(This is a topic that practically every Indian living abroad would have thought, felt and if he ever blogged, written about. In a way it summarizes the self-discovery process that so defines this fleeting phase of your first few years abroad. Nevertheless, heres my 2 cents.)
Being an Indian living abroad can make you vulnerable to quite a lot of banterous persiflage. Right from the rather unflattering adjectives that are appelled to your name ("desh drohi", "firang saala" and a new one, "angrez kutta"), to the polite reminders you get every now and then ("I dont know if you are aware, but we celebrate a festival called Diwali in our country today"). Most of it is all in good spirit, but I sometimes notice an underbelly of "you have abandoned your Indian-ness" sentiment hiding beneath the surface. It irks me a bit, because in my opinion it is exactly the opposite- my brief stay away from India has really enlightened me about what "Indian" really is, what Indian stands for, and where we go wrong and where we are changing for the better.
It is obviously the interaction with other cultures and communities that opens up your mind and exposes the fallacies of beliefs that you have all along assumed as facts. Perhaps its also the feeling of being part of a bigger society, and the absence of national fervor to cloud your thinking. But residing in a multicultural society provides you with a neutral experential viewpoint to judge things as they stand.
Perhaps thats the reason why whenever one of those small-talk conversations with acquaintances from the West veer towards a discussion of the exciting India success story, I somehow find myself arguing the othert side of the coin. It is funny- just a few years ago global Indians would probably be found at parties fervently advertising the rising India to unconvinced audiences- now India definitely seems to be the hot destination on everyones lips and people like me are actually saying "Hey, wait, cool down!"! After all am a trader at heart- we are trained to think against the market's hastily-conceived perceptions. But dont get me wrong- Im a strong believer in India's potential. But what Im skeptical about is: will we be able to fulfil it and become the next superpower? More importantly, will we be able to sustain ourselves as a superpower and not throw it all away like we did centuries ago? Above all the talent, the growth potential and the education, there are some cultural and moral values that define a superpower, a great nation. In my opinion, here are ten of them which India lacks:
1. Dignity of labour
The disparity between how cleaners/ drivers/ other manual labourers are treated in India as compared to their counterparts in the West needs to be seen to be believed. The cleaner lady who comes to clean my house in London refuses to come after 8 pm- shes got kids to look after too, right? They live by their own rules here, very unlike India. Obviously this can be attributed to the shortage of labour here- but there is an entirely different attitude here.
Look at other professions- cab drivers, sex workers, waiters- and the other story is the same. You get respect here for what you are doing, unlike in India where you are doomed if you are not an engineer or an MBA or a cricketer. (See http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_india.shtml, High Power Distance)
2. Personal integrity
Well, this is self-explanatory. Thankfully, of all the ten reasons here, this is the one flaw that can be largely explained by the economic situation of the country- corruption is largely a bane of developing economies. The odd doubt however lingers- look at our politicians- most of them have amassed wealth and yet are plundering away to glory. Will wealth make us more honest?
3. Attitude towards failure and mutual respect
Cited as one of India's biggest advantage as compared to China in the race to rule the world is our entreprenuerial spirit and our home-grown companies. However as a society, we remain largely unreceptive and worryingly cynical when it comes to failure. The concept of "Serial Enterpreneurship" is celebrated in America- people are respected for having experienced the harsh lows of risking it out on their own. On the other hand the Indian media are ready with daggers drawn whenever a business plan goes awry.
May be a completely unrelated topic but I was once speaking to an Aussie colleague about cricket and the love for it. He was telling me about how Sachin Tendulkar is probably as much respected in Australia as Ricky Ponting is (and thats something). He made one observation which I cannot forget: he said even after a bad day's bowling if McGrath was spotted in a pub, he would be greeted with a standing ovation, whereas he was shocked by the TV footage of people stoning Kaif's homes during the World Cup. Reminds me of that Star Tv programme "Waah Cricket" which my earlier roommate used to so relish watching, and how they made a spectacle out of relentlessly and illogically abusing the Indian cricket team after every defeat. Wheres the respect for our countrymen?
Another situation in which mutual respect comes across is queues- why are we always trying to jostle others and break queues and be the first person to get the window seat? Its because we dont appreciate the fact that the one ahead of us is also going through the same distress as we do.
