Street before Wall street

Street before Wall Street



It’s definitely not business as usual. As shining shoes, selling vegetables and delivering newspapers become par for the course, MBA students are getting their hands dirty. Their classroom’s out in the real world

Sharmila Ganesan-Ram | TIMES NEWS NETWORK

On a rainy day last month, 22-yearold Vishalakshi Bharadwaj put on a freshly ironed blazer and headed for Vashi railway station platform with a laptop in one hand and a shoe brush in the other. Forty other girls and boys squatted on the floor with her, all keeping an eye out for customers wearing dirty leather shoes.
Some commuters did mistake them for ticket-checkers but had they noticed the PowerPoint presentation running on their laptop, they would have realised that the blazer-clad kids weren’t there to check passes but to sell some. The shoe-polish exercise was their way of publicising a charity rock show and raising funds for an orphanage. “Some people gave us Rs 100 while some shooed us away. It was a lesson on how to handle people,” says Bharadwaj.
Today’s B-school students are fast realising that management is not just about wearing a tie and drawing obscene salaries. And learning the art can mean getting your hands dirty.
It’s these kinds of projects that professors like Sridhar Iyer of Father Agnel’s, who is called ‘Zara Hatke’ and ‘Adolf Hitler’ alternately, insist on including in the curriculum. “We have moved from a knowledge economy to a creative one. We don’t want to churn out management technicians but those with a genuine concern for society and country,” he says. Students, he adds, have to be made capable “to face their graveyard which is on the road”.
On one such road in Lucknow, SP Jain student Bikash Agarwal sold carrots and tomatoes and even shooed away the cows that tried to eat them. As part of a competition ‘The Next CEO’, organised by IIM-Lucknow, Agarwal and other contenders had to sell vegetables on a busy Lucknow street and come back with profits. Among the candidates were some who didn’t even know the Hindi names of certain greens.
Agarwal sold his veggies at almost double the cost price and went on to win the competition. “We had to shout and scream to attract attention. The trick was to make a pitch at people who looked well-off,” recalls Agarwal, who managed to emotionally blackmail a smoker into buying vegetables with the money he had kept aside for two cigarettes and a curious journalist into buying a lemon for Rs 5. His
father, however, was not very impressed. “You went all the way to IIM to sell vegetables?” he asked.
Agarwal is used to such comments. Back in Mumbai, when he had to knock on stubborn doors to sell a children’s comic called Dimdima, someone said, “If you had studied and not wasted your childhood, you wouldn’t have had to do this job.” Others were polite enough to slam the door in his face, some watchmen threw him out of the building and finally, there were the odd ones who showed interest. “I now have more respect for salesmen,” Agarwal says.
Earlier this year, Lolita D’souza and her 25 batchmates delivered newspapers to 25 homes in Vashi before dawn. “Some residents refused to take the paper from us as they thought we were trying to break in,” says D’souza, adding that while climbing those zillion stairs, she learnt the essence of ‘time management’.
Professors have their own term for such personality enriching initiatives — ‘Interventions’. In Rustomji business school in Dahisar, principal Hanif Kanjer has made flute and salsa classes a mandatory part of the first year syllabus. “Playing the flute regulates breathing and improves speech, while salsa is necessary for social skills. If you dance well, you are noticed,” says Kanjer. A boy who hesitates to dance with a girl at first is made to dance with two, “to overcome his inhibitions”, he says.
There are also compulsory bootcamps during which students are treated like participants in an adventure reality show. They are made to swing from trees, cook without utensils and handle disaster management situations. “One girl broke down after climbing a tree as she didn’t want to swing. After one and a half hours of coaxing by her teammates, she completed the task,” Kanjer recalls.
Impromptu situations like these don’t just pump students with adrenaline but also equip them with the grit and determination required to complete presentations overnight and deal with extreme situations like zero capital.
At the Innowe lab in Matunga’s Welingkar Institute of Management, professor of business design Kaustubh Dhargalkar, who says he hates academics, recalls a morning not so long ago when teachers frisked every student and took away cash and mobile phones. “The students’ challenge was to go out that day and make money by ethical means,” he says.
The class of 60 came back with a total of about Rs 12,000 and some exemplary stories. “One student helped a tea stall vendor make an extra profit of 50 paise per vada pao. After 12 or 13 sales, he bought a train ticket to Churchgate, took foreigners on a tour around south Mumbai and made $12,” says Dhargalkar. Another worked at a library and yet another student gave a lecture at his alma mater on a subject that he could claim mastery over — ‘How to enter a business school’.

