The Great Escape!!

Sales, Distribution, Retailing,Branding, Capital markets, supply chain, presentations, assignments,... a 24 hrs holiday for all of them ...and 9 propective managers embark on a trip to Kashid and Murud-Janjira, on the Konakan coast, @ 30 kms from Alibaug in Maharashtra.

The gang consists of Amit(a Bangalorite,loves to be referred to be as the devil), Anish( Malu born in Delhi,lovingly called Unni-Cola, for he worked in Coke before joining B-School),Chirodeep(aka Chiro, an IIT-Kgp architect, his brain is faster than most others in the batch),Dileep(lovingly called "kanna" by his malu friends and an ace striker with the football),Dinesh(aka Hawkeye, loves being photographed, can crack some heavy doses of "masala" jokes),Subin (an agricuture grad from kerala, can easily pass on as a gentle giant),Sunil(Electrical engineer from Manipal, never ever seen a guy with as great a sense of humour as him), Surekh(a proud malu computer engineer, who can talk on just about anything ranging from prawns to astronomy),and myself.

Thus the gang of 9, settled into a qualis at midnight, on a 180 kms trip, from Hinjewadi on the outskirts of Pune.The low temperatures ensured everyone was protected to the core in their warm clothes and the prospect of travelling through the night was quite thrilling. This also meant that we sure will cut on boarding expenses and instead spent the money somewhere else if not save it!!

Guys who sat with the driver on the front seat had the tough task of staying up all night to make sure that we are on the right track and dont loose our way. The way to kashid off the expressway was almost deserted and our vehicle was the lone ranger along the way.The moonlight road, coupled with guys cracking jokes along with the usual leg pulling and vibrant music playing ensured we were awake till quite long. Just as it looked a few of them were almost about to sleep, it was time to stop by the highway for a quick cup of tea. The wind was chilly and the passing trucks ensured that we are subjected to some cold blows of wind along the highway.

After the tea stop our qualis just raced away and before we could realise the sea was in sight along the road. The sea formed the periphery of the roads for quite a stretch which prompted us to stop our vehicle and catch a glimpse of the shores. Nature had blessed the place with serenity and the only sound was that of the waves with a tinge of cool breeze around. This was the last stretch of our journey before we reached Kashid beach at 5 in the morning...and this was some sight, white and fine sand, rising waves lashing the shores with no evidence of human beings around the vicinity ......

The cold within tolerable limits, we made ourselves comfortable on the beach gazing at the sky decorated with stars. As we were left admiring the scenes, few members of the gang preferred to catch up with some sleep while it seemed the sun was slowly making its entry and light was piercing its way through the night sky.

The morning saw us play beach football which saw me give away perhaps the fastest ever goal to the opposition in the history of the game.

As the sun shone brightly, the sea water got a bit warmer and all of us ventured into the sea, with everyone trying to dip the other . I too became a victim and got the taste of the salty water.
The session was followed by a clamour for food, but it was decided to skip breakfast and rather proceed to Murud about 15 kms from the place for lunch. Murud had been featured on lonely planet and we booked a room at a place called Bamboo nest along the sea shore. The place had hammocks tied to the coconut trees and this served us a welcome siesta after the heavy and delicious lunch.

In the afternnon, we were on our way to the local fort situated on an island off the coast in a sail boat. The journey was mesmirising and so was the fort whose history dates back to some 900 odd years.

The digital camera ensured we clicked pictures at all landmark locations untill we return back to our room to pack off.

The sun was about to descent and our journey too was about to end. A bicycle ride along the shore coupled with cold breeze mildly blowing made it a perfect evening.

The journey back to my B-School ensured that it was among the fastest and most enjoyable 24 hrs I had ever spent and will probably rank among the top getaways from the fast and hectic life at scmhrd

Article on JAM

Check this out! The article is copy pasted from JAMMAG.com. The comments underneath are the ones ppl posted after reading it....Had initially put the link to the article here, but after a new article was pu up there, have put the same here..


Campus Buzz: Gyaan @ FMCG Conclave.

Shankar Iyer of SCMHRD soaks in the speakers at the CII FMCG Conclave and returns duly enlightened.

Classroom B-School education had taught me the Kotler funda for marketing, but I was always eager to hear from our own Indian biggies of FMCG marketing who had made it big and executed strategies to perfection. Well, I had a chance to witness the 4th National FMCG Conclave organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries in Mumbai on 19th Dec.

The last minute approval of my director and timely arrangement of tickets by my friend made it possible for nine guys from SCMHRD, all dressed up in suits (our college uniform for special occasions) to travel by Qualis, early morning from Pune to Mumbai. In spite of a tyre puncture on the way we managed to reach early and get hold of some ringside chairs for the conclave.

