First Trimester of MBA

Leaving behind graduation’s semester

We are facing in a year three trimester

The course material is very hefty

Instead of one-day it is twenty-twenty

Knowledge from work experience is none

Sitting in the class again is really fun

Lots of assignment lots of presentation

There is no time just for contemplation

Some subjects rock, some just screw

Stats we crack accounts we r hardly through

The toughest is paper of communication

It came as if I never had an English education

Organizational behavior was bit realistic

But the case study was hardly holistic

Not full of gas was the paper of marketing

All about promotion, segment & positioning

Another was corporate social responsibility

Was there anywhere any practical possibility

Before we say our MBA course rocks

On our mind and door end-term knocks

No cheating, no copying, no impersonation

That is exam’s fairness’ justification

We rocked and we rolled without any damage

Exam was over, somehow we could manage

Before we took a breath of relaxation

2nd trim came with all exasperation

This cycle will continue for 5 more times

Then we will sing hopefully our MBA rhymes

Review of Two States by Chetan Bhagat

After around 10 years i was going home for Diwali. i needed stuffs for TP(timepass) in a boring journy of 2500 kms. taking some time off my busy schedule i peeped into crossword@ juhu-pvr mall. Ohh another novel by Chetan Bhagat. i picked that as an option for some tp.
Chetan Bhagat is kinda admired in the unbound social circle of indian engineers (gonna be MBAs). he pours certain stuffs with which his readers can relate themselves. he has very delicately elaborated the cultural distinctions between north and south india.
i had the opportunity of spending a big chunk of my life in south india. it is always a different experience knowing all four states, their languages and culture. i always start learning a language by looking at the advertisement hoardings. it has been the inability of the marketing managers(who are paid coz of their creativity(?))to come out with a new tagline in a regional language. once you know the language you know the respective culture by more than 50%. a guy like me born in north india can see the stark differences in the culture, tradition, lifestyle, working style and many more paramaeters in both the cultures.
coming back to "2 States", when i was rushing through the initial pages of the novel i cud very well relate how anyone takes the management course. every engg pursuing an MBA realizes the mathematical aspect of a theory first before its practical application. obviously i am not of the protagonist actor's league but yes i see a hyperbola first in an IC curve before knowing satisfaction or dissatisfaction in a consumer. the same L-shaped utility curve gets more perplexed. bell shaped curves can be used more than just in relative grading. the night-outs for doing a microeconimcs assignment is really stressfull.same is the concern shown by Krish Malhotra, the hero. though he was lucky enough to get an eco-gold medalist and beautifull companion to help him out. all MBA students are not lucky like him. some parts were unrealistic like -finding so easily a stunning girl in MBA (no offense meant for fairer sex), having such a bad relationship between father and son, proposing a girl during her final interview (in bollywood style) and many more but without these things you wont find a unique story. At the same time there are many realistic facts like long cases of OB(organizational behavior), the troublesome assignments of eco, and yes the class participation in an MBA college. i must say he remembers his MBA days very well.
he has put all his normal stuffs like it happens in all his novels. the story takes a twist when their MBA comes to an end. if you ever had a chance to experience the two cultural poles of India you will really like the story. In india at both the poles certain unquoted tradition and norms always govern an individual in taking every decision of his life be it his education, job and even marriage. Of course there are certain intermediate steps if you want to marry a girl from a culturally different family. Chetan Bhagat has done an excellent job in taking out the minute details of both the culture. when i was in tamilnadu, i observed every tamil family is so much passionate about their culture and language. Carnatic music is really a must-do work in their morning rituals. they are so cautious even in turning banana leaves after meals. i have never seen any other people eating snacks "murukku" so passioantely. he has even mentioned a loud sound "ninadam" at every traditional tamil marriage ceremony. only one thing went undigested was Ananya's father (being a traditional Tamil Brahmin) was such a big boozer.
On the other hand, Krish's family was a typical north indian family. their delhi base had made them more prone to show-off. his mother is depicted as a typical north indian mother with all emotional drama. a high possessiveness for her son and an emotional unstability on her spouse's part is the main drive in the story.she has proved to be a major hurdle in their marriage like any K-series soap of star plus. finally Krish's father, who is a dormant throughout, enters as the real hero or chief negotietor and both family happily accepts each other.

I will recommend this book as must-read for all those who have faced cultural differences in thier life, engg who are or want to pursue MBA, who want to fall in love or already in love and want to persuade their family for an arranged marriage. it is indeed a good tp.