Agarwal, Khagesh

Why Apple Doesn't Need Steve Jobs - James Allworth, Max Wessel, and Rob Wheeler - Harvard Business Review

2011-08-25T22:51:00.000+05:30

Why Apple Doesn't Need Steve Jobs - James Allworth, Max Wessel, and Rob Wheeler - Harvard Business Review: As an organization overcomes challenges in order to complete tasks, it develops certain rules for addressing those challenges. As those rules are improved upon and prove increasingly successful at helping the company accomplish its tasks, they in turn become increasingly accepted within the organization. Eventually, those rules become habit and this is what we define as a corporate culture — the habits that have evolved within a company to accomplish its repeated tasks.

I see you......

2011-08-14T11:23:00.001+05:30

There I saw you today,
looking as elegant as you always did,
you were wearing pink,
the color which suited you the most,
the streak of happiness in your face,
and the laughter that followed...
...made me wonder why were we not meant to be,
for you said you loved me,
and so did I,
3 yrs of pain, and it still remains...
I wish you could hear me,
and read my feelings......

frozen THOUGHTS ...... a tribute to Rajen for his enlightening thoughts !!!

2011-08-08T14:15:00.002+05:30

Writing this article was something I aspired since the last week, but postponing my plan of penning down a manifested experience thinking whether I would be able to do justice to my thoughts by crystallizing them in the form of words. Finally, I think I have gathered the courage to go ahead with my plan. Any writer may suffer from the fear of effective crystallization of one's thoughts, but, this should pave way to overcoming the fear and penning down the best one is capable of, so here I go...

This blog relates to a number of years ago, precisely in 2003, when the movie Baghban had released, and a guy asked his friend who had just watched the movie for his reviews. The friend said, it's a lovely movie, and I'm sure you'll like it, and this guy indeed liked the movie. The entire play of emotions, empathizing with your near and dear ones is magnificently portrayed by the movie, and even the movie reviews in the news channels projected the change in feeling people witnessed after watching the movie. But, what makes wonder is the short-lived nature of this feeling. We as human beings have so subtle and frivolous mind which requires constant reinforcement to make one understand what is right and what is wrong. Ofcourse, there is no such thing as right or wrong, for, these word's are guided by one's conscience and mental maps, and we are no one to dispute that. I have also been a witness of the frivolous nature of my mind and the need of constant reinforcement, till I attended a lecture on "Where is this thing called Love."

This lecture was to be delivered by a person named T T Rangarajan, honestly speaking who I had never heard of. As per the schedule, I, accompanied with my sister landed up to the venue. Seeing the enormous gathering made me believe that the lecture would be interesting. Though I can't do justice to all the thought provoking and enlightening views of Rajen, however, I should at least make an attempt to show my honor to the great personality...

Time and again, we hear people speaking of religion, caste and creed. Well, if we have a column listing the religions (say, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Islamism, Hinduism, etc....), and another listing the names of the founders (say Buddha, Mohammed, Christ, Mahavira, etc...), then any one could match the two columns. But if we keep the first column intact and instead, have the second column as peace, helpfulness, tranquility, love, harmony.... will we be able to match the columns. I guess no one can, including myself. If the foundations of our conserved religious beliefs are so weak, then on what grounds do we speak of religion?

Right from the time a new day begins till the time the sun sets, we always crib about what we have and long for more... a person is not happy with his job and cribs every time, not realizing that the job he has may be someone's dream. We complain, demand, but never thank God for what we have. When we as human beings expect a decent compliment from anyone who we give something to or help out, wont the Almighty expect the same from us.... can we not, at least for a day, be thankful to Him for what we have..... yes we can, but alas, easier said than done !!!

Sometimes, small things in life can help us overcome much bogger problems in life. Like Rajen remarked, if a husband has complaints for the food his wife cooks for him, and he had been repeating the missing/excess salt in the food for 10 times in a row, it would not necessiate a quarrel to sort out the issue. A simple hug followed by "aaja janu, aaj tereko main apne haathon se khana khilaata hu," would do the magic. Same goes when the roti's are too hard to swallow. A small gesture of politeness would show the warmth of love and make the wife realize the taste of the food she cooks, and the enxt time, such mistakes would not be repeated. How novel a thought !!!

Rajen mentioned of an instance where people cry loud upon the death of a near and dear one. He said, these are the people who didnt care for them when they were alive, and now, they are regretting the very fact. Its a natural phenomena where we tend to forget those around us for small materialistic pleasures, and regret when it is too late..... forgetting the fact that at some point of time later in life, we will go thropugh the same pain and agony which they have been through. But then, the realization which seems to have dawned upon sooner or later, is far too late. Can we not change our attitude before its too late? Yes, we can....

Let's pledge..... pledge truth and self-less love towards all around us and see how beautiful the world really is. Lets strive to make a difference in the lives of those around us and see the difference.... difference in our attitude, with much control over our anger and negative emotions... a good and sound sleep when we lie down, and reciprocation of the same feelings from those around us.... Together we can make this world, a better place to live in... Amen !

Mobile Tariff H I K E !!!

2011-08-06T19:46:00.000+05:30

Time is on when majorly all the mobile service providers have started increasing the tariff rates.... this makes me ponder the justification of the same. While some may say that the cheap rates are not yielding much revenues, the other's would remark, what happened to the era of cut throat competition between the mobile service providers where we witnessed price wars !!! Well..... I happened to receive a series of sms' from my service provider announcing the change in schemes and tariff rates, but this made me wonder. I thought, while at one end, they talk of cost-cutting and increasing revenues, then why are they sending promotional messages to subscribers who had clearly expressed their dissent to the promotional messages? And, if these were not costing the service providers... why would they then hike the tariffs? Adding on to it, were the expenses on revamping the logo and brand image, which resulted in weak financial performance justified? Or, does it have something to do with the 2G & 3G telecom scams......... my mind still wanders !!!

What an MBA will do to you.... a layman's view !!!

2011-08-05T21:54:00.001+05:30

Let me begin this post with a small story.... years back, there was a small boy who had a very curious mind. Whenever he saw a person practicing a particular profession, he would aspire to do that when he grew old. Those days, Engineering was a hype as a career, but alas, his mother was never able to justify the various specializations in the course. For them, as well as the other common masses, it was just a specialized course which was much valued, and a person would be taught some aspects of all fields during the course of the study. Today, we have a number of disciplines in which one can pursue his/her engineering course.

This is just a small story of a small town guy, and my readers ask me why I narrated this, I would say, hold on till u read the entire note. Management, MBA, the hype of the current times. This guy graduated and went ahead to pursue his MBA, and during his college days, he used to wonder.... what's so unique, so peculiar about an MBA. Everything that was taught in the classroom as a part of the course curriculum, he found it very obvious. He thought, "Kotler defines the elements of marketing mix in terms of concrete words, which a layman might not be capable of, though what he says and quotes is something very obvious."

Management doesn't start in a B-School or ends with the same.... management is everywhere. Right from the start of the day when we wake up till the time we go to sleep, we are continuously involved in the process of management. We wake up and start managing our time by allocating time to our various tasks. When we leave home, we have to manage the cash we carry, decide on how we are going to satiate our wants with the resource we have (we call this as financial management). While we go to a shop to make our purchases, we have to decide among various alternative choices available (after all, its a capitalist economy which respects and advocates consumer sovereignty), and we tend to get influenced by the competitive pricing policy, the offers, packaging, etc. just to name a few (we call this marketing). Having made the purchases, we sit back and imaging whether our decision was correct or not.... whether we did the right thing by purchasing good A and not B, or vice-versa (human behavior, organizational psychology when the context is of an employee who has to decide where he should join work and where not; theory of cognitive dishonors et al)..... adding further, when we start our day with a news paper or a magazine and read about social issues, we tend to think if something could be done, and rack our brains for various methods of helping the deprives (and we call this social marketing or CSR in the context of organizations)..... then, this guy feels, why MBA. We have been managing ourselves since the day we gained our conscience..... whats so special about being in a B-School...

If I were to answer him, I would say...."Agreeing with you in most of the aspects, and to add on, MBA would facilitate you to change your viewpoint from a buyer to that of a seller.... from a user to that of a service provider..... and if you are facilitated well by your alma-mater, then your MBA is worth, else, you know, it really didn't make much of a difference. Moreover, it depends entirely on one as to how he/she wants to broaden his/her horizon.... to make a difference and strive to change the world around. As the director of my organization once remarked on how he learnt about 'Brand Management'- I learnt it by visiting kirana shops across the markets of Kerala and selling P&G products.... Going on further, lets analyze a few real-life encounters we face in our day-to-day lives-

1. We are leaving for work and need to take an auto.... we bargain with the auto-wala bhaiya. He quotes a figure depending on the situation, the traffic, the weather (sometimes, its a perfect competition where majorly all auto-wala bhaiya's are willing to go as per the metered reading, and at other times, its a monopoly when the traffic is huge or when its late at night or when its raining). Tarry a little.... do they know what these economic jargon's mean.... infact, they implement these facets of life without formally being taught such situations or evidences, forget the case studies of the MBA school which boast of teaching us such jargons. Similarly, when they see you are with a girl, they would quote a higher figure knowing well that you won't bargain much as your image will get tarnished....

2. You are in the market place when a beggar approaches you and begs for some quick bucks. Initially, you scorn off the person and say khulle paise nahi hai, aage jaao..... but the person keeps on begging till the time you shell out some bucks... that's what I call marketing. Do we ever think of inviting a beggar to teach how he/she is able to market so well and convince people to shell out money without even rendering any service whatsoever?

These are very crude examples to explain my thought-process of what management and its various disciplines mean to me. Summarizing my thoughts, I would just say that Management is within oneself. One can not learn real management from books. These small day-to-day encounters will facilitate to imbibe and understand what management is all about. When you need to face a client, the way you have interacted with people from different walk's of life would be of much more help than the thick management books. Talk to people, change your perspective from that of a buyer to a seller (and this would improve your ability to empathize too), you learn and eventually master the art of management. I say art, for the simple reason that management is always evolving, and every one has his/her own style of managing things. Going by the conventional knowledge is important to the extent that it shall strike you to come up with something novel and different.... never think of yourself less than an IIM grad, for everyone is equally capable. Its just the way we hone our outlook towards the small aspects of life..... don't remain confined to the disciplines that management courses offer in the name of specializations, coz your success would depend on knowledge of all the disciplines.....be smart, agile, responsive, and think from the perspective of a seller rather than a buyer to master the art of management !!!

the journey back to delhi: day 2 (somehow, even this was saved in the drafts, and relates to the story exactly a year back)

2011-07-27T12:24:00.001+05:30

Tomorrow, I have my flight to Delhi from the airport here. I’ll be back amidst my friends and well-wishers in the next 24 hours. We would be together, at least for the next one year, after which, we don’t know where we all head towards. Today was indeed a hectic day, as I had to do some shopping amidst the hot and humid weather here at Siliguri. Another fact was that I would not be able to meet my parents for the next few months. 10 days at home flies so fast, while it’s so difficult to remain focused in a class of 90 minutes.... strange, isn’t it??? The good part of the story is, I would be staying confined within my close friends here at Delhi. When I am staying with my near and dear ones, the external factors like weather, climate et al don’t matter much.

