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..

What I Got From my Employers- 4

 IIM Kozhikode or Calicut was my second IIM as a workplace, and third overall- I was a student at one.

It is the prettiest campus of all campuses I have seen. It has greenery all around, and great views from offices of faculty, hostels and elsewhere- guest houses included.

I made some new friends there, like SSS Kumar, and renewed old ones - Uday and Suma, classmates from IIMB. The students were good, and I managed to write my second book- Services Marketing, while I worked there. We also did a couple of events- a Marketing Conference with NASMEI, and an FDP for faculty.

The beach was a novelty, in town. We also had visits from friends and alumni like Jogeswari (of KIAMS) and a few relatives while we lived there. The rains took some getting used to, but it was generally a nice experience. Also bought a small Maruti 800 while I was there.

Left for a leadership position at PES Bangalore, and also because daughters' (higher) education was an issue.

Second Visit to IIMK

 This time, I am speaking as a Chief Guest/Keynote Speaker to the audience at Calcut Management Association's convention. In December, it was as a delegate that I attended another Management Convention. The opportunity to visit the campus where I worked is welcome. It is one of the prettiest campuses I have seen anywhere.

Adventures of a Couple

 I am one half of that couple, and we have been at it for 33 years now. Well, adventurous life has meant travel, living in two continents, six states in India, and of course, raising two kids in this roundabout tour of Bharat. The best part is, it's not over yet, so we don't know how many more adventures are in store-at least till we are immobilised by old age. Till then, we are like a combo of Sindbad the Sailor and Baron Von Munchausen with a bit of our own masti thrown in. Maybe a bit of Don Quixote too, since my wife has visited his hometown-must have rubbed off.

Along the way, we made lots of friends. These number in the thousands, since both of us have taught a few hundred kids at different times and of different age groups. Some are globally spread out, and we will attend a Zoom wedding of one such in a couple of days-they are marrying in Finland.

A pictorial representation of some good moments from this journey.

Ha Long Bay, above. Grand Tetons near Yellowstone, below, with my Dad.

Arizona, and NY, my cousin's house.

Kondajji, Harihar, above and Nagpur, below.

Maheshwar on the Narmada, above, and Khandagiri, Orissa, below.

NY, and Las Vegas.

Negombo, Sri Lanka above, and Jaisalmer, below.

Padukone (town), above and Coral Island, Pattaya, below.. the kid has grown up.

At the start- 1988. My parents and hers.

The cake we had on the occasion...ok, two cakes we had. 

Kerala

 I had visited a lot of Kerala in 1983, all the way from Cannanore (now Kannur) in the north, to Quilon (Kollam) in the South, for my internship, doing some market research- my headquarters was Kochi (Cochin at the time). But I actually went to live there in 2003, and worked at IIM Kozhikode (Calicut, where Vasco Da Gama had landed before me, in 1498 or so- he came by sea).

During those two years, I spent some time exploring the nearby places, and the beach in town. I don't remember a lot of the names, but remember going to a lake in Wayanad someplace, a dam and a beach not far from Calicut. There was also a bungalow called Casa Marina by the sea which we sometimes rented/went to, for a day-long party. There was also a restaurant called Paragon that was a favourite, especially for its seafood. Another was Sea Queen, on the beach, for its location.

I also played a cricket match in the local club, with my friend Ravi, and did pretty OK with my batting. He had the small Daewoo car that went out of production later. Also a Bullet bike, and collected gems. Uday Damodaran, my classmate, was also with me on the faculty during those two years. 

IIMK's campus was very picturesque, and I visited a couple of times on invitation. Some pics- 

At the campus on a visit recently, looking out of my room.

Dheeraj, a Malayali ex-student from KIAMS (left), whom we met in Chennai a couple of years ago.

IIMK campus- pretty, ain't it?

Above and below- Munnar, where we went Golfing in a foursome- Vijayakumar taking the tee shot, and Dhanapal, me and Ravi Gadgil looking on.

