Thank god it's FRAday!

Imagine you are at sea standing on a balancing ball. You need to jump from ball to ball to make your way to an island, where you catch your breath and rest for a while. Then you repeat the act to reach another island. If you miss a step, you are in saline water. So also, if you take your eyes of your course. There is no looking back. There is only looking forward to the island. Then there are these high-jumps you need to clear sometimes in jumping between balls.

I am not saying there's no fun; I am talking about my trials at Vastrapur. The bouncing balls are the new topics in different courses we need to study everyday.The high jump bars are the tests, sometimes surprise ones, that we need to take. Miss a topic and you will be stumbling over yourself to catch up with what just went past in a blur. The islands are the weekends--the only times you can afford to look back and reflect upon what you did.

One of the balancing balls is a course on customer value (no, they don't use jargon such as 'marketing' here). Here, we are being trained to 'liberate ourselves from the shackles of rationality in order to understand the nuances of the behavior of an animal called customer'-quoting Prof. AK, who's on a mission to change the way we think and will be glad if we went home more confused than when we came in! Now, the fun part of this this that we get to do assignments where we need to look at good looking women with the best skin tones and lovely smiles. That's because we are required to elicit information on positioning of luxury soaps (partly, our choice of category) in India by looking at an array of TV and print advertisements in the category and then write a report on strategic marketing implications of same. Do you want to 'skindulge'?

We sing alleluias when we learn that a class has been deferred and thank gods for small mercies when the bulletin board is bare at 2 PM. For, at this hour the fate of the class, by way of a surprise quiz or not, is officially announced. Of course, you can check your mailbox over wi-lan. But, a notice is a notice.

The Institute expects highest levels of commitment to pass through the year long test of fire that is PGPX. The industry however does not prepare us for anything like this. One needs about eight hours of preparation outside to class to make it through a day having 3 course sessions. Not reading up for the class is like falling short of length at next the bouncing ball. Most of us are going into 'auto mode' in preparation for the next week that has 21 course sessions over six days. There has been some insinuation about a 'catch-up' class on the seventh day. That doesn't surprise us anymore.

"Why does cash flow?" "KASH (F)low" and the curious "positioning cash flow" are all side effects of a grueling episode most of us are going through. We are trying to imbibe the techniques of accounting as a part of Financial Reporting and Analysis. In a matter of four sessions we have covered aspects from the basic principles of accounting to cash flow statement. 'Covered' is a heavy word that includes all of: reading, discussing, applying, testing, frustration and sleepless nights. When you look at people's online chat-statuses, you see the phrases that were mentioned in quotes at the start of this paragraph. There is so much FRAstration that everyone is feeling FRAil around this subject. There is almost a tacit FRAternity of people whose confidence is FRActured by this subject. Oh, Oh, I am doing it again! I might be already too FRA from sanity.

There are ways to cope and then there are ways to cope. I find it comforting to chat up with anyone who is available at the FK tea stall at 1 AM. And I am glad I am not writing a 'reusable Visual C++ component' like one of my batch mates here, MS, did a couple of nights back. Either of these activities is like playing Bricks on the cellphone- stress-busting as well as entertaining. Can you imagine doing this aimlessly in the middle of the week? Where's the time?

Thank god it's FRAday!

Mid-summer night's daze

Up, after the first splash!

I am not a swimmer. Yet, aided by a life-jacket (yeah, not purist aquaphile) I have previously dived in to cold waters. When you hit the water for the first time, head down, the splash causes you to go in to a state of daze, until the buoyancy bobs you up above water. Only then can you breathe. If you get my point, this blog post is one such quick breather.

For email access, internally (Ah! the coveted domain name in my new email ID) WIMWI uses a SaaS-modelled service of,probably, the most popular email service that also owns the best search engine. So, we have this page that comes up as the inbox and on the left pane is the list of ready-for-chat users in the PGPX batch. The intent of this post is not to familiarize you with the features of our email system, but to enlighten you how a 'productivity' application can become a subtle support system. Let me explain.

The speed at which professors' assistants send updates, the academic reps post the latest twist in the profs' plans and the last minute changes to the make-up classes (you wish these were cosmetic) and the updates we get on assignments and submissions, one needs to be checking his email every few minutes. Else, one is working on expired information.

