Term 4 Chronicles Contd....

Chronicles continue…

The sensex crashed by a small matter of 700 points over the last week. A NASA satellite made some news. Nothing moves the air of stillness in the IIM-A campus though. The prospect of Navaratri, Garba, endless swirling dancers, backless cholis and ringing Gujarati dandiya raas songs is appetizing.

But like characters from another time, these things sound distant and other worldly. This afternoon, I sat through a session of “Strategies for Corporate Growth” without understanding a word. I am sure that some of the class did. The professor sketched away on the board fearlessly. Words and stratagems and theories died gloriously in the desert of ignorance and inertia... A lot of other folks seemed to be clued in on it. Come evening and as the birds flew home, our MCC class began.

Prof. Mehta donned a white lab coat, a probe and the rest of the class looked and behaved like laboratory mice in an experiment. 30 Mins into it, every brain in the room was scanned and locked into a series of random numbers. There was a discourse on reptilian, fish and mammalian brains. And a finger elongation exercise. I suppose there is some scientific background to it, but my brain and eyes strained to see any difference in the length of my index fingers. I am still hopeful of a Merlin inspired transformation and I keep my short and long fingers crossed.

There is our resident mess cat, she of the glorious furry mane, dense fur coat and enviable tiger-like stripes. Her kitten, who is a carbon copy of Ma, is unfortunately hurt. I felt rotten looking at the poor animal dragging her hind feet mewling away. God Help her.

And after 10 minutes spent on chasing the intellectually afflicted pigeons from my balcony , I stand and look into the darkness at the bright lights of the fire-in-their-bellies PGP students’ dorm , the air redolent of opportunities , construction ash and bird detritus. This is my life now.

THE MCC Chronicles – Life starts again in TERM 4 at IIM-A

Its September 23^rd, a post-monsoon day in the IIM-A campus. I went to my first MCC (Managing and Creating Creativity, AHEM!!!) class at 7:15 PM today.

But before I get into that, a little bit about the atmosphere. It’s been a lazy, languid opening to Term, 4 at PGPX. Life is moving at a slower pace, and even the dogs at the campus are taking it easy. Term 1 and Term 2, the professors kept us busy between classes, and the dogs did their job nipping at our ankles when on the move from class to room and back. Something gives me the feeling that its part of the bloody curriculum. Not too sure about the Monkeys because they have put on a disappearing act.

I had a long walk off the lower lawn of LKP at about 9:30 PM. The dew had begun to settle in, and the toads hadn’t begun their orchestra yet. The air is heavy, pregnant with a thousand ideas that could germinate from the freshly cut grass or die like yesterday’s noisy crickets. I spent about 15 minutes admiring a large fruit bat, which was hoarding a banana up the peepul tree near RJM. From the chomping sounds, here was a one character that was having a good time.

The sounds and smells of the campus after sunset are unique. I could kick myself for ignoring these sirens, on days and nights when I have been hunching over useless excel sheets and formulas that have without exception reminded me of my general ineptitude towards anything to do with numbers.

LKP is lit up as always, a majestic force of human endeavour forever reminding all the ants scurrying across its face that time is their enemy and anonymity like old age, beckons around the corner.

MCC class number 1 had its mix of sceptics and enthusiast. Prof. Mehta comes from a varied background. He has done a little bit of everything from medicine to space science to neuroscience. He managed to sneak in a MBA and PHD as a lark. An interesting man. A gangling character who promised the class that in between thinking outside the box, expanding the limits of imagination, students would need to attend to the small matter of having their brains scanned at the beginning and exchange a few hellos with the resident jungle leopards at the end of the course. I found it interesting. The best part of the course? It’s at 7:00 PM in the evening. After getting the Japanese S**-SL*** treatment in the first two terms, I was beginning to question my sanity. Well, we are restored now, and the stars and moons can traverse across the night sky in all their splendour again.

More thoughts after the brain probe tomorrow………..

On Advaita Vedanta

On Advaita Vedanta

I was about 11 or 12 (1988 ?) when I first saw the movie - Adi Shankaracharya on a VCR/VHS tape. Those were the pre-satellite/cable days and everyone had a lot less choices but more time to invest in those choices. My dad brought home this tape , possibly his way of getting back at the more commercial/filmy tastes of the rest of the family.

I couldnt make out a single dialogue of the movie , but the subtitles were great.This is not an easy movie to sit back and watch - Its like a prolonged musical where Shankara and his learned disciples burst into verse and shlokas at the drop of their enlightened hats. And that too for an impatient pre-teen , whose only fear when watching the movie was that neighbourhood kid wouldnt start laughing at him for watching something so "uncool".

What kept me interested was the constant background refrain that started up whenever 2 principle characters showed up alongside Shankara. GV Iyer masterfully depicted Wisdom as a handsome young brahmin "Pragyan Sharma" and the other character as "Mrityu" or Death.

