L'Store

The euphoria and excitement was upbeat when we the team of 5 (@IPMX-5) took up the ownership of L’store from the previous batch; who started this venture last year. This store not just embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship but also provides a sense a kinship and belonging to the college. To experience the application of all the gyan which we were getting in the class made the whole venture even more thrilling. Talk about MBA jargons and we were already knee deep in it, be it 4Ps of marketing, inventory management, Account receivables/payables, market research, price elasticity etc…

With childlike excitement and unbridled enthusiasm we started our first day in store at 5.30pm on hot summer day in May and tried to sell to everyone and anyone coming to the cafeteria. I got busy cajoling and convincing customers when suddenly I realized that all the others (all guys) were missing and there was a weird lull, so I went to check at the stall and sure enough the “boys” were making the first sale to a very nice lady from wmp “Almitra “ .  I must say whatever the reason for the collective effort we succeeded in making our first sale :) and there was no looking back.

It’s been 2 months since then and we’ve got a feel of what it means by “customer’s always right” and the importance of proper/clear communication in marketing.  Dealing with vendors and logistics is a whole new ball game.

Whenever I am at the stall and fold piles of t-shirts I remember Rajbeer’s (founding member) observation of having new found respect for the salespeople in stores.

 http://thetimesofipmx.blogspot.in/

From the frying pan into the fire…

My transition from a being a spouse at IIM Ahmedabad PGPX to a student at IIM Lucknow IPMX has been interesting experience. From the Profs at IIMA who planted this mba seed (read keeda) in my mind to the endless interview coaching session folks from PGPX were kind enough to provide ; not to forget S’s incessant nagging and prodding and encouraging that has got me here.

It’s extremely exciting to realise that less than a year ago I attended S’s graduation at LKP and in less than 1 year from now will be attending my own at Lucknow.

The year at IIMA with the endless chai parties, the household management, the kaam waali network gossip and the veiled politics was an experience in its own if not a social experiment. The coming year at IIM L I am told is going to be all this and much more J J

As I trade the midnight gup groups for the midnight study groups, the chaat sessions for chat sessions, the high heels and ironed suits for flats and nondescript kurtas this promises to be a roller coaster year to say the least.

MDP @IIMA

I decided to get off my backside and learn something at this great institute; I enrolled in the MDP starting first week of Jan.

I was extremely enthusiastic and excited about the prospect of learning at this great Institute. I was looking forward to all the late night bonding over cases and cups of chai. Monday morning, I was excited, with butterflies in my stomach, to be sitting in a classroom after nearly 5 years and that too at IIM A. The day started out fairly well, with lots of interactions and learning’s and before I knew it, it was 530 and the end of the last lecture. There was a dinner planned for all the participants in the evening, after which we were to start our group study. There was preparation to be done for the next day and day 1’s additional readings also had to be finished. So effectively I had 2 hrs to go home take a shower meet S, AND squeeze in time to read the case. After dinner, the group study started in the syndicate rooms allotted to us and we earnestly sat down to discuss the case. The group had thought that we would be able to wrap it up in 2 hrs i.e. by mid-night, but alas how wrong were we, once we got into the discussion, getting in everyone’s point of view, we didn’t realize when it was already 1 am!!! The case wasn’t yet finished the readings for the next day were untouched and on top of that we realized we had a questionnaire to fill as well. Finally we tightened our belts and after deliberation and delegating, got the stuff finished by 4 in the morning. I headed home half asleep, realising that I had spent only 15/20 mins with S in the entire day. The remaining 4 days of the MDP were pretty much a repeat of the first one, just that we had a lot of camaraderie and bonding over cases and mutual feelings of being completely exhausted.

The MDP was an awesome learning experience, I learnt from not just the teachers and the course material but a lot from the experiences of my fellow MDPians as well. The day after the MDP finished it dawned on me that the entire week I was not only physically drained but also emotionally exhausted, I felt guilty about not spending enough time with S, not even being around at dinner. I  came home at 1 one night to find him waiting for me, -something that had been happening the other way round for the past 8 month. This MDP gave me a glimpse of what S has been going through these past months. I used to envy S and his classmates the time they got learning and growing at IIM A, the camaraderie they shared, the college life they lead. But I never fully appreciated the hard work and emotional strain that goes on behind the scenes The learnings from just 4 days classes at IIM A have been so great; I can hardly begin to imagine the full impact of a full MBA!!!

Kuch Kuch hota hai in Batam....

On our way back from a major shopping and walking spree (need a whole new blog entry to explain the walking) we took a cab back from the Batam Mega Mall to our hotel, about a 30 mins drive costing 1 Million Rupiah.

