There's less than 30 hours to go before our placement process starts.....the anticipation and tension has reached new peaks. .....n then I read this article. As you read it , you'll realize that you've read it all before somewhere, but for me , the fact that one of my seniors has written it, someone who I know personally and who exactly a year ago went through the exact same hell I'm going through now, makes it so much more relevant...

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I have a Dream

I distinctly remember a class last year taken by one of our professors Mr. CD Mitra. Before we start, I would like to give a small brief about the professor. Prof. Mitra passed out of IIT Kharagpur in 1986, got done with his MBA from IIMC in 1988, was President of Students’ Council in IIMC, dropped out of placement process to pursue his interest in advertising, worked for 20 odd years in advertising and went on to become President of Lintas and Mudra Max, later quit his job to become a free-lance consultant, an academician and a budding entrepreneur. He was also one of the designers of the opening ceremony of Common Wealth Games in India.

The professor was called for a special session on marketing as final placements for 45/15 batch were about to commence in a few days. But, he chose to speak on a different topic altogether – Dreams. He asked the students to think of their dreams, the one thing they really wanted to do in life and the one thing they would want to do in the future in absence of the constraints imposed on them by society, environment and their own selves.

Some students shared the dreams they most cherished. One of us wanted to be the owner of a football club and work in the sports industry. About his status right now, he is working in marketing and contemplating quitting his job as he has an offer from a firm in sports consulting. Another wanted to join the United Nations (which she has already done!). And there were many more dreams – from being an entrepreneur to being a spiritual teacher! Surprisingly, there was not a single soul who really dreamt about that job in Finance, HR, Marketing or Consulting. The job was just a part and parcel of life, not life itself.

And then, the professor spoke about how, when a person is inside the placement process, he/she treats it as a matter of life and death – as if life offers no other alternative. How competition reaches newer peaks and how people weep, struggle and sometimes, give up. This, for something that they do not believe is a passion or a dream in their life.

And today, as another batch stands on the verge of their placements, I ask you to do what Prof. Mitra asked of us – to think of your real dream, that one thing that you sincerely wish to do in life. What you really seek to accomplish – be it playing in a rock band, or becoming a mountaineer or a wildlife photographer. And think of this dream if you are stuck in the middle of the placement process wondering when will it get over and just remember that this is not what you are really seeking out of your life. And when you are going for that “coveted” job interview, know that the society covets it more than you really do.

And I urge you to do one more thing that the professor asked of us. He asked, “When are you going to fulfill all these dreams you have? Do not postpone them forever. Set a deadline for your dream. And then, take that job which might help you attain your dream.” Don’t be bogged down by constraints, know it is possible and move in the direction you always wanted to head towards.

Today, I implore you to do the same two things – dream and believe. And when you are outside the interview room, know that there are much bigger things that await you in life. After all, a job is just that – a job. It does not define you or your existence. It is but a mere shadow of what you really are. A success or failure in getting a shortlist or converting one is hardly a true reflection of the potential within you or of the dream you intend to achieve. So, as you head into the placement process, I would like to leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

Shadows appear very big, much bigger than you, but they have no existence. Smaller the light, bigger the shadow appears. If it is total darkness, then also there is no shadow. So partial knowledge, a partial light, partial vision, brings the shadow. And it makes the shadow appear very huge, very big. But know it is just a shadow - SSRS

Shreyans"

End of an Era - Part 2: Mihir's Place

Mihir's Place.......bhai what can be said about it. I thinks it's safe to say that 4 years of engineering would have been a lot duller if not for Mihir's place.

This is a weird time for this blog , given thatIi'm here in Cal....but for the first time in the past two weeks have i found any time at all. But this blog is not about that....there will be another one for that. This one is about Mihir's Place.

Going back 4 years.....well it brings memories both cherished....and downright frightening. Memories of Mihir's apparent suicide attempt,mine n Ajit's complete disregard for it.....n even if we did bother, how exactly do you stop Quinty from going over when he's hell bent on doing it.N oh yes...the one guy who could have helped....was asleep in the bathtub....after having stopped a ceiling fan with his bare hands.Other's such as Sahil's "Walk the line "test resulting in him walking into a wall........bali's free loading....Mihir's balcony with senti talks about being a fauji kid and endless games of peanut butter are fuzzily remembered too....

That was only the beginning of a long ...eventful journey.Every party here , you were sure to run into WEIRD people. From his roommate to his roommate's sloshed mates...Himanshu who doesnt stop talking about bikes and Vishwanath who doesnt stop talking at all.Random people have landed up here....including the local mamu gang.

N then came the opposite of the mamu gang n walked of with Mihir's laptop .Over the past two years another creature has come to infest these hallowed halls....Palash the Pig( not as an insult dude...but then you arent really a rhino are you).

The last time I saw this amazing place .....t'was in the rush to get Mihir to the airport in time...and I regret that I didnt even wait to pay my respects as be the case.For 4 years we've talked about throwing Mihir's dad a party for providing us with this place......but as with so many things with us, it just remained a plan. It's unlikely that .....no scratch that it's probably downright impossible that we'll ever meet up there again ....but a guy can always hope cant he....

