He tickled us to the last gasp of ROTFL act with ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’ – 9/10

He made us smile, admire & love his Superchor with ‘Oye Lucky Lucky Oye!’ – 9.5/10

And then he delivered his masterpiece, which had it all, with ‘LSD’ – A Perfect 10!

Yes, Dibakar Banerjee has done IT!

In a country, where avid movie lovers absolutely freak out at the beauty of the F-word, when used in Hollywood (Scorsese’s Departed) and are in awe of the reality cinema showcased by the camera effect (Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, Blairwitch project), it needed the shocking-ness aura produced by LSD to transport them to a similar world in Indian cinema.

All credit to Mr. Dibakar, for its not easy for a Hindi movie to hit the theaters in raw form, with all the abuses and crude scenes, after passing through the Censor board. It sure would have been a hell of a task to convince the so called moral saviors of our ‘filmi duniya’ to give the green signal to this one!

However, once they did it and thank god for that, we witnessed a show seldom seen before in the history of bollywood: 3 parallel stories shot in live camera throughout, bringing to screen the 3 most outrageous emotions and passions of today’s world – LOVE, SEX & DHOKHA!!!

And to think that the stellar performances in all these stories have been delivered by debut-making-actors in bollywood, makes it even more amazing!! Yes, these actors (and few of them are real finds for Indian cinema) are the result of a one year ‘bharat bhraman’ undertaken by Dibakar!

The freshness of these first-timers coupled with no-bar-holds real-time storytelling and that too in front of a live camera makes LSD a revolutionary movie all the way!!

Add to that the trance music, the unbelievably creative song lyrics and the magic of Kailash Kher and Sneha Khanwalkar – You really cant ask for more!!

Remember Paanch, DevD, Gulaal and Hail Anurag Kashyap!

Remember Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey and Hail Vishal Bhardwaj!

And now lets make way for another master of bollywood, the ‘Terrific Trio’ is indeed complete with the emergence of Dibakar Banerjee!!

Thanks to this ‘Terrific Trio’ for making me (a Hollywood die-hard fan), for once sit back, enjoy and take that leap into the trance world – a world where you live with the characters, songs and the movie!

LSD – A LUST WATCH!!

Ideally this post should have been dated – January, 2009, when I should have supposedly got IIM calls once the CAT results were declared! But then, I had managed to screw up a section in CAT yet again! My dream college, like everyone else – Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad (IIM-A) had eluded me once and for all…

On 19 March, 2010 (the date which I will remember for the rest of my life now) – I, as a part of team frontrunners, got a life-time opportunity to achieve one of my long-cherished dreams: If you don’t make it to IIM-A, you beat them! Yes, NITIE vs IIM-A grand finale in Lessons in Marketing Excellence (LIME) at Taj Hotel, Mumbai was the perfect opportunity. The stakes were really high, the competition rigorous and the prizes – just awesome!

The IIM-A team seemed to be having the best marketing combination possible – three guys from 2nd year with marketing specializations and having already secured impressive jobs in the industry. To add to that, the same team was our nemesis in the semifinal round – pushing us to the second spot by a whisker!

Nandan Nilekani’s UIDAI project itself seemed to be the most challenging and arduous case study in LIME till date. And we had the most reputed jury in place with loads of industry experience. Yes, this was not going to be easy.

But then team frontrunners had always believed in the quote – “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”, always using the underdogs tag to perfection!!

And YES – WE DID IT!!!

After a decent presentation followed by a tricky Q&A round, team frontrunners finally won the LIME competition after an intense battle with the so called ‘numero uno’ – IIM-A.

Yes, my dream had come true and with that an opportunity to be at the chequered flag in the Spanish Grand Prix, to attend the prestigious fast-track BLT (Business Leadership Training) programme of HUL with an international stint, and to be the guest editor on a Storyboard episode on CNBC.