Here at Siliguri, I met my aunts and my cousin brothers and sisters. It was delightful, meeting them after such a long gap. However, I am yet to know why destiny is playing so weird games with me. Sometimes, I feel that there is no connection between me and you, while at the others, I have a mixed reaction when I see your number flashing in my cell phone. I am yet to know what is really going on.... I feel that the call was meant to invade my self-respect. If that be the case, then I tell you, it’s not happening anymore. Like I’ve told before, I can stoop, but at the same time, I won’t allow you or anyone else to break me. I was professional enough in my approach because I replied to you upon discovering the unanswered call... and I believe, the text that I wrote to you was sufficient enough to address your concern. So be it then, I don’t have any complaints. As long as I can be answerable, I would be. After all, I respect you and your privacy, and the least I can expect from you would be you not making the slightest attempt to disturb my state of mind by invading my self-respect.

Let bygones be bygones, as the phrase goes. Let’s bury the past and see the bright future that lies ahead of each one of us. Monday, I enter into the final year of my course. Last year, it was a step into a new beginning, and this year, it would be a step towards the end of the journey. Tomorrow and day after would witness the start of an existing journey towards the end. Hoping that things would be pretty fine... nay, exciting. Let me end this blog for the day, as my USB mouse is malfunctioning, and I don’t wish to rub my fingers through the touch-pad time and again for rectifying the grammatical errors. Goodnight folks...

how life changes after MBA..... (it was written long back, but didnt get published)

2011-07-27T12:23:00.000+05:30

When we were young, things were so easy..... everything required by us were given to us, as and when we wanted it.... no worry of cooking food or washing clothes, no tensions of exams because parents and elders were always there to sit with us and help us prepare... time was never enough when it came to playing. Slowly but yet swiftly, school life came to an end and while hunting for a college, we sat down together, cherishing all the good and bad moments. Frequent hangouts and get-together's used to be the theme those days. Then, slowly we get enrollments to different colleges across the country, meet new people and make new friends. The journey continues....

Every other day, we have so much to learn from. We meet people from different walks of life, may be while we are travelling by a local transport, while at the bank or office, while at a restautrant or a fast food joint, or while shopping. We get to hear from them, and we speak to them on how we feel about a particular issue. We come back home after the day's work, talk to our room-mates and family about what all happened during the day.... life feels great...So why not start sharing???

MBA... the next big thing, which, perhaps is the common link between all of us here. We have been associated with the same institute during the past fourteen glorious years, and we have seen the crests and troughs that came. During our life as a student, we made new friends, learned new theories and principles at class, and did all kind of fun-activities. Was the study of the books written by Philip Kotler, Ashwath Damodaran, Stephen Robbins or Dave Ulrich the end of our MBA. Securing a corporate job and settling down.... is that all it? I guess not.... because we have a logn way to go.

I'm sure we all have our profiles on Social Networking Sites like facebook or Linkedin, but what's the use? When I ask this, I mean to question the human nature of interacting with thousands of unknown people across the globe, and forgetting our own collegues and juniors. Why not share each other's experiences in the common platform where we all stand.... Of my lectures during the first year of MBA, I vividly remember Dr. R. L. Raina speaking on different forms of communication, and he said, maximum weightage is given to "Listening" as a form of communication. We, the budding managers are waiting for our seniors to speak. We want to hear from them about their corporate experience, about the different types of business decisions they made, about their success stories and the failures too (if any). We want to know how you contributed towards the growth of your organization. We want to learn from your mistakes, such that when we land up at the corporate, we don't make the same mistakes.

In my personal domain, I still feel connected to my alma-mater, my school and graduation college. Whenever something BIG happens in my life, I write to my teachers. Whenever I feel I've accomplished something, they are always there to listen to me. I'm sure that not only the institute administration, but the students as well want to hear you speak. We want to have a healthy platform where we can interact. No matter what, the brand LBSIM will always be there with us, and it will undoubtedly keep us connected.

At this note, I request all our seniors and super-seniors to mentor us and guide us to the path of success...

Can we strive to make a D I F F E R E N C E ??

2011-07-27T12:21:00.003+05:30

Time and again, the thought of doing somethign fro the society has moved me, shaken me by my roots.... but then, fighting one's way in the matrrial world and racing amidst millions of others has always prevented me from pondering upon this cause.... this reminds me of the time when I had joined work after graduating fresh from college. I was undergoing an emotionally traumatical phase of my life, and every day when I saw the cleaning staff doing their activities, I used to wonder.... what can we do to make them feel happy? Like we celebrate social events like bring your kids to work day, can we have an event once a year where we interchange our roles, in the sense that we perform the tasks that they perform, while they live a life as our's, just for a day !!! going forward with this belife, I would like to associate a principle of utilitarianism wherein its promulated that every one should have equal pie of wealth, ir-respective of their contribution to the nation's total production. But then, critics have always been of the view that this would hamper productivity and growth, as those capable would not be motivated enough to work, and will ultimately lead to negative productivity. Having an event where we get to interchange our roles, for a small period of time on a periodic basis would then, help us over come the critical aspect of the utilitarian view...

I don't know how and when I can do something.... something nobel enough to attain the inner satisfaction, because, in my view, it's all about management, and the outcome shall be all-pervasive. We are much aware of the level of corruption and scams surrounding our nation, and the various protest's in the form of anti-corruption campaign's like the Lokpal Bill; but do we ever think of being a part of the mainstream politics and ensuring that the bebefits reach the targeted set of audience. To add on, yesterday, I was reading about the frequent strikes and lockouts by the labor union in the Auto Manufacturing Units across India over the years, and the primary reason being discrimination between permanent and contractual work-force as the primary and most important reason. Thousands of people migrate to urban areas from the rural areas in search of alivelihood and to earn a living, but then, they all face discrimination and exploitation in the hands of the rich corporates and the contractual labor agencies. And yet, we speak of sound corporate governance policies and CSR... The same article carried a comment that if the MNREGA was efficiently implemented, then the problems arising out of urban migration could have been minimal and managed much efficiently. So, can we do something???

Sharing a video here which depicts how small things could make a difference:

Lets all strive to make a difference...... let me know if you feel I can contribute in any way towards any nobel cause in thy mind.... Let Peace Prevail.... Amen !

out of the blue....

2011-07-26T20:50:00.000+05:30

Really don't know what I am going to write here..... confused, peoplexed and tired am I. Wondering whether I should write about the "donate your used clothes" campaign being run at the Pantaloons retail chain across the country, or the good times I had over the last weekend.... let me make a sequence and share a few of my past experiences...

Shopping spree..... after much hesitation, I finally landed up at a retail store with my sis to shop, and picked up a couple of shirts (ofcourse, she paid the bills). Saturday was fun-filled, as it was her birthday. We watched a movie, followed by some evening snacks. We barged towards a restaurant as both of us were equally hungry, but since it was closed for cleaning et al, we went to the neary pub where I quenched my thirst for a drink and urge for a smoke (Firangi-Paani, as it is known), and post our evening cocktail session, we made our way to the restaurant (Sahab Singh & Sultan), a restaurant famous for its north-indian cusines. My friends Isht and Rahul joined us for dinner, and they got with them, a potion of delicious choco-trufle pastry (yummy, wasn't it)? Sunday was a good day too, as we went for a bowling spree with my office colleagues, followed by dinner at an ethinic restaurant Tansen and back home.

The thing which was most intensifying during these two days of fun-filled activity was my melancholy and seriousness....to which my sister remarked, "Khagesh, you are happy when you are with your friends." I really don't know what made her say so, but, I know deep within how true she was. I never knew when I was happy the last..... whether it was during the stay at 128 X 12 X 3 (sorry for the jargon, it actually relates my flat no. at dwarka where I stayed with my colleagues), the countless moments filled with joy and happiness.... those days of alcohol abuse, smoking spree, dope.... cooking at midnight, sleepless nights when we played cards.... its all memories now. One thing I would always relish would be the friends I made during my MBA: Ankit, Deepesh, Saurabh, Sulabh, Mounis, Rahul, Prashant, Lokesh, Shalove.... I can proudly say, my MBA has been a success.......

Here's the song which I am listening to while I write this blog post......

A sense of purpose of life.... an answer to my previous question W H A T N E X T ???

2011-07-16T00:48:00.001+05:30

Well..... integrated my blog to my fb account..... fb interconnected to twitter, linkedin, msn.... life is full of interconnections and its all up to the individual as to how much one really wants to harness the potential of social networking and making contacts..... just a start to a new blog post, for, this is not something I intend to write about...

Winner's curse, a term which we studied in Economics, or rather, Consumer Buying Behavior (which had its origin from Festinger's Theory of Cognitive Dishonour, to some extent)..... I can really bet of my deep understanding of this term, given my current state of mind and affairs.... in the current state of despair, there always have been my well-wishers, who keep me motivated to pursue my career objectives.... and in times of dismay, I can always look up to them for all help and guidance. This is what I call true networking, and I am proud to have you all around...

Now, what next.... just wait and watch folks..... I'll do things that I've always wanted to do, and I'll be doing it my way, come what may !!! And, for the cynical people around, who I don't want to name personally, I shall meet you next year with full determination and confidence, and face your cheapness !!!!

Axis Bank e-wallet

2011-06-30T21:06:00.000+05:30

Ahem.... quite a long gap I must say.... today i am writing about the new feature known as axisbank e-wallet.... where the customers are given the convenience to transfer cash from their account to a virtual e-wallet account.... and if the amount remains unutilized for the next 24 hours, in part or full, the same gets credited back to the account.

