Finale !!!

Here is my final post on our MBA saga.

Indian history is replete with many golden eras that I have not been part of.  There is one that I consider is my golden period - 2 years of MBA.  It transformed me from an introvert to a pseudo-extrovert.  A person who would not have a conversation, let alone speak in public, to someone who could speak in a conference.  A major part of the credit goes to my friends.  They say a man is rich if he has friends and I surely do.

In an earlier blog I mentioned of listing the many "firsts" that we achieved.  Here is the list:

• First batch to graduate from the new building
• First ever conference held by OU MBA students
• First ever BIZFEST organized
• First ever Treasure hunt in all of inter-college competitions in Hyderabad
• First ever community service (moving the library) by MBA students
• First time an MBA batch that organized 25 year celebration....well our seniors or juniors cannot blame us for it
• First ever cricket team that reached the semi-finals of inter-college cricket championship
• First ever batch to haul so many prizes in inter-college competitions
• First ever batch to have so many entrepreneurs. UB once remarked that there was something in the entrance exam that identified so many potential entrepreneurs.
• First ever fancy dress competition organized.
• First ever student body elections held in MBA history

Here are a few "lasts" too

• Last MBA batch at Arts College
• Last MBA batch from the ONLY MBA college in Hyderabad.  Badruka and Pragathi started MBA program in 1987.

Probably the first and the last batch to have such a cohesive group of friends.  It is amazing that we managed to identify, contact and rope in 27 folks for the re-union at Bidar.  It speaks of the resourcefulness and the enthusiasm of the group to re-establish the bonding.  May it continue for ever.

Cricket!!!

Here is my penultimate post. 

One of the unwritten rules in any college, atleast in India, is seniors' representation in any sports team is disproportionate unless you have prodigies in the junior class.   The reasoning is simple - this is our last year in college you have one more year to go.  It works in almost all of the cases but we had a situation going the other way.  There were 2 Ranji players (D Suresh and Gavin) and I believe 1 under-19 state player (Srinath).  Some more were accommodated more b'cos of their association with us than their cricketing skills (Chakri, Sudarshan). 

I, was selected the Captain, as I was playing for OU cricket team in the HCA league.  No one ever checked if I had the captaining skills.  The only situation where it came to the fore was in the quarterfinal game.  More on that later.

Here was our team:
1. Jai Kumar
2. Srinath
3. D Suresh
4.Chakri
5. Vinod
6. Mani
7. Sandeep (wicket keeper)
8. Aluri
9. Gavin
10.
11.

This was more constant with others filling in.  The other constants were the cheer leaders: Sharmila, Vindhya, Namratha with occasional appearances by Pannaga, Usha, and junior girls Jayanthi, ...(I dont recollect the name of others).

Gavin was our star fast bowler and many opponent teams requested that he not bowl at his regular pace !!! We were so considerate and confident of winning that Gavin would bowl from a shorter run up.  In one of our matches held behind the MSc Physics building we even offered not to allow Gavin bowl as the pitch was extremely bad.  But the folks did not expect Al to bowl such nasty deliveries and we won the game to get into the quarter finals with AV College.

This was an interesting match as we played in OU A grounds for the first time.  The ground is big and most of us had tough time running around.  Captain of AV college, Srikanth and I played for OU.  The match was riveting and we had to score 2 runs of the last ball, ended up scoring 1 and ending the match in a tie.  Sharmila had her Ganesh locket in her and feverishly praying.  Vindhya almost chewed her nails out.  AV college folks got wild over some umpiring decision and chased the umpire away.  It was decided to toss up to come up with the winner.  Sensing trouble Srikanth suggested we have it in Ranga Reddy (Physical Director's office) and I requested all our folks to meet at the canteen.  We tossed and I called it right.  This is was my only contribution besides knowing Srikanth personally and avoid getting physically mauled by AV college guys.  There was a huge gang of AV students waiting outside and Srikanth told them that they won the game to ensure I go out safely !!!

