These are not the cop kind of encounters, but friendly ones. Sometimes they take you by surprise, as it happened to me in Jayanagar last month- I ran into an ex-student from 2010! But this one was a planned meet at a restaurant near Lalbagh, to meet friends, one of whom was visiting from Hyderabad. And so we met. Pics-
There were lots of them in Bollywood. I will begin with Dharmendra. He was also well-built, and carried himself well. But he was very handsome, most will agree.
Dev Anand was a typical romantic hero, his speciality being charming the pants off (not literally-just a term) anyone. Was very good till the seventies at whatever he did.
Shashi Kapoor was handsome in a suave and polished way, and acted in some Hollywood movies as well, apart from the stage.
Rishi Kapoor was probably the second guy I would choose from the clan. He made so many rom-coms in his twenties or thirties, many successful.
Sanjay Khan was very handsome, though he had very few memorable films. He later turned producer and also made The Sword of Tipu Sultan for TV.
Among non-heroes, I thought Pran and Ajit were quite good-looking, and if they were not playing villains, could pass off for heroes.
I am new to virtual games, though I know they exist. I never got interested, even though I discovered Golf and Bridge and lots of other games at various points. I always liked the real thing. But one thing led to another, and I ended up playing an online game with friends from MBA. Some of them are abroad-mainly in the U.S., and others are right here, in Bangalore.
Apart from the game itself, a mix of Clue and What's The Good Word that I played earlier in the form of Board games, or a team game in person, there was a lot of banter and catching up, and pulling of legs. A friend who's in Dallas showed me his backyard and it had lots of snow left from a recent storm that blanketed Texas, very unusually.
All in all, an interesting game experience that went on for about 3 hours. Not a bad way to spend a wet Saturday evening- it had poured earlier yesterday in Bangalore.
Our students pull off interesting things even in these times of the Corona Pandemic. One such event was an online HR Symposium, organised by Hriday, the HR Club of NMIMS Bangalore. We did manage to rope in interesting panelists for answering questions. Coming from three very different industries.
It's not easy to manage when everyone is in a different place physically, including the speakers. Went off quite well, and the answers pertaining to various aspects of Human Resource management were insightful. The enthusiasm of the students was infectious, and some speakers stayed beyond their committed time, sportingly.
Rhea was very good as the Moderator, and handled the tough job of asking questions, and rotating them among the panelists with aplomb. Great job! Of course, there was a team at the back end as well. Some pics from the online event-
I am half-serious, as always. Some careers that I have heard of- or maybe not.
Ghost-writing. You don't have to be a ghost to do this, though you can continue to inspire the living when you reach ghosthood.
Coaching. Not teaching people to bat, bowl, or field, but how to conduct their life- as a conductor!
TV Debater. There are only 10 people appearing in TV debates on all Indian TV channels put together. This looks like an easy career, if you have strong vocal chords...strikes a chord?
Tele-caller. If you can start selling anything, from undergarments to credit cards to a stranger in under 10 seconds, this one is for you. Numbers to call are provided.
Management Guru. This is a tough one, because half of the U.S. is your competitor. Every Tom, Dick, and Mary has written a book too, so you are way behind. But still, you could give it a shot.
Ok, you only get this much for free. For more careers, contact my bank..
There was this confusion with a Big Basket delivery at my housing colony gate. Someone from the same apartment number of another block had ordered something, and I was called by the Gate - simple mixup. When I got there, I collected the stuff, thinking that someone had ordered it and forgotten to tell me- my daughters do that, at times. It looked like a strange collection of things, rare for my taste.
Luckily, the right person, a young lady, turned up at the same time, and the confusion got cleared. We had similar sounding apartment block names (first letters of these), and the same number for the apartments. I was happy to offload stuff that I didn't recognise, and got to know from her that one was Asparagus. I heaved a sigh of relief, and thanked her for turning up on time to claim what was rightfully hers.
The only reason you can't do this every day is because it may need some preparation, or work. But periodically in life, it might be doable-if you think it's desirable. For example, careers can change- from small to large changes of direction. You can learn a new skill, a new musical instrument, or a sport, like I learnt Golf, to add to Badminton or Cricket that I played earlier.