4. Understanding, embracing and mixing with other cultures/ people
This is a well-known issue- Indians abroad are considered annoying because of their inhibitions in reaching out to other cultures and in following the adage "When in Rome, do as Romans do". We form "desi" clubs and cliques wherever we go, and hang out mostly with fellow Indians.
To be fair, this is true only for a few people, and even for those, it is more a matter of inconfidence and apprehension whether they will fit in with other cultures, rather than snobbery or an attitude problem. On the other hand, once the barrier is broken, we maintain very good friendships- the lack of uber-practicality that is rooted in Western cultures makes us quite adorable!
Whatever be the reason however, the lack of cultural diversity skills does put us at a backfoot when it comes to controlling globalization. And we are generally supposed to be low on teamwork skills and communication skills (confidence?). The silver lining- our command over English, our interest in the West and the confidence in our economy should gradually see us improving.
5. Giving back to society
Heres a leaf that the world must take from the US book- the regular donations from famous alumni is a big factor to the competitiveness of US universities- conversely, that culture is virtually non-existent in India. I sometimes wonder if we really attribute our educational institutions with more than providing us with "the best days of our lives"?
6. The attitude of the rich towards the poor
This is what frustates me a lot sometimes- the attitude of rich towards the rest of the society- the blatant lack of responsibility that the affluent display is appalling. Somewhat of a repeat of my points earlier about the power distance and the giving back- but the bottomline is that you cannot be a superpower if only a handful of people become very wealthy and the rest become very poor.
7. The theory- oriented process of thinking
One of the biggest myths we have in India is the assumption of level of the Western intellect- we all love to say "they are all so dumb", dont we? I believe that intellect has various elements- logic, creativity, presence of mind, judgement etc. We may be right when it comes to mathematics, or logic- we far outsmart many others in that respect. But are we the best in applications of theory? Look at the Mathematics Olympiad for example, where the level of mathematics is quite basic, but the onus is on applying it creatively. What is India's best position in it? 7th, in 1998. USA has never been outside the top 4 after 1996. (See http://imo.math.ca/results/CRBY.html)
The fault lies in our educational system, which focuses squarely on theory, theory and theory. Our MBA courses are more like M.S in Finances. Hence we lack that judegment-based, practical common-sense approach to problem solving. We are excellent in computation but flounder when it comes to transferring ideas to newer pastures.
8. Professionalism
This is a personal foible :) But business in the West is conducted in a very professional manner- time-bound and time-efficient, something which I found lacking in my rather short experience of working in India. We take long lunch breaks, we consider it commonplace to arrive late for meetings and we work longer but inefficient hours. It is our style, but there isn't a doubt about the need to imbibe discipline. And yeah, 52 holidays a year!!
9. Lack of Meritocracy and hierarchy:
We are arguably better at this than Asian countries, but the distinction between age and seniority is still isn't well developed in Indian corporate circles. We still very strongly believe in the "age brings experience" adage, and many Indian managers are fixated with the "When I was your age, I worked in a sugar mill, so should you" mentality. Its very different here- I'm the youngest in my team, but I have as much as a vote in anything as the team head. The callousness of youth is respected, rather than derided.
10.Love and responsibility for our country and civic sense:
Something which is glaring in the eye for any Indian who goes abroad- the way people love their country. Scotland is a beautiful example- the story of how the Crown jewels were hidden away from the invading English and buried safely for nearly 200 years is truly inspiring. A look at the really ordinary crown jewels and you realize how much more extraordinary our monuments were and how much lesser have we fought to restore them.
The way we spit at every street, the way we treat Bombay as one large dustbin. The way we are so well-behaved when abroad, and so relieved when being able to throw that candy wrapper on our return back. We absolutely and shamelessly lack civic sense, and more so, the realization of the impact of our own adverse actions on our own world.
Phew. But don't get me wrong. The intent here is not to distance myself from moi des and rant on about its various deficiencies. I, and for that matter every Indian abroad is as much a part of "We", and we probably have a greater responsiblity to improve on these than anyone else.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Into the public eye
When an injury to Wayne Rooney’s metatarsal before the World Cup crushed the nation's hopes of winning the ultimate prize in soccer, one commentator aptly described it as “the most talked-about metatarsal in the world”. Which makes me think about how different body parts have been catapulted into the public glare by famous influential people. And that it would be a good waste of time, space and effort to list down the prominent ones. So here goes. As expected, sportspersons dominate the list, but the interesting ones are really the rest. Interestingly, most of them have been famous not for their functionality, but for their absence! For the sake of my orthodox audience, with some notable exceptions, I wont touch upon (uh huh) the controversial parts.