Lead Indicator

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1)On the same page:slang
When you’re on the same page as someone, you have an equal level of understanding about a situation. You have similar ideas about what needs to be accomplished.


When working with a group of people, it is important for everyone to be on the same page. Everyone should know what needs to get done and when it needs to get done. If people aren’t on the same page, problems arise.
 
2)Rolodex: Noun

(trademark) a desktop rotary card index with removable cards; usually used for names, addresses, and telephone numbers

eg: "a news reporter has to have a good Rolodex"

3)Beeb


It stands for the BBC
4)diffidence: Noun


Lack of self confidence
 
5)bugbear: Noun


An imaginary monster used to frighten children; An object of dread or apprehension

eg: In his letter, Ramesh emphasizes his concern about India being seen as a bugbear for the developed countries in the climate negotiations.

Success by Michael Korda

http://www.dountoothers.org/sixsimplesteps.html

Just a matter of talking

Just a matter of talking
Vinita thought Resham was proud. Resham thought Vinita was avoiding her. What could be the problem?
Vinita had to push her cycle homE and she was tired. just then an old lady came to help her...

Resham is really proud these days. It’s because she came first in class last term.”
Vinita’s mother was surprised to hear Vinita. Resham is your friend,” said her mother.
“Yes but not anymore. I didn’t like her attitude. Her Grandmother has come and till now she hasn’t introduced me to her.”
“Resham may be preoccupied. Speak to her about it.”
“Why should I? It’s not my problem after all.”
Coincidence?
“If it’s not your problem then why can’t you just forget about it? Why don’t you take the initiative and have a chat with her.”
“That would be eating humble pie!”
“On the other hand, it would mean you are approachable, keen on straightening things up and you don’t take things for granted.”
The next day as Vinita was cycling home from school she had a puncture. She had to push it home. It was very hot and she was almost faint with fatigue. An old lady saw her and bought her tender coconut. After she had drunk the water, Vinita felt much better. Vinita thanked the old lady and thought to herself that the old lady was indeed an angel.
Since they were going in the same direction they walked back together. The old lady stopped in front of an apartment which looked familiar. It was Resham’s apartment!
Just then, Resham came running towards them shouting, “Grandma! Grandma!” Vinita was surprised. Grandma invited her home. Vinita was hesitant, but before she could protest she found herself sitting inside Resham’s house with snacks and juice in front of her.
“How are you, Vinita?” said Resham.
“I am fine.” “Is something wrong? Why have you been avoiding me lately,”
“Well it’s not me. It’s you who has been avoiding me!,” replied Vinita. “Your Grandmother has been here all these days and you didn’t introduce me to her.”
“After my Grandmother came here, she became sick, that’s why I couldn’t introduce you to her. She was admitted in hospital. Later, when I visited you, I found that you had gone on a vacation. And you hadn’t told me about that at all. I couldn’t reach you on your mobile and I had no idea when you would get back. When you returned, you didn’t even call me.”
Vinita thought about what Resham had said and it all made sense. Had she been too hasty jumping to conclusions?
“So is this your friend whom you wanted to introduce me all this while,” asked Grandma. “Resham has told me so much about you!”