Why do it? It makes life interesting, for one. If you learn a new software as an academic, it may help you to get published, and that counts. If you learn how to write Cases, again, it can help you teach better in a class. You can use these cases too. Sometimes, you can also publish these.
Reinventing yourself may mean a change in direction, or a change of pace. Or just redefining your priorities, and doing more of something, and less of other things. Working of your health or fitness, maybe, as some of my friends seem to be doing. You don't have to go to the Himalayas to become a hermit, you can do lots of interesting things in the plains.
Try it, if you think it's worthwhile. Life becomes more interesting, so you have nothing to lose.
Like everything else, you should want to write one, and badly. Motivation internally arising is what leads you into the exercise, in my view. For instance, a strong urge to simplify the concepts of Marketing Research had me motivated enough to pen my first book- on Marketing Research, now in its fourth edition and used by many B schools or research scholars. I wrote it in the style I taught- lots of examples, including cases written by past students. I might as well say that I am against the current trend to not use packaged software which is simple to use, and teach programming all over again to unsuspecting kids (of all ages).
The rest falls into place, unless it's fiction that you are trying to write. That I don't have any advice on, since I haven't tried writing it. Maybe other writers can offer some. The second genre I have tried is non-fiction, or autobiographical. I first wrote this autobiography around 2009, and it was entirely planned, written and (self) published within 8-9 months. Pothi was the platform I used, and my daughter did the cover design. Writing came easy, because all I had to do was pick on incidents from my own life, or events as they unfolded.
Both types have found readers, and I got some feedback from readers, most of it positive. I also wrote a couple of other books- on Services Marketing with cases written by IIMK students, and one on Brand Management with Bhagyalakshmi Venkatesh, a friend and ex-colleague. More recently, a collated book of cases on Digital Marketing was published with Romi Sainy and me editing some original Indian cases sourced from both our alumni.
You can be friends with anyone you come across. Then how come we don't? There are friends we do have from every stage of life. This is an attempt to classify or figure out how I became friends with many of my friends, starting from my childhood.
Neighbours were friends- Talpallikars, a family who lived next door in Bellampalli, A.P., for example. We and all their kids became friends. Also those we played with in our club, being from the same company. Bridge, Badminton, music were other interests that brought us together. Friends from school (residential in my case), college- many of whom have remained thick pals-two of them are Golfers too. From my MBA, and from Ph.D. days abroad -USA. Many are in touch, thanks to social media and email.
Colleagues from office- I met Muthu while working with a Market Research firm, and we still play Golf. Colleagues in my teaching stints at IIM Lucknow, IIM K, IIM Indore, PESIT, IFIM (recently reconnected with a couple of them), VJIM and Kirloskar Institute. IMT Nagpur and Ghaziabad too, whom I keep meeting off and on.
Student friends are a very special category, close to my heart. I have alum/ex-student friends from almost every institution I have been in. Feels great to share their life stories when we catch up, or online if that does not happen. I have been enriched by all their interactions, and it feels like I am a billionaire. Some of my wife's students too became my friends over the years.
My doctoral students have also become good friends due to our prolonged association, and we do meet professionally at conferences, etc. I have also met a few international academics who are friends online. Made a couple of author friends too, because I read their books and wrote reviews on my blog. Devapriya Roy and Usha Narayanan (both authors) come to mind.
Of course, brother's friends and sister's friends also became my friends in many cases.
Though I am a bigger fan of Kishore Kumar, there are some superb songs sung by Mohammad Rafi that I like a lot. A sample-
1. Nazar na lag jaye kisi ki rahon mein.
2. Gulabi ankhen jo teri dekhi
3. Bekhudi mein sanam
4. Nisultana re pyar ka mausam aaya
5. O haseena zulfonwali jane jahaan
6. O mere shahe khuba o meri jane jhanaana
7. Main kahin kavi na ban jaun tere pyar mein ae Kavita
8. Baharon ki baraat aa gayi..
9. Jiya o jiya o jiya kuchh bol do..
10. Main zindagi ka saath nibhaata chala gaya..
I pronounce it the Japanese way- confirmed it from a couple of online sources. It is a mic on which pre-recorded songs exist, and you connect it to a TV for amplifying the sound and also display the lyrics which you can sing, while the music plays.
