THE VISIT OF THE MAGI

On a silent night in Bethlehem, inside an old stable full of animals, a child was born. There was no bed for the baby, so his mother wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. The ignorant world was oblivious of the fact that the delicate child sleeping in a manger was the son of god.
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Then three wise men from east (also called The Magi) came to Bethlehem to see the holy child. They carried with them three offerings, namely, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold was symbol of prosperity, frankincense stood for godliness and myrrh meant mortality. They enlightened the world about birth of Jesus. The visit of Magi brought new hope and confidence in people of Bethlehem, as they realised that their saviour was born..........
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But why am I telling you this story? Well ... With Christmas bells ringing all around us and Santa’s sleigh zooming in the sky I could not help joining the chorus of Christmas carols.
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But wait a minute, it’s not just that. For I wonder was it a mere coincidence that in the month of December three of our Alumni of ‘07 batch visited us? While we were lost in our own world, clueless and paranoid about our future Sujoy, Abhishek and Sunil came to the campus........ Came to boost our morale and provide the much needed impetus to our placement activities. They gave us hope, they gave us confidence and they gave us the winning mantras. The two days of togetherness acted as an elixir to our monotonous life marred by hectic study schedules.
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Their visit was ‘The Visit of Magi’ for the GMPians, they came to give us the message of hope and prosperous future. It was great to know that there are people out there watching us, reading our blogs, praying for our success. It was great to know that we are not alone; we have a family, a family of successful GMPians. And each one of us is proud to be a part of the family.

Ma Foi CEO shares his experiences

We were fortunate to listen to Mr. K Pandia Rajan, Founder and CEO, Ma Foi. He was here in XLRI for silver jubilee reunion of 84 batch . It was interesting to listen to peppered talk and his reminiscences of years gone by. He shared his cherished memories of XLRI and his entrepreneurial venture, Ma foi which has grown to size of 700 crore turnover company.
With placement season in the air, He guided us on approaches for placements, industry expectations from GMP batch which has got average work experience of 7.2 years and growing opportunities in entrepreneurship.
It was a great privilege for us to interact and learn from him.

XLRI GMP and Directi

Found this article on Directi site and it says evrything. I need not elaborate. Just posting it here for preserving one more thing that we have done at XLRI.

Blue Ocean Vs Used Apple

Often class-discussions bring very interesting and unnoticed events or happenings.

As 'Beer and Diaper' phenomena (discussed in MIS class), there was another striking story came in class (this time it was Strategic Marketing class):

Mohans had to run its plant 4-shifts to meet demand of Kelloggs Cornflakes Indian market

An example of 'Second Mover Advantage' from marketing class:

How:

1. Kelloggs (termed Pioneer in Marketing concepts) created market of Cornflakes in India.

2. It took years of Kelloggs marketing efforts to change (even little) Indian breakfast preference over Paratha, Idly and VadaPav to Cereals.

3. It must be a time to reap the first mover advantage for Kellogg in Indian Market.

4. Mohans (termed 'Early Follower' in Marketing concepts) introduced a cheaper version of cereals to reap the new market.

5. Indian Customers asked for cornflakes in shops but not Kelloggs but Mohans (price-sensitivity).

6. To meet higher demand of Mohans cereals: Mohans had to run its cereal plant 4-shifts in a day.

So which strategy do you vouch for: a) Blue Ocean (Kelloggs') or b) Used Apple (Mohans')

Walk the Talk: Interview Series is on XLRI GMP Channel on YouTube

Walk the Talk: Interview Series is on XLRI GMP Channel on YouTube

XLRI GMP Students visit Embassy of India, Philippines

The much anticipated visit to Indian Embassy in Manila concluded with greater insight into bilateral relations between India and Philippines, Historical perspective and contemporary issues facing both nations.

AIM Manila arranged meeting with Mr. Amrit Lugun, Councilor, Embassy of India, Philippines. We were delayed by 15-20 minutes because of heavy traffic and security checking. Nevertheless, we reached and had interesting and engaging discussions with Mr. Lugun. He gave historical perspective on development of Philippines, Indian community’s contribution in Philippines and queried us on our backgrounds, future plans and experiences in Philippines.

Some of insights were:
• Philippines is heavily dependent on rice imports and agriculture needs lot of attention.
• He shared that there is huge potential in tourism industry.
• English Language and strong customer orientation are key to success of Filipino BPO industry.
• Trade between India and Philippines is doubled but balance of trade is in favor of India. There is huge scope of Filipino exports to India.
• Philippines is strategically located with proximity to Japan, China, Korea and ASEAN countries but because of greater distance from India, Indian businesses have been restricted to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand etc.
• There is strong Sindhi community who has excelled in alien land as they have in their home country.
• There are many companies from India including Infosys, Wipro and Sutherland having operations in India. Embassy of India facilitates Indian companies who want to start operations in India
• Philippines executive and judicial setup is heavily influenced by American System. Hence, a re-haul in bureaucratic setup is expected after next year’s presidential elections.

Some links
http://www.embindia.org.ph/
http://www.rpindia.info/news/

We normally visit embassies of other countries Indian for getting visa but this was the first time for many of us to visit Indian Embassy in other country.

Overall, it was another Manila experience that we would cherish forever.

Trade Off

He was standing at the centre ....... gloomy eyes, tousled hairs, exhausted body and dejected countenance. His voice choked with grief when he spoke. His whole personality was maimed by ruthless twist of fate. I still remember Vidya of happy days --------energetic and smiling .Vidya and his interesting T-Shirts were talk of the town.But after 75 days of mad pursuit of his lost brother, and after being exposed to wimps and fancies of politicians and policemen, he has become stone faced....and perhaps stoned hearted too. While Vidya was busy running pillar to post looking for some clue or traceof his lost brother, I --- his so called friend was sitting in a class room trying to become a good manager.The first lesson I learned in class was that everything comes with a trade-off.And now I wonder did I trade off good human being to become good manager? In class I learned how to value Bonds, Stocks, Assets etc, but in return I forgot few things,I forgot how to value tears of a 60 year old women whose son is missing for last 75 days.I forgot how to value pain of an old father, who is suffering at the hands of both oesophageal cancer and cancerous invasion of the external world in his peaceful family life.I forgot how to value unflinching hope of a wife, who even after 75 days of futile search for her husband still feels whether she would celebrate next ‘Karwachouth’ with him or not.I forgot how to value the loss of a four month old baby, who is on the verge of losing her father even before learning to pronounce "papa".But how does that matter to me anyways, what is important is that I learned to value bonds, stocks and options. So what if the world outside does not know the value of a human life.I learned to minimize objective function of cost, so what if I forgot how to minimize mental and emotional agony of a friend.I learned how to motivate people at my workplace, so what if my own friend stands drained of all motivations.Two days from now I will be flying out of the country, and will drown myself in euphoria of a paid vacation. But Vidya..........well, he will go back tohis battle ground running madly after weakest of clues he gets about his brother. There will be moments when Vidya will feel like crying but he will not shed a single drop of tears. How can he when he has younger brother and sister to console? How can he when his mother is already drenched in tears?How can he when his father is fighting a deadly disease in the hospital? But I did not worry about Vidya. I left Him immersed in his trials and tribulations of life. And me? Well, it had been HAPPY INTERNATIONAL IMMERSION for me................

