A whole lot of Two years !

Today is 12th. After 4 days we would be starting an all new chapter in our Academic lives which is gonna have a profound effect on our already existing/to be launched Professional lives.The day we enter LBSIM , it would mean taking on a new challenge ! Atleast for me , it would be a completely different setting.Never in my wildest dream I thought I would wear a "formal dress" !! Although thats not the biggest challenge but is one of the challenges !!

We have had intearction with our seniors , which is kinda xclusive cos none of my friends from other institutes have interacted with their seniors as much as we guys have.And that just RockkS.Some seniors we've met personally , some only online but aquainted with never the less.Lets see how our own batchmates turn out to be !! I mean no apprehensions but just curious about the level of enthusiasm they'll have.Also never ever interacted with them before , I hope the existing Hood is liked by all !!

Why I am writing all this ?? Because I cant find any other way to vent out my apprehensions about joining a new institute , a Management Institute at that !! It doesnt get better than this , folks !! By writing all this I can prove (to myself) that I had had real apprehensions and curiosity before joining LBSIM.Because I am sure , after a week , maybe two , all this apprehension and curiosity would have vanished and we would all be in the groove.

But this post would serve as a sweet reminder to me , that despite me being very extrovert , outgoing and "let it come" type of fella , was once apprehensive about anything.

May my brain stay with me for just two more years so that I dont get apprehensive while during my Convocation !!!

Over and Out fellas.See ya on 16th.

WOuld surely like to collect details of LBSIM bloggers/Would be Bloggers/Interested People when I meet all of you so that we can make this Blog a bit more wider in perspective.

The Truth About Fat Salaries in B Schools

DISCLAIMER - This article is in NO way attributed to MY creative writing skills.Its something I came across from a source and I pasted it here.I am not posting it here to tarnish the name of any institution.

Okay.I know most of you know the truth.But this is for the un-initiated souls like me !
Came across this on Rediff.Couldn't help CUT COPY PASTE **sheepish smile**

##The campus placement season is coming towards me like a drunk and unbathed Gulshan Grover staggering towards a cowering and trembling girl who took refuge from the rain in one of his luxurious bedrooms.

That's how IIM-Calcutta student Abhinav Jain describes the feeling of hurtling towards the 'final destination'. The all-important, all-essential, all-you-really-wanted-from-the-MBA: the Placement.

In the movies, the girl generally pulls out a seven inch knife from the apple basket lying on the side table, positions it right over her tummy and yells, "Kutte, ek kadam bhee aage badaya to main khud ko khatm kar dungi ".
But I do not feel any amount of artillery positioned over any part of my anatomy can halt the oncoming placements.

Like it or not, that 'these-are-the-best-days-of-my-life' feeling you get in Year Two of the MBA is, now, inevitably tinged with the worry of what is to come. Will I get placed on Day Zero, Day One or still be hanging in there like a monkey on Day Three?
Well, if placement details so far are any indication, this year you can expect far fewer monkeys. And far more peanuts. Make that pistas and badams, actually. ##

Rosy picture

The Goa Institute of Management is one of the first B-Schools to announce its complete placement picture this year. The average salary offered at GIM increased this year to Rs. 5.66 lakh as against Rs 3.77 lakh last year. Seventy-one companies were scheduled to participate in the placement process, but only 38 companies could recruit students.
Which is great news. The economy is booming, the job market is robust. You are lucky to be passing out this year, folks.

But… a word of caution. Let's not make placements an Olympic style competition. This is not a race to be won by any one institute. It's just about getting off the starting block in the Marathon of Life.
And yet, B-School after B-School -- including the best of them -- pad up the salary figures in their press releases. As do companies themselves, when making their offers.

The biggest culprit: the concept of CTC or 'cost to company'. A salary quoted as CTC may include some/ all of the following:
~ Cash component of salary
~ The rental value of the chummery (shared) accommodation provided
~ Interest on the deposit paid for your flat
~ Allocated cost of furnishings
~ Company's contribution towards your provident fund
~ Your contribution towards PF
~ And, of course, the taxes that you have to pay

One accounting method,
With tax rules changing, many companies are expected to do away with the CTC concept and offer all-cash-component salaries this year. Which may make the job of adding up apples and oranges -- when it comes to salary packages -- that much easier.
Either way, B-Schools must adopt a uniform method of 'accounting' for their placements. If one institute reports 'CTC' while another refers to the actual cash component, there is ample scope for confusion.

