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Showing posts from April, 2016

Management Education in India: The Way Forward

MBA – the tag spells magic! Or so thought the thousands of hopefuls joining one of the innumerable management institutes in the country. Till a few years back it was the ultimate key to a lucrative career in the corporate world. Today the MBA cookie has crumbled, leaving behind shattered dreams and sluggish careers for many. For the past few decades, an MBA degree from a reasonably well known management education  institute was considered good enough to guarantee a prestigious job in a reputed organization. A student knew that if he/she had moderately good communication and presentation skills, coupled with high CGPAs, chances of being secure career-wise were high. Institutes basked in the glory of affiliations and accreditations to national and international universities, and boasted of 100% placements in MNCs and blue-chips. This, in turn, ensured a steady flow of hopefuls to the MBA and BBA courses run by these institutes. Things have changed, with the shrinking of j...

Types of Bengalis

There are Bengalis and there are Bengalis. On the day after the Bengali New Year - Poila Boisakh, let me dissect a few for my own enjoyment. The "Hocche Bangali": It is a mock title given to those pretenders to the role of the true-blue Bengali, those who are the "probashi" or non-resident Bengali. These guys are distinguished by their propensity to add a "Hocche" to every sentence, a replacement to the Hindi "hai". They are also marked by their affinity towards the places they have lived all their lives in, and the cultures that they have adopted over the Bengali culture. They prefer, horror of horrors, to speak in Hindi at home, call their sons "Beta", and like to eat rotis over rice and fish. Their language is spiked with Hindi words, much to the indignation of their West Bengal home-grown counterparts. They also sometimes go without fish for days, something the average Bengali cannot imagine. The "Bheto Banagali": ...

The Lovable Lazy Hero: Kung Fu Panda

At last we have a hero who is lazy, loves to eat, slothful and totally chilled out. Plus he is also doubtful about his own powers! Can it get more human than that? Kung Fu Panda, the lovable bear who loves hogging noodles and dim sum, is as laid back as they come. Thrust into greatness, he reluctantly becomes the leader of the pack. Now he has to fight it out with a demonic Ka who combines the energies of all the masters. So how does he do it? Simple. By being himself, and channelizing his innate chi. He builds up an army of pandas all excelling in what they can do best. Even dim sum popping gets to become a talent in itself! Armed with his unique brand of street smartness and native intelligence, he defeats Ka at his own game. Of course, all the while being aided by his army of pandas. Kung Fu Panda tells us to believe in ourselves, and to be ourselves. It celebrates frailty, weakness, sloth and vulnerability. No need to be invincible, it tells us, just be human. Rejoice in bei...

How I overcome lethargy

There are times when I just don't feel like working. Just feel like vegetating or relaxing. When the few steps to the kitchen or to the work station seem like a hundred miles. Or just picking up the laptop and opening a file seems a cumbersome task. Yes, I am sure you face such situations too. Mental or physical lethargy is quite common, and more debilitating than people care to admit. I would like to share with you what I do to counter that oh-so-much-work-why-should-I-even-start feeling. I just sit and let that moment pass. Doing nothing for a while spurs me, and then I want to do something. Letting your mind do nothing is also necessary. I check my LinkedIn/Facebook feed. This is where I get new content ideas from. I take a break and chat on WhatsApp, This is a guilty pleasure that I indulge in once too often, only to realize that I have better things to do :(( I look at my plants or just take a stroll around. Or I stand in the balcony staring outside. This d...