Saturday, March 13, 2010

Dear Mr Director

To

The Director,

IIM A,B,C,D,E,F,G I,K,L,S

INDIA.

From:

Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri

Rural ( You don't care about villages do u?)

INDIA.

Dear Sir,

Sub: Selection criteria in IIM's.

I am a post master in Charuki Gaon near Maya Pradesh. I chose this profession as it gives me great happiness and satisfaction. I deliver good news and important news to people. I am a good will messenger in my own way. My aim is to develop a huge platform that will help me deliver good messages to all my co villagers and help them communicate with the world. I want to teach them about e-mail, facebook and other modes of communication about which, I have read a lot in the news papers. In this way they can communicate to their kith and kin easily and this would make them happy. I am an MBA aspirant and I aspire to get into the most reputed MBA college in the country which is IIM-Ahmedabad (IIM-A). I prepared for 4 years for the common admission test (CAT). In my first attempt I got a score of 23.4 percentile. In my second it was 46.4 and in the 3rd attempt it was 64.

I realised this was not enough for securing a seat in the most prestigious management institution in the country. So I went to the nearby town and underwent coaching there. I also started improvising on my language skills. I also learned to use the computer with the keyboard and mouse. I learned to use the laptop without the mouse too. First my eyes used to hurt as I was not used to reading on a light filled screen. It was like watching a movie introduction screen for a long time. Soon I got used to it. I learned to move from one page to another using the scroll button . Sometimes the page used to scroll fast even though i never made it move. The computer is a crazy machine. But I finally began understanding the way it functions. With a lot of effort I secured 99.34 percentile in CAT this year. To my surprise I was in the top one percent and it made me feel very happy. My whole village was astonished. My name and photograph came in MAYA Times. This was a proud moment in my life.

But sir, I have not got a call from the top three institutions (A,B or C). I wondered why I didn't get a call despite having good sectional cut offs, Quantitative (QA)-99.8, Verbal (VA)-99.1, Data Interpretation (DI)- 99.7. Then I saw the criteria for the selection process. My class 10 and 12 marks were also taken into consideration. I got 56 percent in class 10 and 63 in class 12. In class 10, I was barely 15 years old. I used to be more interested in playing Kabbadi with my friends. I was a kabbadi champion and often won every tournament organized in Charuki gaon. I wanted to become a professional kabbadi player. It was my only intention. That time I never knew anything about facebook or computers and never had any dreams for my village. I often spent my time by playing in the swimming pool, stealing chikoos from the farm, and watching rare birds that migrated to our village. One month before my board exams, my father came and told me that if I didn't pass the board exams my life would be ruined and I could never dream of becoming a renowned kabbadi player. I began studying and
I managed to score 56 percent. I never realised it was a low mark because I was the second highest scorer in my school. My mother made kheer and distributed it to the entire village, since no one in our family had ever scored so much. There was an incident in class 11, where I broke my knee which resulted in the replacement of my ball and socket joint. Since then, I have never been able to play kabbadi.

I took biology in class 12 because a girl I liked a lot, Kavitha also opted for the same group. Even tough I hated biology, sitting for two entire years without seeing Kavitha was unimaginable. I hated biology and we had to go to the nearby village for biology classes, since our village never had a biology teacher. I hated drawing ameobas or any cells. I somehow managed to pass with decent marks in biology. My focus shifted from Kabaddi to Kavitha. But Kavitha got married and left our village forever. I was shattered and heart broken. I didn't eat or sleep for 2 weeks. I didn't want to commit suicide but I wanted to forget Kavitha. That day I also decided that I would start a forum to help those who have been ditched/ dumped or feel broken in relationships. That time I wanted to feel better but no one helped me overcome the awful pain that I faced within myself. I studied B.A Hindi in college and eventually landed up as a post master.

Sir I have a dream and I worked towards it for four entire years. Despite being in the top 1 percentile,was I denied a seat in the most prestigious management institution, because I spent my teenage playing kabbadi and not planning my future? Was I denied a seat because I liked a girl named kavitha got a 63 percent in class 12 and eventually ended up as a post master in charuki? So does this mean that every management aspirant should start planning his future right from the age of 12 and not play while he is 15 as he has board exams, and not have a crush on the opposite sex?

I would be very happy if you could reply to my above mentioned queries.

Yours respectfully,

Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri

83 comments:

Aravindh K said...

I see that this piece has not just been written but executed, well orchestrated and bundled up thoughts that have incarnated beautifully. This certainly must be going to one of the newspapers, nationally, or atleast locally. Do it!

Anonymous said...

brilliant ! very very beautiful, neatly penned down stuff that never gets noticed, beautifully written, everything neatly written down,

Vatsala Dorairajan said...

Hi Priyadarshini
This is the first time I am visiting your blog.. and I cant believe I am reading a person whose opinions are so so similar to the one I hold. :) Would love to interact with you, through your blog too definitely

Vatsala Dorairajan said...

