Children's Day Special

This children’s day I went to a special place. The Social Responsibility Forum (SRF) of our institute had organised a function for children in an orphanage run by a NGO called ‘SUPPORT’. I went there hoping to be of some help in organising and conducting the event. As it turned out, the number of volunteers was far more than what was required. I guess the students were all excited about contributing something to the society. As you know, too many cooks spoil the broth. So I decided to stay on the sidelines and instead just looked around the place and observed things. I also talked to a few kids. This was my first time in an orphanage and I was just getting a feel of things.

I am not a great observer of things (even though I am a finance major!!! ) but I observed a few things. Most kids were going through a lot of suffering and hardship before coming to that place. The place that they are living right now is not really that good. A bit too cramped for space. What we did for the kids that day- conducting games, movie, snacks, etc- was not much. But the kids were really thankful for what they got. Of course they would’ve been told to behave in such a way by the NGO. But in the eyes of the children I could see real gratitude. When the kids were served snacks, all of them closed their eyes and prayed before eating. Each and every single kid prayed sincerely and loudly. Even in such hunger and at such a young age, many of the kids kept offering us the snacks as they saw that we were not eating anything. It was really touching. The kids were extremely disciplined. All this makes one want to go to the place again and again and give something to the kids.

In the eyes of the kids I saw so many bright young minds. Potential waiting to get unlocked. These are smart kids, these are the country’s future. These are good times for the country’s economy. If only these kids are shaped properly and given a chance, they will definitely grab the opportunity. I hope that all the kids I saw that day go on to work for an Infosys, a Maruti, a HDFC bank, or do MBA from a NMIMS or maybe start some entrepreneurship some day. Believe me, all these kids are capable of doing this. They are smart, hard working and have the fire in their belly.

I am convinced that if I do not do substantial contributions to such efforts as what is being done by SUPPORT, then my career and my life is a waste. It felt good to see so many volunteers that day. Especially the kids from MBA Tech. Younger minds are more easily impressionable. This kind of an experience should have served the 17 something students of the MBA tech course well.

We keep hearing about the economic growth of our country. What’s more important is inclusive growth. I hope citizens of this country keep this in mind. Our country is supposed to be full of ‘highly intellectual’ and intelligent men and women. If that is the case then we must realise that distribution of wealth, inclusive growth and social justice are more important than 10% GDP growth, FII and trillion dollar forex reserves. Let us all play our role in making India a great nation and not just a great economy. Let us all give these kids a shot at life.

My First Trek!

Last Sunday I went on an ‘adventure trip’. Some of my friends had been planning to go on a trek with some members from a club called Nature Knights. At the last moment all my Sunday classes got cancelled and I planned to join my friends.

I got up at 5 am. I think that is the earliest I have woken since coming to Mumbai. Four of us left from the hostel in the early hours. At the bus stop we met the other four people from our institute. Three of them were French nationals who have come to our institute as part of a student exchange program. We also met the other people who were to come with us on the trip. There were a total of 23 members in the group. We left on a minibus from Andheri bus stand.

We went to a place called Tung near Lonavala. We reached the trek site at around 10.40 am. The mountain we were supposed to climb was ‘kathingad’. At first site the mountain/hill looked like a short but steep climb. The experienced members in the group seemed to think that this is gonna be an easy climb. I was not very sure though, since this was my first such excursion. We started the climb at around 11 am. The climb to the top took us 2 hours but with plenty of breaks. An experienced climber could probably have done it in an hour. But all the breaks were worth it. We stopped often to take in the breathtaking scenery. We also took some photographs. As we reached the top, it was time for lunch. We ate the food we had. Another group actually did some cooking there and had a nice time.

As everyone was simply lazing around, we took the opportunity to interact with the French students whom most of us were meeting for the first time. Thanks to the trek I got the opportunity to meet these wonderful people. Nicolas, Audrey and Joanna were nice company and I am glad I got to know them. It was interesting talking to them and learn about their country and their people.