Possibly a year later I happened to get hold of an Amar Chitra Katha titled "Tales from the Upanishads". There were some wonderful pictures and stories , and I was enthralled by the story of King Janashruti and Raikva from the Chandogya Upanishad , and the story of Nachiketa and Yama.

It was not the case that I understood the deep wisdom and knowledge enshrined in these stories.But the movie and the comic books triggered a life long interest in understand the concepts of Advaita or Non-Dualism.


Adi Shankara was a game changer in many ways. An iconoclast , an anachronism. He ushered in the renaissance of Hindu Culture as epitomized by Vedic Dharma , rescuing it from the then blind religious practices and rituals espoused by the priesthood. In many ways he revived Hinduism in a similiar manner in which the writings of Dante and Petrarca triggered the European Renaissance in the early 15th century.

In those days , the common thought was that the only way to divinity or salvation(moksha) was through rituals , sacrifices and the belief that the Self (Atman) was different from the All pervading Life force (Brahman or God). This gave rise to the concept of a "Personal God" , who had to be propitiated through various means.Sometimes even through human sacrifices !!

Shankara gave new life to ancient texts known as the brahmasutras which themselves were commentaries by ancient sages on the Upanishads. These ancient scrolls were rotting away in ashrams and temples , uncared and forgetten.

Shankara discovered these texts , recognized their historical value and in doing so played the role of part-scholar , part-compiler , part-archivist and part-librarian. By rewriting , adding new dimensions and quoting from real world examples , he brought back these forgotten texts to the forefront of hindu religius learning.

He was also a great educationist and reformer , and successfully setup centers of excellence in all four corners of India. These centers still flourish as "Mathas" - in Dwaraka , Puri , Shringeri and in Joshimath tasked with the preservation and propogation of the Advaita system of thought.

There is something appealing about the principle of Non-Dualism. The axiom on which the entire edifice of advaita vedanta exists is that "Tat Tvam Asi". Thou are That. Thou , the Self and That , The Force/Brahman/God are one. When one realizes the importance of this unification , then you rise about petty thought processes , of singing praises of one god and ridiculing someone else religious leanings - towards another god.

This simplification of thought has its implications. Learning complicated rituals and God-Personalization is no longer the prerogative of the Upper cast hindus. Everyone has access to an omnipotent force or God and each person's individiual experience of God is his own. The caste system and the concept of idol worship becomes irrelevant. God is Anywhere and Everywhere !! Its the self that needs training to understand it.

Shankara's debates with scholars from other religious sects and thought schools and their subsequent acceptance of the relevance of non-dualism in daily life still hold meaning in today's world.

Too many wars or endless debates are centered around the fact that my religion is greater than yours. Its my way or the highway for religious extremists and is the major force obstructing human progress in this day.

Advaita Vedanta had answers to what plagued humanity in Mediaval India , and gave the entire hindu way of life a new foundation. Non-dualism is religion agnostic. Its a simple thought , and the concepts are still relevant in today's world of religious extremism.

IIM-A PGPX - At Last

IIM-A PGPX 6 , Class of 2012.

I have received an admit to IIM-A's 1 Year Full Time MBA program for Executives , Class of 2012.


For the uninitiated , IIM-A stands for Indian Institute of Management , Ahmedabad. For the acronymphiles , it also stands for WIMWI - A well known Institute of Management in Western India.

PGPX stands for Post Graduate Program for Executives leading to a Diploma in Management.

So why MBA ? Why PGPX ? How the heck did this happen ?

Most Indians are familiar with the status and reputation of the great schools of wisdom and learning that are the IIM's. And IIM-A represents the crowning glory of academic excellence.
Like most Indian Kids , I too dreamt of a day when a miracle might happen and I might walk the path hallowed by the Great thinkers , achievers , leaders and innovators of our times. Like every other kid , I too tried my hand at the CAT exam.Not once or twice , but four times.Miserable performance each time. I then realized that I wasnt cut out for this kind of examination. Maybe I wasnt good enough. Actually in hindsight , I was the laziest bum on this planet.It was a miracle that I made it to the exam hall each time.

I then forgot about the dream for a while and had a happy rollicking time at work , lazing around and doing exactly what I wanted and sleep walking through my job , work and career. In between , I kept moving around , taking on assignments in every part of the world , getting bored , returning back to India.At times , I found the verve and energy to finish projects or
assignments before my managers branded me as a happy-go-lucky vagabond.

Then I got married.And that was the turning point in my life. My wife , a very practical , focussed and determined individual , having to suffer a wierd drifter of a husband , decided to get down to pulling me back to Earth and ensuring that I landed back on my two feet.