Inflation

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Mining rare earth for a excellent future

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Socio Economic Classification

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Consumer Life

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Ignited minds

Synopsis


The book begins with a sad note. On 30 September 2001, Kalam’s helicopter, while on its way from Ranchi, Jharkhand state, India to Bokaro crashed, but all aboard miraculously survived. He was administered that night a tranquilizer, and he recalls having seen a very vivid dream. He writes in the book that he saw himself in a desert “with miles of sand all around,’ and there stood five men, namely, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Emperor Ashoka, Abraham Lincoln and Caliph Omar. Kalam felt dwarfed by their presence, and recounts the words of these great personalities.

The next chapter emphasises the importance of mother, father and elementary school teachers as role models.

The third chapter tells that "Vision ignites the minds", and talks about the modern Indian visionaries like J. R. D. Tata, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and Dr. Verghese Kurien.

The next section of the book deals with the spiritual heritage of the Indian nation and talks about developing a model of development based on India's inherent strengths.

The fifth chapter of the book exhorts the Indians, constituting a nation of one billion people "with multitude faiths and ideologies" to develop a "national vision" and amalgamate into one "national forum."

The next chapter begins with a Thirukkural, which states:

"Wisdom is a weapon to ward off destruction;

It is an inner fortress which enemies cannot destroy".

This chapter reminds the readers that Ancient India was a "knowledge society that contributed a great deal to civilization."

The caption line of the seventh chapter is followed by the following inspiring words of Abraham Lincoln:

"Determine that things can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way."

The eighth chapter exhorts for a change in the mindset and to take pragmatic risks, which shall result into success.

The ninth and the last chapter, with the caption line of "To My Countrymen" begins with few words of the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore - "let my country awake."

The book ends with a "Song of Youth", with these opening words:

"As a young citizen of India ,
armed with technology and love for my nation,
I realize, a small aim is a crime."

State awards

IBN7 Diamond States Awards  bestowed an honor to states for the following categories:

Kerala - Best Big state award
Punjab - Best small state award

1IBN7 Diamond States Award – Healthcare
Big State - Kerala
Small State -Goa
2IBN7 Diamond States Award – Education
Big State -Megahalya

Small State -Chattisgarh

3IBN7 Diamond States Award – Basic Infrastructure
Big State - Kerala

Small State  - Delhi

4IBN7 Diamond States Award – Women Empowerment
Big State - Tamil Nadu

Small State -

5IBN7 Diamond States Award – Citizen Security & Justice
Big State - Gujarat      Nagaland

Small State - Goa         UP

6IBN7 Diamond States Award – Water & Sanitation
Big State - Tamil Nadu

Small State - Sikkim

7IBN7 Diamond States Award – Employment
Big State - Chattisgarh

Small State -HP

8IBN7 Diamond States Award – Poverty Reduction
Big State - Punjab

Small State - J&K

9IBN7 Diamond States Award – Environment
Big State - Kerala

Small State - Goa

Nobel awarded Indians

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_laureates_of_India

GRE week 2 - day 2

1) abet:- to assist or support in the achievement of a purpose
2) trait - a distinguishing quality (as of a personal character) peculiarity
3) naive - deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment; especially :CREDULOUS;showing lack of experience

GRE - Week 2

1)Conspiracy
an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot.
2)nudge
to push slightly or gently, esp. with the elbow, to get someone's attention, prod someone into action, etc.

3)Transient

adjective . lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary: transient authority.

noun: a person or thing that is transient, esp. a temporary guest, boarder, laborer, or the like.

4)foliage
the leaves of a plant, collectively; leafage.

Nose Surgery

GRE - 4

2/10/2009

1) Limousine -

2) Precipice -a very steep or overhanging place;dangerous position;CLIFF

3) Extemporize - IMPROVISE;especially to speak extemporaneously

Connotations-Part 1

GRE Lesson 3

1/10/2009
1)Homely - Not attractive or good looking; proper suited to home or domestic life;commonly seen
2) Limp (adj) - lacking firm texture,substance or structure
   (verb) to walk as when lame; to progress slowly and with greater difficulty

3) inure - accustom to accept something undesirable

4) disavow - to deny responsibility for :REPUDIATE;reject;disclaim

English Vocabulary -Bull