The Times that Change

If I may reiterate Vincent Van Gogh, ‘I dream of writing and write my dreams’. Nearly a year ago from now, penning down my thoughts was never this hard. Was it because life at K was a new experience every day - A story that we would reminisce for the months to come? Or is it because, now, life has become the same old drudgery that we have been forced to get accustomed to?

But then again, what can be a better time to re-enkindle my nostalgia, my passion, my love for writing than the same old zephyr, the same old mountains and the same old winding road uphill that welcomed us back; that made us feel as if we had never left.

The 2 days spent on campus were pretty different this time. With us finding every opportunity to revisit the most memorable 2 years in 2 days, once again seeing those faces that we had last seen when we bid goodbye, meeting our favourite professors, those smiles and hugs that gave us back the warmth we had missed so much. And then again came those goodbyes, those teary-eyed farewells when we realized that it would be another couple of years before we’ll meet again, at this time, at the same place.

However, leaving campus this time was not that tough. Was it because we were more prepared for it than we were the last time we left? Was it because we knew that we were going back to the same old drudgery that we had left behind us just 2 days ago? Or was it because we knew each other better that we knew what to expect from them and what not to?

I have come to realize that most of my posts in the last 2 years have been about life at K and I was quite sure this one would be the same. ‘You always write about your time at K. What will you write about once you leave?’, they kept asking. I really didn’t know how to answer them then. I would, without any doubt, come up with a topic; there are so many. But today, as I write, I can’t help but feel the void; that something is missing, that the ink from my pen doesn’t flow as it used to back then.

What has changed? Is it me? Have I become too professional, too sophisticated, too mature that en route this voyage I let go of the juvenile, mischievous self that I was? Is it those around me? Have they changed? If I think of it, it’s just the time-the Times have changed.  

We have become so used to being in an environment where we are looked at with envy and jealousy that it has only made us tougher. We have become so accustomed to staying alone that it gives us solitude, sometimes boredom but never the sense of freedom. We have accepted with such ease the patriarchy in the society that we have learnt to live with those ogling eyes, those constant stares and those lewd remarks with our heads bent down in acceptance. They say, “When in Rome, be a Roman”. But, did they mean that we mould ourselves in a way such that people around us would begin to accept us; even at the cost of our own dreams, aspirations, lifestyle and behaviour? Did they mean that we accede to their unrealistic dictates without voicing our opinion just because, as they say, “Aaj toh ladki suna kar gayi!”? Why do they expect their female colleagues to behave in a way that they would never prefer a girl from their family to? Why are they not sensitive enough to understand what to talk and what to not, when to talk and to not, yet expect us to feel comfortable in their company? Situations like these only make one tougher, more aware and make us realize that life outside is very different from what we thought and that some learnings are best left within the Acad block-not because we are not adept enough to incorporate them; but because our society is not yet ready enough to accept them.      

Mitch Albom writes, “Man alone chimes the hour. And, because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures. A fear of time running out.” We have set stringent deadlines for our life - post-graduation by 23, marriage by 28, multiple promotions and a respectable position in the organization by 30, retirement by 60; but is life so predictable that the deadlines can be ‘sacrosanct’? College has made us adhere to timelines, has made us ecstatic, when, in trying situations, these deadlines were extended. But today, a miss in the deadline makes us anxious, makes us fret, makes us feel incompetent compared to our peers. We are so anxious about our future that we forget to live in the present, to enjoy all that we have earned, to give time to our family and friends, to live….

We all yearn for what we have lost. But sometimes, we forget what we have. We yearn to be a student back again, to be in campus for 1 more day, for 1 more year; to spend just 1 hour with the same people who we used to spend months with. We may not be in K anymore, but we have learnt a lot more from there, long enough to keep us going in this ruthless, lecherous world; long enough to endure the changes, the compromises and the adjustments that we are forced  to make everyday. We yearn to go back home, to go back to the coziness, the warmth and the comfort that we have taken for granted all these years; to enjoy the sumptuous meal at home, to pour out all our worries to our parents, to share a laugh with our siblings-to be ourselves, without worrying about being judged. But then again, they are the 1^st ones we go to in troubled times, we need them to tell us, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine tomorrow.” And sometimes just smile when they say, “If you don’t like it there, come back home. You’ll fine 10 other jobs for yourself.” How we wish that was true! How we wish we could go back!