But then this was ‘our destiny’, for team frontrunners consisted of two marketing jewels who are now destined for even bigger things – ‘Abhijit Kamra & Jeeta Das’!!

Well, frankly speaking, its really impossible for me to put on paper the rigour, sincerity and dedication with which both of them dissected each and every case LIME threw at us for the past 4-5 months or so (ya its been a really long time now). But I will give it a try anyways!!!

Always playing the catching-up act, I am absolutely a fan of the determination and unparalleled hardwork with which both of them toiled day-in, day-out, night-in, night-out for 5 consecutive months……………….

In my 25 years of life-history, I have never ever witnessed someone with such passion and infatuation (ya I really cant find another word which conveys the same meaning in a positive way) for marketing case studies. Yes, I was sometimes a little short of time to be completely devoted to the cases, but even if I had spent that much time, still would never have touched the marketing excellence levels set by this awesome twosome!!!

Guys – It really has been an honour of the highest order for me to be a part of such a super-fantabolous team, which was indeed a frontrunner, in its truest sense of the word, all-the-way!!!

Yes, it was a privilege to be a frontrunner that decimated the challenge of top-12 B-schools in the country, across a variety of cases spanning different sectors.

A learning experience to be treasured for the life-time, it really would not have been possible without the super-human efforts of Kamra bond & JD!!!

I don’t think I have done this before, but guys – this blog-post is dedicated to both of you as well as to the team frontrunners which made the impossible-possible!!

When Dreams come true…. Indeed!!!

This is going to be a little difficult, so stay with me:

98.91

He opened his office PC. Logged on to THE website. His eyes were fixed on this number for a complete minute. And the 61st second made him blurt out – OH MY GOD! (January 2009)

19.50

His mobile phone beeped. One new message. He opened it. His eyes were fixed on this number for a complete minute. And the 61st second made him blurt out – OH MY GOD! (December 2009)

110

The results were out. Before I could open that make-or-break word doc, my mobile phone rang and he gave me the news – the GOOD news. Selected in one of the ‘centres of excellence’ in Mumbai. My name across this S.No confirmed it. Out of the CAT race. (April 2009)

13

4th day/night running – about to sit for another GD. Mobile phone rang – cleared someother GD and need to rush for the interview now. Phone rang again – Finally!!! 13th time lucky. Out of the RAT race. (October 2009)

Numbers have always fascinated me a lot. They somehow quantify your intangible emotions. Happiness… Sadness… Feeling lucky… Not quite lucky… So on & so forth. And it is another number – 365 that has brought about a shift, a paradigm shift in me forever. These 365 days of the year 2009 has revolutionized my life like no year has ever before. And this change has been so constant in 2k9, that until the clock ticked 12:00 on 31st December, I was not sure whether there will be another shift even in that last millionth of a second. So, as 1st January 2010 welcomes us to what promises to be another exciting year ahead! Its time to look back at the 2k9-special:

Perfect beginnings and then perfect ending are so very rare in this real world. Moving to the fantasy world of bollywood, Aamir Khan proved it once again that if Ghajini (my 1 January watch) was the perfect beginning, then 3 idiots (28 December) marked the perfect ending of the year for him. For me, the paradigm shift was not so perfect – blended with all possible highs and lows!

The Beginning (Jan-April): The full-sleeves shirt, the dark trousers, the matching tie & the leather shoes – and you have the EVS professional in its elements! Back at H.No 20, the super-six made sure that the funtime never halted in gurgaon. Life was predictable but satisfactory. The hecticity in job was compensated by the masti with flatmates.


The Gearing-up(May-June): With CAT cracked, it was time to relax & then plan for the future ahead. After solving the MDI vs NITIE puzzle after 45 days of intense research (ya I am good at that), I was U-NITIE-D. All set for the ensuing MBA-times!

The Shifting Act(July-Sept): And then it all began – 18th June marked the beginning of a series of events that were going to have an everlasting impact on my whole life. Back to college, back to studies and amongst a new circle of friends – life started to change – slowly but steadily. These 3 months were quite an experience.