The end of an era....

A few weeks back Manyu said to me " We'll be lucky if ever two of us meet up in the coming years...three is a possibilty.All of us ....never going to happen. " It's only now, as I prepare to say goodbye to XII C ...after I've spent another evening with the people who've become family, that the true import of these words is beginning to hit me .And the sadness that it brings with it is surprising....sentimentality is afterall not my forte.The thought that we're never going to crash at Mihir;s place again...is a little incomprehensible to be honest

For 6 years XII C has been an integral part of my life in one way of another....we've endured past the shifting loyalties that college life brings on.We've all had our own groups and friends in college but I can say with absolute certainty that we're as much a part of XII C today as we were on the day of that photo session and on the day Makhija cried.

Sahil and Jimno went to Tolani, might as well have been in another city for all the freedom they got from there .And yet Mihir's place is the place to be on weekends. Manyu pushed off to another part of the country altogether and yet when he's back here it's as if t'was just yesterday that he was getting suspended coz of Vera. Ajit disappears from everyones radar for months on end , and yet when he's back among us , people still call him 'handle' and mock his porn collection

For the past couple of weeks, not a day has gone by that these memories and so many many more....Mihir's place and Gad's place, everyone sloshed and everyone sober.... they've made me smile .

We're always going to remain friends , these past years have ensured that.But all 6-8 of us sitting around with glasses in our hands , talking senti nonsense....that's over.

I'm sure my time in Cal is going to bring me a whole new set of friends and experiences and I'm excited about that . But I'm gonna hold onto those memories for a while longer. My next few blogs are gonna center around the people and places that made XII C . it's going to revolve around Manyu , MIhir ,Sahil , Lambu and all us other jokers.....

And for once , I'm actually looking forward to typing out my next blog .

IIM C campus

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=22.4448713&lon=88.3016574&z=18&l=0&m=b

Love the lakes!!Publish Post

Satisfaction

" Satisfaction is what we're all aiming at right? Our own satisfaction depends a lot , no ...scratch that...depends completely on our expectations of ourselves.It depends on what you set your sights on.It isn't absolute , it's relative. I've heard a saying " Aim for the stars, if you don't reach em' you'll reach the moon". BS. Total BS. Is this suppose to inspire people?? How can it?? If you reach for the stars and don't get em , how can you be satisfied with the moon? Wouldn't it have been better to be aiming for the moon in the first place?Atleast you can rest easy knowing you're where you set out to be. I envy the person who sets his sights on something and gets it.I do not like being the guy who sets his sights too high and lands up short, I'd rather be the guy who sets his sights 'short' and lands up there. I do not look down on the person who sets his sights lower than mine, I do however look up to those who set their sights higher.

Would I be satisfied working with Infosys ?? No I would not, I'm not going to be satisfied with my lot. But I do envy the guy who sets his sights on Infosys , gets it and then dances like a maniac.He's achieved what he set out to achieve. I know what I want right now....IIM. Am I going to get it?? Not likely. People tell me to take it easy, that I have a good job in hand , that I always have next year. I cannot understand how that works. I do not want the job, I do not want to wait till next year. In absolute terms , I am better of than the average joe but in relative terms , I failed to do what I set out to do.The frustration that comes with knowing that, no matter how well you seem to be doing is very very difficult to express. It's like a thorn in my side , I cannot ever truly ignore it. It seems to me as though virtually every en devour that I have set out on , I have come up short of my expectations.There was the whole IIT gamut , then the 3rd year project , the 4th year project...and the latest entrant ...IIM.

I've blown two interviews. I've got another to go that I am well short of prepared for...It's likely going to turn out to be another disappointment to join the ever growing list.Another thorn that will refuse to be ignored. It makes me wonder....Is it worth it?? Dreaming Big....oh sure , when you pull it off once in a while ,1 in 10 shots maybe, it's great, the satisfaction is immense ( Even then , I wonder why are we so happy?? Isn't this what you set out to do, so shouldn't it be par for the course that you achieved it?Or are you surprised that you did achieve it?) but the frustration that comes with the other 9 times is infuriating.Even knowing all this and feeling all this , I still aim high , but every time I do, every single time I ask myself ....Is it worth it??

I do not have an answer yet."

This is what I wrote on 20th March 2010 ,before the IIM C interview .Sad ,depressing , boring stuff......n then 10th April 2010 happened. 10 April 2010 5:35 p.m....Its pretty much etched in my memory. For the first time I've actually achieved SOMETHING . Regarding this blog , something made me not publish it....I'm glad I didn't , because just that stupid action of not publishing it meant that I had some little iota of belief left in me and maybe that's what got me over the line.

Oh and.....I have my answer :D

Welcome, Class of 2012! | Joka Times

Welcome, Class of 2012! | Joka Times

Pointless thoughts....

How the time for dreams of the future seems to slip past unnoticed, until in reviving them a man realizes, with a shock, that the privilege is no longer his to entertain, that it belongs to those younger faces he sees on all sides, laughing in the tavern and on the streets, running wild.