Now what pushed me to get back to my blog eh? ;)
Well - it was something which used to keep my mind occupied last year - about wat 'more' to write - and I used tosearch for newer topics to write on...now I tot I'd just use it to pen down my musings - n not realli as wat happens in my life... so I neednt be hanged by mah frenz now for not updating it.. :D
Rite now moi at Mumbai - the land where u wud find everyone - rite from the pauper to the prince. Internship is definitely one phase of the MBA where one gets out of the books and gets a good perspective about the realities ofthe functioning of organizations. For us HR interns, it is about learning bout the importance of the HR function in the organization, and the importance of HR in today's business world.
Wud consider myself as lucky to be provided acco and drop/pickup in Mumbai - lotsa my friends are facing it in termsof travel in locals on weekdays, busy guides, sultry weather and pure Mumbai mechanical life. My comforts give me more space in terms of putting more into work, and tiring out mentally, rather than physically. Its 6 interns atda place me interning in Mumbai - Hewitt Associates - 2 XL guys, 2 SIBM grads, one IIML(ABM) gal and da gloriousManDevIan me :)
Probably da reason I am not experiencing hectic Mumbai on weekdays is wats making me think dat Mumbai mite not be a bad place to settle after all ;) - though Bangalore is something one cannot get over very easily coz of da climate...
Will key in more aspects of da experience as time passes by...
Sunday, April 27, 2008
ManDevIan in Mumbai
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
MDI - a leader on the HR front :)
A recent article in Economic Times has prompted me to write this post. Though time for penning down huge stories is not at hand in these days ;)
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2321241,prtpage-1.cms
The article states that there is a dearth of human resource professionals in the country, and that (I heard this from elsewhere too) we would need around 35000 HR Professionals in the next 10 years. As of now too, there is a huge shortage of HR Professionals in the country's workforce. The article proceeds to say that institutes like TISS,XLRI,SCMHRD are in the forefront in providing education in the field of HR. I was personally surprised (and so were most of my friends and faculty members here) that they did not state the name of MDI in the 'roll of honour'.
Being new here, we judge out possible reasons of the same to be the absence of a 'superb' alumni network (as in TISS/XL) in MDI. These institutes have been known from a long time, and have built their industry relations and a very strong alumni network over the years. MDI is relatively new - only around 13 to 14 years old, but has still made immense progress by leaps and bounds. It has crept up the charts of B-school ratings and is settled in at a number between 4 and 7 (personal opinion). Again the HR course at MDI is four years old, and is again newer as compared to TISS/XL. Though I thought there were certain points which came to my notice in my GD/PI endeavours with these institutes and I thought that I should bring it to notice.
- At the SCMHRD GD, I was told by the seniors there that the name 'SCMHRD' as in '.... Human Resource Development' was very deceiving. Lot of people ditched the institute thinking that it was only for HR - whereas that wasnt the case. In fact the institute is like any other general MBA institute which offers all specializations, and has a lot of stress on Fin/Mar - and has a basket of electives to choose from finally. HR is just a mere specialization there, which might not even get that much importance as much as the name of the institute gives it. Personally I feel that the HR specialization is equivalent to SIBM/IMT Ghaziabad.
- TISS this year supposedly had announced an intake of 80 students for the acclaimed HRM/LR
program. Though when the results were out, they accepted only 64 people. The thought which struck me on reading this article on ET was that - 'Well, in this case are these renowned institutes sufficing the need for HR professionals in India? By not even accepting the intake declared?'
By now you must have given a thought on 'Well this guy is out to boast about his institute' - hell right I am ! :D ;) Especially when there are certain facts about MDI which need to e brought out in public - the sooner, the better. MDI is probably very modest about its image, despite the fact that its in the lead rankings for B-schools in India. Facts which form the bigger picture:
- MDI is the first and only B-school in India to have received the AMBA's accreditation (UK based association of B-schools) - ie a global accreditation. This puts MDI in the forefront in terms of global relations. (The accreditation goes way beyong a mere AICTE approval ;) )
- MDI is ranked no 1 in the country in terms of its foreign relations with other global MBA institutes, and is reputed to have the one of the best exchange programs in the country.
- The course PGPHR was initiated by MDI around 4 years back - by a collaboration with the National HRD Ministry. (well for those who dont know -its the prime HR governing body in the country ;) ) Moreover The syllabus for this course is drafted by the NHRD itself. Need more assurance ?