Secondly, there is the issue of 'incentives'. A sign-on amount is one thing but, otherwise, a bonus is linked to performance. How can that possibly be predicted and included as part of 'salary'?
What's more, many companies, especially in industries such as insurance, financial products and marketing, clearly specify a variable package. Say Rs 2.2 lakhs will be 'fixed' while Rs 1.8 lakhs is based on your meeting certain targets. Which means it's more like a commission.

Hence, referring to such a package as Rs 4 lakhs per annum is misleading.

Another pointless statistic is the 'speed' with which a batch is placed. Given that two B-Schools are both top notch, the one with a smaller batch will obviously end its placement process faster. Bajaj, with a batch size of 107 students, will easily wrap up placement on Day 1 while IIM-A, B or C, with 250-300 students, need around three days.

What's more, the average salary at FMS, Delhi -- with a batch of 90 -- is likely to be higher than comparable B -Schools with larger batches.

There's also the 'lateral placement' issue. Thirty-eight of the 247 accepted offers at IIM-Ahmedabad last year were 'laterals'. Which means students did not take up entry level jobs -- their previous experience was taken into account by the recruiting company.
At ISB-Hyderabad, which only takes in students with work experience, the lateral placements account for a whopping 97% of offers. So comparing ISB with IIMs (where at least 40-50% of the batch are still freshers) is an exercise in futility.

So, the complexity in reporting salaries is ever-increasing. One welcome change is that B-Schools are reporting domestic and international salaries separately instead of lumping both together. But more can, and must, be done!

The trickiest issue to tackle: blatant lies.
A click of a mouse and, suddenly, figures get transformed. The main thing is that if Institute X has released its figures, then we have to look equally good. Or better.
Institute X may have indulged in a bit of exaggeration to begin with -- that gets compounded as Institute Y also decided to add some lipstick, powder and paint before facing the world.
And so, the cycle continues. While the B-School community is not fooled by tall tales -- the truth is generally known -- the real loser is the prospective student. The one who takes the decision to pursue an MBA based on these fantastic figures.
Will B-Schools come together and solve this very real problem?

source : www.rediff.com

Rag Rag Rag !!

The title of this post sounds like a Blitzkrieg !!

Okay.Definition time !!
Ragging (verb) - a process wherein seniors of an institution get to know the new joinees through informal methods.

"Informal Methods" is the part of that definition that is not clear to me.What are informal methods ?? The kinds of informal methods that have been applied on me (during my NDA stint & Engineering college) dont sound too convincing to me to believe that the senior got to know me !! It was more like he was having a bad bad day !!

Before I elaborate any further , I might as well tell you the kinds of ragging I have gone through.In chronological order :

At School - Can you believe it ?? In DPS , I was ragged when I joined in standard XI !! Anyways , I was asked to stuff my trousers in my socks and sweep the basketball court.I did that.Not because I was enjoyin it but there were atleast 40 senior gals n guys rooting for a Gung Ho senior who was ragging me !! And he was atleast 2 feet taller than me and proportionally wider too.Also I was made to carry 15 school bags to the bus stop.Phew !! That was some hardwork.

At NDA - With due respect to the Academy , I wouldnt call it Ragging as such.Its part of their training program(some of it official but most of it unofficial) .Physical excercises , they were kinda cool cos they give you a feeling of growing up strong.Then there were those Hot water-Cold water bathing sessions !! Now what kind of "excercise" is that ?? You bathe in Hot water , roll roll roll , then bathe in Cold water , roll roll roll and it carries on until the water runs out or the senior feels like doing something more exciting with the new guinea pigs.There were many more but I dont wanna get into trouble with Gen J J Singh !!

At Engg College - I had a handicap advantage.My cuz Bro was the Goondaa Almighty of my college so all the second years had pre-instructions to treat me like "their own brother".Since I am a fair soul , I allowed myself to be ragged.What was I made to do ?? Nothing !! Just stand where others were being ragged and make observations and giving points !! Sometimes I got the oppurtunity to rag my batchmates too.Although now they hate me like anything , still I have no qualms.Chance pe Dance.

All this rubbish that I have written is to point out one big doubt that has cropped up in my head since the time Ms Monica Sethi (my would be senior @LBSIM) has told me that "Akash bete , party to hogi par Ragging hamara haq hai !!"

The doubt is - How in the name of Jesus can you get to know a person by making him sweep the corridors !!!??? Ok , not being cynical , I accept the interaction like singing , proposing to same sex , introductions , whatever.But some of the idiotic ways of ragging I have come across just point out one thing.

