I luv College Life

With memories still fresh in our minds of sending off the previous batch, IN we enter into the final trimester of our MBA education (or shall I call “OUR STUDENT LIFE?”). With loads of hopes, wishes and prayers in the minds and hearts of all of us to get placed, there is also an intention in the corner of the minds to store each moment in the form of pictures/videos and enjoy every second to the fullest.

Yes! In this auspicious moment, we all take oath to strive more harder like never before, burn our mid night oil even beyond the wee hours, take that extra pain,... not for studies, but to disturb our pals even more, celebrate a little more, play a lot more, bunk classes furthermore, and sleep in day time. Yes… an oath for a new year, an oath for the last trimester and an oath for everyone to finish our college life and enter into the corporate life - playfully…ooppsss… responsibly…!

Reflecting on Arunbabu’s post on the empty second floor not even a year before when the previous batch left ASB, time has come for each of us to realize the same awaits us in three months time. This is the moment guys… ENJOY it, CHERISH it and RELISH it!!! Cuz we don get another chance to sit in the REAL bench, sleep in working hrs, bunk first hour and still feel as proud as a king while we come to the second hour, (and some good uses like the variety of books in lib, inter-collegiate competitions for whatever reasons J) and a lots more.

Welcome to the sixth trimester my pals J

Why So Serious?...Because it’s my Life!

Why So Serious?...Because it’s my Life!

Why is it important to have a serious approach towards things that matter? Getting serious does not mean tracing out the smallest hint of fun in one’s life and executing it! Life will be so bland and boring without those lighter emotions. But to ‘get serious’ is to have respect towards things one take up –those things that will have a lasting impact on the person – relations, academics, work, habits & hobbies – all that matters.

To get started, it is important that we allow ourselves to indulge – not in the passing pleasures of life, but in meaningful introspection that leads to a soul searching. That separates people ‘who are’ from ‘who could have been’. I am not against taking life as it comes. But there is a certain passiveness to it and that might become counterproductive.

          Soul searching does not necessarily mean taking to activities like reading a book or listening to spiritual talks or practising yoga. It can be done much more joyously. Pick up something you love to do or you have always wanted to do but procrastinated for long. It could be anything like a sport or a workout regime or a get away with friends. This activity will shake one up from the abyss of complacence. It acts as the fountainhead of energy to move away from the status quo.  It will give enough impetus to wake up from the daily chores and use time productively, adding flavour to life. As a very meaningful Ad recently said, “It is what you do in your free times that make you who you are”.

          There is nothing wrong in taking a laid back approach towards life –  to each their own - and what suits best. But it should not happen so that 10 years down the lane, you look back and despair over the things you could have done, however small they may be.

Life is too short and uncertain to not be serious about. Have short term goals for life...Work towards achieving them...Enjoy the pains and pleasures involved...

At the last mile, when one looks back, the rear view mirror should be full of mile stones to be proud of.

Arun Babu.

Let the Reason be...

Never imagined I'd feel this happy to log in and key away...without the faintest clue as to what this would be about.

 Looks like asb blog has undergone some great change! There is a fish pond :-)...active bloggers..and well...the great name "Best kept secrets"!!! 

Glad to be back...guess that is how it begins!!!

 Here is the first one as an alumnus (Gee that sounds weird!) and this is not about job or pay or career :-) :-)

I guess it is the time of the year when ASB is at its busiest best! Suits, trousers, ties, sarees...proof of what we have done over two decades summarized into two pages of "resume"...waiting for placecom message about companies. Suddenly you are a B-school grad...bargaining for salary...profile.... :-) 

Reliving it again.....

And then again...its Pragati time!!!! The ASB season!!! Suddenly we have an identity! And I guess it would have kicked in by now. The discreet smses under desks,scrolling inbox as we lose track of what we told whom, increasing scrawls and doodles on the back of notebooks, small notepads filling with things to be done, desktop screen cluttered with Pragati stuff, classroom boards with meeting reminders, new company for tea....Yes! Its Pragati time again...and like every year, we will scale a new "awesomeness"....