- MDI has undoubtedly the best HR faculty in India - and I would vouch for this anytime. It probably has the highest number of HR faculty in India - around 80 - some of them very renowned. Recently we have Prof Saini who is the Chairperson in the HR Arena, who has got the 'Best HR Faculty award' on Aug 23 2007 by the Chancellor of the Amity International Business School, Amity University, Noida. And I believe we have received several such accolades in the past - with several BIG names from industry/very very qualified faculty teaching us. Almost every other faculty member I bump into is from an IIT or an IIM ;)
- The MDI HR course is designed to produce holistic HR professionals - HR Managers per se - and not just people who are well versed in the HR Arena. MDI HR products have an overall personality in terms of business understanding, and are wealth creators themselves.
The above all, besides the fact that MDI is normally ranked 4th or 5th among the Indian B-schools holds strong proof enough. Its true that an alumni network cannot be built overnight, and thus probably MDI loses out a bit on the name which XL and TISS have gained over the decades. But probably India needs to awaken to yet another institute which is in the forefront for imparting quality HR Education, and who is known for producing some of the best management professionals of the country.
Hear ye hear ye :) :)
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2321241,prtpage-1.cms
The article states that there is a dearth of human resource professionals in the country, and that (I heard this from elsewhere too) we would need around 35000 HR Professionals in the next 10 years. As of now too, there is a huge shortage of HR Professionals in the country's workforce. The article proceeds to say that institutes like TISS,XLRI,SCMHRD are in the forefront in providing education in the field of HR. I was personally surprised (and so were most of my friends and faculty members here) that they did not state the name of MDI in the 'roll of honour'.
Being new here, we judge out possible reasons of the same to be the absence of a 'superb' alumni network (as in TISS/XL) in MDI. These institutes have been known from a long time, and have built their industry relations and a very strong alumni network over the years. MDI is relatively new - only around 13 to 14 years old, but has still made immense progress by leaps and bounds. It has crept up the charts of B-school ratings and is settled in at a number between 4 and 7 (personal opinion). Again the HR course at MDI is four years old, and is again newer as compared to TISS/XL. Though I thought there were certain points which came to my notice in my GD/PI endeavours with these institutes and I thought that I should bring it to notice.
- At the SCMHRD GD, I was told by the seniors there that the name 'SCMHRD' as in '.... Human Resource Development' was very deceiving. Lot of people ditched the institute thinking that it was only for HR - whereas that wasnt the case. In fact the institute is like any other general MBA institute which offers all specializations, and has a lot of stress on Fin/Mar - and has a basket of electives to choose from finally. HR is just a mere specialization there, which might not even get that much importance as much as the name of the institute gives it. Personally I feel that the HR specialization is equivalent to SIBM/IMT Ghaziabad.
- TISS this year supposedly had announced an intake of 80 students for the acclaimed HRM/LR
program. Though when the results were out, they accepted only 64 people. The thought which struck me on reading this article on ET was that - 'Well, in this case are these renowned institutes sufficing the need for HR professionals in India? By not even accepting the intake declared?'
By now you must have given a thought on 'Well this guy is out to boast about his institute' - hell right I am ! :D ;) Especially when there are certain facts about MDI which need to e brought out in public - the sooner, the better. MDI is probably very modest about its image, despite the fact that its in the lead rankings for B-schools in India. Facts which form the bigger picture:
- MDI is the first and only B-school in India to have received the AMBA's accreditation (UK based association of B-schools) - ie a global accreditation. This puts MDI in the forefront in terms of global relations. (The accreditation goes way beyong a mere AICTE approval ;) )
- MDI is ranked no 1 in the country in terms of its foreign relations with other global MBA institutes, and is reputed to have the one of the best exchange programs in the country.
- The course PGPHR was initiated by MDI around 4 years back - by a collaboration with the National HRD Ministry. (well for those who dont know -its the prime HR governing body in the country ;) ) Moreover The syllabus for this course is drafted by the NHRD itself. Need more assurance ?
- MDI has undoubtedly the best HR faculty in India - and I would vouch for this anytime. It probably has the highest number of HR faculty in India - around 80 - some of them very renowned. Recently we have Prof Saini who is the Chairperson in the HR Arena, who has got the 'Best HR Faculty award' on Aug 23 2007 by the Chancellor of the Amity International Business School, Amity University, Noida. And I believe we have received several such accolades in the past - with several BIG names from industry/very very qualified faculty teaching us. Almost every other faculty member I bump into is from an IIT or an IIM ;)
- The MDI HR course is designed to produce holistic HR professionals - HR Managers per se - and not just people who are well versed in the HR Arena. MDI HR products have an overall personality in terms of business understanding, and are wealth creators themselves.
