Superlatives- Use and Misuse

 I'm the best, I'm the best.. so goes a song. No, I didn't create the song. Some Hindi film lyricist writing in English did.

Super cool? Awesome? Maybe. But what's this fascination for the superlative? Being good is no longer good enough? You have to be the best? And what about the rest?

Cricket commentators on radio in the good old days (before television happened) had this urge to call any good shot a "brilliant" shot, any good catch a 'superb' catch, and a good fielding attempt "incredible".

Now, social media rule the roost. And therefore, we have people describing an event as incredible, without any basis. Attending a conference? Incredible opportunity. Attending a faculty development program? Incredible. Listening to a speaker from industry, or better still, a startup? You guessed it- 'incredible.'

At this rate, nothing would remain credible anymore. You would be lost in an awesome wave of an 'incredible' ocean swallowing you up, and coming back on land would be impossible. Ever think of that?

Anniversary Number 37

Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? 

Started in Pune, continued to a stay in the U.S. till we returned to India in 1991. Then, we went places within India. Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Harihar, Lucknow, Kozhikode aka Calicut, and on to Bangalore, Nagpur, Indore. Then, back to Bangalore and a second stint in Indore. Possible last stop is now Kolkata, for work.

Two daughters came along the way, and both are now grown-up young ladies with minds of their own. We are growing old and heading towards a sunset, but it has been an enjoyable time on the whole. Whether to marry is a personal choice that you have to make. If you do marry, you will more likely than not have kids, and take care of elders in either family at some point. Also make friends, and keep some.

It's an Endurance Test of a kind too, as there will be ups and downs of various types. But through it all, you have an assurance that you are not alone. That is a comforting thought, and makes it worthwhile. Just my view..

Why IMT Nagpur Was Magical

 Can't put my finger on one thing, but I think the place had a vibe that was special. It included the people, and the way they interacted with each other. The students, the faculty, the staff, and also some of the inanimate objects. That may sound strange, but tangible inanimates do play a role in our lives. The grass, the trees, and the rocks. The design of some rooms, colour of the walls (Red Bricks in this case). 

Most of all, the people. Kirloskar Institute in Harihar (where I worked a few years before IMT) had this vibe too. In addition to a very tangible Golf course, but that's another matter.

The students had a mix of IQ and EQ that put them in a unique category, with a high total score. Other Qs too, perhaps. After all, we are multidimensional. So I would say that people brought their uniqueness to it,  being from different corners of the country. The faculty were actually global- many had studied or worked abroad.

Diversity makes a campus more vibrant, and we saw it in all IIMs I was at- to study or to work- 4 in all. We had it in good measure. I am still able to meet alums in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad if I visit these places- so many years after I stopped working at IMT. Many faculty have stayed for 15 years or more! Another sign of a good place!

The autonomy we enjoyed in running the place was also a contributing factor. Which meant student and faculty needs could be met without looking over our shoulder. 

Oral and Written Communication

 Our (Indian) education system, in school particularly, stresses written communication much more than oral. As a result, when we get into higher education- college or beyond, our spoken skills are limited. Except for a few students who get into debating or speaking classes.

What I observed in the U.S. is that spoken skills are a lot better among undergrads. Maybe among school students also. Their society needs some socialising skills among opposite genders for dating and so on, which are accepted forms of getting to know potential partners.

Whatever the reasons, our students need a lot more prepping for communication skills. My MBA was the first time I was expected to really participate in a class discussion, and that was when I was 22 plus!

Some training, and opportunities for all through curricular and extra-curricular activities- drama, for example, may be great to develop these skills. Schools and colleges, and individual teachers, can do more in this respect, I think.

Not sure what the impact of social media is, on these two forms of communication among youngsters.. a research topic, maybe?

Mumtaz and Her Films

 Her early films were probably forgettable, though she started pretty early. Acted as a heroine opposite Dara Singh in a few films too, but really came into her own when she starred opposite Shammi Kapoor in Bramhachari, where she had a great song- Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche kar zabaan par. It was om everybody's zabaan, for a long time. Also, another song in that period, Zindagi ittefaq hai, opposite Dharmendra and Feroz Khan was very popular.

Ater she teamed up with Rajesh Khanna, the pair had quite a few successful outings. Like Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Do Raaste. The song Bindiya chamkegi was a huge hit. Dushman also. 

And with Dev Anand, she starred in hare Rama Hare Krishna, the film in which Zeenat Aman made her debut as the hero's sister. 

Khilona opposite Sanjeev Kumar was another great role. 

I also liked her in Apradh, made by Feroz Khan, where she had two good duets, Tum mile pyar se, and Hamaare siwa, tumhaare aur kitne deewane hain? 

From Roti, her duet Gore rang pe na itna gumaan kar, ..main shama hoon tu hai parwaana, was memorable.