We all have awaited our ‘Dream come true’ moment. But once this moment passes, comes the slow, melting realization that this is not what we thought it would be like. This is not what we imagined our colleagues to be like. This is not what we imagined our managers to be like. This is not what we thought our friends would be like. And this is definitely not what we imagined our life to be like.

Life has changed in the past few months. There are a very few people with whom we are still as comfortable talking to as we were back then. It’s not about how often we meet them or talk to them, it’s more about how good we feel even in those little times that we talk. As they say, it is easy to talk to people, but hard to remember them. As the days pass, very few people would still remember you, very few would still be there to comfort you, very few would give you a shoulder to cry on. But as Rabindranath Tagore puts it,

If they answer not to your call walk alone

If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness

O thou unlucky one,

trample the thorns under thy tread,

and along the blood-lined track travel alone.

If they shut doors and do not hold up the light when the night is troubled with storm,

O thou unlucky one,

with the thunder flame of pain ignite your own heart,

and let it burn alone

The Transition

‘The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind’

- Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

It’s been 6 months. 6 months since I left IIM K. 6 months since the day reality struck that life still continues to be race- a race much tougher, much uglier than all races that I have been a part of till date. 6 months since I started my 1^st job. 6 months since my last post. 6 long, tiring, working months! And probably, 6 months since I left my childhood behind. 6 months since we all left our childhood behind.

These same 6 months, a year ago! When we thought that the only hurdles ahead of us were grades, B-school competitions and placements. When losing a competition was a failure that left us pondering for days. When we ran to a 9:15 class; often half asleep, more often without a bath and always with a cup of coffee. When nobody cared to find out how much we were being paid when we bagged a job offer. When we were never scoffed at for being from premier B-schools. When we never imagined spending an entire day all alone, with the phone and laptop being our only company. How we have grown!    

From Companionship to Solitude:

As I entered Kozhikode airport each time we had a term break, all I could see was a sea of IIM K sweatshirts, IIM K t-shirts and even more familiar faces as we moved towards the security check. As I ponder now, it no less resembled a bus-stand, with students queuing up, ensuring that friends got seats next to each other in the aircraft, whiling away time eating at the airport, and finally running around when the boarding was announced.  

When I travel today, or rather when we have our ‘business trips’, there are no companions, the seat adjacent remains empty or there is just another business traveller, there is no hustle and bustle to ensure that the luggage has not exceeded the specified limit because we do not have a bag full of snacks and ‘ghar ka khana’, for our friends and nobody takes turns to ensure that the auto has arrived, because a taxi awaits us outside.

From students to employees, from weekend trips to business trips, how we have grown!

From Celebrations to Formal wishes:

At the stroke of midnight hour, when it is your birthday, you are drenched with filthy water, beaten up, and covered with cake, toothpaste, conditioner and every other thing that your friends could get a hand at. And it’s not just you, even your best friends are not left out; because after all, best friends eat together, stay together and celebrate together.

A group of new people who always wonder why you studied as much, in a new location where you have nobody else for company, you spend your birthday working; with a few formal wishes, a formal ‘Happy Birthday’ email and a formal celebration with your colleagues.

From friends to colleagues, from late night treats to phone call wishes, how we have grown!

From Campus to Corporate:

The month of June meant the arrival of a new batch, those ‘interactions’, welcoming juniors and having the pride of being a senior!

When you 1^st enter the office, you are left all alone, the remaining employees wondering who you are, frequent glances from people around, occasional discussions about how much you are being paid and even more observations about your behavior- you are being judged at for what you speak, how you speak and whom you speak to.

From being carefree to conscious, from preparing our CVs the night before the deadline to regularly checking and updating our profiles on LinkedIn, how we have grown!

