I visit my parents quite often! Luckily official visits to Delhi just pop up out of the blue, without me having to do even the Om Shanti Om level "sachche dil se maangna". And not one has been a force-fit I swear! (Ignoring the "yeah rights" for the time being!)
So, although I still long for those trips - mum's coffee, Delhi's roads, endless arguments with dad (the only thing we agree on is free market economics and our choice of newspapers!), for me the real homecoming was my trip to Sharavati Hostel, IIT Madras in September 2007!
The alumni secretary had invited 3 alumni (including me) of the erstwhile girls' hostel, Sarayu to talk to Sharav's young ladies about "anything under the sun"! The following is an excerpt from what I spoke:
4 years at IITM formed one hell of a defining experience for me. It is only in hindsight that I am able to understand how and I am sure that is something that most of my batchmates will be able to relate to. I will share couple of stories with you that had a defining impact on my life.
1. The first story is about going out there and seeking "opportunities", rather than waiting for them to land into your lap. If I look back, every opportunity has not been a gold mine, but 1 in 100 have surely been. But, the way life goes, unless you have grabbed and done justice to the 99, you will never be able to lay your hands on that 1 golden opportunity. Sitting on board my first flight to Chennai when I was going to join IITM, I heard a voice at the back saying, "I teach at IIT Madras". Enthusiastic as I always was, I switched my seat with the person on the seat adjacent to the source and introduced myself as an Electrical Engineering student at IITM, only to be handed over a visiting card that read "Ashok Jhunjhunwala: Head of Department, Electrical Engineering"! Anyone who is remotely associated with Electrical Engineering or with IITM knows this Padmashree award-winner who had the reputation of giving nightmares to any student who dares to enter the hallowed portals of the ESB! But that meeting left quite an impact on me, as I would later realise. During that endlessly long flight (technically, I thnk it was supposed to be just 2 hours!), I was quizzed on a range of topics from "why digital media is better than analog" to "why there are such few women in IITs" and as I invented one fictitious logic after another, he decided to drop the quizzing and do a favour to humanity by offering to be my Local Guardian. Now, this part was life-changing primarily because it implied that I would have to dodge the "What’s your CGPA?” question over Sunday lunches for the 4 years of my stay at IIT Madras. However, what left a greater impact on me was a question that he asked me about what my ambition is life was. More out of the lack of creativity than an extreme need for brutal honesty, I said that I wanted to be rich. He masked his condescending smirk with a "bachchi hai" smile and told me that the next time someone asks me this question, I must, at least, say that I want to be an "Entrepreneur"! Now this was a word that I recognized, but it hadn't even remotely been mentioned in the same context as MY ambition! So, obviously, I was quite intrigued by his statement. Driven by my respect for him, I began to study the concept of entrepreneurship and observe the men and women in whose context the word had a lot more appropriately been used in the past!
Well, of course, it took several years from that day for that fascination to get concretized into a dream and then into a calling in my life. But, well, now here I am, finding it impossible to imagine ever not being an entrepreneur!
In hindsight, this is such a simple algorithm - the faster I grab every set of 100 opportunities, the earlier I reach every subsequent gold mine! To this day, I regret not being able to understand and consciously apply it during my stay at IITM - by participating in every event I came across rather than worrying about making a fool of myself, by working on projects with every Professor I had respect for rather than worrying about being labeled "RG" and by getting to know every IITian I could learn something from rather than worrying about being teased for "putting fight for n junta"!
2. The second story is about getting out of the comfort zone. To start with, IIT Madras was far beyond my comfort zone. In DPS, R.K. Puram, where I studied, the notion about Madras was everything below the Vindhyas and the fact that people from Kerala, Karnataka, AP and TN are not all Madrasis, but have their own unique language, food and culture was an unheard-of concept! In the narrow world-view of mine, my JEE rank of 378 was spectacular and I was a multi-faceted person with diverse skill-sets. So, obviously, I joined with a larger-than-life ego of the person who had “arrived”. It took me just 3 months to recognize that I was going to spend the next 4 years with a set of people, who started out thinking of me as a bloody Naarth-Indian with too much attitude! To top that, I also had to come to terms with the fact that they were accurate in judging me, since most of them were culturally fitter, smarter than me as far as test scores went, better sportspersons, superior to me in theatre and choreography, better read and a lot more focused on what they wanted out of their education. I found myself so far away from my comfort zone that it was painful, like life’s biggest lessons are. Months of struggle, that followed the realization, did yield, like most struggles do. For the first time after many, many years, we won an Inter-IIT Women’s Gold and subsequently, the Women’s General Championship. Several other small and large victories later I had graduated with a substantially larger comfort zone. Most other struggles since then (striving to excel at IIMA, running my own company, dealing with the slowdown), have similarly, seemed like opportunities in disguise – to ever keep growing my comfort zone! So, wish you all the best for expanding your own comfort zones, and if you ever wonder, what's the point of a particular Delta X in the zone, don't stop -just KEEP EXPANDING, because you have a long life ahead to figure that part out!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The all-encompassing one-line vision!