Now, whats in for the bank to allow extra facility to the customers by the name of an e-wallet, when the same facility is offered by the debit card or the online banking platform.... the catch here is that the RBI has revolutionized the interest regime. Earlier, banks used to pay interest on the savings ac balance on the minimum amount between the 8th and the last day of the month. For instance, if a customer had a balance of 1 lac for all the days of the month, except for a day when he had a zero balance for a day, he would bnot be paid any interest for the month. However, earlier this year, the RBI changed the rule saying that the interest computation should be based on the daily balance (closing) and accordingly, going by our example, the A/c holder would now be entitled to receive interetst on the 1lac balance for 29 days.

Now going back to our start, where we are actually discussing about the e-wallet. Using this facility, the customer transfers the money to a virtual A/c, and if the customer doesn't utilize the amount, the bank would not be required to pay interest on that amount, as it is debited from the customer's bank account, while the money is still lying with the bank. Hence, in order to make the offer sound lucrative, the bank has offered a cash back of Rs 50 for the first time users..... what an idea sirjee !!!

opportunity cost...... missed opportunities???

2011-03-05T21:35:00.002+05:30

As students of management, we all must be familiar with the concept of ‘Opportunity Cost.’ It may be defined as the cost of the next best alternative which one could have purchased using the similar resources. For e.g., if we have 20 rupees and we can purchase 1 glass of juice or I recharge voucher using the same resource, and if we decide to purchase the glass of juice, then the opportunity cost of the glass of juice is the recharge voucher (the next best alternative). The concept of opportunity cost has its origin from the scarcity oriented definition promulgated by noted neo-classical economist John Maynard Keynes. He said that economics is a study of the relationship between ends and scarce, which have alternative uses. He outlined that on account of scarcity of resources, there is a problem of choice that arises as human wants tend to be unlimited and the problem is further aggravated by the multiplicative/alternative use of resources.

Now considering the concept of opportunity cost as defined above, I would try to stimulate a new area of thought, considering an example of a student who has a job and has secured admissions for MBA. If he chooses to join the college, then going by the conventional concept, the opportunity cost of the education would be the amount of fees that has been paid (which could have been used for some alternative purposes), and the salary forgone on account of leaving the job. However, if we add a new dimension to this concept, we can notice a structural shift in the concept. Considering the fact that the student has joined the institute for his further education, he may have to stay away from home and remain devoid of the company of his family during the tenure of the course. There may be certain tasks which he was well equipped with, and now, he is not present to carry them. Also, there may have been some extra-curricular activities he would have had carried out, but being away from home would not allow him carry them out. Should we not include such concepts while arriving at the calculation of opportunity cost???

Smoking in Indian Railways

2011-01-01T00:13:00.000+05:30

It is a well known and accepted fact that smoking and consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited in the Indian Railways, but every now and then, we can see people smoking in the railway platform and even inside the train in the lavatories mostly. We also see people consuming alcoholic beverages inside the train, much to the dismay of the co-passengers. It often occurs in my mind: "Can something be done about it?" Well, indeed, we can act upon such prohibited habits by being more agile and responsive in our approach. We as corporate citizens can express our dissent when we see such things happening around us. But then, where's the role of the government? The Government perhaps need to be more agile. If smoking is prohibited in the Railway premises, then the state machinery should be strict enough for not allowing sale of tobacco products in the railway premises. It is a frequent sight that redi-waala's sell cigarettes and pan-products in the railway compartments. If the so called "no-smoking" tag be adhered to, then how did that vendor make its way to the railway compartment. What were the security personnel doing at the time they made entry to the railway premise? By and by, many such instances take place around us in our day-to-day life, and we discern them thinking that its the way thing goes, no one can do anything. But its then our duty to improve things. A small act of improvement today will sow the seeds for a better tomorrow, and our future generations shall not witness the shame and agony we have been a part of, or, so to say, a victim to.

This new year, let us all take a pledge to contribute to the social upliftment in any possible manner, whether its a small step whatsoever.

vagueness of the coefficient of elasticity of supply and production decisions

2010-12-05T15:05:00.000+05:30

Theoretically quantity supplied refers to the amount of the commodity which producers are willing to produce and offer for sale at a given price at a given price at a given time. In this regards, we should consider the intended output as the quantity supplied of the commodity at the given price level. However, we cannot undermine the impact of inventory (goods not sold) on the production decisions. Since the amount of stock in hand will effect our decision with regards to the quantity to be produced, we can safely assume that the quantity supplied will include a mark-up based on the inventory level. Moreover, the production decision is an interplay of factors like the economic condition, the price and advertisement elasticity of demand, the nature of the industry and the scale of production at which the firm is operating, in addition to the inventory levels. Since we are not in a position to segregate the individual effects of the factors mentioned above on the production decisions, we move on with the assumption that the intended output is the quantity supplied at the given price level and at the given time.

whats happening

2010-11-29T02:07:00.002+05:30

few days left for the college to get over...... placements, parties et all...... let these days not end soon.....

ok...

2010-10-16T15:35:00.000+05:30

ok..... now that u have finally stopped haunting my dreams..... i'm glad !!! but why do u appear at the institute..... therez dis gul in some other class who looks so much so like the way u look...... y on earth are you chasing me and haunting me.,..... please leave me alone, coz i am happy the way i am

happiness

2010-09-30T13:51:00.002+05:30

Let go off those fancy memories I once had..... those fancy memories I once cherished..... and all those moments I aspired.....

I wanna live this life without any more agonies..... without the daggers you have been running through my heart. You said that I have turned you into a stone..... well, for your kind information, its the other way round now. And this is the last time I am writing about you in my blog. Stop haunting my dreams.....

again...... you did it all again

2010-09-29T10:23:00.000+05:30

Finally, you showed your might.... by brutally hurting me again. It was you who once said we could be friends, and then, out of the blue, you say its too late to be friends. Well, I am not a philosopher nor a prolific writer, but all I can say is that "Its never too late..... " as an old saying goes. I believe you must have heard the same too...

Breach of trust and brutal stabs in my heart has been so subtle an activity that thou didn't even hesitate to do it for the second time. When everything was like over, and we were not in touch, you message me out of the blue apologizing to me for hurting me so badly, and say, you were set aback. Well, being sorry is not all-pervasive like i used to say till now.... it is the realization of one's mistake that absolves him/her from the past deeds. Now I am certain, that realization is far too difficult for you, and the rhetoric one-liner's will no more sway me. You've appeared in my dreams, chased me and made me have sleepless nights, with rheumy eyes, but I guess till now, I felt connected to you. I so wish that I come out of this mess as soon as possible, so that I could live my life like the way I used to, before I met you. I so wish that I had some mechanism using which I could erase those past memories, the very thought of which makes me feel like a dagger running through my heart.

Almighty, I pray thee, please forgive me for my misdeeds, and help me forget those days, the memories of which I always cherished. Though you have breached my trust and taken away my happiness by inflicting such pain in me, I hope you never have to undergo such stance, because I doubt whether you would be able to handle the mental trauma.

indeed.... thou art stressed

2010-09-29T00:37:00.000+05:30

Although you may feel that I am not associated with you anymore, I can feel the pain you are feeling within yourself. From all that I can make out, and more so, from the intuitive feelings that I derive, I can very well understand your plight. I wish I were near to you to comfort you at this hour, when, I feel, you need me the most. I wonder whether you still feel whether I could ease your anxiety like the way I used to, whenever you were stressed out relating to something or the other, although even then, I was not near you but our souls were inter-connected and we were in constant touch over the phone.

Now that we are apart, I still aspire to get one chance, so that I can prove to you and to the rest of the world which has hurt you so bad, that, true love lasts till eternity.... and that, one really does not require words to express one's feelings or anxiety. The weak inter-connections between our souls, if not strong, are enough to make me sense your feelings.

If not as your perfect-guy, take me as a good friend and confide your feelings in me. As always, it would be a pleasure to hear from you....

MP3

2010-09-23T00:58:00.000+05:30

Yesterday and today, this song was played .... once by my friend last night and today in the FM... and it was none other than mera pehla pehla pyaar from the movie bearing the same title. Every time I listen to this song, I go back to my past memories.... There was once a time when I used to love watching this movie, especially because we were friends then, and I was able to relate her pic to the girl Ayesha in the movie. By and by, as things progressed, I got emotionally attached. Today, things are not the same. I cant just listen to the song or watch the movie because the very reason why I was so close to the movie is no longer a part of my life...

Another instance that I am reminded of is the movie Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.... we had planned to watch this movie together but somehow, we couldn't just make it. Subsequently, she saw the movie and told me not to watch the movie because she felt that the story of the movie was pretty much similar to the situation we were encompassing. I adhered to her advice and refrained from watching the movie.... gradually, things passed by and then, uncanny things happened. Upon my arrival at Delhi, and gradually, when I saw this movie, I realized the truth in her words. My room mate always watched this movie, and I too have watched it with him, thinking of my past and relating how similar things were. Today, I only hope that the ending potrayed in the movie is relative to my life and I also regain what I lost..... please people, wish me luck !!!

a new vow....

2010-09-22T05:08:00.000+05:30

I guess it is now the opportune time to take another vow.... a vow, to regain the lost faith and have you back, my happiness. The last time I had taken a vow, it was for about 5 weeks I gave up something.... and I almost reached the satisfaction level. This time, it is going to be more stringent and difficult to achieve,

I am making it official today. After the incessant smoking during the exams, unlimited playing of cards, screwed up exams and the much unintended expression of anger, I declare that I shall be smoke free from Monday onwards.... and I sincerely hope that if I would be able to keep up to it for the next 40 days, I will be proud of myself to have honored my vow of regaining your faith, my dear...

finally..... gud news!!!

2010-09-21T18:10:00.000+05:30

Finally, the exams has come to an end, but a couple of my friends have their papers tomorrow and the day after, coz of which I would have to hold back. Nevertheless, after much of hassles me and my friends have seen for the past couple of days, things have now eased the way we see the calm after a hailstorm. I was fortunate enough to read something very unexpected while we were sitting back at night. It was something I had been longing for a long time..... something I had thought I would never get to hear. It was like a fantasy, a dream come true..... this line always comes by itself whenever something opportune is around. Good enough I guess.....

Tomorrow's counselling session I was longing for, seems deferred for some time. But seriously, thy presence would absolve me of these philosophical discourses..... it was indeed, a pleasure to hear from you. Hope I get this chance sooner again....

exam time

2010-09-14T02:29:00.002+05:30

time to play cards, smoke and part hard...