It seems just yesterday when we were still kids; when we sat there, at Arjuna Path looking at the stars till we nearly dozed off, when we needed no permission to barge into our neighbour’s room at any time, when we could laugh and play till dawn, when CCD had no reference to any tax saving plan, when comparisons were made not of the CTC but of the mess refund (followed by the usual, ‘How come your refund is more than mine?’), when case studies, competitions, and night-outs kept us awake till a time when we now are forced to wake up, when we divided 10 slides of a ppt among 4 members, when we listened to songs, cracked jokes and did everything else other than working on the ppt, when we could meet each other every day and not spend months only hearing their voices on the phone.   

As I write these lines, I wonder, ‘When did I grow up?’ Was it since I started to keep a constant track of time because a meeting was scheduled? Was it when I started thinking how to be crisp, polite, yet firm when I wanted to get things done? Was it when the content of the emails changed from: ‘PFA slide 1-4’ to ‘PFA last week’s target Vs achievement’? Was it since those days when I kept no track of the amount we owed each other to those when I understood that FM taught back in term 2 inherently meant managing your salary? Was it when I started paying my own utility bills? Was it when I grew up from being excited on receiving a mess refund to simply glancing at the salary message and continuing with my work? Was it when I preferred eating at home rather than eating alone in a hotel? Was it when I started understanding the power of hierarchy in an organization to simply ignoring it while studying OB?

When did I grow up? When did we grow up? When did our discussions change from laughter and jokes to mature discussions on our jobs and career prospects? When did we start fretting about our future? Oh, when did we leave our childhood behind!

4^th April, 2015: The day we bowed down on the stage to the Director as we accepted our degree, the day the curtains fell with a thunderous applause from our parents, professors and friends, the day we bid farewell; sad, excited, a bit scared, anxious and confident of what lies ahead of us!

This was the day, the day when we left campus, the day when we left our childhood behind!

The Bliss of Solitude

 “It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them.”

And no sooner had I read this quote by Ruskin Bond, I went into a nostalgic reverie. The scenic beauty of IIM K came like a flash before my eyes and I would reiterate Ruskin Bond, nevertheless with a tinge of difference: Once you have lived at IIM K, you belong there.

6^th April, 2015: 2 days after the convocation and the campus seemed deserted. Farewells are never easy and more so from that place which had been your home for the past 2 years, where you have seen your best and worst times, where you have made new friends and didn't realize when they became family.

As I bid adieu to the last few friends remaining on campus, I was left speechless. As the auto-rickshaw accelerated, I once again witnessed the zephyr, the misty mountains, the first rays of the sun that touched the Kampus-which I had taken for granted all along. And the same zephyr brought with it a lot of memories-of those rainy days when we just ‘gazed and gazed but little thought, what wealth the show to us had brought’, of those long, refreshing walks, or those little strolls, of the anxious days when we did not know what lay ahead of us and those relaxed times when we knew where we would be a month from now. Those words of wisdom of Socrates, Tagore and Swami Vivekananda gushed past me. All my favourite locations en route downhill went past me with a blink of the eye. With a lump in my throat and glistening eyes, I caught a last glimpse of them.

I was enthralled by the beauty of IIM K 2 years ago when I 1^st came here.  And now, as I left, I was jolted by reality- this was perhaps the last time that I go downhill towards the same gate that I could not take my eyes off when I 1^st entered.  It was a sense of déjà- vu. I could not take my eyes off the gate now either. And then as I left the gates of that sprawling campus, I turned. I turned back one last time to see those white words on the blue board, ‘Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode’. I could not withhold my tears any longer. They gave way. Yes. I cried. All of us cried. No matter how hard we would have tried to withhold our tears, no matter how strong we would have been in all those difficult times here, no matter how much we had promised ourselves that we would leave with a smile on our face; this moment was just meant to break down.     