Jeetendra was another hero she teamed up with successfully, in a couple of hit films. Himmat was one of them. 

The link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPAUcrwAO6o&list=PLKDYJsLRnRIP2ZTxjvbWW9FfYtsA5ZjWy&index=4 has some info about her life and times, for those interested in more.

Memorable Moments 2009-2011

 Nine eleven, so called by Americans for the date of that attack on the World Trade Centre, was good for me- the years, I mean. 

I joined IMT NAGPUR as Director. Flew in a six seater private plane with the promoter, to be introduced to the faculty before joining. My former colleague Anwar Ali was with me too. 

I was interviewed by the student team that ran our newsletter- probably by Gowri. 

Met a lot of new colleagues, and Jayasimha, an old one.

Planned out a few things, and ran into a hunger strike by students in early 2010, over placements. Replaced the head of placements (faculty), and also MDP chair. 

Taught a Seminar course called Seminar on Thought Leadership, for the first time, with 40 students- one was an exchange student from Austria, Laura.

Met a lot of bright students through various functions, committees and events. Some of the best!

With Prof. Ravi Gadgil, built a green to play Golf on. Played Golf with him and others.

Taught a class on how to use the case method of learning, for students during orientation.

Started Alumni chapter meets in 4-5 cities

Conducted a Case conference planned by Harsh Halve and Jayasimha in Goa, for three consecutive years, at the International Centre, Dona Paula.

Conducted our first independent convocation in 2011 with Mr. Sunil Mittal as Chief Guest. Second with Mr. Mukesh Ambani, and third with Mr. Azim Premji.

Got IMT Nagpur into the top 50 B schools as per a major survey.

Recruited Anant Ram, TK Chatterjee, Vijaya Kumar and Smita Dabholkar, who have been around for many years. Also Rajnandan Pattnaik.

Guided Naveen Das through his Ph.D., jointly through NLU Jodhpur and IMT.

Helped students start F 'n F on campus.

Ate a lot of Oranges.

Memorable Moments- 1992-1995

 I was in Hyderabad most of this time.

Reconnecting with Alok's family in Hyderabad. We lived in the same building. Alok was my friend and mentor through college, admission to Clemson University and through my Ph.D. 

Meeting interesting colleagues like Thomas, Dayakara Rao and Sudha at Vignana Jyoti Institute.

A shoot we did for the first PGDM/MBA brochure. Set the stage for later ad material we did at KIAMS.

First batch of MBA- teaching them was fun. Deepa, Deepthi, and Ranjana Rudra are still in touch. Giri too, on fb.

Pooja was born, in December 1992. Daughter no. 2.

Saw a couple of good films, like Roja and Prabhudeva starrer Humse Hai Muqabla (remake of a Tamil original). It had an amazing dance sequence, Mukkala, muqabla, laila.. 

Also saw Darr, and the remake of Sleeping With the Enemy (shot in Greenwood, USA where we lived), which had a song 'Iqraar karna kushkil hai, inkaar karna mushkil hai, sung by Manisha Koirala on stage-my daughters' favourite). Nana Patekar starred as the villainish husband.

Memorable Moments USA 1989-1991

Pic- Leslie with Anu in Greenwood. 

 Moving from Clemson in a U Haul which I drove. Mini-truck.

Meeting the diverse faculty in my department at Lander, and Leslie Price Bennett and her husband Bob. We really hit it off. 

Went to Yellowstone, and saw Mount Rushmore in 1990 in a trip with my parents. 

Visited Sheelu, a cousin, Jayashree, another cousin and their families in New York Staten Island, and Warren, Ohio. Prakash Kenjale in Detroit, and Kiran in L.A.

Made new friends- Athena and her family, and the Sonis, and some Gujarati families in Greenwood. Wilma Reeves from Home Science, Samrendra Singh and his wife Annie- we are still in touch.

Stopped in Europe, visited Greece for the first time and was captivated. Corfu, mentioned in Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, was on the route our Ferry took from Brindisi to Patras.

While we were in Amsterdam, heard about Rajiv Gandhi's assassination from a local newspaper.

Joined Xavier Institute in Bhubaneswar, on return to India.

Memorable Moments Bhubaneswar 1991-92

 Joined Xavier Institute of Management to teach Marketing in 1991. Just back rom the U.S., I had great enthusiasm.

Bought a Kinetic Honda, and moved around quite a bit in town and nearby. 

Konark visits, Puri and Pipli on the way.

One trip to Chilika lake, with Ghani Zaman.

Made new friends, Sudhakar Reddy, Banikanta Mishra, and more.

Prarthana came home in December 1991. She was 3 years-old, adopted her from Pune.

Memorable Moments - USA 1986-89

The day I landed. Sometime in June 1986, abroad for the first time, except a stopover in Zurich by Swissair). Went to New York, took a can from JFK to another airport, and caught a plane to Greenville, South Carolina. Was picked up by Alok and Satish. 