The glitter of the occasion and the chance to interact with the who’s who during lunch and dinner was exciting for all nine of us. Stalwarts from Marico, Godrej, Rasna, P&G, HLL, Johnson & Johnson, Kelloggs India, Nestle, Coca Cola, GSK Health Care, Vadilal Industries, Britannia Ltd along with knowledge partners ATKearney were present in full force.

One of the best parts of the conclave was it brought together all stakeholders of the sector with participation from the government (Chief Guest, Minister Subodh Kant Sahai for Food processing Industry and Jayant Patil, Finance minister of Government of Maharashtra), legal experts from Pantaloon Retail, Nestle India and GSK Health Care, advertising agencies like Lowe, Leo Burnett and Equus Advertising, retailers and distributors apart from the major FMCG players.

Khimji Ramdas Group from Muscat, a growing player presented how the retailers had grown in the Middle East lending an international perspective to the conclave.

I had slept only three hours other night, but I did not even wink during the conclave, that was the magic of the speakers!

For the uninitiated on the sector, the FMCG sector over the years after liberalisation has grown mainly on two impulses, the rural sector and creation of value for the middle class, but growth for the sector started drying up after 1996, for which depth initiatives were needed.

Many of the speakers were quite crisp and passionate about their views and I hope they are able to translate all that they believe. I was also reminded about how my personal shopping experience to has changed with growth of organized retail and gone are the days during my childhood days when I used to accompany my mother to the local Kirana stores.

Dilip Sahgal of HLL started the post lunch session, “I have a difficult job, the job of the seventh husband of Elizabeth Taylor on the wedding night, to make it interesting and exciting!!” He showed us a movie on Project Shakti of HLL and how it had transformed “Rojamma” a lady from rural Andhra Pradesh. It was really touching to see how HLL had empowered rural Indians with project Shakti.

The conclave also deliberated on the ATKEARNEY- CII FMCG survey 2005 which has given five growth mantras for the industry namely:

* growth with organized retail

* rediscovery of rural

* better customer offers by improving operational efficiencies

* create differentiated, innovated next generation products with strong brand investments

* globalization.

FDI in retail also crept up during the discussion on Modern Trade segment (organized retail) but the forum was quite divided on the timing of the FDI and its implementation.

The audience were also treated to some visual delight with R Balki, National creative director of Lowe India presenting advertisement clippings, which had worked well across the rural and urban segments. Balki surely was a welcome change since he was the only one who was casually dressed for the occasion in jeans and T-shirt but he sure made some interesting points.

Balki’s advertisement clips included the Dabur advertisement starring the Big B and a TAFE Tractor advertisement featuring Raghuvir Yadav. The lack of mass media with adequate reach and under utilization of the national channel (DD) was sighted by Balki as one of the prime reasons for lack of reach in rural areas.

Apart from all this I felt the best was preserved for the last: The CEO session with the panel comprising Adi Godrej, Vinita Bali of Britannia, Narendra Ambwani of Johnson & Johnson, Piruz Khambatta of Rasna, K Venkatachalam of Kellogg India, Suhel Seth of Equus Advertising and moderated by NDTV profit editor Shivnath Thukral.

Suhel Seth was at his eloquent best when he said, “Rural, innovation and Breaking news are the three most abused terms in India”.

I also had my chance to question the panel regarding Talent Management in the sector to which they agreed that the FMCG players need to look beyond the I’s namely the IITs and IIMs for longevity of the employees in the sector. It was a wonderful feeling to get your question answered by a CEO! All in all, an event to remember!

--------------Comments posted on www.jammag.com for the post--

Subject: CoolGyaan

Good work roomie!!! i knew abt ur writing capabilituies but was the 1st time i am exposed to such eloquent & crisp lingo ..kudos
sumeet jain on 2005-12-29 15:28:19

Subject: congrats!!!!!!!
ur article s really great. gud work
divs on 2005-12-28 21:50:47

Subject: Cheerio
Very nicely written, u feel as if u are viewing the meet by yr own eyes, all the other comments hold true
Saurabh on 2005-12-28 15:17:09

Subject: Interesting !
Iyere... kalakkura! Indeed I should say thanks for taking us there to the event through your narration. You have enlightened us. So... what did the director say once you are back? Am sure, that would be an interesting anecdote as well!!!
Prabu on 2005-12-27 22:12:30

Subject: Nice report
Try your hand at reporting...send in your resume to newspapers..they're looking for nice young reporters.
Abhivandan on 2005-12-26 20:11:49

Subject: Good One
Hi dude, Performed as expected from you. Description is lively & crisp. Good indepth details. Keep it up.
Gaurav Maths on 2005-12-26 16:25:11