The Paradigm Shift(Oct-Dec):

Once upon a time I attended more than 75% lectures (read school & engineering college)…

Once upon a time I made lecture notes (atleast of few subjects)…

Once upon a time I dreaded alcohol, then started with it in minimum quantities and then reached the zenith…

Once upon a time I was afraid of case-studies, debating stuff, presentations, B-plans… Rather thought myself ill-equipped for such things…

Once upon a time I maintained a balance between my interaction with the two sexes…

Once upon a time I was socially net-worked only on orkut…

Once upon a time emosional attayachar was only restricted to DevD…

Once upon a time I was never ‘loaded’ with things…

Once upon a time I had free-time…

And then MOD-2 happened!

2/10 attendance – Roll No. 72 will not be allowed to sit in the Macroeconomics exam… I topped in the ‘ascending order’ of attendance!

One lecture copy having notes (no – read short-hand piecemeal writings) of the 8 subjects… And that ‘one’ copy was lost a week before the exams!

As far as alcoholic mis-endeavours are concerned, I did it ALL. 10 hours of BLACKOUT & I said Quits forever!

It all started with the Pepsi case, then Paragana debating competition, then Airtel & then the successful HUL case… they just kept on coming one after another… And Team Frontrunners scaled greater heights…

For once, I did not have those coffee-breaks, those pond-walks and those chatting chronicles with my fairer counterparts!

First Face-booked, then Twitter-ed and also Linkedin-ed – orkutting has taken the backseat now! What next?

Bouts of emotional un-intelligence hit me more frequently than ever before… Sometimes it was almost impossible to FOCUS with all the hara-kiri going around!

Loader… Loaded… Too many things & too less time!

YES – Time was running at lightning speed and I was always playing the catching-up act!

And then came 22nd December – the most important day of the year assumed even more significance this time, as it gave me the god-sent opportunity to take that much needed break… to break-free from everything! It was time to reflect & introspect… Time to learn from the past & move forward! Time to be at HOME :)

So 2009 was the year of the paradigm shift for me – the year in which I lived life on the edge… sometimes came back from the brink… sometimes did not… & a year of numerous firsties!!

The 2010 Avatar?

As the NITIE-MBA saga moves to its 3rd phase now, it is going to get more & more exciting as the stakes go even higher-up now! The bar will be raised to that next level – be it masti, studies (case & otherwise) or the com-work! The important thing is to bring some stability and planning amongst all the chaos & anarchy around, without compromising on the fun-factor indeed!!

The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months! - Edward Payson Powell

Lets get started with the 2010-Act…

Ah.. I almost forgot.. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!! :)

“I don’t want to be a product of the environment. I want the environment to be a product of me.” – The Departed



Life is all about making the choices, right or wrong, they govern everything. Whether you like it or not, they lay out the path to your future.

Choice-1: Time series: 1990s Location: Jammu

A was the loafer of the class. The kind who incurred the teachers’ wrath to the maximum. The back-bencher who never completed his homework on time and somehow managed to fail in almost all of the exams. But, A was the one who enjoyed school-life the way he liked it and the way he wanted it.

B was the allrounder of the class. The one who made everything gold just by touching it. Be it studies, sports, extra-curricular or girls. The one envied by one and all. But, B was a teacher’s delight & parents dream.

C was the very studious and very hardworking types. The one who kept maximum distance from girls out of shyness. The one who completed all his homework on time and kept fair distance from sports, lest it interfered with his studies. C envied B and was scared of A.

'I' chose to be C.

Choice-2: Time series: Early 2000s Location: Dehradun

D was the child prodigy. The one who danced with mathematics and revolved around science. The IIT type!

E was someone who had never heard of IIT-JEE till 11th standard. Whose only goal was to excel in 12th board exams, as successfully ingrained in his mind by the teachers. The one who bi-cycled his way from one tuition to another.