I'm all ears!: Has to be Mike Tyson, and his appetite for Evander Holyfield’s auditory organs, which he politely indicated on the 28th of June, 1997 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tyson for a narrative). And, ooh, how can we forget the greatest William Shakespeare and his immortalization of the ear in Julius Caeser’s most famous quote: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears”
Headstrong: Indian mythology digs me out of a helpless situation in this case- surely has to be Ravana with his ten heads! The mention of the villainous name takes us back to those wonderful days when we were made to believe that Sundays were holidays because Ramayan was aired on TV- aah, those super cool arrow-fights in space…(And credit also to the amazingly imaginative Douglas Adams for his multi-headed character Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Universe…)
Letting your hair down: The late Persis Khambatta, arguably India’s most international actress created quite a buzz when she decided to shave her head for the role that she would always be remembered for- Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. And on the other side of the coin, David Beckham taught us how to make a fashion statement out of a coiffeur- his most famous being the Mohawk one (want one yourself? http://www.thehairstyler.com/celebrity_hairstyle.asp?name=David+Beckham). Not a surprise, actually, because it runs in his family- his mom is a hairdresser.
Looking down our noses: A pity I can’t include animals, because who can forget our favourite reindeer Rudolph (not that we know many…). And Kate Moss’s nose couldn’t escape the eyes of nosey Brit papparazzi as it was splashed all over UK tabloids, full of cocaine.
The eye of the beholder: Considered by many as Aishwarya Rai's best asset, the eyes have been intricably linked to beauty through history. Be it Mona Lisa's eyes that could be interpreted to show a thousand different emotions, to that haunting green eyes of that Afghani girl on the National Geographic award-winning cover, they have always had us captivated.
A Shoulder to cry on (or, about): Undoubtedly Sachin Tendulkar's, in more ways than one. Earlier a silent hero for balancing a billion-odd people’s hopes for fifteen years, it has recently gained considerable notoriety for not performing at its best (What else do you expect!). Well hes back- Sachin, make us proud all over again!
The hand that rocks the cradle: The "hand of God"- Diego Maradona's term for his daring sleight of hand in that quarter final of the '86 WC. Five minutes later he scored the goal which was to be voted as the best ever WC goal, wiggling through 5 English defenders to score with a stylish finish. Two contrasting sides of the same legend.
A finger on the pulse of the nation: In the finance world, has to be the fat finger syndrome and its latest victim- an unnamed trader at Mizuho who sold 600,000 shares of a firm for 1 yen when he actually wanted to sell 1 share for 600,000!! Cricket had its own share too- that umpire (cant recollect who) who raised it involuntarily in response to an appeal and then hoped it would vanish somewhere- ultimately deciding to call the batsman back.
Chest (male): A few examples in tennis come to my mind here. Agassi's made quite a few headlines when he proudly displayed a shaved one in Wimbledon. And Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi used theirs as a motivational tool by thumped against each others' after every point during their wonderful run at the top of doubles' tennis.
Can't stomach the fact: Probably the English cricket team, for a simultaneous strike by their stomachs before the Test series in India. But nothing compared to the commotion that Ronaldo's stomach caused when it had fits in that fateful WC final- the mystery still remains, though Ronaldo got ample opportunities to bury his ghosts.
Pelvis Risley: Madhuri Dixit’s the name, as far as India is concerned atleast! Each time the organ moved, thousands of hearts in India skipped a beat. Talk about magic.
Hip-hop: Shakira Shakira! they don’t lie, as she crooned in her latest oooh-so-sexy song.
Foot the bill: No one but George Bush. Time and afain he has able demonstrated how to put it into his mouth. Some skills there!