POSTED BY SURAJ

Destination India Seminar

Results of 2009 Directi Case Study Competition are out

Results of 2009 Directi Case Study Competition are out.

Below email came as pleasant surprise to our team,Blogboosters from GMP,XLRI,Jamshedpur. Although we could not make into top five teams, We stood first among teams from XLRI,Jamshedpur.

"Your enthusiasm surpassed our wildest expectations, with over 480 teams and 1400 students participating. Choosing the best case studies was extremely difficult, there were so many great ideas and wonderful entries.
When our judging panel was done arguing, we were left with the top five teams from across the top B-Schools in India. These teams will be flown to Mumbai in December to present their case in front of the judging panel.

The top 3 teams selected from the above list will win prizes of Rs. 1,50,000, Rs. 1,00,000, and Rs. 50,000 respectively.

Directi has also identified the top case-studies from each institute. Each member in these teams will receive a free domain name, web and email hosting package and website builders as prizes! Universities with more then ten submissions have three winners, while those with less then ten submissions have one winner.

Without further ado, the top submissions from each university are ... drumroll please: "
University - XLRI

Number of Submissions - 20

1st Blogboosters

Ankit Chordia
Anshuman Jaiswal
Omkar Mazzumdar
Pranit Prakash

2nd AA-AB-RP

Abhinav Berdia
Amit Agarwal
Ruchir Pandey

3rd Fabfour

Saikat Das
Sourav Samtani
Vinay Joseph
Chintan Talati

Congratulations to everyone who participated and stay tuned for details on the finals.

CHICAGO—THE WINDY CITY

After a lot of confusion, postponements and cancellations the GMPians finally embarked on their “IMMERSION”.
The first, off the block, were team Tulane and Team Chicago. Our members were to be seen all over NSCB airport, Kolkata and then IGI airport, New Delhi. We had a break at Frankfurt and Air India gave us a first-hand feel of the forthcoming attraction “Jail” in the enclosure there. On our flight from Frankfurt to Chicago, aboard Air India, the food suddenly changed language to what appeared like German. I couldn’t make one sachet out from the other and for the first time in my life, I missed being in the company of the “Xerox guy” (he knows German, the way I know bengali).
At the O’Hare airport, Chicago we were greeted by our local student coordinator, Pooja. Despite the long and tiring journey, her appearance had infused new life into members of the Chicago team. The accommodation was arranged at nothing less than “Marriott- the Marriott” and people settled happily until food was served. All of us were sharing rooms (and beds and blankets) with our colleagues. The first feel of Chicago and Michigan Avenue was very pleasant and one only had to step out of the secure confines of the hotel to realize why Chicago (and this article) is called the windy city. The rooms had a fantastic view of Lake Michigan and the royal feel of downtown (the most posh address in Chicago. No Oprah doesn’t live here).

Dinner brought together the vegetarians to form the cooking club. And, were they well prepared! What else do you expect with an air-force officer at the helm of affairs? Their ration was large enough to feed an army and constituted everything from cereals, legumes, spices and condiments to the all terrain favourite “Maggi”. Breakfast continued to be the same day-break after day-break and even the most enthusiastic of the non-vegetarians lost hope after day four. When one of us declared that “he could eat anything that moves”, people started being more sombre in his company. That guy literally devoured everything that came his way (sometimes even without trying to identify the object of his affection). We were grateful that he did not ask for sea-food during our visit to the aquarium.

Our single point of contact (SPOC) was a powerhouse and had flown in, from Egypt, the same day as us. She took control from the very beginning and assigned the best faculty members to teach each lecture. In the very first session the Dean was mighty impressed with the stature of questions asked by the team members (I too was taken aback until I realized that there was limited and rational participation by section ’B’). They showed us around the library first so that our literary germs, lying dormant somewhere, would feel the urge to surface. Most of us didn’t bite the bait and kept our germs under control. The ‘educated ’one amongst us hit the library and gym with equal gusto (probably using the books as weights).

Pooja took very good care of all of us and guided us through Michigan Avenue, etc. despite her busy schedule. Our team members returned the favor by teaching her finance (taking turns to do so), until she had completely mis-understood the subject.



Michigan Avenue was like fashion-street. The best were dressed in the best and the strong wind didn’t seem to deter them from making new style statements everyday. Everyone was amazed at the gusts of wind that were like nothing we had ever seen before. One day when the vegetarian club cooked ‘chana’ my roomy made it even windier at night.
Visit to the “Chicago board of trade” was an eye-opener. Things like that are strictly out of bounds in India. To actually see trading on the floor (the call-out style) was just too good. For the first time in five months I had seen something louder and more chaotic than section ‘B’. The team leader had to spend considerable time in deciding on the gift for our educator at CBOT. My suggestion, to enclose a disclaimer saying that the sculpture wasn’t a yoga pose to be imitated, met with much disdain. (The sculpture was an idol of “Nataraj”).

Then we had team-mates who didn’t like the US of A because there was no-one to carry booze and grocery from the stores to the hotel. People who’ve never carried essential commodities for their biological kids carried heavy doses of booze over more than a mile or two. People’s dedication was commendable.

It wasn’t all hard work for team Chicago. Over the weekend we visited famous buildings, aquarium, museum and a boat-ride to appreciate the architectural marvel that’s Chicago. Every building had a past and every one of them appeared equally important. Some people tried the Indian restaurant down the street and some ate a lot of ‘khichdi’ because the president of the vegetarian club was away for the weekend. The other members of the club didn’t risk cooking anything else apart from ‘Maggi’.

And then the inevitable happened. One of us, who has a dubious “team-mates rights record” disappeared over the weekend not to appear on Monday much to the agony of one of us. While the agonized guy created a scene over the former’s disappearance, the former returned later on Monday night to say, ”Dude, I had a blast”. Well sir, so did we (though of a different kind). The agony uncle took an entire night to recover from the trauma thus caused.