And the other thing i would like to add to Gangadhar's list of questions.. If a management aspirant has the capability to start planning his future in class 12, then well is he really an aspirant??

Frustrations Amalgamated said...

@aravindh : thanks a lot!

Anonymous: I would love to know who you are. You're giving me compliments afterall.

Vatsala: I am glad you visited. Very glad. I shall follow you regularly henceforth.

Solomon said...

wow ...the infamous reality put to light by a subtle story! ...loved reading every bit of it. should definitely go to the notice of whomever who heads the IIMs.

seriously_frivolous said...

Isn't this a wonderful satire of our educational system (even better than "3 Idiots" I would say).To come up with such a thought on mode of presentation, to have thought through the content and executed it fluently with some subtle humor... BRILLIANT! We got a writer in the making! Watch out Bhagats and Adigas of the world!

Anonymous said...

Dear Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri,

you mean to say, you deserve to be at IIM-A or any other badass institute at the cost of the guy who started planning his future long before you did, studied instead of playing kabbadi, busied himself with maths instead of wasting time studying something he did not like for sake of some girl? Are you hinting that you deserve to be at IIM-A at the cost of the guy who studied in an English school, lives in a city, has more international exposure than you do and is better poised to work as a management professional? CAT score if just one part of eligibility criteria. You are simply not good enough compared to the competition on other counts. Suck it up, bitch! Best of luck for you further struggles.

The Director,
Badass Management Institute.

ps: Buy yourself a copy of Outliers and read it. Will do you more good than watching retarded movies like 3 Idiots.

Anonymous said...

@seriously_frivolous

http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sagarikaghose/223/54036/from-three-idiots-to-a-nation-of-idiots.html

Unknown said...

Just bumped onto this blog entry..
Very well written..
Go one step ahead and send a copy of this to whom it has been adressed to - The Director of IIM A,B,C,...,Z :)

Shailesh said...

Well written post with an emotional connect.

Sidharth Ullal said...

Hey Priya!

Thats a very well written satire post. Really thought provoking and an interesting read. Definitely something we can all relate to!

However I'd really like to disagree with you on your central premise and take taikun686's side.

The IIM's do not always look for individuals who have planned out everything since their early teens. A very good example of this would be Sarath Babu. (http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/09/stories/2006040915320300.htm)

It is these sort of motivated people that India's premier institutes are looking for with a never ending drive for excellence (guess that would be academic excellence mostly as its the only most accurately measurable parameter in India today) and not necessarily a plan in life.

It would be really amazing if Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri was the one who married Kavitha eventually and taken steps to impress her (probably more her parents in this case) by taking up a course he really liked and excelling at it to eventually come out on top!

Ashish Gupta said...

I lost the story in the initial 2 paragraphs! He wants an MBA degree to improve rural communication. Yes he is true to point it out that the Indian education system, in general and IIM selection criteria, in particular needs to be changed (and it is evolving at its pace). But I feel the person does not deserve an IIM seat just for this simple reason.

He is a genuine hard worker and has a good business plan. All he needs is some association and funding (VC/govt/NGO/Corporate/etc.) to start literacy plans and eventually e-education plans. ex-President Kalam has this view that the power of IT can alleviate the issues of rural masses. The person can always network such similar minded INFLUENTIAL people, who can put him on e-revolution map in the rural sector. That should solve his "problem".

Ashish Gupta said...

Oh between this somehow reminds me of those IIM/IIT grads, as well as, some other employed people who quit their work for the Teach India initiative (was it by Times group?). To teach primary school to rural people one does not need a graduate from the premier colleges. All it needs is a program manager to plan and supervise properly. Employing exceptional skills for that small a motive is like digging a well to drink water once.

Same is the case of this person who wants to get an MBA degree from IIM A/B/C just to enhance the rural communication.

Preethi said...

Hey!
this article def needs to be published on de papers!
I loved the way a simple yet powerful question (for which tese institutes still don have an answer!) was written....
frikuts ur one heck of a writer!!
way to go gal:)
keep writting!

Anonymous said...

It amazing how so many people react positively to a post which defies logic, and reality; and showcases nothing more than the ignorance of the author.

@A. Gupta
WTF! You actually analysed the delusive story!

@Preethu
Such things end up as forwarded emails (the you-will-find-your-true-love-in-six-days-if-you-forward-it-to-fifteen-friends type). Such letters are not published by any profit-making entity on the grounds of extreme levels of stupidity contained within the letter.

Anonymous said...

I think credit should be given where it is due. Priyadarshini has coined this up very creatively. I liked the name Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri and later figured it was shaktiman. Wonderful thinking.

Diving into the depths of anything makes it logic-less. A very good attempt I must say.

Anonymous said...