From thinking to actually getting down to the nuts and bolts of applying for the PGPX course - Studying for the GMAT , applying to IIM-A , IIM-B , IIM-C and then writing the essays, giving the interviews etc , my wife gets all the credit for pushing me towards realizing my potential.

However for those who read this blog , the chronology of events that occured :

1. I had given GMAT twice , in 2004 and in 2006 - Scores 640 and 690.These scores were not valid for the 2010 application.

2. I then began preparation for the GMAT starting in April 2010. Studied in bits and pieces for about an hour every day , 4-5 hours on the weekends. Kaplan , Manhattan , Pearson etc as study material. Gave the GMAT on July 19th 2010. Got a 700. Wasnt too happy about it.

3. Applied to IIM-A PGPX , IIM-C PGPEX and IIM-B EPGP. Got interview calls from all 3 schools over a period of a month.

4. Gave the PGPX interview at Newark's Hotel Marriot on October 1st 2010. The interview lasted about 25 minutes. Two professors , including Professor Shailesh Gandhi , Chairperson of the program comprised the panel.I did not expect anything from the interview.To quote a previous PGPXian , I went in like a Sehwag.Back my timing , Get clean bowled or give the ball an almighty whack.It started out with an extempore topic "Pure science is a waste of time and money". Was given a few minutes to think....I stumbled and bumbled initially , but then gave a few good examples on how pure chemistry research forms the backbone of the pharma and biotech industries , how Oil and Gas exploration requires research in pure geophysics and geology etc.

Then they quickly shifted to replacing the word "Science" with "Arts" or "Sports". I gave example from TISS teaching social sciences(not sure whats that to do with arts) and how cottage industries require investment in arts and crafts from governments and corporate houses etc.How investment in sports education helps in sports medicine , professional fitness/training and so on.... I wasnt exactly fluent or suave or anything. Babbled a bit , but in hindsight , the
babble was backed with some decent examples.

Then the inevitable question on why PGPX ? Why MBA ? I spoke about my dreams here...nothing very practical , kind of philosophized about the education , what I want to do in life. In short , what saved me was that my answers were not rehearsed. In fact me and my wife had agreed that I would go into this interview fresh and think on my feet , rather than do
stage acting.Some questions were asked on my Japanese adventures some years back. That was the saving grace , I spoke about the culture , the difference in management views , way of life and work in Japan.The other professor asked me a few questions on Japanese history , literature and so on...I was able to answer that.That was it.I asked a few questions on the international immersion and size of the batch.Done ,and over with. Both profs kept smiling at me throughout the interview and I kept smiling and grinning back as if I was an comic actor in a Shakespearean play.

5. A few weeks later , on November 5th , Finally - I logged on to the website , and there it was , the acceptance offer. The Wandering Nomad without a clue in the world had finally found his Oasis of Learning in the vast desert.

6. Someone else asked me as to what kept me on track - it was the forum - pagalguy.com. Without sounding over-the-top , its the best forum for anyone who wants to understand the nitty-gritties of doing an MBA , with amazing , committed and enthusiastic contributors who strive to keep the spirit up and awake through the high and lows of the entire admission
process.

I look forward to ending my rather undistinguished stint in the US , a time spent in executing a project which did not mean anything much to me and my priorities in life , but one that gave me time to understand my work environment , think deeply , contemplate on my own shortcomings and failures. A time where I met some of the best people in my life at my workplace and
also made me appreciate my wife's determination, grit and commitment to success. They kept the candles lit in an otherwise dark period.

Its an exciting time as I interact and discover the great minds of today and the game changers of tomorrow - my fellow batch mates at PGPX 6. Though I am not a great fan of classical music , the ragas and verses of the great Tyagaraja Keertana "Endaro Mahanubhavulu" echo in the mind. In the state of achievement , dont forget - there are greater ones than you - "the Mahanubhavulu's" (Great minds).

I can only think that miracles can come true , Paolo Coelho's "when you want something badly , the world conspires to give it to you" is apt. My dream has come true , not early as it does for some of the luckier ones , but later , and for those it comes in late , the taste is much sweeter.

I cannot wait to return to my beloved India this month end , be back with family members and take off on a new journey through time , at IIM Ahmedabad. The farflungindian will finally find his roots.

Of Bulls and Bears

Bull or Bear ?

I've been investing in Stock Markets since 2007. Right. Brilliant. Middle Clas Indian , investing in the India's Growth Story. Seen two Bulls and one Bear cycle in 3 years.

One of my friends asked me , am I a Bull or Bear ? Neither I replied. I am a donkey.
At least a Donkey can bray , loud and clear , but all I can do is pray. Hope that IT midcap I picked up does well.Now PNB is a large bank a large cap , how the heck can it fail ? Now Whats wrong with DLF ? Are they sitting on land banks or on land scams ?