The above all, besides the fact that MDI is normally ranked 4th or 5th among the Indian B-schools holds strong proof enough. Its true that an alumni network cannot be built overnight, and thus probably MDI loses out a bit on the name which XL and TISS have gained over the decades. But probably India needs to awaken to yet another institute which is in the forefront for imparting quality HR Education, and who is known for producing some of the best management professionals of the country.
Hear ye hear ye :) :)
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Whats a ManDevIan made up of...
Yes, sometimes circumstances do force me to take a break from my blog and then get back to it some days later... :) The last one and a half month has been a roller coaster ride - where I have hardly got any time for myself... There have been so many instances when I have felt like penning down a lot of my experiences, a lot of my thoughts on what has been going on in my life as a B-skooler - but time has offered me very less chances to do so....
Aah - the feeling of being a ManDevIan is finally settling in now :) - for those of you who arent aware - this is how every MDI student is referred (probably even by global standards :D ;) )
It seems as though I have spent around six months at least here - when its just been around 50 days.Thats how a B-skool operates - every day seems like three or four days bundled together. At the end of the day... hmmm... correction... at the beginning of the next day... it seems as if the previous day was so very hectic and you start thinking as to whether there will be a day even more hectic than the same - and well - u said it...the next day promises to be the mother of all hectic days... :D
Probably I want to pen down my learning experiences etc separately - and also go ahead to write about the learning methodologies in a B-school. If I take an average of the B-school ratings which MDI has received - and probably my own perception about it - MDI would hover at positions 5 or 6. But yes - there is always much more to a B-skool than just the rankings it gets - and thats a fact all my batchmates will vouch for. Of course I have described da physical aspects of MDI in the best possible way in my previous post (agreed it was more than a month back though ;) )... what are the things which make MDI a different place - what makes it lively, frenzied and full of euphoria...
Let me offer you some situational choices.. :)
- A campus stroll... this is somethin which takes from 15 min to 1.5 hours... :D - as soon as we are nearing the hostel building (which is called 'Change Masters' :D ) - we are found retracing our steps to Nescafe's or Sharmaji - the two hotspots on campus for nite coffees, maggi, cold drinks and so on... the list is endless...
- Traditions... mobiles are supposed to be in silent mode/switched off in class. If any idiot's mobile rings, he has to treat the entire class to coffee immediately after the class - get that for some bankruptcy... :D
- Birthdays - ahem!... celebrated at the legendary 'Dome' :)... where the bday bakra is 'caked' and 'bumped' and 'kicked'... - and then... well - his roomie is also 'caked'... and 'bumped' and 'kicked' - with the worst possible shoes... :D - and the traditions continue with the bday boy's girlfriend - and the roomie's girlfriend too, if possible... the females are also 'water' treated - and 'cold drink' treated... and then every person possibly associated with the birthday is equally bashed up... :D
- My room apparently located in a corridor which keeps changing names - some time back it was 'Pillai Street' - dedicated to one of our 'stock broker' seniors... now its 'Rockers Street' - laden with pics of rock stars on walls etc... with the 'rockers' literally bashing up the weekend nite.. oops morning - with electronic guitars, keyboards and so on... :D
- The wing across the mess - which was initially the girls hostel - now called 'chakka' wing... and well - most recently the name was changed to 'CSA' wing - on account of the heavy 'counter strikers' present there - and well - I am kind of a recent addition to the same... :)
Time, and sleepy eyes is wats stopping me from continuing on today's musings - else there was another huge list to add on... :D ... kal ke liye bahut load hai... exams have just got over over the weekend - and well there is no relief as there is a truckload of submissions - assignments, project proposals - and to add to the same - quizzes and pre-readings... will there ever be some academic solace in the first trim of a b-skool?
A question yet to be answered....