The people who indulge in beating up juniors (I have seen that) or threatening with "dire consequences" are frustrated souls who cant even pick up a fight with a dog , let alone a person.All they can do to vent out their frustration (just because they didnt have the balls to protest when they were beaten up) is to get into physical ragging.

Ragging can be fun too !! One of my senior in college told us to dress up as some character or the other. People dressed up as Ram , Ravana , Gandhi , Dharmendra , Ajeet and there was one girl who dressed up as Monica Lewinsky (dont ask) !! Imagine Ravana taking an Applied Science tutorial !!

Bottomline is : Ragging is something everyone looks forward to while joining an institute ! Its the first time jitters that prevent some people to get the hang of it but soon enough they too start enjoying it.But the sanity of ragging should not be lost.Sane ragging where everyone goes home happy is the best one.When people turn back with grudges against someone or the other - things work out bad.

What say you ???

PS: Me coming up with a ragging article days before our session starts does not mean I am scared !! I am game for it as long as my Integrity is preserved !!!

Shameless Publicity !!

Guys,
This is very shameless publicity stunt but its required Yaaron !!
I dedicate The Hood to the Hood Junta !
And I have a Nu Personal BLog at HERE or the URL www.ak-ash.blogspot.com !!
Happy Reading !!

The Time is Here !!

Its 20th May now !!
Venky's mum has started to push him to start packing !!
Juhi is coming here on 11th June !!
Manish has already done a recci of Delhi !!
CHubs has hastened his party sprees cos the time is less now !!
The Seniors are nearly done with their Summerz and anticipating our landing at LBSIM now !!
Ak has stopped studying cos suddenly he has a lot of work to finish off !!

BOTTOMLINE (if it still didnt get into your heads) : 16th June Is Less Than a Month Away !!!

This is an important announcement guys (especially for The Hood) : Guys this Blog will suddenly be a hub of activity once our classes start.For the more tech savvy people , putting up articles would become a necessicity.To encourage that , I am expecting requests from LBSIM guys (seniors included) to be a part of this Blog (I dunno who all Blog so initiation from your side is required) .Then only I can send out invites. Feel free to pour in with "whatever you have to say" here !! Venky and I are already a part of this team.More are expected !!!
Guys , get in touch with me via Orkut , Yahoo or Mail (akash.lbsim@gmail.com) .Lets try and make this a platform for whatever we wanna express (Non Forum Style!!)

As far as poor ol Ak is concerned , He is shifting apartments !! I'l have an all new personal blog !!
This is for The Hood !! This is where The Hood will express itself !!!!!

TEN things They never tell you when You start work !!

This is an eBook I came across on an online eBook store !!
And after reading it , I thought its a bit cynical but one part of my brain said that upto a certain extent , its true.You decide for yourselves.

TEN things they never tell you when you start work.

1. You'll be paid the lowest possible amount they can get away with !
2. You'll never make good money working for other people !
3. The willing donkey carries the heaviest load !
4. They dont really mean it !
5. Get noticed - Get promoted !
6. You dont go to work to be liked !
7. Perception is Reality !
8. Information is Power !
9. Its only a Game !
10. Watch the X-Files - Trust NoOne !

General Pervez Musharraf - The next Prime Minister of India !!

General Musharraf as the next prime Minister of India!! Or better still – One thousand clones of the General as District Magistrates throughout our National Districts !!

You must be wondering Ak has switched sides. No, I haven’t. I am still as passionate and loyal to my Nation. I love my country even though movies like RDB can make an impact on the youth ONLY while they are in air-conditioned theatres. As soon as the movie is over, the feeling of “Jaago” has vanished.

Loyalties apart, take a look at him as an individual and as a leader. The way he thinks, acts and implements. He is not into pondering over policies. He knows how to act and the repercussions too.

Take Agra Summit for example. After all the deliberations and talks, it was time to come out with a joint statement. Even though the talks failed, some CBMs were agreed upon. The State Secretaries said – “ It will take us two days to come up with a Joint Statement”. And the General said – “Its only a two page document. Hell, if it takes two days for you to prepare a 10 page document, how do you intend to run these nations?? “

Might sound hasty, the General. But this radical approach is what lacks right now. Farmers committing suicides in Maharashtra over the price of onions and lack of funds!! And we call ourselves a “booming” economy. Hell, these sons of bitches politicians spend crores filling their own pockets, gathering vote banks, rath yatras and organizing parties. Cant they spare some for those poor farmers??

And not that we don’t have money. We have it. But these review committees, all these deliberations and reports!! These take up so much time and give way to scams and cover-ups.