I break the news in the canteen and we all celebrated with Sandeep paying the bill, as always.


Here I go again.."for the first time in the history of our MBA...blah blah blah".  Well, I cannot but repeat it.  For the first time in the history of our MBA we reached the semi-finals of the inter-college cricket championship.  This was against a more formidable team - Nizams, in their backyard.  We all show up nervously and I go out for the toss with Baliquddin (Azharuddin's brother) and we decide to bowl first.  While we had two Ranji players they had 3 or 4.  With the first ball Gavin had their opener bowled.  The umpire refused to give out as
1.  there were no bails, 2. the stumps just moved and 3. it was their star bastman and their home ground.  We all appealed, yelled, and gave up.  I bowled, twisted my ankle and went out.  We had some 250 runs to score.  Srinath, Jai, and D Suresh ensured we got really close but not good enough to win.  (I think we made around 230).  That ended our campaign and I am not sure if any subsequent batch was able to replicate it.

There were many interesting side notes with Namratha asking what the abdomen guard was for, Vinod itching for a fight with AV college guys though we were very clearly outnumbered, etc..  At the end of it we created history and thoroughly enjoyed doing it.

Gavin left for England to play in the county and I happened to meet D Suresh on a flight as he was moving to West Indies to settled down there. 

watch for the one last blog in this series...

Bizfest!!!

Vilas and family were over at our house during Dussera to view our 'Golu', a typical Tamil doll arrangement.  As is usual with our meetings we were reflecting on college days.  One thing that stood out and we, atleast neither Vilas nor I, never thought of is the usage of our last names or surnames.  With the exception of Al, who probably was never called Srinivas or any variations of that, we did not know or care to find them.  Looking at the email addresses it is quite a challenge to figure who is who !!!

Coming back to Bizfest.  Ravi Kailash was convinced not to pursue Penaz Masani, though reluctantly.  Tasks were assigned.  Suresh (G) was tasked with getting the required funds.  Bala was tasked with organizing the Quiz.  Harsha, Namratha and Al were in charge of Dumb-charades and Singing.  And for the first time ever in Inter-college competitions (here we go, another 'first') we decided to organize Treasure Hunt.  Vinay and myself were given the responsibility.  Vinay also came up with the logo for Bizfest.  Here is a crude replica.

One of the fund raising idea was to approach Subba Rami Reddy.  This was hilarious as well as disastrous.  We thought of conferring on him "Young" Entrepreneur award and in return he will fund the entire BizFest.  Sort of bribe.  3 or 4 of us went to his house in Banjara Hills and our man was performing pooja and we were made to sit in the visitors room.  After 10-15 minute wait he came and was excited about the award and he said something like "we youth should play a role...blah blah...".  I think he was over 40 approaching 50 then !!!  That is when we put forth BizFest and the need for funding.  He simply recoiled and refused but was willing to accept the award.  It was our turn to recoil and  we all walked out disappointed. 

We suddenly realized the Commerce wing of our college was left out of this festivities.  We made a last minute attempt to include them but they preferred to keep away, maybe because they are M.Calm.

We set up a front desk manned sorry 'woman'ned by our ladies.  The three day festival started with a bang.  All I remember is the Treasure Hunt, so much for my memory.  We came up with some 15 odd clues, each one leading to the next.  Unfortunately we put these in places where people could easily reach and rip it off.  Someone went ahead and did it !!!  Lesson learnt, we decided to organize one on the last day.  Vinay and myself came up with big posters and put it up in places that were difficult to reach but was easily readable from down below.  One was put on a tree near the Controller of Examination building.  Figure this one - "Up and Down a scaffold you are in front of a Litterateurs' hall".  There was a stage in front of Tagore Auditorium and this poster went on a tree there.  "They learn to puncture people here" - not many realize there was a medical department within the campus.  It took folks around 4 hours to collect all the clues !!!  But for this minor hiccup the festival ended on a high.

