Meeting with Indian Cricketers

Apparently a second string Indian team consisting of former players played(and won) Pakistan in a charity match at Toronto. And guess what the team traveled with me in the Air India flight from Toronto to Delhi. Got a chance to chat with them a little bit and also managed to get a few pictures too!!!

Toronto – Ploughing a lonely furrow

Finally I reached Toronto this morning at 6:00. My tryst with Air Canada is over. I’ll try my best never to fly Air Canada again. I immediately checked with Air India on my flight this evening and got to know that the flight is delayed to 2:25 AM on Monday morning. Phew ! At least I got some time to go around Toronto. Took a cab from the airport and checked in at Deluxe Inn. I was taken care of by a desi cab driver and then a desi hotel receptionist. I see too many desis in Canada (some in really deplorable conditions) and I could clearly sense that each one is longing to be in India. I can see their eyes sparkle when I ask them the very obvious question “Are you from India?” Checked for a tours to Niagara, but the bitter cold plus the Sunday meant that there were no trips. So took a longish nap till 2:00 and took the Toronto subway to get to the “Union” station at downtown. The subway system is very similar to the one in Singapore. Here there is an east-west line and a U-line from mid-north west to down south and all the way up to mid-north east.

A forty-five minute journey split across two trains made me realize the size of Toronto and I reached downtown. This is a typical downtown, the familiar glass-plated concrete jungle, if you will. It was not very difficult to spot CN tower, the very purpose of my visit. With a $26 entrance fee I could go up to the second level observatory. The only other buildings of this scale I have visited were the Sears Tower and the John. F. Hancock towers in Chicago. A 44 sec trip on the elevator took me to the first level observatory which is around 346 metres. The view of the Ontario Lake was simply superb. I just got reminded of Chicago because the Michigan Lake view from Sears tower is almost very similar to this one. Looking at the ground from the glass floor section was quite a scary thing. After getting an extreme picture here, I went up the second level observatory (447 m) which is rightly called the top of the world. I have decided to add a few other high rises to my to-see list are

i) The Ostankino Tower, Moscow
ii) Petronas Towers, Malaysia
iii) Empire State Building, New York
iv) Taipei 101 Tower, Taipei

Back in the airport the 2:25 AM flight is now pushed to 6:30 AM. What a journey this is turning out to be. God please save me !!!

Terminal Musings

Never in my wildest dreams have I thought of the proposition of spending a whole day in an airport. Some excellent co-ordination by my company’s travel department and a big snow storm at Toronto has got me stuck at the Calgary International airport now. My original flight has been canceled and now after being standby for 3 flights I’m waiting for the fourth flight. Although I’m mad at a lot of people I’m taking this time to just cool off. After all I haven’t had any time for myself since April 2006. I was busy all of May 2006 winding up my first 100% mainframe project (curse my efforts at becoming versatile). And then I was busy preparing to fly to India for Divya’s engagement. All of June 2006 flew by with the engagement work and trying to reserve a marriage hall for the wedding.

Talking with Sreeram ( a.k.a Kulguru) during my vacation was a really big turning point in my life. He egged me to take GMAT and told how strongly he believed that I could be in a top B-school. What a great friend he is…You are great machi. Then came the two months slog balancing work and GMAT preparation. My college time MBA aspirations were all too obvious to my friends because I cracked the CAT 2001(It is a different story that my naiveté did not help me convert the interview calls). But this time I kept a really low profile about my second attempt at getting into a B-school. I can count with one hand the number of people who knew that I was preparing. Even after getting a pretty decent score I kept everything under the warps about my applications. I know that a lot of my friends are angry with me because I was operating so clandestinely. This MBA thing almost ate me full time up to early December and by then I was ready to fly back to India. Divya’s marriage happened on 11th Jan and in the middle of all commotion I had my ISB and RSM interviews. I then set out to Pune to help Divya and Sujith settle a lil bit.

Another nice twist was this Canadian due-diligence assignment. A couple of good meetings during the client visit helped me land into this fantastic assignment. I consider myself really lucky to be part of a team doing due-diligence for a $100 million deal…Do I really need an MBA I thought after getting picked up for the assignment. I met some really exceptional Infoscions here. The good quality in this team was the fact that even though the team members came from so many different offices each one knew to how to work cohesively towards the one goal of collecting and crunching as much information as possible. After a terrific presentation of the DD findings to the client yesterday, the team disbursed.. Once I head back it will be my last month with Infosys. I have learnt a lot from her (Infosys) and even though we are breaking up now in not so good terms (I got indications that my promotion is being withheld :-( ), it is a relationship that has shaped me. Okay, the pork ribs and the glass of wine are empty now and I’ll put a full stop to my inebriated rambling too :-) !