Watch your back(side): Ogled at since time immemorial, the derriere has been the object of man’s base-est instinct. But Jennifer Lopez (singer-cum-model-cum-actress-cum-dancer-cum-fashion designer, and consistently atrocious in everything she does), catapulted it into fame by putting her money where her backside is- she reportedly insured it for a billion dollars in 1999. Debate still exists over the issue- JLo herself refuses to shred some light (http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/celebrities/a/jennifer_lopez.htm ). And if its true, I wonder who was the insurer- the deal could be quite significant for their bottom-line.
I'm all ears!: Has to be Mike Tyson, and his appetite for Evander Holyfield’s auditory organs, which he politely indicated on the 28th of June, 1997 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tyson for a narrative). And, ooh, how can we forget the greatest William Shakespeare and his immortalization of the ear in Julius Caeser’s most famous quote: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears”
Headstrong: Indian mythology digs me out of a helpless situation in this case- surely has to be Ravana with his ten heads! The mention of the villainous name takes us back to those wonderful days when we were made to believe that Sundays were holidays because Ramayan was aired on TV- aah, those super cool arrow-fights in space…(And credit also to the amazingly imaginative Douglas Adams for his multi-headed character Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Universe…)
Letting your hair down: The late Persis Khambatta, arguably India’s most international actress created quite a buzz when she decided to shave her head for the role that she would always be remembered for- Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. And on the other side of the coin, David Beckham taught us how to make a fashion statement out of a coiffeur- his most famous being the Mohawk one (want one yourself? http://www.thehairstyler.com/celebrity_hairstyle.asp?name=David+Beckham). Not a surprise, actually, because it runs in his family- his mom is a hairdresser.
Looking down our noses: A pity I can’t include animals, because who can forget our favourite reindeer Rudolph (not that we know many…). And Kate Moss’s nose couldn’t escape the eyes of nosey Brit papparazzi as it was splashed all over UK tabloids, full of cocaine.
The eye of the beholder: Considered by many as Aishwarya Rai's best asset, the eyes have been intricably linked to beauty through history. Be it Mona Lisa's eyes that could be interpreted to show a thousand different emotions, to that haunting green eyes of that Afghani girl on the National Geographic award-winning cover, they have always had us captivated.
A Shoulder to cry on (or, about): Undoubtedly Sachin Tendulkar's, in more ways than one. Earlier a silent hero for balancing a billion-odd people’s hopes for fifteen years, it has recently gained considerable notoriety for not performing at its best (What else do you expect!). Well hes back- Sachin, make us proud all over again!
The hand that rocks the cradle: The "hand of God"- Diego Maradona's term for his daring sleight of hand in that quarter final of the '86 WC. Five minutes later he scored the goal which was to be voted as the best ever WC goal, wiggling through 5 English defenders to score with a stylish finish. Two contrasting sides of the same legend.
A finger on the pulse of the nation: In the finance world, has to be the fat finger syndrome and its latest victim- an unnamed trader at Mizuho who sold 600,000 shares of a firm for 1 yen when he actually wanted to sell 1 share for 600,000!! Cricket had its own share too- that umpire (cant recollect who) who raised it involuntarily in response to an appeal and then hoped it would vanish somewhere- ultimately deciding to call the batsman back.
Chest (male): A few examples in tennis come to my mind here. Agassi's made quite a few headlines when he proudly displayed a shaved one in Wimbledon. And Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi used theirs as a motivational tool by thumped against each others' after every point during their wonderful run at the top of doubles' tennis.
Can't stomach the fact: Probably the English cricket team, for a simultaneous strike by their stomachs before the Test series in India. But nothing compared to the commotion that Ronaldo's stomach caused when it had fits in that fateful WC final- the mystery still remains, though Ronaldo got ample opportunities to bury his ghosts.
Pelvis Risley: Madhuri Dixit’s the name, as far as India is concerned atleast! Each time the organ moved, thousands of hearts in India skipped a beat. Talk about magic.
Hip-hop: Shakira Shakira! they don’t lie, as she crooned in her latest oooh-so-sexy song.
Foot the bill: No one but George Bush. Time and afain he has able demonstrated how to put it into his mouth. Some skills there!