The taxi driver seemed friendly and started a conversation; both S and I were wary of the guy and were trying to keep the conversation minimal. But our cabby had other plans, he started making small talk and spoke about the economy, tourist places, religion etc.

He got only polite "hmms" and nods from us; after contemplating for 5 mins in silence he started singing Kuch kUch hota hai in his malay accent :) :)  he knew the entire song and sang it in perfect tune and tempo, though he had no clue what it meant. He asked us to translate the song for him and was highly amused at the lyrics that he had been singing for so long.

He wanted to  know if Sharuk' k'an and Kajol were Indians and also how much time would it take in a flight to reach bollywood.

While he was discussing his plans to come to Mumbai, we reached our hotel, just before alighting he told us his name was "Amar", and that his father had named him after a character in a hindi movie.

S and I were amazed and amused at the power that Bollywood has. It can transcend not just physical barriers but also lingual ones.

Bollywood rocks!!!

5K

This years Connexion meet was to kick off with a 5k run, needless to say, many of us (spouses) decided to go walking early mornings to get aquatinted with the track. The campus is so calm and peaceful at 6 in the morning that its nothing less than therapeutic. The nicely thought-out route took us through the canopy of trees in the staff quarters to the beautiful architectural buildings of the old campus. Many a times the chirping of birds was the only sound we could here. Our walks turned into a amateur bird watching sessions, with so many different types of birds there, it was truly a visionary as well as auditory delight. I guess the joy of running becomes many-fold in such an environment. The connexion event even before it started helped us “connect” with nature.

Ah to be 20 again!!!

Yesterday night was Dance night at RJM, performances by PGP/PGPX/Exchange students- basically everyone. By the time we reached the hall it was jam packed and bubbling with excitement. We got seats near the end of the audi just next to a group of very enthusiastic guys. Even before the performances began the hooting and cat calls began. The poor guy who was compeering the show really put on a brave face and did the job well. Once the acts began it felt like I was back in college, for a moment all adult thoughts took a back seat -the kaam waali bai, the vegetables to be bought, the press waale kapde, the deadline for current piece of work. All that was there was this moment that we (spouses) were enjoying -clapping and moving to the beats of the songs being performed- checking out the performers and the outfits and oh ya cheering or booing on top of our lungs. The PGP students seemed to be enjoying thoroughly too, there was the usual noisy bunch and then there were the love birds, sitting together arm on shoulder way. It was an “ossum” experience after a very long time indeed.

Faith in humanity – Restored!!!!

Day before yesterday on my to the gym I inadvertently lost my wallet, though I didn’t realize this at the time and went about my business as usual. Only when I started getting repeated calls from an unknown number asking for “adit bhai” first and later “aditi ben” did I realize what had happened. The person on the phone informed me that he had my wallet. He was kind enough to let me know where he was at the moment and that I could collect the wallet cards and cash (all of 75 bucks) intact from him. S and I reached the said location within 5 mins and called the number after parking. The man told us that he was right across the road at the pharmacy. This guy was tall, seemed to be in his late 30’s and by the uniform that he was wearing- a driver. After verifying that it was indeed my wallet he handed it to me. I was immensely grateful to this savior. He asked me to verify that all cards/cash/papers were intact. He even apologized for going through my wallet to look for identification. I was overwhelmed and words failed to express my gratitude. Furthermore when S offered him a reward, he politely declined saying that it was his duty and that he knew what a loss losing a wallet could be. I was happy to get my wallet back but disturbed as well. I kept thinking about the incident and kept wondering whether I had become a cynic as my first thoughts after realizing that I lost my wallet were that “I am never going to get it back”. I was also nonplussed by this strangers actions, he did not want any monetary reward either. Maybe my view of the world had been wrong all along; maybe the world is a good place after all. I felt like a fool for doubting humanity. The next day in the evening I got a call from my wallet savior guy (WSG), I took the call thinking he probably wanted to verify all was ok. WSG started telling me the story of how it wasn’t him who had actually found the wallet, it was some other person and how he had taken the wallet from the actual finder and had returned it and that it was actually the cards in the wallet that compelled him to return the wallet (well obviously there were only 75 rupees in cash), after about half an hour into this story, WSG said that the guy who had found the wallet wanted a reward for doing the right thing, WSG said he was being pressurized and wanted us to give him cash that could be handed over to the actual finder. S spoke to WSG and asked him for the actual finder’s name and number, which WSG didn’t have, we smelt a rat and when S asked him for further details he hung up. WSG hasn’t called since and I don’t think there was another guy. I don’t know what made WSG call the second day, don’t know who or what compelled him to cook up such a story when he had declined the reward the first day. The only thing that WSG’s phone on the second day did was to restore my faith in humanity. This is a dog-eat-dog world; everyone is out to see their own good. I slept better that night knowing the world is cynical the way it has always been.