It's a great party tool, and I used it a lot while I was in Nagpur. Introduced a few colleagues to it to, and they took to it. Use it occasionally even now, as my family is into some singing of Hindi tunes from films. In our childhood, the popular game of Antakshari was played every chance we got, and that required no equipment. You just sang a couple of lines, and someone else continued.
It's easier with the karaoke mic, as the lyrics are visible, and the music plays along. There is a visual clue to guide you in the pace of singing, and there are a few variations possible. A song book tells you which songs are available, with their number, to select one to sing. I have managed to make quite a few people sing with it, who otherwise wouldn't.
A great invention, popularised by the Japanese and Koreans, who have a lot of bars using it. In India, I have seen a few in Goa.
The first (enclosed) rooftop restaurant I remember was The Ambassador -it was also revolving, I believe. Topkapi in the Utility Building on MG Road was owned by Amjad Khan, the actor who played Gabbar Singh.
Abha, an alum friend from IMT, discovered one called Koyla in Colaba within a stone's throw from The Taj Hotel, and Sheetal, she and I had a great dinner meet there before COVID struck. The sea breeze in the evening and a photo op with the Taj illuminated behind us were some other highlights.
Indore had a rooftop restaurant at Papaya Tree, close to the campus of IIM Indore, and we frequented this for the convenience, and decent food. Yesterday, we found one called Toast on the Terrace within walking distance from where I live in Bangalore, and tried it out, with good results. Here is a pic to prove my point. Two ex-colleagues, S.P. Kumar and Manoharan were with me. Ignore the garish colours.
I am at that stage of life where rediscovering friends is a priority, because we are all at a point where we have arrived where we wanted to go-or not. From that perspective, this was a very productive weekend, and I reconnected with two friends- one from school, whom I last met in 1977, and one an ex-colleague whom I had met off and on, but not recently. The pics below are of Rajiv Krishnan, my school batchmate. We were in HPS Ramanthapur at Hyderabad. Lots of reminiscences, mostly good, about our times there, teachers, classmates, sports, and the rest. No girls, as it was a Boys' school then..no longer, though.
Ten is an arbitrary number, but maybe I will expand it another day. My personal favourites-
1. O mere dil ke chain
2. Chala jaata hoon kisi ki dhun mein
3. Yeh shaam mastani
4. Gum hai kisi ke pyar mein
5. Chingari koi bhadke
6. Musafir hoon yaaro
7. Dum maro dum
8. Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jate hain jo makaam..
9. Aaj unse pehli mulaqaat hogi
10. Kiska rasta dekhe
The title is inspired by the English film I saw called Romancing the Stone-very entertaining film. But this is about Hindi film songs. We have a huge number of romantic songs in our films. Recalling a few on the occasion of Valentine's Day (need an excuse, that's all).
Choodi nahi yeh mera dil hai..
O mere dil ke chain
Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum tum
O mere sona re sona re sona re
Wada karo jaanam, na chhodoge yeh daaman, zamaana chahe chhoote
Bekhudi mein sanam uth gaye jo kadam, aa gaye paas hum
Tumko mere dil ne pukara hai bade naaz se..
Tum mile pyar se mujhe jeena gawara hua
Piya piya piya mora jiya pukare
Meri neendon mein tum mere khwabon mein tum..
Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko nazar nahin churana sanam
Main kahin kavi na ban jaun tere pyar mein ae Kavita
He (my maternal Uncle or Mama) died a year ago, in Mumbai where he lived all his life. His flat, though small, was always welcoming to us nephews and nieces- we went there countless times for dinner, or for an overnight stay. When I applied for my student visa to the U.S. (those days, that was the done thing), I stayed with him and left early morning for the Consulate where I stood in line at 5 am, and got my visa.