Watch your back(side): Ogled at since time immemorial, the derriere has been the object of man’s base-est instinct. But Jennifer Lopez (singer-cum-model-cum-actress-cum-dancer-cum-fashion designer, and consistently atrocious in everything she does), catapulted it into fame by putting her money where her backside is- she reportedly insured it for a billion dollars in 1999. Debate still exists over the issue- JLo herself refuses to shred some light (http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/celebrities/a/jennifer_lopez.htm ). And if its true, I wonder who was the insurer- the deal could be quite significant for their bottom-line.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Brain-warming up...
Cant believe its been nearly five months since I last wrote a blog. The last time I trimumphantly clicked on the "Publish" button on this site and nearly destroyed the F5 key as I impatiently waited for the blog to be updated was the 17th of May 2006- yeah the date is vivid in my memory, just like a sissy lover who ruefully remembers every boring detail of the last serenade with his woman before she left him for a faraway land.
Since then, I must confess I have logged onto the site quite a few times, even wrote a few drafts, but somehow never got the time or energy to bring them to fruition. I also unfailingly checked for any new comments, but never had the heart to reply to any- what excuses did I have for my absence?- and delayed all the replies for that sunshine day, that great day when I would break my sabbatical and get back into action. But many thanks to those who missed me and let me know so- it is probably this accumulating guilt that sprung me into action this Sunday night sitting in the balcony of my Tokyo apartment, gazing out into the warm moist darkness, all by myself.
But I must generously share the blame with the crazy hecticity of the last few months. It surely is difficult penning down after a stressful day's work in front of a computer screen (a word of appreciation for the people who still manage to do so- you guys are great!). And when you get the feeling that your weekends are probably more hectic than your weekdays, you know that you've taken a crash course through the lesson of life! But a short business trip to the land of sushi and samurais was just the blessing in disguise that I needed- solitude can indeed be bring about a humble realization of how interesting a person you always thought you were but really are not!
And so I've sat down to write down this theme-less, point-less and hazily-structured piece, much like a warm up for my hand-brain coordination system. And if you are purposeless enough to still read it to this point, theres good news: you can definitely expect some better writing soon. There have been ample vicissitudes of fortune that Ive experienced in the time I was away, and I surely will be digging them out from the archives of my brain and exhibiting them in this museum of introspection that we call a blog.
Schumacher's smelling another F1 title, Sachins back to scoring centuries, India seems to be losing again, and I've got back to writing- the world seems back to normal again :)
Since then, I must confess I have logged onto the site quite a few times, even wrote a few drafts, but somehow never got the time or energy to bring them to fruition. I also unfailingly checked for any new comments, but never had the heart to reply to any- what excuses did I have for my absence?- and delayed all the replies for that sunshine day, that great day when I would break my sabbatical and get back into action. But many thanks to those who missed me and let me know so- it is probably this accumulating guilt that sprung me into action this Sunday night sitting in the balcony of my Tokyo apartment, gazing out into the warm moist darkness, all by myself.
But I must generously share the blame with the crazy hecticity of the last few months. It surely is difficult penning down after a stressful day's work in front of a computer screen (a word of appreciation for the people who still manage to do so- you guys are great!). And when you get the feeling that your weekends are probably more hectic than your weekdays, you know that you've taken a crash course through the lesson of life! But a short business trip to the land of sushi and samurais was just the blessing in disguise that I needed- solitude can indeed be bring about a humble realization of how interesting a person you always thought you were but really are not!
And so I've sat down to write down this theme-less, point-less and hazily-structured piece, much like a warm up for my hand-brain coordination system. And if you are purposeless enough to still read it to this point, theres good news: you can definitely expect some better writing soon. There have been ample vicissitudes of fortune that Ive experienced in the time I was away, and I surely will be digging them out from the archives of my brain and exhibiting them in this museum of introspection that we call a blog.
Schumacher's smelling another F1 title, Sachins back to scoring centuries, India seems to be losing again, and I've got back to writing- the world seems back to normal again :)
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
"I'm telling you, the guy is Rambo"*
Our first few weeks in IIMB represented the harvest season for the campus grapevine. As we unsuspecting lads groped around the vast campus finding our footing, know-it-all seniors passed down all the legendary stories that had been passed down the years. Facchas sat awe-struck in the L-square, hearing tales of exemplary students and terrifying staff members who had left their mark on the institute’s history. But no one was as discussed as one particular professor- little did we know he was soon going to ensure that a third of the batch would discuss him even more fervently, day and night, over the next three months. “Rambo” was the name we heard from every senior’s mouth in hushed tones. Real name S. Ramesh Kumar, professor in marketing.