It has been nearly 2 months since then. Some of us have entered the busy corporate life. Some others are on the brink of entering it. But even today, the people that we talk to almost every day are the ones from IIM K. If a phone call goes on for more than 1hr, it is bound to be with your friend from K. All those names, all those stories that our parents and friends back home hear from us are those about K. Even today, the rains remind you of the campus; the lush greenery, the distant hills, the misty walk-ways and of course, the Arjuna Path-where we found serenity and solace even amidst the mad rush and competitive pressure.

As I look out of my balcony today, I see nothing but a spread of concrete jungles. As I walk on the roads, I see nothing but a mad rush of people running for work. As I read a book to keep myself occupied, I hear nothing but screeching men and women, street fights and loud honking horns. All I can think of is, Oh those days of solace, where did thou go! Those days when we used to have a sip of coffee in the academic block looking over the breathtaking view of the valley, those days when we used to have a quick cup of noodles laughing over a CP done by a friend in the last lecture, those days when class breaks were spent discussing dinner plans, those days when happiness meant a pizza discount at Domino’s, those days when 5min was all we required to plan a movie outing- Oh those days of solace, where did thou go!  

Somewhere down the line, in these 2 years, we stopped fretting about placements, we sailed through sacrosanct deadlines, we aced the most difficult exams and we made the best of memories. Like those when it was a daily routine to stay up till 6 a.m. working on a case study competition, when late night case discussions witnessed every other discussion except that of the case, when the entire college would turn up for a batch-meet or a theatre performance or any other event albeit it being post midnight.

2 years just flew by, like a gush of fresh air. Looking back, it seems that these years were a transit from the care-free student life to the responsibilities of the corporate world. When we entered those gates, we were unaware of what we want to accomplish 2 years hence. While Term 1 was about rigorous academics, getting to know people through section-wars, committee tasks and group activities, it introduced us to a gamut of possibilities that lie ahead. Although we were still unsure of which specialization we would opt for, the summer placements made this a tad easier. It was the summer placements that brought out the best and the worst in us. It was at this time when we found our true friends and realized what seniors are meant for-to instill confidence in us, to guide us through. Academics did not seem that rigorous any more and Terms 2 and 3 were all about long night walks, night canteen, Milma and understanding how wonderful the next few months here are going to be. At the same time those dreaded Finance subjects made some of us realize why we were meant for Marketing and others that they did not have choice now that they have bagged a Fin internship. While the 2 months internship made us realize how much we miss being at K, the next 2 terms were about being the same for the juniors what our seniors were for us, about B-school competitions, and seeing success and failure together. The last term saw various facets of our personality. Learning through cinema and questioning every fact that was thrown at us, the anxiety and fear of Final Placements and the relief thereafter. But it was much easier this time with your friends to guide you at every step. And once it was all over there was rejoice, outings, long walks and even longer talks.

But in the middle of all this hustle-bustle, we participated in various activities, organized several others and started the countdown to the end of our journey at K. But it was only during the final good-bye, when we held back our tears did we realize how much we care for each other. How we miss those days when going to CCD at 2 a.m. in a t-shirt and shorts was no big deal, when walking around in business formals was a daily affair, when dessert meant water melon, when breakfast meant the ever-smiling chechi serving you hot dosas, when you could go anywhere without carrying a wallet because you had a mess account, when you could authoritatively ask a loan from your friend and not settle the account for days together, when you could eat a sumptuous dinner on your friend’s mess account and allow several others to drink coffee from your coffee card. How we wish we could go back!

And these few lines of Wordsworth sum up my stay at K

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Almost 10 years since I recited this poem do I understand that it was meant for occasions as these-where daffodils are simply a metaphor for the wonderful 2 years at IIM K.

Those times to Ponder

Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

I remember reading this quote of Robert Frost back in school. I remember promising myself that I would do the same. But somewhere down the line, you tend to forget the promises that you have made to yourself. You tend to leave your dreams behind and start running the rat race. More than that, you start running with just 1 intention-to win.

It is that time of the year again. That time when you suddenly start wondering: Why MBA? That time of the year when, after 18 months of fun and frolic, you are jolted back to reality. That time when you once again start reflecting on all that you’ve accomplished (or failed to do so) till date. Sometimes I wish I could answer these questions as I shall describe below. But alas! There’s a race to run again.

