Genesis of Names

The intention is not to hurt any sentiments but to bring back those sweet memories that we will carry till eternity.

Life on a B-School is definitely tough; at the same time it has its own sweet moments too. Moments that brings a smile to one's face when one goes down the memory lane. The nighouts, singing sessions at the top of voice, fighting against the deadline for submitting the assignements, cases and all, cramming for the exams and many more. This is what life at a B-School is all about. I was lucky enough to be a student on a B-School from 2003 to 2005. Ours was a dream batch;'Dream Batch 2005' the vision shared by our former director whom we fondly called "Baap". God has gifted everybody with a wonderful father but our batch and those preceeding ours were endowed with two of them. Our director wasn't only Baap but he was "Baap Re Baap".We had our own share of fun and masti on campus but one thing that we will cherish from the B-School would be nicknames that we received and I bet that they'll remain with us forever.

Let me start with myself, I was Moti to my friends. The name was a distorted construction of my real name. People would mistaken my nick for a dog's.

'Dhuddu' undoubtedly the most famous nickname on campus. I am not really sure about the origin of this but thanks to Manu Paaji (Patiala Bouncer/ Hawa Mein Udhne Wala Safedh Rang ka Bola Bala Panchhi ) for making the name a rage on campus. It was the hottest brand around and poor Abhishek Dube, he was at the receiving end from every Tom, Dick and Harry for the whole of two years of MBA.

'Chilka' Another case of appropriate branding. Well there was absolutely no difference between a chilka and Abhinav Prakash. Poor Aditi Shah for that day onwards she was 'Chilki' . Although for me Prachi Garg was original chilki for her physique.

'Machine Raj' His swagger reminded us of the machine which has lost all nuts and bolts and which is about to fall apart piece by piece and bit by bit any moment. Poor Manish Raj, he thought that his swagger was similar to that of Brad Pitt's. He was grossly mistaken; it was far far away from it.

'Jaadu' A popular nick again, I again plead guilty for not being aware of the origin of this name. But one incident which I can't really forget when all the inmates of the hostel were waving at Jaadu who was standing in the fields behind the hostel with his so called girlfriend and that too when he left the hostel on the pretext of paying obeisance to the deity at the temple. Poor Vikas Sharma, he was not knowing that hawk eyes were following him and his every moment.

'Monkey' He took to this name rather others started calling him Monkey after his song Monkey Man was an instant hit on campus. Poor Anshuman Singh, by the way he had company on campus 'Chimpu' (Sumek Singh). Chimps and monkeys share same genus.

'Sabu' Undoubtedly the undisputed king of the software industry. Software industry? What am I talking about? Take clue from the recent bollywood flick Kalyug. Does it ring any bell?

'Bali Omar' Well what can I say more about him? I am groping for words. Those who are in awe with bollywood might know what this nick means.

'Jojo' His Americanised accent and he yelling 'Hey People' in the microphone while anchoring the cultural programs on campus. You were damn good Soumik De.

'Pandu' His nick originated from his name. He in real life is Abhinav Pandeya. A good lyricist though his singing qualities were and are debatable. Hats off to you Abhinav Pandeya for the beautiful batch anthem.

'Dobbie' His name I guess had to do with his big ears. I am unsure about that. By the way Karthik Natrajan liked being called by that name. He reminded us of Captain Spoch from Star Trek.

'Ramu' or 'Ramu-The Naukar' Vyom Krishna had just come back to campus from a trip to Goa where he had his head tonsured. I heard that Dobbie had tricked him into doing that. Well, when he landed on campus AOE (Age of Empires) was a rage on campus and some said that he resembled a villager in the computer game.

There were many other nicks which I really can't recollect, may be my batchmates can be of some help in helping me out.