My first teaching experience for undergrads (BS in Management). At Clemson, where I taught computer applications. I barely had a month or two to prepare, but I managed reasonably well. Class size was small, and we had software and a lab. 

First football match with Clemson playing. This was American Football, handheld. Exciting, colourful, with cheerleaders at halftime doing some acrobatics. Great atmosphere, and Clemson was a Champion team from the same decade, a few years earlier.

First drive across the U.S., in a Ford Granada, which also conked out near Las Vegas. Had to change the radiator, which we found in a junkyard. On our way in a hour or so! 

Amusement Parks. Six Flags over Atlanta, Knotts Berry Farm, and Disneyland (last two in L.A.), NBC Studios, and Universal Studios.  Hollywood, a bit of a letdown. The animation studio at Disney was great to see.

Graduating in 3 years, August 1989! Got my name carved on a sidewalk at Clemson- coz it was a centenary year!

Promoting Your Brand Early

 In the U.S., software companies gave free trial software with limits on data size to students along with text books. These included word processing, spreadsheet and data base software. The idea was to get them used to their software so they would be future customers after they started working.

On similar lines, JIS Group conducts educational Expos in Kolkata and other cities for felicitating school toppers. They could be potential university students for JIS. One such Expo, yesterday at Kolkata, at an audi in Alipore. 

Academic Life and Its Perks

 I had a colleague, Madhu Karmakar, who neatly divided his life into two parts- academic and non-academic.. while being a prof. But what I am talking of is a life in academia versus in any other profession, particularly the corporate life.

Pluses of Academic Life

You can read a lot. It's part of your job too.

You are your own boss-in the class if you are teaching. Outside the class too, when you are ideating, writing a case, or a research paper. After writing, if you want to publish, there are some hurdles..

You can travel, if your institution supports this, for conferences, or faculty development programs, etc.. I have been fortunate.

You meet more intelligent people - students in higher ed. particularly, colleagues, and so on, many of whom are smarter than you. So you learn a lot.

In some countries, there's no retirement age.. even otherwise, part-time activity can continue for a long time..

You can have a social life, if you wish..

Negatives

The Publish or Perish menace is all-pervasive. 

So is documentation, with all sorts of accreditations up for grabs. AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS, NBA, what have you..

Teaching loads are high in institutions which are not in the top few, autonomous variety. Also in many private colleges and B schools. 

Some institutions treat faculty shabbily, with workplaces that are like corporate cubicles, or worse.

Catching Up

 There's no end to catching up with old friends, but one must persist and try to catch up. So it was that I caught up with two old friends- an ex-colleague, and a student I never taught, both from IMT Nagpur. This was in Delhi..

Abha Kulkarni, and Harsh Halve, both from IMT Nagpur at one time, student and Prof.- a colleague I worked with.

My Youtube Foray - Chat Masala

 Trying out something new, thanks to persuasion from Sheetal Garg, a friend, and Prarthana, my daughter no. 1. A series of 10-15 minute videos on a variety of topics. Some guest episodes and some my own. Three have been published so far, and one guest episode too, with Bhagyalakshmi Venkatesh, covering her views on Happiness. Mine are related to Hindi films, actors and domestic travel. More will follow. Shot and edited by Prarthana, with help from Pooja, daughter no. 2.

The links to existing episodes, in case you want to watch them.. a playlist.

https://youtu.be/1Ey5BlUQI7k

https://youtu.be/x4drlX8nQh8

https://youtu.be/wNwMxUqIW9M  - the guest episode

https://youtu.be/qQLyLUyzllw

Games People Play

 What are the games I have played? Well, I was in the cricket team at my school, Hyderabad Public School. I also swam in a relay race once in Osmania University College of Engineering.

I have also tried Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball and Tennis, apart from Tennis.  We played a lot of Bridge when I was growing up. And a lot of Badminton. 

Now, I play Golf when I get a partner to play with. The last time was at Kodaikanal with Vijayakumar and Dhanapal. I also like to train unsuspecting people- students, faculty, friends, relatives- in the basics of Golf. Sohni Roy, a colleague in Prestige University, and some faculty at NMIMS Bangalore (Tanmeet, Alisha, Prerona) were my victims, along with lots of students, and some alumni. Also my international friend, Veronica, who visited Prestige Indore to teach a course, along with Snehal Singh, visiting faculty. And Natasha, a visiting friend.

Sohni Roy above, and Snehal Singh, top.

My brother in the U.S. learnt and then taught Hapkido, a Korean martial art. We all were inspired by Bruce Lee and Kung Fu at one time! I have also watched live some Kalaripayattu performances in Kerala when I worked at IIM Kozhikode. And American Football at Clemson University while studying there. 

