GliMPse

Volume 1, Issue 2 XLRI GMP Newsletter

“Generations to
come will scarce
believe that such a
person in flesh and
blood ever walked
on this planet.”
Inside this issue:
Leave a legacy 2 did take some time to get rid
Beyond the classroom... 3
Bura jo khelan main chala... 4
Editorial
We were not yet out of the
shock (!!!) of end term exams.
We were not yet back to real-
ity after our trips to our
homeland (and vacation spots
for some). And just a day or
two into the course, there
were emails floating around
for group formation for as-
signments on various new
courses. Term 2 was just get-
ting started…
And the ghosts of the first
term were still haunting us. A
goofed up exam, a mini pro-
ject, pending assignments and
reports from the courses that
we least paid attention to. It
of those backlogs, didn’t it?
Phew.
Looking back, we realize that just a few of the many things
the 1st term of GMP was in- we’d remember about the first
deed a very enjoyable one. term, and these are sure to
The long nights of group stud- continue in the second term
too.
Something else too happened
in first term… GliMPse be-
came a part of our lives. So
without much ado, we present
ies where more bakwaas hap-
to you the 2nd edition of
pened than did studies, the
unending debates over coffee
GliMPse. We’ve added a lot of
new features this time
at the night canteen, the group
around, and we sincerely hope
assignments which everybody
you like them. Whether you
wanted to work on but no-
do or you don’t, make sure
body did until the last day you let us know!
arrived, our propensity to
have fun even when the sword
was hanging over our heads,
the lectures that sounded like
lullabies and the ones we nev-
er missed because they were
just too much fun. These are

KAIRA 5

Ego vs. Alter Ego—1 5

XLers Xploring the world…
Tech Talk 6

What’s hot? 6 This October, GMPians of
batch of 2011 will be making a
Know your batch, mate! 7 beeline for the 5 colleges in
France, Philippines, Taiwan and
Indian hockey 7 the United States of America
for the international immersion
Pro’s words? 8
module, intending to get a bet-
ter understanding of the busi-
Testing grey cells 8
ness and work dynamics in the Loyola University in Chicago &
host cultures. The participating IESEG in Lille.
colleges for this year include
Asian Institute of Management
in Manila, Freeman School of
business in Tulane, Fu Jen
Catholic university in Taiwan,
Graduate School of Business
Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 2

“Leave a legacy”, says Rekha Menon Nikunj Verma

It is tough to be a CXO in today’s inter-

connected world. You have to be ultra
careful in each decision you take and that
makes the job much more difficult. The
solution is to define your core values and
be true to them whatever you do. This
was only one of the personal insights
shared by Ms Rekha Menon, COO of Ac-
centure India and an XLRI alumnus, while
she was talking to the current students of
General Management Program (GMP) at
XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Ms Rekha Menon, the gold medalist from

1981 batch of XLRI, graduated at the time
when women were seldom seen outside
their homes after 6 pm and the top re-
cruiters of those times refused to hire
women for business management func-
tions. How she got successful by fighting
such a discriminating system and still man-
aging to retain her core values was an
insightful learning for the current students,
especially the numerous female students
of XLRI.

The audience was particularly enriched by

Ms Menon’s ideas on leadership qualities
needed for a top leader in today’s corpo-