Independence Day

2010-08-15T17:31:00.003+05:30

I have faint memories of the Independence Day Celebrations way back at Sikkim during my school days. It was a fun event for us, where we used to dress in colorful clothes and perform in the school activities, carrying the Indian Flag and running through the streets.... going to the Paljor Stadium to see the march-past.... So much so that it actually becomes difficult to convert those feelings into sentences. Yet, I have a very clear memory of the poem that my school principal Dr. S. K. Srivastava used to recite during the daily morning assembly. Among the many poems he used to recite, the one which I liked the most and still remember is an excerpt from Rabindranath Tagore's GITANJALI. The poem goes like this:

WHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

In this poem, Rabindranath Tagore has dreamed of a country which is free from any fear and people live harmoniously.... where the barriers between human race such as racism and casteism and its like is non-existent..... where people work endlessly to achieve success in life..... where the reasoning power and ethos of human race has not been overpowered by the human lust for power, envy for others and the like.... where the human mind is let forward by the Almighty into better and better thoughts-and-actions..... into a heaven of Freedom where every one is treated equally....

This is how I interpret this poem. This is Tagore's imagination of a Utopian world and sad enough, the present situation of Indian populace is disheartening. People have become so materialistic in their approach that they have deviated from the bigger purpose of life..... the very purpose of life and their existence. We seek to forget that God is one and that, within each one of us, there is God. We tend to divide ourselves among the lines of race and caste, and seek to become powerful at other's cost, deriving benefit at the cost of other persons. These things are evident everywhere..... people are bestowed with power but they ultimately start misusing it because of their approach towards life which is materialistic. In many cases, people don't know how to handle power......

This is a matter of great concern..... I have been bestowed upon with the faith and confidence of my close ones... and I am making an earnest attempt to do justice to their confidence, making an attempt to make things better for the entire lot..... hope the Almighty helps me and supports my endeavor.... and come what may, prevent me from deviating from my goal and focus..... Help me become fearless by helping me lose the worries and tensions that surrounds each one like me..... kindle the faith within me and bestow me with confidence.... Amen!

maggi maggi maggi

2010-08-02T22:46:00.000+05:30

Its been quite some time since I've had written something in my blog, which I refer to as my digital diary... many instances happen and they surpass.... its like the day follows the night and the night follows the day. Everyday, we meet new people and interact with them. Every such instance, among the many others, act as a source of great learning for us. Indeed, this is what I believe life is... and life has to go on.

Its after a gap of more than 2 yrs that I played Table Tennis. It was fun. The cook didn't turn up today and I cooked Maggi noodles for myself and my friends.... and after satisfying our hunger, we headed towards the Recreation room to play TT..... man, I tell u, it was fun... After coming to Dwarka, Maggi is a regular diet for each one of us.... and it takes much more than 2-minutes to cook delicious maggi with vegetables and toppings...

when i grow older, i will be stronger

2010-07-11T20:09:00.000+05:30

the title happens to be a one-liner from the video of wavin' flag.... the official theme of FIFA I guess. Every second day, we are growing older and progressing as a human being. We see the up's and down's, that are a part of the so called complex life which is unavoidable. Sometimes, the troughs of our life try and hold us back but we should be sanguine to come out and move on.... for me, now its the time to move on...

I always had a dream within me, to give the love someone deserved to get long back, but due to some thoughts, I wasn't able to deliver cent percent. Now, I don't have the chance and I no longer want to keep that love suffocated within me.... let me unleash myself now. Let me now be the Taurean Bull without the leash.... doing all that I wan't to.... and in the process, let me grow strong and bold !!!

ok....

2010-07-11T01:04:00.000+05:30

ok.... i guess this was it.... we met one fine day, were together for some time and departed, like the way we were in a journey travelling to some destination. We know that we were not meant to be... it was nice knowing you as a person.

Happy new life... you wished me and i whole-heartedly accept it. Let me now try to do something substantial and progress... let this new beginning be celebrated. Satya, my long-time school friend is here, and we are enjoyin the chilled beer with some other stuffs.... let this new beginning be a turning point in my life and hope it brings me happiness, and to you too..... good luck and Amen!

40 days and 40 nights

2010-07-08T21:59:00.001+05:30

Today I happened to watch the video, Aviation: You were my Everything, the very song that always reminded me of my girl when I was in a relationship.... and when I told her about this song, she always iterated that the song describes how the guy had been hurt by the girl. Things apart, this song still reminds me of you.... and when I happened to see the lyrics of this very song today, I felt so connected.... it was very easy for me to associate myself with the song, given the situation which I am going through.

Long back, I had watched a movie titled "40 Days 40 Nights". In this movie, the guy was dumped by the girl and he vowed something for 40 days and 40 nights, and when he kept up to his promise, he got what he wanted. Although I wont say that I was dumped, in the same manner like the guy in the movie, yet I think I'll vow something.... to do away with something, which I am not very comfortable to share in this digital diary. This vow is in an attempt to win you back.... lets see whether or not I am successful. To the readers of my blog, I would like to post the video of the song which I was just talking about:

i wana grow old with you

2010-07-07T23:36:00.000+05:30

Sometimes, I really wish I could be this guy for you, who will hold your hands till eternity and be there with you forever.... in happy moments as well as in da sad ones. Its just a matter of fact that when I had that chance of being the Mr. Right, I freaked our and committed blunders, and today, when I am a more disciplined and more gentle in my approach, I've lost something as valuable and precious, as you. Nevertheless, I aspire to wait, wait till time permits me to, for another chance... However, even if my wait is not worth, I would always hope that you are happy wherever you are coz its all dat matters for me.... somewhere, we both know that each of us has brought so many changes in the other person through our actions, and I just hope they are for our own good and betterment. Really don't know what should I write now... let me quote something which you had said- "Love the person who loves you, and not the one who doesn't love you..."

Hoping thy to recognize the truth of my love for you

you are the inspiration

2010-07-07T00:53:00.001+05:30

busy and hectic schedule indeed.... don't even know how "time flies". Playing cards, sitting and talking with friends, college assignments and my daily dose of sleep leaves me with no time for blogging. You are a strong force, that inspires me to take out time and write. I never thought we would talk so casually after all that actually happened between us....

Tonight, I feel very cold and numb. The thought that I was a step closer to you now vanished in a moment. It was like, all in vain. But your happiness id all pervasive, for, I don't long for anything more. The very fact that you are happy makes me feel content. Remembering the old song of Avril (I'm with you...), its lyrics and the video, I can realize how I can associate myself with it so easily. I feel so lost... waiting in the dark, listening but therez no sound.... wish that someone comes and makes an attempt to find me, and help me discover my real self. I don't know my real self now (take me home).... its all blurred.... wish therez someone who takes me by my hand to somewhere new, don't know who you are but.... I wanna be with that someone......

the journey back to delhi: final day

2010-06-21T02:20:00.002+05:30

Well, here I am, at the Guwahati airport, waiting for the flight to take off to Delhi. Unfortunately, my flight to Delhi is via Guwahati and I have to be on-board for at least 4 hours. I never found a flight comfortable, and I still stick to it. Waiting for the baggage screening, and then, lining up at the airline counter to collect the boarding pass, at a hot and humid day is tiring in itself. Better option is to board a Rajdhani train, which at least has the AC perfectly working. Inside the airline too, its pretty humid and uncomfortable. Here I am, sitting by the window seat, writing this blog.

At the airport, after completing the formalities, I headed towards the airport restaurant. I had seen a couple of familiar faces at the airport, and was hoping that they are not seen around while I was at the restaurant. There I enter a restaurant, the only one of its kind inside the Bagdogra airport and see the familiar faces sitting right in front of me in the next table. Since the weather was very hot and humid, and given the tiring check-in experience and the hectic 4 hours journey on-board, I thought of having some beer, which is locally brewed at Sikkim and I would be staying devoid of it for some months, until I come back home for a vacation. I placed an order and sipped through the chilled “molten gold”. A school friend of mine always referred to alcohol as “molten gold”. The last time I was under the influence of alcohol was way back in the year 2005, when I was going to Kolkata with a few of my friends. We had carried alcohol with us, and drank it during the journey in the train. Although consumption of alcohol is not permissible in the Indian Railways, we still did. Had anyone questioned us, we could have easily said “we are not consuming alcohol, and nowhere is it mentioned that it is not permitted to carry alcohol.” And the next time is today, when I consumed a bottle of Dansberg Blue, my favourite brand among all the given brands of beer.

I believe I have paid well in advance for some veg dish, while I was making my travel plans and booking the ticket. I am yet to know whether we would really be served the dish or not. As such, I am not even carrying the itinerary with me to confirm my belief. Only time will tell us whether I would really be served with the food.... now it’s time to relax in the uncomfortable seat with some music...

the journey back to delhi: day 2

2010-06-21T02:19:00.004+05:30

the journey back to delhi: day 1

2010-06-21T02:19:00.000+05:30

Well.... finally, my days at home are over. It’s now time to go back, back from amidst my family and school friends, to amidst my college friends. The trip was a good one, as I met my best friends after a gap of over 8 months. I also met my relatives and college teachers. Throughout the trip, there was one thing that pre-occupied my mind almost always. It was all related to you, and I believe, my friends are able to guess this person who was in my mind throughout. Every single moment, there was something or the other I kept on thinking. My life is pretty messed up, since the day you appeared in my dreams. I never imagined that we could talk on the phone for over an hour, after all that we’ve been through in the past one year. It was truly a miracle that took place. I also never imagined that as soon as I reach back home, all the newly built connection with you will get lost. It was also something much unexpected, a miracle may be. I really don’t know why I am unable to move on. All long, I thought I had moved on. Was I fooling myself then, or am I fooling myself now, I am yet to know. The sooner I get the answer, the better it would be. If I ask others, everyone will have their own answers, but I am looking for the answer that would come from within me. Simply put, my life is in a mess. I know not, whether, what Linda Goodman writes about people belonging to different sun-sign’s is correct. If I believe what she has written about Taureans, then, I tell you, she’s very true, given the complexities of my life.

Today also, while I was on my way to Siliguri, I was remembering every moment of the conversation we had when you were leaving from Gangtok and you were on your way back home. I was also feeling sad, exactly the way you said you were at that time. No wonder, history does repeat itself. As they say, true worth of something is realized after we lose it, and you would also agree upon it. But, you are not just a thing, because for me, you meant everything, and you still mean a lot. I don’t care what all happened in this gap, all I care about is you, just you.

As the golden words of love goes, “If you love someone, you let it go. If it is really yours, it would come back.” You had let me go away from your life long back, and I also didn’t make a move to come back. It may be so that I was weak from within, lacking the courage to make a come-back. But, finally, I showed up. I made an attempt to come back. I feel content that I let you know my true intentions when I spoke to you. Now, I am waiting for you to come back. It is the test of time for me, and I am ready to face it. I am ready to wait for you to come back. If my love is true, you will make a come-back. Only time will tell me the answer.

