Matter of the grub

Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts the food here will not win any culinary competition anywhere. I miss my fish & a whole lot of other good stuff. Last night as we were having biriyani outside (pretty good, I must say) I was thinking back to the food scene back in Delhi. Now anybody who's been in Delhi knows that Delhi rocks in terms of food.



Admitted there are lot of traditional goodies which I have not tried out - kulfi, chaats etc. I have not been to Chandni Chowk, Parathewala Gali or other such places. But I have been to some good places some of which both me & Mousumi ended up being quite 'fida' about.

• Italian at Flavors - There is something quaint in this place. It's our favourite joint in the city. Sitting outside beside the lawn, the general confusion in the service & the fab food. We've gone here umpteen times during the close to 4 yrs we've stayed together in Delhi.


• Chinese at Oriental Bloom/Mainland China/China Club - All there are great places. Mainland China is the most affordable while Oriental Bloom has the most amazing dimsums I've ever had.


• Spanish at Sevilla's - Ooh la la....what a setting & what great food. Very steep on the pocket. I would definitely recommend this for celebrating a special night.


• Bengali at Oh Calcutta - Food which went out of vogue with grandmothers. Traditional delicacies which these days you only may get to taste at weddings. Intricate cuisine which me & Mousumi will probably never be able to cook. Go here to find out why Bengali cuisine is probably the best cuisine in the country.

Food wise Hyderabad is also quite hep. The only problem is that the city is a distance away & it's not feasible to go there all the time. But we shall endure....& wait for our first royal meal at the City of Nizams. Till then I can

1.5% MBA and already scared!!!

5 days out of our 357 day course ends today and I am sure i speak for everyone when i say there are been a Gyan overload. The environment here is exuberant, the alums are all pumped up in helping us settle down, giving us gyan, my batchmates are full of ideas and everyone wants to come up with something new of their own.

I am sure if i had a machine that could detect ideas I would find several floating in the air. But with all due respect to my team I must mention though that there is a slight ego/selfish tint to all that is done here and that really cant be denied. But who said we came here to be saints, we came here to be leaders , and most leaders if not all start with a selfish outlook and once they settle into social service become selfless(or less selfish)

Managing time, getting up early in the morning, participating in all the activites and above all that remembering everyones name, address and X-occupation is very demanding. I am a bit scared how the load and time constraints will be once the course starts in full swing, afterall as yet its only orientation thats in progress.

--Badri--

And the journey begins!!!

Is it normal that I am shaken cold?

When I am passed this important baton to hold

Some are born great, Some achieve greatness

But seems the ISBian tag upon me has thrust greatness

But is becoming an ISBian in its own right glory

Or is glory, were I will get if I don’t make ISB sorry.

Hopes of many vested on me

While my own goals, clearly, I am yet to see

I am told this journey might hurt, sometimes I might even hit dirt,

But only if I fight with tremendous success I can flirt,

Now having heard that I am scared to enter, leaving my comfort zone

But then I am promised, me as a person this place will hone

But before I begin this journey its time now for goodbyes

Its corny, sad and there are some drops of tears in my eyes

Oh, near and dear, wait a year and I will be back

In the mean time, God willing, records at ISB and history I will crack.

--Badri--

Finally... The wait is over

It has been more than three months since many of us got THE mail from ISB. Since then I have been itching to get started with life@ISB. However, the interim period has been anything but drab.

The first two months were work, work and some more work! It was a brutal stretch at office where people were keen on sucking every ounce of the juice of life from me before I departed. Nevertheless, I not only survived the ordeal but also came out of it a full month before my scheduled release date! That meant that I had the whole of March at my disposal.

After leaving work, I too took off on a pan-India trip visiting new places and meeting old friends. Be it the white water rafting in Rishikesh or the trek into the mountains in Mussourie, there is a lot of fun in travelling without any plan and just enjoying anything that you find appealing. Of course, I have not been as diligent as Dushyant in capturing and sharing the sights. (@Dushyant: Really cool pictures buddy) The holidays also gave me a chance to catch up with old friends, some of whom I had not seen for almost a decade! Spent quite a few evenings lost in nostalgia reminiscing the good ol' days. The entire trip took about 25 days but each and every minute was worth it. Rarely does one get so much time to just travel and explore places without a care in the world. It was a liberating experience and it definitely did “recharge” my batteries J

The action did not stop on the ISB front as well. I used to think that giving GMAT and getting into ISB was tough. How completely wrong I was!! For the poor souls who decided to bank with SBI, the last month and a half has been nothing less that a soap opera with all its twists and turns. Compared to this the GMAT and ISB application seem to be a cake walk. From the dreaded loan application form and the affidavit in the initial application to the PDCs, another Affidavit and all the signatures needed in the post approval formalities. The entire procedure has been a farce and it really showed the government institution in all its ugly glory. Without the help of a few kind hearted souls like Natarajan, I do not know how we would have successfully navigated the labyrinth that is the SBI loan procedure!

Anyways, the wait is finally over now as we have less than a week’s time before starting off what I believe is going to be a truly amazing year. At this point, my mental state is akin to that of a little kid, who, candy in hand, has been standing in the long queue for the roller coaster ride and now that he is at the front of the queue, is all excited to finally take the plunge.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Fasten your seatbelts.

Its Showtime!!!