On another note it is Christmas time...the trees are up and decked. Bangalore seems to have an extra chill for the occasion...and Santas are in plenty...just like the reasons to be back to ASB Blog.... and like I began.... 'Let the reason be..."

-Anitha Kaveri

Set in your ways?

Set in your ways?

Who doesn’t like to be in control? Be it of our deeds, our thoughts, our urges, we all would like to rein them in. Then what is it that is stopping us? It is our diffidence, our indecisiveness.

Although we are aware the way we are leading our lives is not exactly the way we want it to be, we do not want to change the status quo. It is true that we WISH to, but its feebleness stops it from becoming a WILL. This is why it is said that a person’s life turns out to be the way one deserves.

Take the case of an addiction – Alcoholism, Smoking or anything for that matter. The most primary indication is a shift in our priorities. Our Friends, Family, Career – everything takes a backseat. The addiction takes over our life to the extent that it dictates our very way of life. You lose focus. This is exactly why many promising, abundantly talented people burnout early in life – just because they have let themselves fall in to the downward spiral of an addiction.

Often, addiction is an attempt to run away from the facts of life. That is why even though people say they no more enjoy the process, they cannot give up. Unconsciously they think it is helping them forget their suffering. But in fact all it is doing it is aggravating it.

And the accompanying guilt, it’s cancer for your mind. The reigning emotion becomes numbness. The mind loses its ability to take cognizance of emotions – be it glum or glee.

We think we will change the way we live by the weekend or month end and most popular one, by New year. If you really want to do it, today is the day. All we need to do is think about what we are losing out. For the passing pleasure of a frivolous way of living, we lose out on a fulfilling journey. Take control of your Life and live it to the fullest. All you need to do is DECIDE and the time is NOW.

ArunBabu.

Yi National Summit

25 & 26th November 2011 were two days of a different world all together! Yes! The entire nation gathered in Kumaraguru College, Coimbatore for the CII - Yi Net national summit.
Day 1:
The proceedings started with Ms. Namrata Samra, National Chairperson - Yi, welcoming the audience for what seemed an amazing 48hrs ahead, followed by Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar just energizing the crowd with his flamboyance. If this wasn't enough to realize what lies ahead, Dr. Rahul Mirchandani, Mr. Srikant, Mr. Prasanna and Mr. Romit were all on stage, taking us through a series of thought provoking discussion on TAKING CHARGE - The theme of the summit.
Hold on guys!The best is yet to come... Yes.. it was post lunch, and there stood a tall man with big mustache, Black coat and staring at the crowd. :-) Mr. Kiruba Shankar Started the session with energy, deep breath and his talk revolved around his mantra - "In any work you do, just tell OH YES, I CAN, OH YES, YESSS, YEs, Yes or Just a NO(and don't do it)." Mr. Murugan of Nizhal Maiyam followed Kiruba with a scintillating speech on the ways and means of youth Taking Charge, which literally drive the entire crowd emotionally motivated. OH YES !:-)
Is that all? Well the highlight of the day was Mr. Karthik Kumar (KK) - Evam Entertainment, who spoke for close to an hour, right from his journey which started after graduating from MICA to this passion in setting up a theatre (drama), his satisfaction in doing what he always wanted to do, the social barriers and most importantly, his energy. There was a mutual admiration between Mr. Kiruba and Mr. KK, we can all it mutual respect, admiration or anything, but it was quite amazing to be on that day in that venue to share, see and feel the admiration that each speaker had for other.
The day ended with Anmol Vij going out of Entrepreneurship and speaking about Studopreneurship.
And the stage for Day 2 was set and rearing to GO!
Day2:
Did the Day one keep us excited? OH YES! Well, Day 2 was equally exciting with lots and lots of speakers lining up for the day, the list which included names like : Mr. Shankar Vanavarayar - National Chairman, Mr. Irfan Alam - Founder, SammaaN Foundation, Dr. Kancha Ilaiah- Social Activist/writer, Mr. Rajeev Karwal - Founder, CEO Milagrow Business and knowledge solutions, Mr. KK - Evam Entertainment, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan - President Lok Satta Party and lots many.
The auditorium was filled with at least a century of experience in myriad of fields and literally, every single person TOOK CHARGE after the two days. It was the best couple of days one could wish to be a part of. Lots of experience, bit of gyan, more of networking, more of life changing ideas, situations and knowledge sharing was bound to happen.
Thanks to CII-Yi Net for arranging such a wonderful summit in Coimbatore, for it definitely made a lot of difference in many minds.