@ ^

So you weren't aware that the name Gangadhar Vidyadhar Mayadhar Omkarnath Shastri was ripped off from the TV serial Shaktiman which in return is a rip off of every major Marvel comics hero! I thought doing this borders on "plagiarism" and not coining up something "creatively".

Anonymous said...

No one can dispute the fact that IIM's produce some of the best entrepreneurs in the world. But I certainly believe that MBA is one life time opportunity and especially in india it is a tough task.

Classs 10 and 12 marks definitely shouldn't be taken into the criteria. But I wonder if there would be some way to measure one's passion quotient/perserverance/dedication.

seriously_frivolous said...

@taikun686,

Hi, thanks for sharing the link about 3 Idiots. My view...to you and that writer...
The movie and this blog is an attempt to highlight a flaw in our educational system. But does that mean we have a better system in place? No, we do not. But, should that stop any one from ridiculing a system which is not perfect. I dont think so!

Please try to understand that a topic as complex as an educational system, cannot be resolved by just one blog or movie. The point is to make people aware of obvious gaps in the system and most of these things are well received if done with subtle humour! Its a pity you missed that. And, almost always any message put across, is done with some bit of exxagerration. Thats true on every thing in life! So please get on with things, learn to appreciate a well written piece and stop complaining! Any more abuses or cribs will be well received in my blog site.
take care,

Seriously_frivolous
www.thatsmyspace.blogspot.com

deathmetal124 said...

Lets see what some IIM director will say about this

kichinho said...

really good .. proves a point that marks is a pointless number which means and shows nothing abt a person's calibre/character ... and it should not be taken as a passport to filter ppl ...

warrior said...

very well written... one of your better works so far and I believe the best is yet to come ;)
add to this style a factual element and you'll go miles ahead than all the people who have commented put together :)
wish u luck!

Anonymous said...

@seriously_frivolous

The movie is nothing more than an attempt (and in a country like India, where the large percentage of the audience is incapable of logical reasoning and critical analysis, an assured to be successful attempt) to cash in on the imbecility of the moviegoers by taking a potshot at the premier institutes of education. It shoots insult upon all the students who slog for years to get into such institutes. It wrongly tells people that you can get away with insubordination and indiscipline if you are smart. Excellence has to be achieved through discipline, humility and sacrifices which the movie casually ridicules. Movies with Katrina Kaif gyrating her waist are more appreciable than a movie like 3 Idiots.

Moving on to the blogpost, IIMs have, year after year, churned out the best management professionals in the country. To suggest that, something is wrong with their selection process would be almost entirely wrong. Every institute has the right to choose its own selection criteria. Therein lies the stupidity of the blogpost, a person who wants to end up at IIM should change and adapt himself to the requirements of the institute rather than blaming the selection process and hoping for a change in it. It's lot easier and more fruitful to make people aware of their lack of common sense than making them aware of the gaps in the education system and hence the aggressive commentary on my part. Also, I enjoy doing it.

As for me not appreciating this post, the reason for that is quite obvious. I did not find it impressive, as a matter of fact I found it quite appalling. What you term as 'subtle humor' is nothing more than 'overt stupidity'. All that aside, I am looking forward to spewing venomous abuses on your blog site.

Frustrations Amalgamated said...

Hello Mr taikun686,

I do accept your citicism. I do respect your opinion and do not question the fact that the IIM's have churned out some of the best brains in the world.

But I certainly believe, that class 10 and 12 marks are mere numbers and shouldnt be used as a bench mark to judge one's calibre.Its sad that some really talented people lose out on this. Just as you have an opinion so do I. No matter how hard you scream, there will be people who will like my post. I couldn't care less if you hated my post. I have been blogging since 2004. I dont hide behind a random name and I do have the balls to take criticism. I didnt moderate or delete any of your comments. :)

I wonder who gave you the liberty to judge an entire population's logical thinking ability.

Frustrations Amalgamated said...

And Mr Taikun,

I wish u read this as a prelude to the above post.

http://dreamzanddesires.blogspot.com/2005/07/i-try-my-hand-at-writing-for-change.html

Aravindh K said...

I completely believe that one should be able to exercise his freedom of choice. 15 is certainly not the age, when a kid should be forced to take decisions that decide his career. Nothing should be made critical. A deeper attempt and lot of thought must go into what one wants to really do. And pursue it to his heart's content. Flexibility in the system is imperative. Blogs like this will certainly not change the mind of the director overnight. But it is sure to create ripples in generating perspective on such issues. Blogs are powerful media, and the reach is quite far. I just hope this kindles more discussion. Good job, Priya.

Anonymous said...

"I used to be more interested in playing Kabbadi with my friends. I was a kabbadi champion and often won every tournament organized in Charuki gaon. I wanted to become a professional kabbadi player."

So what made you change your mind to become a global entrepreneur?? Should have stuck to your game plan..

Anonymous said...