I feel so content writing all my feelings in this blog. I know not whether you would ever read it, but, at least, I wrote what I feel. May be, at some point of time, you’ll read it. That would seriously be an achievement for me.... after all, your thoughts has made me start writing. I guess it’s not a bad deal at all... what say folks???

the final meet

2010-06-15T22:25:00.000+05:30

Today, I met my best friends from my early schooldays for the last time, before I left for Delhi. I am leaving on Saturday, but because they all are going for some training for 3 days, I wont be able to meet them again before I leave. So today, it was me, Hemant and Deepkant, sitting together, not at a bar but at a coffee shop. Aparajita, a school fren of mine, and Deepkant's cousin sis, was also there to give us company. It was a good experience interacting with the budding lawyer, who we refer to as Appu (its her nickname since early school days).

Time flew so fast.... I didn't even realize how fast the time went and it was already 7 in the evening. We then took a stroll along the M.G. Marg. Interestingly, Appu had remarked that she was the undisputed champion in some bike racing game at the nearby game parlor, and when we were passing by the shop, i asked if they wana play. Appu hurriedly bought 4 coins, and first, it was a match between the brother and the sis. By then, hemant had already left. I was watching Appu win the race against her brother. Then, Deepkant offered me to play, saying that it was interesting. I kind of felt awkward, coz I had never played such a game before, and second, it would be very embarassing when I lose to Appu. But then, I thought, whatever.... what will happen even if I lose. So we played the match and strangely, I won against Appu and she was like oooouuuuffffff. I must tell you guys, it was fun...

Then, Appu left for her home, and me and Deepkant took another walk along the road. I told him how badly I miss my first love, and he told me for the first time that I would never be able to forget her. I guess, he knows what I have been through, coz some time back, he was also facing a similar situation. He appears so firm and stubborn from the outside, but today, I knew that he is also in the same situation like I am. Guess, true friends can understand what the other is going through....

It was time for us to depart. We hugged each other and wished one another good luck till the next time we meet. Indeed, it was really nice meeting you guys. And ya, Anand didn't turn up today, but he promised me he would meet me tomorrow before he leaves for his training with the others. Lets hope we meet for the last time before I leave for Delhi... Thank you guys for your company..... may the Almighty always bless you.... Amen!

my experiments with Truth

2010-06-14T10:55:00.000+05:30

With the esteemed readers of my blogs, I would like to share a few of my experiences. These relate to the observations I had throughout my journey and stay at home. About the experiences I had while on the train have already been elaborately discussed. I would like to share something different today.

Ever since I reached back home, on the second day of the week, i.e., Tuesday, I have been meeting my friends, nay, my brothers, who have always been there by my side, no matter what. I have been drinking the locally brewed beer with them every single day, except for Friday. Sometimes, it’s just a casual get-together, sometimes it’s a birthday. We just don’t seem to need a reason for drinking the beer. And with drink, there’s smoke. I still remember the day when I had pledged to give up drinking. It was the 6^th March 2006. Thereafter, the only alcoholic drink that I’ve taken is in the form of beer. However, I avoided the drink when there was any auspicious occasion or any puja. Once, when I was on a business trip and was returning back home, it was late night and I was in a local cab with fellow co-passengers. We were talking with one another though out the journey and we halted at a small eating joint. It was Amawasya that day, and my co-passengers ordered some beer. Unwillingly, I was forced to taste the drink and I had to give up under pressure. I regretted having done that and thought I would never do the same mistake again.

Unknowingly, I repeated the mistake again yesterday. It also happened to be an auspicious day, and I was sitting there with my friends, recapitulating the good and bad old memories over a mug of beer and some smoke. Realization dawned upon me and I felt that what I have been doing is very wrong. So today, I was very determined that no more booze.... and, I made my way to the birthday treat of a school friend of mine, who is a doctor now. I was sitting with my friends in the restaurant, sipping guava nectar when the birthday boy showed up. When he realized that I didn’t taste the beer, he got agitated and forced me to taste the fluid. Emotional black-mail followed and I had no option but to drink. One after the other, and here I am, again realizing, whatever I did has left some vacuum within me.

Walking by the streets of Gangtok, my hometown, I have seen labourers carrying loads of stuffs and earning a ten rupee note. I have seen people dressed in the outfit of Mickey Mouse and carrying the banner of an Exhibition cum Sale. People are mending old and worn out shoes, just to make a living. I believe, similar situation exists in every corner of the world, and here I am, spending the hard-earned money of my parents on cigarettes and beer, which actually is detrimental to my health. It was just yesterday when my mother asked me about my drinking habits back at Delhi, as no one is there to see what all am I doing there. I said that I don’t drink now, and it’s been over 4 years now. I lied, and I know how I felt after making the statement. Deep within, I know that whatever I did and said is wrong, but, I can’t tell her that I still drink. The least that I could do is stopping it all...

This journey back home has been a great learning experience, simply because of the fact that I met good people in the train and I observed the happenings around me. Finally, I can proudly say that realization has dawned upon me and that, I am determined to quit. Once, a girl had asked me to give up smoking and I didn't touch cigarettes for 3 days at a stretch. I know now that she is no more associated with me to support my endeavour, but then, as the saying goes, Nothing’s Impossible. I sincerely hope that I can keep up to the pledge I’ve just taken, to give up drinking and smoking, as a step towards becoming a better human being. I know it would sound very awkward to my college mates, but guys, I hope you’ll support me, like the way you guys have always supported me....

Friendship...

2010-06-11T07:47:00.000+05:30

All long, I had been a strong advocate of the divinity of "friendship" as a relation... I considered it to be the most divine relation, ahead of love and commitment. I can see that the relationship of friendship and brotherhood, that I nurtured since my school days here at Gangtok, is still very much alive. The type of relation we used to share among ourselves, the fun making, the drinking.... everything is still the same. I reached Gangtok on Tuesday, and since the very day, I've been tasting the beer. On Tuesday, it was with my best frenz of school, namely, Dawa, Hemant and Deepkant. On Wednesday, it was with our Dr. saab, another very good fren of mine since school days, Sanjog (that day, he got his Sikkim Medical Council registration certificate). Yesterday, it was with a senior of mine when I was in Rotaract Club, Prakash da.... its not only about seniority but we are good friends too. He has advised me on many issues throughout these years and I am lucky to have him as a colleague, brother and friend.

I now feel that I had always been a good friend and a person who can be relied upon. I don't know how I lost the trust of my first love of life. Even after stooping down, she ried to humiliate me. Well girl, I have my own self-respect and I don't allow anyone to enter my personal sphere. You know this very well, coz we have been together for a few months. Nevertheless, even after so much happened, I've forgiven you because now I know that you and me are different personalities, never meant to be together.

Tomorrow, i.e., Saturday, there is one birthday party of deepkant's junior at office, and Sunday, its our own doctor saab's birthday..... lot of beer is set to flow..... chilled beer and smoke..... you're on

Gangtok...

2010-06-10T14:01:00.000+05:30

Its been a couple of days since I made a post... well, its just that being at home and enjoying the lovely ambiance and the climate prevents me from getting some time for myself. To start with, I met my close frenz and tasted the much awaited locally brewed beer (chaang, thats what we call it in the local language I guess). It was a good experience interacting with my close pals after such a long long time.

At my home, all my kids are very well and healthy. By kids, I mean my plants and flowers. They are all keeping very well and very healthy. I felt delighted to see them whenever I am at home. Being at home feels so good.... sleep as much as you want to, and eat and drink whatever and whenever you feel like.... Hope my short stay at home remains a longgggg one....

enough is enough

2010-06-08T15:49:00.000+05:30

I did what I could, and now, its enough. It is turning out to be a blame-game now.... I did all that I could.... i bowed and bent, but I wont allow you to break me.... it was now or never until now, but with you, its NEVER again.... I repeated the same mistake twice, but not anymore. You lead your life, and stop blaming me for ur failures.... you are nothing more than a looser!!! Getting guided by the intellect is way better than being guided by the emotions!!!

and the journey continues...

2010-06-08T12:21:00.000+05:30

I’ve finally reached the railway station and it’s now time to de-board the train. The journey during which I made new relations and discovered existing ones has finally come to an end. It was indeed a rich experience interacting with my co-passengers and in a way, I believe, we have made a strong foundation for a relation. This would not have been possible had I taken a flight instead of the train. In the flight, people are so pre-occupied that they hardly interact, while, in the train, people have so much of free time that they are willing to talk and share their experiences. Overall, the experience was an enriching one...

Now, I am seated in the waiting room sipping through my cup of tea, waiting for the dawn such that I can catch a vehicle to head towards home. I have so much to do at home..... I really wonder how time flies when I’m at home. This time, I would be meeting my relatives, my friends, my teachers and other known associates at the bank. Looking forward to an enriching experience with them too....

the final three hours in the train

2010-06-08T12:20:00.000+05:30

When I write this blog, I have approximately 3 more hours to reach my destination railway station NJP. Once again, the lady caught me smoking during afternoon, but mentioned only in the evening. I now fear to return to the compartment after having a smoke, simply because I am ashamed. Smoking is something which I, and many of my friends feel, doesn't gel with my personality. What all happened in the train, gives me more strength and determination to quit smoking. Today I interacted with the young girl who was seeking admissions in the course in psychology. I shared the little knowledge I had on the subject, and gave her insight to research papers and its publication. I told her about the life as a college student at Delhi, and it was a good one-hour interaction. The interaction ended with the exchange of e-mail id's ad I even told her to contact me at any point of time when she feels she would require my assistance.

The co-passengers who had boarded the train from Allahabad are simply great. Not only did they offer me lunch, they also didn’t let me order dinner, coz they wanted me to share their dinner, which was pure home-made food. I reluctantly agreed. When it was dinner time, I went out to another coach and stayed there for nearly 40 mins, coz I wanted them to finish with their dinner. When I made my way back, uncle was trying to call me endlessly, but alas, my cell phone had no battery, and I don’t have the right charger (While I was hurriedly packing my stuff’s at Shalove’s home, I mistakenly brought the charger of his cell phone, and left mine there). He was angry with me for some time because I didn’t turn up for dinner, and he told his wife to serve me the food. They had already finished their dinner, and aunty then went on serving me food. The atmosphere was indeed, homely, or rather say, heavenly. After all, home is as good as heaven. Finally, tomorrow, I’ll reach heaven....

