Given a change in context my new blog address is:
http://www.memyselfandharpic.blogspot.com
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Re birth
I started the compilation of this blog intending to capture what I believed would be a web diary of experiences & feelings during my stay in a magical land. The last two words are not meant to suggest that the place was a cauldron of pleasure inducing phenomenon, but a place that helped put things in perspective.
I will not eulogize the system, and say all in all it was a nice time. There were times when the metaphorical nadir was brushing against my face, and all voices of sanity seemed so far away. There were also times where a sense of relief was the most welcome feeling of the lot. I find it highly cliched when all people want to talk about a place when they leave it is about how wonderful it is, forgetting the times when it gave them hell.
There was a survey handed out to us at the beginning of our course which asked us to rank our preferences in life (money, marriage, status, profile etc). The survey was intended to draw results on how the three letter, two year sojourn would turn our lives around. My ranking never changed. I don't think it ever will.
This ends my life as a student of management, and starts another as a salesman for cleaning solutions.
I will not eulogize the system, and say all in all it was a nice time. There were times when the metaphorical nadir was brushing against my face, and all voices of sanity seemed so far away. There were also times where a sense of relief was the most welcome feeling of the lot. I find it highly cliched when all people want to talk about a place when they leave it is about how wonderful it is, forgetting the times when it gave them hell.
There was a survey handed out to us at the beginning of our course which asked us to rank our preferences in life (money, marriage, status, profile etc). The survey was intended to draw results on how the three letter, two year sojourn would turn our lives around. My ranking never changed. I don't think it ever will.
This ends my life as a student of management, and starts another as a salesman for cleaning solutions.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Humanoid
" Kadavul paathi, Mirigam paathi;
Kalanthu seytha, Kalavai naan,"
- Excerpt from Aalavandhan (Abhay in Hindi)
"Squelch". The sickening sound of bone being crunched, and red elixir being spewed; echoed across the street that was fast asleep past midnight. The white rhino traveling along the road at a three digit speed crushed the white feline unable to change its trajectory. The last impression on the brain powering the gallop was that of the fear stricken eyes of its latest victim; the clear look of unavoidable death. The brain digested the exit of another 10 kilograms of matter vaporised from the earth with a wave of regret, and pushed the accelerator to the floor. There is no lactic acid which can accumulate in this rhino, it just runs.
The brain argues that it is the same as crushing a mosquito, a life is a life you see. But there is a tinge of guilt that just refuses to wash away. Mr. Johnnie Walker might be in demand if rest eludes it any longer. The brain really has a copious stock of pleasure hormones. A heightened sense of identity, pleasures both materialistic and base are not foreign entities any longer. The brain at times wonders if it is close to that hypothetically impossible state of satisfaction, but then the category of satisfaction widens and we're back to square one.
This would be the last post on an odyssey that culminated in a manner I did not dream off. I never dreamed driving into those gates that an ever elusive Rank 1 was possible. Neither did I dream that the cost would be the severance of a multitude of nerve endings from the large cardiac muscle. I don't really have the guts to say," Back to square one, I am a nice guy".
Praveen Dwarakanath
PGPABM - Topper of the Batch
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Kalanthu seytha, Kalavai naan,"
- Excerpt from Aalavandhan (Abhay in Hindi)
"Squelch". The sickening sound of bone being crunched, and red elixir being spewed; echoed across the street that was fast asleep past midnight. The white rhino traveling along the road at a three digit speed crushed the white feline unable to change its trajectory. The last impression on the brain powering the gallop was that of the fear stricken eyes of its latest victim; the clear look of unavoidable death. The brain digested the exit of another 10 kilograms of matter vaporised from the earth with a wave of regret, and pushed the accelerator to the floor. There is no lactic acid which can accumulate in this rhino, it just runs.
The brain argues that it is the same as crushing a mosquito, a life is a life you see. But there is a tinge of guilt that just refuses to wash away. Mr. Johnnie Walker might be in demand if rest eludes it any longer. The brain really has a copious stock of pleasure hormones. A heightened sense of identity, pleasures both materialistic and base are not foreign entities any longer. The brain at times wonders if it is close to that hypothetically impossible state of satisfaction, but then the category of satisfaction widens and we're back to square one.
This would be the last post on an odyssey that culminated in a manner I did not dream off. I never dreamed driving into those gates that an ever elusive Rank 1 was possible. Neither did I dream that the cost would be the severance of a multitude of nerve endings from the large cardiac muscle. I don't really have the guts to say," Back to square one, I am a nice guy".
Praveen Dwarakanath
PGPABM - Topper of the Batch
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Judgement day
It is that time of the year when all that one thinks about is placements. Yes the date is just 2 days away. Unlike last year, not too many people are seeing green and companies are using it to their advantage. After a long time, today I decided not to think like a MBA; a company came on campus and offered us 8 lakhs(Hyderabad posting) to sell seeds. Now, lets be clear... its not too bad an offer - I would probably make more that what I end up elsewhere; but the company's ppt ensured my opting out of the process. I believe I am worth something, the worth cannot be quantified by just money or a profile but must be accompanied by a strong feeling of accomplishment. I will apply only to extremely selective companies.