Why MBA?

It may seem a bit strange. For many, IIM K was a compromise. They longed for greener pastures. But for me, the answer to ‘Why MBA?’ was, is and probably will remain quite juvenile.

1^st April, 2012: IIM K PI: I wish to pursue an MBA so that I can study at IIM K. Coming from a school famous in my suburb to graduating from a college popular in my city; I wish to study in an institute of national importance. Not for the salaries that I would earn after my post graduation, but simply for the brand name.

11^th December, 2014: G-20, IIM K: Perhaps, I have more IIM K branded merchandise than most of my batchmates. I wonder if my reason to do an MBA has changed over the past few months. But, my answer still remains unchanged.   

4^th April, 2015: 17^th Annual Convocation, IIM K: Maybe after getting a job, my reason for doing an MBA would differ. I might want to do an MBA for the better career prospects, for a higher salary. However, the degree certificate with the IIM K brand would shed all these whims.

What I answered in that interview 2 years ago was quite different. It wasn’t what I have written. What I answered in several other interviews in these 2 years again wasn’t what I have written. The answer was quite different, quite mechanical; what they expect us to answer. Yes. The same old clichéd answer where you talk about your achievements, what makes you suitable for the organization and what makes the organization suitable for you. I wish I had been truthful all those times. I wish I had poured my heart out and said what I have just written. But, I didn’t say it then; neither would I say it now nor in any other interview in future for the fear of losing the race.

What has been your biggest achievement?

My biggest achievement thus far has been securing an admission into one of the top most B-schools in the country. I have worked with diligence all through my engineering to secure a good rank in engineering and simultaneously bell the CAT. After coming to IIM K, I have been privileged to meet new people, travel new places, study under the best of teachers and make friends for a lifetime. This, I believe is and will probably remain the most significant achievement of my life.

“What are you saying?”, they yelled at me. “There are more than 300 students who have made it here. How does this achievement make you different from them? What are you points of differentiation? If you say this, there is no way you’ll clear the interview. They are not waiting for you. They have 100 other options.”

“But THIS IS the achievement that I am truly proud of. Why can’t I be truthful? Why can’t I say this?”

And yet again, what I said in all those interviews was very different from what I felt. With a smile on my face, I said everything that I was instructed to say. I said everything in exactly the same tone, the same pitch that they wanted to hear. Yes. I secured an admission. Yes. I got a job. Yes. The interviewers were delighted with my answer. But I wish I could have been myself. The same, juvenile self that I truly missed being.

What has been your biggest failure?

This is the toughest part. You don’t know where you have faltered. You think you have been perfect. But still, an answer for this, you must have. “It shouldn’t project you as a weak person”, they said. “It shouldn’t be clichéd. If you don’t have such ‘kinds’ of failures, invent them. How does it matter? Your goal is to clear the interview, isn’t it?”

In economics, lies a concept, ‘The Impossible Trinity’ which states that it is impossible for an economy to have all the 3 policy decisions implemented simultaneously. My biggest failure was that it took me 2 years to understand this simple concept and its practical applications. This is what it actually looks like:

At any point, there will be only a select few who can have all the 3 simultaneously. And these ‘chosen ones’ as everybody feels so are indeed the lucky ones. But they are after all, outliers. For all others, this is the 1^st compromise, the 1^st decision and probably a tough one too- to select any 1 side of the triangle; to select only 2 out of these 3 options available. But rest assured this is not the last Impossible Trinity that you would come across. As you move up the ladder, there would be many more such trinities which if you fail to understand when the time comes; you will fail to live a happy life.

What are your short term and long term goals?

Children stories may seem a thing of the past. But they indeed teach us a lot. It is surprising how almost 20 years later, I understood the true meaning of these lines:

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.

Alice: I don't much care where.

The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.

Alice: ...So long as I get somewhere.

The Cheshire Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.