Before I started this blog I was debating if Bizfest happened first or the Inter-college Cricket.  Anyways, I will cover that next.

  

Bizfest and Penaz Masani

My concluding piece would be a list of 'firsts' that our batch achieved.  There were way too many.  Here is another one.  Elections were held in OUCCBM for the first time ever.  Many of us believed politics was not, not to sound too cliched, our cup of tea but the spectre of student groups (ABVP, SFI etc) affiliated to political parties making their presence felt was something no one wanted.  (You know, we are managers not politicians :))

It was more a forced choice to participate in the election process.  It was also agreed that all candidates would get elected unopposed, unanimously.  President was a foregone one - Amar.  (I believe Ramesh Reddy was the joint secretary, cannot recall).  The surprise package was Literary Secretary - me.  I had never won a quiz, never participated in JAM, or Debate or any of the stuff.  In other words, the most 'illiterate' became the Literary Sec.  I guess that is what happens in politics.

The problem was with General Secretary. Suryanarayana Murthy (I guess) was an ABVP functionary and decided to take up the post.  Vinod opposed this and decided to contest too.  This presented two issues.  First, we all agreed not to let any politically affiliated students group to make their presence felt.  Second, we agreed to selection through a unanimous process.  This situation was the lab where we learnt Conflict Resolution. 

We somehow convinced Vinod (phew!!! that was one hell of a job) and all positions were filled "unopposed".  We extracted a promise from Murthy to not let his ABVP policies affect our working.

Once the 'officials' were in place, we decided to go on to the next 'first' - organize inter-college business festival, BIZFEST.

In the meantime Harsha and Namratha had established as the team to beat in Dumb Charades.  Al was the other.   Namratha was the super singer.  Ramesh M the quizzie.  And who can forget the quirky Bala.  He was wedded to quizzing and was our senior, our classmate and, if I am not mistaken, our junior just to participate in all inter-college quizzes !!!  He appeared on Siddhartha Basu's Quiz Time.  His battles with Engine (Anjaneyulu, current IG) was an intense affair.  With such a star-studded team not to mention the literary secretary, me, what could have stopped us?  Funds.

One of the many brilliant ideas that I personally felt was way out of the box came from Kailash (Ravi).  Getting sponsorship from Thumbs up or from few corporate houses was old idea - according to Ravi, but an effective one.  Why not try another 'first'?  Invite Penaz Masani, the young(then), ravishing ghazal singer.  We will sell tickets and whatever(?) was left will be used to fund BIZFEST.  Well...this never took off and Ravi was upset no end.  The beauty of the group is all was forgotten quickly and the team was back together in organizing the BIZFEST.

Next...BIZFEST - a roaring success

25 years and going strong!!!

I did not realize the next one year would be my golden year.  It started with 1987 being the Silver jubilee year of the department.  For some reason it was never revealed or the department was humble enough not to celebrate.

As a precursor to the 25 year celebrations a trip to Araku was planned and executed.  Though I missed out on the trip people ensured I did not miss out on the fun as they recounted the trip.  mmm...pssst.

In yet another stroke of brilliance, RC (Ramesh Chandra) formed ELITE (Enthusiasts Linked in Thoughtful Exercises), an informal club to enhance our public speaking skills.  UB and BTV were enthusiastic supporters of this initiative as we met after college hours.  I recall the card game where one set had the topic and the other, the audience.  The speaker is required to pick one from each and is given 30 secs to frame the details.  This was quite a challenge.  Sample this - Space technology to nurses, Industrial relations to housewives, etc.  While it may seem easy now, to some of us, I bet the foundation was laid 25 years ago.  (btw the second most feared thing in the World is public speaking.  First one is - death)

