Got one year older last week. Though no celebration, got some calls from friends, some scraps, SMSs, and that all. Though it reminded me of my IIFM days, when got numerous kicks on places you need not mention. People settled their account book, by hitting as hard as possible and the result was … a tough day in classroom. Kept on changing positions on the chair to adjust myself in some comfortable position, without any success.

On the professional front, the financial year ended on 30th June and the following week was all about documentation, ensuring everything is in order. Still managed some time to think over the blog I initiated IIFMights which is surviving on contributions of Nitin and occasional contributions from this guy. Though there are many contributors who have contributed in past, now they are dormant. So now the onus lies on me and Nitin to keep this blog alive and I have put my thinking cap on for that.

Books and movies have taken backstage.. no time for that. But, yes did a lot of surfing and got some cool sites, which I ll share in my next post. Actually planning to write some regular stuff on technology and computer, so it might be the first installment.

After letting the DVDs gather dust for more than two weeks, I took pity on them and watched three movies this week. Three movies from three completely different categories.

• Out of Africa - A beautiful movie, portraying the life of a female storyteller, who goes to Africa and falls in love with a hunter. 
• Showgirls -  This movie shows the life of Las Vegas girls and the director does not leave anything to the imagination. A lot of T&A. Elizabeth Barkley makes sure that you get so much of flesh to show that you lose all interest for some while.
• Pirates of the Caribbean - A journey into fantasy land. Good entertainment.

Also got some good ebooks so have started reading them, but lost interest as reading them on a laptop dilutes the interest. But, when you have something on a personality like Gurdjieff, you can resist it. Right now reading about Gurdjieff.

Professional life demands the top attention, so a lot of thought into planning the week, increasing productivity, and time management. How much it works, is to be seen.

A quick trip to Assini beach. One a few weeks in Abidjan so still trying to figure out things. Not easy to manage with limited French skills but have many Indian colleagues and driver who doubles up as translator. 

After being away from blogging for more than 20 days once again back (as if my return was awaited worldover, but nevertheless it seems nice to write). Just joined Olam Ivory Coast and was surprised by this city called Abidjan. Its completely different from my imagination of an african capital. Though i spent only a few hrs here but it seems a great place, irrespective of the security concerns.  So check out this space for some more info on Ivory Coast and Abidjan..

I cannot just thank IIFM enough for whatever it has given. The Director’s Award for the best student, the best orgaizational training award and the best placement (this one I am not sure but if we consider the compensation it is the highest offered at the campus)… but more than all of this.. IIFM made me believe in myself. I had walked in IIFM with lots of apprehensions and questions about my own abilities. I had never been exposed to such kind of academic rigour and competition.. At the time of joining all I was hoping for was able to complete the course and get a job.. I have done much better than that.

Only 23 days are left of my stay here at IIFM Bhopal. And probably 30 days in India. While all my friends are happy that they are going to spend some time with the family, I am feeling a bit low as I will get less than 10 days to spend with my family. But looking back, it gives a mixed feeling, when I joined the institute in 2004, there were a lot of dreams and uncertainties, today I feel lucky that I got what I was dreaming of.. its not exactly that, but that’s damn close to it. And uncertain, about where the future will take me. It’s a proud feeling when you have placement offers come pouring down on you and you are facing the problem of plenty.

But, you have to make a decision and I took a bold one. To go to a country, which name gives a very different feel altogether. Ya, I am going to Congo. The war-prone country in Central Africa. I could have easily opted for a cozy job in one of the leading banks in Mumbai or Hyderabad. But, I could not resist Africa (or US dollars!!). I am trying to get hold of French (Congo is a francophone country), as I had a tough time there during my summers due to having no knowledge of French. Life is a bit different right now after that decision. Some changes I could feel right now.

• India seems to be dearer than it was earlier. I never knew I would miss India that much.
• Indian movies… though I did not watch much in my last 2 years of stay here at IIFM, Bhopal, right now I am not letting any opportunity to see some good movies.
• A regret that I could not see places around Bhopal and now I am leaving Bhopal. But really I loved this city. I’ll back to explore.
• I feel scared thinking of a life where I have to search to get some good English books (what I could find were only French books.). My god.. how will I survive. Let’s see whether Amazon.com has a shipping facility there or not.
• People are saying I would be a changed person in Africa.. I don’t believe them. An Ass will be An Ass anywhere.

Going to miss a lot my friends .. and student life.. I

Some personalities really baffle you. There are so many greats, but this post deals with three personalities, whom I came to know through their books. And all three have one thing in common, whether you like them or not, they are going to leave their mark on you, once you go through their books.

Che Guevera

The Cuban hero of liberation and socialist revolution has been a fascinating and enigmatic persona. After his execution on October 9, 1967, he became a youth icon world over.. The picture (displayed here) became the most popular photograph of the century and the photographer became a legend. His autobiography still shakes you from within. Some of his statements throw ample light on his philosophy and beliefs.

“Many will call me an adventurerâ?? and that I am, only one of a different sort: one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes.”

“We must carry the war into every corner the enemy happens to carry it: to his home, to his centers of entertainment; a total war. It is necessary to prevent him from having a moment of peace, a quiet moment outside his barracks or even inside; we must attack him wherever he may be, make him feel like a cornered beast wherever he may move.”

“I know you’ve come to kill me. Shoot, you are only going to kill a man."(His last words.)

I would have loved to spend few days with him and ask a few questions.

• Was it true that you ordered the killing of children and when their mother asked to end their suffering they were also put to the same treatment?
• What did you consider your prime motivation to take up arm?
• I know you have written a lot on this, but was there no personal motive, was it totally for the principle of socialist movements and for the people of Latin America?