There are many who feel I am being foolish in following my heart in times when capital is scarce. I have something that nobody does; I have a strong family backbone that will see me through the worst of times, and a darling who loves the recession as she is getting 70% off in Globus.
There are historic letters which we have been told of, letters which change phases of time and people's thoughts. Here is a letter written by my dad to me the day I missed the McKinsey Shortlist (copy marked to mom):
There are many who feel I am being foolish in following my heart in times when capital is scarce. I have something that nobody does; I have a strong family backbone that will see me through the worst of times, and a darling who loves the recession as she is getting 70% off in Globus.
There are historic letters which we have been told of, letters which change phases of time and people's thoughts. Here is a letter written by my dad to me the day I missed the McKinsey Shortlist (copy marked to mom):
McKinsey is not fortunate enough to have Praveen in their company.
I know that HR guys don't have the right competency to pick a diamond among stones.
I have a suggestion - If u want go to Harvard or Stanford or MIT or any world class university of yr choice to do another masters then go on.. in the long run it will help u a lot .. U can learn more only when u r young ... take my case - a simple SAP SD certification I am not completing in the last 4 years.
Think again and make a right choice .. take calculated risks... when failures come in yr way , stop for a while , look for its causes , learn the corrective / preventive steps and then bury that failure thought as deep as possible out of mind.
A law graduate after passing out generally thinks how many cases he will get in first year, when he will make 10 lakhs in a year, when he will become a senior lawyer , when judge , when high court judge , when supreme court judge etc etc... But one lawyer in the recent times thought differently at some stage in his carrier and became the first Black President of USA !
Think differently.. even if u fail in the initial years mom and myself can bail u out at least till 2015.. till then never ever give any chance for any negative thought or action to dare or deter at you..By 2015 u would have become matured enough to tackle or tame any situation if u r doing daring things now..
love and best wishes
dad
--- On Fri, 2/6/09, Praveen Dwarakanath wrote:
From: Praveen Dwarakanath
Subject: McKinsey shortlist
To: prabhu_mysap@yahoo.com
Cc: maheswariprabhu@gmail.com
Date: Friday, February 6, 2009, 4:12 PM
I did not make it.
Cheers,
Praveen
What more could one ask for?
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A New World Order
A month ago, a few thousand spent casings fell in the space of 72 hours of nightmare. They took with them almost a couple of hundred lives. Media companies made a killing during the 'live broadcast' and security companies thereafter. The Sensex made its traditional bull rally for a short while after the attack, and then became rational by plunging into the red. Politicians bickered, brought about daring new impractical proposals, flashed teeth to the media and some even made conspiracy theories. The more common Indians did what we do best; take out a rally, burn candles, write bellicose columns and curse the politicians.
We make a very big deal out of security lapses, and inaction by politicians. Some of us are naive enough to suggest a complete nuclear annahilation saying we lose only a few cities but the whole of Pakistan may be wiped out. There is only one thing more dangerous than a politician.... a person who debates it from the confines of his home. Politics is dirty, at any level. If a democracy is perfect on all accounts, no work would ever get done. A dictatorship the other extreme... sounds perfect, but the imperfection arises in the fact that it is a human, who governs other humans.
Most people who were killed are those who could afford a dinner or a room that costs a few thousands per unit... the Indian elite. Would there have been the same hue and cry if the terrorist had killed 179 or even 500 in Dharawi or some remote village in Tripura? The same kind of TRP ratings would not have been achieved even during the Kargil conflict. The last time India tried to act aggressive was when the terrorists attacked the Indian MPs but could gun down only a few (useless???) cops.
It spurs the question, is the life of a rich human being far more important than that of a poor one. You are kidding if you believe in the contrary. It is in line with the laws of capitalism, which is in turn, modelled on human aspirations. A rich man should ideally be a specimen with superior intellect or physical prowess.. one who gets to enjoy the rewards of wealth due to his inherent value to the species on the whole. We do not live too far from this picture. Wealth now is in the hands of politicians, sportsmen, movie starts and businessmen. These individuals have in their own way enriched the race on the whole. The imperfection arises when wealth is inherited. A rich man's son does not deserve to be rich as he may not have with him the capabilities to effectively utilise the capital. The solution cannot be the transfer of inheritance to the state as it is the most inefficient consumer of capital. The solution therefore is to have gentlemen like one Mr. Gates on whose browser I am typing this. Leave enough for your children for them to stay comfortable. The rest may be administered through a setup that has the capabilities to effectively utilise the power.
Are we looking at a 'New World Order' where the balance of power is slated to shift? My guess would be Yes. Oil is not going to stay at $40 for too long. The dollar is no longer as 'good as gold'. Israel may well be the source of the next holocaust, and men in beards with 72 virgins on their mind are being manufactured by the hundreds. A Bretton-Woods conference can only be ratified after a World War.. not before. The evidence points to a shift in power in the long term.
But as one gentleman put it.... "In the long term, we are all dead".