I do not know where I will end up after IIM K. I only know that the brand name would suffice to land me somewhere and that hard work would take me ahead. So why worry about the future? It is bound to be bright. There are less than 3 months left back here. As they say,

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called ‘the Present’.

My Experiments with Competitions

With trembling hands and an accelerated heart beat as that of a marathon runner, she clicked “SUBMIT”. A zillion thoughts rushed across her mind: Was the naming convention correct? Was the submission format adhered to? Will we win this one? Alas! It’s too late to fret over all this. So, she tells her team members, “Chalo. Night canteen chalte hai! Ab yeh toh gaya!”

Most of you would have already guessed what this discussion was about. Or rather might have just come back from one. For those who didn’t, this is a typical after-submission discussion. And not a clichéd case submission indeed. This is one of the most dreaded, the most anticipated, the most tiring submission. Yes. It is the B-SCHOOL COMPETITION SUBMISSION.   

Of late, most of us would have had to answer at least 1 or perhaps all of these questions: How do you make these ppts? What’s the thought process? How do you solve these case studies? I can’t help but reminisce similar discussions last year. And just like last year, we tell them: It’s an experiment with competitions.

An experiment is a scientific procedure undertaken to 

A. Make a discovery, 

B. Test a hypothesis, or 

C. To demonstrate a known fact.

B-school competitions are also experiments. How? They too are undertaken to 

 A. Make a discovery: Of how you underestimated so many people, accurately estimated many others and overestimated yourself.

 B. Test a hypothesis: I would rather put this as ‘Test several hypotheses’

1. The number of likes on a company’s FB page follows a bell curve

I have come across several cases which require us to find a solution to a Digital Dilemma. But web analytics probably never take this factor into account. The number of likes increase gradually once the teaser for a competition is released; reach its peak when the details of the competition are revealed and decline the day the results are declared. Why decline? Because of the disgruntled students unlinking the pages as they aren’t shortlisted for the next round and hence there’s nothing left to be notified about.

2. Multiplier effect is only theoretical

Being a finalist in one competition doesn’t imply that you would be a finalist in the next one and in the one after that. And if you think that winning a competition triggers this effect, think again.

3. N=5 (where N=no. of steps from the time the details are sent to the time when the solution is submitted)

1. How many members (m) are required?

     a. If m=3, your team is ready

           b. If m=4, the search for the 4^th member begins

           c. If m=5, check if the 5^th member is mandatory or can the team be formed  with 4 members as well

     2. Is there a campus round?

           a. If Yes; go ahead, register

           b. If No; go ahead, register (but don’t submit)

    3. When is the submission deadline? Or rather how many days to go before the deadline?  

    4. What is the submission format?

            a. If word doc; how many pages?

            b. If ppt; how many slides?

Oh the joy that comes with the smaller submission format and the frustration that comes later when you realize that there’s so much to write and so little space!

   5. Is there a possibility of a deadline extension?

C. To demonstrate a known fact:

Fact #1: Deadlines are sacrosanct

23:59:59 for an ordinary submission means 00:30:30. But if you think this would work for a B-school competition, it wouldn’t. With a blink of the eye, the uploading link gets disabled.

Fact #2: Surveys are fraudulent, seldom genuine

If you conducted an ‘in-depth interview of 20 customers visiting a kirana store’, you probably got 5 of your friends (maybe the team members themselves) together and had a less than 5min chat on the topic.  

Fact #3: The font size is directly proportional to the slide/word limit

The amount of information that can be filled in a 1 page word doc is equal to

                  1. The amount of information that can be filled in a 6 slide ppt.

                  2. The amount of information that can be filled in a 10 slide ppt.

                  3. The amount of information that can be filled in a 40 slide ppt.

No. This is not a multiple choice question. All the 4 are equal, albeit with minor differences. As the slide/page limit increases, the font size increases, the number of SmartArts increases. But the amount of information always remains constant.

But all said and done, nothing summarizes my experiments with B-school competitions other than these lines of Rudyard Kipling,

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.

