A Dream…Reincarnated

Quite often people ask me…Why aren’t you an MBA?

Till a year ago, I used to be speechless on this question as I knew that I can lose every battle in life, if the opponent attacks me with this Ballistic Missile. 

Nostalgia still surrounds me when I try and remember those days of the year 2000-2001, when I used to waste my time along with my college friends doing nothing.  Those were the days, when I was totally unaware of my ambitions and the very reason of my existence.  Life, for me was just like a river, which used to flow where ever it found slope.  The only good thing of that era was that I was totally a carefree guy, who enjoyed that time with all my friends, grabbed my share of eye tonics and indulged with many petty college fights for silliest possible reasons.  But every good thing has a price tag attached with it that one has to pay, in some way or the other.  Quite often, this tag is visible to people, but I think I overlooked it and so got derailed. 

Flashbacks of my pubescent days would reveal that my coach at Search International Srinivasa Rao was the man in my life who accidentally became my mentor.  Today, I don’t even know where he is.  However, he made me aware about the existence of corporate world and directed me to pursue an MBA under his expert tutelage thereby prepared me for various national level entrances.  Nidhi and Ratna were the only exceptions in my so called friends list, as they were closely aligned to their MBA goals and were the only studious people around me.  Initially I used to be uncomfortable with them as I was far behind them.  However, both of them tightly gripped me as if they were determined enough to give me a study ride, for the first time in my life.  He he he…

Somehow, I managed to get a provisional admission with ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad and started my MBA education with the top twelfth Indian Business School those days.  However, when you realize mistakes and take corrective actions to mitigate them, things might not shape up the way you want them to be.  I tried my best to come out of the darkness of my life, for few ounce of light, but then realized that my earlier mistakes caused me problems, which were bigger enough to such an extent that they almost affected my life.  As I missed my eligibility criteria of being a graduate with 50% marks, my MBA admission got cancelled…I could secure only 49.45% in my graduation.  This was the time when I realized the importance of a single drop, which can not cause an oceanic effect if it is not complete.  After undergoing two months of professional education with budding managers / leaders of the country, I had to leave the program in between to start a fresh life from ground zero.  Failure coupled with mental depression accompanied me for the next two years. 

I knew that every top class BSchool in India had the same eligibility criteria as ICFAI Business School had, so I would never be able to pursue my dream of being an MBA.  I never intended to settle down for an MBA from any Tier 2 or Tier 3 BSchool.  IIM’s though maintain a simple graduate degree as their eligibility criteria, but it is a world wide fact that they have soft corners only for people from IIT’s, NIT’s and REC’s or those who are academically inclined.  I was not even close to this.  Till the end of year 2002, I covered myself by teaching Mathematics & English for SSC and HSSC students and thought it to be my earning source.  However, I used to feel the absence of those corporate kicks and punches that I felt at Search International. 

To add further to my dismay, most of my enemies (of my college days) got the news that Datch (my nick name in my college) turned himself as a monk…and does not involve himself in gang wars anymore.  Vindictively, they planned to settle their scores with me.  I had only two options, either to strike back hard to them or to choose a path of non-violence.  It was very easy to strike back for a person like me who already spent four of his years doing the same…but the real task was to remain out of foolishness & violence and mend a constructive future for a life ahead.  The moment I got the news that they already threw acid on the faces of one of my accomplice and his fiancé, I took an immediate decision to go underground.  People still feel that I got scared of them and I still choose to remain silent on my choice of non-violence.  It was during this time, that I saw a multinational company, called Convergys advertising for the first time in Nagpur for its entry level vacancies.  Since I was bored being underground, I went to the venue without informing anyone and appeared for the interview.  To my surprise, I was one of those eight candidates to which the company provided the final offer letter, even though more than 800 people applied.  After a very long time, I felt distinguished.  I decided to leave Nagpur for my job at Convergys in Gurgaon, as there was no point in remaining underground in Nagpur for indefinite period. 

It was my Mom’s birthday on January 02, 2003, when I left her and my family to board the train to Delhi (Gurgaon).  I started my corporate career the very next day with Convergys, thereby leaving my family far behind.  Even today all my colleagues know that when it comes to business, I am so very ruthless to leave my family behind for achieving those corporate objectives.  My family members don’t have any qualms about my attitude towards business.  For them, my transformation from a Crook-Casanova to a Professional is the biggest gift that I had given to them.  In the last five to six years of my journey, I met with many people, learnt and unlearnt many things, faced several “Wow” and “Oh no” moments and built a solid professional network involving top notch Consultants, Investment Bankers, Software Engineers, MNC Country Heads, Entrepreneurs and Gombas (Grossly Overpaid MBAs). 