Subject: well written
i wonder how u got me to read an article on smtg as boring as FMCG sector..i think it was jst ur writing tht kept me rivetted..i like the way u write.
Sriram on 2005-12-26 09:34:05

Subject: fmcg conclave
Great! It was a pleasure reading your very mature writing. Shows you have grown.
Radha Iyer on 2005-12-24 21:39:51

Subject: FMCG conclave
well done. SCMHRD is proud of you.keep it up
Shweta Poddar on 2005-12-23 12:45:37

Subject: grt article
a very well written article which makes u feel that u ahve missed somethign worthwhile if u ahve nt attended the conclave. keep it up
Prashanthinie on 2005-12-23 12:43:40

Subject: That's a cool article!
Dude,that was a well-documentedcommentary of the conclave! Congrats! Keep it up!
surekh on 2005-12-23 12:41:58

Subject: fmcg conclave
dear mr.shankar your article is simply great keep it up
sv and mrs svs viswanathan on 2005-12-21 21:34:52

Ganguly and the sleepy weekend....

It has been a real sleepy weekend here at Hinjewadi's STPI...(Software Technology Park of India).....decided to come today to the computer laboratory in the acedemic block..inorder to avoid the afternoon siesta....have done well so far in the objective....

No classes..meant I actually spent some time in the library gaining some Gyaan on some important topics which every management strategist talks of ...Balance Scorecard and 36o degrees feedback.....also caught up with the book ..Snapshots from Hell..the making of an MBA by peter robinson.....its been long since I wanted to read the book...is an easy read and moi finished 70 odd pages b4 going to bed.

Is similar to Five Point Someone in the interest that it maintains throught...or may be ..moi have a feeling of emphathy while reading such books....

The news that caught my attention during the week was of Saurav Ganguly....how his sacking from the team led to a major public Debate ...with our politicians taking up the case during the question hour in parliament. What amazed me more was how the current speaker Mr. Somnath Chatterjee made a remark on the incident and admitted the question.

Sharad Pawar, the agricuture minister and and more importantly the BCCI chief, quicky distanced himself fromt the sacking, and made sure they he does not have to bear any political fallout of the issue. Inspite of the BCCI chief not having anything to do with the selection committe matters, he made sure he did not get involved in this mire.

I surely must admit......Politicians are really seasoned in their game....meanwhile one good development was the appeal from the ex-skipper to all his fans on the public outcry of emotions and the need to support the Indian team in the last and final test against Sri-Lanka at motera in Ahmedabad.......

meanwhile moi caught up with an article in the Indian express(today, Pune edition)....on the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project and how architect Bimal Patel is transforming the picture along the banks of the Sabarmati..the picture showed some real transformation...am sure people at my old office at Torrent Towers, will find out the difference in the time to come.....

Hope I visit Ahmedabad to seen the change in the future......

How can I help You?

Well...Well.....its a literal holiday for all of us ...from the junior batch here at scmhrd ..atleast in terms of classes...the final placements have started for the fresher batch....its a tense tense time for them..and moi can understand the situation very well..after what i underwent in graduation at Nirma (during engineering) and during my summers here .......

Yesterday was a free day for me since ..electives which i had not selected were scheduled for the day...and had no volunteering work with the PLC(..i.e placements team )..so went out with Subbu(..the guy who shares his name with our director).....to the city.....

Got a much needed haircut and did some good shopping....(long time I did that......)

And as I was away in the city........ Intel was on campus for my batch (marketing)....we got the news in the city that ...Pranjal, Adesh and Neha Takshak(resembles.......Sania Mirza..) had got thru the GD stage and were giving interviews......at the same time we in the city had finished our work and had missed the bus at 7.30 p.m...so with the next bus only being at 8.30 we went to "Chaitanya" on F.C Road ...moi... earlier...... had ...Aloo Parathas there....and man.,...they are "awesome".... as Subbu rightly put it.........also VFM( Value for money) ..since they were only 25 bucks.......
We finished and got the 8.30 p.m bus to college and directly landed on the floor on.... which the interviews were happening....

The Scene..the last interview was going on.....and the scene was tense...got hold of the three of them....Pranjal told me that she was asked to sing her poetry to them(she writes them!!).....just had the gut feeling....that she would get thru....after what Sunil had told me abt the way his interview had gone(...on his backlogs in engg, his girlfrnds..etc...).....

Just then.....the results came out..two ppl from Marketing..and guess what ....they were....Adesh and Pranjal......man they were happy and so were we....and we pulled both of them below to the fruit shop ...where we were joined by a load of other ppl......
Ate ice-creams as a treat from them.......