So, now you should guess that my Inbox page is, well, always open.

What do I see now? There is this gentleman SG, who's right now battling the twists of supply side managerial economics. How do I know that? His current status is "IsoCan't Curves". Inspired by this, I update my current status to 'segMental State' reflecting my state of mind at the maze of jargon surrounding Market Segmentation and Target Marketing. Then there is RR whose status is a smug 'hmmmm'. I am not sure what she is studying. Not sure if he was really sleepy or just bored, SG-Bandit flags a 'Bean Counting is fun, Bean Counting is fun, Bean....'.

As I make my way through the Building Blocks of PGPX, post-supper, I increasingly find that
a. It's already lunch time on the US Pacific Coast
b. My wife is already in REM sleep, probably dreaming that I have retired for the night
c. There still are several users online (green user icons) but deeply engrossed in subjects that while enjoyable, remind us that 'there are no free lunches'. In fact, nowadays, there is very little free time for lunch.

While time chugs along,outside the walls of Vastrapur campus, our Microeconomics Professor (so good that he was brought back from retirement) speeds past the topics at a speed tad less than that of light (If you think I am exaggerating, remember that I am reading marketing!). By the night, we try and run behind this beam encouraged by each others' 'statuses' reminding us that 'we are not alone'. Subtle Support System?

Coming back to the splash: After the first bob, gravity takes over and you go down for many short plunges. Time for me to plunge 'down' into Kotler's maxims.

Go...

The first official day of the PGPX program '09 started with an inaugural function that included an address by the director of WIMWI (well known institute of management in western India) as we humbly refer to The Institute.

As much as we enjoyed the program that included individual introductions to the faculty, managers of the program and the batchmates, so did our families who 'got an opportunity to understand the framework and learn firsthand about the expectations from the students'. Thankfully the first day only included presentations from supporting functions of the institute, but again did not spare us from prep material for Management Communication modules for Day 1 the Monday.

Day 1 taught us that management communication cannot be perfected. This would be a smug statement unless I tell you that I acknowledge now that some of the practices we knew before can at best be described as 'Corporate Baggage'. So, while critiquing our classmates on their presentations and reviewing the playbacks of the same, much delearning was seen as imperative.

Day 1 was not to end sooner than midnight for we had to dissect the First Case of the year. This was an 'illustrative case', meaning that we would not be graded on it and it would be used to understand the mechanics involved in solving a case. Zealous as we were to take the best shot at it, we chose to ignore the point of diminishing returns and spent close to 4 hours preparing for it individually and in groups. The exploration was interrupted by the Inaugural Dinner with faculty and staff of PGPX.

Now, inaugural dinners are supposedly fertile grounds to look for some face time with Professors and if possible with their assistants. And given that this would be the second only interaction with the professors, some of us thought that we should capitalise on the opportunity. We we can talk with the other students over the next year anyway. At this point I should tell you that some Young Professors, the recently qualified Fellows (WIMWI PhDs) are not much older, if at all, from most PGPX students. Hence, spotting a young professor with a french beard already talking to a student gave us instant joy. Now, one could slowly join the circle and wait for a chance to get into the conversation. Of course, the sensitive approach involved in doing this is not much different from hunting where you could unnecessarily startle the prey. Anyway, the approach was executed and the conversation was initiated. After about four minutes into the conversation a bunch of visiting cards came out of the professor's shirt pocket and made it in to our hands. It is only then we realise that the professor we softened up to was the VP of the company catering for the dinner. We beat a hasty retreat from the deceptive prof!

After that dinner was mostly spent learning the intricate mechanics of sub-prime fiasco from RK, a batch mate.

Get Set...

Third day, also day minus three, on campus came with a lot of surprises- some pleasant and some otherwise.

The pleasant suprise came in the form of an executive bag with our names and an inscription of the IIMA logo. The not so pleasant one came in the form of twelve spiral bounded proprietary study books and half a dozen text books.The size of the stack made me think that this should be manageable, until I learned that the stack would need to be devoured over the next ten, only, weeks that make up the first term. People were hoping that carrying the books from the office to the apartment would remind us to make time for fitness. We also found out our study groups and got alloted our syndicate rooms, where we will be found most of the times after class hours.