“Experiences shape you and de-

rate environment. She said – ―Since the
industry is changing at a phenomenal pace,
ambidexterity and adaptive capacity of a
leader is absolutely essential today.‖ She
also cited ―ability to learn from the cruci-
ble and challenging events in one’s life‖ as
one of the differentiating factors between
great leaders and the rest. However the
most fundamental and defining quality of
all is one’s integrity and a set of other
core values which one needn’t ―wear on
the sleeve‖ but withhold supremely in all
one’s actions.
This last quality is especially relevant in
today’s context when in addition to im-
parting quality management education; it is
increasingly becoming important for
Bschools to teach about the value sys-
tems. And that’s exactly what got rein-
fine where and how you reach”
forced by Ms Menon today. ―Look at the
mirror hard‖, ―Think what you will be
remembered for‖ were some of the ex-
pressions which threw the budding manag-
ers in introspection.
In the ensuing question and answer ses-
sion, the students also sought Ms Menon’s
insights increasingly relevant areas of cor-
porate governance, corporate social re-
sponsibility, scarcity of successful entre-
preneurial ventures in India and the threat
to Indian IT industry from China and Latin
American countries.
Ms Rekha Menon is an XLRI alumnus, and
the gold medalist from 1981 batch. Starting
her career on the shopfloor of Eicher
Goodearth, and then moving to Ashok Ley-
land, she has also served as the General Man-
ager (Human Resources) with Aditi Technolo-
gies. She co-founded of India's first CRM com-
pany, Talisma, in 2000, before joining Accen-
ture in 2004. During her tenure, Accenture
India has shown a multi-fold growth from a
3000-people company to now more than
57,000-strong company (and the largest Ac-
centure operation globally).
Page 3
Beyond the classroom...
We had immensely enjoyed his insightful
real life examples and subtle jokes in stoic
monotones in the marketing management
classes in term 1. Beyond the classroom,
Prof. Pingali Venugopal is an extremely
simple, down-to-earth person. We at
GliMPse realized it after an informal inter-
view with the professor, excerpts of which
follow:
GliMPse: Are you a morning or night per-
son?
Venu Sir: Early morning, early means be-
fore 6.
GliMPse: Do you believe in life on other
planets?
Venu Sir: I believe in life at heaven (if you
can call heaven that), but not on planets/
aliens.
GliMPse: Your favourite celebrity??
Venu Sir: Dhoni :-), It was Azhar and now
it is Dhoni. The only reason I follow Chen-
nai Super Kings.
GliMPse: If you could have any superpow-
er, what would it be?
Venu Sir: Never imagined
GliMPse: If you could visit/live anywhere in
the world, where would you live?
Venu Sir: Australia, my children are there.
GliMPse: What is the one thing that no
one knows about you?
Venu Sir: Myself, what i am... :)
GliMPse: Best brand / Advertisement?
Venu Sir: Sleep Well (car one and lady
taking a kid)
GliMPse: If not a professor then what you
would be?
Venu Sir: Marketing profession.
GliMPse: What is your favourite thing to
do on a Saturday night?
Venu Sir: Any night it is sleep that I love
to do... Zzzzz...
GliMPse: What were you doing the last
time you really had a good laugh?
GliMPse
Bhuvan
Swati Ghaisas
Venu Sir: Generally in the coffee lounge we
relax and share jokes. GliMPse: Ok… Please tell us the secret of
8 AM then?
GliMPse: What is your all-time favourite Venu Sir: Every day at 8 AM I have my
comedy movie? own special cocktail… outside Jubilee
Venu Sir: Srivariki premalekha (A Telugu park. A mixed juice of karela, neem, tulsi,
movie) amla, etc.
GliMPse: Do you have a nickname?
Venu Sir: I never had a nickname during
my childhood/college/professional days.
But in XLRI I got a nickname… Do you
guys know about the 2x2 matrix system
for classifying nicknames…
Decent Indecent
(!!!)
Known to
Faculty
Unknown to
Faculty
My known name is ―Pingu‖, now you de-
cide where it falls in the matrix… Actually
when another professor R Venugopal
joined XLRI, he was nicknamed ―Ringu‖ :-)
GliMPse: What song always makes you hap- GliMPse: What made u think to come to
py when you hear it? XLRI after corporate life?
Venu Sir: Shankara bharanam, Annamayya Venu Sir: There were many reasons:
1. Generally when you are working and a
GliMPse: What favourite food puts you in a lot of things are happening you tend to
great mood? miss out on many things. When I went to
Venu Sir: Pessarattu institute (IIM-A) for an MDP program I
found that there were a lot of things that I
GliMPse: Cricket/football?? missed.
Venu Sir: Basketball! :) 2. There is a lot of freedom in academics
to do what you want to do. Or even if you
GliMPse: What was the best vacation you want to do anything or not! I can decide
ever had? what to do here.