People hit the internet like their lifeline. Face book helped exchange daily reports and experiences across time zones. The team from Manila was most eloquent and at one point I “unfriended” (the new word of 2009- recognized by Oxford dictionary) their communicator for spamming my face book too often. Surprisingly, the most silent were the guys in Germany. We are yet to hear from them. They are in our prayers. They were supposed to stay somewhere near a concentration camp and were accompanied by the Chairperson, GMP. The team at Tulane were participating in a lot of adventurous activities and one of them even appeared like an alien in a picture forwarded to us. A lady kept sending pictures of all the automobiles she had befriended and our mess-in-charge ate alligators (and liked them too). We are in for a surprise change in the menu when we get back.

Across geographies, the other thing that kept people binding and fretting was “Capstone”. People spent hours on their laptops trying to figure out how to get their team to the last but one position from the last position. Every time they logged-in, their strategy had been changed by another team member who could not be hit hard because he was in another continent. So, people kept brushing their vocabulary of Hindi curses and abuses lest they forgot the same in a foreign land. Most of have maintained our touch with Parliamentary language.
My trip came to an abrupt end due to an emergency back home. The mood of this article can tell that things are going well. Thanks to cooperation from all team-mates, our coordinator, their coordinator and our SPOC.

POSTED BY DR PALLAV

Seminar on US-India Trade & Investment

A high level seminar was organized by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on “US-India Trade and Investment". The seminar was in conjunction with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington D.C., the first official state visit for President Barack Obama, which will be held in the coming week.
The seminar was attended by U.S. business executives and an India business delegation, led by CII’s Director General. As part of the International immersion program, Loyola College Chicago arranged for 15 GMP students from XLRI, India to attend the seminar as participants. The delegation of CII comprised of 15-20 senior business executives from major firms in India. The executives had traveled to meet with U.S. businesses and explore opportunities of trade investment and collaboration. Some of the major Indian executives were-

Chandrajit Banerjee
Director General
Confederation of Indian Industry


Arvind Mehra
Senior Vice President –Strategy
Mahindra & Mahindra

Ashutosh Shukla
Vice President, US Office
Mindtree Ltd

Atul Kunwar
President – Global Operations
Mahindra Satyam

Mahendra Agarwal
Managing Director
GATI Ltd

VS Parthasarthy
Executive Vice President-Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate IT
Mahindra & Mahindra


The keynote addresses were delivered by Dr. Sam Pitroda on “A Vision for Innovation” and Dr. Raghuram Rajan on “An outlook on the Global Economy”
The program also included three panel discussions with U.S. and Indian business executives which explored-

• Opportunities for Business Partnerships
• Manufacturing Collaboration
• Green Energy Collaboration

The GMP group got a chance to interact with Dr. Sam Pitroda wherein they discussed the challenges to the Indian education sector.



In his address, Dr. Pitroda talked about his reminiscences of Chicago. He talked about the implications of having a billion connected people in India. The Indian government is implementing the recommendations of knowledge commission which was set up under Dr. Pitroda. He highlighted the fact that in the west, markets drive innovation whereas in the developing countries needs drive innovation. He justified developing a new model of innovation for India as the US model had high cost structures and lacked the mindset to solve needs of people. Dr. Pitroda highlighted how US can partner India in developing and implementing the new model whose features are-
1. Focus on durability and not disposability
2. Nurturing nature and not fighting nature
3. Low cost yet scalable

The keynote address was followed by panel discussions wherein the students got an idea about apprehensions of US industrialists who want to operate in India. The discussion also gave insights into the mantra of successful partnerships between Indian and US firms.

The culmination of the seminar was by the insightful speech of Dr. Raghuram Rajan. He minced no words as he talked about his outlook of the global economy. The impartial and pertinent speech was a clear indication to students as to why he had been especially chosen as the chairman of the committee which is proposing financial sector reforms in India to the Indian Planning Commission.
The key points brought out by his speech were-

1. The initial decline in world GDP was higher as people had feared that the recession will convert into deep depression of 1930s.
2. 2011 will be a crucial year as by then the effect of stimulus package would be over and further growth will depend on corporations and users fuelling the growth.
3. Since unemployment remains high and prices of houses show little recovery, the future is not that rosy.
4. The central banks will face the challenge of controlling inflation while the growth driver
In developing economies will be domestic demand.
5. Many Asian countries might follow China’s move of pegging their currency against the dollar.
6. The manufacturers in emerging markets can empathize with the needs of people of their countries and are thus in better position to solve them vis a vis people from developed countries as was seen in the case of Tata Nano.

The XLRI group was highly impressed with the eloquent speaker who explained the financial condition of the global economy lucidly without even using any difficult jargon of finance. Listening the views of the two prolific thinkers provided a great learning opportunity to the students. The seminar also provided the students an opportunity to interact and learn from the business leaders of India and the United states.

VISIT TO CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE

We have seen it on television, frantic traders shouting at the top of their voices, biggest brokerage houses calling the shots, agents handling 4 computer screens at one time….it can’t get bigger than this. And we saw all this LIVE. The 15 students group of General Management Program, XLRI at Loyola University, Chicago was taken for a tour of Chicago Board of (CBOT) which is part of the CME group. Incidentally, highest volume in commodity trade in the world happens at CBOT.

The tour started by a 40 minute video elucidating future contracts and emphasizing their importance. True to Chicago’s style the video was as very lively and entertaining. The tour brought out how future trade helps in price discovery and transfer of risk. The tour categorized traders as the following- Hedgers who try to smooth out the prices and thus try to manage risk. While others are Speculators who are interested in swinging the price to their favor. Both work on sound technical principles of statistics.

The tour was coordinated by Professor Schwartz, a Senior Professor at Loyola College along with Pooja and Michelle, and both MBA students at Loyola. At CBOT it was Mr. Curt Zuckert, Associate Director at CME group who explained the working of the Globex model of CBOT.
For those of who are wondering why is there any floor trading in the electronic age, well we had the same feelings. But as MR Zuckert explained – the floor trading has been popular for ages, much before the electronic trading started. Many people who trade on the floor are the ones who are most comfortable with this system of trading for quite some time now. Also there is opportunity to make money out of arbitrage opportunities between prices in the pit and on the Globex. Some of the brokers derive both the pleasure of trading in a pit and the convenience of electronic trading by having their terminals in the pit itself. The value of time in trading goes down to nano seconds as some brokers have located their offices right next to CBOT in order to save on transaction time.
The CME group employs about 2200 people and out of them 1200 are technical guys maintaining their exchanges.