Lets shift the attention to the sixth floor, the most happening floor on the campus in the first year. We had 'Jungle' who resembles an apeman from some bygone era. He munches mangoes like apples and not to mention the body hair which reminds me of the tropical forests of Congo that I saw on television. There was 'Dixcy' or 'Sasti Masti', poor Vivek Dikshit, I don't know why he was branded that way by Manu. Then we had 'Chunni', nothing to do with Chunnilal of Devdas, but Sanjeev Agarwal loved being referred to as Chunni. 'Tambi' or 'Maloom' he was always trying to save the world. Anand Shankar, one would always find him on volley ball court, cricket pitch or participating or organizing any function.

I had to bear with 'Chubby' or 'Chubbazah' who made our life miserable by making us listen to his select few songs over and over again. One of the saongs being Chura Liya Hain Tumne. Ashish Jain I can't stand that song again. That leaves to very likeable, bald headed err...hairless 'Kotler' or 'GG', I swear I never understood his marketing fundas. I am not sure about others, but I safely assume that they are no better than me in this regard.

There was some others too who belonged to other floors but were mostly found idling on the sixth floor 'Phukshat' or 'Gyaani Babu' or 'Paparazzi', Akshat Gupta was the grapevine of the campus. He had all the information not only about the happenings on the campus but also about the personal lives about the people on campus. The only hitch being the reliability of the information. The reliability of the information was totally unreliable. We also had a character called 'Chichu' which happens to be the abridged form of Chichora, Manish Kothari, from being a CA(Chartered Account) to a mere chichora, quite a journey.

PS:- There is one common thread that binds most of the names, our very own Manu Paaji. He is the creator of all these brands, way to go Manu Paaji.

PS:- PS:- I am extremely sorry, I aoplogize to Joydeep Dutta for I forget to mention him. Let me take this opprtunity to introduce Jenaab, Maalik, Maalik Magarmaach, Baby and many more; I may not be aware of them. He happens to be the Benagli- Sardar of Batch 2005. And of late he has become an avid fan of apna Himesh Reshammiya and I am sure on his return from London we defnitely would be treated to Himesh's songs.

Work is life rest all are mere details

Lesson No. 1: A leader is not made in heaven
Lesson No. 2: How to handle power
Lesson No. 3: Grace under fire
Lesson No. 4: Sharing the limelight
Lesson No. 5: You needn't be flashy to succeed
Lesson No. 6: Work is life and the rest is mere details

These are the management lessons not from any management guru or any corporate honcho but from the new Captain Cool of the Men in Blue (Indian Cricket Team), Rahul Dravid. He is a perfect example of a silent assassin, never ever have I seen him being physically aggressive on the field but he has the guts and the nerves of steel to demoralise the best in world by his steely resolve. He has always been the silent performer even though his performance is overshadowed by somebody else but he is there doing his duty with full dedication and devotion. He is the dependable crisis man and at this juncture the whole team India is rallying behind this man who recently assumed the role of the captain. He has evolved over time as a player and as a person. One can make out the dedication and the devotion of the game by the punchline on his T-Shirt,"Cricket is life rest all are mere details". Are the guys in the corporate world listening?

Dal Chawal and Taste for Life

Prologue

I got to know Arshish a few days back and I like him for his give-a-damn or carefree attitude. He has rightly assessed me by pointing out that I let small and trivial things affect me and he is so right. Arshish, Sudhanshu and me got together over a cup of tea in the garden were we got down discussing things about our lives, workplace and so on. It seems that everybody's life out there is in a quagmire, the difference being that some conceal those feelings and make a compromise and others can't really come to the terms with the situation and hence an internal conflict and turmoil. Past few months have been turbulent and I am still not able to cope up with the situation and then small incidents in the office bring out the rebellious side of me. It is a different story altogether that I don't express that side of mine in open; though there are some people who notice that (lately Arshish being one of them).