BOTTOMLINE: Passing the buck and blame games are the characteristics of the civil regime.

I am not advocating dictatorship. But yes, at the head of the hierarchy we need a person like the General. Doesn’t get into nitty gritty of things,Him. Doesn’t deliberate. Plain simple observations. Gives out the best possible option and intends to implement it.

When asked how do you intend to implement De-Militarization in Jammu and Kashmir , he was quick. Said – “Start with three districts. Two in India and One in Pakistan." When countered Why two in India and only one in Pakistan ?? , He was quick to assess the importance of the Final Solution. He said “Ok two in Pakistan and one in India” !!

I mean he is ready to act and he does. Unlike Indian politicians and bureaucrats who believe in Gandhian , Nehruvian , Leninist , Marxist and all kinds of other principles but only Believe is what they do. They are incapable and maybe unwilling to implement. They consider too much of pros and cons and vote politics is top priority.

And not only at the prime ministerial post we need people like Musharraf in every district administration. Only then we would get rid of power woes, suicidal farmers, reservation issues, water woes, builder mafia. Corruption at the fundamental level and otherwise and most importantly – IMPOTENT ADMINISTRATION.

As for me, I am part of this nation, I am part of this society, I am part of this youth who dreams of big bucks and luxury life. I am not the one who is willing to take initiative. All I can do is come out of screening of RDB and turn on the AC of my car as soon as possible………………..

My stay @ NDA.

This article is long due It’s a very abridged version of my stay there. Every minute I spent there has a story associated with it!!

“Is Kursee Par Ajay Devgan Ne Baal Katwaaye Thay”. The barber said to me. I beamed with pleasure. NDA for me at that moment felt like a sweet movie, where nothing can go wrong and even if it does, the end is surely going to be a happy one for all.

That was my first day at the prestigious National Defense Academy, Pune. From being a “long locks” backpacker , I became a crew cut (No , actually zero cut) cadet ! Saw my face in the mirror and was like “Whoa!! What happened to you, Dude?? “

Anyways, then came the squadron allotment time. Few of the seniors had to cut short their holidays at home to welcome us first timers (Ikkeees , we were called ). They demonstrated to us How to march in front of the Adjutant (a Major rank officer) , stay upright , brisk and alert.

It was kind of awkward and funny for me because I never had walked in a straight line before in my entire life!! And there I was, standing in attention and getting my squadron allotted.

Cut to the next day – Rest of the Academy pours in. The squadron is abuzz with activity and curiosity. The Ikkeees have come!! Where are they from?? Which sport?? Pal clubs, Football clubs, Basketball Clubs!! And you wanna to join ‘em all!!

How fast can you run?? Howz your Academics??

BOTTOMLINE – How best can you serve your squadron.

Cut to After a month – Acclimatization complete !! I now know How the Academy functions. Whom to turn to in case of any problem. Whom to stay away from!!
How to catch up on your nap in between the lectures. How to open a biscuit packet without making an iota of noise. How to cook Maggi using an iron (press) and a shoe-polish mess tin.

Cut to After four months – Fell off a horse during basic riding routine. Diagnosed with Stress fracture (common ailment) in both my legs. Sent to MH Khirkee for further analysis. Doctors there give me M & D (Medicine and Discharge!!). I come back. Given Restrictions (type of punishments at the Academy) for faking injury!! I serve them but they keep on coming. Then I lose all my enthusiasm. The filmi dream is shattered. I feel like I am being punished intentionally. Although it seems alright, now that I look back at it in retro. Meanwhile I keep completing my punishments (Restrictions and ET’s)

Then one day my leg buckles. On a stair. I fall down. Taken to MH and then the downfall starts. Am admitted , diagnosed with curved bones – severe form of stress fracture. Mental agony , nothing to do except reading and resting and seeing your batch mates running around happily. After a month in hospital , I have lost all my momentum. The enthusiasm has vanished. I am behind in studies, flunked in Mid Sems and then disaster follows. I might not clear my medicals for AF cadets!! So I might be grounded during my tenure!!

That’s it. I decide to bail out. To fly is my only dream. And that was a gamble I was not willing to take at the Academy. A rational choice and I am happy it paid off!!

My stay there was more like the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” rather than “Major Saab” . Although I would have preferred it to be akin to the latter!!!

BOTTOMLINE: You cant stay at the Academy if your legs are not in proper condition. And once you lag behind , either its your will to serve the nation or lack of options that keeps you there. I had neither. I wanted to fly………………….