We make a very big deal out of security lapses, and inaction by politicians. Some of us are naive enough to suggest a complete nuclear annahilation saying we lose only a few cities but the whole of Pakistan may be wiped out. There is only one thing more dangerous than a politician.... a person who debates it from the confines of his home. Politics is dirty, at any level. If a democracy is perfect on all accounts, no work would ever get done. A dictatorship the other extreme... sounds perfect, but the imperfection arises in the fact that it is a human, who governs other humans.
Most people who were killed are those who could afford a dinner or a room that costs a few thousands per unit... the Indian elite. Would there have been the same hue and cry if the terrorist had killed 179 or even 500 in Dharawi or some remote village in Tripura? The same kind of TRP ratings would not have been achieved even during the Kargil conflict. The last time India tried to act aggressive was when the terrorists attacked the Indian MPs but could gun down only a few (useless???) cops.
It spurs the question, is the life of a rich human being far more important than that of a poor one. You are kidding if you believe in the contrary. It is in line with the laws of capitalism, which is in turn, modelled on human aspirations. A rich man should ideally be a specimen with superior intellect or physical prowess.. one who gets to enjoy the rewards of wealth due to his inherent value to the species on the whole. We do not live too far from this picture. Wealth now is in the hands of politicians, sportsmen, movie starts and businessmen. These individuals have in their own way enriched the race on the whole. The imperfection arises when wealth is inherited. A rich man's son does not deserve to be rich as he may not have with him the capabilities to effectively utilise the capital. The solution cannot be the transfer of inheritance to the state as it is the most inefficient consumer of capital. The solution therefore is to have gentlemen like one Mr. Gates on whose browser I am typing this. Leave enough for your children for them to stay comfortable. The rest may be administered through a setup that has the capabilities to effectively utilise the power.
Are we looking at a 'New World Order' where the balance of power is slated to shift? My guess would be Yes. Oil is not going to stay at $40 for too long. The dollar is no longer as 'good as gold'. Israel may well be the source of the next holocaust, and men in beards with 72 virgins on their mind are being manufactured by the hundreds. A Bretton-Woods conference can only be ratified after a World War.. not before. The evidence points to a shift in power in the long term.
But as one gentleman put it.... "In the long term, we are all dead".
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Fly in the soup
In any system it is the anomaly that gets noticed. It is the tilted line that turns a balanced equation into chaos. The relevance of this proposition is strengthened with every 'first puff' of nicotine loaded bullets cutting oxygen supply to the brain.. the momentary escapism from materialism... the pull of multiple G-forces dragging you back into reason.. Wow...
But it is always the anomaly that is always looked down upon with a mix of fascination and fear. It is the black sheep, the entity that does not belong in the perfectly oiled machine of order. The levers resisting change will do everything in their power to stop the gears from rolling over. The so called protectors of order or the facilitators of harmony are actually the ones most scared of the next state of temporary equilibrium. Certain behavior is termed risky but it is in fact the safest thing in the entire system of liquidity, where equilibrium can only be attained with it not existing in the first place.
It frankly burns the last embers of wisdom to notice the meek surrender of one of the biggest stockpiles of knowledge to the whims of a fool. But that is how systems exist. That is why it is called a system. That is why I hate it. That is why I excel at it.
But it is always the anomaly that is always looked down upon with a mix of fascination and fear. It is the black sheep, the entity that does not belong in the perfectly oiled machine of order. The levers resisting change will do everything in their power to stop the gears from rolling over. The so called protectors of order or the facilitators of harmony are actually the ones most scared of the next state of temporary equilibrium. Certain behavior is termed risky but it is in fact the safest thing in the entire system of liquidity, where equilibrium can only be attained with it not existing in the first place.
It frankly burns the last embers of wisdom to notice the meek surrender of one of the biggest stockpiles of knowledge to the whims of a fool. But that is how systems exist. That is why it is called a system. That is why I hate it. That is why I excel at it.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Ladies and Ladies
"...Unless you are a born connoisseur of art, you will not be able to judge by yourself why certain art is superior to other art..."
- David Elliot
They cannot be ignored. No chance. Not if you are blind or deaf. You can hate em for their set of idiosyncrasies or a self supposed 'new outlook on life', but after a while deep down; gay or otherwise one has got to accept the fact that they are absolutely fascinating.
I love casual dressing. By casual dressing, I do not mean t-shirts & shorts... I mean really casual. Seriously now, why is it a crime to be seen around in my underwear in the men's hostel???
I was on one such expeditions to the loo, and all ready to open the tap to relief when my 'Seventh Sense' made me look up... and notice six specimens of the opposite sex staring at me in disbelief. Now, why a 'lady' who needs to go to the loo in the men's bathroom could be justified as an uncontrollable urge; but why she needs six bodyguards is beyond any means of comprehension. I honestly felt 'violated'. I pretended like nothing happened, stepped into the shower... and drowned myself.
Awesomeness of the week is the fact that one Mr. Snehanshu Mukherjee has decided to add Rs. 18,000/- per month to my coffers. A part of which, will be consumed by the supply chain in the form of my darling; who has decided to move to Delhi for me. Truly appreciate the gesture. Looking forward to lots of freeloading, and trips post the mid terms which sulk a week away.
:)
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