To solve an unsolved case: A Case Study (A)

Case (n): an instance of a particular situation; an example of something occurring

But as a B-school student, I would rather define:

Case (n): a minimum 20-page report, usually taken from Harvard Business School, for which we are expected to provide a 2-page solution

These days, whenever I check Facebook, the only notifications that I see are: ‘X_i likes Y_j’. Pardon me for the excessive use of variables. But it is the effect of the Marketing Research test I just gave. Rather as I would put it, the post-test effect. So, ‘X_i likes Y_j’; where X_i includes all the students presently studying in a B-school and Y_j includes the FB page of all those companies who launch case-study competitions in B-schools with the aim of, as they call it, ‘Getting a fresh perspective of solving real-time problems’.

Until last year, these competitions were a taboo. The reason for not participating was as simple as: ‘We’re just in our 1^st year. We don’t know how to solve a case.’ Almost 2 months into my 2^nd year, and I still wonder if I could give the same reason to evade from participating in them. But unfortunately, they are now the raison d'être for a 2^nd year B-school student.

With almost all professors resorting to the case-study approach pedagogy, I think it is time to reflect on how a case is actually solved.

1.  If you think reading the chapters mentioned in the course outline would help you find a solution to a problem faced by a Mr. …..(a name you can’t pronounce) from …….Ltd. (again a name you can’t pronounce and are probably checking  Google to know more about the company) as he looked out of his car window on a rainy day in August 1995, think again.
2.  Always count the number of pages that the case runs into. Get your concepts right. Page count is always back-to-back. Avoid creating a feeling of utopia to the other person by telling him-‘The case has 7 pages’. Tell him, it has 14 sides. One needs to be mentally prepared of what lies ahead of him.
3. When you mention the number of pages, make sure that you accompany this count with the number of pages of simple-plain text.                                                                                     NOTE: Exhibits are never read and hence are not to be included in the modified page count.
4. Should you discuss a case before submitting the solution? If yes, then where? In a friend’s room? In the mess? In the hostel common room? In the library or in the Computer Center? How long should the discussion last for?                                                                                       NOTE: Case discussions have been known to have lasted for hours together, sometimes even after the case has been submitted.
5. NEVER discuss a case. Why so? Because a case discussion would always be preceded by several other discussions: A discussion on the venue for the discussion, a discussion on the time for the discussion and a discussion on the members that were present for the previous discussion and a discussion on who will be present for today’s as well as the next discussion.
6. The best way to solve a case is, initially (in the 1^st year) to divide the number of questions and assign them to the group members. And as the number of cases increase (in the 2^nd year), to assign each case to a group member. In this way, every member gets to enjoy the pleasures of free-riding.
7. Google will always be your best friend. It will give you all the possible solutions for the case. But remember, plagiarism is an offence, isn't it?
8. Ensure that your solution has less of text and more of SmartArts, Charts, and frameworks. Not only does the solution become easier (and beautiful) to read, it suddenly makes you look more knowledgeable (although just a misconception).
9. It is imperative that your group has at least 1 member who claims to ‘understand’ the exhibits and is able to fill in 5 sheets in an MS Excel Worksheet. Make sure that you use all the primary as well as secondary colours as highlighters in those sheets. Again, although just a misconception, it suddenly makes you look more knowledgeable.
10. Never submit a case more than 60seconds before the submission deadline, least you miss out an important conclusion from a not-so-important case fact.

If these points are taken into consideration, your submission will definitely earn you a good grade. But more than the submission, it is the case-presentation in the next class that will earn you brownie-points. So how do you pass with flying colours there as well?

Now, Harvard case studies never reveal the solution in Part (A), do they?  

The mystery will be solved in: To solve an unsolved case: A Case Study (B).

The Inhibitions of a Senior

This is my first post as a senior at IIM K. Feels strange, doesn’t it? It seems just yesterday that we were the younglings going with our smallest queries to our seniors. But now, the time is not far when it will be our turn to rise from being mentees to mentors. Life at a B-school is all about transitions: from home to hostel, from a triple-sharing room to a single room, from classes that used to begin at 9:15 a.m. to classes that end at 9:15 p.m. , from the dreaded Fin subjects to the amicable Marketing electives and of course, from juniors to seniors.