Calgary

Today it is two weeks since I came to Calgary. This place will last in my mind for a few reasons. First was the shocker of sorts admit from ISB which I got immediately after I landed here. The next thing is the biggest thermal shock I got in life. In spite of the fact that I lived three winters in Kansas the cold here was at a different level. I landed here to face a -23ºC for around three days with continuous snow. Work started slowly but with this kinda low weather I started feeling low myself.

But bang came the Chinook wind, another fantastic new phenomenon I learnt and the temperature came up to +2ºC. I read about these winds in Wikipedia and came to know that these moisture laden winds can bring up the temperature by even 40ºC.

Then came the weekend. Yours truly still has a valid US drivers license. So me and my roomie here rented a car each and drove the eight member team to the Canadian Rocky Mountains. . It was a scenic 2 hour from Calgary and the view of the snow capped mountains was really scintillating. We went up the Sulphur mountains in a Gondola and then hiked (board walked) from Sulphur mountain to Sanson's peak. It was bitterly cold and to add to the misery we played with the snow and my lips totally froze. It took a while for me to recover but all in all it was fun.

On the way back we stopped at Lake Louis. In fact we walked on the frozen lake. Watching kids play ice hockey was a real treat. We wrote our names on the snow and clicked our cameras.

These two weeks have been one of the most intense professional learning periods in my stint with Infosys. Well Infy probably realizes that these are the last few days I'll be dating her and she wants to treat me well !!! As we get into the last week of the due diligence work gets out of proportion. I just hope that I can squeeze in a few hours and catch a glimpse of the Polar bear at the Calgary zoo...

Itz gonna be ISB

Finally I decided that itz gonna be ISB. A couple of ISB admits advised me to mathematically analyze the situation. So my admit decision has turned out to be my first b-school style problem.

Here is the matrix I came up with. Just plain totals as opposed to weighted scores to keep things simple. ISB beat RSM considering my requirements. So i think I'm on my way to ISB even though RSM is a lovely school!!!

Columns
A - Diversity (1-5)
B - Reputation in US (1-5)
C - Reputation in Europe (1-5)
D - Profs (1-5)
E - Placement (1-5)
F - Family Visa/Acco (1-5)
G - Low Cost factor (1-5)
H - Alumni Network (1-5)
I - Exchange Progs (1-5)
J - Total
------------------------------------
Parm | A B C D E F G H I | J |
------------------------------------
RSM | 5 2 5 4 3 3 3 3 4 | 32 |
ISB | 4 3 2 5 4 4 4 5 4 | 35 |
------------------------------------

Scoring Key
1 - Low/Poor
2 - Average
3 - Good
4 - Very Good
5 - Exceptional

Results time

All the results of my MBA applications are out now. It has been a gratifying two out of three admission offers. Even though the ding from INSEAD was painful admission offers from ISB and RSM, Netherlands make me elated. I now have to decide between ISB and RSM. Each school has itz own selling points.

I chose to apply to RSM after a lot of thought. The summer internship at RSM(I'm from IT and I actually don't plan to change my stream but want to decide between strategy or marketing within IT), the diversity of the class(students from 40 countries) and the Personal leadership development program are the key things that made me decide on RSM. But RSM is high on the fees front and is slightly low on some aspects of b-school rankings but ISB doesn't participate in any rankings. Becoming a global MBA makes RSM really attractive.

As for ISB itz reputation is second to none in India and it is catching up in a very very big way around the world. The class composotion is the best in India(In fact I believe it will be more competitive than RSM) and the placements are also very good. I also want to settle in India in the long term which makes ISB very alluring.

Thatz the problem although I realize it is not a bad situation to be in!

Bangalore - RSM Interview

Reached Bangalore yesterday by Brindavan Express. By 2:00 PM I checked in and went around the Majestic area. It has been 3 years since I had last come to Bangalore and I felt that nothing has really changed except for a new overbridge to cross the K.G. Road. After browsing for several hours I came back to my hotel room and read my essays once again. My career goals essay could have been better(It definitely would have if my career goals were better..quip) but I really liked my essay on travel(I'm a dumbo..When I love travel my essay on travel would obviously be good !!). Woke up today fresh and after a little bit of trouble with no hot water I finally got ready. Reached the the Le Meridien hotel and met jat_pagla from www.pagalguy.com. He wearing a suit and was very smart. He already had admits from HEC Paris and GISMA, Germany(100% scholarship here). Like me he seemed to be really enthu about RSM. Mr. Rick Rudolph called him first and conducted his interview. Mine was at 10:40 AM and he called me sharp. It was quite unlike ISB. No interview rooms or interview panels. Just me and Rick sat on a sofa and started chatting.