He had got admitted into engineering college, but came back home, complaining that they didn't teach him anything new. In a manner of speaking, he was too smart for his own good. The lack of professional qualification meant that he had to settle for a clerical job, but he did not mind one bit. He was happy, he read a lot, and the credit for introducing Rex Stout to me, goes to him. I still enjoy Stout, and just bought a couple yesterday- they are hard to find, so I am happy.
He was a great conversationalist, always curious. He enjoyed his whisky, and we got offered one whenever we visited (I took the offer usually). His kids (my cousins) both did well, and are our gift to Joe Biden now. One of the many things he was famous for in the family was his love of trains. It is rumoured that he knew many Time-Tables by heart, and could recite station names in sequence too. For suburban trains and others.
In a way, this was the crowning glory of our writing careers at IIM Bangalore..me and Dash, my PIC (Partner-in-crime). Some photographic excerpts- not our work, except the tank pic (we wrote the exquisite text and selected the captions), but what the hell.. they were great memories too.
This is strictly humour, so put your tongue in your cheek before you go ahead.
There's nothing to it, you just have to look old. If you ARE old, it's not a problem (look at me). If you aren't, you may want to invest in Baldness creams (these may not have been invented, so don't lose your hair over it, just get a wig), Hair-whitening dyes, and so forth. It would be a wise investment. (A corollary-all old people sound like profs. -you'll see why)
Point number 2- You pontificate. And I recommend the Full Ponty (sorry, Monty Python). Don't do it halfway. Unless most of your audience is asleep (but not snoring), you are not counted as a success. It does not matter WHAT you pontificate about, as long as you do. Remember the Nike slogan, and Just Do It! If it's online, the kids have gone to play football after logging in, so it's even easier.
What's the point of all this? That's just the point. You want to become a prof., and now you are there. Ph.D.s and research prowess etc. are over-rated. My way is simpler-far simpler. You will thank me for it, but I may be too busy pontificating, to acknowledge.
What a difference ONE letter makes. You can only take a vacation once in a while, but a vocation is something you need to indulge in for a few decades, if you are not from the gentrified class. Not a bad thing, the vocation, but sometimes it can get on your nerves. Then, you start pining for a vacation.
Vacations come in all sizes, shapes and types. From a road trip into nowhere (or somewhere), to an Alaskan cruise, it also has options of the means by which you travel. Most of our childhood vacations were by train. And the coveted seat was that at the window, even though coal dust from the steam engine frequently flew into your eyes. But the sights were mesmerising, including a view of the train rounding a curve. I also remember a more exotic European train trip or two, when we passed great scenery, which the film DDLJ later reminded me of.
One really hot train trip was to Kolkata from Hyderabad, which we undertook in April or May, and stayed at the Police Mess, courtesy a friend. Apart from the heat, it was a fun trip, and we enjoyed taking the bus, the tram, and the boat on river Hooghly, including a view of the Howrah Bridge, for moving around the city.
Ladakh was another vacation that was memorable for its scenery- very different from anything we had seen till then. I think the Ha Long bay Cruise comes next in memorable trips. Greece too, but its memories are fading. The Jaisalmer road trip a few years ago was also very good. And Sri Lanka, for a destination wedding.
Every time a budget was being presented, salaried employees used to crowd around the radio/TV to check if income tax rates were being reduced. Maybe corporates for the same reason- corporate tax on income, in their case.
Today, the middle class is probably much better off than 20 years ago. So maybe the I.T. rates are less of a concern. But maybe they still look for other sops, particularly for senior citizens. Interest rates being low, their savings are not going to earn much, and surviving with greater medical expenses may be a challenge for some.
Farmers have nothing much to worry about, at least from the budget. Their demands are taken care of through other channels. Small businesses or potential entrepreneurs may look for entrepreneurship-boosting initiatives.
Post Script: Taxing the Provident Fund interest seems like a bad idea to me. By this logic, rich farmers ought to be taxed before any more tax is levied on the same segment- the salaried service class.
We had a rather hectic week, first at an admission fair in Pragati Maidan, Delhi. We met a few prospective students and counseled them to a...
