2010: The year that was

Ten Memorable moments/events of 2010 (not in order)

1. Spending new year's eve and the new year with family
2. 3000+ kms ride from IMT Ghz to Vikramgarh and back(RMX)
3. Sachin Tendukar's 50th Test ton
4. Nadal winning at Roland Garros and Wimbledon
5. Me hitting 25 runs in an over!
6. A week long sojourn at Bangalore and another one at Hyderabad - two places I love
7. Bro getting final offer from Bain & Co
8. Saying no to Infi and IT
9. The prospect of me having a career in automobiles
10. Winning the Tennis leg of LoT

PS: Wishing everyone a very happy and successful 2011

League of Titans: Tennis Final

"You could cut the tension with a knife"

Apropos the LOT Tennis final 2010, the above statement best describes the final.

We, B1, were pitted against A(junior section). The format of the tie -three singles( 2 men's and one ladies' singles) followed by men's doubles and mixed doubles. Team winning first three rubbers would win the tie. Each rubber was a best-of-7 -games with a minimum difference of 2 and a tie breaker at 4-4.

Match 1: Akash(A) vs me(B1)

I won the toss and chose to serve. The start was a lousy one for me with a barrage of unforced errors. Akash for his part played well. No errors while I kept making them. Serving too disintegrated and in no time I was 3-0 down staring down the barrel. That is when I decided to chuck plan A and adopt plan B. Plan A was to play my natural game which was just not flowing that day. So, over to plan B which meant I went with the top spin serve for both the serves and deeper ground strokes without going for the lines (which I was missing anyway), even if it meant longer rallies. The ploy worked and I managed to bring the score to 3-3. It was 4-4 and a tiebreaker ensued. The nerves were jangling alright. I got behind in the tie breaker too and had to fight my way back. Serving to save a match point in the tie breaker, my first serve went long. Return error from Akash on my second serve levelled the score and I somehow managed to eke out a couple more points giving me the match. What a relief! Personally for me, the win provides some succour after last year's agonizing loss in the final. That said my game was way below par for best part of the match. Just hung in there and got lucky to scrape through. Phew! Talk about getting out of jail.(i was 3-0 down after a lousy start). It was more of a grinding match, not the free flowing game with winners that you associate in a final. In that sense, I guess I would have disappointed my classmates/friends with a "slow match" interspersed with very few winners(none on the backhand side). Having said that its still a win and I ll take it. Hard luck Akash. You were almost there.

Match 2: Himanshu(B1) and Akarsh(A)

Himanshu was in great form in the semi-finals. However this match presented a different challenge to deal with Akarsh who was adept at chopping and coming to the net very intelligently. Himanshu tried his best to adjust to the lack of pace but could n't. Akarsh's movement to the net and the finishing was too good. Akarsh won this rubber 4-2 and levelled the tie at 1-1.

Match 3: Bhanu(B1) vs Deepti(A)

This was a crucial match for both the sides as the tie was poised at 1-1. Bhanu took the initiative early with penetrating shots and romped to an early lead. Deepti actually played well, quite well. It was just that Bhanu had discovered her A-game (no pun intended). 4-1 the scoreline in favour of Bhanu at the end of this match.

B1 in the lead at 2-1

Match 4: Devesh/Himanshu(B1) vs Akash/Akarsh(A)

Devesh got his booming serves going but returns kept coming from the other end. The unforced errors were coming from B1. A took the lead 3-2 after it was 2-2. Playing with confidence the duo Akash and Akarsh took the match 4-2.

It was level pegging at 2-2 now and the tie would go down to the last rubber - mixed doubles.

Match 5: Devesh/Bhanu (B1) vs Abhishek/Deepti (A)

It would be fair to say that B1 clearly had the edge in this match. Bhanu was playing her best tennis and matching Abhishek shot for shot and even managed to win a few rallies prompting one of the supporters of A to shout out to "target the man". The B1 supporters went delirious with laughter at this interjection. Devesh was solid as ever and we won the match 4-0 and with it the tie and the tournament. It was one humdinger of a tie. It was 4 AM by the time the match finished.