After a detailed tour of CBOT trading pits the group experienced simulated trading in S&P futures. That was an experience of its own kind to see the index gyrating back and forth and giving enough opportunities to make and lose money. Mr Zuckert , through these simulations brought to light the subtle principles of trading e.g. The more you trade the less money you make, importance of algorithms in high speed trading, etc. Another subtle difference in trading electronically and trading on the floor is that in the former the top ten bids (both buy and sell side) are displayed while in the latter only the top bid on each side is displayed. So the buyer and seller have limited idea on what is the underlying sentiment of the market. Also the electronic trading gives you option of analyzing various other news information happening worldwide while you are trading.

In the pit there are people varying different colored jackets. The clerks, brokers etc wear different color jackets. The broker’s agents communicate using hand signals with other people from their brokerage house who are sitting on the sidelines away from the pit. Due to the noise in the pit, it is difficult to communicate on the phone. So here we saw trades worth millions of dollars happening using mere hand signals.
The tour gave rare insight into real time floor trading and working of the largest commodity exchange in the world. The group learnt how such massive volumes were handled professionally highlighting the best practices of the exchange.

From State Owned firms to world class competitors

Follow the link for my assessment of recently concluded Round table conference at Asian Institute of Management, Manila.

http://anshuman-jaiswal.blogspot.com/2009/11/from-state-owned-firms-to-world-class.html

Insighful Forum on SOE

Attended an insighful Forum on State-Owned Enterprises to World-Class Competitors: Creating Innovative and Entrepreneurial State-Owned Firms organized by The Asian Institute of Management (AIM), in cooperation with the AIM Policy Center and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation,
More details @ http://www.aim.edu.ph/events.aspx?id=349

Trip to Tata Motors

It was great experience to see Test facility and World Truck assembly lin followed by a presentation that gave us a wonderful overview of Tata Group, Tata Motors and Jamshedpur unit. Tata Motors's focus on safety, quality and service to communities was is truly exemplary.

LECTURE VERSUS FILMS

Yesterday when one of the GMPian wrote on how to view lectures as films, the subject-chapter as story line and the teacher as the Actor; my memory drifted back to one of the lectures by one of our esteemed professors. The lecture was on ‘Group Dynamics & Team Building’ where the related side topic was ‘5 – Stage Group Development Model’.

To make the students better understand the importance of the various stages of the above mentioned topic the professor related the topic with one of the 2007 blockbuster movie ‘Chak De’. The stages of the Group Development Model were described as follows:

1. Forming group: In the movie, the 16 womenhockey players who come from all sections of India come together to represent India in Hockey World Cup. And in this manner the group is formed.
2. Storming (Members resist the control by the leader): Kabir Khan, the coach of the team appoints makes Vidya Sharma as the team captain. In response contender of the said post and the most experienced player, Bindia Naik repeatedly attempts to encourage the players to revolt against Khan. Bindia finally succeeds in creating a storm within the team.
3. Norming (Members develop camaraderie and norms of conduct in the group): During a fight with some of the local guys who pass comments and try to make pass at one of the team members, all the team members develop a camaraderie and eventually request Khan to withdraw his resignation.
4. Performing (work towards achieving goals): The newly formed coherence in the group helps them in overcoming through a series of additional challenges, like a challenge match against the men’s team to prove their competence. Even though they lose this match, their overwhelming performance leaves a mark on the officials who are finally forced to change their mind and send the team to The World Championship.
5. Adjourning (group disbands either because the job is done or because the members leave): The team is sent to Australia where they face a number of low keys and struggle to remain in the league of the contenders. Finally everyone unites as a team and eventually declare themselves ‘The World Champions’ of the Hockey World Cup. And to end the story all the glorious 16 winners and their honoured coach part and move on in their respective lives.

So here is the lecture that could virtually be related to a movie.

This blog is not only to remind everyone of the excellent learning experience we all have had but also to support the GMPian who requested all to view lectures as films and enjoy the lectures, which would ultimately help us in absorbing more and exploring more.

GMP organizes Dow Jones MD visit @ XLRI

Mitya New is Managing Director Dow Jones India. In this role he is responsible for both the B2B Enterprise Media Group and the B2C Consumer Media Group side of the business. He has been with Dow Jones since August 2008 and was recruited specifically to lead Dow Jones aggressive investment into building a business and editorial operation in India. This investment is one of a series of new investments launched by Dow Jones following the company’s acquisition by News Corporation.
Previous to Dow Jones, Mitya New spent 20 years with Reuters in a number of senior management roles around the world. He was Managing Director South Asia, based in Mumbai 2000-04, Chief Operating Officer & Managing Director Japan 2004-05 and Managing Director Nordics & Baltics 2005-08.
Mitya New was born in Indonesia and spent his childhood in Hong Kong. He speaks German, Italian and Mandarin Chinese.

ABOUT DOW JONES
Dow Jones & Company (www.dowjones.com) is a News Corporation company (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV; www.newscorp.com). Dow Jones is a leading provider of global business news and information services. Its Consumer Media Group publishes The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch and the Far Eastern Economic Review. Its Enterprise Media Group includes Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Factiva, Dow Jones Client Solutions, Dow Jones Indexes and Dow Jones Financial Information Services. Its Local Media Group operates community-based information franchises. Dow Jones owns 50% of SmartMoney and 33% of Stoxx Ltd. and provides news content to radio stations in the U.S

XLRI GMP on facebook

Join XLRI GMP on facebook

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Another holiday.. another match .. and another win

october 17, 2009 (Diwali), Match against PGPMI guys... GMPians winning the match by 7 wickets, seems winning is already a habit of team GMP.
Posting the match details as captured and narrated Shuvdeep-- the average guy :)

"The evening before the match our captain Dubeyji confirmed that we are going to play against a team whose right name of the batch no one knew exactly.On this news a few players started living in the field from that moment.The guy who was on the field was not a great player but he kept dreaming about big things for the next match.Lets call this guy Average.Average even overheard a small discussion which our opponents were having at Daduu's.Average is a loyal guy and he immediately told his captain what he overheard at daddoo's.
The Team:
Architect-Our player,umpire,scorer and the best teammate.He is our lucky charm.He is making us win.Dubbeyjee (captain),rest all are equal so no special mention with their names.

The night before:
Chotee Diwali,lights all around, all our blocks garlanded with necklaces of yellow pearls.The nearest wine shop yesternight saw a sharp increase in sales at 1945hrs and the at 2130hrs.I hope u will figure it out yourself why I gave these two times and whats the relation with the wine shop.Out of playing 11,4 drank heavily on that night and one was even gambling his luck till 400 hrs.Let's call him Mines.