Three IIMs As a Professor

 I will shortly complete my 7 year stint at the third IIM I have worked in. Lucknow, 2001-03, Kozhikode or Calicut (2003-05), and now, Indore (2013-2020). I have been frequently asked why I did not stay too long in some workplaces. I will instead try and tell you why I did stay here for 7 years. 

I had visited IIM Indore a couple of times for different reasons, before I came to work here. Always found the attitude of the staff to be helpful on my visits. Indoreans are, without exception, nice people-probably extends to the rest of the state..I have recently made some friends in Bhopal/Dewas too, which reinforces this belief. Also visited Khandwa, Mandu, Patalpani, Maheshwar and Omkareshwar a couple of times at least. My interactions with the housekeeping staff, the drivers and attendants at the offices, were cordial, and they were always helpful when we needed help. 

Students, I had a variety of- one year EPGP, 2 year PGPMX at Mumbai, PGP here and at Mumbai campus, and the crowning glory- PGP regular. Occasionally, IPM and Dubai programs. MDPs, in-company,, and GMPE were some others. We designed a couple specifically for Whirlpool, Tata Trent and HPCL. Most were memorable.

I learnt a lot about the new kid on the block, Digital Marketing, while teaching it and writing cases about it, or sourcing them from students or alumni. Also developed a course on Tourism Marketing for PGP and Ph.D. Very interesting for me!

A few international conferences enabled me to interact with global researchers, from Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Korea, etc.- enriching. Wrote cases on international marketing, retailing, tourism etc. Wrote research papers on Social Media, B to B marketing and Faculty Branding, some of which found outlets in journals of repute. 

Ran a couple of conferences with NASMEI with young colleagues. Also guest lectured at multiple places, went for faculty selections at IIMs and NITIE (renamed as IIM Mumbai now), and FDPs at Belgaum's Gogte Institute. All in all, an action-packed, satisfying 7 years, I must say. Hope the victims of my teaching feel good about my attempts as well! Will remember lots of them.

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!

The PGP (MX) Program

I was in Mumbai to attend the inauguration of a weekend program for working executives we run in Belapur (new Mumbai). There is a good amount of interest among working people to do this to enhance their qualifications, and learn some management concepts. Currently, many candidates are self-sponosored, but going forward, companies might consider sponosoring their executives, so that they turn out more effective in their jobs, or get to leadership positions in the organisation and shoulder more responsibility.

We have had this program for a few years now out of a temporary campus near CBD Belapur. We are likely to move into our own campus in a few months. That will give us much-needed space to add a library and a few other things to this outreach campus. Other IIMs that have a second campus are Lucknow-NOIDA and Kozhikode-Kochi. There were plans to have an Ahmedabad campus in Mumbai and Bangalore campus in Singapore many years ago, but they came to nought.

Maybe a few foreign universities starting MBA programs could shake up the IIMs and prod all of them towards thinking global. Right now, an assured domestic market of Indian students ensures some complacency.

Places I Liked Living In

Going on with this places thing, I lived in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Calicut/Kozhikode, Lucknow, Harihar, and Nagpur in my working life since 1984.

If I were to think about places that I liked living in, Harihar would top the list. I did not know where it was when I went there, but the small town-great facilities combo was like suburban living in an idyllic suburb of any city. We lived in a colony which had 40 year old trees, a river (Tungabhadra) within walking distance, a market also close enough to walk to- I am reminded of Bill Bryson's comment that we hardly walk anywhere these days- and a golf course within walking distance, to top it all. What more can a man ask for?

Bhubaneswar was also idyllic in its own way, no pollution, all green, and an almost rural feel. Why do we yearn for this rural ambience? Because it relaxes the spirit. Very tough to be relaxed in the midst of screaming traffic and chaos everywhere around you, I suppose. We find an escape through watching weird TV shows, and the like.

Nagpur is also a nice place, if you don't commute through the heart of the town- I don't. The campus of IMT (about 35 kms, from town) is of course like a little green zone, very picturesque and gives you the feeling of being in a garden. Lucky are those who get to work in such places. Talking of picturesque, IIMK's campus at Calicut is one of the prettiest (work) places I have seen (and also worked in a couple of years).