Caselets on People- 4

 These are a few colleagues at NMIMS Bangalore, which I headed from November 2020 till Oct. 2022- the peak of COVID (2nd wave) included. Came out unscathed thanks to some of them too.

Narayani

Not sure where she gets her energy from, but she is indefatigable, like another colleague I had before. MBA chair, but also my successor as Campus head at Bangalore (NMIMS). Very meticulous note-taker, and therefore effective in writing up, documenting things. Wish her all the best in running the campus. I am sure she will run it better than I did.

Prerona

She was hired when we were in near-dire straits in the Economics area, and she proved her mettle, after being thrown into leading the program as a chairperson.. baptism by fire. Very level-headed, pleasant to work with, and a budding Golfer!

Archana

My secretary at Bangalore. Coincidentally, she has the same name as my secretary at IMT Nagpur. She is very calm, and despite a personal tragedy during COVID, has done well to recover and back her kids- one has gone to study in the U.S. 

Vishnu Bhat

With a name like that, you can't go wrong. He has ably managed admin. at Bangalore campus, including the tough job of coordinating with Head office for various approvals. The hostels too, though they are outsourced. Invaluable in my stint as director at NMIMS Bangalore.

Ekalavya

Rock-solid on placements, he has actually set up the processes and the relationships with corporates from scratch. No wonder the alumni hold him in great respect. Helped me meet up with quite a few alums and current placecom teams during my stint. The success of the MBA program rests on his shoulders to a large extent.

Caselets on People- Part 3

 Bhuvneet Raheja

She was in one of my early classes (part of a famous trio with Anwesha and Stuti) after I joined IIM Indore. But somehow, we connected when she visited the campus again. And then, Jayasimha and I met her on a visit to Delhi, where I saw the first live demo of Teams- she worked for Microsoft! We haven't met since, but she remains a cheerful example of how a person ought to be! Ever smiling, and a great talker and listener. Would definitely like to meet up with her and her new-found hubby.

Anupriya Pandit

We haven't met of late, but this IMT Nagpur girl was very social - we met in Bangalore, and then at Indore campus too. She visited us-Jayasimha and me. Marketing/branding expert. And from Meerut, where the mutiny against the British rulers started!

Vrinda Khanna

Met her family, and her sister at her place in Delhi, only once. But she was warm and hospitable, and we chatted a long time about various things. Her little sister was also cute, studying in an UG course at the time.

Surbhi Mehta Chaddha

A neighbour of Vrinda in Delhi, she runs her own business. Her hubby is a Hotel Management Grad., and got me a bottle of wine on our first meetup at C.P. Had fun, though we have not been able to meet again.

Sunil Kataria

Yes, great fun too, and we met in Kat(w)aria serai close to IIT DElhi at Essex Farms, along with Sharmishtha Singh, also from KIAMS Harihar, over lunch. Engaging conversationalist, he was pursuing a course from IIMK, in addition to running a consultancy at the time. His wife and kids, I am yet to meet.

Kanika Mhendiratta

Again, only one meeting with her in Dec. 2019, but we bonded well. She is another marketing expert, and worked in Kolkata before moving to Delhi where we met. Mamaearth is where she is now. An IMT alum.

Caselets on People - Part 2

 Shraddha Nigdikar

We met after IMT Nagpur where she studied, and she also turned out to be from Bhopal, adding to the list of pals from the city. (only Lucknow comes next, I guess). And we met a few times, and she also cooked a great dinner for me and her parents who were visiting. Also on a music group on fb with me, she is multi-talented.

Abha Anagha Kulkarni

We met at her wedding in Nagpur first, and I learnt both her parents were scientists. Then, we met in Mumbai a few times, with Tosha, Sirisha, Anuj and with Sheetal Garg. Each meeting was in a unique place, and I have great memories of those, thanks to some photoshoots. One with the Taj Mahal hotel as a backdrop (at Koylaa) and another at Grandmama's cafe in Mumbai turned out great! She also has unique curls. Bangalore hudugi, though we never met there.