@P Venkatraman

10th and 12th marks indicate your past academic performances. One flashy performance at CAT certainly need not be enough to get into the IIMs. 10th and 12th marks indicate performances that may not hold much value in the short run due to CET and other entrance exams for the undergraduate programs. This could be the very reason they are part of IIM's selection criteria. The amount of effort you put in when no one is going to appreciate you for it, is what matters in the long run. It indicates how much effort you take to educate and better yourself and not merely for getting into a good college. People with great 10th and 12th scores and not absolutely perfect scores at CAT can and do get calls from IIM. Talented people are plenty. But talented people who perform consistently are rare. Those are the ones IIMs are looking for. The talented person who scores a little less on CAT but has great 10th and 12th scores deserves to be in IIM more than the talented person who cracks CAT but has bad scores in 10th and 12th, for CAT score reflects your performance on just that fateful day and also has a lot of luck factor associated with it.

I never said people would not love your blogpost. There are plenty of idiots out there to do that. What you term as my 'screaming' is my calm yet aggressive style of retorting and I do it for my pleasure. My inherent awesomeness gives me the right to judge the population's logical thinking ability. For example, man can say dogs are smarter than dodos. Because man is smarter than both. You don't ask man what gives you him the liberty to judge dodos and dogs. He just can.

If the 'random name' comment was directed at me, then I must say it's neither 'random' nor a 'name' and definitely not a 'random name'. It's an OpenID. Even if it was a random name, assuming that it is for the purpose of hiding is not very intelligent on your part. Was Hector Hugh Munro 'hiding' behind Saki? But I do like the fact that you didn't delete or moderate my comments. That indeed is commendable.

Anonymous said...

No offense meant Priyadarshini. But I see no reason why the character in your story wants to pursue business? There is absolute lack of passion for business.. I mean your character is very passionate about other things.. then why deviate? brainwashing by elders? greed for money? because the whole world wants to be in IIMs or such? desire to improve social status? what does getting a Business degree mean to you?

Anonymous said...

@Aravindh K

The things you say hold true in case of schools and not IIMs. Not even schools actually, but primary schools. 15 is certainly not too early to make a career decision. Is it not true that the earlier you start the more advantage you get?
Apart from that, is it IIMs job to cater to your desire of pursuing whatever you want to your heart's content. IIMs, at the end of the day, deliver management professionals who work in world of cutthroat and unforgiving competition. Do they really want to take in candidates who are not sure what they want to do quite early in life? Candidates that need flexibility in the course and selection criteria? Certainly not! They want candidates who themselves are flexible and can adjust to demands of the market, however harsh they may be.

Apart from that, blogs are just for fun. No one cares a damn about them. For, people who take important decisions do so based on the study of market and industry requirements, statistical data and their own intelligence. They don't go out looking for reform ideas on the blogosphere.

@Mayuri

fukin' lol

Frustrations Amalgamated said...

@ mayuri: Answers remain hidden in the questions you pose. And yes it would be great if u read the post more intutively.

@ taikun

I am in complete awe of you inherent self obsession.

And not everyone who gets into IIM, has a clearly defined purpose or outlined plan for life. The niggest example would he Harsha Bhogle. He wanted to be a cricketer, got into IIM (I dunno why? Mayuri should ask him this.) and finally became India's best known cricket commentator.

And if blogs are just for fun why are they banned in china and many more countries around the world?

AC said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AC said...

very well written. priya.. yes some contradictory points but a lovely read. keep it up.

and now to the ongoing slaughter of the post...ppl agree to the flaws in the edu sys. but we have to accept the fact that the least bit we can do ,other than complaining, is make a change, no matter how small.

so if priya has made an attempt, all we can do is to help her publish the post in a newspaper, instead of trying to prove, who is right or wrong.
and of all the ppl who commented, they know who m referring to.
so just because someone has slogged his arse out to get into a premier institute and join the rat race, that gives him no right to force his beliefs and views on someone. just because he is part of an A class institute, it does not make him ' OUR DADDY'. so learn to be a sport and criticism is welcome but in a more respectable manner. Amen to that.

Anonymous said...

@ AC

Just because you can't/haven't won the race doesn't mean it's a rat race.

Apart from that getting into premier institutes does make the guy your DADDY. For DADDY decides how much you pay for the next movie ticket. DADDY decides how much return on investment you get. The entire heath of regional as well as international economics are controlled by such DADDYs. When DADDYs mess up, economies as large as the American one collapse. Hell, DADDY even decides whether your daddy has a job or not!! In macroeconomic terms that is.


Few thousand of such DADDYs own your ass and you don't even know it.

Anonymous said...

