Teaching Tips

 My experience tells me that some of these work. Of course, you need to discover what works for your students, based on many factors. I have tried some of these (successfully, I think) in my classes over the years, mostly in higher education in management.

Instead of making a statement, ask a question. Wait for an answer. You can ask someone specific what he or she thinks about it, if there's no answer in a few seconds. Or, make a joke about why everyone is asleep, was the food good (if after lunch), or are they hungry (if before).

A joke always works, because if students have an overdose of dull classes one after the other in a day, they are looking for release. It gets their attention, almost always.

An activity promotes discussion, better than a moderated discussion or a general case discussion. You can always close with a moderated presentation or discussion after the activity, or a written submission and a discussion of a few of those. 

Feedback also helps. Immediate feedback for a presentation, or written comments in the class immediately after an assignment is the most useful.

North East

 For me, this includes North and East, not just North-East. So many of my student friends are from these two regions, that I feel completely integrated. Particularly from Kolkata, Odisha, Bihar, and U.P. (Lucknow, Ghaziabad included), and M.P. (Jabalpur, Bhopal, Indore in particular), and of course, Delhi, Jaipur and so on, I can count hundreds of students/alumni.

There are some characteristics that are unique to various parts of India. East and North also have some distinctive ones. Outgoing, respectful to elders, and generous, is what I found Northerners to be. Slightly more reserved, well-read and even more respectful to teachers and elders are what Easterners typically are.

Since I grew up in the South and had relatives in the Mumbai-Pune region because of our roots, my first interaction with the North happened in 1984, when I went to work in Delhi at Living Media. A colleague in IIM Lucknow later told me a joke in which a passenger travels from Delhi to Kolkata in a train, that has him asking somebody to do something, and the answers he gets in various places range from Haan, ho jayega, ..to 'Cholbey na..' 

Anyway, our diversity is amazing, and I have found nice people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (yes, I have had students from Kashmir too, in two B schools, and I visited Srinagar as a tourist and stayed on the Dal Lake in a houseboat long ago). Cheers to all Indians, from everywhere.

Afghanistan

 What has been happening in Afghanistan probably has parallels with Vietnam in many ways. Fortunately Vietnam recovered from those events and became a thriving economy. I have visited the country, and found it very vibrant.

Hope that something good comes out eventually for the sake of the common people in Afghanistan. Even if they recover, it may take a few years or decades. Hope for the best.

In general, meddling in countries which are so far away, makes little sense. But then, is anyone listening?

Famous Nomenclatures and Caricatures

 Mylapore Mamis

They are residents of Mylapore in Chennai, with some typical characteristics. Not sure of all the distinguishing characteristics, but they could also be found elsewhere- Malleswaram in Bangalore is a likely place.

Dilliwalas

They are generally not so bad, but have a reputation for being over-the-top, aggressive and users of the phrase "Don't you know who I am?" (Tu jaanta nahi main kaun hoon?) when faced with a cop or other undesirable objects.

Hyderabadis

They are drowning in Irani chais and biryanis, without a care in the world. Could be true, particularly for male Hyderabadis. Kaiku, nahi ho sakte kya?

Puneri

For them, it's Bakarwadi and maybe a Misal. And an afternoon siesta, even if they have a business to run. That can wait. 

Mumbaikars

Running all the time, sometimes like headless chicken. Now that local trains have been shut, not sure how they manage to micromanage their arrivals and departures.

South Dilliwalis

They are sophisticated, and speak Hindi with an English accent, and English with a South Delhi accent. Reminds me, we had a gentleman from Buffalo, NY, who taught us at IIMB, who used to start a sentence in a Yankee accent and end it in a Punjabi accent! Not sure what Kamala Harris does!

Independence Day 2021

 An independence day show put up virtually by our students at NMIMS Bangalore- some glimpses.

Good going!

Human Resource management During Pandemic

 Some good and some bad, for the H.R. folks, I think. Recruitment had to go online, joining in many cases too, for new recruits. I interviewed online, but joined physically for my new job, for instance. For the MBA students, some job offers were delayed (or joining was), and internships had to be carried out online, with lockdowns persisting in most places around India.

Some events that student clubs regularly conduct moved online. In some cases, this led to a greater reach, because travel time and cost for speakers was cut, but it also meant a loss of 'the experience". The education/training itself underwent a huge change, and started to resemble distance learning in some ways. Of course, the tech-savvy B schools/colleges adapted quite well, but the experience was still a notch lower because of the lack of the social aspects, and peer learning opportunities.

H.R. lays a great amount of stress on people-to-people contact, and that took a hit. But they adapted to the inevitable, and will probably use the learnings well, if and when we get back to normalcy.