The stock markets are like the ancient Greek Agoras - A few wise men lording over the great teeming masses of fools. Someone said that a fool and his money are quickly seperated.How true.Investing , getting richer and going broke makes me realize that wisdom is an acquired intelligence-in-hindsight attribute.

You cant get wise without being a fool , however many men find ways to stay on the wisdom-less path and then bleat about not finding that mountain of light. That brings us to the earlier reference to donkeys since I have often walked that thorny path to nothingness littered with stop-losses.

Talking about markets , gets me thinking of these analysts and broking houses hammering away day in and day out , leading the herds from one disaster to another.These analysts remind me of a story that Jomo Kenyatta , founder of Kenya told an american journalist a while ago. Thus spake Kenyatta - When the missionaries came to Kenya , we(Kenyans) had the land and they had the bible. They told us to pray with our eyes closed.When we opened our eyes , we had the Bible and they had the land. Replace bible with buy/sell recommendations and land with cash and you can guess what I am alluding to.

Another great game is played by the chartists. This is an elite league and you have to pay a 10000 bucks per session webcast just to figure out what candlesticks , fibonacci sequences , head and shoulders patterns mean.I figured out that this is an evolved branch of science that targets the pseudo-intellectual investor who thinks that his approach to investing is based on a quantitative data analysis.Lincoln once said , some people can fool all people everytime , and on some occasions you can fool all the people , but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Well , Mr. Lincoln , you could never guess that the last condition is necessarily and sufficiently met in the stock markets.

However all said and done , investing is a fun game. Failure doesnt stop you.You have the power of will and motivation and sundry other ideas that mind-coaches came up with to give a false sense of optimism to the folks down in the dungeons.There are many more like you , life is like a wave , crests and troughs are part of the game. You win some and lose them. Every dog has its day (how about Donkeys ?).Stay invested, go the SIP and VIP route ,yeah , but make sure you have your clothes on finally.

But , dear reader , dont trust everything that I said just now about the Great Indian Capital Markets. I have made and lost my money. I am sadder and wiser. Now I am the higher end of the evolution cycle . My transition can boggle anthropologists and zoologists , going through from bull to bear to donkey to ape and finally back to Cro Magnon. The kind that now keeps his money in a nuclear bomb-resistant time vault.

Now how about that little outperforming small cap ? Hmmmm.....sounds good.What did that fund house just recommend ? Buy , Hold , Accumulate ? Whatever.





P.S - The aforementioned small cap zoomed by 200% between starting and ending this blog.Unfortunately , the author could not get his money out of his bomb-resistant vault in time. He has considered becoming a chartist since then. The kind who reads astrology charts....that is.

The Great American 4:30 Rush

Years and months pass. I find myself sitting in a cubicle. In the US. A great nation , a proud people , but I - A Speck , A dot. Populating a cubicle , with a few thumbtacks and yesterday's leftover coffee for company. A project , that's what I am here for , so says everyone....really ?

I don’t feel like working today. Its getting miserable, boring and I feel I am stuck in the wrong place, wrong job and the wrong time. The sun is shining outside, the world is turning and here I am stuck to a desk, waiting for something to emerge from the wash of time around me.

Some days the brain feels dead. It cannot plod on. Too many injustices done, the motivation plucked out, lying like a dead animal by the side. The effort is too much to even lift and deposit it in the bin.

People in a rush, in and out. It’s barely 4:00 PM. People at work, who rush to elevators with a sense of purpose, like a stream of muddy water gushing down the sink. Making gurgling sounds. To what end, God knows. Maybe impatient children to pick up, grouchy wives waiting at their workplaces, husbands car pooling. Whatever.

This is the kind of rush I see every day at work. People eddying around me like a strong current and I watch them move around me. I sit, like an unshapely stone in a river, fixed to the bedrock, but getting eroded all around. Generally by the time I overcome the inertia, its time for the housekeepers. Dusting, cleaning and wondering at the existence of the lone human in a vast building. Is he Man or Beast? Lurking suspiciously in the dim corridors like a Minor Minotaur.

But come to think of it ….I already feel better, I can feel the circulation back in my fingers. And I start feeling it in my legs now…. Maybe it’s my turn to run today. Yes, its 4:30 PM.

An Introduction

If think we must , then lets unbridle the mind, let it run,
naked,innocent,far seeing,childlike and omniscient.

If travel we must , then let the feet find their way,
stumbling,dragging,pushing,discovering,blazing a trail.


If blog we must , then let words flow , hither and tither,
thought-streams , unprovoked, unhindered , uninhibited.....

With that sextet , welcome to the blog of the Far Flung Indian. I am sometimes inhabiting multiple worlds,consciousness', thoughts and philosophies.Like Alice in Wonderland, the mad hatter and the queen of hearts are many a times my best friends.But before I declare my insanity , I invite you to read my random travelogues,my musings on life,philosophy,friendship,the art of survival and the craft of falling in and out of love.Of Life.