While I write this blog, I am sunk in the melancholy of my past memories. I don’t know why it is so difficult to jump out. Guess time is all that I need.... and time is something that's not in my hands. I am listening to the song from the movie "Manorama- six feet under" as this is one such song which perfectly gels with the situation I had encountered. I was unable to be accountable enough to my love, due to which I lost something, very valuable and precious. Not only did I lose her trust, but also the friendship which we have nurtured so well..... The value of this irreparable loss has been immense..... I was unable to find the same value in anyone else, and the loss also left a void in me. I feel so incomplete.... but how do I convince you. Let destiny do the needful now.... My readers may give me the title of being possessive, but let me tell you, "when you know that without this person, you won't be able to live, it would not be called possessiveness.... it would then be called a struggle for life" May the best happen, and happiness prevail... Amen!

the journey back home...

2010-06-08T12:18:00.000+05:30

Experience..... that’s all I guess will be discussed in this blog. Last night I boarded a train, as I was on my way to home. This train had a very strange timing, scheduled to depart at midnight and scheduled to reach the nearest railway station to my home, again at midnight. Due to the heavy rush, tickets were not at all available. I was willing to pay any amount, for any AC class, but to no avail. The ticket which I managed to secure was one which had a berth allotted till Allahabad, and then, I dun have a berth in the AC-3 tier coach. All long, since I wasn't able to get the previous day's train confirmed, I was cursing myself literally, as to why I didn’t book myself a flight. Now that the damage had already been done, it was worthless to check out for a flight as the fares were all over and above 30k, which I didn't find worth at all. Well, as we all know that every dark cloud has a silver lining, similar thing happened with me.

Amidst the heavy rush and demand for accommodation in the train, I was sitting in my allotted berth, facing my co-passengers. One was an elegant lady who was a resident of Delhi, but originally hailed from Jalpaiguri, where co-incidentally I had my relatives. There were two more gentlemen who were into the business of supply of toys and cosmetics. There was also a mother-daughter, who belonged to Guwahati, and had come for the admission purpose. While interacting with them, I came to know that the first lady is a friend of my aunt who stays at Jalpaiguri. Then, I interacted with the young girl, who had applied to various colleges for a course on psychology. I gave her a brief picture of college life in Delhi, and the do's and don’ts. Later on, the TTE came and checked our tickets, and we all prepared our beddings. When everyone had comforted themselves in their respective berths, I thought of having a quick smoke. Hurriedly, I took out a stick, went to the washroom, and lit it. I didn’t complete the entire stick, and came back. Suddenly I heard a voice "yaha pe cigarette kaun peeta hai..." (did someone smoke in here). I remained quiet, as it was the lady who was my aunt's friend. She then asked me directly, and I nodded in shame. Then she told me how bad a habit it is, and advised me not to smoke again. I agreed, and lay down with my laptop. Today, two new passengers joined us in our compartment, and they were a couple from Allahabad who were out on a small vacation with their son. We interacted and they told me that they are planning to come to Gangtok too for a small trip. I told them that it’s my homeland, and that they should feel free to call me for any sort of assistance when they arrive. Indeed, all the co-passengers were very helpful and accommodating.... They kind-of pampered me.... offering me eatables, lunch, tea and everything.... even their berth for lying down. Such a level of hospitality was something quite unexpected. After all, humanity is still very much in existence. Now, even before I have reached back home, I can proudly say that I feel homely. I made new friends (I can say that because the co-passengers were very friendly). I guess I would have missed this opportunity if I would have had gone by flight. Every action has something good hidden in it..... the only difference is in the eye's of the beholder, whether or not he is able to identify them.

Intellect vs Emotions

2010-06-08T12:17:00.000+05:30

The topic itself is quite thought provoking... emotion vs. intellect. I remember a guest lecturer speaking a statement "Don't be fooled by your emotions... always make use of your intellect". I don't know how true he was. Some people agree with what he said, while the others simply don't. I am unable to make any judgment because I'm not in the right position to make one. The situation which I am undergoing at the moment is slowly building up to become a war between the intellect and the emotion. If I think upon the topic, what I learn is that by following one's emotions, there will be a higher probability of one being happy. Happy individual's have a greater life expectancy because of normal biological processes. Being guided by one's intellect will imply application of past experiences and knowledge, and giving due consideration to the facts and circumstances. Both the mind and the heart would lead us to a platform, which would rarely be the same. Those are a very few lucky ones who achieve the rare confluence of the mind and the heart. I am yet to discover who will overpower the other in this strange battlefield. I've left it all to the time to come. I made a move, guided by my emotions. Now I've let it all to destiny. Let there be a right confluence of the intellect and the emotions and may the best happen which will be in the interest of not only myself, but everyone else.

delhi delhi....

2010-06-06T18:37:00.000+05:30

Life has changed a lot after I came to Delhi to pursue my higher studies. I had not imagined that the city life would change me so much. Delhi.... the nation's capital city, and here I am,.... after spending one entire year of my life. I feel, I should write something about my experiences of the entire year...

I always had this pre-conceived notion that people here cannot be trusted.... they are all mean and selfish, but then I realized, everyone is not the same. I found very good friends in this one year and I can really count on them. Come what may, I know this very well that they will always be by my side. During this one year, I interacted with people from different walk's of life, in my class and in the office where I did my summer internship for 2 months. Indeed, one has much to learn from their experiences.

Today, after a year of mischiefs, night-outs, frequent booze, class bunks, I know I have become a better person. City life has transformed my thinking process and now I think I am able to see things in newer dimensions, which otherwise would not have been possible. I think being in Delhi was not that bad also, specially, given the weather conditions..... Now, I am all set to make myself a better human being and I am really not sure what all will it take to be one. My focus is to win back the trust of a fren of mine, which I had lost quite some time back coz of my insane behavior. After all, my fren should be happy seeing me changed and transformed into a better person and it takes less time for me to win her back. Let the best happen....

i wanna quit......

2010-06-06T12:54:00.000+05:30

After much of thought, I think its the right time to quite. Every time can be considered to be the right time, as, its never too late. Every time, we think that its not the right time, or that the right is a bygone now, but it may not necessarily be the case. Situations and circumstances would define the righteousness of the time. I also admit taking too long to make a move. Its human nature, and we shouldn't blame ourselves or the others. What we can do is learn from our past mistakes, and advice our near and dear ones from our experiences....

Its been since the end of my school day, in 2003, when I started the consumption of alcohol and started smoking also. I always thought that no matter what, I will never get addicted to these two things. But, it just didn't happen and i never came to know that I got so addicted to smoking. Its now been over 4 years, since I've had any hard drink (Whiskey used to be my favourite drink), and, now I only drink beer, n that too very occasionally. Guess this drink is the real culprit behind my healthy physique and beer-belly... lol. Smoking is something that I really want to quit because not only it is detrimental to my ealth, but also to that of others around me. This reminds me of a small instance which I recently encountered. It was one day in the first week of April 2010, when I had gone to meet my elder brother at his hotel The heat of Delhi, and the fact that i wasn't able to find the correct address of the hotel stressed me out, and I had a smoke. Then, somehow, I reached the hotel and my brother was just at the reception when I reached. We took the life and had a small conversation, when, he suddenly asked, "Khagesh, cigarette kab se peene lag gaya" and I was speechless for a moment. That evening, he explained me how bad it is to smoke, and how easily and readily cigarettes are available in every corner of the market. We can buy it anywhere, lit it anywhere, not like in case of alcohol etc. That day I realized that I am doing something highly undesirable.

I am trying my best to reduce its consumption, so as to give up smoking finally. I hope that in my endeavor, my frenz and my colleagues will support me. I am lookin forward to QUIT Smoking.....

a new day.... a new experience

2010-06-05T22:55:00.000+05:30

Hectic, but truly, the day was full of experiences for me..... meeting with frenz last night, talking about what all happened, sharing feelings, chilled beer, bottoms-up.... and each one of us devoid of sleep. Packings to be done, for I was supposed to head back to home today, and I am already sleeping coz of the effect of the alcohol (mild content of less than 5% in BEER), and the others constantly waking me up to do the packings....

Reaching the Railway Station at 4 in the morning.... Shalove and his own talks, Saurabh is already sleep, and I am excited, for, I am going back home. The coffee at comesum, just to kill time. Finally, its time that the chart for the train has been prepared and we are heading towards the platform to look out for our ticket. Whoa....the ticket didn't get confirmed and we are all unaware as to what next.... The TTE is also helpless and unable to make any arrangements. The local ticket dealers and agents are not able to make any arrangements for any of the trains throughout the day and I am really not aware what to do. Saurabh has gone back home upon our request and me and Shalove are goin to each and every travel agent we can spot in the area. But, it was practically of no use and I am still at Delhi when I write this. We came back to his house by 1 pm, and another fren of mine had come to meet me at the station in the morning time. He is Sulabh, and he dropped us to Shalove's house. I went for a bath, changed my dress, had lunch and off to sleep. The sleep deprivation of last night and the hectic activities of the day was killin me, as it was with Shalove.

Finally, upon the last conversation that we had with the ticket agent, I see some ray of hope that I would be able to have a ticket for tomorrow's train. I am now praying to the Almighty, to cast Hid magic wand and help me out. May the best thing happen..... Amen!

hmmmm

2010-06-05T00:40:00.002+05:30

well.... i just feel like writing something. I am sitting with my close friends and enjoyin chilled beer with them... Its been more than 2 weeks since I met them, and since tomorrow I am leaving for home, I would not be able to meet them. So we planned this small get-together. However, one person missing in this mess is my close fren, brother, Ankit... he is not just my room mate but also like an elder brother to me.

As a typical Taurean, I am very impulsive.... I react very suddenly and sometimes, I take abrupt decisions. But these frenz of mine are always there besides me, to guide me and support me. I consider myself to achieve their trust and support.

I need to do my packings..... cab scheduled to arrive at 3 am in the morning. I am to do all my packings......

"today, something very special happened happened to me..... it was like a fantasy, a dream come true..... it was the day I spoke to you... (and also the day when I met you) No matter what, I'll always be there. I said it today, and I am feeling so good. Long back, a college fren of mine told me "Khagesh, drink only when u r happy and not when u r sad.... today, I am happy for havin a good talk, where I conveyed my feelings". This fren of mine is Sikher, and I dun know where is he right now coz i am not in touch with him for the past two years..... but man, I will always remember you, and the statement which u had told me when we were boozin by bunkin classes at pasang didi's shop.... the romanov we had and then we went to class.....