Venu Sir: This summer we spent 7 days in a
hill station - just trekking, walking and GliMPse: Anything to the batch / alumni?
chilling out. No email, mobiles, TV, etc. It Venu Sir: Interaction between alumni and
was in Australia - a place called Grampians, with the institute should be regular.
there were lots of animals like kangaroos
etc. around.
GliMPse: what is the secret of 8 PM, your
most favourite phrase in class?
Venu Sir: No, no… it is not about 8 PM…
It’s actually 8 AM drink.
Volume 1, Issue 2
Bura jo khelan main chala...
This is my tale of plight that I had the other
day. Please read the following with a bit of
compassion for me all through!!!!
I had a time of my life yesterday in a TT
club here. There is this dangerous guy,
who is known in the city due to his sheer
TT playing abilities. He's the captain-cum-
coach of the district team that we have
and often represents the state in some
events. He’s as dangerous to look at as is
his game (80-90 kg of meat stacked some-
how in a skeleton frame). You didn’t need
to stretch your imagination too far to
conceptualize how Mahishasur would have
looked. You only need to look at him and
here you are, standing in front of Mahi-
shasur in blood and flesh.
You know those friends of mine, they as
they are threw a challenge on him that I
play good TT and that I’ll beat him (in the
game of TT, that is. Make no confusions).
So you know… pehla game toh 21-2 se
haar gayein (was not getting any clue of his
serves, even all my smashes flew all across,
but for the table, and on my serves he
would smash [read smack] so hard that
five red spots would appear on my thighs
and arms instantly in each round of my
serves).
Then in the second game I carried on the
fight up to 21-4 (the ball seemed to dance
to his racquet's tune and I was left a help-
less spectator to those spinning smashes
and serves). That demon would grin at me
with each smash or serve of his. Believe
me, had it not been for his giant built up,
he would have been a dead man by now.
His biceps (which incidentally were as
thick as my thigh muscles) restrained me
from such ideas.
Anyways game three, 21-8. But by now I
had started noticing that he was very tem-
peramental and would yell at himself for
each wrong shot he played...
Well... this was my chance. It was now or
never for me. Do or die (read lie),
Prashant!
I told (beguiled, lied to) him that his style
of smash delivery was totally erroneous
and that he should improve upon it. I
shadow smashed few shots to demon-
strate it to him. I even told him that his
basics were totally wrong. I followed it up
with few other tips too, knowing fully well
that he was getting irritated with each of
my suggestions (how can a menial crea-
ture like me teach him the basics of TT,
the game in which he represents the
city??).
of
Prashant was the winner
gles
the GMP TT men’s sin
15
tournament held on Sep
st-
2010 which saw 24 conte
pi-
ants fighting for the cham
onship. He says, “I’m the
as-
Jack of all trades, and M
ter of (N)one!”
Well, the iron was hot, it only needed me
to give it a gentle strike and I, to your
fullest of assurances, very efficiently, did it
and without any mercy.
Game 4… 13-7. With the demon to
serve. The stage was all set for him to
route me with another show of his superi-
ority. But hey, what are friends for?
With each smash and point that the beast
robbed of me, he was greeted with anti
cheers (cheers for me) and all the other
discouraging compliments for him like, a
friend of mine yelled at him, ―iss se ghatia
shot aaj tak nahi dekha maine?‖ and anoth-
er one adding that he only plays spin and is
Page 4
Prashant Sahay
a very limited player.
Perhaps this irked him and it was followed
by a series of too many unforced errors
from him (accompanied with ear deafening
yells which threatened to crack open the
glass windows of the club).
And here I was, 16-19. I was to serve. As
the last nail to his coffin, I gestured to him
to play straight which in any case he was
doing. That soared his temperature to
106oF. With hands trembling with anger,
each of my four serves were greeted with
mach 3 returns, but, outside the playing
area, with my friends cheering me like a
craze. This took him totally off the
ground.
Finally I was leading, could you believe
it?!!? (I couldn’t). Without showing him my
disbelief of the situation, I served it to him
and stood like a helpless lamb waiting for
the Martian to smack it at any place he
wished it to. But God gracious, the Devil
netted the ball with all force that he had.
Poor net, it met with its untimely demise
due to the ferocity of the last shot...
Could you believe it, I HAD WON... I had
won against this beefy creature.
He could not believe it either. He stood
his ground in sheer disbelief.
He was tasting his own medicine and me,
the sweet lime soda.
Page 5 GliMPse

