Sunday, April 4, 2010

The 2 States: The story of me being Racist

ACT I
“They will be from a state called India”

Destination Chennai, I hate the heat of the vibrant city. But interview and placement left me with no choice. On the way, I thought 2 years of PGDM life took all the things away that I loved. Like football, “adda”, movies and even sometimes books. At Cochin Airport I decided to buy this book, Bhagat’s latest, The 2 States: The story of my marriage.

On the way to Chennai I started reading and there was a strong similarity I found on the first few pages. It went on till the end. No I am not talking about a BONG guy falling in love with a MALLU gal…

Why do we hate us? you mallu, me bong, you gujju and I am bihari...The answer is simple… WE ARE RACIST… 2 years in Kochi made me hate the people and the food… do I really hate the people and the food… Like Bhagat I started with a reconciliation process. Tell me one person I hate because he/she is a mallu? No, I couldn’t remember a single name. Then why do I keep on cursing this place and the people… situations may be… frustration, confinement and other issues might have influenced apathy and hatred for this place.


ACT II

I hate hostel and canteen food, I chose to eat outside during my last trimester. Thanks to Patel bhai for lending his bike everyday in exchange of a huge fee, a candyman a day… and thanks to Kannan, Anil n Harry for taking me to the MALLU food joint. Yes, I am in love with the typical Beef Biriyani and Moore (hope its right). Aviyal and payasam not bad anymore… but I yet cursed the city and everything related to it. I again thought… lets see… Kannan, well I am envious of that guy, the most deserving guy in the entire SCMS… Jishnu, well just adorable, Anil follow him to understand how to balance fun and work… Shalini, well it was always fun to be with her… Veena- that gal is crazy… Nima, wat a student and wat a friend… Nishi n Sreedevi, I don’t know how we became so close and how things broke up… don’t get me wrong, we are still great friend… Sarkar, well he is not a mallu... so forget him... and last but not the least… Gowri Potti… The biggest influence in my SCMS life… she was always there, when I did something good, or when I did something stupid.. she stood beside me… if I ever become successful in life, I will definitely owe her big time, as she was the one who controlled this stupid hot headed guy and made him understand what life actually is..

Then how do I hate Mallus? No answer… sitting in DM Travellers Inn, Chennai, I feel ashamed… how racist I was, how stupid I was… my silly comments may have created pain… a lot of pain for others…


ACT III

I don’t expect a Ananya Swaminathan in my life… but I do expect a life where Kerala will be a place in my heart for ever… I want to go home now… but at the same time…I want to stay (rests in my heart)… West Bengal and Kerala… The 2 states…

Friday, April 2, 2010

SCMS Hostel and our Ikka's Shop

THERE IS NOTHING OFFICIAL ABOUT IT

Title: To list out the Prime Selling Goods and Products and understand the Buying Behaviour of customers in Misiriya Shop, Kalamessery.

General Background:
Misiriya shop is located at the junction of the two roads that lead to SCMS Men’s Hostel I & II. From the very beginning of SCMS life, Misiriya shop becomes a hot destination for purchase of various goods for the Men of SCMS. It not only provides the necessary day to day basic amenities but also serves as a spot where the true exchange of information takes place, it is the only place where the Juniors meet the Seniors. Suggestions, recommendation and hints about SCMS life are often imparted on this Holy shop of the students very own Ikka.

Methodology: Intense observation and in depth interview

Objective of the study: To understand the reason for various purchases by the students who reside in Men’s Hostel I & II. To make a list of the top 5 products that gets sold from this shop. To find out the association of other motives (if any) of the students that initiates or motivates the purchase.

Analysis:
From the intense study it is found out that basically Misiriya shop sell the following item in great number. The following is listed but they are not ranked:
1. Lime Water
2. A4 Papers
3. Maggi
4. All kind of Mobile Phone Currencies
5. Éclairs
Lime Water: Human Psychology is so complex; even if you sit the whole day in the Air conditioned room in the Prathap Nagar campus, at 5:30 pm you feel tired, drenched and fatigued. What better thing can give you the recharge you need than natural lime water? In the absence RED Bull, Ikka’s lime water energises the minds of the budding managers and they say, “Let’s get back to work (assignments)”.

A4 Size Paper: Ikka’s strategy of packing 20 pages of white A4 pages with old news paper cover is an incredible creative marketing tactic. Operations, OB, Marketing, Sales, SCM and Communication have only one thing in common – Assignments. Mr. Pritam (Named Changed) suggests, “Life in SCMS is tough, assignment to be submitted at 9:10 is a real challenge for us, getting the stationery becomes a real botheration, but Ikka’s help is worth mention and I would dedicate at least 20% of my internal assignment score to Ikka”. Ikka is now on a business diversification mode and is planning to start providing Assignment Cover – I suspect, there must be some sort of collaboration with some students of Finance Department of Batch 17 who is providing the soft copies to him and violating the norms of SCMS.

Maggi: The staple food of SCMS… The yellow packet has its own appeal among students. “We can go without rice, but Maggi, not possible” says an old phantom of Batch 17 who is popularly known as Chiggi Wiggi baby. He adds on, “The most important thing in life is eating and when I get bored with the regular Gurvayurappan Bhojanalayam food, I just go to Ikka and say Ikka Bas 2 minute wala noodle ho jaye”.

Cell Phone Currency: “Away from home, away from home… Lord I am 500 miles away from home”. Airtel and Docomo are already in a fight over strategies like 1 paisa per second. Docomo’s simcards are available at Rs.5 with a talk time of Rs.49. Sarkar (Name Changed) says, “I buy a sim everyday, as it is with NANO, TATA has decided to give us the best option for calling and I am one of those who are using it the most”. There are other students too who have become great apostles of TATA Docomo. One search found out the fact that about 30% of sims are taken by the female students of SCMS. Now, the question to be asked is whether all the calls are made to family members or somewhere else. The next product brings out a great association for the Men’s and Women’s Hostel. “Away from home, away from home… Lord I am 4 kilometers away from you!!!”

Éclairs: A correlation test shows the real relation or rather association between the Men’s Hostel and the Women’s Hostel. Men are not attached with chocolates as per the marketing gurus of Kochi. But it is found out that demand of éclairs is high in Misiriya shop. Now, éclairs are bought for either consuming or gifting. Internal sources say that éclairs wrappers are abundant in the dustbins of the Women’s Hostel, though there is no shop near the ladies hostel. Now the question is who gives éclairs to whom?

Conclusion: Association is strange word; a simple market research like this can never interpret associations and relations. The only thing that was found out is that fact that Misiriya shop sustains all the male students of SCMS though the female students has a subtle link to all these. Their effect is obviously understood and felt.

The project is imaginary and resemblance with any event, product or person is mere coincidence.