Fine and faint MEMORIES...........................................

tere sawaalon

2010-06-04T23:34:00.002+05:30

Tere Sawaalon Ke Woh Jawaab Jo Main De Na De Na Sakuun - 4
Pighle Se Armaan Hain, Do Pal Ke Mehmaan Hai
Aankhon Ke Aalon Mein, Chaahat Ki Lo Jalne Do
Tere Sawaalon Ke Woh Jawaab Jo Main De Na De Na Sakuun - 2

(Keh Rahi Hai Jo Nazar Tujhe Hai Khabar Ke Nahi
Keh Rahi Hai Teri Nazar Tu Bekhar Toh Nahi) - 2
Tere Bina Jindagi Hai Adhuri, Tere Bina Kya Hai Jeena
Pighle Se Armaan Hain, Do Pal Ke Mehmaan Hai
Aankhon Ke Aalon Mein, Chaahat Ki Lo Jalne Do

(Tum Kaho Toh Main Rok Luun, Jo Tum Kaho Toh Nahi
Sine Mein Hai Kaisi Khalish, Teri Kashish Toh Nahi) - 2
Tere Bina Jindagi Hai Adhuri, Tere Bina Kya Hai Jeena
Pighle Se Armaan Hain, Do Pal Ke Mehmaan Hai
Aankhon Ke Aalon Mein, Chaahat Ki Lo Jalne Do
Tere Sawaalon Ke Woh Jawaab Jo Main De Na De Na Sakuun - 2
Tere Bina Jindagi Hai Adhuri, Tere Bina Kya Hai Jeena

http://www.hindilyrix.com/songs/get_song_Tere%20Sawaalon%20Ke%20Woh%20Jawaab.html

A Big Day

2010-06-04T21:23:00.001+05:30

Today is my last day at office. Two months (or rather say, 8-weeks) of summer internships came to an end so fast. It really makes me believe that “time flies”. My initial days at office were very boring because I was not at ease in the workplace. May be the reason was that this was my first corporate experience. Another reason may be that I was waiting for a call from another organization, which actually didn’t materialize. As time passed, I got used to the office so much that it almost became a part of my daily activity. Every weekday, I used to desperately wait for a Sunday, and when the Sunday did come, I got bored sitting at room the entire day. (Afterall, how could one imagine to go out on the daytime when one is at Delhi) The journey was indeed tiring one, with me travelling 60 kms everyday, to and fro from the office.

Today, my reporting boss took us for lunch as this was my last day for the training period. She was kool enough to allow me drink anything I felt like, and as usual, it was a Large Beer that I ordered. Days passed so fast that I am having my last day at the office, which used to bug me initially and which now I’ve become so used to. It was a great experience interacting with people from so diverse backgrounds. I will really miss this place, specially my mentor Ms. Jyoti Bajaj, my colleague Disha and my co-intern Roshan….. hoping that we would keep in touch in the time to come….

experience of a lifetime

2010-06-02T22:58:00.000+05:30

I would like to share my experience of the day with you...

Today, I was supposed to deliver the presentation of my summer training project to the Director and the CFO of the company. The day was indeed, a big one, in my life. Afterall, I would be getting the esteemed guidance of such eminent personalities. The day was hectic indeed. Today, I wasn't able to secure myself a seat in the bus on my way to office, which otherwise was an easy task. The day went off well with me working on the presentation. The activity was scheduled for 4 pm in the afternoon, but due so some busy schedule of the panel members, it started at around 5:30 pm. The experience I had during the presentation was quite insightful. I got a chance to interact not only with the panel members mentioned above, but also the ex-director of Parsavnath Ltd. Their thoughts and feedback on the project report was of an immense knowledge to me. I got a good insight to how presentations are designed and how reports are made in the corporate.

Though the panel members pointed out certain loopholes and lacunas in my report, yet, I took them in the positive spirit and I am determined to make the desired changes in my report. To my panel members, it was a very good experience interacting with you during the summer presentation. Thank you for your meaningful insights...

change...

2010-05-30T18:40:00.002+05:30

The only thing that is permanent in this world is "change", and, as such, its inevitable. Come what may, things will evolve over a period of time, and change happens to be an outcome of this evolution. Often, we feel that we are in a situation, in which we have been before... we feel that circumstances are quite similar, and that things will go about in a similar fashion as it had been. Well, guess this is what the french word "deja vu" means. Undoubtedly, situations may appear similar, but an iota of change will always be there, if the situation is carefully observed.

Every moment, situations and circumstances surrounding us change, bringing about the much necessary change in our lives. We need to be flexible enough to adapt to these changes. Nothing is permanent with life as such. People come, go, and become history (or rather say, the past). Some moments are happy while most are sad. It so happens that we take time to get over the so called 'past'. Well, again, it depends on the person, how long he takes to come over the situation. Lets say, a guy has broken off with his gul many a times, and he knows how it feels. But every time, the situation will be different and different situations demand different ways of coping up.

Its like, the depiction in the movie "500 days of Summer". Human beings have been foolish many a times to play a blame-game. Whenever something happens, whether good or bad, all that is claimed is "destiny". We have been so weak and void that we attribute many of the failures to destiny, saying, 'guess this was what it was meant to be".... Well, to be frank enough, an introspection is necessary before we make such remarks. We have the power to have things done the way we want to. I am not defying the existence of the supernatural and the karmic forces, but yes, a lot is in our hands. We need to overcome the failures we have been through rather than making ourselves content claiming destiny. We need to learn from our past mistakes such that we don't repeat similar mistakes in the future. In other words, we need to change ourselves.

Everything has a cycle of its own. We have the food-cycle, the growth cycle, and so on... also the viscous cycle of poverty. Seasons change, time changes and things will also change. We need to adapt to such changes, because they form an integral part of our lives. Its no point looking back, or thinking of the past, because its only the present that is with us. The past is gone, and the future yet to come. I know its difficult to let go the past, but then, we have to be strong enough to let go things. As Henry Miller has rightly put, "The best way to forget a girl is to turn her into literature." This saying applies not only to unsuccessful relationships, but to a host of other things.....

So people, start writing.... turn the past into literature. Let thy writings act as a guide for the generations to come....

how life changes after MBA

2010-05-27T21:13:00.006+05:30

At this note, I request all our seniors and super-seniors to mentor us and guide us to the path of success...

practicality

2010-05-27T21:12:00.000+05:30

Practicality...... a word that is used too often. Be it in school, college or office, or while watching a movie, we often use this word "practical", when we say: "is it practical"? Today, a strange thing occurred in my mind which made me ponder upon the thought "whatever we see in movies, can they be practical". Well, not always, nay, NO for most of the instances. But there are certain movies from which we have a lot to learn. One such movie which has been my inspiration for the past many years, and would continue to be in the time to come is what I am going to write about. This movie is not American Pie, but the one starring Pat Mortia (Mr. Miyagi, as he is called in the movie).

I watched this movie when i was very young, and with the access of the internet during my college days, i watched the remaining three parts too. I've learnt a lot from this particular movie and it is this learning that I would like to share. Mentor's and teachers have a significant influence upon one's life and everyday action. A mentor and guide like Mr. Miyagi transformed a timid guy into an All Valley Karatea Champion.... sounds great!!! He has the answer to all problems, which came from the clear focus he had. He never gave up, and groomed his student similarly. When he says "Win Loose No Matter, Must Not Loose To Fear", how true he is, just like when he says "Fighting not good, somebody always gets hurt. But when fight, must WIN".

In our daily life, we meet so many people. We have so much to experience, so much to talk about and so much to listen to. But never in this busy life, we find the time to think of learning from someone.... because we always look at their bad characteristics. Indeed, it is human nature, and we cant help it. But we can change our perspective, and try to imbibe the good behavior of this person, who we generally refer to as role-model or a mentor. Mentorship is indeed a very important aspect of grooming oneself, because the mentor will quote real life examples and share his views and opinions, which normally, any other person wont. In this facet, I consider myself lucky to have found two great mentors, in fact three..... one is a faculty at my current institute Mr. S. K. Jain, and the other two: the Registrar of ICFAI Univ Sikkim Mr. S.G. Tashi, and, the Academic Coordinator Mr. S. T. Venchungpa. I really consider myself lucky to have been taught by such great personalities....

So people.... today whatever I am, a great part has been the influence of these eminent and learned personalities. Its time, you should also find a role-model.... wish you luck!!!

2010-05-22T10:22:00.006+05:30

love is in the air

2010-05-10T23:15:00.004+05:30

today... out of the blue.... i happened to listen to the song that my so called girl used to play for me, and dedicate to me "where'd you go, I missed you so...."...
for a moment, i was lost in the past memories, but then i realized, she doesnt deserve my attention anymore..... today's my day and i aint lettin her come as an obstacle....

but no matter how hard i try to keep her out of my memories, the good and bad times we've had together always remain vivid within me.......

clarity of thought...

2010-05-08T17:36:00.002+05:30

It was just yesterday that I realized the truth in what my mentor used to tell me. In each of his mentoring sessions, he used to ask us to talk to strangers, in any pretext. I was very reluctant to do so.... probably because I had people who were busy with their day-to-day affairs all around me. This perception of mine changed when I first moved to my new flat here at Dwarka (South Delhi). I moved in to a DDA society with my friends and saw that the neighbors are really willing to talk. They were so helpful and co-operative. In the beginning, we faced problems of water supply, and the society members helped us out without waiting for us to approach them for assistance. People are indeed willing to talk and share their experiences, provided they get the expected level of respect and attention. This was what I learnt that moment, which was also ratified by Mr Arvinder Singh.

Last night, after having dinner, I was on my way back to home with my friend, when we happened to meet the Secretary of our Residents Welfare Association (RWA, thats what they call it here), Mr. Arvinder Singh. This man has a pleasing personality, and I was impressed by his clarity of thought. He inquired if we were facing any problems pertaining to water supply, and then offered us to sit for a while to talk. We talked about issues ranging from social, political and economical. The clarity of thought he possessed was very impressive. Of all the discussions we had, one thing that I consider worth citing is: "When we keep on thinking about problems, we will never be able to come out with a solution. Whenever faced with a problem, start thinking about amicable ways to solve them, rather than thinking about the problem and its constituents alone..."

What do you want to do after your MBA?

2010-05-08T01:05:00.003+05:30

Time and again, my mentor has told me.... "speak with people, talk to strangers, interact... in any pretext, one has to interact and improve upon it."

Today, while I was travelling by the Delhi Metro, on my way back from office, I happened to interact with a gentleman sitting besides me. I took the pretext of the locality where I am currently living, and assumed that he also supposedly lives there. Upon subsequent conversations, I discovered that he is a scientist working with the department of biotechnology, Govt of India. He was so willing to talk and share his thoughts.