Seniors spoke about his strictness and how he insulted, nay ripped apart students in his class. His chief weapon was the term project which he called the Apex (short for Application Exercise), a component that actually accounted for 30% to the course score, and yet required 40% of the total effort for all courses put together. We heard with amazement that his current behaviour was a lenient version of his earlier self. The hype Rambo had created about himsef was a classic case study in branding- a professor applying the concepts that he taught, to his own world.
For us Section A students, the enigma and curiosity was uncontrollable, because we never saw him around. Rambo seemed like the loch-ness monster- everyone talked about him but no one in our section had seen him. And having a bumbling story teller as our marketing professor only made us more interested in Rambo. Rambo’s class tests results were more eagerly awaited than ours- I waited with bated breath every week hoping my Section C friends would get off the mark. For his part, Rambo left no stone unturned in keeping up the hype. Having had to call off a class 15 min earlier than normal because of urgent work, he held a 15-min lecture that afternoon, attended by 100% of the class. (our prof’s lectures were also 15 minutes long, as far as content was concerned) But nothing was more initriguing than the sight of a group preparing for their Apex- they stayed days and night in the Computer Center, working frantically on it,skipping lunch and dinner and every social activity that transpired in the last week before their Apex. Tempers ran extremely high- heated discussions abounded in the group and friendships were broken over it. It was an intellectual reality show. The name was apt- it was the ultimate Apex of one’s survival in IIMB.
My blind curiosity ensured I wasnt going to lose another chance to meet the man- I took his elective Consumer Behavior (ConB) in the 2nd year. For a man with such personal influence, Rambo was a stocky man, and walked with a bent shoulder and a slow pair of legs. Rambo?!, I wondered. He spoke softly too, and resembled more a scientist past his prime. But it was not long before he lived up to his name- in the 1st class he mercilessly flayed an over-enthusiastic CP’er (class participation) for dubious content. This was going to be fun.
Rambo’s lectures were highly theory-oriented- and it was in the form of frameworks. He explained them using antique projector slides and a weird formation of his hands- both hands horizontal and at right angles to their normal state, pointing towards each other- that became the famous mimicry act on campus. Experts soon came to the conclusion that the distance between the two hands increased with the complexity of the funda he explained, a theory that could not be verified (Rambo could not be approached for comment). But his major power came from his words- they pierced through the ego of the hapless victim and proceeded to puncture the temporary sense of security that onlookers somehow mustered. In the 1st year’s last Apex, Ali's desperate answer was complimented by “You should have better concepts at this stage of the course.” In ConB, he once showed an advert to illustrate a concept. The moment he put it up on the projector, our man Dushyanth Jayanty immediately recognized the model as Deepti Naval and even blurted it out in a surge of excitement. As Rambo stood smiling at him with that look of amazement on his face, the silence turned to muffled peals of laughters. Then he said, with his hands in position, “I would really appreciate if you would rather concentrate on the concept that Im trying to explain.” Deepti Naval would have wished she wasn’t there.
Our Apex days are still vivid in my mind. We had one less member than the others and ours was the first one- so there were no mistakes to repeat. Seven days of sleepless nights and yet on the day of the Apex it was still a sinking feeling. Wierdly, the last hour before the Apex is when when we were most relaxed, because by then we had left it to Fate. I still remember the rare moment of glory as Rambo smiled. Our joy knew no bounds. His words of praise still linger as fond memories.
Clueless about the future and content to stagnate, Id settled into a vegetative existence in IIMB. The Apex revived me into action, and revive it did. Seven non-stop days of slogging away and surviving on countless coffees somehow proved to myself that I still had that dedication and commitment that I once prided myself on. For me, the Apex was the base of the mountain I was to climb.
Rambo was overacademic and his course lacked application, say some. But, isn’t that the role of academics? History has long rewarded those who created a science out of an art, and those who created an art out of a science. With his obsession with linkages, Rambo deserves his little bit of credit for providing us with a scientific perspective to the field of marketing- long considered an art. Thank you, Professor.
*The title of the blog is taken from the film Wall Street, in which two men in a bar when speaking about a 26-yr old executive who has made $650,000, refer to him in those words.