The morning before:
Out of these 4 one was Average he drank like a fish.With two different sets of his friends,enjoyed both of them heavily and again forgot to call his wife.Anyway that was nothing new for Average.We had a huge breakfast with sewai kheer being served as a what we dont know.Average's head was aching pretty badly.By 830 hrs the team reached the ground.Everyone started warming up,Average was reluctant to even catch the ball.Dubbeyjee was active as usual counting the number of balls and max overs and deciding on other regulations for the game.Others saw a tall guy wearing cap with Magenta colored shorts bowling to one of our players(as a practice ball).He was great and damn accurate.He bowled another ball and the bails were dislodged.Everyone behaved as though they have not seen it.He bowled very well.
The pitch:
The pitch was damp,the outfield was damp and Average's spirits were also damp because of last night's spirit consumption.

The Toss:
Dubbeyjee went for the toss and he won it.Dubbeyjee said initially batting first but later he changed it to bowling first.Dunno,who made him the captain even he cannot call the toss properly.Average heard straight from the captains mouth that we have to bowl first.He was shocked,bowling with the hangover and with our batsmen not very good in chasing.He even profoundly claimed that it was a bad decision.Well,now nothing can be undone.

The Match:
Dubbeyjee opened the bowling with a great ball and suddenly all the players were again the 18 years old.Even average started getting back to life.The next over was bowled by Average and by 3rd ball he has forgotten his hangover,wife,tests and was concentrating to get an early wicket.Dubeyjee took the first wicket and completed by a great catch by Sun(another TT table finalist from B section) Then for the 5th over dubbeyjee introduced our first change bowlers PSS and MG (who are actually better than the opening bowler-Average).TataSteel took great catches while talking on his phone.Dubbeyjee made a sudden change and offered Placecom(our another player) bowling.Two batsmen were getting settled there.Placecom came and took a brilliant wicket and broke the partnership.The batsmen were cornered to the core and they were neither scoring runs nor were able to keep wickets.PSS and MG bowled very well.It was a delight to see their bowls hitting the right areas on the pitch.PSS took a lightening quick catch which coming right on his face.The last over was bowled by Average and he gave a 4.I dont remember exact figures butI think on an average everyone shared 2 wickets,except Average who didnt get a wicket.Our fielding was exceptionally well with everyone taking catches and stopping the runs.Average dived for a catch and missed it.Captain even got a bit angry with him.Well,he deserved that.The scientist from DRDO was calm,silent and very energetic throughout the session.Before I wind up our bowling I would like to say that Placecom and Mines executed a brilliant run-out.I'm sorry, it cannot be described,it can just be seen and enjoyed.
BRILLIANT!!!!!
We were supposed to chase 59 in 15 overs.Our openers,Mines and Headstrong,decent pair, both of them great players and very fit too.Has a bad reputation of getting themselves run-out.The Magenta colored short wearing lambuu opened the bowling for their team.I suddenly felt after seeing his first bowl,that lambuu has peaked ,he will not be able to bowl well.Our batsmen started well,trying their best not to get other run-out.Then we lost Headstrong,He was so frustrated(about I dunno what),he chased a leg-side wide and gave a catch to the wicket-keeper.Headstrong was substituted on the pitch by Sun.The technically best in the team,generally a low scorer because techniques and score are as different as profit and cash.But very reliable and very good in analysing the balls.Today,he removed the tag of low scorer and scored handsome amount of runs and delighted us by his perfectly timed shots.Then Sun decided to set and he got out.His catch was very well taken by the player from the opposite side.Then ,entered the batting arena -the Doctor.Doctor has a peculiar requirement.U know he can Bowl,field,bat ,be a TT champion but he cannot run.While Headstrong at leg-umpire position was very contented that he and Mines didnt get each other run-out,he was again called for being runner with the partner as Mines.The irony was Mines again got run-out and the partner was Headstrong.Though this time Headstrong had no contribution in this wicket.Doctor kept on batting very well with his legs and then even batted very well with his bat later on.He finished the match with a brilliant cover-drive which drove the bowl to the boundary.It was 13th over running.
Everyone batted very well with special performances by Mines,Sun and Doctor.PSS,MG,Placecom,Tatasteel(though he played a few deliveries),Dubbeyjee,Average(not much sure about batting talent).Dubbeyjee was delighted.Average was also happy.He was pondering that who should be man of the match.He felt Dubbeyjee,with his brilliant decisions and captaincy.Bowling first,bringing in Placecom and then performing well too. Well Thats,it from myside.Sanjeev Reddy the IIML champ was our special scorer,the Architect was the umpire for our innings and he was very good and strong in his decisions.Occasional visitors were there.Samtel stayed till last bowl.He is also one of the semi-finalists from section A.I would also congratulate Misha and his team for being able to complete the TT tournament.His patience,perseverance and voice kept the fire alive for the TT tournament.
Cheers Happy Diwali This is Average signing off! "

GMPians Vs Defense......cricket camaraderie wins

Females no longer fancy men with huge chests, bulging biceps and rugged machismo. They have started drooling over fitter and leaner men. The extra protein supplements and 10 egg whites are outdated. Perfect height and weight ratio is what makes a person look healthy and fit……cut….
When you begin to understand the mind-body connection, you can really begin your inner journey. What you think absolutely affects you and the world you live in. Your intellectual fitness has to do with your mindset, your attitude, and what you believe……cut…
AND THIS POST IS ABOUT TODAY’S CRICKET MATCH. (11th OCT 2009)
GMPians grouped for a cricket match against Defense batch (Ds from now onwards). As we, the XLRI GMPians approached the playground we saw some lean, fit and cheerful guys practicing and discussing cricket….;;;”we definitely are in for good competition from an athletic and determined lot” , the thought reverberated through all GMPians(Gs from now onwards). With the mind-body connection the Gs had, a tough challenge was lined up for the sculpted Ds.
The match started with Gs opting to bat after winning the toss. Odd patches of green and rough undulations on the pitch limited the array of strokes Gs usually demonstrate. Good bowling line and accurate length, complimented by good fielding led to early success for Ds and soon Gs were struggling. Some good late hitting by Ranjay propelled Gs score to 64 for 9 in the allotted 15 overs.
BREAK FOR 15 MINUTES.
Taking into account the difficult batting conditions the field was set for a thrilling contest. Ds batted steadily for the first few overs with occasional hiccups. It was the introduction of Parth that turned the tide and swept away the heroics of Ds. Parth bowled a fine line and Mohit from the other end maintained a steady pressure on the batting side. With a 5 wicket grab Parth destroyed the opposite camp and Ds were bundled for a mediocre 36 runs.
Catching was exceptional and a brilliant run out reflected the overall good fielding status of Gs. Ample crowd support and unbiased standard umpiring from Sanjeev Reddy added to the enthusiasm and the competitive spirit.
Finally, the entire Gs team was heard encouraging each other by taking PRACHEESH’s name throughout the contest. It was later explained to amused Ds that chanting Pracheesh’s name was the success mantra and hence was repeated as often as possible.
We were clicked by waiting and pleading photographers towards the end and the match proceedings ended with cold drinks at the canteen sponsored by the winning team’s captain.