Before we even started he wanted to know how I managed to get get my salary increases staying in one company(Boss doesn't he know about Indian IT industry). The first question was to introduce myself to the RSM Class of 2009 in 30 seconds. I compressed my intro and probably did one in 25 secs. Then he wanted to know how I got into engg. He seemed to be very much disturbed about the fact that anybody he meets in India is an Engineer. I told him how I had always wanted to be associated with technology and how I came to the IT industry. He then wanted to know about my experience and what I want to do post RSM etc. I thought I gave ok type answers but he did not seem to be convinced at all. He kept grilling me and repeated that I don't need an MBA to get into technology consulting. Finally he decided that I'm quite incorrigible and asked me a set of very interesting questions

What is the best advice you got in life?
My answer was "Itz not the size of the dog in the fight, itz the size of the fight in the dog"

What is the one thing you will carry with you to space?
Inspired by Sunita Williams I said "Bhagavad Gita". He asked why. I said that I derive a lot of personal strength from the Gita. Oh God. It has been atleast 15 years since I did the Chinmaya Mission's Gita classes.

What will you do if you are in a room for a whole day and have just 1 sheet of paper?
Very strange question and I gave an equally weird answer. I said I'll make a paper rocket and keep playing with it till I come out !!!!

Tell all different things that you can think of related to number 7?
Seven wonders of the world, Snow white and the seven dwarfs, Seven seas, Seven nations of SAARC(what a weird answer. later realized there are eight countries in SAARC)

If you relate your personality to an animal which would it be?
It will probably be a bird. I'm like the eagle.

What makes you unique?
My life experiences, my professional experiences, overseas experience with a major american railroad..blah,blah, blah !!!!

Finally it was my turn to ask questions. One, explain the PLD program at RSM and two, why only 4% of students are Dutch? Got decent answers and then I thanked Rick for the opportunity to interview with RSM.

All in all stress free like the ISB interview but as usual no stellar moments. Will have to keep my fingers crossed till first week of Feb ! This evening I met Bhagya, a friend from www.scoretop.com and a Wharton aspirant. I thought I have faced quite a few challenges in my personal life but this girl thrashed mine in all respects. I'm sure she is the next "Indra Nooyi" in the making.

ISB Interview

It was a very plain/non-stress interview. I had to write an essay on mobile phones pre-interview. There were two panelists from the ad com.

Int 1: So Deepak you have a rich exp. working overseas. What is the difference between an American vs. Indian employee.
Me: Well, the average Indian employee works to meet his ends. He needs to work for his food, clothing and shelter to happen. Else he will end up in the street. So the job comes first before his personal interests. The average american is at a slightly higher level. Even if he doesn't work his govt. will take care of him to a certain extent. So his interests come above the job per se. This is quite a generalization and may not be true for all cases.

Int 1: Ok. That was a positive. Did you see any negatives?
Me: Well yes. I'll have to generalize again. Although americans seem to get on to their field of interest a lot of them begin to wane. They do not seem to higher their bar once they reach a certain point. The average Indian though always tries to improve his status quo. Also Indians work better as a team.

Int 1: Ok Deepak. Say I have an american employee and an Indian employee. Fit them in two of the three roles namely Superior/Peer/Sub-ordinate.
Me: Ok. Once again I'll generalize. I'll place the American as a superior and the Indian as a peer.

Int 1: And why would you do so?
Me: The average American is very objective and will not let emotions sway his decisions. So it is good to work under him. At the same time the american is very individualistic and his free will rules the reign. So he will not be a good peer/sub-ordinate. The Indian mentality is more of a collective mind. So the Indian makes an excellent team mate. I have relished teamwork with my Indian colleagues and so I would fit the Indian as a peer.


Int 1: Ok Deepak. Please do a SWOT analysis of Infosys. (This went on for 20 mins or so)
I asked for a paper and pencil and my main points were around
Strengths : Existing talent pool, Derisked business model
Weakness : Low domain knowledge, new talent entering the company
Opportunity : Large accounts present opportunity to move up value chain
Threats: Being in ADM space makes Infy easily replacable

Int 1: Comment about the standard of new employees in the company.
Me: The standard is going down a little bit not 'coz of the inherent ability of the candidates. They come loaded with so much info that they take everything for granted. They expect things to happen for them without any effort from their side.

Int 2: You mean too much info is bad.
Me: Absolutely. Only people with a certain level of maturity can handle that much of info.

Int 2: can you compare offshore vs. onsite roles ?
Me: Offshore roles are good to gain technical knowledge and process knowledge. Onsite roles help you learn business better as you work closely with the end users.