@P Venkataraman

Get your facts right before introducing ill-chosen examples. We, as far as I remember, were talking about IIM selection criteria and Harsha Bhogle was an academically brilliant student throughout his schooling and graduation and gave up cricket long before he got into IIM. He did have an outlined plan, which was to get maximum returns.
He wanted to be a cricketer but he was brilliant at academics and continued on the path that would give him the most returns ie. engineering. Which is precisely why he ended up at IIM. Which was again, a choice that would give him best returns. He met the existing eligibility requirements of the IIMs. What he did after leaving IIM is not the topic of discussion.

Why are blogs blocked in China? As I said before, there are going to be many people who are going to appreciate your blogpost. Stupidity is infectious. Especially on the blogosphere. To protect it's citizens from stupid, not-so-well-thought-out free flowing commentary
on blogosphere, is one of the many reasons why China blocks blogs.
Another reason would be to protect its citizens from American hegemony over the internet and to protect the traditional Chinese value system.

In democratic countries liberty of speech comes at a great cost. That is giving "Liberty of speech" to idiots. China doesn't allow it. Of course, I maintain my previous stance. Such blogs cannot bring about any change. Chinese Government is not going to change it's stand based on blogs. But the low-educated, susceptible-to-stupidity population can be easily affected by such blogs. These people later end up on streets fighting for something stupid that an American suggested and the Chinese policeman have to shoot them in "Tiananmen Square". Which the government doesn't want to do. That's the reason why blogs are blocked in China.

Unknown said...

Harsha Bhogle.. isn't exactly someone to look upto...
[q]"He wanted to be a cricketer, got into IIM..and finally became India's best known cricket commentator."[/q]
what was the use of investing 2 yrs in learning business, finally he came back to square one or rather settled to be a commentator because he couldn't be a cricketer after wasting his prime yrs in doing what he didn't want to do.. (IIM i mean)
My questions are for those 4 lakh people who appear for MBA entrances just because the pay-package you get is high..how many of them are really passionate about doing business? all dumb-asses psyched by society and parents..

AC said...

@ may: cheers to that.....our mr taikun is part of that gp

Anonymous said...

@AC

I am not surprised, since already being aware of your imbecility, that you failed to notice that May has the same opinion as I do, which is: Harsha Bhogle was not a very well-thought-out example to be offered by the author.

Putting me into a certain group without having any clue about who I am or what I do, is another showcase of your stupidity. Since you could not accept that I kicked you in the nads over "your DADDY issue", you restored to assuming things about me and drawing conclusions based on your false assumptions instead of giving a comprehensible, based on facts retort. Besides that, my obvious chutzpah indicates that I belong to the elites. As A loud mouth retard failing to notice it, is not surprised.

Whose you DADDY now, bityche?

Anonymous said...

@AC

A loud-mouthed retard like you, failing to notice it, is hardly surprising*.

Sly said...

This is definitely not one of the good blog articles that I have read in recent times.
First of all the writer should stick to a style,you should either be satirical or dead-serious all the way.The Shaktiman pseudonym is way too tacky.
You accuse the guy who is railing at your 'likers' of being 'self obsessed', well pardon me but I couldn't help but delve deeper into your profile information. Couldn't help but notice your Yahoo Contact which is 'iamtoobrainyforu', I hope you get my point. Moreover, a deep dive into your profile shows that your exposure to music, literature and movies can be termed as limited if not pathetic.
I so pity you when you justify screwing up one's career for a girl. If it were more people who belonged to this particular school of thought God forbid the IIM people themselves every roadside romeo would be claiming a seat in the IIMs. I understand that charting the course of your career comprises of countless tough decisions but if you and the people who like your post want it to be published then I suggest that you rethink and rewrite it, and then re-write it all over again.
I may be wrong in my comprehension of your article but what I make of it is that you are trying to base your character's decision of getting into a B-school when he already has a flaw in his character that pushes him into opting for a subject that he hates, just to be in the same class with that cute chick he has a crush on and what is even worse that he admits to it.
Now don't get me wrong, I am no fan of the IIM admission system, but rest assured I am no fan of your writing to say the least, your writing is childish, amateur at best(and I am being as polite as I can be ).

warrior said...

@ taikun686 in particular and all others who commented in general:

Intelligence is a person's capacity to (1) acquire knowledge (i.e. learn and understand), (2) apply knowledge (solve problems), and (3) engage in abstract reasoning. It is the power of one's intellect, and as such is clearly a very important aspect of one's overall well-being. While it is accepted that almost 50% of the intelligence is based on genetic components there is another 50% that people from rural areas lack access to – things that we all take for granted. These include certain biological factors like prenatal care, nutrition (especially in early childhood), freedom from disease, physical and mental trauma and absence of proper healthcare in any form. Also, a stimulating environment, parental encouragement, good schooling, specific reasoning skills and continued practice are near nonexistent in the rural make up.
It is easy for those who have got it on a platter to sit and comment on the worth of an individual toiling in the farms and forced to study on the fields for lack of electricity. Forget internet access, India especially has a long way to go before reaching anywhere near rural ‘enlightenment’. Efforts are being made no doubt by the government and the private players in the telecom and industrial sector but to reach every nook and corner of the vast land that is our country, even these giants will not dare give an estimate in terms of timelines- it’ll be foolhardy to venture into such predictions.
Without digressing too much from the topic at hand I would also like to point out that in order to ready oneself for what life has to offer, awareness is a must. Brought up in a place where hardly any of the folks (forget direct relatives) have seen a life beyond the boundaries or studied a grade higher than 10th, to know about IIMs is but a distant dream. By the time they get to know of it, it’s generally too late to amend the board results.
Coming back to the point of scoring- one needs to understand that in different states the patter for doling out marks is far from uniform. We can talk of these numbers if there is a consistent pattern in the teaching methodology, examination format and finally the grading. Rural centers have rarely been high scoring domains. So why isn’t the fact that a person stood in the top 10 from his community a good indicator of his merit? Yet another fact that merits attention is the existence of vernacular mediums of instruction. People from Gujarati, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Tamil or Malayalam can hardly be expected to compete with the kids who have been brought on English. Yet when they buck themselves up to score in a national level examination is it defensible to deny them a place in a premier institute?
Teacher Absenteeism in government schools (which is the only form of “education” that these people have access to) - is one of the major factors why the rural populace hardly completes schooling. These teachers even if they come aren’t qualified enough to light the lamp of curiosity in these souls. Oblivious to these facts one can ride high on the waves of urban dominion but even the highest flight doesn’t last forever and has to come back to the ground and be in touch with its roots - for a refuel if nothing else.
CONTD...

warrior said...

CONTD... So just because one’s previous generations migrated to the city and spoon fed one into what we are today, can we claim that people our same age who hail from the villages are any lesser than us? Can we question their intelligence on the basis of their 10th and 12th marks? Asked how it feels to work in the sun, burning one’s back and how comfortable sleeping on the bare ground (not carpeted or even tiled floors) most of us would be dumbstruck. These guys know how it feels. People, who work in ACs, sleep on Dunlop mattresses, cruise around in snazzy automobiles, talk into or finger an instrument for the large part of their day, may not know how to deal with a power cut. Ask these low IQ village lads and lassies – they’ll tell you how. It is interesting how one’s thoughts and surroundings dominate one’s life.
Surveys also point to the differences in the aspiration levels of the urban and rural population. While it is an I-centric view in the cities (Increased skill set leading to higher salary prospects, Attainment of skills necessary to run their own business, Increased status amongst peers or even I need change), the non-urban beings hope to acquire the skills that might equip with the ability to set up a temple trust, a school, a library or even an indigenous handicraft industry that promotes holistic participation. Or at least that’s what they start off with. Polluted by the metropolitan mindset focused on the self, they might end up doing something wholly different but that’s besides the point.
The global meltdown you mentioned is enough example why the people who get into or come out of an MBA are any superior than an average toss of a coin… I understand that “people judge you by what you have done and you judge yourself by what you think you are capable of doing” but Past results do not in any way ensure future success nor should previous failures determine or dictate the road ahead. And if you feel the probability is higher in the former case then it fails an understanding that if an event occurs to you then it is a 100% probability no matter what the statistics say.
So while I agree that a student’s performance in 10th and 12th could (and not does) reflect on his or her intellectual capabilities, I certainly don’t think that it merits 20-30% importance in the selection of a candidate for an MBA.
It is also true that “A man’s greatness is seen not in how he treats his superiors but in the way he handles the people less endowed”. So if you really think you are the Daddy out here then your calling people stupid or them calling you names is totally not justified in the course of a rational debate. And I do realize you do this only to invoke a discussion and respect you for that. “True Freedom”, which is certainly not an established certainty in many parts of the world, acquires fruition only through discussion, dissent, and debate. So while you enjoy provoking it, none of it can be ridiculed or sidelined based on individual preferences because ‘new opinions often appear first as joke and “stupid”, then as blasphemies and treason, then as questions open to discussion, and finally as established truths’(George Bernard Shaw).

seriously_frivolous said...

@Sindhu...a message beautifully put across! I think this serves the purpose to a couple of people here, who believe they are "God send". But unfortunately "ego" is something so powerful that it would refuse to budge even if the "mind" acknowledges!
But loved the way you put it across!

Seriously_frivolous

PS: Unfortunately it is fashionable to talk against the majority or a popular thought. Remember, there is a still a small percent that believes Gandhiji dint do a go job driving the British out of our country!

sindhu said...

@sly..
Who frames all these rules ----- "writer should be satirical or dead serious all the way", ha ha..if all the good authors out there follow these so called "rules" ,wnt it be monotonous..seriously...ther r so many ppl who li this post..tas coz they can relate to it..as long as there are people who can relate to it and like it...so i guess instead of writing soo muchh here , why don u write a book under the title "Useless rules that will get u nowhere "...nd how can u character assasinate sum1 juz by readin one of their posts....man...u cant be this shallow....