Huge relief after losing last year's match. Well played team - Himanshu, Bhanu, Devesh. The win was a complete team effort.

To my team mates:

Bhanu: You were overconfident in the semis and justifiably so given the dearth of competition in the previous rounds but you bounced back to win from 3-1 down. In the finals you surpassed yourself and took your game to a new level.

HSM: Fabulous show. Strong consistent performance throughout tournament. Your game in the semifinal in particular was excellent and it was a critical win given that the next match(of Bhanu) turned out to be really close

Devesh: It was great to have you in the finals. Your involvement mattered a lot in the final result.

To B1 supporters:

Thanks a ton for showing up, braving the cold. Your support made the difference in what was a pulsating final.

To my juniors - Akash, Akarsh,Abhishek and Deepti- you folks will win next year. Hard luck this time around. Well played!

To the chair umpire Baiju and the line judges good job done.

Last and not the least, SportsCom, well you guys rock!

Trip Log: RMX: The Mother Of All Rides

Lead up to the ride

Usually trip logs are penned down within a week or two of culmination of the trip, but then this wasnt just another ride. I am referring to Rider Mania- an annual pilgrimage that we crazy riders embark on :) (That said each ride is special and I fondly remember each and everyone of them.) The week long ride that I was going to embark on would start from Delhi

Pay a visit to the mechanic-thorough check up of my Std 350

Saddle bag packed- some spares(tube,sparkplug,chain link,throttle and clutch cables), documents,woolens and some trivial stuff.

By late evening, the excitement levels had reached a crescendo. Never before had I set out on a ride of this magnitude in terms of the sheer distance. Add to it the possibility of riding in the fog. A cursory glance from my window at 5 in the morning confirmed that(heavy fog).

Day 1: Ghaziabad-Gurgaon-Manesar-Jaipur-Bhilwara

Got ready, saddled my steed, called up Saurabh from Royal Beasts. (I was riding with the Beasters, the Bullet club of Delhi). The assembly point was Iffco Chowk off the Gurgaon Delhi expressway.The poor visibility slowed the progress and I caught up with Karan(Beaster) around Manesar(rather he caught me up :D, he does 100-110+ consistently). Even at eight there was no letting up - be it the fog or the cold. Despite the gear and woolens' inside, we were all cold. Stopped for a late breakfast at a dhaba and we were off again. The roads were in great shape as one would expect from the Golden Quadrilateral.

By the time we had reached Jaipur the fog had lifted and the sun was out. The group's speed picked up and we were crusing at 80-100 clicks.

Crossed Udaipur, Ajmer. The plan was to do a night halt at Bhilwara. By the time we checked in the hotel at Bhilwara, it was past 8.

A sumptuous dinner followed by deep slumber- a good riding day given the fog and cold. Covered distance of 400 odd kms.

Day 2: Bhilwara-Udaipur-Ajmer-Ahmedabad-WIMWI

Got up early in the morning, had breakfast; by eight we were on the highway. As the day got on and with the mercury rising,we could no longer do 200kms at a stretch. Had to break at every 100 kms or so to cool the engines down. The plan was to be in Vadodora by nightfall. By evening, we were close to entering Gujrat. The searing afternoon sun had taken a toll on my contact lens and my progress was hampered. Not wanting to slow the group down, I asked them to go ahead. Then it struck me that I could meet my brother at his IIM-A campus. At 7, we were sitting in his hostel dorm chatting away animatedly. (Ofcourse, my folks back in Doon didnt know a word. I was supposedly in my campus at IMT then!!). Was super spending quality time with my bro; we were lucky that his next day was relaxed which is an exception there for the 'fucchas' and my eyes got the much needed rest.

