Hypnotists and us

While at IIMB, I attended a panel discussion on Corporate Governance and Transparency. An interesting takeaway from this discussion (and from Fin.Acc. course) was that the good guys wanting stability have always played a game of catching up over rogue behaviour by bad guys.

As from following story, it turns out that curbing rogue behaviour can end up encouraging rogue behaviour in some other form. Story picked from MarginalRevolutions (pointing out how licensing is ineffective)

Back when I was working for the Indiana General Assembly, one member...became convinced that it was crucially important for the state to address, via statute, the problem of rogue hypnotists traveling the land, preying upon unsuspecting Hoosiers. He wasn’t anti-hypnotist, mind you–he thought the government needed to protect people from unqualified hypnotists...

So the state passed a hypnotist licensing law, complete with the requisite boards, professional standards, forms to fill out, fees to pay, and so on....Then, after the law was enacted, a funny thing started happening: The state began receiving license applications from people who didn’t live in Indiana....It turns out they were doing it so they could advertise in the yellow pages and on bus-stop billboards as “state-licensed.”

This got me thinking. For starter, I am a product of two of the certified brand names - IITKgp and IIMB. So it turns out that the certification from the brands is no indicator of whether I will be a good guy or a bad guy. Ok, leave me aside. I am a nice guy. But that is not the point.

We demand transparency to have accountability. We enforce transparency through rules and laws. We take transparency as (only) means to accountability since moral conscience is not as objective. Iam not saying that all hypnotists are corrupt. But the point I see in this story is transparency alone can only be partially effective at best, and corruptible at worst (refer to use of derivatives in financial crisis and current debate on whether carbon derivatives will be the cause of next bubble). Relatively best economy is where good guys are consistently catching up over bad guys. If there is something else which can drive responsible behaviour, please comment.

I have a parallel theory. Spiritual and religious philosophers had realized this problem (i.e. transparency not guaranteeing responsible behaviour) centuries ago. Hence they themselves acted opaquely to make it easier for others to follow. They painted good economic behaviour as moral behaviour. You may say that their reason for opacity is well-meant. Or maybe it was just laziness.

Renewable energy and Music

Both the topics interest me but the blend seemed inconceivable.
Till I heard, rather saw Solar Punch perform during IYCN Conference on Climate Change held at IIMB about a month back.

Awesome concept.

They use solar panels to power their sound. To be able to play in low light, they use batteries which are charged during the daylight. They add a touch of glitter with those chain of lamps, and of course with their music. And with their lyrics which are mostly related to sun.

And they work at their jobs full time. They are touring along with IYCN to promote renewable energy, taking sabbaticals from their jobs.

Awesome concept.

Realise you're living in the golden years

To IIMB friends:

From the coast of gold across the seven seas
I'm travellin' on far and wide
But now it seems I'm just a stranger to myself
And all the things I sometimes do
It isn't me but someone else

I close my eyes and think of home
Another city goes by in the night
Ain't it funny how it is
You never miss it till it's gone away
And my heart is lying there
And will be till my dying day

So, understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realise you're living in the golden years

Too much time on my hands I got you on my mind
Cant ease this pain so easily
When you can't find the words to say
It's hard to make it through another day
And it just makes me wanna cry
And throw my hands up to the sky

So, understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realise you're living in the golden years

- from 'Wasted Years' by Iron Maiden

PS: A cousin asked me on orkut "dada what is that you do that you are paid 9 lakh per year", and I laughed out loud alone.

social entrepreneurship

One of the courses this term is on the verge of changing all my priorities in life.

It is interesting that title of another course 'Self Transformation - Indian Approaches' is more appropriate to the result of Social Entrepreneurship course. STIA is about philosophy and spirituality in different religions and transformation of self. While STIA is also food for thought, SE has actually transformed me, or at least influenced my thoughts quite a bit.

Till now it was only a budding thought that I should take up something socially relevant - so I was trying to volunteer for different NGOs and help them in documentation or other MBA-like work. Though a management school leaves little time to volunteer in actual field work, this term did give some opportunities to do that through course work as well as voluntarily.

The thought was probably rooted right at my school Jnana Prabodhini, working itself for rural employment generation, education for children of sugarcane workers & tribal children and other such initiatives. Increasingly, I am coming to believe that I should work full-time in the development sector (poverty alleviation, NGOs, improvement of livelihoods, etc). I am not yet sure if I will take it up right after graduting from IIMB. If not immediately, I do want to, in near future.