Int 2: So which is better?
Me: Each provides its own challenges and opportunities. Offshore more to deal with technical and process knowledge. Onsite deals with business and challenges managing client perception.

Int 1; What is your further career progression path in Infosys?
me: I have returned offshore after 2.5 years. I'm being mentored to become a Project Manager and will see a career growth in the delivery side.

Int 1: So why did you stick with Infosys.
Me: I never got bored and always got newer challenges.

Int 1: Will you go back to Infy post-ISB?
Me: Well. I would not like to go back to delivery. may be to the consulting division

Int 1: But why is it that so many TCS guys want to go back to TCS post-MBA?
Me: I do not have any comments on that.

Int 1: List two non-professional goals you have.
Me : Further my learning of Salsa dance and Spend more time with my family.
Int 1: The second one is tough to happen. Are you married?
Me: No

Int 2: When did you last do Salsa dancing?
Me: Few months ago when I was in US.

Int 2: What is difference between Salsa and Indian dance forms?
Me: Indian dances, like kathakali for e.g. have more depth and more scope for expressing emotions and have narrative ability. Salsa is more of a rhythmic dance and does not have so much depth.


Then they asked if I had any questions. I asked about exchange programs in ISB(WGCP in particular) and they explained the bidding process at ISB. I then asked why Google is not in the list of recruiters. They said Google didn't come last year but came for both years before that. I was then asked if it was my dream company and I was asked to reason it. I had some prepared stuff to talk about here.

Then I thanked ISB for the opportunity given to interview with them. Overall I had no stellar moments in the interview and my answers were very bland . Post-interview I got a feeling that they were probably not interested in me. Anyhow I'll have to keep my fingers crossed till mid February.

Wikipedia and Wikihow

Wikipedia has been around for a while now. But I have started appreciating it very recently. Although I have witnessed the internet do astonishing things that impact our day to day life I have always felt that there is so much more of untapped potential. One thing that I always wanted the internet to help me with was to satiate my appetite for information. While there are billions of websites I donno where to go for information. I want to know everything in the world that I ever need to know at one place and it should be easy to assimilate. Whether it be current affairs or historical information, sports or science, psychology or pharmacology, everything under the sun should be available.

Wikipedia does this job brilliantly. The free encyclopedia as it calls itself is an astonishingly simple website. It has an excellent screen layout and very friendly navigation. The articles come from authors around the world and it can be anybody including you and me. Making the gazzillion internet users as authors, wiki stands the best chance of becoming the ultimate repository of information in the electronic world. The clear categorization and the international multi-lingual outlook shows the futurstic direction of this website. I'm gaga about this website and it ranks at the top of my list. The fact that this website runs on donations is another surprising thing for me. It may not be too late before some corporate giant devours this company. But I only hope that its essence remains the same.

Another wonderful offshoot from the wiki stable is the wikihow website. How many times have you wondered how to do fishing or how to bake a cake. If you have any "How to" questions you just need to go wikihow and I'm almost certain you will have your answer. I had a tough time removing the shell of an egg and thought lemme see what wikihow has to say. And lo behold it came back with a dozen articles and guess what, now I'm an expert at peeling hard boiled eggs. So what are you waiting for. Log on to wikipedia and wikihow and know the world around you.

Thanksgiving

As I sit back at the fag end of the Thanksgiving weekend, I see that I have had quite a week. I submitted my INSEAD application on Wednesday. Soon I heard results of some of the R1 applicants. Some really good profiles have not received calls. Some believe it is due to perceived lack of diversity and some blame their own essays. Why on earth do I have to read these right after I submitted my app :( ... I have started getting some self-doubts about my application. Even though nothing can be done after submitting your applications I started thinking about the $250 application fees !!! I could have done a hell lot of things with that much money !

Aside of this I had a good trip to Grand lake, Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a serene lake about an hour east of Tulsa, OK. We were a party of eight and we had good fun grilling, cooking, schmoozing and not to mention boozing. My favorite white wines(Chardonnay/Zinfedal are my favs) were not available for the first two days and so I had to remain sober, but on the last day got some and went into my orbit ;-) ! Came back on saturday night. Today I did some shopping for my return back home. Got a Girgio Armani code perfume for myself a nice watch for mom.

Three more weeks before I head back home. I have lots of things to do by then. Must complete the company mandated certification, must get my Singapore visa for the stoppage enroute home, must do some more shopping and ensure that my transition of responsibilities is as smooth as possible. When to the world it looks like I'm all done I'm just boiling inside :-). I plan to blog soon on my total experience in the US. It also occurs to me that I can prepare a lot of travel blogs too.

Anyhow Happy Thanksgiving to y'all !