My Memorable Badminton Match in IIML

This post is about my experiences in the badminton match against IIML in their campus in Lucknow.

About the Tournament:-

It was in a typical Davis Cup Style where both the teams XLRI and IIML competed for 5 games 3 singles and 2 doubles. Both teams had their own strategy of mixing and ordering their players.


Setting the Stage:-
IIML was leading by 2-1 , as XLRI lost their two matches 1 singles and 1 Doubles. The moral was down both because we thought we had the best badminton team and also one of our best player lost in the singles match.

About the Crowd(boisterous, Bhaiyya crowd, XL ki kudiyan):-

The shady badminton court in the grassland of IIML was eye sore in the IIML campus, but it was jampacked, which I think might be due to following reasons:-

(1) It was the probably the 2nd event happening in the Men category.

(2) IIML crowd was there because there Sportscomm secretary was part of the badminton team and he was indeed a popular guy.

(3) XL crowd was there because XL had the good badminton team and XL had chances of winning the tournament.

My Opponent Naveen:- He was definately the favourite among the crowd . I saw him practicing before the match and his confidence exuded that he is all game to play with anyone. You can easily identify a good player by the way they practice.

My Game Plan for Single:-

(1) Make the person move through out the court , by dropping in front and then slicing it to back.

(2) Restrain on smashes.

(3) Reduce Unforced errors, which i tend to do lot.



THE Match :-

There were around 300 + people as IIML was thinking to square it off and XL was trying save its pride by losing easily.

First set (0-1)

The first set was disaster for me, as i was literally shaking when i was about to serve. The good thing was I was aware of it that "stage fear" has been part of me since childhood and I just need to play a little to get the rythm. I did several unforced errors in the game, did not serve the shuttle up in the air and my opponent took advantage of each of it and won the first set convincingly as 21-14. Though I lost , I knew it was not because he played better.



Sledging:-

It was there between each and every point and the vocabulary seems to be never ending for UP bhaiyya or from our XL guys and gals. There were literally scuffle among both the XLErs and IIML crowd and game was atleast stopped 7-8 times. I think I was competent enough to understand the worst abusive language ,but I was wrong and I quit to the crowd. This blog would be rated A or infact not even published if the details are entered.



Second Set(0-2):- I managed to get a 6-1 lead in this set in the start due to other players unforced errors . But eventually he squared it off in 21-19.



Third Set(1-2):- I was under pressure so as to not loose in straight sets as I was 2-0 down in the 5 setter , However, I knew I had almost won the last set. The XL team was a source of enthusiams and motivation for me and they supported my whole heartedly.

I again managed to get the lead of 5-2 and I just needed to sustain it. By this time I was playing my usual self , going for a rally and then culminating it with a smash. The game was on

as both of us went in for rally and there were less errors. After every point a look in opponent eyes told me that he was defeatable. I sustained the lead and managed to won my 1st game

with a good margin of 21-13. Finally , some cheers in XL camp.



4th Set(2-2):- I didnt knew how much glucose i consume that day. By this time, I was totally in oblivion to surrounding. I was enjoying each and every point earned and cheer from the XL crowd. The IIML bhaiyya crowd got active and started personalised sledging against my name. I was just enjoying it and I didnt even thought with a pinch of salt.This set was the longest and the game stopped several times , mainly due to opponent claiming that I was carrying the shuttle, which was ridiculous as carrying in badminton is a rare event.

I again managed to get the lead and i knew i just have to make him play. I was at my best , My service got improved with each serve as high it could be in the back court and for for every return of the the serve , I was smashing it. My aspiration changed from giving a good fight to make it a 5th setter game of which i always admired Federer ,although in a different game of Tennis. I won this set 21-18. And Now the attention shifted from me to Naveen and he was surrounded by all IIML guys , who were giving him motivational doses.



5th Set(3-2):- In between the set break, I wondered whether there are training session for 5 setters. The game is entirely transformed from hitting smashes to endurance and fitness. All drenched in sweat , the only inspiration for me was seeing my opponent who was also in such a sweaty state and the XL support. I was gulping huge doses of glucose and water to keep my self hydrated.

I changed my strategy a little bit this time:-

(1) I thought of playing power game to win as early as possible and avoid tie-braker.

However, this change costed me as i hit many a times in net and eventually i gave him the lead and he was leading by 4-1.

I went back to basics and again went for rally and quickly equalise it. One thing which i realise is it gives you tremendous confidence when you win a rally . I stick with this game plan and took the lead with points 8-5.His team asked him to took the break as he was drifting away from the basics.

He came back strongly and equalise at 10-10. I puzzled him with some power smashes and then it became very easy for me.He did lot of unforced errors and I eventually won the game 21-17.



And then it was followed with huge cheer from XL group and i enjoyed every bit of it.



Learning from this game:-

(1) Stay there , Be there , whatever it takes to:- When you start playing , there are lot of clutter in your mind like team pressure, personal motives, audience pressure etc. Every thing vanished after a while and all it matters is to play a good game.

GMP Power for the Married

It was my dream to do MBA. Getting into XLRI was more than I had dreamt. While I was rejoicing the start of a new life, I realized that XLRI GMP would be a challenge with respect to time management. Armed with faith, committed husband and supportive parents, I decided to join the XLRI family.
Family accommodation is better than I expected. Apartment has a spacious bedroom, living room, kitchenette and storage area. Bed, cabinets, desk, chair and book stand were provided. The common area of the building is cleaned and maintained regularly. Canteen has great food and friendly staff. There are doctors who visit the campus twice a day. I have the fortune of having 5 great doctors as my batch-mates including pediatricians. I could not have asked for more.
There is a beautiful park right in front of the building for the children to play. My daughter who is now 10 months old waits to go down every evening and watch other kids play. Well, that is a GMP baby club :)
The second term has started. You are wondering what happened to my fear of time management problem? Well, the fear has transformed into a new found confidence. In the first term, there was no time to breathe and I lived in this constant fear of ‘how will I manage everything’. Married people struggled between family and studies while most singles struggled between movies and studies :) [Secret - You get access to lots of movies here]. Back to my fear story - I learnt to sleep less and make the most of my time by focusing well on the task on hand whether it is spending time with family or studying. I am also an active member of four extracurricular groups.
First term has passed and I have realized that I can do a lot more than I thought I could. GMP has shown me how I could exceed my own expectations. I know that whatever happens, I will find a way out to succeed. GMP has made me strong and efficient. Wondering what happened to effectiveness. I was always effective - that is why I joined XLRI :)

GMPians travel not to go anywhere, but to go!

