First few days at IIM-Calcutta

If I have to summarize my initial brush with IIM-C, in a nutshell it would be a simple one liner - Astounding. I was always fascinated and taken by the fact that I would have to spend an entire one year with phenomenal candidates from diverse backgrounds. And the fascination took shape with all its whims and chimeras perfectly grounded in real world.


Diversity is an understatement when we talk about the kind of people we have in our batch. From Entrepreneurs to PSU stalwarts, from manufacturing sector to financial number crunchers, from Indian Army to devout programmers - we have it all. And the various viewpoints contributed by all in a simple discussion invariably take the form of an intense debate. Tonight while taking a stroll at IIMC and licking the molten drops of chocobars(humidity at this place abets the liquification process) few of my batch mates vigorously debated on various contemporary issues. It reminded me of my IIT days when we would spend hours debating on inconsequential and trivial matters.

The "various viewpoints" all of us brought-out is an apt reminder of(or should I say precursor to...)an intellectually stimulating year ahead. The sojourn has just started and I am all positively charged-up to suck up every ounce of information floating around.

Signing of for now.!!

Bookworm : Ain't a parasite

As I had so much free time last month, I indulged myself in reading - an avocation which I heavily inculcated during my Roorkee days. Typically, I would try to read a wide range of books in order to gain information on disparate industries and ideologies. Here are the books that I read last month.


Sam Wyly : 1000 dollars and an Idea

Samuel Wyly is an American entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist. He is one of the lesser known entrepreneurs who dabbled with disparate ideas and made it big. Though this book is not his autobiography, however, it reflects his sharp business acumen, tenacity and perseverance. The way he astutely shaped businesses - from Bonanza Steakhouse to Michaels - is a testament of his indomitable spirit and passion in building something new. All by himself he waged an anti-monopoly battle against AT&T and eventually won it and in the process provided some refreshing insights of the innards of the powerhouse. This man is not Bill Gates or Sam Walton, but an archetype entrepreneur who can sense profit even in the bleakest of times.

Shashank Mani: India - A Journey through a Healing Civilization

This masterpiece from a fellow IITian reinforces the fact that engineers can write, and that too for a cause.This book vividly captures a very unique train journey across India organized by the author in the year 1997. The purpose of the journey was to get a sense of the changes that had engulfed India in the past fifty years of independence, and what needed to be accomplished in order to stamp its authority in the world. 200 Indians from different walks of life traveled together, discussed among themselves the issues that bothered them as citizens, possible solutions to fight corruption and kindle a new spirit of entrepreneurship. Read this book to understand the infinite potential of our generation.

Charles Fishman : The Walmart effect

If you have an MBA you must have read about the commonplace management terms such as changing landscapes, competitive landscape and producer-retailer relationships. Brace yourself up, as Charles Fishman takes you through a whirlwind tour of a company named Walmart, whose effect in the economy is so pronounced that those management terms make no sense any more. This book was essentially an eye opener for me as it turns upside down the concepts of distribution channel, supply chain and retail in general. Before reading this book, I could never have thought that an economy as robust and flexible as US's would be so vulnerable to the changing trends of Walmart.

Malcolm Gladwell: Tipping point

A very intriguing book by this journalist who demonstrated with numerous examples the sociological term Tipping point - the level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable - and made a real case out of it. I mean, the way he used the term in such disparate social and political settings is itself noteworthy and makes his case even more credible and potent.

Jyoti Sanyal : Indlish, the book for every English speaking Indian

This veteran "Statesman" editor wages an all-out war against circumlocutions and pompous style of English writing. He coined the term Indlish: The Indian way of writing English. According to Sanyal, Indlish is something that got passed on from the Victorian age and is used unremittingly by journalists, officials and the educated class. Such archaic this style is that it clouds the actual meaning of a sentence or a paragraph thereby creating a false sense of intellectual superiority. Sanyal is a huge proponent of Clear English Writing and his book is such an enjoyable read.

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr : Who says elephants can't dance?

This book is an account of IBM's historic turnaround as told by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., the chairman and CEO of IBM from April 1993 until March 2002. I am still reading this book hence would provide my after-thoughts later.