Many a times, people have asked me, "what do you want to do after MBA?", and I've replied: "I want to work for a few years, earn a good deal of money, go back to Sikkim and join as a teacher at some college.... repay back to my homeland." Everybody has appreciated my clarity of thought, but this gentleman added another dimension to it. He said: "this is a knowledge driven economy, so the best form of repaying back is through knowledge.. gather knowledge and degrees, as much as u can..." I say, this was truly amazing. It was a wonderful experience interacting with this co-traveler.

eight steps to finding a mentor

2010-03-18T09:48:00.001+05:30

This article appeared in the forbes website. I thought it would be fruitful to share it with my friends, who are yet unable to discover a mentor. In this regards, I consider myself lucky, for, I have encountered many role-models in my life, who I can always look up to for mentorship. In the present context, my mentor is a faculty of my institute and He has inspired me a lot.....

First step: self-examination. Take a look at your strengths and weaknesses and at the areas in which you need to improve, which she calls your "growing edges." What are your goals? How will you use a mentor once you find one? Imagine your ideal mentor, she suggests. Is it Oprah Winfrey? If so, try to analyze which of her qualities you find most appealing.

Next step: network. Tell everyone you know that you need a mentor. Tap your parents and their friends. Use your school's career office. Look into professional organizations. Go online, especially on LinkedIn.

When you're ready to reach out, be specific. People are more likely to respond to a concrete request, like a 20-minute coffee meeting to discuss the potential mentor's career path, than to an open-ended cry for help, which could potentially turn into a burdensome time suck. Ease into the relationship. Establish rapport before you ask for too much.

Pursue more than one mentor at the same time, Ensher also advises. Even if your ideal is Oprah, you may find her empathy in one mentor, her business savvy in another and a slew of great professional networking connections in a third. Throughout your search, think about what you can offer in return for your mentor's generosity. Maybe you're a whiz with Facebook. Or if your would-be mentor works in advertising or marketing, you could offer up some ideas or strategies from a youthful perspective.
Once the door is open, take action. "I had a mentor who said to me, 'I'm like a blank check. You have to write the check,'" Ensher recalls. Stay in touch. If you had an interesting discussion with her and then you see a related article in a newspaper or magazine, e-mail the link. Or if you run across a book you think would interest your mentor, buy it for her.

Finally, follow up. Write a thank-you e-mail or give a quick call when your mentor has done you a favor. If she helped you set up an interview, let her know how it went. Inform her when you've landed an internship or job.
Mentor relationships can wax and wane with the rhythms of our lives, but don't let them lapse. They're far too valuable.

Reference
Adams, S. (2010, March 17). How to Find and Use a Mentor. Forbes.com. Retrieved 18 March 2010 from http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/17/mentor-find-job-leadership-careers-planning.html?boxes=Homepagechannels

P.S.: I am actually editing my post because i had unknowingly not cited the reference of the source.

excerpts from my life...

2010-03-14T21:50:00.000+05:30

Well… is been quite some time that I’ve written a blog. It is strange that all these days, I’d seen a lot and in fact, had so much to write. However, it was the bad luck that I had, the matter that the internet connection at my home has stopped working. A lot has happened, in my personal domain. I felt I’ve been missing the conjugal love of my first love, and that, I should try and get her back in my life, because without her, I feel incomplete. There existed a void within me…. My friends who tell me to talk to her and convince her, and sometimes, I do get swayed away and seriously think of acting upon their advice. Well, I’ve finally decided now, that I should now live with the present…. And I would no longer think of the past. I’d rather choose to learn from my mistakes in the past.
People often mock at a class which I go for with a faculty of mine, often citing waste of time. However, these classes have taught me a lot and I feel more confident and calm. The learning which I have derived from these classes has made me much more peaceful. I write this blog while listening to a lecture on VEDANTA… I would like to share a few excerpts from the enlightening lecture:
• God exists everywhere…
• The nature of human mind remains constant, right from the birth till the time of death
• Truth is those fundamental laws of nature that never change. The fundamental laws of nature are also envisaged by the Bhagvad Gita, which says “jo ho gaya, so ho gaya (whatever has happened, has happened). Jo ho raha hai, accha ho raha hai (whatever is happening, is good). Jo hone wala hai, woh bhi accha hi hoga (whatever is going to happen in the time to come will also be good). Kyun wyarth chintaa karte ho (why do you worry about the past and the future then). Tum kya lekey aaye they jo tumhe khoney ka darr hai (what did you bring along with you, which you are so afraid of loosing)…”
• Happiness and security are two facets, towards which all human efforts are directed. A person is lucky when he doesn’t compromise on any of these. When a person does something against his nature, he looks out for other avenues of deriving happiness. He goes to pubs/ discotheques etc. this is how the concept of discotheques and pubs emerged. I feel lucky because I was never attached to, or enjoy going to discotheques and at times, I felt as if I I am different from others. Now, I feel convinced that it is simply my nature, and it is going to remain the same. I can derive happiness from simple things around me.
• We always seek to depend on our likes and dislikes, which prima-facie is temporary. It keeps on changing with time. Why do we then live in a dilemma of depending upon something that is temporary? Why not depend upon something that is more permanent, rather say, the most permanent (the human nature).
• Human mind has five characteristics:
o It is restless
o It is very fast-moving
o It is insatiable (never satisfied)
o It gets attached to anything
o All human emotions are confined within our mind.

welcome back

2010-03-14T21:49:00.001+05:30

welcome back, my internet connection.... now i can post at my own convenience...

yippieeee

unspoken words

2010-02-26T23:13:00.002+05:30

Sometimes, one has so much to say, yet one falls short of words. Sometimes, one has no words to speak, but silence says it all..... similar is the plight i am facing. I often feel how dear a partner have I lost in ma life..... even after such a long time has surpassed, yet the very sight of her makes my heart pain. When I recall what all we had been through, it is indeed very very painful.

There is so much I have to say, to express how much I loved her, and now that I have those words, she is no longer with me. There is no medium through which I can communicate my feelings to her.... wish I had a chance to tell her.... "hunnie, I still feel the same way for you like I used to... and that I am still waiting for you with my arms open wide..." Wish I had this one chance....

For all those who are in love.... dun ever play with feelings of your beloved (for this is what I was accused of). Speak out your love when you have time, for once it is gone, it will never come back....

tremors of the quake....

2010-02-25T00:52:00.002+05:30

just as i was signing out of the blog page.... we all felt the tremor of an earthquake.... ay, an EARTHQUAKE. All of us were sitting at the same place and position like we were, except for one of our buddy... who had something in his mind and was in a state of little shock... GUESS WHO!!!

feelings....

2010-02-25T00:40:00.002+05:30

When I had started this blog site, I had a preconceived notion that I would write regularly, and at the same time improve upon my writing skills. I never knew I would become so irregular.... hope I would now become regular.

Well, to begin with, I'd share a few experiences which I had throughout this week. It was a confusing moment when I discovered that people are not really the way they project themselves to be. Sometimes, I feel that its me who is complicating everything around myself. Things apart, I think its now the opportune moment to play along with the drum-beats of life.....

Earlier this week, my parents came back after a long stay at Jaipur, the pink city of the world. They stayed at Delhi for 2 days, and these two days passed away so fast.... made me believe the phrase "time flies". There was this annual college fest TATVA scheduled for monday and tuesday at out institute, but however, I didnt participate because I was not in a mood to.

Monday evening, after having a good sleep in da afternoon, I went to paharganj with my classmates to have a small get-together.... it was fun... drinking beer in coffee mugs amidst the "hippies" residing in that area.... I eventually became unusually high and had the worst 'trip' i've ever had in my entire life. Although I reached back home all safe, it was a great experience....

Today, I'm not writing anything very specific.... and I'm probably not able to maintain the flow in the writing. I'd try to improve upon the same in the days to come....

Goodnight!!!

A new experience "My Name is Khan"

2010-02-14T00:42:00.003+05:30

Well.... today was a new experience altogether... my room-mate took me for a movie at a nearby theatre, which was the most weird of its kind. As soon as we reached, we had 7 minutes left for the movie to start, and we got the cheapest ticket available at that moment. Hurriedly, we made our way to the hall, and there I sit, dumbstruck, unable to figure out what to do. After a brief moment, when i recollected my thoughts, I saw myself sitting amidst the weird crowd of delhi, who are smoking bedi, abusing, shouting, speaking all nonsense..... At once, I thought, I should make my way back home and I even told ankit, that he brought me to a very weird place.

The movie begins, and so does the shoutings.... Ankit seems to be enjoying a lot, shouting with the crowd. Until the interval, the movie was fine... nothing great about it. After the interval.... it became more interesting. One thing that I look for in any movie is... what is my take-away from the movie? Although movies are a work of fiction, but you can always relate them to some incident or the other. I discovered that a small good can always come to your rescue, like in the movie, when Momma Jennie gave one night's shelter to Mr. Rizwan Khan, and later, Mr. Khan returned back to Georgia to the rescue of the villagers.

Doing good, and being good, its all pervasive. I admit what Mrs. Khan had said in the beginning of the movie: "there are two kinds of people in this world... one who is Good and does Good, and the other who is bad, and does bad." . One's deeds have no mask of religion, caste or creed..... every good deed associates with the Almighty, who's not different but one!!!

Perceptual differences...

2010-02-10T00:05:00.003+05:30

this is a world of selfishness..... I'd often hear people say that, but I never thought this would ever apply to someone near and dear to me. People, who have mental unrest due to some reason find ways to vent out their anger upon someone else without even realizing the fatal consequences it sould have. In the due course of time, those relationships that we have nutured so well, will break and we would never be able to realize... Here I see, we are sitting like aliens from different planets, devoid of words...

Almighty, please do justice and console my heart

Confidence bestowed upon me

2010-02-09T03:11:00.001+05:30

Well..... its something very difficult to earn but one feels great to know when others have faith and confidence upon you. The same actually happened with me. My friends were motivating me to take up some responsibility, and I was hesitant to do so.... solely because of the fact that there was an ethical dilemma inside me.... leading to a conflict between my heart and the mind.

Today... my good friends expressed their confidence on me, that I could have taken the endeavor to act and the only thing which I said him was.... "Leadership never comes from a position that you hold.... it's something innate, which fetches you the respect of others." I sincerely believe that a true leader is one, who is capable enough of imbibing his values into the system, such that even after he leaves the organization, the system is still in place (Peter F Drucker).

However, at this juncture, I'd like to thank all who have expressed their faith on me, and found me capable enough to handle responsibility.....