Aah - the feeling of being a ManDevIan is finally settling in now :) - for those of you who arent aware - this is how every MDI student is referred (probably even by global standards :D ;) )
It seems as though I have spent around six months at least here - when its just been around 50 days.Thats how a B-skool operates - every day seems like three or four days bundled together. At the end of the day... hmmm... correction... at the beginning of the next day... it seems as if the previous day was so very hectic and you start thinking as to whether there will be a day even more hectic than the same - and well - u said it...the next day promises to be the mother of all hectic days... :D
Probably I want to pen down my learning experiences etc separately - and also go ahead to write about the learning methodologies in a B-school. If I take an average of the B-school ratings which MDI has received - and probably my own perception about it - MDI would hover at positions 5 or 6. But yes - there is always much more to a B-skool than just the rankings it gets - and thats a fact all my batchmates will vouch for. Of course I have described da physical aspects of MDI in the best possible way in my previous post (agreed it was more than a month back though ;) )... what are the things which make MDI a different place - what makes it lively, frenzied and full of euphoria...
Let me offer you some situational choices.. :)
- A campus stroll... this is somethin which takes from 15 min to 1.5 hours... :D - as soon as we are nearing the hostel building (which is called 'Change Masters' :D ) - we are found retracing our steps to Nescafe's or Sharmaji - the two hotspots on campus for nite coffees, maggi, cold drinks and so on... the list is endless...
- Traditions... mobiles are supposed to be in silent mode/switched off in class. If any idiot's mobile rings, he has to treat the entire class to coffee immediately after the class - get that for some bankruptcy... :D
- Birthdays - ahem!... celebrated at the legendary 'Dome' :)... where the bday bakra is 'caked' and 'bumped' and 'kicked'... - and then... well - his roomie is also 'caked'... and 'bumped' and 'kicked' - with the worst possible shoes... :D - and the traditions continue with the bday boy's girlfriend - and the roomie's girlfriend too, if possible... the females are also 'water' treated - and 'cold drink' treated... and then every person possibly associated with the birthday is equally bashed up... :D
- My room apparently located in a corridor which keeps changing names - some time back it was 'Pillai Street' - dedicated to one of our 'stock broker' seniors... now its 'Rockers Street' - laden with pics of rock stars on walls etc... with the 'rockers' literally bashing up the weekend nite.. oops morning - with electronic guitars, keyboards and so on... :D
- The wing across the mess - which was initially the girls hostel - now called 'chakka' wing... and well - most recently the name was changed to 'CSA' wing - on account of the heavy 'counter strikers' present there - and well - I am kind of a recent addition to the same... :)
Time, and sleepy eyes is wats stopping me from continuing on today's musings - else there was another huge list to add on... :D ... kal ke liye bahut load hai... exams have just got over over the weekend - and well there is no relief as there is a truckload of submissions - assignments, project proposals - and to add to the same - quizzes and pre-readings... will there ever be some academic solace in the first trim of a b-skool?
A question yet to be answered....
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
MDI Gurgaon finally :)
Dreams of a b-school had finally set foot on real ground - Me reached Delhi on 21st June with parents. The next two days were spent in nice sight-seeing at Delhi. The first day comprised the normal Delhi darshan which was tiring enough. The following day we had a nice experience at the Nehru Planetarium near Teen Murti. I guess this was the first of its kind. The sky show was fabulous and very informative. We also had a nice experience in the Metro at Delhi - thats how we found our way back to Karol Bagh where we had lodged. Had to switch trains etc in between - but it was really an interesting experience :) .
The morning of June 24th - and it was time to leave for Gurgaon. The weather was like any normal day - and it took us around 40 min to scale the super empty highway from Delhi to Gurgaon. There was nothing one could make out on the way - it was simply barren land. Asked people how to get to the place - and reached there soon enough. As compared to the two 'campuses' I had seen earlier, this one really took my breath away - I was expecting something nice - but this was beyong expectations. Much more than just decent. Thankfully it wasnt as crowded as I had expected as we had reached early. Collected the room lock and keys, and proceeded. The room was really decent too - bought a mattress from the student run store Prayas for my comfy bedding - and then Mom and me did most of the unpacking and setting up in the cupboard etc. 1.5 hours down the line my half of the room was complete in all respects. Details of the room included a decently large cupboard (bit bigger than my PG wala at Bangalore), a table with 3 drawers, a comfy chair, a bed and a shelf.
Following this I went out with parents to search for the Bank ATM's etc. They were all located at a very close distance in Sector 14 market, which relieved me. My parents were off after dropping me back at the institute - and well - I was on my own.