Marketing During the Pandemic

 A few marketers had it easy during the pandemic. Essentials, like groceries, particularly sold through small shops in the neighbourhood, Or online. Both these channels remained open, while larger stores were allowed limited leeway during lockdowns.

Clothes marketers who were already online, may have survived. But consumption reduced due to going out (both work and leisure) being cut down. Consumer durables that were small in size, like mobile phones, and laptops too, maybe. Not so much the large ones like cars, and brown/white goods, maybe. Many of them need a look-see or a test drive, and people also would have put off buying.

Services suffered the most, particularly mobility related- travel, hospitality, cabs, restaurants were shut for long periods, or had only limited sales through take-home and delivery in case of restaurants. Real estate sales and rentals also suffered due to Work From Home and people migrating to their home towns to save on rentals.

The stock market though, did very well. A paradox, maybe, but future prospects is what most investors bet on, so could be justified if the economy recovers well.

India and the Olympics

 India was never a serious contender at the Olympics for many years, except in Hockey. In fact, Sharad Joshi, a poet and humorist, had an act called Olympics, where he described Olympics as an event where Indian teams go, lose and get back. This was satire, but not too far off the mark. That was in the seventies or eighties.

Fortunately, we have a resurgent India, and we believe we can win. Some of our athletes have turned in performances that were world-class. Some won and some did not, but it's important that many came close, and some did win. I remember meeting P.T. Usha at Calicut, who had lost out on a medal by a fraction of a second. She started an academy for athletes, to train them for track and field events. 

The government also has got its act together, and for many events, various official organisations now offer professional coaching or training, to prepare selected competitors over a few years. Mental preparation may also be a part of it. Sindhu produced two medals after many years of being at it, and ups and downs. 

The self-belief is a major part of it, I think. All the best to the likes of Aditi Ashok (golfer who came fourth, but was second till day 3), Neeraj Chopra (Gold in Javelin), and all others who showed the way, and supported them. It can be done!

Memorable Outings USA- Part 2

 We had a car, and we drove. 

New York city and Niagara. Helped by a couple of cousins who lived up North, we managed a drive to New York City and saw its sights, including the WTC twin towers later destroyed in 9-11. We climbed to the top of one and shot pics too. Traffic in NY is as bad as Bangalore traffic. Liberty Island was also covered, and so was Wall Street.

We also managed Niagara Falls, and saw it from the Canadian side also. Maid of the Mist, a boat ride, also was a nice experience. The town had a lot of Tulips, for some reason. 

Another cross-country trip we made was via Dallas, and Arizona and New Mexico, to Los Angeles (L.A.). A friend showed us the sights including a shabby Hollywood (suburb), the studios-Universal was good, NBC studios so-so because we had seen CNN studios in Atlanta earlier. Disneyland in L.A. is smaller than the Florida one, but Knott's Berry Farm (another amusement park) was nice. We also went to see Spruce Goose, a big plane parked somewhere, and Queen Mary, a cruise liner converted into a Museum. Also a Sea Park with Sea Lions and Dolphins doing shows. 

On the way back, we went to San Antonio, where Anil's uncle lived, and enjoyed a trip to the Riverside Walk with him. We also went to Las Vegas for the first time, and enjoyed losing a little money-we didn't have much as students anyway. The place is electrifying, with Neon and glitter at night, and the casinos are unbelievable. Entertainment shows are great too- later, Alcazar in Pattaya came close.

Memorable Outings- USA

 Two that I can recall from the U.S.- a trip to Grand Canyon with friends in November. It snowed the evening we drove there, and we woke up to a surreal sight. Grand Canyon was blanketed by snow, and it contrasted well with the browns.

One more trip by road that I clearly remember was to Yellowstone National Park. Driving through and watching the geysers erupt, as also the various geological wonders, was fascinating. 

Each Fall season, we would go for long drives into the mountains nearby to watch the interplay of colours - yellow and orange predominantly mixing with green- that presented a rainbow. Gatlinburg was a favourite destination, not too far away from Clemson. We also went to stay with Ron Green in Tennessee once in Johnson City during Fall. That was a beautiful drive.

Within South Carolina, Myrtle Beach and Charleston are two places I remember visiting- an impressive Aircraft Carrier-turned Museum, USS Yorktown was an attraction in Charleston, and the old Fort (not much by Indian standards, but historic). 

Food and More Food

Above- home-made vegetable Spring Rolls- Chef Anuradha assisted by Pooja.

Below- Chinese fried rice and chilli paneer. Great combo. Chef- Prarthana

Pepper chicken, above by Prarthana

Below- at a friend's Pudina (Mint) chicken

Palak puri - a break from routine breakfasts. Chef Anuradha