As the 1^st week here draws to a close and the countdown to the arrival of the juniors begins, I couldn’t help but notice some very peculiar instances on campus. It all started with the 1^st class when we were welcomed with the words:

“Welcome back. It’s going to be a great year.” projected on the screen.

Here’s how the events unfolded:

·  When should I leave for class? 

This is about deciding the optimum interval between the time taken to leave your room, have breakfast and the rush to class. 5 minutes before the class begins, I believed would suffice. But I was wrong. Strange isn’t it? This used to be the optimum interval last year. This year, it would have to increase. Why? Because when I entered class, I was faced with another dilemma.

·  Where should I sit? 

With the fixed seating arrangement system removed in the 2^nd year, the only seats that were left vacant were those in the 1^st row. As I unwillingly sat there, I started calculating the best possible time when I should leave my room to avoid this disaster in the next class. But no matter what your Quants score was, all calculations fail when there comes up another problem. And it is a grave one indeed.

· Whom should I sit with? 

This could as well be the topic of my Game Theory term paper.

       a) If my best friend has taken the same subject, am I left with the choice of seat?

       b) If a) does not hold true then: should I sit with my classmate or rather section-mate?

       c) Should I sit with my hostel neighbour?

       d) Should I sit with my friend who used to be my room-mate last year?

       e) Should I sit with my regional gang?

       f) Should I save space for my friend?

       g) Should I refrain from anybody else occupying that seat?

In each of these cases, how happy would I and the person who I’m sitting next to be?

· How should I form my project groups? 

The answer to this question is a 3-step procedure:

Let   N=number of members per group

       S=number of students in that elective who were in your section last year

Step 1: If N=S, immediately form your group

Step 2: If N>S, join a group such that S>N/2

Step 3: If N>>>S, join any group which is ready to take you

· How to effectively utilize the 10 min break-time? 

In the 10 min that I get between 2 classes, should I have a cup of coffee to wade off my sleep? Should I use the restroom? Or should I rush for the next class, which is in a different room so as to avoid the first 2 problems that I encountered? Or should I waste my time calculating the least time in which all the 3 tasks can be completed?

· Did somebody just knock my door? 

With no room-mate to wake you up from your slumber, even the slightest sounds in the dorm sound louder than the alarm which has been ringing for the past half an hour. Did I over-sleep and miss class? Is it my neighbor who just left for class after banging the door so hard that the entire dorm is awake except me?

· Am I checking the correct time-table? 

Checking time-table never seemed so difficult. This too has several steps:

      a) Check the google spread sheet sent by the PGP office

      b) Check the personalized time-table

      c) Re-confirm the subject and the classroom with another student who has the same

      d) Ask your friend to confirm your time-table

      e) Repeat all the above steps as many times as you can till you leave your room for class

· How will I address my juniors? 

Being a fresher in a B-school is analogous to being a kid amongst adults. So, addressing seniors was never a problem. All seniors, irrespective of the age difference are addressed as ‘Aap’. With batch-mates, it hardly matters whether they are addressed as ‘Tu’, ‘Tum’ or ‘Aap’. We’re all in the same batch after all. But how should I address my juniors who would probably be 3-4 years elder to me? Should I respect them for their age or should they respect me as their senior? And what if some of them were my seniors in school or college? The Queen’s language is a 1-word solution to this problem. All juniors, irrespective of the age difference will be addressed as ‘You’. Mischief managed.

Some other stark differences that I observed as compared to last year:

· The time taken between the announcement of the requirement of a Course Coordinator to the time taken for a student to be appointed as one is greater than 5 min, where these 5 min are spent exchanging glances and unwilling nods

· With you and your best friend opting for different electives, group study has now become a thing of the yore

· An 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. class always seems longer than a 9:15 a.m.-3:45 p.m. class

· Despite the erratic electricity, the projector and the professor’s computer continue to operate and so does the class. Gone are the undergrad days when a power-cut meant the end of a class