SACH is the class!

Preface and Acknowledgements: Thanks to all my blog readers for showing interest in my blogs and taking out time to read this one. This time I have tried to come up with a blog on a great personality. With the hopes that you would like my small effort, let’s start:

Hey Bhagwaan! - We use this phrase more often than not, atleast I do. So I thought of writing about the Bhagwaan – not the one which we normally think of, but about the Bhagwaan of ‘lamb dand gol pind daud pratiyogita’! Ah! Too much of patriotism of using Hindi language! Back to English - I am talking about the God of Cricket – no guesses for this; he is the Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar!

Numbers speak a lot (at least for Managers or for to-be-managers like me :P). So let’s start with them. 2 & 4 – There is something to do with these numbers for Sachin. He was born on 24^th, and he achieved one of the greatest feats of international cricket, also on 24^th, when he was playing his 442^nd ODI – again a combination of 2 & 4! The feat I am talking about – die hard cricket fans, who are ample in India, will absolutely know about it – is of scoring 200 runs in an ODI for the first time by an individual on this planet! We had to wait for 2961 ODIs or 29 years, 1 month and 20 days for this feat to be achieved.

One more interesting fact – umpire Shavir Tarapore and Sachin have an interesting relationship. Shavir, according to me, is the most fortunate person on this planet (Sachin is out of this race as he is the GOD!). He might be the only person to witness LIVE the three highest scores by the God. Yes, he was umpiring in those three matches – 200* (Ind vs SA in 2010), 186* (Ind vs NZ in 1999) and 175 (Ind vs Aus in 2009). So the relationship being that one ST is a good luck charm for another ST!

Leave aside numerology, alphabetology (new term coined by me for S & T being lucky for ST ;)) and fortunes, there is much more than this behind Sachin’s success. After all, very few people can think of dedicating their lives to just one, single thing – Sachin being one of them and Cricket being his passion. The hard work, the dedication and the perseverance shown by Sachin towards cricket is incomparable and unmatchable. The class, the timing, the placement of shots doesn’t come so easy. There is a lot of practice behind it. Can anyone imagine continuously practicing batting with the ball suspended from ceiling by using a thread, that too at late hours in the night? Can anyone imagine securing a one-rupee-coin, in an exhausted mode, by not getting bowled out – not for its monetary value but for the pleasure, the satisfaction one gets from it? Mind you, Sachin has got, rather scored, 13 such coins and he considers them as some of his most prized possessions.

The God has got innumerable feathers (records) to his cap. Few of them being the highest runs in ODIs, highest runs in Tests and the latest one as mentioned above. Someone has rightly said that Sachin does not break the records, but he creates records which are meant to be broken – many of which are still unbroken! He doesn’t run behind the records but it’s the other way round.

Such has been the class of Sachin, that he has been a topic of debate in the Indian parliament. The members are debating about an indubitable topic – whether Sachin should be awarded the Bharat Ratna (translates to Gem of India in English). There is no doubt in this - the whole India agrees that he is the Gem, the Jewel of India.

The next ICC World Cup, in 2011, will probably be the last world cup for Sachin as an ODI player. Let’s hope that the best of Sachin continues for his cricketing tenure and India wins this World Cup when he is playing for the country.

Happy Reading!

As I always say, I will try my level best to come up with a new blog sooner!

Regards,

Lalit.

My MBA Institute - PUMBA

Happy On the BENCH!!!

Acknowledgements First:

Thanks to all my blog readers/ followers (hope I get few :P) for their enthusiasm to take out time and read this blog. Special Thanks to my friend Saad Shaikh (PUMBAites will know him) for suggesting the topic to write on and the title.

Lets start:

What comes to the mind when one hears BENCH? Ask IT (Information Technology) guys (I am one of them) and they will tell you the IT meaning of 'BENCH'. For some it is a place just to sit idle and earn a good disposable income (as they call it), for some it means enjoy movies, games and what not in the office (though economic depression has made way for some strict policies not allowing all this) and still earn a good disposable income, for the few remaining it is a place to get frustrated because of no work and still earn a good disposable income!!!

For me, having worked for almost 3 years (34 months) in a well known IT company, is a good experience. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was on BENCH for a maximum total of 3 months (only!). It was a good time though, even when I was on projects (BILLABLE is the right word for this) (being on project means one is 'Not On Bench'). Flexi timings, 2hrs lunch, light workload were the things one would really like to have in office and I was fortunate enough to have all this. Now being an IT Professional it is a written norm that one has to (atleast) appear for the MBA entrance exams. After all, there has to be some change in life after stangnant years of wake up -> go to office -> spend statutory minimum hours -> come back -> dine -> sleep -> wake up... and so on. So, on the day before joining the office, on 19th Nov., 2006, I wrote CAT and repeated the same mistake of writing it twice in the following years. Thank God, there was MH-MBA-CET! I was able not to qualify 'writing CET' as a mistake. I got through CET 2009 and got admitted into Department of Management Sciences, University of Pune (well known as PUMBA). Finally, one more IT guy converted to MBA student.