F was the one who played cricket during lunch break and basketball by bunking classes. The one who fought with all those who wanted a fight in school. And the one never to miss a beautiful scenery whenever presented with an opportunity.

'I' chose to be E.

Choice-3: Time series: 2003-07 Location: Patiala

G chose to be the studious type in 1st year, the sport buff in 2nd year, the relationship type in 3rd year and the heart-breaker type in 4th year – and landed with a decent placement.

H could not come to terms with higher engg. Subjects during 1st year, struggled in 2nd year too, made some good friends (finally opposite sex as well) in 3rd year, ended with a decent CGPA and a satisfactory placement in 4th year.

I was the sporty/lovebird type in 1st year & 2nd year & 3rd year & 4th year! Placement never mattered to this NRI types…

'I' chose to be H.

Choice-4: Time series: 2007-09 Location: Gurgaon

J chose to give priority to CAT over everything else. The job took a back seat atleast in the 2nd year after lotzzzz of grinding in the 1st year! However, many new interests came upfront like booze-ism (finally!!!!), chatting & then more chatting with the beauties of NCR :P This was step-1 of the paradigm shift…

K was the star-performer-in-office types! Worked morning, afternoon, evening & nights as well as spent weekends in office too! This complete work-a-holic type got appraisals, promotions & recommendations. But not the satisfaction of cracking CAT…

L was the one who cracked CAT without compromising on the job – the multi-tasker… & as if the IIMs were not enough for him (atleast not I,K), went on to join bigger firms and the dreams of cracking GMAT & then MBA from outside & then…

'I' chose to be J.

Choice-5: Time series: 2009 onwards Location: Mumbai

M is the typical studious MBA-types. The one who attends all the classes (out of all that do take place :D), takes all the quizzes, case-studies and presentations seriously. And participates in all MBA-related competitions, henceforth is able to build a star-studded CV and runs away with a glittering summers offer!!!

N is the other side of M. Never to attend a class, unless absolutely urgent! He gives top priority to sleep, the next priority to movies, games, sitcoms, P-stuff and anything & everything which can be watched on laptop! When seen in campus (in those rare instances), his percentage time spent with opposite sex candies (again a rare species in MBA instt.) = his CAT percentile (98+) ;) And he somehow manages to keep this engagement in summers also! Luck By Chance??

And then there is O. Or should I say OMG! Time is an entity in short-supply for this MBA soul. Which means that his ‘Theory of Busyness’ makes sure that he cannot become a part of the indulgences of either N or M. Like 14 others of his batch, he is the front-runner (who unlike his name suggests is lagging behind on many fronts…). But then he chose his destiny so he really cant regret! And so he tries his best to do justice to his responsibility and to strive for a college-frontrunner balance. Whether he will succeed or not, only time can tell – but rest assured he will never be down & out! Summers – No comments please!!!

'I', yes you guessed it correctly, chose to be O. (OMG!!!) – Paradigm shift – Complete!

From C-E-H-J-O, my world has been determined by the choices I have made till now! And choices, it will be again, that will chalk out my path in the coming future – choices made by me!!

So guys stay tuned, till I happen to take the next gamble and make my next move :-)

Time to make my next choice – over & out!

Remember Remember the 18th of September!


For exactly 3 months after it all started, as the clock ticked 4.30pm & I submitted the at-LAST Communication Skills answer sheet in the examination hall a.k.a Baddy Court, the Module-1 (or statistically speaking 16.67% of my stay) in NITIE came to an end.

To say that these last 3 months will register in my Mind-Map as an exciting part of my life, will be a grave under-statement. For the events in this module have revolved in the 100% confidence interval of being ‘completely outrageous’ to ‘absolutely laugh-o-mania’. And so I decided to reward the best of them all with a well-deserved Oscar!