PS: Even after putting it in to-do list, blogging has taken a back-seat. As part of that to-do, next I promise to write on some people I look up to - some social entrepreneurs, some mavericks, a couple of musicians. The common thing that connects them is probably their passion.

//todo

I have been making todo lists in many formats so you'd have guessed that they work only partially. I have used google calendar, outlook calendar, add-on on thunderbird, post-its on vista sidebar, post-its on paperboard in the room and whiteboard till now. So this is the latest mode of making a todo list and sticking to it - blog. Below are few things I wish to do during next 3-4 months, and YOU are going to remind me :D

TODO in next 3 months (or losely speaking, keep doing it for some time):

1. Find a guitar/drums tutor to come to IIMB to teach interested junta.
2. Listen to more types of music, particularly explore more in rock.
3. Continue mp3-tagging by collection of songs.
4. Start composing, write it down. Explore song structures.
   
5. Try sculptoring soap.
6. Read the books lying in the room (esp. End of Poverty, remaining volumes of H2G2 series)
7. Blog more frequently. Start a series on social entrepreneurs.
8. Translate books into Marathi for GTS.
9. Continue working with Weflap.
   

Now you know why I end up not completing the do part in these lists, they are so long!

No but seriously, many of the above don't even need reminders - I will do them as I find time. At times I will squeeze time to do it. You just need to remind me that I will keep on finding such times. Tell me, call, chat or mail me in a while, and just say that you read this post. I will do the rest.

tired

Frankly I'm tired of the glorified rat race.
Not because we rats join it, but because the race breeds more rats, or so it is designed.
However, I should clarify that rats are the most supreme intellectual beings in the universe, as the conventional wisdom⁽¹⁾ goes.

Frankly, I've stopped looking forward to count Gandhiji's face.
Not because it's the means not ends, but because there's much more to get yourself aligned.
However, you may say that you need to buy that alignment too. I disagree. After me, my alignment goes.

Somehow, I've put my dreams on the backseat
With the faith that the spark⁽²⁾ will live for long
I am taking up more responsibilities, few which are a burden.

Somehow, there are no drums and no beat
With the assurance that my life will be song
I am falling in the trap, and not exploring the garden.

I am pushing time, another month passes
Buried deeply in work, study and classes
Not bothering to take a look outside
Snubbing others' existence⁽³⁾ in my own pride.

I will be another one among oh-so-glorious faces
Looking at the world from my rose-tinged glasses
This poem should become more structured, I decide
I lack the taste, but there's no restaurant I've not tried.


Notes -
1: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
2: Chetan Bhagat's speech: Keep the Spark
3: The Disadvantages of Elite Education, by William Deresiewicz

Half Way Through

Living every day in the fast pace
All dull work without a grace
Each one struggles to find own place
Where's his face? There's no trace.

Noises, fights, quarrels, affrays
3.3 for consult, because it pays
"Ain't no rat", his conscience says,
"I want brighter days, in my own ways."

Half way through the rough waters
Falling in love with Knopfler & Waters
"GPA?" ask Kotlers and Kotters
Careless he mutters, "It hardly matters!"

Pursue his dream, all does he care
Melody and beat, guitar and snare
'Cause, the truth when it's laid out bare,
Is not money or chair, but finding your flair.


- In response/echo with a couple of thoughtful posts in last few days - by Nikky and Kandarp
we are half Yum Bee Ye already....

the organization kid

From the organization kids being bred at Princeton -

[...]But nowhere did I find any real unhappiness with this state of affairs; nowhere did I find anybody who seriously considered living any other way. These super-accomplished kids aren't working so hard because they are compelled to. They are facing, it still appears, the sweetest job market in the nation's history. Investment banks flood the campus looking for hires. Princeton also offers a multitude of post-graduation service jobs in places like China and Africa. Everyone I spoke to felt confident that he or she could get a good job after graduation. Nor do these students seem driven by some Puritan work ethic deep in their cultural memory. It's not the stick that drives them on, it's the carrot. Opportunity lures them. And at a place like Princeton, in a rich information-age country like America, promises of enjoyable work abound—at least for people as smart and ambitious as these. "I want to be this busy," one young woman insisted, after she had described a daily schedule that would count as slave-driving if it were imposed on anyone.