We invented the game of Frisbee Footer- where you pass a Frisbee and score goals- at IIMB out of necessity, because we had no facilities yet for any other games. And had a Frisbee!

 

Why Academic Types Are Boring

Why are we academic types so boring? And I am not talking of in-class boring or droning on.. just regular boring. 

Many of us don't have hobbies. We rarely socialise. We only travel to go to conferences- if our institution funds them. 

We don't have a favourite author. If we do, we rarely talk about that author. 

If we write, it's a research paper, most of the time. 

We are not big on social media-though that is changing. 

We rarely have an interesting perspective to share on anything other than the routine office politics, or the weather, or our commute.

Is there a cure for being boring? No idea, I am too bored to find out. 

What Plays Can Teach Us

 Why is Shakespeare famous? Due to his plays. And why are plays important, especially today where everything seems screen-based- so much that you sometimes wonder if you are really alive, and pinch yourself to be sure.

I would think that plays are a unique art form. Film of course is easier to do and store, and distribute. And it has an important role to play in entertainment and education. But there is an immediate connect with the characters in a well-enacted play, that is magnetic, and irreplaceable. 

Pic above- a wonderful play I saw at Pune recently, called The Greatest Show on Earth. 

Last three or four years, I saw many plays. In Bangalore, I was lucky to have watched Naseeruddin Shah in two (he was mesmerising), and Vinay Pathak in one (funnily, called The Last Lear, after Shakespeare's King Lear). In Pune, I saw a few Marathi plays, with some good actors and directors- both male and female. 

Some classic Marathi plays were remade into films as well. I liked Natasamrat with Nana Patekar in it, and Katyar Kaaljaat Ghusli with Shankar Mahadevan and Sachin playing the major roles. 

I think the subject comes through more forcefully in a play than in a film. I would strongly recommend that you try them out, if you haven't. You won't regret it.

Leadership Types With a Twist

 Actually, it's different types of leaders. They get glorified unnecessarily, sometimes. But instead of a positive typology, let's look at some negatives or negative types among leaders, for a change. The following are the major ones-

1. Spineless 

2. Heartless

3. Witless

4. Bureaucratic

5. Consultant-driven

I shall elaborate. The first has no spine. He/ She will not back up subordinates, blame someone for all wrongs, and take credit for things he/she did not do/initiate

The second may be good at getting things done, at a great human cost. He/she does not recognise that humans are working for them (though it could be robots soon). No thoughts for feelings, or other unnecessary things that hamper work.  Sometimes, ethics also go out of the window.

The third are entertaining at best, and completely useless for the tasks on hand. 

The fourth act as if the organisation is a government office with file pushers- not doers. Nothing ever gets done, and subordinates get exhausted with procedure.

These guys come up with a new flavour-of-the month fad every month, usually suggested by BCG or McKinsey or a home-grown consultant. Everyone tries to do Design Thinking, or IoT, or Benchmarking for 4 weeks approximately, until a new word catches his/her attention.. and then, you know the rest. 

RCB Wins IPL- Lessons for Us

 Who cares who wins the IPL? It's a commercial enterprise, unlike the matches between cricketing nations- particularly the Test Matches that test (literally) endurance and many other skills.

Well, that's true, but IPL seems to have a cult following - maybe for lack of anything better to do! So let's try and learn something from the phenomenon. 

1. A challenger can't be a winner. It takes time to convert! 17-18 years, to be precise. May be shorter than the waiting period for a Green card,- look on the positive side.

2. A liquor brand will eventually displace Cement.

3. Kings can lose their crown. History is replete with examples. Queens too, but IPL has none- gender bias? Could be. Though there are some behind the scenes. I saw Preity Zinta once in a match at Hyderabad.,,

4. Akshay Kumar could make a film about this.. possible title? Virat ki Jai ho!

On the Importance of Golf

 In school, we read essays about the Importance of something or the other. Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest. So I thought I should write about the importance of Golf.

It is important to play a sport, if you want to get health benefits. Golf is also one you could try, especially if you think you have the potential to be a CEO.. no, just kidding. You can always be the CEO of your own brand! It helps if you play Golf, in either case!'

Like MBA jargon, Golf jargon is also impressive. Birdies and Bogies, Hole-in-one, Sand bunkers, Putters and Drivers, and Caddies and Golf Carts make up the world of Golf, among other things. A tee shot is not after consuming tea, but after placing the ball on a tee- a privilege you have for the first shot on each hole. A Hole-in-one, of course, is like a Lifetime Achievement Award in any other field. It may happen, or it may not.

What Golf teaches you, cannot be measured with ordinary metrics. You have to experience the game to learn what it has to teach you.

Latch on to a friend who is a member, is my advice. Getting a membership is a dream in most cases, but the point is, you don't need one to start playing. Pay as you play, as a guest who accompanies a member.