So, here go the nominations:

10th - “The greatest journeys are the ones that take you back home” – The ‘blessing in disguise’ swine flue time at home sweet home!

Himanshu (with that super-desperate look on his face) : Plzzzzzzz let us board the flight mam – its very important!!!

Flight official: Sorry! Only 10 minutes left for the flight takeoff now… Your too late…

Himanshu: Can it be rescheduled mam??

Flight official: Ya it can be… Go to the flight counter NOW!

And so the 3 shocked souls (Me, Himanshu & Anant) make a desperate run for the flight counter… Well it turned out to be a lucky day or maybe the start of lucky things for all of us… The flight got rescheduled :-)! We all went to our cherished homes. Initially for just 4-5 days, but the swine scare extended it to 10-11 days in the end! To get such a loooong break while studying in a MBA college & that too in the First Module is (in just word): SUPER-KOOOOOOOL

9th – Mid-term tests@NITIE... You don’t know a thing… And then the Group task begins :D

Not once, Not twice but thrice!! ‘Theory of Cooperativity’ was in full application at Syndicate-1 and to maximum effect. The Gang of Guruji, Chandu & BF ensured that the NPL (Non Performing Liability) cleared these tests with a HUGE smile on his face! Thanks guys for all the help… Rest assured, it will be payback time in Mod-2!!

8th – ‘14th-18th September, 2009’ OR ‘At My Wits End’ Week :-(

50 minutes remaining in the Marketing exam… And I felt like being the main protagonist of the movies – Dev D/Requiem for a Dream/Trainspotting! For my head started spinning, hear-beat started racing & eyes were dizzying… Well, it had to happen sooner than later – The workoload was just mind-crushing… Complete night-outs followed by 6 hours exams daily without breakfast/lunch/dinner and surviving only on tea, black-tea, biscuits took its toll. It culminated with me having to take Glucon-D bottoms up shots for the last exam :P Undoubtedly, one of the toughest times ever in my life!

7th – “Learning on the street, Nobody can beat”

MANDI’09 was indeed a life-time experience… To know more, please read my previous post guys – ‘Dial M for Mandi (2009)’!

6th – THE Gunda Movie ;)

‘Munni meri behen munni, munni meri behen munni, tu toh mar gyee? Lambu ne tujhe lamba kar diya? Maachis ki tili ko khamba kar diya?’

I had the honour of watching this cult movie in this mod & it triggered such a laughter attack that Nishant became Munni with his CRACKLING laughter. A MUST WATCH – This one will be treasured for a life-time!

5th – 7 or 8 Tequila shots!!!

Its tough to believe that around 2 years back, the use and application of the word ‘Booz’ (in every possible form) had an instant repelling effect on me. For on that Tunga night, I practically surprised myself. It was the first party at NITIE enlightened by kariaoke and the rocking atmosphere. And then it started… For someone from the opposite sex started gulping one T-shot after another & the blenders prided me just could not stand it… as far as I can remember, I was Tequalised-7/8 in the end & she won with a Tequalised factor of 8. Damn that!! But this had set the booz flowing for rest of the NITIEism :D

4th – THE GROOVE’09

The first 3 days will always have a special place in my NITIE story. For it started everything with a stunning IMPACT. For more details: do read my earlier post: ‘CHAOS THEORY – Begins & How!!!’

*Bronze Medalist* – “Escape is only the beginning” (Prison Break – Season-1)

A very good friend had advised me sometime back: If you want to know what is meant by getting addicted? Watch – PB! And he was RIGHT!!