Sometimes GMPians prefer to take the path less travelled. For they know that in every walk with nature they would receive far more than what they seek. They drop their suits for sneakers and wander around with their backpacks. Backpacking, they discover en route is more the art of knowing what not to take but they trudge along nevertheless knowing fully well that joy lies in the journey and not the destination.

FG Manufacturing: Celebrating the diversity of GMP!!

Aluminium, Automobile, Oil & gas, Nuclear, Steel... you name it, we have it in the focus group of XL GMP 09-10, FG Manufacturing. The objective of the group is to tap into the knowledge pool of the diverse members of this group so that all can benefit from it. It is a meeting place of professionals from diverse backgrounds and this FG serves as an excellent opportunity to gain an insight into each industry. Prof. Rajiv Misra had said that it is very important to have knowledge about 4 to 5 core sectors to develop a holistic perspective. FG Manufacturing aims to do so!!

Walk the Talk

We, GMPians had preivlege to listen to Mr Malli Mastan Babu's brave and inspring stories. Sachin Rawat has already exqusitely covered the talk in previous post http://xlrigmp2010.blogspot.com/2009/09/led-by-free-will.html Thanks to Prof. Munish Thakur for inviting him to address us.

One Night @ XLRI

our GMP Hostels. Pics courtesy: Anindya Sengupta

Its 100 not out @XL!!!

Ohhh... It almost slipped through my mind.... today is the hundredth day at XLRI for GMP 2009-10 batch..so congratulations to all of us (including me) for making to the hundred mark!!

Since its a ritual to look back on all these kind of occasion..let us do the same...let us give a hard look at those 100 days.. are we better off or worse off?.. Are those pre-XL days (read days@our work place, our ex-colleagues, babes and bosses) still very much alive in our minds?

Well, everyone has his or her own opinion... but I am sure one thing everybody of us will agree... that each of us here has made ninety five new friends!!!.. Now, isn't it a wonderful thing? If you are still not convinced, I will request you to do a with and without GMP@XL analysis :-)

Lastly I want to share with you one great thing I learnt about XL on my hundredth day. That learning goes like this:

Generally in the outside world if you bump into a girl (unintentionally or otherwise) what do you expect to get? Yes.. you guessed it right.... a tight slap on your cheek. Today I had the misfortune to bump into a lady while I was coming down the stairs from gymm. in the morning... it was absolutely unintentional... Nevertheless I expected a hard look at me from her if not a slap (as far as my prior experiences go!!)...But to my utter surprise the lady smiled at me, said sorry to me and stepped aside to give me space to pass!!!! But in my utter state of confusion, I forgot to return her courtesy :-(

At XL over everything else we learn to be courteous to others..and that makes this institute so great a place of learning!!

Led by Free Will

[An account of a talk delivered by Guiness record making mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu]

Malli Mastan Babu’s eyes exude energy and passion as he talks to students of the General Management Programme in XLRI, Jamshedpur, about how, often against all odds, he scaled peak after peak, in the process becoming not only the first Indian but also the fastest person in the world to scale the highest peak in each of the seven continents. He did it because he had chosen to do it, because he wanted to do it and believed that nothing should come in the way of his own free will.

All GMPians had experienced during our outbound programmes with the Tata Adventure Sports Foundation, the heat of challenge, teamwork and leadership challenge that adventure sports generate, and Malli’s tryst with serious adventure sports kicked off with the same foundation when he was a student of engineering in RIT (now NIT), Jamshedpur. Malli however had the drive to literally scale the highest mountains all over the globe. Being an engineer and a management graduate from the prestigious IIM,Calcutta, he relates his learnings to students of management the decision making and motivational trials that we all must face whatever be our walk of life.

Just like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, this scholar became the object of much ridicule and peer pressure when he took the daring decision not to participate in the placement activities in IIMC and set his sights on scaling Mt.Everest instead. Malli says “People will call you as insane or label you as irresponsible. Overnight ,you could feel like the outcast in your own neighbourhood. The psychological hurdle is the first and perhaps the biggest one. But I had attained escape velocity, escaped beyond the restrictions placed by conformity. You too must escape the restrictions of your need to conform, only then can you be free to achieve what you really want”. To opt out of a lucrative career , taking huge financial liabilities, without any experience in serious mountaineering would baffle anyone trying to assess the risks and benefits, even if the risk of mortality and the value of human life were ignored (but then, what is life without will?). Just the financial costs were staggering. Mastaan however valued above all the freedom to chase his dream. Not that he was rash- he realistically assessed his strengths and weaknesses and meticulously planned to acquire the skills he would need; what tipped the scales however was his desire to explore and stretch the limits, which was much greater than the limitations.

To say it was ‘difficult’ is obviouisly, a gross understatement. Financial assistance was not forthcoming and Mastaan had to use all his enterprise in raising funds, even taking large loans which another person of his modest means might see as a crushing burden or in other words, a non-option. Just as he had made his plans, the Indian Army too announced its expedition to the seven peaks. Rather than be daunted by the appearance of a new rival who had vast resources and institutional support, Malli saw that his competitive advantage lay in his flexibility of decision making. He believed that the Army would take time to make arrangements for its large team, that the progress of the team would depend on its weakest link and above all, he refused to accept that the motivation of every member in that (or any other) team could be more than his personal drive. Myself being a whitewater rafting enthusiast I can recall the formidable reputations that teams of the Indian Army enjoy, still It is difficult to fully comprehend the confidence, willpower and insight into team dynamics which enabled Malli to see his strength in factors that someone else might have viewed as a hopeless disadvantage. In fact Malli says that going solo is immensely satisfying because you can really test your limits and because no one else makes your choices; you really are free of most external influences. It reminds me of Ayn Rand’s philosophy that he who does not want to make decisions, who lets others decide, is in truth living a second hand life.He says it also gives him more agility and determination than large groups. Once, when he could only get a visa to Argentina for a short duration , he scaled the Cerro Aconcagua (at 22,834 ft Argentina's highest mountain), he climbed it in only 8 days and climbed down in just one day (other expeditions took more than 20 days). By his grit, flexibility and unconventional thinking, he created alternatives and new options where none seemed to exist.

