Small Joys

I do most of my planning-Ok, make that ALL my planning-using a desk calendar. It's very easy to write what you want on the dates you want, and chances of errors are almost nil. You can overwrite too, if there's a change in plans. And you can photocopy a month's plans if you want to make them portable.

The reason I am going gaga over this is the fruitless (long) search for one last year in Indore. Finally, I found one in Chennai while visiting for a conference. I was really over the moon! This time, I took precautions, and I found one in Pune. For 2018. So you don't have to gift me one.

The other thing I have never understood is why institutions (including mine) distribute calendars after Jan 1st. Aren't we supposed to plan ahead? And also, why don't they give you a desk calendar in addition to a wall calendar? Ok, you will tell me to go digital in my planning..I'm not listening, so have your way.

New Bombay or Navi Mumbai

I am in Belapur, new Mumbai for a teaching assignment at the IIM Indore campus. I can feel the difference in lifestyle here compared with the metropolis, the old Mumbai. There is a lot more space per square person (or even a round one), for one. The local train stations have platforms on both sides of the train, so it is easier to get in and out of them. In the older town, you have to remember which side the platform will appear, and the crowds are heavy.

The suburbs around here (I haven't seen many) seem a lot better planned, with a lot of flyovers in the right places, shops and gardens etc. in better shape and organised, and public facilities in better shape. Less crowded means more pleasant, of course. It's a pleasure, so far. The airport being far off is an inconvenience, of course, but you can't have it all, can you?

I am 200

No, not really. It's just that it is the blog speaking, about the number of posts this year: 2014.

That means I found something to write home about, at least that many times.

Happens to be the 200th post of the year. So,instead of writing about something, I will let it wander about a bit.

Just noticed that I have 102 followers. That is nice to know. Motivating.

Went to Nagpur this weekend and played Golf with friends there, after some suspense as to whether the Golf club would be open on that day. A new IIM is going to come up at Nagpur, it seems like.

Just finished teaching a course (barring the shouting, and the grading of exams) on advertising at Indore, and am getting ready for one on Marketing Research next term.

I always wonder why calendars and year planners (organisationally) come too late for any planning to happen in the first calendar month. Oh, well, such is life.

Heard a nice radio program on Shreya Ghoshal the singer, and found there is a lot of sweetness in her voice, though she also sang a couple of item numbers.

Will attend  the 30th reunion of my MBA class at IIM Bangalore next month. We graduated in 1984. Not bad at all.

There is a chill in the air. Wonder if a chilli will be an antidote?

Pune Warriors

This is not about the short-lived IPL team supported by the ill-fated Sahara group whose chairman is going through bad times. This is about the everyday wars being fought by the Punekars on its roads, and so on.

Historically a culturally rich, progressive city, it retains (many) shades of it even today. But on one count, it falls short of expectations (to be fair, all Indian cities fall short here)- traffic and its management. Public transport needs huge improvement, because people seem to believe today (rightly) that a two-wheeler of your own is a must, if you want to get around and reach anywhere. Someone said that a city's public transport system is a mark of how civilised it is. I am beginning to agree.

Autorickshaws are expensive for daily commutes of any lengths. Parking is non-existent in most parts of town. A metro should have been built about 8-10 years ago, and there is no sign of it yet.

There are a lot of pluses in Pune, but lots of civic facilities seem on the verge of a breakdown. Urgent repairs needed, and mostly within municipal limits- pun intended. Let's hope Pune is not "Bangalored" in its road conditions.