The day Gastu got stuck in a trial room

I have passed by this apparel stores many times but never stopped by to see the whole collection. April 6th 2013 happened to be that day when I had some work in a Bank that was next door. On my way back to the car, I stopped by the store to see their range of collection.

It was very hot outside and therefore it was a nice way to cool off, even if it was only for a few minutes. Agastya, my 2 yr 10 month old son was with me. He was very playful, and naughty as only he can be. As I casually walked past the women's apparel and made my way to the men's apparel, I heard Agastya screaming and running past me towards the trial rooms. As I turned around and picked up a shirt, I heard a different scream this time. It was Agastya!! He had locked himself up in the trial room and could not come out.

I tried to go up to the room and tried opening the door, but it wouldn't open. He had not only locked the round knob, but also latched the door from inside. I was petrified, and worried as to how will this guy come out. Luckily, there was some gap between the door and the floor, so we could bend down and see where this guy was. And even more luckily enough, there was a mirror on the opposite wall. So, we could exactly see where the latch and round door knob were. But the big problem was how do we get this guy out.

Agastya could not understand what we were trying to say to him. He latched the door, but he did not have strength or the knowledge to open it. I was trying hard not to yell at his stupidity and childishness, and was also conscious that I could scare him if I yelled at him. Good thing was that he was not scared and felt we were playing with him. The store people were worried that such a thing happened to the customer. They immediately called for help and informed their store owner. They even asked a small kid outside to see if he could fit in the gap between the door and the floor and unlock the door from inside. We even tried reaching the latch by using a long stick. We tried coaching Gastu on how to unlatch. But nothing would work.

As time passed, we got more worried. I was worried thinking if breaking the door was that the only option left.I was even worried if that were to happen, how much would the store owner ask me to pay. A casual window shopping visit could turn into a nightmare. And at that moment, the store owner's friend said he wanted to give it a try. He sweet talked Agastya in to lying down on the floor. He slowly dragged him close to the door and found that he could come out without opening the door. Agastya was afraid, but loved it once he came out of the room. I heaved a sigh of relief and reprimanded Gastu for doing such a foolish thing. It must have been my worry that came out as a different emotion.

In all this, we found that the store keepers were very sweet. They did not bother about the door remaining locked and asked us if the child was doing well. I left the store with Agastya, with an unforgettable incident behind us. I haven't visited the store again yet and I don't know if they have fixed the door, but I know that since then I have been cautious getting into stores with trial rooms.

Valedictory Address - PGP Class of 2012

My speech on the graduation day of the PGP Class of 2012. Among the dignitaries were Rahul Bajaj, India's economic advisor Prof. Raghuram Rajan, Dean Ajit Rangnekar and a host of other well known industrialists.

Gastu's first Sankranti in India

As most of India celebrates the harvest season, we too celebrate Sankranti in a big way. Bhogi is the first of the three day festive celebrations.

Bhogi Manta

It was Gastu's first Sankranti in India since returning from the US. My mother in law made a lovely colorful rangoli in front of the house. Girija brought mango leaves to tie them to the door. We made some sweets for the festival and invited a few of our neighbours from the building for the Bhogi Pallu festival for Gastu. It is a ritual in our household to celebrate Bhogi Pallu till the kids reach an age of 5 years. All elders come home home and bless the kid(s).

While I am not an expert on the festival, here's a write up on that. Those who are interested may read more on http://www.srimeru.org/balavihar/sankranthi.html

Kite Flying

Happy Sankranti to all of you! May the year be good to you.

Birds at ISB

Recently we found out that ISB is host to nearly 100 different species of birds. Retd. Prof. Raghoo Sinha, the father of our current faculty Prof. Ruchi Sinha penned down a book with nearly 68 different species of birds captured in it.

He volunteered to organize bird watching tours for the ISB community and today I took the tour along with my mother in law. We went to the '08 Lounge by 7.20 AM and started the tour by 7.30 AM. We saw close to 15-20 different birds - some rare species too. Of the names that I could remember (and/ or comprehend) were Bulbul, Cormorant, Dip chicks, Kingfisher, Heron, Sunbird, Egret, House swift, Painted Stork, Dove, Pigeon and Peacock. I learnt a little about birds, how they eat, how they act, and what they do. For a man who thought that a dip chick was a duck, this was invaluable!

The tour lasted all of 2 hrs, but the memories will last longer and will leave a deep impact. An experience not worth missing!

Thirty or more

A nice little birthday. A visit to Charminar, buying of bangles and some dresses. A good dinner, lots of happiness, and a little introspection at the end of it. Thirty years gone by. Three decades of life. Each a different shade. The first decade went by in observing and learning. The second decade went in observing and learning some more. And the third decade went by, in trying to apply that learning. A marriage, a visit to a few countries, and a kid - all as per plan. Or was it?

Thirty years, in percentage terms, it is even more than that. With an average life expectancy of 70 years, it is above 40% of life gone by. And given a retirement age of 60, it is 50% of our life behind us now. Reality hits hard. But when it hits, the urge to accomplish something increases even more. What can I do to make the most of the next 30 years of my life? 

I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and have my own firm. It is time to take that plunge and start turning that dream in to reality. It is now or never. 

1000 years of history

Ramappa Temple

Two weeks ago, we decided to take a road trip from Hyderabad to Warangal - the place where I spent four of my unforgettable years of under-graduation. I really wanted to go visit the place during my one year stay at ISB Hyderabad and also wanted to show it to my wife and kid. It materialized as a sudden idea one fine day and things fell in place immediately after.

Thousand Pillared Temple, Warangal

While we went to the school late in the evening, during the day we visited the thousand pillared temple and Ramappa temple. We were treated to lovely sights at both places . Both these temples have such great architecture that you wonder how they managed to erect them in those days when technology was not as advanced as it is today. It is a shame that people in the country still don't value them enough and vandalise them in many ways. But, I am glad that the government is restoring them, so that people can see them in full grandeur.

I guess, we all need to realize that we inherit the culture from history and historic marvels like these are testimonials to what can be achieved with talent, skill and determination. We have a great potential that we can unleash and help write history of our own.

An applicant guide to Indian School of Business Hyderabad

Just yesterday, I gave an interview to GyanCentral who published the story. Here it is...

An applicant guide to Indian School of Business Hyderabad