Day 3: WIMWI-Vadodara- Dahanu

To catch up with the group, I left the campus at six. With the heat of Rajasthan behind me, I caught up with the group after Vadodora around eight or so.

As we got closer to Maharashta the arid landscape gave way to denser vegetation with the occasional coconut tree popping up in the eyeline. The plan was to be in Dahanu by nightfall. Its a village some 30 odd kms from our destination-Vikramgarh. The evening was beautiful.

The ride off the NH-8 towards Dahanu was kickass- plenty of curves - a rider's road. We reached the hotel before it got dark without any incident or so we thought. Just as we were unsaddling, a police constable walks up and demands- who are we, where are we headed and why were we "riding so fast" . Apparently a few villagers got "scared" hearing the high decibels levels and had tipped off the police. The constable maintains he had blown his whistle to stop us , but we didnt( who would hear a whistle when you have a horde of 20 enfields thumping away :) After a half an hour long explanation, the constable let us off after verifying our documents. We werent terrorists afterall :) Dont blame them for being vigilant. Republic day was around the corner. Anyway, we checked in, relaxed, gorged on good food and hit the sack.

Day 4: Dhanu-Manor-Vikramgarh

The morning sun was bright and this was the day we were riding for - RMX was to kick off and as we zeroed in on the destination, stopped for one last time for breakfast. The breakfast talk centred on the entry strategy. The newbies of the club(Royal Beasters) were shown how to get the beat right 1-2. 1-2-3-4 Beasters' style. I missed my club here and just watched the guys do their rhythm opening their throttles all in sync. And thereafter we entered Vikramgarh.

By the time we got there, we were a little late and most of the clubs had already made their entry. It was nice to meet folks from RTMC upon reaching the venue. We were all staying in a dorm and it was fun to listen to the stories of the riders. There was a gamut of events spread across the two days(Saturday and Sunday). Events need to be read as motorcycling events and anything else would amount to slander! From assembly wars to dirt track race, from beer drinking competitions to arm wrestling, it was one carnival atmosphere that can be found only in an RM. The last night had the club presentations(basically its what the club is about) and it was good fun participating in the RTMC skit. Great script and acting Deep $hit, Anubami & Co. The message was clear- Caman the Enjaiment all the way.

Day 5: Vikramgarh - Manor - Vadodara -Ahmedabad -Udaipur

Monday morning and it was time time to bid adieu. (I had to get back as soon as possible to avoid grade losses for being absent during classes) I set off early morning with with a couple of Beasters who had to get resume office duties earlier than others. The plan was to cover the entire distance(Vikramgarh - Delhi) in two days with the night halt at Udaipur. That meant we had to do 700+ kms on each of the two days. Being a small group, there were fewer stops and we did good consistent speeds and I say we with a hint of pride. Here I was riding with the two Thunderbirds and my Std 350 kept up throughout and sometimes even setting the pace. It was only when Amy decided to open the throttle after crossing Ahmedabad and went patrang at over 120 clicks did I fall behind. The late evening ride on NH 8 was fantastic. By the time we checked in a hotel at Udaipur it was past 10. We had done over 850 kms in he day. Personally I prefer riding in smaller groups. The bonding that develops is great The discussions over meals at dhabas; you have to be part of a ride to experience it.

Day 6: Udaipur- Ajmer- Jaipur- Fog(40 kms off Gurgaon)

Day 2 of the return leg was another long riding day. There was a stretch on NH-8 that was under construction enroute to Ajmer. We missed the NH 79 turn (which would have been faster) and average speeds dropped because we were no longer on a six lane highway. We reduced the stoppages and we were nearing Jaipur by 4 in the evening. We stopped by for a bite and cup of tea at a dhaba. We could almost smell Delhi from here -250 odd kms to go. We were back on the highway and as the evening gave way to darkness, we still did good speeds though traffic was considerably more given the proximity to Delhi.