Dal Chawal Story

What's Dal-Chawal go to do with all this? At times I wonder how often we wish for our lives to be simpler, but it is we people who make our own lives difficult. Dal-Chawal being a metaphor for simplicity, and I have seen people ridiculing others for having a liking for dal-chawal. At times, you really wonder whether there is something seriously wrong in you or it is just that you are a round peg in a square hole. Sudhanshu put it across in better words. He said it is like hordes of people coming and saying to you on your face "You suck". Rightly said Sudhashu, I too get this feeling when I wonder that is it that I really suck. This was where Arshish simply retorted by saying "I am good at it". Hahahaha.....well said Arshish,that's what I call a carefree attitude. You give a damn to what others think.

I Was Born Intelligent But Education Ruined Me

I saw this graffiti written in bold on the T-Shirt of a carefree guy and he seemed to be flaunting it very proudly. At first I just ignored it, taking it as another funky statement but then a little more thought made me realize how true it is.

Scene 1:-

I was walking through the corridor of my company when a man in his thirties in grey uniform stationed at the end of the corridor opened the gate for me to pass through. His duty is to open the gate for the visitors. He has a chair by his side but he can't quite afford to sit. Scorching heat, rain or cold, it hardly matters, he is there by the gate all the time.

Scene 2:-

In the canteen, people from Hospitalit Department are constantly serving food, tea and other eatables for us (including me) to fill our bellies. One invariably finds them running here and there to ensure that people like me have their food and other snacks on time.

Confused??

Why the hell am I stating something which is obvious? And how are these scenes connected to the main heading?

My Dilemma:-

These guys standing in the corridor, cafeteria or at any other place may have received very little formal education. They may not have gone to the best engineering colleges or MBA Schools; they may not have degrees that many of us strive to achieve througout our lives yet these guys make me envy. More than that my respect for them has grown manifolds over the time. These guys with little formal education who make our lives simpler in office, know exactly what they are supposed to do in the organization. They may not be carrying KRA (Key Responsibilty Areas ) sheets but they exactly know how they contribute to the organization. On the other hand there are people like me who make tall claims of having degrees and degrees, claim to be educated but still so unsure; unsure about their roles in the organization and how do we contribute to its growth. What an irony? What is the use of education then if it can't bring clarity into someone's life or for that matter in my life.

Walk Alone and Walk Far

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though.
He will not see me stopping here,
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer,
To stop without a farmhouse near,
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake,
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep,
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-Robert Frost

I simply would have killed Robert Frost, how come he can pen down thoughts so beautifully. This poem may not be something landmark in the English poetry but then it is something which is so simple but yet so profound. Similar thoughts were echoed by Gurudev Tagore in his poem, it goes like:-

If they answer not to thy call, walk alone;

If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall,

Open thy mind and speak out alone.

If they turn away and desert you when crossing the wilderness,

Trample the thorns under thy tread,

And along the blood-lined track travel alone.

If they do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,

With the thunder-flame of pain ignite thine own heart,

And let it burn alone.

-Rabindranath Tagore

There are times and these time come very frequently in my life when I am unsure about my destination and I simply feel like in wanderness but then I don't feel like stopping. I just don't want to stop but carry on, on and on till my legs don't give up. When I share these feelings with my near and dear ones they console me that it is not important to have a destination in mind, all that matters is the willingness to walk and then the courage to undertake that journey. I would reach a destination if I am destined to otherwise I am just like a nomad. But how long? How long can I afford to be aimless in life? I am so unsure as to what will bring about happiness and satisfaction in my life. Until I don't find such thing(s), I have to continue on with my nomadic journey.

Essence of Being a Woman

It is impossible for a man to think about the various roles that a woman plays and the kind of sacrifices she makes. Being a man, I know that for most of the men, women are a toy which they can use according to their convenience but it is high time that women be given their rightful position. There is this beautiful song by Billy Joel and it is my all time favourite, it is a tribute to the womanhood which very few in this man dominated world can feel and understand.