Before continuing with what happened later - here is a brief description of what I can see and feel at MDI ;)
37 acres - but its not just the magnitude - the campus itself tells a lot of tales - its one BIYOOTIFUL campus - about da same size as dat of IIMB - though IIMB was covered almost entirely with trees - the campus here is maintained with the utmost decorum - seriously clean to say the least !!! The buildings are named after great educational institutions - Gurukul, Nalanda, Parthenon etc. The hostel is named Change Masters - and is one of the most happening places in town. The boys and da gals mess is connected via the 1st floor mess - and well there is another mess on the ground floor (yep Mandevians - thats the main one )... The mess serves great food with loads of dessert (unlimited ice cream etc ;) ), fabulous breakfast (my fav part), but a small prob for non-veggies like me as its only non-veg thrice a week - one day of which I am veg - so core non-veggies life me suffer a bit - though the veg food is of more than decent quality.
The campus is sexy for a nice stroll late in the evenings (not mornings as u dont want to bake ureself out - the climate is EXTRA-SUPER HOTTT )... the library is one of the best in Asia - its been one week and I am yet to see it properly - there is a computer center running around 20 hours per day - and of course the other things like AC classrooms, an AC audi etc... There are coffee stalls like Nescafe, Jhaji etc besides a canteen called Sharmaji which remain open very late into the nite and are great social spots. Besides all these there is a football ground, lots of greens where there is a small golf course, a badminton court, a lawn tennis court, a basketball field (unused though), a gym, and well a NEW gym being inaugrated now, a TT room and so on.
The description might speak high of MDI - but well the hectic student life probably might not let you enjoy all the facilities to the fullest extent. Though as of now I can say that besides the weather and a slight homesick feeling , I am enjoying almost evrythin else here.
More to come on how I began off here - as of now I am off to count the stars...
The morning of June 24th - and it was time to leave for Gurgaon. The weather was like any normal day - and it took us around 40 min to scale the super empty highway from Delhi to Gurgaon. There was nothing one could make out on the way - it was simply barren land. Asked people how to get to the place - and reached there soon enough. As compared to the two 'campuses' I had seen earlier, this one really took my breath away - I was expecting something nice - but this was beyong expectations. Much more than just decent. Thankfully it wasnt as crowded as I had expected as we had reached early. Collected the room lock and keys, and proceeded. The room was really decent too - bought a mattress from the student run store Prayas for my comfy bedding - and then Mom and me did most of the unpacking and setting up in the cupboard etc. 1.5 hours down the line my half of the room was complete in all respects. Details of the room included a decently large cupboard (bit bigger than my PG wala at Bangalore), a table with 3 drawers, a comfy chair, a bed and a shelf.
Following this I went out with parents to search for the Bank ATM's etc. They were all located at a very close distance in Sector 14 market, which relieved me. My parents were off after dropping me back at the institute - and well - I was on my own.
Before continuing with what happened later - here is a brief description of what I can see and feel at MDI ;)
37 acres - but its not just the magnitude - the campus itself tells a lot of tales - its one BIYOOTIFUL campus - about da same size as dat of IIMB - though IIMB was covered almost entirely with trees - the campus here is maintained with the utmost decorum - seriously clean to say the least !!! The buildings are named after great educational institutions - Gurukul, Nalanda, Parthenon etc. The hostel is named Change Masters - and is one of the most happening places in town. The boys and da gals mess is connected via the 1st floor mess - and well there is another mess on the ground floor (yep Mandevians - thats the main one )... The mess serves great food with loads of dessert (unlimited ice cream etc ;) ), fabulous breakfast (my fav part), but a small prob for non-veggies like me as its only non-veg thrice a week - one day of which I am veg - so core non-veggies life me suffer a bit - though the veg food is of more than decent quality.
The campus is sexy for a nice stroll late in the evenings (not mornings as u dont want to bake ureself out - the climate is EXTRA-SUPER HOTTT )... the library is one of the best in Asia - its been one week and I am yet to see it properly - there is a computer center running around 20 hours per day - and of course the other things like AC classrooms, an AC audi etc... There are coffee stalls like Nescafe, Jhaji etc besides a canteen called Sharmaji which remain open very late into the nite and are great social spots. Besides all these there is a football ground, lots of greens where there is a small golf course, a badminton court, a lawn tennis court, a basketball field (unused though), a gym, and well a NEW gym being inaugrated now, a TT room and so on.
The description might speak high of MDI - but well the hectic student life probably might not let you enjoy all the facilities to the fullest extent. Though as of now I can say that besides the weather and a slight homesick feeling , I am enjoying almost evrythin else here.
More to come on how I began off here - as of now I am off to count the stars...
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