AC said...

mr taikun, you may be smart, or you may think you are smart...but your arrogance will bring you down.

Sly said...

@Seriously_frivolous

PS: Unfortunately it is fashionable to talk against the majority or a popular thought. Remember, there is a still a small percent that believes Gandhiji dint do a go job driving the British out of our country!


All I have to say in my defense is that you should read what you have posted again and read the article again. You are the epitome of hypocrisy, why I say what I say is stated in the next paragraph.

See the 'popular idea' is that most people study what they want to study and the uncommon idea is to opt for streams just that you could follow a chick.
Again and more importantly it is the 'popular belief' that people who work hard all their life deserve to be rewarded( stop reading further if you are against the entire idea of 'Hard work is the key to success' philosophy because I yield before you in this case)and the uncommon idea is that you study for just a couple of months nail a written test and expect to be given preference over a person who performed decently in class X and XII, worked his ass off to get into a good graduation course and then nailed CAT to get the same percentile as your loser boy who chose to cry and stop eating over his crush whom he couldn't land even in two years even though his entire motive was to do so. And remarkably so these are the only stories that he has got to tell about his life.

So mister I think it is high time you woke up and smelt the coffee and choose sides better or better choose what you pen down even more wisely.


@Sindu: It is quite evident from what you wrote ( ther= there, r= are) that you have scant regard for rules, and lesser regard for good writers. I suggest you read Catch-22 just to get a taste of what satire is.
Coming back to the 'rules' thing, there are many very good books on writing and effective communication that I have grown up reading so I don't need to write books.
Coming back to suggesting writing styles and consistency of the character created by a person : I rest my case!

sindhu said...

@sly
oh yea..great observation abt me not following the "rules"..but unfortunately i care less...and cummin back to ur decision of not writin bukks---i wuld say tas a GRT CHOICE !! keep tat up...nd i m serious!!!

seriously_frivolous said...

@sly....

yes..you are right. I dint read beyond your preaching on "hard work".

and dont intend to write more no matter what your response is. Just want to tell you, hold on before you continue preaching to the masses. I presume you are from one of the top schools...I am not from one of the top schools...I graduated from the top one! And, I am not any "Business Analyst" (I see thats your role)...I am a manager in one of the top companies. I had to stoop to such low levels coz you seem to be going on and on with your bragging!

SF

Anonymous said...

@Warrior

Man!! An ethics lecture!! But I still don't get it! What has rural urban inequality to with IIM selection criteria? Isn't IIMs' job to get the best talent out there into their institutes which ever way they deem fit? Not a big surprise that this talent comes from the cities. If they can run the best management schools in the country then they can certainly take care that their selection criteria is appropriate. If you think they are wrong, then you should abstain from the IIMs.

Stop with nonsense like "past success cannot predict future successes". According to you whole sciences like statics are a joke. Complex quantitative models for which scientists get Nobel prizes are useless and such research should be aborted immediately according to you.

Despite all the ethical talk you are forgetting who holds the better cards, IIM or the candidate. It's imperative for candidate to mold himself according to the needs of IIM, if he wants in. IIMs are not established to level the inequalities people are born into. Life is not fair. Crying about it like in this blogpost is quite stupid.

Apart from that, you are a fool on so many different levels! “A man’s greatness is seen not in how he treats his superiors but in the way he handles the people less endowed” Does it mean you should start rewarding less-endowed people for their stupidity and/or mistakes?

"New opinions often appear first as joke and “stupid”, then as blasphemies and treason, then as questions open to discussion, and finally as established truths" Does that mean every new opinion will eventually result in an established truth? Most of the new opinions are just dumb ideas proposed by quacks. Just like this blogpost. Go through history books and you will find what I said to be true.

Last but not the least, ridiculing the author and his supporters was done in jest. AC started to banter irrational nonsense and deserved to be kicked in the nads. My 'DADDY' status had nothing to do with this discussion and I kept it out of the discussion right till the point AC brought it up to showcase his lack of intellect and lack of original, logical arguments.

Anonymous said...

@seriously_frivolous
I don't believe I am "god sent". I don't even believe in god. What I believe in, is that I was born with certain advantages and that, it is my duty to self, to advance as much as possible using every possible advantage I have. The only thing my mind acknowledges is that I am right; because of the simple and obvious logical reasons on which my arguments are based. My "ego" just backs my "mind".


ps: Contrary to popular belief Gandhi didn't drive the British out of India. It was a fallout of WWII. At the end of the War, the imperial powers agreed to give up their major colonies since colonies were a big part of the reason why the two World Wars were fought. Apart from that, it was expensive to control the colonies when the situation at home was in dire straits. British had in the past, crushed bigger revolutions. If they wished, they would have crushed every Indian to death rather than be driven out of India. They left willingly and were not "driven out". Read history books. The good, authentic ones written by international historians and which are based on facts rather than nationalism. What this teaches you is I am far more well-read than you are and if I have a bloated ego, then it is because I have backed it with years of acquisition of irrefutable knowledge.