It's kinda funny when all your life you run around after that elusive purpose that can give you a sense of direction, and then one fine day you just bump into it out of the blue! I have always found it difficult to just float through life, and everyday I just need to know exactly what I am doing with my life and how I am growing as a person. If that does not happen, then I just end up going to bed feeling incomplete about myself! Of course, many times I also play semantics games with myself to justify some things I just want to do, but that don't really fit into the bigger picture! But, I more often than not forgive myself for these inconsistencies! What's the use of getting a 6.9 on 7 in self-knowledge in CPI if one is not able to game one's own behaviour, right?! But, that's really not the point of this post.
This morning Barood suddenly came up with a vision for Quetzal. I don't know if it is appropriate to write it here, but I am so kicked about it that I am getting goosebumps since morning! When he told us, though Bubs and Bhush had their reservations, but I instantly adopted it as the purpose of my own life. I just knew that, in a nutshell, that vision statement summed up that higher sense of purpose that I had been desperatey looking for all these years. At the risk of sounding too dramatic, I want to say that it was the search for that sense of purpose that drove me to read a few works in philosophy, it is that sense of purpose that made a Victor Frankl survive the concentration camp at Auschwitz (ref: A Man's Search for Meaning), it is that sense of purpose that will be the biggest stone (ref: the story about filling a jar with the big stones first) in my life, it is that sense of purpose that will forever give me perspective about right and wrong, it is that sense of purpose that gives me infinite joy in just striving for it, and it is that sense of purpose that is so much higher than me that it is worth giving my life for! Whether I achieve it or die trying, I will forever have the joy of believing that my life had a purpose!
This morning Barood suddenly came up with a vision for Quetzal. I don't know if it is appropriate to write it here, but I am so kicked about it that I am getting goosebumps since morning! When he told us, though Bubs and Bhush had their reservations, but I instantly adopted it as the purpose of my own life. I just knew that, in a nutshell, that vision statement summed up that higher sense of purpose that I had been desperatey looking for all these years. At the risk of sounding too dramatic, I want to say that it was the search for that sense of purpose that drove me to read a few works in philosophy, it is that sense of purpose that made a Victor Frankl survive the concentration camp at Auschwitz (ref: A Man's Search for Meaning), it is that sense of purpose that will be the biggest stone (ref: the story about filling a jar with the big stones first) in my life, it is that sense of purpose that will forever give me perspective about right and wrong, it is that sense of purpose that gives me infinite joy in just striving for it, and it is that sense of purpose that is so much higher than me that it is worth giving my life for! Whether I achieve it or die trying, I will forever have the joy of believing that my life had a purpose!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Consumer activism
The four of us are a bunch of extreme consumer activists (my 3 partners led the movement and I reluctantly joined, but am a total convert now!) and we rarely go through any service without positively or negatively reinforcing the quality of it! We've had long crusades against service providers like Hutch (in one case, Bhushan made a Hutch shop stay open for 2 hours after its closing time!), Reliance, CCD, and some infinite restaurants! But, we've also given some amazingly positive feedback to the staff at Blue Dart, Curries and Subway in Ahmedabad, sometimes even call centre employees who actually get things done! So, we are constantly evaluating the products we buy and the services we get, and have almost made a religion out of not settling for "unfair" treatment, but also going out of the way to appreciate service excellence! But, the point that I often end up thinking about is what the front end staff of these companies, that do an overkill of slogans like "Customer is King", is incentivised for! Several times, the problem just boils down to wrong incentive structure! I wonder whether the incentive is to satisfy the customer's need or just give her an illusion of it, and whether feedback is collected out of a desire to improve or just to demonstrate that desire!
