My City Will Bounce Back

It has been more than two days since my city has been under siege. Its very foundation has been attacked by a group of terrorists. We are frightened but we will not be cowed down. Our heroes are protecting us and the message they send is, ‘You can’t be harmed on my watch’. Yet I tremble and shake for the places attacked are places I have spent my life. These are the places I frequently visit. These are the neighborhoods I grew up in.

This attack has dampened the soul of the city. People are panicking and running at any sound remotely similar to a gunshot. Today I witnessed an entire street shut down in a matter of minutes because someone started a rumour about hearing a gunshot. I heard someone say, ‘this is not Bombay anymore’.

I silently pray for my city to heal. It will take time and it will need more heroes. I urge people to stand up and fight back. We will not bow down to these terrorists. The time to be afraid has past; the time to be resilient has arrived.

I do not know these heroes personally, but I have grown up reading about them in the newspapers. It saddens me that they are no more, but I stand up and salute their bravery. I can safely say that the city salutes you; Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar, Ashok Kamte, Prakash More, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, police constables, NSG commando’s, army jawans, IAF, Indian navy, Marcos team of the navy and all others involved working behind the scenes. We are proud of our protectors.

Enjoying Cynicism

I am an optimist most times, but am truly appreciative of cynicism and dark humour.
Recent events on the global economic front and its trickle down effect on b-school students is a situation compelling to bring out cynicism amongst everyone.

I find doomsday predictors fascinating creatures, they first make sweeping statements and later bite their tongues on being proved wrong. Personally i feel it doesn't make sense being a doomsday predictor, cause if the world does end how will you gloat on your accurate predictions.

Coming to the recent wave of negativity and cynicism on campus. At some level it is justified, but rather not dwell on it for too long. It is the perfect opportunity to practice the art of dark jokes, but do not believe in the negative rhetoric.

Life goes on, the sun will rise again, the wind will blow and more importantly everyone will get good jobs..

Separating Skill from Luck

All your life you have cherished the moments of success and rued missed opportunities. But the manner in which you react mentally to both situations will be drastically different. Before explaining myself I intend to make a dramatic declaration. A lot of people have made it through life riding their luck.

Let me explain before the knives come out. Key events in life determine the direction it is going to take. At such defining moments if destiny favours you, things appear sweet. Now the question you need to ponder on, is did you deserve the success because you are skillful or you just got plain lucky?

It is almost impossible to separate the contribution of skill and luck in your success. The key is to realize their existence and identify their role. In an ideal world success would come from 99% skill and 1% luck, but there is enough evidence to believe otherwise.

Economy jokes (Inspired by Leno)

The economy is so bad - Mukesh Ambani is shopping at Big Bazaar searching for discounts..

The economy is so bad - Azim Premji is using CFL bulbs to cut his electricity bill..

The economy is so bad - Jewelers are selling vegetables as a side business..

The economy is so bad - Students are moving from Barista to cutting chai..

The economy is so bad - Mcdonalds serves only Vada pav now..

The economy is so bad - Kids from Malabar hill and JVPD are travelling by BEST bus..

The economy is so bad - Restaurants are checking if u are employed with an i-bank before allowing u to enter..

The economy is so bad - People actually want to study instead of work now..

The economy is so bad - I may be making jokes for a living!!