As we got closer to Manesar, we encountered fog on our way and that slowed down our speeds to below 40. It was too thick to see the vehicle in front of me. There were traffic jams.(Incidentally that evening had more fog than any of the nights in that week when I find out later). Jaypreet, my fellow rider was going to halt at Gurgaon at a friend's but I had to go all the way to Ghaziabad (additional 70 kms from Gurgaon). I decided to call it a night and stopped by at a dhaba. Told Jaypreet about my decision and he asked me to stay with him at his friend's place. But I didnt want to continue in the fog and he had to be in office the next day, so we parted here. It was super riding with both of you-JP and Amy. Had dinner at the dhaba and the dhaba owner was nice enough to give me a bed behind his counter where I could crash.

Day 7: 40 kms off Gurgaon- IMT Ghaziabad

Next morning when I offered to pay him for the bed, he refused to accept the payment. All the skeptics who talk at length about missing Indian culture, egalitarian values, need to look beyond the cities to get a wider perspective. They will find that the virtues still remain, people are still warm; kindness is not totally gone yet. Anyway, while leaving, the fog was still there at eight in the morning but much lower in intensity. I thanked the dhaba owner for his warmth and saddled my steed and I was off. Reached my hostel at 10 in the morning. Felt surreal to get back to reality.

3000+ kms of hardcore riding.

By far the craziest week of my life!

Six months at IMT G: Haan Ji

Its been almost six months since we wannabe managers entered the portals of a certain insti called IMT G. Notice that I didnt use the adjective 'hallowed'. That said please bear in mind that the 'un-hallowed' is only in comparison with the IIMs :) The six months have been a roller-coaster ride right from day one when we lined up before SAC office, backpacks slung across the shoulder, form in one hand on a hot June afternoon.

That seems to be a long long time ago. What with staying up till the wee hours of morning and then making up for the sleep or the lack of it, in the classes the next day, to running around looking for Chanakya, Abhimanyu, Arjun, Chandragupta and the like in the first couple of weeks for various committee/club interviews( these are the rooms in the acad block which by the way i still cant figure out which one is where) to late night strolls inside the campus with friends agenda being bhasad - it is an experience of a different kind.

Ten things that one cannot miss here -

1. The Amphi-

This circular structure at the centre of the campus surrounded by trees is very much the heartland of IMT. Informal corporate interactions happen here.The official venue for class parties, this place has a nice cosy feel to it -not too big and not too small the diameter is just right.

2. The BBC -

Being midway between the mess and the hostel, BBC is most the frequented place and tells you the mood in the campus. If the exams are on then its a deserted whiteland, else this place is teeming with vella folks - some sitting on the sidewalk under the trees, some just strolling along aimlessly, some playing cricket on the cement under the floodlights

3. The maddening rush at the mess entrance adjacent to Block A when its ice cream time after dinner- There is a saying that talks about no-free-lunch. Trust me you have to 'earn' your choco-chip ice cream in the ensuing near-stampede

4. 'Haan Ji! Password type kijiye'

5. Gera Curve if you are taught by one Rajat Gera

6. PlaceCom Openhouse cant be missed.

7. The air-conditioned library - just for the summer season ;)

8. Tennis Court - This should have been #1

9. The lush green ground claimed by the footballers and cricketers alike; actually its neither going by the dimensions but its still fun playing.

10. (Edited) J Lobby - From project discussions to birthday bashes read GPL, from booze parties to exams, the square has a buzz about it, even at 3 in the morning, with its proximity to DLP and sutta stall outside the campus

PS: The best part of hostel life is the time spent with friends. This was a first for me in and I am throughly enjoying it :)

Disclaimer: The views are all in good jest and not to be taken seriously.

IMT Open - Finals- Amit(senior) vs Me

Winds Of Change

The first rays of the crimson morning sun entering through the window,

through the cracks between the curtains right into your sleep-filled eyes.

You drag the curtains closer, flip over to other side, eyes shut. This is one memory that lingers whenever I think of the holidays in the good old school days.