But, I guess the balance is slowly tilting in favour of the consumers with each passing day, and hopefully the information age will bridge the final demand-supply gap that allows companies to make profit in spite of doing a shoddy job of what they themselves state as their dharma! The man, who uploaded a video of his apartment on youtube and actually got Unitech to suddenly respond to complaints that had first been made ages ago, has really shown us the way to creative consumer activism without having to literally raise our voices! So, one thing that companies are surely beginning to realise is that they cannot get away with the "hit and run" strategy of ignoring a few dissatisfied consumers here and there and hope for information asymmetry in the market!
Of course, as long as I am the evaluator, it's damn powerful and exciting!
But, the real question for me now is what I will do in my business to enhance the customer experience that I have, so far, considered sacrosanct for any business! Will I forsake short term rewards to gain that edge in maximizing consumer experience because that is what creates long term value? Will I go out of my way to invest in front end staff who I can grant enough power to actually solve consumer problems and not just be punching bags for them? Will I be able to create systems and processes so robust that the customer is actually the King, no matter who serves him? Will I be able to create a company that actually believes in the power of consumer activism and bows down to it without being unceremoniously forced to?
Well, to my mind, the only answer is that if I want to survive in the long run, I bloody well will!
But, I guess the balance is slowly tilting in favour of the consumers with each passing day, and hopefully the information age will bridge the final demand-supply gap that allows companies to make profit in spite of doing a shoddy job of what they themselves state as their dharma! The man, who uploaded a video of his apartment on youtube and actually got Unitech to suddenly respond to complaints that had first been made ages ago, has really shown us the way to creative consumer activism without having to literally raise our voices! So, one thing that companies are surely beginning to realise is that they cannot get away with the "hit and run" strategy of ignoring a few dissatisfied consumers here and there and hope for information asymmetry in the market!
Of course, as long as I am the evaluator, it's damn powerful and exciting!
But, the real question for me now is what I will do in my business to enhance the customer experience that I have, so far, considered sacrosanct for any business! Will I forsake short term rewards to gain that edge in maximizing consumer experience because that is what creates long term value? Will I go out of my way to invest in front end staff who I can grant enough power to actually solve consumer problems and not just be punching bags for them? Will I be able to create systems and processes so robust that the customer is actually the King, no matter who serves him? Will I be able to create a company that actually believes in the power of consumer activism and bows down to it without being unceremoniously forced to?
Well, to my mind, the only answer is that if I want to survive in the long run, I bloody well will!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Life means more!
The last few months of entrepreneurship have been so completely mind-blowing in terms of my learning curve that I have had several occasions when I have let the "learning" just zip past, unable to do justice to it because of lack of bandwidth! At one level, it is damn exciting to be so busy and so involved in something that I'm really passionate about, but at another level, it hurts to let those exciting ideas and important lessons that deserved to be dwelled upon just go by! And to think that it is all because of a bandwidth crunch, when all my life I have prided myself in my "life means more" philosophy! Of course, this is one of the reasons why I had chosen to be an entrepreneur! I wanted to be thrown out of my comfort zone where I believed that I could smoothly manage a lifestyle in which I would do full justice to my work, apart from reading, gymming, picking up a new hobby, and spending time with myself and with the people I love! I enjoy being in the "constant optimization of time" mode, but only when it yields something substantial, only when I can drop dead asleep every night knowing that I have done so many wonderful things during the day, only when I can wake up every morning with the thrill of the unpredicatbility of the challenges that I know the day will throw in front of me, only when I know deep inside that I am living my life to the fullest, and not just appearing to be busy or stuck in an activity trap!
So, as I am discovering for myself, entrepreneurship is not just about risk-taking, it's not just about freedom and wealth, it's not just about dreaming! Entrepreneurship is also about getting more out of life; it is also about being constantly alert to external stimuli; it is also about bursting with well-thought-out ideas, it is also about rigorous planning and still having to think on one's feet, it is also about knowing that you have reached the peak of your personal bandwidth and then very nonchalantly creating some more! So, as this happy realization dawns upon me, I figure that as far as I'm concerned entrepreneurship is all about growth!
So, as I am discovering for myself, entrepreneurship is not just about risk-taking, it's not just about freedom and wealth, it's not just about dreaming! Entrepreneurship is also about getting more out of life; it is also about being constantly alert to external stimuli; it is also about bursting with well-thought-out ideas, it is also about rigorous planning and still having to think on one's feet, it is also about knowing that you have reached the peak of your personal bandwidth and then very nonchalantly creating some more! So, as this happy realization dawns upon me, I figure that as far as I'm concerned entrepreneurship is all about growth!