Pratima Gaikwad

A fun girl from Satara, who's taken to Hyderabad where she works. We took a tour of Hitech city, with some food- lots of food- thrown in for good measure, including biryanis and baklava. Chatty, and a great host. Mast combination! We first met at IIM Indore- I must have taught her something..but I forget what.

Ishita Modi

We have met off and on, and also missed a meeting due to unavoidable circumstances. She has mixed feelings about Indore, her sasuraal. :) But I have no mixed feelings about her. She's witty, resourceful, and has a cute daughter. And her husband makes poha.. what else can one want in life? I will always vote for this Modi..

Pallavi Sharma (Bajpai)

Also my twin according to facebook, she and hubby invited my wife and me home while she was in Bangalore. Great fun to be with, and a biryani lover. We actually met at Paradise in Bangalore once, and once with Shafique (who's also my twin as per fb) in a meeting of 3 twins (you figure that out!). Also from Bhopal, like many pals.

Anushka Mishra

A bookworm who worms her way into the hearts of people. We met after chatting on facebook a few times, and she was in Bangalore, so we regularly went to bookstores to buy books for each other and ourselves.. currently there's a hiatus, but I am sure she'll resume soon. I might just join once in a way from Indore! Funnily, we did not meet at all at KIAMS, since her batch was long after I had left. She's writing a book, and hopes to complete it soon. 

Bharath Shenoy

My coffee partner from IFIM, we met a couple of times at Church Street (again). He has already published a book of fiction, and a second is on its way. Works in market research, so we have lots to talk about.

Caselets- On People I Know

 Following my own advice in my last post, I wrote some brief descriptions/caselets, based on my perceptions of some people I know.. 

Manasa Nagabhushanam

A great (now ex) colleague, and a relationship builder. She marketed the IUP program among Bangalore colleges on the strength of those relationships alone, and we had the program going- it's still going strong.

Manoharan

The man from Ooty, and a great friend and colleague. He also was my Ph.D. student, but that is incidental. We lived in the same complex at Bangalore, and he became Head of the Dept. at BMS this year too, after being there a few years. We were together at PES, and at IFIM, I was introduced to him by Bala, another good friend who is no more. Sane at all times, balanced in good times and bad.

Jogeswari aka Jogi

She's been a Hyderabadi who never lost touch, maybe because she has a magic touch. Now a part of Golftripz, she also tried an entrepreneurial venture or two, apart from being a Google Girl- one of the first employees at Google Hyderabad. She was also a topper at KIAMS, in her batch-1999-2001. I have shot my only video case study with her and Madhav.

Anusha Soni

Got to know her as an IPM student at IIM Indore, and a bit more closely after I taught her Golf. Loves Guavas and Sabudana khichadi (like us ghatis, though she's from Bhopal). We met in Pune too, where she did some good things like a re-launch, for Bajaj Auto. Hope to also share some common interests in beverages with her in future.

Dhanapal

Friend, Golfer and entrepreneur, earlier he taught OB at Harihar. Is also a Clinical Psychologist by training. He runs a school in Coimbatore, and owns a farmhouse too. He is great company on Golf tours, which we go on each year, to some exotic location like Kodai or Munnar. Has a daughter-in-law who taught me how to take pot-shots with a Rifle- a real one. So you need to be careful!

Swati Jain

This one was a surprise package. I didn't know much about her except that she had curly hair, and discovered she is a banker with some really creative ideas on digital products at BoB. Another one after Ankita Saboo/Joshi. We had a long meeting over dinner, and I have added her to my significant list of pals from Bhopal. To paraphrase a Honda ad from the U.S., you meet the nicest people in Bhopal (from Bhopal in this case). She can't resist potatoes, and therefore is not totally into Jain food!

Nikita Kumar Ray

She was a placecommie at IMT Nagpur, but we really met after that stint, in Pune, Hyderabad and then Delhi. She is a warm, fun person. I owe her a few Cadbury Silks, and the interest burden is growing- I might go the way of Sri Lanka if this goes on.. She is also a very good corporate leader, and a cook? She has promised to feed me home-made khaana sometime!

Ok, there are singers, authors, film directors, actresses and more among the plethora of friends I have, so watch this space for more...