Must say....they are going to a really good place..hope the best for them..meanwhile..had to get up early for today mornings work at the Help Desk......man ..and this is a job......7 Companies on campus at the same time...and ppl rushing everywhere..for logistics, shortlists, information on venue, time of arrival, quesry on pay packages, mobilising ppl, ......and the center of attraction is the Help Desk.........The one question of use there at the desk was "May I help you?"..

Chiro(the IIT architect of my class) had arranged things well the other night and so it was much easy....could get things done well......just finshed my shift at 2 p.m..with others taking over....(expected to go on till 3 in the night).......

meanwhile its become.....difficult to get out of campus since there is attendance three times a day......

at present..... am hanging out in the comp. laboratory..answering questions on pagalguy.com(for admissions to scmhrd this year)...

Adios!!

Its Party time!!!

Ya it really was, on Sunday night!!

Class Party...., the venue was Tammanna (the local executive hotel at Hinjewadi) roof top......one of the reasons..to have the blast was ..celebrating the birthdays of 15 odd ppl of the class....
that is all those who had their birthdays falling in September to December..

moi too..danced..and danced after a long long long time........the last time i remember was during Jayal's surprise Birthday party , when I landed up in Baroda.......with Swar, Vaishali...etc..

The class representatives who had organised the party had also arranged for a DJ ...and oh ..boy...ppl really rocked......apart from five of them .....the entire class turned up in full strength..and everyone shook their legs...and boy...it was damn.... fun.....

The party unfortunately ended..as the girls left...(they have a time limit to stay outdoors......oh the rules ..i say...)...some of the guys did hang arnd though clicking pics....till late...

all in all..it was a night to remember and the attendance in the morning art of living class ....just proved how everyone had really....freaked out........

Classes as usual from today ...getting to the same old routine .....

Come Back continued...

Surely i missed a few things in my earlier come back post...one of them being the famous line "Success is getting what you want"and "To want what you get is happiness". Amazing line which actually catches life's reality, well that was a line given by Mr. Prantosh Banerjee, (our marketing and market research professor ) in his last lecture of the first semester when he said that he has had an amazing time teaching us all...and remembered the times also when he has been on the harsher side..by throwing people out of class in case they were not prepared for the lecture...... all in all....was a kind of senti speech..and may of us were really touched ....

This semester ..... have two more subjects that he is taking namely Sales and Distribution (an elective)...apart from Market Research.

This Semester has also seen lot of holidays on account of the electives that each one of us have selected.....ya with all my pledges of utilizing the time well...have only been sleeping a lot in the afternoons..with no signs of getting up before three hours if i hit the sack....

The other night (Sunday night)had stayed up doing my Operations research( the teacher's get up reminds me of George B Shaw..) assignment for submission on 5th morning....was a real challenge ..and it all the more was a challenge when many among the peer group had given up on it...attended the yoga session in the morning..inspite of staying up all night....but it was really worth it.....

The week also saw a guest lecture by the vice president (sales) of Bunge India ltd. ..unknown..is it not? actually the company that bought the Dalda brand from HLL...was really interesting...and showed the real power of our rural consumers..for whom the product is specifically marketed....
a 70,000 crore market it is..whooping figure indeed.......

Apart from this the weekly quizzes a.k.a FCQ's have started with an E-Business quiz on Saturday....can well look forward to a few more of these in the saturdays to come......
signing off for now....have to attend the Deutsch Unterricht(German Class) in a few minutes from now....

Aufviedersehn!!!!(Good bye)

Repositioning moi Blog!!

Its been a long long ..time sinc e I blogged just checked ..the last was on the 6th of August 2005. Almost four months and man..what a transition in these four months.....It was a Trekking trip to lonavala....Vipassana followed... , Summer placements soon after, term end exams later....a short trip home in between for Diwali......coming back to appear for the two remaining exams...then a quickly arranged trip to bangalore as soon as the exams were over....and the new semester ...from 7th November.....then the Art of living in the morning ...(at 5 am that is....)

Being held up with work , work and more work ...well not finding time is what ppl say an MBA is all about....

and but finally I have decided to come back on the blogging scene ..and ya a come back with a new blog spot to solely focus on activties that are shaping around my MBA....(or rather PGDM to be precise...)

...got an opportunity to do this..since my CMM( short form for Capital and Money Market) class got can cancelled......

Also I have hence named my comeback on the scene as repositioning(one of the hundred jargons that I am on the verge of mastering...) my blog....a new name...a new URL.....and a promise to come back often..as often as possible....

also the semester promises lesser classes and more time for self study..so ..in theory should find enough time to come here often.......

On this note will sign off....

Cheers!!