Imagination vs. faith
Illusions by Richard Bach is an extremely hard-hitting book, in spite of the fact that I was getting progressively readied for the hit with every interaction with Barood. It's pretty dramatic to start considering oneself a Messiah and every action as a choice. Well, truth be told, denying these two facts about existence has been a very convenient excuse for taking the easy path in life, that of not having to take responsibility for every single action and every single decision of mine!
The Vampire episode, I felt, was specifically meant for someone like me who chooses to justify her actions on the basis of their impact on others, and who always believes that one has the freedom to do as one likes, provided it does not hurt anyone else! But, the truth is that I cannot hurt anyone till the point that the person chooses to get hurt by me. This is such a liberating thought, and excites me completely about my power to choose all that I have brought into my life. It is especially liberating because I have, so often, found myself swamped in guilt, guilt for how I have treated others, guilt for the pain I feel I have caused to others, guilt for not being “sympathetic” enough. And it is this guilt that drains me and the free spirit that rests inside me! But the moment I use the vampire framework, I feel so proud about my choices, where finally I did exactly what I wanted to, but carried the burden of guilt for being selfish! I quote Bach, “Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully.” It's a philosophy that the others will never understand or appreciate, because it goes against the concept of “niceness” that we are all indoctrinated with till we begin to internally accept. So, even though I found the Ayn Rand-ish objectivism really cool and exciting, I couldn't a) see myself enforcing that in “real life” and b) it was a much milder version of the kind of freedom that Bach is referring to! Oh I really love this way of existence and am tempted to adopt and internalise it right away, but before I do that I have to reconcile it with Karma, the philosophy that I have so far found fool-proof no matter how many tests it has been put to! Simply put, I believe in Karma because there has always been disproportionate returns for actions in my life (even though the sum total, I'd like to believe, has balanced itself!), and it thus becomes essential to de-link each action and its consequence so as to retain the vigour and energy in life for all actions irrespective of the expected consequences. The energy and vitality that Karma gives you is one level less than that given by the “freedom” philosophy where you take responsibility for the action and the consequence and you remove the noise in the black-box called Karma. It was the noise in that black-box that I attributed the mixing up and disproportionating of consequences to and it is this noise that the “freedom” philosophy rejects, which is why Karma was about faith, whereas “freedom” philosophy is about imagination. So, the choice really is in my hands, as usual, and that is the choice between freedom and karma, which effectively boils down to the choice between imagination and faith!
The Vampire episode, I felt, was specifically meant for someone like me who chooses to justify her actions on the basis of their impact on others, and who always believes that one has the freedom to do as one likes, provided it does not hurt anyone else! But, the truth is that I cannot hurt anyone till the point that the person chooses to get hurt by me. This is such a liberating thought, and excites me completely about my power to choose all that I have brought into my life. It is especially liberating because I have, so often, found myself swamped in guilt, guilt for how I have treated others, guilt for the pain I feel I have caused to others, guilt for not being “sympathetic” enough. And it is this guilt that drains me and the free spirit that rests inside me! But the moment I use the vampire framework, I feel so proud about my choices, where finally I did exactly what I wanted to, but carried the burden of guilt for being selfish! I quote Bach, “Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully.” It's a philosophy that the others will never understand or appreciate, because it goes against the concept of “niceness” that we are all indoctrinated with till we begin to internally accept. So, even though I found the Ayn Rand-ish objectivism really cool and exciting, I couldn't a) see myself enforcing that in “real life” and b) it was a much milder version of the kind of freedom that Bach is referring to! Oh I really love this way of existence and am tempted to adopt and internalise it right away, but before I do that I have to reconcile it with Karma, the philosophy that I have so far found fool-proof no matter how many tests it has been put to! Simply put, I believe in Karma because there has always been disproportionate returns for actions in my life (even though the sum total, I'd like to believe, has balanced itself!), and it thus becomes essential to de-link each action and its consequence so as to retain the vigour and energy in life for all actions irrespective of the expected consequences. The energy and vitality that Karma gives you is one level less than that given by the “freedom” philosophy where you take responsibility for the action and the consequence and you remove the noise in the black-box called Karma. It was the noise in that black-box that I attributed the mixing up and disproportionating of consequences to and it is this noise that the “freedom” philosophy rejects, which is why Karma was about faith, whereas “freedom” philosophy is about imagination. So, the choice really is in my hands, as usual, and that is the choice between freedom and karma, which effectively boils down to the choice between imagination and faith!
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