As a MBA student, one has to do multitasking and this was the first lesson I learnt as a MBA student. The reason being: My college started on 24th August, 2009 (It was scheduled to start on 10th August, but courtesy swine flu, it got delayed by 2 weeks) and my managers at office were not ready to relieve me before 11th Sep (read it as '9/11'). Don't know what good they found in me, perhaps the thing that I was BILLABLE! So, I had to attend the college in the morning from 8am (though I used to bunk the morning lectures many a times) till 3-4-5 pm and then to office till the time my 'minimum statutory hours' were completed (At that time I was working in the second shift, stipulated work timings were 2pm to 11pm). One would think why would I bother to attend the college after all? Boss, think again, here too one has to complete the 'minimum statutory lectures' i.e. 75% of them for ones term to be granted. So with no option left, I somehow learnt multitasking. It hampered my health though - I will subsequently come to that.

Finally my lessons of multitasking came to an end on 9/11. I am still doubtful if multitasking is imbibed in me. So my 'regular' college life started after 3 long years of WorkEx. It was difficult to adjust at start, but somehow I managed it. Along with the lectures, we had to undergo a process - though voluntarily - to be a part of the prestigious cell in college - the Placement Cell. After all, very frankly, placement is the thing people do MBA for. I won't describe the process here as I am not sure if it goes with the policies or not - this is one good thing i learnt at my job - to be specific in my organization - 'When in doubt, don't!'

As part of the process, we had a 2 weeks visit to Mumbai starting 21st Sep. I had to leave my team mid-way as my blood iron level went low (My intuition says this was all because of multitasking). So I was there for just 1 week. But all of us enjoyed a lot there along with the work. But still I was in my office mood - too serious, too professional - I wasn't adapted to the college life so easily. In Hindi, we say 'Waqt har zakhm ki dawa hota hai' (Time is the ultimate medicine for every wound) - So I let it go in the hands of time. Back to college - after a week at home :) - I felt good - healthy and out from my office mood. Time is really the ultimate medicine.

Don't you think we are going away from the topic 'On the Bench'? OK so we are back. When I enter the classroom and sit on the BENCH - I feel more happy and cheerful than I did sitting on the 'BENCH' i mentioned earlier. From a professional to a student, from a Software Engineer to an Aspiring Manager, life has changed a lot - in good terms though - but one thing that is common is the BENCH. Though the materials are different - office BENCH is made up of cushion whereas college BENCH is made up of iron/ wood - it rarely matters except for the buttock! The crux of the matter is one should be happy. Hope you are happy on your BENCH. I, for sure, am 'Happy On the BENCH!!!'.

Happy reading,

I will try my best this time to come with new blog sooner,

Regards,

Lalit.

My MBA Institute - PUMBA

P.S. Please do post your valuable feedback and comments. It will help me improve my blogs.

Books, or Friends!!!

Hi, This is my first blog. A boring (or interesting) one!!! Donno!!! I never used to read books other than the necessary ones. Hope you understand what necessary stands for in this context!!! My friends used to tell me about their Friends!!! The partners of their leisure time, the partners who never made them feel alone, and bla bla..... That time I used to listen to them and just give a smile (Ek kaan se suno aur dusre se nikaal do). Then one day I thought why not give a try... I had heard a lot about a book. Waise bhi for a start you should do it with a recognized one!!! So I started reading 'Five point Someone'. Many of the you must have heard and also read this book. Somehow I completed this book. Yes the book contents and the theme was nice and I too, like many others liked the book. But I don't think this made me get into a habit of reading. After this book, atleast for 4-5 months I didn't touch any other book. Was back to my old days habit. But then again I heard a lot about another book. It was 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown. Again I thought to give a try to this book too. So I started the prologue and then the first chapter. Fortunately, I was able to complete the first chapter. I am telling this because I am not very good at simple English, leave away the language of 'The Da Vinci Code' and moreover French was added to it to increase my misery!!! After the first chapter I started the second one and never completed it in another 1 month or so. Or should I say, I never tried to complete it. The next time I took the book in hand again I started to read it from the beginning. Again completed the prologue and the first chapter, started the second one and again unable to complete it. This happened a couple of times more. I don't know if there was something wrong with the book or something wrong with me (no, My reading). So finally I decided that this book is not made for me and put the book down. A month later we had a book exhibition in our office. I just went to have a look at the collection and saw a book titled 'If God was a Banker' by Ravi Subramanian. I don't know if many of you know this book, but as soon as I saw the book and read the back cover of it (the paraphrase was given on the back cover) I decided to read it completely. I purchased the book and the same day started reading it (offcourse after moving out from office, at my home). I found the story to be good one and hopefully this time I was able to complete this book. It took me more time to complete the book as compared to others would have taken, but I had managed to complete the book. This book inspired me to again revisit the Da Vinci Code. This time I was able to go to chapter three and next chapters too. If you are aware, 'The Da Vinci Code' has 105 chapters. But I completed chapter after chapter and that too I was understanding the theme. Cool naa... Yes, and finally I completed it. It took me a lot of days to complete it. But I did it. After completing the book, I realised that what my friends use to tell me about their Friends is true and helpful. Yes, books are in real you pals. They are, as I mentioned earlier, a partner for your loneliness and a good, worthy pass time. They will gain you enhance your knowledge, your command on the language and also your reading capabilties. Yes, A Friend in need is a Friend indeed. I don't know why I have used this topic as my blog. Probably, because I didn't had anything else to discuss here in my first blog. And anyways we are in a democratic country to express your views and you are in the World of Lalit G... Please see the title of the internet page ;) . Hope if anybody of you reading this blog, who does not love reading books other than the necessary ones, will get a little bit of inspiration from this discussion and will someday thank to himself and offcourse me!!! I think I am getting to take interest in writing too now. Anyways, Enjoy life... and keep reading good books and offcourse blogs. Regards, Lalit.