She's Always a Women to me

She can kill with a smile

She can wound with her eyes

She will ruin your faith with her casual lies

And she only reveals

What she wants you to see

She hides like a child

But she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love

She can take you or leave you

She can ask for the truth

But she'll never believe you

And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free

She steals like a thief

But she's always a woman to me

Oh she takes care of herself

She can wait if she wants

She's ahead of her time

Oh and she never gives out

And she never gives in

She just changes her mind

She will promise you moreThan the Garden of Eden

Then she'll carefully cut you

And laugh while your bleeding

But she'll bring out the best

And the worst you can be

Blame it all on yourself

Cause she's always a woman to me

Oh she takes care of herself

She can wait if she wants

She's ahead of her time

Oh and she never gives out

And she never gives in

She just changes her mind

She is frequently kind

And she's suddenly cruel

She can do as she pleases

She's nobody's fool

But she can't be convicted

She's earned her degree

And the most she will do

Is throw shadows at you

But she's always a woman to me

2005 Year Ending on a Special Note

My visit to Goa was a memorable one in lot many ways. It taught me how important it is to unwind at times, leaving beind all miseries and worries, even temporarily, the importance of letting go the leash on oneself, indulging in fun/frolic and sensual pleasures..........One single day in Goa and I am ecstatic.....full of energy and vigour and ready to take challenges head on as they come.. I am sure that Ramu, Saini and Sabu feel the same way. Anyways let me cut short this gyaan session out here and come to the point straightaway.

My landing in Goa was special in many ways. . I was in no mood to waste even a second and wanted to live my day in Goa to the fullest. After a seemingly never ending, bumpy ride in the sleeper bus with Ramu and me cosying up(hey....hey........hang on...let me make it clear.....we are straight....it had to do more with the chilling wind that was coming in from the bus window rather than anything ele) we finally made it to the heaven of 3 Bs (Beaches, Booze and Babes; not necessarily in that order). No sooner did we get down from the bus I tried calling up Sabu; but he did not respond to our call on his cell phone. We thought that he must have tired himself quite a bit the previous night (for this you have to wait as this story too will appear soon) and we were considerate for not disturbing him any more with our calls. Without any further delay we boarded a rickshaw to Baga Beach; Sabu had conveyed to us the previous night that the flat that was rented out was overlooking the beach. With an expert navigator on our side(who else but Ramu) we managed to reach the Baga beach. Now it was time to call Sabu, so that we could zero on to the exact flat; again no response on Sabu's side, now the frantic calls started from our side followed by curses and abuses #%^%???@# but still no reponse.............

Our navigator then disappeared in to a hotel by the name Congo, those who know Goa might be knowing that this hotel is in the same road that runs parrallel to the road that leads to Tito's, the famous and the landmark pub in Goa on Baga Beach. Again, Saini and my heads turned in the direction of hotel and we forgot for the moment that we were on a lookout for Sabu as two phirang babes in bikinis were approaching the swimming pool in the hotel, nimble footed babes with long legs...Bondi(Famous beach in Australia) would have been an appropriate name rather than Congo which reminds of primitive bushmen. What do you say Saini? Anyways, coming on to the main point, our expert navigator came out and pointed towards a flat and said in a baritone that reminded me of Mr Bacchan Sr, that is where Sabu is staying. I was made the scapegoat to knock at the door and enquire. I walked straightaway to the flat and knocked at the door as I was getting frustrated since I thought that we were wasting time.

After a couple of loud knocks on the door, I heard somebody from inside approaching the door from inside to open it. As soon as the door opened, my eyeballs popped out as if they were about to fall on the floor. I was there standing still on the door, motionless with a blank face; unsure what my next move must be. That was the most beautiful scene I had ever scene......A woman in her 20s, must have been 5'5"-5'6", flawless skin which was glowing in the morning light, with streaks of golden in her hair which were dishevelled, black piercing eyes, sweet voice like a cuckoo with a flawless accent standing totally naked in front of me. I did not know how to react and what to say. I am sure that she must have understood my dilemma and that's why for the rest of the conversation she hid behind the door. The rest of the time in Goa was spent in thinking about her. I saw so many beauties on the beach but then that woman in the flat had a strange kind of attraction about her. I regret not telling her that she was beautiful, really beautiful. I wish I meet her again somewhere to convey my feelings to her..............

