Who are those guys?

On the outset,let me put it straight - I am a movie buff. Lately I have tried to mix and match my movie picks. Yesterday watched the 1969 classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". Robert Redford shot to limelight with this movie after an average run to success. Paul Newman - though by that time an acclaimed actor - I would consider this flick of his as the pin-up movie of the era. His style, naive naughtiness bordering affection, frivolous nature made him a perfect partner of the more serious Redford. Boy, isn't he handsome. On the other hand, Robert Redford was a archetype gang leader, wading through the vicissitudes of life by robbing, swindling and plundering. They complemented each other pretty well injecting some funny moments in the heists they carried out.

Apart from being a western classic there is nothing extraordinary about the movie, but do watch it for the escapades of Paul Newman and Robert Redford and the all pervasive quote " Who are those guys?"

Later, I would put down my thoughts on movies based on Tennessee Williams plays "Cat on a hot tin roof" and the "The Glass Menagerie". Till then adios!!!

Why am I moving?

I have been pondering over this question a year long. It was not to justify my actions but to take a sane, well thought-out decision.


1. I have already stayed in this country for 5 years and have 1 year left on my H1B Visa(For the first tenure of 6 years). In US, immigration rule proffers that an individual has to move out of US mainland before a company files for another stint of 6 years. Now, thats a big problem as I would be at the mercy of some company to file for a H1B. Think about the situation. I leave US after my graduation with a humongous loan of 150,000$ working in India and waiting for some company to file a US Visa for me, so that I get an overseas placement and replay my loan quicker. Any untoward incident at this point would trample and jeopardize my financial situation. A big risk. I want to play it safe as I am already 32.

2. Typically, International candidates owing to their Visa status lands up in Management Consulting or Investment Banking domain. There are very few strategy companies which open up for International applicants(This is true for all the B Schools including HBS/Stanford/Wharton/MIT). Now, Management Consulting never interested me as the travel takes a toll on my health and moreover companies such as Mckinsey, Booz-Allen, AT Kearney are always in lookout for younger candidates. I ain't one.
With, very few banks left in Wall Street IB(Investment Banking) is also not an option. Hence, my post-MBA job focus would be extremely rarified and narrow.

3. My focus has always been Entrepreneurship and no economies offer better opportunities than the Emerging Economies. I personally feel that there are huge opportunities in India at this point and its the right time to jump in. US economy is slacking and would move at a "tortoise's pace" unlike the emerging economies which will continue surging ahead with a 8% GDP despite this economic turmoil. And even more so, lately India is moving from the blotched reputation of being the "Backoffice of the West" to a revolution which I call "CenterTable of the US".

4. I am getting a world class education at an Indian price. US education is expensive and if one does not intend to stay or work in the US for a long time(post graduation) then it does not make any sense to get an education from US. For me, I have stayed here for 5 years; I pretty much understand the industry here and I, by no means, intend to stay the rest of my life here. B School is all about networking and its pragmatic to network in the country where u intend to work after u graduate. Remember it takes 4-5 years for a single person to repay the loan and 6-7 years for a married person to repay. I cannot commit myself working in US for so long. Then I will miss the boat.

Its been along post. Time to rest in peace.

Introspection in Retrospect

Well, finally I was able to gear myself up to start blogging after a hiatus of more than a year. There have been profound and thematic changes in my life since my thoughts last touched this page.

They say the "fruits of the labor" are always sweet. Well in my case it couldn't have been more sweeter. I decided to pursue an MBA and since then laboured hard for a prestigious seat in the IIMs and few US B Schools. As I stand today, I have offers from IIMC, IIMB and interview invites from Ross(University of Michigan), Tuck School of Business - Dartmouth College, Yale School of Management and Tepper School of Business(Carnegie Mellon University). Well, couldn't have expected more.

However, after 5 years of residing in US, I have decided to move back to India and join IIMC-PGPEX. The reasons of the move lay their provenance in the disastrous economic situation and in some personal Visa problems(Would write a new article on that). Now, whether the decision is a prudent one - only time will tell; thats why I call this article as "Advantage of Hindsight".