I tasted the Addicto during my homely stay… the 40 minutes of the first episode were superb… but the ending 5 minutes shook me inside out!!! It was 3.30am then… I had to watch 4 episodes that night & slept at 6am… & the rest is HISTORY!! Back to hostel – And the sleepless & PB-full nights began… it was almost as if the (2-8)am slot was booked for PB! A deserving 9/10 on IMdB – the season had me hooked like nothing before! No TV series have had that effect on me before :-)

“Preparation can only take you thus far, after that you need a few leaps of faith…………”

As Mod-2 is about to begin now, can Season-2 be far behind..!! Ask AIR-WIND-RAJ-ANNA :P

**Silver Medalist** - The 6th Floor GANG!!!

He started as a Brave-Fart, moved on to become a Bhasadi & is now a unique mixture of Bakar (50%), that 32-teeth SMILE (20%), the supremely-organized roomie (10%) and a would-be batch topper (9%)… The rest 1% of this chemically laughing-stock mixture consists of infinite elements…………………….

He started with the Munni Act, then moved on to even bigger LAUGHING Acts such as roaring at the top of his voice (which may put his sound-blaster lappy to shame :P), falling off the bed while laughing & then gave that ultimate BOOZ-ALL-OUT act on that C-party night which will be remembered forever!! This Munji Ki Kunni, atleast for me, is the DRIVING force of our GANG……………………………….

He started with an all-sleepy-lecturey-image, then differentiated himself with some stellar on-stage comparing in Mandi & Denovo, & also delivered that PERFECT Sleepy extempore with all the nuances of this classical art! But then this was just one side of our very own Chandu. His other side as a PB initiator for me, the CS champ, a mind full of ideas, the head-banging-rocking party soul and what not…… Chandu bhai is just too good!!

This ‘C for’ guy deserves a special mention…. The only one who can contest with Munni for that elusive title of the biggest C :P For me, he is the JOKER in the pack… the icey-koooooool of them all, the guy with that amazing smile & all the bhasadi ideas up his sleeve……………

He started as a LOVE GURU, & then became the GURU of everything he laid his hands upon… A magnificent brain, he is the only one in the GANG who is more than capable of cracking the SAD-O-GHOSH code & balancing the Sundry debtors shit :P

He started as a buffety Doon bloke for me, moved on to become a 7th wonder, and is now our very own DADDU. The most stable & level-headed dude around, he is almost unflappable when it comes to setting those ghastly confidence intervals……………….

And then there is NPL, armed with that one-and-only Sui & a thing for everything that was considered traditionally BAD but modernity otherwise – the opposite sex, the boooooz & good-for-nothing guy :P

These are the 622,621,619 & 612 Gangers!

And they are the ones that make NPL’s life in NITIE a laughing riot, a freaking great experience and an absolutely fundoooooooo joy-ride!!! THANKS GUYS – Love you all :-)

***GOLD-MEDALIST***

So the time has arrived, after all those superb nominations, this has to be something extremely special to make the CUT – To become the KING OF GOOD TIMES…….

And the OSCAR goes to – “Blood, Booz & Baddy Night - The Free Fall” :) ;) :P :D

How many of us have wanted to enact the Dev D’s falling act of Pardesi??? Or wanted to know how does it feel to get KNOCKED OUT??? And to do it all in front of an audience ranging in hundreds!!! For me, it happened on that night…. The freshers party night!!!

8 shots of BP + 4 shots of Vodka can be a fatal combination… Add to that some high-octane music and dirty dancing… And one is destined to hit those dizzying HEIGHTS… So when Godmother decided to take my hand and into our own friends group, it happened: I moved a leg on that slippery all-boozy floor and the next second I was down on the floor with a BANG (to know the exact sound you can contact Saini), with my spectacles gone for a toss & I just BLACKED-OUT!! When I finally stood up with all the supreme efforts of the Saini-Mohan duo, someone just burst – ‘He is bleeding’. Yes this was BLOOD, & it was REAL.

The B-Cube combination had worked to perfection! The rest of that unforgettable night was spent in that ALL-OUT mode & I awoke a supremely satisfied soul the next day! For that ‘Free Fall Act’ will go down in my memory book as one of those – ’10 Things to Do before you Die’ :-)

THE END

P.S. They say that MOD-2 is much more enjoyable than MOD-1. Roger that :P