“There is always an option.” Says Malli, “ It may be a difficult choice, but you must choose what you really want” He exudes an aura of confidence ,of sheer raw and free spirit as he adds “If you do not exercise your choice, you are not free”. Whether we play the role of a sportsperson, manager or a citizen, we are faced with decisions, often risky. What we choose embodies our desires,our will and our values. What we choose makes us what we are.

-Sachin Rawat

sachinrawat1978@gmail.com

Teachers' day

We love them, we disagree with them, we irritate them and we believe in them. We just can’t have enough of them. Such is the importance of teachers in our lives, we just can’t ignore them.
Indeed, the relationship with teachers is special .From time immemorial our culture has highlighted the importance of teacher. In Mahabharat, Eklavya believed that even his thumb, essential for using bow and arrows, is a small price for his archery training. Vivekananda spent his life promoting the message of his teacher Swami Rama Krishna Paramhans. And for those who believe that these relationships are story of yesteryears, this is what Google founders have to say for Mr Rajiv Motwani, their teacher and mentor, after his death-
''Today, whenever you use a piece of technology, there is a good chance a little bit of Rajeev Motwani is behind it.''
GMP batch incidentally did not take long to recognize the contribution of our professors. So the batch decided that it is an ideal opportunity to thank those who change the course of our lives. A small teachers’ day get together was organized on fifth September at GMP dining hall.
Everybody dressed up for the occasion and the eagerness to welcome our mentors was difficult to contain. Teachers, families, students, other guests were all a unit within no time. What followed could be termed only as bliss, a state of profound satisfaction and joy. Everybody was involved wholeheartedly in the various games and activities that followed. Individuality succumbed to the environment of commonality. It was the religion, of oneness, that each involuntarily converted to and the enjoyment thus grew many folds.
Time but was envious and it just flew by. A gradual depopulation engulfed our venue and the gathering withered. The party ended.
What remained, but, is here to stay. All of us are deeply indebted to our teachers for sharing their valuable time with us. This interaction has increased our respect and trust in our gurus. There are innumerable support systems for learning, but the student – teacher interface is by far the most valuable. This get together has strengthened this interface and we plan not to miss any opportunity to increment this strength.
Bill Gates said,” “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.”

We love them
We love them
We love them . We just can’t have enough of them.

POSTED BY ANKIT AND PRACHEESH

CEX and FOREX

The CIA had for a long time covered up its ‘black bag work’ - illegal jobs such as breaking into embassies , often employing exotic tools (miniature cameras, eavesdropping equipment etc) and weapons (poison gas pens, toxic paints, IEDs etc) – for fear that it might arouse public outrage and young people might stop considering it as an ethical career choice. However, when these techniques were eventually officially made public, the number of applicants aspiring for a job in the Agency skyrocketed. Why? Because for years, the public had been made to believe that James Bond Novels and movies were impossible fantasies, that the technologies depicted in them could not exist even in the next few decades and that the government would never authorize acts that Bond routinely did; now, suddenly, a person could legitimately aspire to live the life of a Bond.

In 2004 , John Perkins in his book “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” described his role as an ‘Economic Hitman’ -a consultant to several Governments and their Heads of State, an advisor whose real job was to economically exploit and debilitate his clients in the process of ‘developing’ and ‘aiding’ their economies. He was seduced into the job which held glamour and power, intrigue and beauty, untold wealth and generations of dependence. I do not know whether his ‘confessions’ (which are no less interesting than a spy story, replete with tales of Middle-Eastern palaces and doe-eyed beauties) tempted more budding economists into the profession or discouraged them. However, the book does show the impact a single economist can have on the development, the politics and the destinies of several nations.

Money is a unique commodity in that although it is intrinsically worthless, it is a store of value. It can attach tangible values to desires and powers. The desire to have, to give, the desire to do can be quantified in terms of money, as can be the powers to satisfy these desires. Hence it is the common denominator in most, if not all (this is debatable) human activity. Economics, then, is the common thread that runs through almost every discipline of study- not just management but also philosophy, ethics, governance and leadership. By determining what we are willing to sacrifice in order to get something, we can attach a value to it, and economics can guide us on how to maximize this value. Fundamental to this process is making the choice of what we really want most, or that which we would not give up at any cost or price- it is this choice or (set of choices) that defines our value system. In ‘The Prince’, Niccolo Machiavelli describes the dilemma that what appears best for an individual may not be best for the society and observes that the king must deal with this dilemma at every step while carrying. The question of determining at what point the ‘greater good’ should supersede the welfare of an individual is as fundamental as defining our ‘fundamental rights’ and really how fundamental they are. There are democratic methods in economics which are being used to answer such and related questions.

Is it more important to find a cure for cancer or for tuberculosis? Is democracy really better than autocracy? Should a person give up his life for the society? What really is his society? Should we bother about these questions or just make a lot of money? Economics offers the hope of answering diverse questions. At a macro level, it is applied by nations to maximize growth. At the micro level, it appears in the form of game theory which can be applied to a single transaction, even a simple bargain. Indeed, the theory can even be applied to politics to determine whether dissenting members of the party can rebel and form a breakaway faction; this knowledge can help the politician to determine the size and constitution of his ‘core’ group.

With a view to providing a common platform to those associated with XLRI interested in finding answers to such questions (and more such questions), a place where they can meet and exchange ideas, we, the students of the 2009-10 batch of the General Management Programme in XLRI envisaged the formation of ‘The Club for Economics at XLRI’, or CEX. However, led by the democratic spirit that is ingrained in many students of economics, we decided that it be better to build it not as an exclusive club but rather, as a society or a forum which will embrace and even reach out to all who share the passion for this quest , and thus was born the ‘Forum for Economics’- a forum for sharing ideas, asking questions, for observing the environment from an economics perspective, for studying policy, ethics, and for finding tangible solutions to problems .

In less than one term, it has become a vibrant forum of enthusiasts who regularly meet and discuss, make presentations, debate, bounce ideas and work on projects. We are pleasantly overwhelmed by the support and participation of students who are contributing to generate value in the Forum. Like in any other startup, at first one has to put in something and create value. The quality and number of ideas generated are indicative of the substantial amounts of creative faculties that the GMP students are investing in FOREX. On popular demand we have decided to intensify our activities by taking up larger projects and also to reach out to more people to generate more ideas and interest in economics. You can expect a periodic newsletter with updates of our activities and ideas soon. Those who would like to know more are welcome to contact us.