Musings from Goa

Sky Lark@ Baga Beach

A trip to Goa was something which I always wanted to make. Infact, had been planning this trip for quite sometime but finally the day came though pretty late but as they say " Its better late than never". A whirlwind tour of sorts "Ramu-The Naukar"(Vyom), Saini(Mohit) and Me(Mohit) from Pune, we were joined by Sabu (Rohit) and Blonde Bombshell aka Bhurri aka Whateva(Arti) and Sabu's friends from Mumbai. Ramu, Saini and me all of a sudden decided that we would be leaving for Goa to join Sabu and his gang for a New Year's bash. The ride to Goa was funfilled with Ramu, Saini and Me sharing light moments all along the way. Ramu and me getting into one bunk of the sleeper bus and Saini had to settle down with a stranger. What an irony that I had to sleep with Ramu and not any babe :(...Finally reached Goa at 7 am and I was fortunate to have a brush with the Goan life that very morning when I knocked at a cottage while on a lookout for Sabu. That's another story.

Finally, made it to the accomodation courtesy Sabu and we were in no mood to waste time and we straightaway headed to the Baga Beach(Our flat was overlooking the beach). Had a gala time swimming and splashing water all over and the coloured life on the beach added some extra flavour to our fun 'n' frolic activities. After spending a good time in water, we headed for breakfast at a beach side shack called Sky Lark. The food was great and stuffed our stomachs to the full.

Round II of the water splashing. We again headed to the sea, this time we were joined by Sabu's friends. Saini and I decided that we wanna ride the Jet Ski. Had a great time riding the ski and never felt so much of thrill and excitement before. I was at the helm of controls, specifically made it clear to the instructor that we want to ride the boat and not him. Finally, the instructor had to give in and take the rear seat. We then headed for lunch and had some good rounds of Pool and Beach Volleyball.

Most of the time we spent at the Skylark. In the evening, we had a quick shower and were all ready to party. Saini and I were keen on checking out the FTV Beach Party. We hoped on to the bikes and made it to the Candolium Beach to return disappointed as we could not locate the venue of the party. Finally we reached back to the Baga and at Edge we had our dinner and after which we saw a good display of fireworks. It was earlier decided that we would spend the rest of the night at the Tito's. The place was full and the prices were exuberant so we said that it was not worth the money. Finally I wanted to take a stroll in the night but I was joined by Sabu and Blonde Bombshell. We went to the beach for the coffee but there was no sign of coffee amidst alcohol, grass and god knows what other stuff. I decided to stay back on the beach alone but then the crowd out there was rowdy and there was no point in staying back. With a heavy heart I had to leave the beach. Was so tire that I slept like a log. Saini in the meantime had got back to the flat disappointed as he could not gain entry into Tito's but he was happy too as he checked out some cool babes out there. He had no regrets of not making it to the Tito's. I got up very early in the morning, much before the break of the dawn. Dressed fast and hoped onto my favourite Yamaha RX 100 dropped in at CCD for an early morning coffee. I made it to the beach and to my surprise found quite a number of people out there still in the party mode. With all the drunken revelry last night that we witnessed, I thought that not many people would turn up but I was wrong. I could manage a good couple of hours on the beach all by myself just staring at the sea reflecting on things.

By the time I was back in the flat, Saini and Vyom had got up, we went out for breakfast which was followed by the final stroll on the beach. We packed our stuff and headed for the Railway Station with a heavy heart but with a resolve that we would come back soon. The return journey was quieter and lacked the enthusiasm that we carried on our way to Goa. Honestly, I definitely want to make another trip and that too very soon but one thing is for sure that I won't be planning that trip because everytime I plan something it turns out to be a disaster and one last thing.....this trip was not at all planned.