KAIRA Investments Rohit VM

With a view to making profits, ―ethically For further details, and to invest, please
we hasten to add‖, the GMP Investment contact any of the members:
Club – Kaira Investments was launched,
with much fanfare, for the first time, in Ankit Arora
GMP’s history.
Aravindan J
Kaira stands for: K(nowledge) A(nalysis) I
Manoj K. Chaturvedi
(ntellect) R(esearch) A(lert) – KAIRA.
Pawan Kumar
A Greek word which means right or oppor-
tune moment, which aligns with our goal of Piyush Pati
finding the right opportunity to invest in the
market and of generating profits for our inves- Prasad Deshpande
tors.
Ramanan Kannan
Kaira Investments was formed by leverag-
ing the wide diversity available in the GMP Rohit VM
batch. The diversity is apparent in that the
Saurabh Agarwal
club has experience in various sectors like
Banking, Pharmaceuticals, Telecom, IT and
Shantanu Jindal
Technology within a team of just eleven
members. Deep knowledge of various Vipin Chand
industries should help the club in good
stead in diversifying its portfolio of stock
investments. At the moment, the club functions as a set
of Investors and Researchers, both being
With an eager bunch of students, anxious coordinated by a Fund Manager.
to put Professor Sengupta’s and Professor
Mohanty’s teachings to practice, the batch With weekly meetings, and status updates
can rest assured that their money’s going to be rolled out, the aim is to maintain a
into safe hands. high level of transparency in the operations.