Since past three years, whenever I used to feel the guilt of not having an MBA, I used to pacify myself by going through an MBA course book.  Gradually, over the time, I built conceptual understanding of almost the entire Finance course structure that any MBA finance graduate would study.  I have gone through various concepts on organizational behavior, marketing and economics.  I got my certification in Quality and Project Management.  I made a conscious habit of reading 18 – 20 business magazines every month including international ones too.  I developed a discipline to go through the leading financial websites just like any Namazee would do his Namaaz, four / five times a day.  I practice work ethics and corporate governance effectively in my office.  I am the only one in my team, who never took even a single leave ever since I joined my company.  And then I ask myself a simple question, “What else would an MBA do which I don’t?”  And this is what I get as an answer, “An MBA would always feel that HE IS AN MBA”.  That sense of being an MBA is still missing in me.  Again my incompleteness frequently tells me that despite of making sea changes, I have not yet created any oceanic effect in my life. 

I met with many qualified / non-qualified MBA’s from Tier 2 or Tier 3 B-Schools like IILM, JIMS, IIPM, FORE, IMT, MIT, IMDR, Apeejay, Asia Pacific, IIF, Christ College and from many more institutes…

Oh God! I find most of such MBA’s actually demeaning the word called MBA.  Forget about the intellect they should carry, they don’t even possess professional skill sets and mannerisms. 

Most of them get wrongly involved in one night stands every other night. 

Deceit, treachery, flattery and betrayal are their characteristic features.

Professionalism does not even flow out of their dressing sense, as most of them dress shabbily even during their office hours, just to reveal their assets. 

Fridays are normally official Sundays for them. 

“Work Hard & Party Harder” is their mool mantra…but they don’t even work hard…they just party harder…he he he…

Office hours can be well utilized for developing new skills; however these people don’t even feel ashamed in watching movies or clubbing during their office hours. 

They would do all sorts of obnoxious things like bitching rather than taking action for their own good. 

For these people, practicing discipline is considered as a military rule.  They don’t see it as a way of life.  I really don’t know why Military is a negative word in their dictionary. 

I have seen many MBAs who blame others of being ignorant to many things; however they themselves ignore their monthly goals given to them.  He he he…

Their Arrogance Quotient of learning 10 and showing 100 is well reflected even during their presentations.  They won’t leave even a single chance to show you that you know nothing and we are the supreme knowledge bearers. 

There are many, who willfully drag others in their personal problems / grudges, and that too in office.  Oh God! They really don’t find anything constructive to do…he he he…so they start practicing destruction. 

Give them an onsite assignment (often known as an OJT / transition), and they would be ready to compromise everything for it.  Quite often, you would find them visiting an alien land for a company assignment and end up doing the first half of a DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) there.  Few of them go ahead by creating the unreleased / uncut versions of Basic Instincts and Original Sins.  He he he.  They generally, are motivated by honeymoon tourism rather than professionalism.  He he he…

Pseudo Relationships – wow…I have seen many of them making it, and rest of them just breaking it to make some more of them.  And believe me, all this happens at their workplace.  Pity…isn’t it?  Industry would rarely show hostile takeovers but these people can teach you how it can be done with pseudo relationships.   They don’t even mind to stake their good going careers for it. 

For them, rules are always to be broken and goals / targets are always to be missed. 

And at the end of the year, every one wants growth, even though they know that they seldom worked for it. 

All sorts of incentives, high ratings and awards become so important to them that they forget their overall development as a human being or a corporate professional. 

All said and done, these people are doing nothing but running a RAT RACE. 

If such is the grooming that these Tier 2 / Tier 3 BSchools give to their students, then I am HAPPY, that I am not an MBA today. 

Academically, I am not an Intellectual Gladiator…but still I am GLAD to the fact that; Seven years ago, I made a choice wherein I did not compromise my dream by settling for a Tier 2 / Tier 3 BSchool.  I preferred death of my MBA goals rather than diminishing the value of my educational ambition.  

However, through effective professional networking, I have also experienced the acme of intellectualism and the pinnacle of professionalism portrayed by MBA’s who transitioned their lives from institutes like Harvard, Wharton, LSB and ISB.  So a ray of optimism is still there.  Though the ray is single and is more of hope named ISB-Hyderabad, I still feel that I need an MBA…and with the selection pattern that ISB Hyderabad follows for it's intake, I am sure, my MBA dreams would definately turn into reality.  

It’s a high time for me to gift myself, A GOOD YEAR with ISB HYDERABAD. 

The challenge is to remain out of RAT RACE, be SERENE and concentrate on REBUILDING my attitude and aptitude for getting myself admitted in the institute of repute and prestige. 

Indeed, a dream that died seven years ago is reborn.