[snip]

In short, at the top of the meritocratic ladder we have in America a generation of students who are extraordinarily bright, morally earnest, and incredibly industrious. They like to study and socialize in groups. They create and join organizations with great enthusiasm. They are responsible, safety-conscious, and mature. They feel no compelling need to rebel—not even a hint of one. They not only defer to authority; they admire it. "Alienation" is a word one almost never hears from them. They regard the universe as beneficent, orderly, and meaningful. At the schools and colleges where the next leadership class is being bred, one finds not angry revolutionaries, despondent slackers, or dark cynics but the Organization Kid.

[big snip]

Maybe the lives of the meritocrats are so crammed because the stakes are so small. All this ambition and aspiration is looking for new tests to ace, new clubs to be president of, new services to perform, but finding that none of these challenges is the ultimate challenge, and none of the rewards is the ultimate reward.

I am afraid students at IIMB (and at other elite institutes) more or less belong to the same class - self-imposed workaholism, no motivation to question authority (rational ignorance) and no motivation to get hands dirty (high opportunity costs). I am not sure where I belong, but it does sound disturbing. Something needs to change.

(Link from India Uncut)

so many things so less time

I wonder why I end up with so many things to do simultaneously. Right now all the following activities are going on (not in specific order)
1.All fin electives
2.Music practices for Unmaad - eastern & western
3.Accompaniments for solo/duet events in Unmaad
4.Leadcap walk
5.NGO initiative
6.Seniors' placements

And if possible, I have to attend Shailu's wedding a day before an end-term exam.

They say good managers are good at multitasking. Probably I was a type 2 error in that regard.

A reason to start over new

Few wonderful things have happened amidst of summers.

1.Spicmacay concert - We got violinist duo Ganesh & Kumaresh to perform in IIMB on 26th. It was a short but beautiful concert.

2.Music room got set up - We had a budget of 3L! We have got Tama drumkit, Ibanez bass, Kramer (electric) and GB&A (acoustic) guitars, Yamaha keyboard, 3 Stranger amps and a Marshal amp. Plus the music room is acoustically padded on all sides. Yey IIMB! Can't wait for summers to get over (that explains the title)

3.Saw a few TED videos online - all were interesting. From relating probability of heads & tails to length of pieces of DNA strands to making rural cooking smoke free, all give valuable insights.

4.Had read about Aravind Eye Care Services before, but now was the time to write about it. Do read and if you have time, do watch abridged or full documentary - very inspiring indeed.

second term

(credit - Naka , modified to suit local context)

So what does term 2 bring? A colourful marketing text book? A 'god level' finance text book? A heavier load of case studies?

What does term 2 promise? A 3-month marathon of what kind? A summer internship selection process, one too many PPTs, reams of application forms, vault guides, case-books, surprise quizzes, Vista, sleepless L²s, and an indirect rat-race till death with 259 others for a place in the sun- these all and some more.

Rats! I have to begin somewhere to fit myself to companies.


So what does life after IIM bring? Professional nostalgia for the alma mater? 'God level' finances in your bank account?

What does life after IIM promise? Decades long marathon of what kind? A job with huge load of binding responsibilities & expectations, one too many formal PPTs, losing sleep over deadlines and another indirect rat-race with thousands of others for proving the worth of the brands - these and more.

Rats! I have to begin somewhere, to seek the purpose of this life.


Though I keep rationalizing by saying "This too shall pass away", whatever comes next, will also pass away. So will life, universe and everything.....

Sigh....

That is 42.

IIMB transparent on admission criteria

IIMB has decided to make the criteria for admissions to Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) transparent to everyone. The details can be found on the website (pdf). The following structure was for admissions to PGP 2007-09, but it is expected that similar framework was in place before, and it will probably continue to be with some tweaks in the following years.

Some surprises (or spoilers you may say) -

• CAT score carried only 20% weight, the cutoffs are much lower than those thought of (85% sectional, 90% aggregate for general category)
• Previous academic record carried 40% weight.
• GD summary carried as much weight as the GD itself (7.5% each).
• Work-ex had an optimum value of 36 months (contrary to the more the better)

Now it will not be a surprise that IIMB gives single calls, or may not give calls to people who get most others. It may also explain why an IIMB-batch is perceived as diverse. It is also heartening to know that one of the most complex and subjective procedures is objectivized in a way similar to what I used once.