Ego vs. Alter Ego—1 Avinash Sekar

Alter-Ego : Why don’t you pick this
course on Structured Finance?
Ego: I don't know what Structured Finance
is.
Alter-Ego: But, isn't that the reason why
you should pick this one?
Ego: I might score a poor grade!
Alter-Ego: Yes, but if the prof assures that
you will certainly pass, will you give it a
try?
Ego: I would like a better grade. I am not
sure whether I would get that if I pick this.
The topic already appears vague. What if it
turns out to be tough?
Alter-Ego: So you want to be assured that
you will pass and get a better grade, even
before you want to learn?
Ego: Well, no. But a better grade would
not mess up my overall CQPI, in turn my
chances at the interview et al..
Alter-Ego: If you are assured of success in
life even before you try, will you die
young?
Ego: [Silence]
Volume 1, Issue 2
Tech Talk...
The cut throat competition among the
telecom service operators has led to se-
vere price wars bringing down the Aver-
age Revenue Per User(ARPU). These have
led to operators looking for alternate
sources of revenue. Mobile value added
services (MVAS) have one been of the
primary sources among these alternatives,
contributing around 10% of their reve-
nues. The rural Indian customer segment
has not been left untouched by these
mobile VAS.
In India, many farmers have their agricul-
tural lands very far from their homes. In a
country with erratic supply, many go to
their fields and find that electricity is not
there, when they try to switch on the
motor pumps. But now with an mobile
value added service application developed
by a Pune-based company, Ossian Agro,
the farmer can dial a code from his mobile
phone to a wireless device attached to the
pump, they can remotely monitor the
electricity supply and can also switch the
motor on and off remotely. Technology is
known as Nano Ganesh, being test mar-
keted in a few villages in India with the
help of Tata Teleservices.
Pranjal Choudhury
A mobile modem along with a mobile
phone is attached to the controls the
starter of the pump set. How it works is,
once the system is deployed, a code is
given to the farmer to switch on/off the
pump set. To power on the pump set, the
farmer has to dial the number of the mo-
bile phone attached to the panel. The
availability of power is confirmed by a long
beep sound. If the availability is confirmed,
the farmer has to type in the pre-set code
to switch on the pump set and cut the call.
To power off the pump set, the farmer
has to go through the same process but
with a different pre-set code typed in.
Tata Indicom has partnered with Ossian
Agro and has been the first telecom ser-
vice provider to offer this service. Both
the mobile phones are bundled with the
offer. Calls to the mobile attached to the
pump are free and other calls are billed
according the prevailing Tata Indicom
rates.
Page 6
What’s hot?
Sports are now more than just games. It is
a huge industry that is still growing and
shows no sign of slowing down. In fact it is
set to grow faster than ever before over
the next few years. Meanwhile, companies
that are not associated with some sport as
a strategic part of trade or marketing are
increasingly rare. From an economic per-
spective, the sports business moves a lot
of money and involves a large number of
sectors - from sports teams to communi-
cation and leisure agents - as well as oper-
ations related to sporting events.
Companies who invest in this sector all
seek to associate themselves with the
positive values that sporting activities
evoke. Nevertheless, the sports sector is
far from risk-free, and canny and compe-
tent managers are key factors for manag-
ing ever-increasing investments in the in-
dustry.
The ease of access via retransmissions not
only on television but also on mobile
phones or podcasts, means that sports
sponsorship will play an increasingly im-
portant role in corporate strategies, ac-
counting for a far greater share of the
marketing mix than traditional publicity.
Fast evolving global events, thriving new
infrastructure and large fan following for
diverse sports are making India a major
sports destination. Career opportunities
are extensive and varied in this rapidly-
expanding field, but there is a huge short-
age of trained professionals. Next few
years will be defining for this fast growing
industry.
Page 7
Know your batch, mate!
You might have seen him strolling around
alone lost in thoughts or with the group of
his friends (which is probably the only
time you might have witnessed him smile,
btw).
So we at GliMPse embarked on a mission
to find whether there’s more to this per-
son than we know. By virtue of the seri-
ous mood that he has managed to main-
tain about himself, not many people know
that ―serious‖ Srihari has another side of
the personality that he seldom reveals.
What follows is the outcome of our mis-
sion:
GliMPse: Do you prefer sweet or salty
foods?
Srihari: Sixteen years of hostel / mess
food...do I care?
GliMPse: If you had a million dollars, what
would you spend it on?
Srihari: Put it in different interest bearing
annuities with multiple compounding and
keep wondering about effective annual
interest...
GliMPse: What is the one regret you
have?
Indian hockey
Our hockey players must wonder
We play for the country’s honour too
Then why this difference?
The cricketers get crores
While we are treated like eye sores
In the sixties we were champs
But look now
We are treated like dirty tramps
Nobody seems to care
Kids say cricket is what they like
GliMPse
Narendran Santhanam
Srihari: Why tinker with perfection...
whew.
GliMPse: What is the best band of all
time?
Srihari: My wedding band...
GliMPse: What is your favorite thing to do
on a Saturday night?
Srihari: Answer questionnaires like this
one...
GliMPse: What is your first thought when
you wake up?
Srihari: Did I do something wrong??
Srihari: After my graduation from engineer-
ing, my folks asked me "you didn’t get good GliMPse: What was your favorite child-
grades, you didn’t get a girl, you didn’t do hood television program?
drugs, what the heck did you do?"
Srihari: Giant robot...Saturday afternoons
GliMPse: What is the one thing you like at 1630 hrs... or was it 1700 hrs?
about being an adult?
GliMPse: Who's the funniest person you
Srihari: Not having to grow up? know?
GliMPse: What is the one thing you miss Srihari: Sowmya... my wife... she thinks I
about being a kid? am funny...
Srihari: Being a kid...
GliMPse: What is the one thing you would
change about yourself?
Pawan Kaul
Dhoni is their hero Ain’t it sad
Dhanraj and Prabhjot? Hockey is our national game
Dude… who are they? But look what we have done
And what do they play? We have messed it up right to the core
When India plays cricket For the naysayer
Each ball is watched with glee Indian hockey has no hope
Hockey is no match But I say miracles do happen
People don’t care a hoot There is always some scope!
For which player is around or who gets
the boot
Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 8

Pro’s words? Narendran Santhanam

1 2
3 Across
4 5 1. Where statues also read nowadays (7)
4. Everybody wants to give these but no-
6
body wants them (8)
7 8 7. He steals your watch and tells you the
9 time (10)
9. She clued madly to give a time table (8)
11. Sad cutesy method of teaching? (4,5)
10
13. ? (5,2,3,4)
11 12 19. Expensive, especially stocks (10)
21. Something in a Baghdad user is a tea
joint (5)
23. Eve spoke the first of languages with
13 14 great anger to express a measure of risk
15 (8)
16 24. It's not an amateur pipe, it may be
technical or marketing (7)
17
18 Down
19 20 2. Our way of having fun is by losing
memory (7)
21
3. Can I tent at Ivey School of Business?
Not sure (9)
22 23 5. Do you have trust in the recess?
6. Cipla Cements might sound weird, but
it's what we're all working hard for (10)
24
8. Though the name stings somehow, we
will have to complete it when the faculty
gives it to us (10)
10. Writing on your desk to compare
yourself with the best out there? (12)
How well versed are you with the terms you use in your everyday life at 12. The only software a consultant needs
GMP? Answer that question by attempting this crossword. Good luck (Yeah, to know (10)
you’ll need it!). 14. A deal item somehow indicates the
total production period (4,4)
15. India is better than most countries in
this aspect, a rather comic one! (8)
Send your entries to: 16. I use my own paper somehow to have
glimpse@astra.xlri.ac.in a strong sleep (5,3)
17. Not head again is a channel to sell
goods (6)
18. Confuse and bring to make a major

Testing grey cells...

aspect of marketing (8)
20. The one who helped define this term
could also be the one carrying your bags
(7)
The grey cells of the GMPians were tested in a different environment on 15th Septem- 22. A toilet might actually be the most
ber, 2010. The occasion was the first GMP quiz. Hosted by Srihari & Anupam, the quiz readily available food in our mess (4)
saw a tight contest between the teams. Ultimately, the team of Rohit and Praveen man
aged to beat their close competitors and eventual runners up, Prashant and Vikash. It
was a double treat for Prashant, as he had won the TT tournament earlier in the day!
What’s up at GMP?
Congrats…
… to Tarun Pandey and Anupam Aloke
who made GMP proud by getting selected
to the final round of ―Systematics and
Deloitte Case study competition‖ hosted
by SJMSOM, IIT Bombay. Finals will be
held on the Deloitte, Mumbai premises, in-
front of a panel from Deloitte consulting.
Winners get a PPI with Deloitte Consult-
ing and cash prizes worth 25000 INR. We
wish Team GMP all the very best!!!
Industrial visit…
As part of their Productions and Opera-
tions Management course, the GMP team
visited industries in and around Jamshed-
pur such as Tata Steel, Tata Power and
Tata Motors. It was a good learning expe-
rience for the batch, which largely com-
prises people from non-manufacturing
Doodled by Prashant Sahay
XLRI GMP is a One year full time
MBA Program for executives with a
minimum of 5 years of experience.
The batch strength is 120. Candidates
have varied backgrounds and excelled
in their respective fields. Admission is
through GMAT/XAT scores, Essays &
Interviews.
Photo of the month… …By Vipin Chand
backgrounds. They could relate the in- Send your suggestions to:
class learnings to the practical operations narendran.santhanam@astra.xlri.ac.in
in the plant. swati.ghaisas@astra.xlri.ac.in
pranjal.choudhury@astra.xlri.ac.in
GliMPse is XLRI GMP’s new
sletter bringing you the lat-
est happenings at the GMP cou
rse. The content in this
newsletter represents the though
ts, intentions, plans or
strategies of students of XLRI
GMP 2011 and makes no
representations as to the accura
cy, completeness, suitability
or validity of any information on
this newsletter, and will not
be liable for any errors, omissions
or delays in this infor-
mation or any losses, injuries or
damages arising from its dis-
play or use. The opinions exp
ressed here are of the XLRI-
GMP students alone and do not
reflect the opinions of the
institute or any employee thereo
f. XLRI is not responsible
for the accuracy of any of the
information supplied by the
students.