser mortal, I just cant resist this one…which made its way to the ‘Hall of Fame’ – “Whether we get milk in the canteen or not?” I am sorry if somebody reading this post is cursing me, but I simply coudnt understand the criticality of it!

I conclude that it would really be great fun at Indore to be with ppl from disparate places with different academic bkgnds, different interests, different ages and of course different tastes – some preferring whiskey, some vodka and some pure milk 

On a more serious note - It would be my world with my dreamed characters in it! A school with good infrastructure, professors, and books, books which will be on Management, marketing, kotler, Porter, Watermann, Prahalad, Ghaoshal, Debono, i was just waiting for this day....when my utopian world will engage me out of chills and thrills of IT for at least some time. Discussions, case studies, presentations, strategies, quizzes, non-stop jargon, management funda!..........ahhhhh! I am coming IIM-I...i am loving it :)

Will keep writing regularly now!

Vindication at Last.........!

I feel immensely excited and releived at the same time today. Finally i can boast of the I factors apart from Infosys. The news is that i have been selected in PGP 2 year course of Indian Institute of Management Indore (IIM-I) for session starting this June-end.

It took me 5 years to break this IIM jinx. I have appeared in CAT in 2001 for the first eligible time (though first attempt dates back to CAT 2000). It has been a long, determined, effortful battle with everything thrown in. And after each year, its time to sit back and think through the failures and start again for the next year.

And there were roadblocks too. In 2002, i was prepared enough to get some calls and scoring consistently in IMS-SIMCATS, but at the last moment, i was not able to appear in exam as Infosys transfered me to Bhubaneswar. Then came 2003, another year of unrewarded hardwork and this time twice hard as the CAT was redone after the leak in Feb,2004.

Then came 2004 again with different set of notes from a different coaching institute. Just when the CAT exam was 3 months away, again Infosys threw the spanner amidst my cooking of the dream. I was sent onsite for an year long assignment, and its not that i havent resented. But, this time even my family lost some faith in my ability and said that 'son, facts are not with you, you have tried CAT for 2 years and no result, hence it better to opt for a change and grab this opportunity'. Broken a bit by the harsh reality, i went overseas, but the dream was always there; ok not through CAT...may be GMAT.

The quest and the thirst was never quenched! And i dont know what drives me...even till today. Onsite assignment wasnt a nice deal as well considering my preperation for the dream. I had to go through rather tough time settling things with my manager as my dream wanted myself back in india along with not-so-good health of my dearest mother. Abused, tortured, but not knocked out...i managed to get the ticket back home in dec.Prepared for ISB's call, but knocked out....and the only glimmering hope that was left was IIMI or another year of to-be-found grit and determination.....but finally the 'Hanumanji(Monkey god) smiled'.

And finally i am here, writing this post after getting the mail that i have been selected for IIMI - PGP. So much for a dream??

The process has been so painful for me that even i changed my favourite quote to something like this -

'Dare to dream and follow them passionately and one day they will come true.....or you will go mad'

Finally vindicated, i am smiling today. Thanks to everybody who supported me on this journey - be it my ever-supporting friends like Sam and Tom, my parents - who finally did believe in my dream and supported me through and definitely GOD....which has remained within my soul to kindle the flame of dream time and again....whenever i was about to give in.

It really is 'The SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION' story for me. And as it said in the movie...'SALVATION LIES WITHIN'....

signing off...
~Nits

Looking for a change........

So here I am back again at my forgotten blog again! May be it will be live again when I will start my next round of preparations for ISB. Well as of now, let me throw an update here about my snail-paced life.

News is that I have taken first step of change management and I have resigned from Infy. I will be joining another IT company in MAY. So finally a way out from BBSR. Apart from that, my track record on MBA quest has improved a bit. As after I got the call from NMIMS, mumbai and IMT Ghaziabad; I have managed call from ISB this time. So, overall being an optimist I would say the way to go is only up.

On the personal front, not much change but the inevitable is not so far. Parents have started working on my matrimonial chances; as I couldn’t manage one myself.
And since I will be near my hometown, hence the odds against my bachelorhood are really high. But lets see!

Doing a lot of orkutting and blogging these days. One of the newest blog I have come up with few more friends is – ‘MERE DO PAISE’ – http://www.meredopaise.blogspot.com/

That’s it for now. Lets see what life has to bring for me!!

~Nits

Mission Impossible - 3 (ISB)

28 Febraury 2006
15 March 2004
09 December 2001

Once again he won over my dream!

I guess the only word starting with 'I' in my life is 'Infosys' which resembles a bit of a golden run. Be it 'IIT', 'IIM' or 'ISB' all sound synonymous to another I-lettered word called 'Impossible'.I am reall sorry for Mr. TOM CRUISE, that though you have been doing the movies under 'Mission Impossible'; but the brand fits to me more effectively. You have given MI, MI-2 and MI-3 is yet to come; but i have already done three super hits - 'MI-IIT', 'MI-IIM' and 'MI-ISB'.

Last but not the least, I am also an Indian - which is i guess my consolation award.
~Nitin

Fumbled............yet again!

21 Jan 05. Taj Bengal. City of unfound Joy!!

Want an update? Here it is.

Your friend has failed yet again on his way towards the elusive MBA.

What happened?

Fumbled for words! Got numb in middle! what else...

Enough I would say. I should quit seeing this dream all-together.

Two dreams.....both elusive....wanna more??

chalo yaar, thanks for all the support that my friends gave me during this whole process.

Not at all waiting for results.

~Nits

YEsssssssssssssssssssss!!

YEsssssssssssssssssssss!!

The interview call from my utopian world of ISB arrived in my mailbox last friday. Its on 21 Jan @ Taj Bangal, Calcutta, the city of joy.
May be this city is really getting into literal sense in my life……city of JOY!

Hoping to do good enough to get a ticket to Hyderabad.

Pray for me!!