Next on the cards is the selection of representatives as well as committees for various functions that will be driving the batch the entire year. Some of us have taken up the initiative to drive the larger group toward the thinking process for this and set the ball rolling. Those who want to nominate themselves ought to find time to reflect upon their strengths and the roles they want to play.

After much deliberation, at about 7 PM, we decided that we should have a pre-term party tonight. Securing permission to host it in the terrace-lawn, arranging for musical tracks, getting the in-house caterers to make an assortment of pakodas, buying cold drinks, snacks and cake, planning party games and finally setting up the venue with lights and tables was organised with fervour in a matter of two hours. That iPod with a Bose docking station/speaker system is a DJs next best friend was quite evident when the beauty of a system kept pumping high decibal sounds all throught the party right over the chatter and laughter of a the hundred strong crowd.

We just retruned from the party. It could have gone on for longer had the rain gods relented and had we not been required to get ready for the formal inauguration as well as dissect a communications management case study with our syndicates.

This is a sign of things to come. Work hard and party often. The group is seriously considering buying a low-end sound system just for parties over the next twelve months. We will get the ROI when parties happen frequently and we will have parties frequently to get the ROI.

The program gets formally inaugurated tomorrow. Then, it's just "Go!".

On your marks...

We arrived at the hallowed portal of IIM Ahmedabad yesterday morning. We had for company another batch mate R and her husband M on the 36 hour train journey.We were planning to travel lock, stock and barrel (and hence the choice of a train). But given that we wanted to feel 'at home' at Ahmedabad, our situation could be summed up as 'lock, stock and two barrels'.

For the first time in two decades, I travelled on a rail-trip lasting more than a few hours. So, while the stink and snafu that we associate with Indian railway stations and trains have not changed much, the AC two tier treatment was not bad at all. Chatting up with the electrical incharge of our train, I found out that the trains are apparently much more cleaner and quieter the South of the Cancer line. He associated the regional attitudes and the major ethnicity of the passengers to how clean or otherwise a train is when it cruises into the last station.

Another thing I learnt, during an unscheduled stop, was that, apparently, even if the train were to not move for another six hours, we would still arrive at Ahmedabad on time. The reason he said was that the current time-table had been made keeping in mind a maximum speed of 60 kmph. The reality is that most trains run around 100 kmph on most tracks. So, while most trains could have shorter journey-times, they just don't. Hmm...

First two days here have been all about setting up our on-campus apartment for the rest of the year and meeting many people. The atmosphere is almost like returning to college after a vacation. The reason I say returning and not joining, is because thanks to web 2.0 and collaborative technology we know most of us- have discussed online, emailed each other, have either spoken on phone and/or met several times- before meeting here. So, the ice was broken long back. Only a few who chose so or otherwise remained inactive in our online forum needed any introduction.

The fact that Ahmedabad, as we are finding out slowly, is a hospitable city is making things very easy and simple. I cannot imagine -saying this for all it is worth- travelling in to Bangalore as a student with a family and without a car and at the mercy of auto rickshaw drivers and then finding it this easy to settle down. So far, the auto drivers are not only super-congenial, they are very enterprising. One guy introduced himself at the end of a twenty minute ride and urged me to note down his cellphone number. He said he is mostly lingering outside the campus gates and will be able to service us anytime. Amen! Bangalore auto drivers sit on their backsides and with no hesitation refuse to carry passengers to just any spot. It shows that Bangalore drivers are not hungry enough, if you see what I mean.

After seeing the malls of Bangalore, I will say that malls here are huge. The ISKCON (name owing to proximity to a temple) Mega Mall, is impressively big. Put a Forum and Garuda and some more to get an IMM. And I am told that IMM is not the biggest mall in Ahmedabad. No wonder RelianceMart chose Ahmedabad for launching its Hyper format.

I will be unnecessarily biased toward Ahmedabad, if I do not say a few words about the driving sense in Ahmedabad. For the size of the roads, big, and for the type of roads, pristine, visibly reliable and well lit, the aggressive behaviour of the drivers is confusing. Bangalore suffers from bad roads; here roads are not an issue. I do not yet know where it comes from, but something is not right about the rush.

Anyway, first two days, despite having followed a day and a half long train journey seem conveniently normal. A nice city, a nice campus and a nice feeling.