The 5th P – Popularity!!!

The 5^th P –Popularity!!!

Blame it on our country’s governance system of democracy, we have a liking towards everything that is popular. Quite often, we end up measuring merit with popularity. That is why there is a collective despair when a popular film loses out to an art film or a widely read book is trashed by critics.

Even our opinions are dictated by its mass following. S&P said the truth which was against popular opinion and heads rolled, although there was merit to that argument. If you have seen the candidates nominated by political parties, they might not have any qualification but they will be popular for sure.

Is it that the most popular college is the best one? Aren’t the theatre artists supremely talented than most of the bollywood actors? All these point towards the supremacy of popularity over merit. The sad part is that at times, mediocrity has appeal and that becomes the norm. The few who understands this ‘play to the gallery’ becomes outcasts. It is all about the appeal. Come to think of it, what else is marketing but enhancing this appeal?

Arun Babu.

The Most beautiful smile I ever saw...A shortstory

The Most beautiful smile I ever saw...A shortstory

A bright Sunday morning, the millennium year, city of dreams-Bombay. I woke up to the first photograph I ever took-of my then eight year old sister’s. For some reason, I liked it more than any other, much to my sister’s disagreement. I never liked working early morning, one of the perks my profession allowed, that of a photographer. But today, I have to keep the promise I made to my dear friend- to do a photo shoot for her NGO.

It was not a rosy picture. The building the NGO was housed in was in ruins. They worked for the betterment of children who didn’t know whom to call a ‘mom’ or a ‘dad’. The photo shoot was to be sent to a UN body that they expected to provide some funds.

Hema, the caretaker of the home came with a bunch of kids. They were not like the child artists we see on the TV. They were not cute and chubby. But they had a sparkle in their eyes. What nagged me the most was that they were not happy, something that made both the person and the photographer in me, disappointed.

After some wide shots with all the kids, I wanted a single shot with a kid, smiling. For some reason, my eyes caught Amir. I asked Hema to tell Amir to smile for me .But whatever I did, I couldn’t get that smile from him.

I and Amir went to the courtyard of the building. We got talking. He asked “Bhaiyya, who all are there in your home?”.I said I have a younger sister. He asked “What about mom and dad?”.I said everyone has mom and dad. He said “Not everyone has”. I could feel a tear straining at the corner of my eyes. I tried to recover fast and asked him “What do you like the most?” He said “I like it when someone scolds me”. I was surprised and asked why. Amir said “Bhaiyya I feel some one is bothered about me when they scold me. Someone cares for me”. I was really beginning to like this boy now.

“Amir, what do you miss the most?”He said “Bhaiyya, I miss having a pet name. No one calls me anything that comes from the heart. Everyone is either sympathetic or looking down on me”.

Swallowing the lump in my throat I asked “Amir, will you smile for me?”He said, “Bhaiyya, do you know when a person gets angry most? When you are hungry! I have not had food. How can I smile?”

I took out a chocolate from the pocket and gave it to him. He grabbed it and said “Bhaiyya I will come now”. Before finishing the sentence, he started running. I went behind him. He entered a small room in which a small girl was sitting. Amir offered the chocolate to the little angel. She took one bite and gave it to Amir. He shook his head, gave it back to her and smiled...That was the most beautiful smile I have ever seen and I will ever see. Stealing the moment on my camera, tears started rolling down my face...

Arun Babu.