We also did some rappelling while on top of the mountain. That was fun to do. I also very much enjoyed the serenity I found at the top. If you don’t know what rappelling means, well it is a way of climbing down the mountain using a rope. The quietness and the sound of the wind and the scenery below were very pleasant.

The climb down was much more difficult. It needed more balancing. We needed around 40 mins to climb down. We spent some time chatting at the bottom. Some people played cricket with the village boys. Even Nicolas tried his hand at batting and managed to make contact with the ball many times!

We started our trip back at around 6. we stopped at lonavala to have dinner. We reached the hostel at around 9. After looking at beautiful scenes through the day, the city looked ugly. But then this is where people make money, make a living. I guess that’s how life is. There are always two sides to a coin.

Anyway, the trek was an awesome experience. More so because this was my first trek. And I am eager to go on such treks more often.

Another competition, another experience

Last weekend I had gone to a b school in Mumbai, NITIE for their annual inter b school event, Prerana My team was shortlisted for an event called B Sultans. Since B Sultans constituted of many sub events spanning 3 days, we had gone there prepared to stay there for the three days.

The NITIE campus was really amazing and beautiful. It had lots of greenery and was surrounded by 2 lakes. The students of NITIE are indeed lucky. The event itself was very exhausting with lots of games involved. One of the games required us to go to the streets of Mumbai and sell toys worth 2500 rupees. It was a real challenge. The final event was a presentation of a paper we had written on offshore outsourcing. We learnt a lot while preparing for the paper. The events as a whole were interesting. Although we did not win any prizes, I think we all gained something from it.

This is the second competition I ve been part of. The first one being IIM Indore. It will be unfair to compare the two institutions. But both my exoeriences have been pleasant. I was unable to watch Euphoria when they performed in Indore, but as luck would have it, the same group performed in NITIE during Prerana. So I had the opportunity to watch this famous group's performance.


Thanks to my roommate Arjun's initiative I participated in this competition. It was definitely three days well spent. Lot of good food, fresh air and indeed good learnings.

A welcome break

I recently returned to Mumbai after a trip home for Diwali. I am feeling very rejuvenated since I came back. Its really surprising how such short breaks with one’s family can do wonders to one’s mental frame. It is times like these when I feel lucky to have a home, my own folks, relatives, and of course friends. The 10 days in Chennai really flew- like they always do. I met so many friends and relatives after a long time- and still there were so many that I could not meet. And the time I spent with my sis, mom and dad was as usual, wonderful. Its definitely Home sweet home!

I didn’t burst any crackers for Diwali this time, having lost interest in such things. For a change I did not go to any movie this time (not that I did not try). And I was bloody shocked when I saw the rates at some of the cinema halls in the city. At this rate Chennai will be as bad as Mumbai in another 2 years.

The city is changing rapidly. Lots of new hangouts have sprung up. And having lived in Mumbai, the costs seem really reasonable. One bad thing about the city is of course is the CAS system. Now am just waiting for the DTH system to mature and stabilise before deciding whether to opt for it.

I saw a special person in this trip to Chennai. She’s got the softest cheeks and feet I ve ever seen. And the cutest smile. Her name is Dhrithi.She is the most beautiful baby I ve seen!
She is my cousin’s daughter. And she is barely a month old now! It was a wonderful experience to hold her in my arms and spend time with her- although its quite another matter that she was asleep most of the time and quite oblivious of my presence!

Yet another friend of mine, Vivek will be going abroad shortly on a job assignment. I really wonder if any of my old friends will remain in India by the time I complete my course! Hopefully Prasanna will be back in India soon, and I hope to meet him.

All in all, the holidays was a welcome break (don’t ask me from what! ). And Fernando Alonso winning the world championship for the second time was the icing on the cake, even though I was unable to watch the final race thanks to the CAS system.

Back here in Mumbai I feel fresh and raring to go. My team has made it to the final round of a competition called 'B Sultans' in NITIE. So, right now busy writing a 'thesis paper'. Lets see how it goes..