In one of our extempore sessions, Ravi (Vadapalli) titled his topic "Confessions of a Cynic" and spoke of how he fell in love with a girl at the bus stop, how he cart wheeled to woo her, finally managed to speak of his rich uncle who has no heirs to bequeth his riches, her sudden disappearance, and reapparance as Ravi's aunt !!!  (Age has not dampened his humorous cynicism)

The SJ (thanks Al for the acronym) celebrations started in a traditional way - inaguration of the new building (after we spent couple of months in there !!!) and speech by former Governor HE Kum. Kumudben Joshi (her soul rest in peace).  Prof. Lakshmi Narayan formally took over as the department head.  Prof EGP formally retired and the students were formally allowed in the new building.  This is when I took the classic picture on the steps to our library.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=4059137710609&set=t.1047138410&type=1&theater

Along with 50 odd classmates I started seeing new faces and for the first time I realized M.Com is part of our college !!!  While in Arts College the existence of M.Com was lost in the din we had created.  We made a sincere attempt to include them in our activities but for a handful, it did not work.  Despite all this it was decided to launch MBA's first Inter College Literary and Cultural competition - Biz Fest.

Next Penaz Masani and Biz Fest.....

Juniors !!!

Over the summer, and in yet another instance of our unique, entrepreneurial skills, we moved entire library from Arts college to the new building.  Many of us looked like

 after the heavy lifting!!! (sorry ladies I do not have a female Schwarzenegger picture)

It was with a heavy heart that we moved from the historic Arts college where many great men and women walked the hallways not to mention MA English girls.  The 'guard of honor' that was our routine would no longer be performed.  Lounge seemed to be a far away place.  'Canteen-under-the-tree' was even farther.

First few days of our 'senior' year was still spent in Arts college where we welcomed  'juniors'.  Not to allow what we did to our seniors, juniors were made to feel at home.  We asked one of our junior (I remember the girl's face but not the name) to tell us a joke

Junior: Why did John go to the school with ladder?
We: Dont know.
Junior: B'cos it was a high school.


Our expressionless faces and the awkward silence irritated the girl no bound.  We took all the juniors to the Canteen, bought them tea and brought them into our fold.  Down the road junior-senior relationship started blurring and our group seem to have just grown bigger.

The new building looked deserted, cold and lifeless but we decided to make a difference.  That is when we realized it was 25 years since the department started and EGP was retiring !!!

Next blog...Silver jubilee celebrations!

The Second Semester

The bonding momentum just picked up in the second semester and we did something that no batch had done before - organize a workshop on various topics.  Suresh (Potti) came up with this idea and all of us, without exception, rallied behind him.  I should say it was a brilliant  idea and the execution near perfect.

I had two responsibilities - invite Prof. Ramamurthy of ASCI to speak on Hire Purchase and Leasing industry, unaware that is where I will begin my career, and tie a tie for some of us folks !!!  2 days went by and the workshop ended on a successful note.  We managed to get few sponsorships that provided funds for food and mementos. 

It was the latter half of the semester that we heard the bad news - our new building was ready and we have to move in June. We thought of all the MA English girls, the separation and heart breaks.  It was also tragic in that we lost one of our classmates to an accident (cant recollect his name but his face is still fresh.  He was a hostelier, tall and always smiling).

Amar's yellow Vespa needs a special mention for two reasons. 1.  The nickname it earned - Taxi and 2. you had to ask for the keys and Amar would simply hand it over no matter if you knew how to ride or not.  A case in point was me !!!

Hot Sams and chai under the tree was a routine.  1 by 2 was the norm.  Swatting the flies while gobbling or gulping the items became second nature.  The lounge with its TT and Carrom Board became the first and final stop while attending classes in between.

Exams came and went by and Amar volunteered all of us in the Library move to the new building during the summer break thus saving some money for the univ.  We broke for the holidays promising to reassemble with built up muscles for the library move.  Suresh's idol/mentor Prof. Janardhana Rao retired.  BTV and Balaji were simply outstanding and we all bid good-bye to the first year together.

Next: New building, new ideas....