Where We Met - Part 2

 Now on to some colleagues. 

KIAMS colleagues I still meet, Vijayakumar and Dhanapal in particular. Usually it's on a Golf course, because we began playing the game at Harihar on the 18-hole Kirloskar Golf course. We have played at Kodaikanal, and Munnar. Gadgil too, from IMT Nagpur.

Sohni Roy from Prestige (above) and I try out at a driving range in Indore- Bichholi Haapsi.

Have met Dayakara Rao and Thomas from VJIM, though it was some time ago.

Manoharan, Manasa and a S.P. Kumar from PESIT I have met later. Stayed with Manoharan in the same complex at Bangalore recently also.

IIM Indore colleagues, I still meet sometimes when I go to the campus. Shweta Kushal, Jayasimha, Sumit Ghosh, and a few others- Ashish Sadh, Rajhans Mishra, Abhishek Mishra..

IIM Lucknow colleagues also I have met a few times, though not at Lucknow. Shailendra Singh at Ranchi and Bharat Bhasker at Raipur, when they were directors there. 

Muthu, colleague from industry (M.R.) , I am in touch with and have played Golf with.

Tanmeet Kaur, Prerona Baruah and Alisha Thomas from NMIMS, at Bangalore.

Smita Dabholkar (at Bangalore and Pune too) and TKC from IMT at Nagpur. Saleena Khan too.

Maheswaran and Jitendra Sharma from IMT at Mumbai, at an alumni meet. Abhishek Singh, at Indore and Nagpur.

Jayasimha and I worked together at 4 institutes, and are still in touch, at Indore, our current place of residence. Bhagyalakshmi and I worked in two, and meet regularly in Mumbai or elsewhere. 

IIM Alumni of Different IIMs

 An innovative idea put into action by Shailaja Gupta Kapoor, a former student from IIM Indore, now in Bangalore. We have over 100 members, and an active WhatsApp group. There are some get-togethers physically. One such was delayed by Covid, but happened yesterday. Some pics. Met a lot of alums from IIMC, IIMK, Shillong, Lucknow and Bangalore. Many were surprised when told that I had taught at their institute!

Madhya Pradesh

 Next to Karnataka, I may have stayed the longest in this state, if I discount Andhra Pradesh where I was born and brought up. Except for a visit to Jabalpur and Indore when in my teens, I did not know much about M.P. But it grew on me. I made a lot of friends who I found were very nice.. students, academic associates, faculty and staff who I had a chance to work with, all thanks to IIM Indore, my employer. I also discovered that many of my students from elsewhere belonged to M.P., and my respect for the state grew. Another reason

-my favourite singer, Kishore Kumar, grew up in Khandwa, not far from Indore.

Among faculty, Harsh Halve from IMT Nagpur was also in Indore (Jaipuria) for part of my stay, and Aditya Billore and Ashish were both my colleagues and in my area. Aditya and I also co-taught a course for the EPGP. IIM Indore has a beautiful campus, and some beautiful people living on it. Of course, they came from all over India, but I made many friends among FPM students, and PGPs (Mumbai too), PGP MX, and even IPMs, though I never formally taught them. Also, my fourth edition of Marketing Research got published there, and so did a book (edited) titled Digital Marketing Cases From India, with Romi Sainy as co-editor.

Pics IIM Kozhikode or Calicut

I worked at IIM Calicut a couple of years, many years ago. I still think it is the prettiest IIM campus. If you don't believe me, see for yourself-you might just agree!

Life in the Next Century

Obviously, not mine..this is 2091 and beyond, not 2019..

You come into this world. Your Mom takes a selfie with you (and Dad if he is around), and sends it up simultaneously on all media- before anyone can ask her What's Up, it's on WhatsApp.

You sign up a few friends on Instagram before you leave the hospital- could be other kids born nearby. You go home, and meet relatives- via Skype, of course, and they send you flying kisses. Less scope for infections, you see..all for the good.

You get an online application for Kindergarten, High School, IIT and IIM, all at the same time, and fill them up with the help of your 10 year-old sibling. Also, a passport application, just in case..

You play with friends, all possible games online, and go to school-also online. You download directly into your brain all the content shared by teachers, and then write exams by Thought Reader- the teacher can directly read your thoughts by scanning your brain.

You date people by going to restaurants in the Second Life, and imagining you ate/drank. You give a rating to your date, and she/he does the same to you.

You choose one of these eventually, and live happily ever after- she/he in their home, and you in yours.

How does this sound for Utopia?

My Avatars on earth- 3

The roles I played, admired and would have liked to play are captured in this series. This one is about Bond and bonding..

Above- my longest stint was as a prof. at Kirloskar Institute- students from there are still in touch.

 Above- I imitate my favourite James Bond- Roger Moore, at a wax museum. Below, the bond with IIM Indore gang of trailblazers.

 ..and bonding over dinner, or carrying a Mashal with faculty colleagues, at Indore.