With my last working day fast approaching - 6th May, I can look ahead to a month of masti before I am back to school :D. Yes, school, B-school, yours truly converted the call from IMT Ghaziabad. Got Marketing , the course I wanted. (Link at http://imt.edu/) . Looking forward to meet some great minds and er... pretty faces ;). That is not to say pretty faces dont have great minds :P

Anyway, its goodbye IT and good riddance too :). Its a relief I can tell you. So its now time to pack my bags and head north. Will miss my friends here. Also will miss riding with RTMC. That said there will be one last ride to Kodaikanal on 1st May. Its the MadBulls 7A ride. Will come up with travel log once I am back.

PS: The campus at IMT G has flood-lit tennis court so wont miss out on tennis ;)

Those joining IMT -G 2009 Batch please join this community http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=60677574.

Cheers,

Ride Safe

IMT-G Interview : A knotty Experience :)

Venue : BIT, Bangalore

Date : 15th Feb, 12 30 slot

CAT 97.43(DI - 89.45, Quant - 93.9, Verbal - 95.22)

X: 89.4

XII: 86.1

BE(Electronics and Communication): 73.27

Decent extra circulars

Work Ex in IT(19 months - Accenture)

1030 hrs: me and a fellow puy(now a good friend) take a cab to BIT.

1115 hrs : Reach venue.

1200 hrs: Have a quick coffee knowing that registerations will take a while

1345 hrs: Registerations finally done. Told GDs would start from 1415hrs.

1450 hrs: My name called for GD.

************************************************

TOPIC : Consumer is God in today's market.

Group: 14 guys and a pretty lady :P (turned out that many of us , correction all of us :), let her speak even in the close-to-fish-market GD that followed; )

Ground Rules: 5 mins to think. 8 mins to discuss and 1 min for an oral summary from each in random order. '2 min'(for sure it was less than 80 secs) to write down summary before the papers were submitted.

Overall GD Quality: 4/10(lots of good points, but too noisy to hear them )

Moi: 5/10 (came in three times with examples)

********************************************

1530: GD over. Wait for PI begins.

1645: My name called for interview.

G1-gentleman1

L-Lady

G2-gentleman2(not so gentle as i found out!)

G1: Gestures at me to enter.

L: Sit down(stares down at my imt form for a good min . Now i start feeling like a criminal applying for a parole )

L: So you did engineering from Hyderabad?

me: Yes(kuch galat kar diya kya!)

G1: Which entrance exam?

me: told AP state board's EAMCET.

G1: So why not MBA right after engg?

me: answered, G1 seemed satisfied.

G2: But you did waste two years in IT then!

me: Countered that statement with some gyan about exposure to corporate culture....being a team player...blah blah

G2: Whats your job profile?

me: Told.

G2: Asked me a ques about a customer having multiple credit cards, in different banks. How would I handle the data operations for our client( my profile being data transferring)

me: Told something about customer having one account in our bank and multiple credit card numbers associated with the same account and only one of which is active. Gave some funda of front end and back end and how data moves from the customer to database and vice versa. Mission accomplished !! got G2 confused or was he?

G1: (looking at my form) So you are a son of a Brigadier. Army ah! How has that impacted your life?

me: (jumped with joy hearing this..was waiting to talk about this..) Told abt my schooling across ten diff schools all over India. Got in some well choosen words adaptable, versatile ...blah blah

L: So bullet is your hobby? (she thought i was into guns, lol)

me:I own an Enfield Bullet and enjoy going on long group rides...

L: Do you read books

Me:Used to read sometime back

L: Read newspapers?

me: every now and then

L(smiling and for some reason looking at my tie): Which brand is your tie?

me:(you cant be serious....arre yaar tie mere dost ki hai...brand tho maine dheka nahi !)

me: smile back and say I dont know, feeling foolish

L(smiling): Ok you can leave. Send the next guy after 30 secs.

edit : Converted this call. Got PGDM-FT the course i wanted :gm: