Coffee Trends: Railway Budget 2008 - 09
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as Railway Budget 2008 - 09, coffee trends
What happened in Railway Budget which was presented a couple of weeks back?
Well, the answer is lots. He is an attempt to do a “Railway Budget Made Simple” :-)
First of all, let us congratulate the railway ministry for making a profit of 25000 crores. This is the first time Indian Railways has made profit. Now, lets see whats in store for us in the following year.
What do you do when you want to travel by train? You reserve ticket, go to railway station, wait there for the train and finally travel. Now lets categorize the measures.
1. Ticket Reservation:
- There is a minor reduction in prices in all categories like I AC, II AC, Sleeper etc, not much to breathe easy :-)
- New trains to be introduced, well! you will get tickets now (hopefully :-))
- Steps taken to abolish the queue for tickets in 2 years. Ticket booking should be possible from anywhere.
- Ticket booking to be facilitated by mobile phones.
- Smart cards to be introduced in railway station. They are also planning to introduce call centre support!
2. Go to Railway Station:
- Stations to get lifts and elevators.
- Multilevel parking at stations are going to be introduced.
3. Wait for train:
- Touch screens, Colour TVs are likely to be introduced in station.
- Platforms to be extended to accommodate more people.
4. Travel in train:
- Better toilets to be introduced! (Oh God! Finally)
- Trains will display the next station. (You dont have to get down in the middle of the night to find out where you are)
Hmm.. Lot of schemes.. Lets analyze this next year to see how much is being done..
At Coffee Trends, I intend to pick up a recent topic, analyze it fully and present a conceptual or logical level information behind the topic.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of Coffee Trends!
First of all, let us congratulate the railway ministry for making a profit of 25000 crores. This is the first time Indian Railways has made profit. Now, lets see whats in store for us in the following year.
What do you do when you want to travel by train? You reserve ticket, go to railway station, wait there for the train and finally travel. Now lets categorize the measures.
1. Ticket Reservation:
- There is a minor reduction in prices in all categories like I AC, II AC, Sleeper etc, not much to breathe easy :-)
- New trains to be introduced, well! you will get tickets now (hopefully :-))
- Steps taken to abolish the queue for tickets in 2 years. Ticket booking should be possible from anywhere.
- Ticket booking to be facilitated by mobile phones.
- Smart cards to be introduced in railway station. They are also planning to introduce call centre support!
2. Go to Railway Station:
- Stations to get lifts and elevators.
- Multilevel parking at stations are going to be introduced.
3. Wait for train:
- Touch screens, Colour TVs are likely to be introduced in station.
- Platforms to be extended to accommodate more people.
4. Travel in train:
- Better toilets to be introduced! (Oh God! Finally)
- Trains will display the next station. (You dont have to get down in the middle of the night to find out where you are)
Hmm.. Lot of schemes.. Lets analyze this next year to see how much is being done..
At Coffee Trends, I intend to pick up a recent topic, analyze it fully and present a conceptual or logical level information behind the topic.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of Coffee Trends!
You will find these in my blog: Coffee, Fun, Carnatic Music, Mridangam, Google, Random thoughts, Business ideas, Start ups, Videos, Blogposts, Cricket, India, Philosophy, Real life Experience.. The list goes on…..
Popularity: 8%
Coffee With Harish B! - A Marketing Professor
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as Marketing, Professor, coffee with experts, harish B
Hi folks,
Its time for another Coffee interview. This time, with Harish B. Harish is a Marketing Professor at SCMS Cochin. He also maintains a blog - Marketing Practice. This is one of the best and widely used resource for marketing in India. Its my pleasure to welcome Harish to Coffee With Experts.
===================================================================
Coffee With Harish B! - A Marketing Professor
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
HB: Harish B
Me: Hello Sir, Welcome to CWS! Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational background and work experience?
HB: I did my MBA in marketing from Rajagiri School of Social Sciences (Cochin) .Then I worked with a Newspaper as Marketing Executive, selling advertising space and co-ordinating marketing activities for around six years then switched to academics .
Me: Sir, how long have you been teaching? What are the subjects that you teach?
HB: I have been teaching for four years and I teach courses like Sales and Distribution, Strategic Brand Management, Product Management, Basic Marketing,
Me: You have been blogging at marketingpractice.blogspot.com? How long have you been blogging? Is this useful for you as a teacher?
HB: Its a story. I had a hunch that blogging is going to be a big media in the future. I felt that it also provides opportunity to air your views without much hassle. I started the blog just to get an understanding of the concept of blogging. However it has grown and has become an integral part of my life— a sort of extension of my thinking. Blogging has tremendously helped me in my courses and having looked at 300 odd brands gives me enough material to talk in the class. More over it is a resource for the marketing students also.
Before recommending the blog to the students, I had sent the blog link to Marketing gurus like Prof. Philip Kotler, Prof. Kevin Keller, Prof. Abraham Koshy of IIM A, Prof Nirmalya Kumar of London Business School. All of these eminent professors have applauded the contents.
Me: How important is work experience for profs in general? B schools in particular?
HB: There are two ways of acquiring knowledge - by researching and through experience. There are excellent professors who has acquired knowledge through research and thinking while other professors gain such knowledge through experience. Hence there are no rules that work experience is a necessity but B-School professors have to interact with the industry either through consultancy or through experience inorder to be effective in their teaching.
Me: What are the skill sets - a B school aspirant should possess, to make the most of his life at a B school?
HB: Work under pressure.
Have a learning attitude
Learn the fundas properly
And be focused on the future rather than the immediate placements. B-school train you for a managerial career rather than immediate placements. Most of what you learn will have its relevance only when you become a manager. So make sure that you have a long term take on the courses.
Me: What do you think are the differences between IIM types 2 year MBAs vs ISB type 1 year MBAs vs International MBAs?
HB: All these are different products aimed at different segments.
One year programs are helpful for those with work experience because they will be able to understand the concepts better and can cope with fast-track approach. 2 year course give you a detailed view of concepts and is ideal for fresh grads. I would recommend a 1 year MBA if you have 5 year experience and more. Most of the International MBAs value experience and their entire format demands some work experience.
Me: Finally, what would you like to share with people who are interested in becoming a B school prof?
HB: I suggest that you work for atleast 5 years before taking up academics as a career. The life of a B.school professor is challenging and intellectually stimulating provided you happen to be in a good business school . While you will love the work, you will compromise on the big pay packet and the real field experience.
However , once you have established yourself as an expert, you will get some consulting income but still not comparable with the industry package. If you are passionate about teaching, it is a worthwhile career.
===================================================================
Thank you very much sir for sparing your time and answering these questions. Indeed, teaching is such a wonderful experience if (and a big if) you love it..
Readers, Hope you enjoyed this edition of Coffee With Experts.
In the next episode, we have a student from NIT Trichy who got an admit in UIUC. So, stay tuned.
For previous episodes of Coffee With Experts, Click here and scroll down
Its time for another Coffee interview. This time, with Harish B. Harish is a Marketing Professor at SCMS Cochin. He also maintains a blog - Marketing Practice. This is one of the best and widely used resource for marketing in India. Its my pleasure to welcome Harish to Coffee With Experts.
===================================================================
Coffee With Harish B! - A Marketing Professor
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
HB: Harish B
Me: Hello Sir, Welcome to CWS! Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your educational background and work experience?
HB: I did my MBA in marketing from Rajagiri School of Social Sciences (Cochin) .Then I worked with a Newspaper as Marketing Executive, selling advertising space and co-ordinating marketing activities for around six years then switched to academics .
Me: Sir, how long have you been teaching? What are the subjects that you teach?
HB: I have been teaching for four years and I teach courses like Sales and Distribution, Strategic Brand Management, Product Management, Basic Marketing,
Me: You have been blogging at marketingpractice.blogspot.com? How long have you been blogging? Is this useful for you as a teacher?
HB: Its a story. I had a hunch that blogging is going to be a big media in the future. I felt that it also provides opportunity to air your views without much hassle. I started the blog just to get an understanding of the concept of blogging. However it has grown and has become an integral part of my life— a sort of extension of my thinking. Blogging has tremendously helped me in my courses and having looked at 300 odd brands gives me enough material to talk in the class. More over it is a resource for the marketing students also.
Before recommending the blog to the students, I had sent the blog link to Marketing gurus like Prof. Philip Kotler, Prof. Kevin Keller, Prof. Abraham Koshy of IIM A, Prof Nirmalya Kumar of London Business School. All of these eminent professors have applauded the contents.
Me: How important is work experience for profs in general? B schools in particular?
HB: There are two ways of acquiring knowledge - by researching and through experience. There are excellent professors who has acquired knowledge through research and thinking while other professors gain such knowledge through experience. Hence there are no rules that work experience is a necessity but B-School professors have to interact with the industry either through consultancy or through experience inorder to be effective in their teaching.
Me: What are the skill sets - a B school aspirant should possess, to make the most of his life at a B school?
HB: Work under pressure.
Have a learning attitude
Learn the fundas properly
And be focused on the future rather than the immediate placements. B-school train you for a managerial career rather than immediate placements. Most of what you learn will have its relevance only when you become a manager. So make sure that you have a long term take on the courses.
Me: What do you think are the differences between IIM types 2 year MBAs vs ISB type 1 year MBAs vs International MBAs?
HB: All these are different products aimed at different segments.
One year programs are helpful for those with work experience because they will be able to understand the concepts better and can cope with fast-track approach. 2 year course give you a detailed view of concepts and is ideal for fresh grads. I would recommend a 1 year MBA if you have 5 year experience and more. Most of the International MBAs value experience and their entire format demands some work experience.
Me: Finally, what would you like to share with people who are interested in becoming a B school prof?
HB: I suggest that you work for atleast 5 years before taking up academics as a career. The life of a B.school professor is challenging and intellectually stimulating provided you happen to be in a good business school . While you will love the work, you will compromise on the big pay packet and the real field experience.
However , once you have established yourself as an expert, you will get some consulting income but still not comparable with the industry package. If you are passionate about teaching, it is a worthwhile career.
===================================================================
Thank you very much sir for sparing your time and answering these questions. Indeed, teaching is such a wonderful experience if (and a big if) you love it..
Readers, Hope you enjoyed this edition of Coffee With Experts.
In the next episode, we have a student from NIT Trichy who got an admit in UIUC. So, stay tuned.
For previous episodes of Coffee With Experts, Click here and scroll down
Popularity: 13%
Those were the days
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as Those were the days, random, thoughs
Ganapathy and Santhosh were very close friends from college. After his B Tech, Ganapathy decided to stay back in India and work, while santhosh went to US to pursue his masters degree. Intiallly they were in touch through regular emails. But as time progressed, regular assignments and demanding work got better of them. They were hardly able to keep in touch. With a 12 hour time gap, it became almost impossible. They left offline messages once in a while.. But both of them were never online together..
Finally the day arrived after 8 months, when they were online together..
G: Ganapathy, S: Santhosh…
S: Hi Gannu.. How are you da?? I hope you are around..
G: Hey santa.. :-) :-) :-)
G: long time… how r u.. I am fine here da..
S: Yeah da.. its been a long time.. lots of assignments here..
G: What about you.. howz work..
G: Work is going good da. but these days it is a bit hectic..
G: I am hardly able to come online… Before I used to get a lot of free time.. It was so easy to keep in touch.. Now its difficult..
S: Yes da.. Gannu.. Those were the days..
S: So.. howz life there da.. Howz India da.. Anything new..
G: Whats new here da.. The same old routine work.. Whats special there da..
S: Nothing much da.. after saving money for the last one month.. I went to an Indian restaurant here.. I was really missing home..
G: Oh cool.. Even I went to our regular hang out place da.. But you knw what.. I dont feel like going there again.. I was all alone.. Those were the days when we used to sit under the tree and pull each others leg.. It used to be fun da..
S: ya da.. those were the days..
G: So what did you eat there..
S: I ate naan, curd rice and dahi puri da..
S: I cried when I ate dahi puri da.. I was thinking about the treat you gave me.. That day we had so much chaat da.. now.. the food was bad.. But the thoughts of those days made it even worse.
G: I fully agree da.. even I miss those days da..
S: Hey.. Saw any movie..
G: Yeah da.. Went to Jodha Akbar in PVR..
S: Fulto man.. Full PVR and all… Corporate.. Rich guy.. cool..
G: Ha ha.. dont make fun da.. did you also see..
S: Yes da.. Downloaded a pirated version and saw it.. :-)
G: Remember, how we watched movies in hostel.. in your comp..
S: Yes ofcourse da.. How can I forget the back to back movie marathon we had during our “study” holidays :-)
G: Seriously, those were the days da..
S: Hey, I have to go to lab da.. I have to submit my work by 3 PM..
G: Ok da.. Even I have to sleep, its very late here.. Have a nice day..
S: Thanks da.. do keep in touch.. Good night.. bye..
G: Bye..
Both Santa and Gannu go offline..
Gannu was lying on his bed.. But he didnt get sleep as late as 3 AM.. He felt nice that he could chat with his close pal.. But at the same time.. He was feeling bad.. missing those great days of his past..
Santa, on the other hand was only thinking about his chat with gannu, as he was driving towards his department.. He felt that the void within him was exposed..
The only thing that they were thinking was “Those were the days!”, wondering when they would next chat up..
Yes, “Those were the days..”
Finally the day arrived after 8 months, when they were online together..
G: Ganapathy, S: Santhosh…
S: Hi Gannu.. How are you da?? I hope you are around..
G: Hey santa.. :-) :-) :-)
G: long time… how r u.. I am fine here da..
S: Yeah da.. its been a long time.. lots of assignments here..
G: What about you.. howz work..
G: Work is going good da. but these days it is a bit hectic..
G: I am hardly able to come online… Before I used to get a lot of free time.. It was so easy to keep in touch.. Now its difficult..
S: Yes da.. Gannu.. Those were the days..
S: So.. howz life there da.. Howz India da.. Anything new..
G: Whats new here da.. The same old routine work.. Whats special there da..
S: Nothing much da.. after saving money for the last one month.. I went to an Indian restaurant here.. I was really missing home..
G: Oh cool.. Even I went to our regular hang out place da.. But you knw what.. I dont feel like going there again.. I was all alone.. Those were the days when we used to sit under the tree and pull each others leg.. It used to be fun da..
S: ya da.. those were the days..
G: So what did you eat there..
S: I ate naan, curd rice and dahi puri da..
S: I cried when I ate dahi puri da.. I was thinking about the treat you gave me.. That day we had so much chaat da.. now.. the food was bad.. But the thoughts of those days made it even worse.
G: I fully agree da.. even I miss those days da..
S: Hey.. Saw any movie..
G: Yeah da.. Went to Jodha Akbar in PVR..
S: Fulto man.. Full PVR and all… Corporate.. Rich guy.. cool..
G: Ha ha.. dont make fun da.. did you also see..
S: Yes da.. Downloaded a pirated version and saw it.. :-)
G: Remember, how we watched movies in hostel.. in your comp..
S: Yes ofcourse da.. How can I forget the back to back movie marathon we had during our “study” holidays :-)
G: Seriously, those were the days da..
S: Hey, I have to go to lab da.. I have to submit my work by 3 PM..
G: Ok da.. Even I have to sleep, its very late here.. Have a nice day..
S: Thanks da.. do keep in touch.. Good night.. bye..
G: Bye..
Both Santa and Gannu go offline..
Gannu was lying on his bed.. But he didnt get sleep as late as 3 AM.. He felt nice that he could chat with his close pal.. But at the same time.. He was feeling bad.. missing those great days of his past..
Santa, on the other hand was only thinking about his chat with gannu, as he was driving towards his department.. He felt that the void within him was exposed..
The only thing that they were thinking was “Those were the days!”, wondering when they would next chat up..
Yes, “Those were the days..”
Popularity: 10%
They can mean two different things
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as big bazaar, random, thoughts
Tushar was in big bazaar cash counter, paying for all the stuff he had bought. Beside him were two kids. Each one was holding a pair of sandals and a hundred rupees note.. Both of them were reaching out their 100 rupees note to the cashier. Tushar picked up his stuff… but waited there to see what was happening.. The two kids were competing with each other..
Each one wanted to buy the sandals “first”
Tushar just smiled and was walking away.. Then he saw two young ladies.. Each one of them was holding a fair and lovely cream on one hand and a hundred rupee note on the other.. They both were rushing to the cash counter.. They both handed their 100 rupees note the cashier simulatenously..
“What the heck is this”, Tushar thought..
“Why are these two educated *ladies* behaving like kids”..
“Why are they competing to buy the fair and lovely *first*”.. Tushar wondered..
Just then, Lady No 1. made a loud statement… “I am paying for both the fair and lovelies” The other lady argued that she was hosting Lady No 1. So she had to pay.. as they were fighting about who pays the bill..
Tushar was lost in thoughts..
“Two people, each having a stuff on one hand and hundred rupees on another”.. wondered Tushar as he walked out Big Bazaar…. “It can mean two different things, depending on who those two people are.. If they are kids, they are competing.. If they are elders, they want to pay the bill for both the items..”
“Yes.. They can mean two different things.”
Each one wanted to buy the sandals “first”
Tushar just smiled and was walking away.. Then he saw two young ladies.. Each one of them was holding a fair and lovely cream on one hand and a hundred rupee note on the other.. They both were rushing to the cash counter.. They both handed their 100 rupees note the cashier simulatenously..
“What the heck is this”, Tushar thought..
“Why are these two educated *ladies* behaving like kids”..
“Why are they competing to buy the fair and lovely *first*”.. Tushar wondered..
Just then, Lady No 1. made a loud statement… “I am paying for both the fair and lovelies” The other lady argued that she was hosting Lady No 1. So she had to pay.. as they were fighting about who pays the bill..
Tushar was lost in thoughts..
“Two people, each having a stuff on one hand and hundred rupees on another”.. wondered Tushar as he walked out Big Bazaar…. “It can mean two different things, depending on who those two people are.. If they are kids, they are competing.. If they are elders, they want to pay the bill for both the items..”
“Yes.. They can mean two different things.”
Popularity: 9%
Coffee With Amit Agarwal - India’s first professional blogger
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as amit agarwal, coffee with experts, digital inspiration, professional blogger
Hi Guys,
Its time for another interview on Coffee With Sundar! This time, it is none other than India’s first professional blogger. Please welcome Amit Agarwal to Coffee With Sundar. Its indeed a great honour to have Amit on this blog. Amit holds a B Tech Computer Science degree. He worked for a brief while after that. He then took up blogging as his profession. Needless to say, I am one of the many many followers of Digital Inspiration - http://www.labnol.org/
Without further Ado, its over to the interview.
===================================================================
Coffee With Amit Agarwal
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
AA: Amit Agarwal
Me: Hi Amit! Welcome to CWS! When did you start blogging? Why did you quit a mainstream job and take up blogging as a profession? What is it about blogging that you liked the most?
Its time for another interview on Coffee With Sundar! This time, it is none other than India’s first professional blogger. Please welcome Amit Agarwal to Coffee With Sundar. Its indeed a great honour to have Amit on this blog. Amit holds a B Tech Computer Science degree. He worked for a brief while after that. He then took up blogging as his profession. Needless to say, I am one of the many many followers of Digital Inspiration - http://www.labnol.org/
Without further Ado, its over to the interview.
===================================================================
Coffee With Amit Agarwal
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
AA: Amit Agarwal
Me: Hi Amit! Welcome to CWS! When did you start blogging? Why did you quit a mainstream job and take up blogging as a profession? What is it about blogging that you liked the most?
AA: I started blogging some four years ago and quit my job around the same time. I was very active on forums like Experts Exchange. So blogging was just an extension.
Me: Digital Inspirations has made a lot of strides over the past few years. One of the top rated technology blogs, Indibloggies award for technology 2006, 40th most favourited blog on the web to name a few. How did you accomplish this feat starting from scratch? Can you share some incidents? What are the some of the mistakes in this path, that you could have avoided?
AA: I guess being consistent all these years helped me build a good audience for the blog. Secondly, these offline conferences like the barcamps also help me stay in touch with readers.
I have made tons of mistakes in these years but the biggest one was starting my blogging career on a blogspot domain. Ah!
Me: I agree with you! :-) Blogspot is quite a pain.
Me: What are the blogs that you read? How do you manage the information overdose on the internet?
I have made tons of mistakes in these years but the biggest one was starting my blogging career on a blogspot domain. Ah!
Me: I agree with you! :-) Blogspot is quite a pain.
Me: What are the blogs that you read? How do you manage the information overdose on the internet?
AA: Information overload is a major issue as I have couple of hundred feeds in my reader but all the “must read” feeds are in one folder called “0 Day” (it’s always on the top in the list because of that 0) - When I am in a hurry, I just mark everything read except articles in that 0-Day folder.
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-reduce-rss-stress-in-your.html
Me: That link was indeed helpful. What do you like to tell people who want to take blogging as a profession? Is it even feasible to think of blogging as a profession
AA: Make sure you have something to fall back upon. Don’t give up studies for blogging. If you are in a job, get some decent work experience before making the jump. It’s fun but there are risks involved. http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/01/should-you-drop-from-school-make.html
Me: Hmmm…. I agree with you.
Me: You have been blogging on technology which is generic enough for a large community to follow. What do you think about personal blogs? It probably makes sense to one person or a small group of friends of the writer. What are your views on such blogs?
http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-reduce-rss-stress-in-your.html
Me: That link was indeed helpful. What do you like to tell people who want to take blogging as a profession? Is it even feasible to think of blogging as a profession
AA: Make sure you have something to fall back upon. Don’t give up studies for blogging. If you are in a job, get some decent work experience before making the jump. It’s fun but there are risks involved. http://labnol.blogspot.com/2007/01/should-you-drop-from-school-make.html
Me: Hmmm…. I agree with you.
Me: You have been blogging on technology which is generic enough for a large community to follow. What do you think about personal blogs? It probably makes sense to one person or a small group of friends of the writer. What are your views on such blogs?
AA: Agree, it is relatively easy to develop readership in the tech domain but you know what, some of my favorite blogs are actually personal blogs.
==================================================================
Thanks a lot Amit. Those words should be very motivating for a lot of bloggers who write personal blog. :-) Readers, Hope you enjoyed this edition of Coffee With Experts. This is another proud moment for me and for my blog!
For the previous episodes of Coffee With Experts, please click here and scroll down.
Popularity: 8%
March 9, 2008 | Filed Under amit agarwal, coffee with experts, digital inspiration, professional blogger | Comments Off
Welcome Taggy!
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as NIT Trichy, Taggy, Testimonial, Theyagarajan S
Hi Guys,
I have a couple of good news for you!
1. Its my pleasure to welcome Mr. Theyagarajan S (alias Taggy!) to join us at Coffee With Sundar as Chief Technology Officer! :-)
Taggy is my junior from NIT Trichy. He is a final year student from Computer Science and Engineering. He also runs a blog - It’s My Life.
Like Mahesh, Taggy will also get a lot of “Good Wishes!” as his annual compensation. And ofcourse, Taggy will get great perks.. He will get treats from me whenever/whereever I meet him. :-)
Jokes apart, Its my pleasure to welcome Theyagarajan S alias Taggy! to join Coffee With Sundar Team!
2. I got a mail from Raja Manikandan a few days back! He has written a few good words about my blog in his blog.
Here is what he has to say about my blog,
Coffee with Sundar
This is one innovative blog which i came across. Sundar has this unique concept of interviewing people through his blogs. It is certainly very interesting reading some of his interviews.
Thank You Raja.
I have a couple of good news for you!
1. Its my pleasure to welcome Mr. Theyagarajan S (alias Taggy!) to join us at Coffee With Sundar as Chief Technology Officer! :-)
Taggy is my junior from NIT Trichy. He is a final year student from Computer Science and Engineering. He also runs a blog - It’s My Life.
Like Mahesh, Taggy will also get a lot of “Good Wishes!” as his annual compensation. And ofcourse, Taggy will get great perks.. He will get treats from me whenever/whereever I meet him. :-)
Jokes apart, Its my pleasure to welcome Theyagarajan S alias Taggy! to join Coffee With Sundar Team!
2. I got a mail from Raja Manikandan a few days back! He has written a few good words about my blog in his blog.
Here is what he has to say about my blog,
Coffee with Sundar
This is one innovative blog which i came across. Sundar has this unique concept of interviewing people through his blogs. It is certainly very interesting reading some of his interviews.
Thank You Raja.
Popularity: 16%
Coffee With Gautam Ghosh! - HR Consultant & Leading Blogger
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as coffee with experts, gautam ghosh, management consultant
Hi Guys,
It is exciting to meet people from different walks of life.. Just to knw what they do.. What are their hobbies.. Whats their passion etc..
That is precisely what is driving me to do more and more interviews.. And today, its my priviledge to welcome Gautam Ghosh! An HR Consultant and leading blogger :-) Gautam runs his blog at http://gauteg.blogspot.com/ His blog talks about HR and organization development.
================================================================
Coffee With Gautam Ghosh! - HR Consultant & Leading Blogger
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
GG: Gautam Ghosh!
Me: Hi Gautam, Welcome to CWS! Can you give a brief introduction about yourself to CWS Readers.
It is exciting to meet people from different walks of life.. Just to knw what they do.. What are their hobbies.. Whats their passion etc..
That is precisely what is driving me to do more and more interviews.. And today, its my priviledge to welcome Gautam Ghosh! An HR Consultant and leading blogger :-) Gautam runs his blog at http://gauteg.blogspot.com/ His blog talks about HR and organization development.
================================================================
Coffee With Gautam Ghosh! - HR Consultant & Leading Blogger
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
GG: Gautam Ghosh!
Me: Hi Gautam, Welcome to CWS! Can you give a brief introduction about yourself to CWS Readers.
GG: Well I am a HR consultant with HR and OD consulting firm Tvarita Consulting (blog here) in Hyderabad. I’ve done my MBA in HR from XLRI in 1999 and have worked in HR after that. Before that I did my graduation in hotel management and worked in Hotels and Sales.
Me: When did you start blogging? Is blogging your hobby or is it your profession?
Me: When did you start blogging? Is blogging your hobby or is it your profession?
GG: I started blogging in 2002. Well I primarily blog about professional issues related to work and my interests but I don’t live because of my blogging. I have a day job :-)
Me: Do you read blogs? If so which are the ones you read?
GG: I read lots of blogs. You can find some of them listed on my blogroll. David maister, Ford Harding, The HR Capitalist, Bill Ives,BlogERP: Jim Holincheck’s HCM Software Blog , Jim Stroud 2.0 , Bob Sutton , Options in India , Dave Pollard , Terrence Seamon , Slacker Manager , Brazen Careerist , Marketing Practice , Michael Specht , All Things Workplace , Heather Hamilton , The Tom Peters Blog, Rashmi Bansal, Donald H Taylor, XLRI Jamshedpur - News and latest Updates , Madhukar’s Musings , XLRI Alumni: Making News , Big Four Blog , Alternative Perspective , Generations@Work etc.
Me: Do you read blogs? If so which are the ones you read?
GG: I read lots of blogs. You can find some of them listed on my blogroll. David maister, Ford Harding, The HR Capitalist, Bill Ives,BlogERP: Jim Holincheck’s HCM Software Blog , Jim Stroud 2.0 , Bob Sutton , Options in India , Dave Pollard , Terrence Seamon , Slacker Manager , Brazen Careerist , Marketing Practice , Michael Specht , All Things Workplace , Heather Hamilton , The Tom Peters Blog, Rashmi Bansal, Donald H Taylor, XLRI Jamshedpur - News and latest Updates , Madhukar’s Musings , XLRI Alumni: Making News , Big Four Blog , Alternative Perspective , Generations@Work etc.
Me: Oh Thats a lot blogs. :-)
Me: What is your proudest moment with blogging till date?
GG: Lots of proud moments, like Shel Israel and Robert Scoble listed me amongst the acknowledgment section of their book on blogging “Naked Conversations”. Then Bill Ives and Amanda Watlington took my blog as a case study in their book Business Blogging: A practical guide, . David Maister, and Ford harding have sent their books to me to review - that was gave me a huge high :-) Another thing I was proud of was being interviewed by NDTV on Blogging
http://gauteg.blogspot.com/2007/12/ndtv-blogging-story-on-youtube.html
Me: Sometimes, if we look back at our lives, we feel bad that we missed out on a few opportunities.. Have you had such thoughts? If so what are they?
http://gauteg.blogspot.com/2007/12/ndtv-blogging-story-on-youtube.html
Me: Sometimes, if we look back at our lives, we feel bad that we missed out on a few opportunities.. Have you had such thoughts? If so what are they?
GG: No I don’t think so :-) In the long run everything happens for the better. Regret closes your minds to opportunities - one should keep looking at the silver lining and if it’s not there, then create one :-)
Me: What is the type of work you do in HR consulting. How is it different from inhouse HR teams in companies?
GG: We are brought in when organizations need to reassess their HR processes and systems and we augment the existing HR team’s efforts. We evaluate the existing process’ efficacy, look at what are the best practices in the industry and then give our suggestions. If the client wants we also help the HR team implement the suggestions and train them to upgrade their skills
Me: What are the subjects that one must specialize in, for a consulting? I have heard from people that there is course on strategy which is important.
GG: We are brought in when organizations need to reassess their HR processes and systems and we augment the existing HR team’s efforts. We evaluate the existing process’ efficacy, look at what are the best practices in the industry and then give our suggestions. If the client wants we also help the HR team implement the suggestions and train them to upgrade their skills
Me: What are the subjects that one must specialize in, for a consulting? I have heard from people that there is course on strategy which is important.
GG: I don’t think consulting firms who hire from Business Schools look for any particular subjects. A high academic performance throughout matters a lot, along with extracurricular activities. On subjects you should have done a good spread between strategy, marketing, finance, operations, IT and HR.
Me: I understand that there are two types of consulting firms. One of them specializes in a particular area. The other is more generic ones. like McKinsey, BCG etc. What is the type of roles that freshers out of leading B schools get?
GG: The bigger firms like McKinsey, BCG, Booz Allen etc specialize in different areas and industries. When you join them as a Analyst/Associate you will typically be rotated across verticals and industries for two years. Then you need to specialize in a couple of particular industries and horizontal skill areas. That is because you are positioned to build expertise in that area.
Me: I understand that there are two types of consulting firms. One of them specializes in a particular area. The other is more generic ones. like McKinsey, BCG etc. What is the type of roles that freshers out of leading B schools get?
GG: The bigger firms like McKinsey, BCG, Booz Allen etc specialize in different areas and industries. When you join them as a Analyst/Associate you will typically be rotated across verticals and industries for two years. Then you need to specialize in a couple of particular industries and horizontal skill areas. That is because you are positioned to build expertise in that area.
Me: Finally, What would you like to say to people who are new to blogging?
GG: Always try to create new content or have your own perspective. Build a community. Try reading as many blogs (I would recommend a feed reader like Bloglines or a desktop reader like FeedDemon) and commenting to be a better blogger :-) Use social media like Orkut, facebook, Twitter to connect with other bloggers and your readers too.
================================================================
Thanks a lot Gautam Ghosh! It was pleasure having you on Coffee With Experts. It was quite an insightful chat! Readers, hope you enjoyed the recent edition of Coffee With Experts.
For the previous episodes of Coffee With Experts, click here and scroll down.
Popularity: 6%
Coffee Designs: My Cube Decoration
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as coffee designs, cube decoration contest
Hi All,
As I had already mentioned last week, Coffee With Sundar theme won the cube decoration contest for individual category.
Here are the videos.
Cube
====
Duration: 2 mins
This video is available here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7079816228643256660
Spill the beans - The comments section
======================================
Duration: 42 seconds
This video is available here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7217781540547654681
All my interviews which I have done so far can be found here.
Photos of my cube
==================
As I had already mentioned last week, Coffee With Sundar theme won the cube decoration contest for individual category.
Here are the videos.
Cube
====
Duration: 2 mins
This video is available here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7079816228643256660
Spill the beans - The comments section
======================================
Duration: 42 seconds
This video is available here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7217781540547654681
All my interviews which I have done so far can be found here.
Photos of my cube
==================
 |
| Cube decoration contest - 29th Feb 2008 |
All these posters were designed with the help of my junior in college - Mahesh. Here are the posters
=================
 |
| Coffee Designs |
Interviews with Amit Agarwal(Digital Inspiration) and Gautam Ghosh (Management Consultant) coming soon.
Stay tuned!
Popularity: 6%
Coverage: Amruthavarshini’s Thyagaraja Aradhana.
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as NIT Trichy, amruthavarshini, thyagaraja aradhana
- By Sundar Rajan G S, Coffee With Sundar
Location: NIT Trichy
Date: 23rd and 24th Feb 2008
If you had entered the lecture hall complex, NIT Trichy on Saturday Morning… You could have felt the vibrations from the shruthi box.. There was a resonance everywhere.. To add to the beauty of music, there were school kids with innocent faces.. fully determined.. Yes! They were all eyeing the trophy which will be given to the winners of the Carnatic Music Contest conducted by Amruthavarshini - The carnatic music club of NIT Trichy.
Day 1 - 23rd Feb 2008.
=================
This was the first time Amruthavarshini is organizing a 2 day event.
On the first day, the school kids were divided into 2 groups - Juniors (<= 7th Standard) and Seniors (8th - 10th). They were competing for the 3 prizes in each of the vocal, percussion and non percussion categories. The turn out was very high. Students were accompanied by their school teachers and parents, who were giving tips and advise to the students.
The stiff competition created a lot of confusion in deciding the winner. The judges were none other than the members of our very own Amruthavarshini. They convinced the students and parents that it was music that was the winner at the end of the day, as they announced the winners. There was happiness, dissappointment, anger.. Everything.. The place was full of emotions.. :-) But everyone agreed that it was a great event! All the candidates were presented with a CD which had 12 carnatic songs from the stalwarts.
Day 2 - 24th Feb 2008
=================
At 4:30 pm, when the curtains closed for India in India-Australia ODI, there were curtains opening else where. The winners of the contest were given the stage to show case their talent to a small and very music savvy crowd of NIT Trichy. “The students raised to the occasion” is just an understatement. They sang extremely well with the accompaniment of mridangam, violin and kangira. Finally Satyavrata, the senior member of the club, rendered a fantastic piece.
The artists from Trichy and Srirangam arrived at 5:45 in NIT Trichy bus. After a small coffee break and brief round of introduction, they all started to mean business. A thyagaraja archana was done. This was followed by the renderings of pancharathna krithis under the guidance of Sri. TKV Ramanujacharulu. Sri. Madhusudanan lead the percussion troupe. There were singers and instrumentalists from our very own nit trichy.
The grand event was concluded with the prize distribution ceremony and a very motivating speech from the director Chidambaram. Pa Badri, the president of the club was a proud man. Its now upto the juniors to keep up the tradition. The curtains were falling again as guests from srirangam were given “banana leaf” dinner. Amruthavarshini’s flagship event - Thyagaraja Aradhana was a grand success.
I enjoyed the 2 days at NIT Trichy, where I witnessed the godess of shruti and laya, Saraswati landing at NIT Trichy.
Long live Amruthavarshini!
Long live NIT Trichy’s thyagaraja aradhana.
For photos, Click here.
Location: NIT Trichy
Date: 23rd and 24th Feb 2008
If you had entered the lecture hall complex, NIT Trichy on Saturday Morning… You could have felt the vibrations from the shruthi box.. There was a resonance everywhere.. To add to the beauty of music, there were school kids with innocent faces.. fully determined.. Yes! They were all eyeing the trophy which will be given to the winners of the Carnatic Music Contest conducted by Amruthavarshini - The carnatic music club of NIT Trichy.
Day 1 - 23rd Feb 2008.
=================
This was the first time Amruthavarshini is organizing a 2 day event.
On the first day, the school kids were divided into 2 groups - Juniors (<= 7th Standard) and Seniors (8th - 10th). They were competing for the 3 prizes in each of the vocal, percussion and non percussion categories. The turn out was very high. Students were accompanied by their school teachers and parents, who were giving tips and advise to the students.
The stiff competition created a lot of confusion in deciding the winner. The judges were none other than the members of our very own Amruthavarshini. They convinced the students and parents that it was music that was the winner at the end of the day, as they announced the winners. There was happiness, dissappointment, anger.. Everything.. The place was full of emotions.. :-) But everyone agreed that it was a great event! All the candidates were presented with a CD which had 12 carnatic songs from the stalwarts.
Day 2 - 24th Feb 2008
=================
At 4:30 pm, when the curtains closed for India in India-Australia ODI, there were curtains opening else where. The winners of the contest were given the stage to show case their talent to a small and very music savvy crowd of NIT Trichy. “The students raised to the occasion” is just an understatement. They sang extremely well with the accompaniment of mridangam, violin and kangira. Finally Satyavrata, the senior member of the club, rendered a fantastic piece.
The artists from Trichy and Srirangam arrived at 5:45 in NIT Trichy bus. After a small coffee break and brief round of introduction, they all started to mean business. A thyagaraja archana was done. This was followed by the renderings of pancharathna krithis under the guidance of Sri. TKV Ramanujacharulu. Sri. Madhusudanan lead the percussion troupe. There were singers and instrumentalists from our very own nit trichy.
The grand event was concluded with the prize distribution ceremony and a very motivating speech from the director Chidambaram. Pa Badri, the president of the club was a proud man. Its now upto the juniors to keep up the tradition. The curtains were falling again as guests from srirangam were given “banana leaf” dinner. Amruthavarshini’s flagship event - Thyagaraja Aradhana was a grand success.
I enjoyed the 2 days at NIT Trichy, where I witnessed the godess of shruti and laya, Saraswati landing at NIT Trichy.
Long live Amruthavarshini!
Long live NIT Trichy’s thyagaraja aradhana.
For photos, Click here.
Popularity: 17%
Coffee With Sunil! - A cab driver
Posted by Sundar Rajan G S as cab drivers, coffee with experts, sunil
Hi Guys,
In Coffee With Experts series, we have had blogger, singer, palmist, professor, journalist.. etc etc.. We got to know something about their life.. But have you ever wondered what it would be talk to people who drive through the city.. Yes, I had opportunity to chat up with Sunil, A cab driver. Here is the transcript.
================================================================
Coffee With Sunil! - A cab driver.
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
Su: Sunil
Me: Hi Sunil, Welcome to CWS! How do you find driving on Bangalore roads?
Su: Sir, driving on Bangalore roads has become very difficult. There is so much traffic everywhere. Dont knw how we can drive when they release the 1 lakh car. (He meant Tata Nano). These people (government) are taking efforts to make our lives easy by building flyovers like this. (pointing to one of them), But they make a mistake. They dont estimate the traffic correctly. They take 2 years to build it, but by the time they build it, the traffic would have increased so much that the flyover is no longer useful..
Me: How many years are you driving?
Su: I have been driving for 4 years sir. First two years, I was driving in kolar driving tractor. Then I came to bangalore. I drove safari for call centre for 1 year. Now I am driving these cabs for almost a year.
Me: How many trips do you take everyday? What do you do in your extra time?
Su: I typically make 3-4 trips everyday. 2 for pick up. One or two trips for dropping the employees. In extra time, I generally chat with other drivers or go to sleep. I like to drive. I dont like to sit at one place. Its boring to sit day long without any work.
Me: What have you studied? You can read some books or paper when you are idle right?
Su: I have studied till 11th standard. After that I discontinued. I am not much in touch with reading or writing. So, I dont think I can read books. But I do read papers once in a while. Mostly cricket match section only. Otherwise, we talk a lot of politics etc with other cab drivers as it comes on FM. What else to do so sir, sitting idle..
Me: Do you own this vehicle or do you just drive this vehicle?
Su: I dont own sir. I only drive. My parents told me to buy a vehicle.. But paying 18k EMI scares me… I dont want buy sir.. I am happy just driving the vehicle..
Me: What do you do over weekends?
Su: I generally meet up with 2 of my friends at a tea shop. We have some food together and then we go to cricket ground and watch others play cricket.. If we have money, we will go for a movie. :-)
Me: Have you ever felt very happy while driving?
Su: Yes sir, generally I like to drive a lot instead of sitting idle. But I feel very happy when the employees tell a “thank you very much” at the end of the trip. That makes me happy.. I can drive all night for them.
=================================================================
Thank you very much Sunil! It was my pleasure talking to you..
Four words - “Thank you very much” is all that it takes to motivate these guys.. I am going to make it a point to thank every single cab/auto driver.. I doenst cost too much.. I hope you guys enjoyed this version of Coffee With Experts.
For previous episodes of Coffee With Experts, click here and scroll down.
In Coffee With Experts series, we have had blogger, singer, palmist, professor, journalist.. etc etc.. We got to know something about their life.. But have you ever wondered what it would be talk to people who drive through the city.. Yes, I had opportunity to chat up with Sunil, A cab driver. Here is the transcript.
================================================================
Coffee With Sunil! - A cab driver.
Me: Sundar Rajan G S
Su: Sunil
Me: Hi Sunil, Welcome to CWS! How do you find driving on Bangalore roads?
Su: Sir, driving on Bangalore roads has become very difficult. There is so much traffic everywhere. Dont knw how we can drive when they release the 1 lakh car. (He meant Tata Nano). These people (government) are taking efforts to make our lives easy by building flyovers like this. (pointing to one of them), But they make a mistake. They dont estimate the traffic correctly. They take 2 years to build it, but by the time they build it, the traffic would have increased so much that the flyover is no longer useful..
Me: How many years are you driving?
Su: I have been driving for 4 years sir. First two years, I was driving in kolar driving tractor. Then I came to bangalore. I drove safari for call centre for 1 year. Now I am driving these cabs for almost a year.
Me: How many trips do you take everyday? What do you do in your extra time?
Su: I typically make 3-4 trips everyday. 2 for pick up. One or two trips for dropping the employees. In extra time, I generally chat with other drivers or go to sleep. I like to drive. I dont like to sit at one place. Its boring to sit day long without any work.
Me: What have you studied? You can read some books or paper when you are idle right?
Su: I have studied till 11th standard. After that I discontinued. I am not much in touch with reading or writing. So, I dont think I can read books. But I do read papers once in a while. Mostly cricket match section only. Otherwise, we talk a lot of politics etc with other cab drivers as it comes on FM. What else to do so sir, sitting idle..
Me: Do you own this vehicle or do you just drive this vehicle?
Su: I dont own sir. I only drive. My parents told me to buy a vehicle.. But paying 18k EMI scares me… I dont want buy sir.. I am happy just driving the vehicle..
Me: What do you do over weekends?
Su: I generally meet up with 2 of my friends at a tea shop. We have some food together and then we go to cricket ground and watch others play cricket.. If we have money, we will go for a movie. :-)
Me: Have you ever felt very happy while driving?
Su: Yes sir, generally I like to drive a lot instead of sitting idle. But I feel very happy when the employees tell a “thank you very much” at the end of the trip. That makes me happy.. I can drive all night for them.
=================================================================
Thank you very much Sunil! It was my pleasure talking to you..
Four words - “Thank you very much” is all that it takes to motivate these guys.. I am going to make it a point to thank every single cab/auto driver.. I doenst cost too much.. I hope you guys enjoyed this version of Coffee With Experts.
For previous episodes of Coffee With Experts, click here and scroll down.
Popularity: 7%
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