While others have blogged about this already (1,2), for me the conclusion is - my being in IIMB was not dependent only on 19th Nov 2006. There was a lot of 'karma' associated.

(More on experiences in IIMB some other day, have to study for a test with 10% overall weight, happening in about 5 hours.)

A good option to have

Everytime some good news comes, there is one bad. Last year, some of my friends could make their way to IIMs, but i could not, this time it was the other way round.

With smaller system boundaries, the good news is that I got admits from IIMB and IIMC, and bad news is that I am unable to decide between the two. All the advice I have sought from friends in this regard has just added to my confusion.

Here is an exercise to put an end to it. The relative weights given are subject to my perception (and all you friends because you are the cause of bias), and may not represent the reality. The favourabilities are approximated on a scale of 100, 100 being the most favourable case. For example, I am expecting some rigour in both IIMB and IIMC, so peace factor has a less favourability value in both (yeah, blame relative grading!!).

Factor	Weight	IIMB	IIMC	B score	C score
reputation	6	99	95	594	570
maths	2	70	80	140	160
peace	4	15	25	60	100
climate	1	85	40	85	40
campus, mess	1	80	65	80	65
distance from pune	1.5	70	40	105	60
ease in moving	0.75	90	40	67.5	30
friends in/near city	0.5	80	50	40	25
proximity to city	0.5	65	45	32.5	22.5
traffic in city	0.5	0	0	0	0
diversity of students *	0.5	86	83	43	41.5
rock culture in pubs	0.5	50	85	25	42.5
rock shows	0.1	95	60	9.5	6
interview **	0.25	90	50	22.5	12.5
TOTAL				1304	1175

*Based upon statistics quoted by one of friends
** Based upon my own view that my PI was interesting

For one of my senior's advice ("You will like it here in C") I would add bonus 100 to IIMC's score.

We still have the winner - B by quite a small margin ~2.5% (and what else would one expect!).

Disclaimer: The outcome of this exercise does not assure that it will be same as the actual choice. I reserve all rights to discard this outcome and flip a coin instead.

(Congrats to all who made it - Sahan, Aravind, Lather, Churu, Majhi, Nishant, KC and others. Hard luck for who could not convert the calls they wanted, there is something else waiting for you this time.)

ततः किम्

Here is post on this blog after a long time, since most of my time is being spent in my job, music-practices and (maybe wasted in) preparing for IIM interviews. So the habit of blogging on every weekend has now taken a backseat, and doesn't seem like driving for some time to come.

Here are the reasons one should appear for IIM interviews -

1. Irreproducible percentile
2. IIMs calling (and a promise of bright future therefore made)
   

Reasons it might not make any difference

1. Same old story of "घर से ऑफ़िस, ऑफ़िस से घर, बॉस का डर, बीवी का डर"
2. It does not answer the question "ततः किम्"*
3. The world might not exist in a livable form after only a few years due to either/combination of

• US foreign policy and a feared chain reaction
  
• Chinese space policy and another chain reaction
• Standstills on Hosur Road in Bangalore and continuous addition of running vehicles
  
• Increasing global warming and increase in natural violent activities thereof
• Decreasing biodiversity - on land, in air and in water
  
• Aliens getting frustrated of increasing stupidity on earth

And here are the reasons I would think twice before going to an IIM

1. Need to get a haircut. And keep doing that till hair stops growing.
2. Need to revise dept fundae, HR questions, general awareness and what not
3. Need to learn to be a hypocrite, especially in the interviews
4. Need to move on - Hate trying to find amicable people every now and then, especially regarding one's musical activities.
5. Not earn financially for following two years and still face hardships.
6. Face a stiffer and faster job-life after that.
7. Foresee an early retirement out of exhaution, frustration and long suppression of one's non-professional penchants.
8. If you win a rat-race, you win, but you are still a rat.

Given a choice, I would go to IIMs if haircut was not a concern, but now I am confused.
So right now I am in a moral dilemma, similar to the person around whom a typical GD revolves - "What should s/he do now?"

* "ततः किम्" means "what after that?"

p.s. there has been an update on this post to add reasons for indifference, so don't get confused if you read the post differently now.