What I enjoyed most this year..

So far this year, I enjoyed-

random chats with fb friends.

teaching the Digital Marketing course.

planned and unplanned meetings with alums of earlier batches of various B schools I taught in- some took the trouble to visit me in Indore too.

family time at Hyderabad, Pune.

conversations around the dining table, faculty lounge, in restaurants or at home.

running quizzes on random subjects on facebook, reading the answers.

watching some offbeat films... and a few formulaic ones.

reading a few good books- made my debut with Harry Potter.

travel to Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand for various conferences or work.

taking pics, one or two selfies included. :)

What I Remember of 2014

I remember..

times spent with family..particularly an adventurous drive to Udaipur from Indore via Banswada.

attending a birthday party of my niece in Hyderabad...re-watching The History of The World by Mel Brooks.

golfing at Nagpur at the Air Force club and the holes no. 0 and 19 before and after...yet another session at Kodaikanal where I got a hole-in-one..wonders never cease!

visits to Bangalore where I met friends from the past (colleagues from IIM, PESIT & IFIM, IIMB classmates, PESIT/IMT Nagpur alums in particular). Exploring crafted beers in the original pub city...the first pub started around the time I was studying at IIMB.

reading some good books, including a collection of humourous essays by Art Buchwald, whose column once appeared in The Hindu, and a nice fiction story Kalyug by Sreeram, an ex-student.

some good films, like Finding Fanny, Zed Plus, City Lights, .and some good episodes of Comedy Nights with Kapil, a show that's sustained its popular appeal.

tasting some excellent wines at a friend's place, same place I learnt how to quaff single malts..well, well, learning happens in the most unexpected places, when you least expect it..Eureka! Newton, are you listening?

meeting IMT Nagpur alums at Mumbai, Hyderabad meets.

a trip to Bali, Indonesia to present a conference paper...it's a lovely place.

'discovery' tours of the Indore surroundings with new-found friends from the faculty.

a case-writing expedition that's still on.

an innovative research project on Online personal branding that's also on.

teaching a course on advertising after a break...it's easier with the Youtube chronicles.

...and there's more to come..a batch meet at IIMB this weekend. Not yet goodbye, 2014.

My Budget

Today is India's budget day. So I thought I would set out my plans for the year.

1. Meet classmates of 30 years past at my IIMB alumni get-together later this year.

2. Celebrate at least 3-4 occasions with family in Pune/Hyderabad.

3. Teach innovatively/Write a few research papers that I enjoy.

4. Watch a few good films.

5. Read a few good books, and of course, not to disappoint you,

6. Write a few more blogs.

Sounds achievable to me, with no major fiscal deficits to account for.

Monthly Calendar of Activities 2014

My well thought-out plans for 2014. Subject to interventions by major (non-natural) elements of life.

January- Make plans for summer vacations
February- Increase spending/day to revel in the shorter month.
March- Await the ides of March, if you have read Julius Caesar.
April- Save for the summer vacation you planned earlier.
May- Take the summer vacation

June- Save to compensate for all the extra shopping in May. (There is no free lunch, dinner or anything).
July- Teach
August- Teach
September- Teach and grade
October- Celebrate (own) birthday, and speculate on how many more are left.
November- Buy a new razaai/quilt to prepare for the winter. Maybe a bottle of brandy too, if a severe winter is predicted.
December- Freeze, travel through fog-delayed flights to unexpected destinations, celebrate 30th reunion with MBA classmates, and a family reunion somewhere.

Common to all months- blog on, pay taxes, and be happy!

New Year Begins

It looks a lot like the old year. Yes, I am older by a few days,  and may be (this is debatable) wiser. The days are windier and foggier. I have a Videocon DTH connection instead of the cable guy with mostly the same channels. A pretty good mess (for dining) and therefore, no cooking.

I have new colleagues, and a lot more to teach. Less of PR functions that went with my earlier job. Less things to worry about, in other words.

Same old (extended) family and a lot more potential friends. A new scanner that I intend using to scan a few more pics. What carries on from the old year is blogging, reading, music and good times. And promise of new, unexpected happenings. Great, don't you think?

The Year Gone By- 2013

2013 was a good year.

In Jan I was recruiting faculty at IMT Ghaziabad.

In Feb I was planning a convocation at IMT Nagpur.

In March we welcomed Mr. Azim Premji at the convocation.

In April we had a faculty meeting spread over Nagpur and Bhedaghat (Marble Rocks) close to Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, my home-state to be (though I didn't know it then).

In May, we had a series of alumni meets of Nagpur alums across 5 cities. Also took a family break to Thailand and got introduced to a few Buddhas-sitting, smiling and reclining. A boat ride on the river was a highlight.

Welcomed a brand new batch of students at Nagpur in June. Taught them Golf and the case method.

A very wet monsoon followed in July- August. Lot of guest faculty from my IIM batch came to speak. So did Devapriya Roy, a friend and author from Delhi.

Went to visit Lonar crater in Buldana district, formed by a meteorite hit. Fantastic sight. Had a great golfing trip to Kodaikanal with Gadgil and Vijayakumar, colleagues at Nagpur.

September, back to Ghaziabad and a round of appraisals of faculty.

October, met a lot of Osmania University friends at an outing to Bheemeswari, near Bangalore. Planned the Ghaziabad alumni parties with Alcom. And tasted some excellent wines at a friend's place in Bangalore.

November, met an old schoolmate after 35 years. Also had a few unique farewells, in two Delhi clubs and at the Kulchawala in Ghaziabad, apart from an official one.

December-moved back to teaching after many years of mostly administration, at IIM Indore-my fourth IIM, including one as a student.

Read a few good books along the way, watched a few good movies. And totaled 1700 friends on Facebook. Got a few good comments on the blog too. Crossed 50,000 views on the blog. Thanks, readers.

The journey continues...Musafir hoon yaaron...