To Whomsoever it May Concern
Hello everyone. It has been a nice journey. It all started with a quest for knowledge and excellence. Innocuously what has been gained more and adds value more than the other two has been experience. It is a thing which is never expected of and always lies in the back of the mind. And it is equally helpful.
There have been good moments. And some better moments. Never a bitter moment, am too optimistic to brand anything as bitter. Exceptions abound but none encountered in these 667 days. A new thing to unearth, be it the beginning or the end. A friend, an event, a problem, a decision, a party, a night-out, a fight, a thought, an exam, an emergency, a drink, a language, a place, a hide-out, a secret, a crush, a game, a movie, a song, a lesson, a teacher...The list can go on.
A first thing to notice on the very first arrival is how the hostel towers over the college. Over the two years it has been that way in a lot of things. And it has been a joy to discover fun in the college and knowledge in the hostel. Thanks to all teachers and lectures and long hours. Thanks to the staff, the support system and the canteen. Thanks to the security, the laundry and the gym. But the best finds I need not thank and I know you don't expect.
And some things I never need mention, those with me even before SIMSR. Thanks for the vacation everyone!
Showing posts with label SIMSR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SIMSR. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Rise and Fall of........
It is sad to see things that you have grown up with and got used to, go down. There is this sense of inevitability and helplessness. I have been through three educational institutions and seen them all rise and fall.
Sir M. Venkata Subba Rao Matriculation Higher Secondary School (VSR as we called it) in T.Nagar, Chennai was a reputed school in the locality. It is my alma-mater and will never forget its role in shaping what I am today. At its peak it boasted of a strength of about 2000 students, from kinder-garden to higher-secondary. The beginning of the end started in 2000. Teachers revolted in form of a strike and it never was the same again. The students strength reduced in half.
College of Engineering, Guindy is Asia's oldest technical institute started in 1794 and one of the top engineering colleges in the country. It is known popularly by the name of the university it is affiliated to - Anna University. A conservative Vice-chancellor followed by a populist move to curb entrance examinations saw the college's fall in rankings. Its recovering now but an institute of such stature should never have fallen in the first place.
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research is as popular an institute as any in Mumbai. The Institute reached its zenith riding a wave of economic prosperity but is failing to hold its own in a downturn. A lack of leadership and vision is today seeing the fall of one of India's top B-Schools. Again inevitable and helpless.
It's sad to see these things happen. And in all cases it has been a leadership problem. Educational institutes are the only organizations where the biggest stakeholder (the students) has the least say its management. The leadership has to understand the enormous responsibility considering what they are shaping - careers and lives. They have fallen no doubt, but let us not forget that in the past they have also risen.
Sir M. Venkata Subba Rao Matriculation Higher Secondary School (VSR as we called it) in T.Nagar, Chennai was a reputed school in the locality. It is my alma-mater and will never forget its role in shaping what I am today. At its peak it boasted of a strength of about 2000 students, from kinder-garden to higher-secondary. The beginning of the end started in 2000. Teachers revolted in form of a strike and it never was the same again. The students strength reduced in half.
College of Engineering, Guindy is Asia's oldest technical institute started in 1794 and one of the top engineering colleges in the country. It is known popularly by the name of the university it is affiliated to - Anna University. A conservative Vice-chancellor followed by a populist move to curb entrance examinations saw the college's fall in rankings. Its recovering now but an institute of such stature should never have fallen in the first place.
KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research is as popular an institute as any in Mumbai. The Institute reached its zenith riding a wave of economic prosperity but is failing to hold its own in a downturn. A lack of leadership and vision is today seeing the fall of one of India's top B-Schools. Again inevitable and helpless.
It's sad to see these things happen. And in all cases it has been a leadership problem. Educational institutes are the only organizations where the biggest stakeholder (the students) has the least say its management. The leadership has to understand the enormous responsibility considering what they are shaping - careers and lives. They have fallen no doubt, but let us not forget that in the past they have also risen.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Holi as a source of business opportunity!
Fresh signboards had appeared outside a textile shop in Mumbai. "Special offer on T-shirts after Holi". On further investigation, the shop run by a former SIMSR student has decided to give 50% off on T-shirts during the weekend after Holi.
Says the proprietor, "On detailed market analysis by the esteemed agency PC Thomson, we are seeing a surge in demand for T-shirts just after Holi. It has been technically termed the tear-and-wear effect".
Not surprising considering how Holi celebrations have evolved over the years. Until recently Holi meant spraying colours on one another. But the more adventurous and other people in their path have culminated celebrations in new ways.
As people run out of colour but still full of adrenalin, they go for what we call the tear-and-wear effect. T-shirts are torn apart to the extent that they are not even fit to scrub tables. These torn pieces serve the purpose only as souvenirs of the celebration.
This explains the surge in demand for t-shirts as people unexpectedly lose them. But what with experience curve effects, the demand may surge before Holi next time as people shop for cheap t-shirts to wear on the day of the festival. One more reason for guys to develop six-packs!
Says the proprietor, "On detailed market analysis by the esteemed agency PC Thomson, we are seeing a surge in demand for T-shirts just after Holi. It has been technically termed the tear-and-wear effect".
Not surprising considering how Holi celebrations have evolved over the years. Until recently Holi meant spraying colours on one another. But the more adventurous and other people in their path have culminated celebrations in new ways.
As people run out of colour but still full of adrenalin, they go for what we call the tear-and-wear effect. T-shirts are torn apart to the extent that they are not even fit to scrub tables. These torn pieces serve the purpose only as souvenirs of the celebration.
This explains the surge in demand for t-shirts as people unexpectedly lose them. But what with experience curve effects, the demand may surge before Holi next time as people shop for cheap t-shirts to wear on the day of the festival. One more reason for guys to develop six-packs!
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