Seniors spoke about his strictness and how he insulted, nay ripped apart students in his class. His chief weapon was the term project which he called the Apex (short for Application Exercise), a component that actually accounted for 30% to the course score, and yet required 40% of the total effort for all courses put together. We heard with amazement that his current behaviour was a lenient version of his earlier self. The hype Rambo had created about himsef was a classic case study in branding- a professor applying the concepts that he taught, to his own world.
For us Section A students, the enigma and curiosity was uncontrollable, because we never saw him around. Rambo seemed like the loch-ness monster- everyone talked about him but no one in our section had seen him. And having a bumbling story teller as our marketing professor only made us more interested in Rambo. Rambo’s class tests results were more eagerly awaited than ours- I waited with bated breath every week hoping my Section C friends would get off the mark. For his part, Rambo left no stone unturned in keeping up the hype. Having had to call off a class 15 min earlier than normal because of urgent work, he held a 15-min lecture that afternoon, attended by 100% of the class. (our prof’s lectures were also 15 minutes long, as far as content was concerned) But nothing was more initriguing than the sight of a group preparing for their Apex- they stayed days and night in the Computer Center, working frantically on it,skipping lunch and dinner and every social activity that transpired in the last week before their Apex. Tempers ran extremely high- heated discussions abounded in the group and friendships were broken over it. It was an intellectual reality show. The name was apt- it was the ultimate Apex of one’s survival in IIMB.
My blind curiosity ensured I wasnt going to lose another chance to meet the man- I took his elective Consumer Behavior (ConB) in the 2nd year. For a man with such personal influence, Rambo was a stocky man, and walked with a bent shoulder and a slow pair of legs. Rambo?!, I wondered. He spoke softly too, and resembled more a scientist past his prime. But it was not long before he lived up to his name- in the 1st class he mercilessly flayed an over-enthusiastic CP’er (class participation) for dubious content. This was going to be fun.
Rambo’s lectures were highly theory-oriented- and it was in the form of frameworks. He explained them using antique projector slides and a weird formation of his hands- both hands horizontal and at right angles to their normal state, pointing towards each other- that became the famous mimicry act on campus. Experts soon came to the conclusion that the distance between the two hands increased with the complexity of the funda he explained, a theory that could not be verified (Rambo could not be approached for comment). But his major power came from his words- they pierced through the ego of the hapless victim and proceeded to puncture the temporary sense of security that onlookers somehow mustered. In the 1st year’s last Apex, Ali's desperate answer was complimented by “You should have better concepts at this stage of the course.” In ConB, he once showed an advert to illustrate a concept. The moment he put it up on the projector, our man Dushyanth Jayanty immediately recognized the model as Deepti Naval and even blurted it out in a surge of excitement. As Rambo stood smiling at him with that look of amazement on his face, the silence turned to muffled peals of laughters. Then he said, with his hands in position, “I would really appreciate if you would rather concentrate on the concept that Im trying to explain.” Deepti Naval would have wished she wasn’t there.
Our Apex days are still vivid in my mind. We had one less member than the others and ours was the first one- so there were no mistakes to repeat. Seven days of sleepless nights and yet on the day of the Apex it was still a sinking feeling. Wierdly, the last hour before the Apex is when when we were most relaxed, because by then we had left it to Fate. I still remember the rare moment of glory as Rambo smiled. Our joy knew no bounds. His words of praise still linger as fond memories.
Clueless about the future and content to stagnate, Id settled into a vegetative existence in IIMB. The Apex revived me into action, and revive it did. Seven non-stop days of slogging away and surviving on countless coffees somehow proved to myself that I still had that dedication and commitment that I once prided myself on. For me, the Apex was the base of the mountain I was to climb.
Rambo was overacademic and his course lacked application, say some. But, isn’t that the role of academics? History has long rewarded those who created a science out of an art, and those who created an art out of a science. With his obsession with linkages, Rambo deserves his little bit of credit for providing us with a scientific perspective to the field of marketing- long considered an art. Thank you, Professor.
*The title of the blog is taken from the film Wall Street, in which two men in a bar when speaking about a 26-yr old executive who has made $650,000, refer to him in those words.
Friday, April 21, 2006
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