Paramhansa Yogananda His autobiography “Autobiography of a Yogi has changed the life of millions and put Indian spirituality into a new context. The book introduced the world to Mahavatar Babaji. The book is full of miracles and happening which are hard to believe. Still, the book made me believe everything.

Paramhansa Yoganand wrote in this book:

“A yogi through perfect meditation has merged his consciousness with the creator perceives the cosmic essence as light, to him there is no difference between the light rays composing water and the light rays composing land. Free from matter consciousness, free from the three dimensions of space and the fourth dimension of time, a master transfers his body of light with equal ease over the light rays of earth, water, fire or air.”

Spending a few days with him and talking to him would have been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

Osho One of the most controversial godmen of our time. Put India on the global map of spirituality and meditation, with his mix of super marketing skills and super-natural oratory.

Osho claimed to have read more than 100,000 books and has written more than 500 books (actually most of his books are tapes of his teachings, and lectures delivered on different topics, which were later put into book form). If I could have got an opportunity and some magical power to get truth in form of answers to this questionsâ?¦.

• Did you believe in whatever you have written or preached, as you have contradicted your own teachings many times?
• Your statements created a lot of controversies and it seemed that those statements were just made to create controversy and had no other purpose.
• You lambasted all the existing sages, philosophers, and saints as well as other all-time greats, openly. Though your teachings and philosophy have primarily been based upon writings and teachings of these sages and classic literature.
• Did you put focus on sex, primarily to attract western followers and put something new , a new form of spirituality, where all acts were beyond guilt and people can justify their activities, live a restrain free life, and consider themselves pure and chaste?

If you have a lot to write, you are not going to write anything. This is what I realized in the last couple of weeks. And the result was no post for quite some time.

This period has been dotted with many significant events, which could make quite a mark on one’s life, and such one event was my decision to go for Olam International, Singapore. Yes, I appeared for the selection process for my second organization training and after a lot of drama and suspense, finally got thru.

So I would be going for my second OT in some country in Africa (that is the most probable destination at the moment). So two months to those places, which have a lot of stories and myths (and most of them are not very pleasant to ears) attached to them. Let’s see what is in the store for me. Time to prove myself, once again.

The first Organization Training is still afresh in my mind and will be for quite some time, as it has put me on for the Directors Prize for Best OT, thanks to some great efforts put in by my friend / OT partner Anup Singh. But this time, I think it’s very different.

Wait, I am missing somethingâ?¦ yaâ?¦ marks of my midterms examination are now coming to me. And surprise, surprise.. the last post that I wrote after my Livelihood paper stands null and void. The reason, the marks are something, which has defied my logic. I got more than 60% in that paper (it’s quite something considering the fact the topper got only 66). The same thing happened with the Microfinance paper. I was quite disappointed after the paper as all I had done in the paper was a lot of Golas?. When I got the marks it was 44 out of 50 and I was the topper. 

#iifm

The whole story can be described in one line, what I studied was not in the paper, and what was in the paper, I did not study. So you can guess the results… The Climax of the story was my Livelihood Paper (Livelihood and Natural Resource Management). It was my optional paper. Probably my inclination to work for the uplift of the downtrodden and poor was somewhat responsible for the decision, though considering the present scenario and situation, right now I am open for any sector, and for any organization (depending upon some key parameters…. You all know what those parameters for an MBA ) from Olam International to Pradan.

Okey, I was telling you about my livelihood paper. The class notes provided were around 300-400 pages, along with a lot of reference books provided. And my strategy from the first term was to start just before the examinations (being attentive in class used to make me competent enough to adopt this strategy), and I did not realize the loopholes in the strategy until I saw the paper. Though I always remember God before writing anything in the examination, in this paper I was doing it throughout the exam. I just glanced at my other friends and they were in the same position.

Vo mujhe dekhe ja rahi thi, main usko dekhe jaa raha tha

Na paper mujhe aa raha tha, na paper usko aa raha tha

(courtesy my pagalguy friends…)

Ultimately I had to write something. And my tried and tested theory came true once again. “You write the longest answer to the question you have not studied. In our terminology “Gola Dena. So, a lot of Gola in the paper and let’s pray that I get something for my “golas. 

#iifm

Once again examinations to deal with… though the situation is quite different. Ill-prepared, huge syllabus, the extra burden of the Livelihood audit course (almost 300 pages, class notes, don’t know how to cope with that.).. this time only hoping for some kind of miracle to get more than 3.55. Really it’s a tough time. Assignment, Presentation, Quiz… What a life! Making the situation more complicated, is the placement committee work ( top priority- Akhir roji-roti ka sawaal hai)….

#iifm

Bihar, whenever I utter this word to non-biharis (here the non-Biharis = those who belong to other states than Bihar, UP and Jharkhand), the reactions and expressions are something to relish.. I can recall many incidents…

A couple of years back, I was in Mumbai for an interview.At the interview center I met a guy, nattily dressed (in jeans and t-shirt, with “a wisdom quote”) with gelled hair, looking anxious, as I got to know later that his interview was scheduled the next day. To make himself ready for the interview. He approached me, as I was coming out after the interview and after my dose of recently got knowledge and expert opinion on how to face that interview board and what to prepare for, he asked me for my email id. I took out my visiting card (I ran a Computer Education Center) and handed it to him. A glance at the card, he was looking at me, like he was seeing Michael Jackson in Dhoti Kurta or for that matter, Adnani Sami doing a break dance.. . Are you from Bihar? Yes. And you have an internet connection in Bihar ?? I just looked at his face there was no sign, which can indicate that he was going to digest a positive answer..