@Aman
I know I am smart then the majority but I am also aware that there are few people smarter than me and I look up to them for self-improvement. Contrary to popular belief, "arrogance" has driven way more people to great heights than the number of people it has brought down. But in this context the words used instead of arrogance are "steadfast", "resolute", "firm" etc. Arrogance has to be earned. The way I lambasted seriously_frivolous's ps note as well as countless other comments on this blogpost with factual and logical retorts should highlight the fact that I have earned my arrogance. Yes, humility is an admirable quality. But only when you are wrong a lot.

Anonymous said...

@ all readers
Another sign of Anup Varier's (Warrior's) stupidity is that he has pasted this humungous ethics lecture in the comment section of a blogpost on my blog. So now there are three copies of his ethical lecture. One on P. Venkataraman's blog, one on his own blog and one on my blog. Couldn't this retard just paste the link to his blog instead of leaving a hugeass comment on the comments section of my largely-unrelated-to-IIM/education-system blogpost. In fact I don't even know why he wanted to paste the comment on my blog since it is quite clear that I am following the comments section on P. Venkataraman's blog.

Sly said...

As I said - I rest my case.
No point debating with buffoons.
I did learn a lot from this thread and this article, unfortunately the guy who believes he is from 'THE top school'(hell if there is one) and is a MANAGER isn't in a mood to absorb anything useful/useless.
FYI: I am not from a good college. Hope that makes you happy.

Anonymous said...

@seriously_frivolous
Why pick on Sly? Pick on the big DADDY of this comment section. ;) Hasn't big DADDY lambasted you enough already?

@Sly
I bet seriously_frivolous is just like Dilbert's manager. ;) No, wait. Despite his lack of managerial skills Dilbert's manager is actually quite smart.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Sly said...

@frivolous:

heya TOP SCHOOL GUY

this is you isn't it

http://in.linkedin.com/pub/rajesh-gopalan/13/537/a

@taikun: bang on target!!!!
we have an ego and we accept that.....these people don't even have the guts to do so .

seriously_frivolous said...

Took me a while to realize the fighting with a pig in a sewage was futile...since the pig was enjoying it!

SF

PS: no, thats not my profile in linkedln. But dude..get a life! searching around for my profile in the web! lol!

Anonymous said...

@seriously_frivolous

Come on! No reply to my responses? Lost for words? Convinced of your ignorance? Resorting to running way under false pretenses!!

Why are still picking on Sly? Afraid of big DADDY? ;)

@ P. Venkataraman
Didn't expect you to delete my wise albeit laced-with-foul-words comment on Sindhu's writing. I thought you would make an exception, since I am providing so much entertainment on your blog. ;) It's okay though. It had nothing to do with the blogpost. :)

Anonymous said...

Why are you* still picking on Sly? Afraid of big DADDY? ;)

Sly said...

lol ...it took you a while to realize he isn't a pig...lol....but you are right..i am enjoying it....but you showed your true colors first

Sly said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Frustrations Amalgamated said...

Well I found it offensive. And I do realise that the discussion from being a healthy one is turning into garbage. But Taikun I am really glad you visited my blog and really glad that this is post hit the highest comment count. I must thank you for this reason. :)

Waiting to post another story and waiting for you to get on it.

Anonymous said...

@P. Vennkataraman

I comment on blogs just for kicks. Not really interested in healthy discussion or anything of that sort. Kicking ass on blogosphere is one of the many ways I kill boredom.

;)

http://taikun686.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/when-i-get-bored/

Frustrations Amalgamated said...

It would be great Mr sly if you took take a look at your own blog in which, I quite find no substance. And the biggest joke is that, you with not even half the number of my posts at hand come out to judge blogs.
Taikun has a point and talks with some logical sense. And I must give him appreciation for the good command over language he executes. (I appreciate people where it is due.) All you do is google people and assasinate people's character's and their interests. I suggest you read more and develop a better sense of reasoning and stick to the topic at hand. And yeah develop a better vocabulary than just learning abusive words.The easiest thing is to use the four lettered word.

And why you even bringing Ayn Rand into the picture? No one in the face of this planet can be compared to her. Everyone knows that.

Sly said...

You seriously are dumb. I will stop at that, just because I got misdirected here by a dear friend.
And thanks for pointing out that I don't have a good vocabulary, which I am sure of, no one can have a good vocabulary, there is always more to learn. I would be delighted if you could point out errors in my language if any.
'precious college' 'Hindhi.' You can't spell out the national language properly for God's sake.
Tata . I have got a life to live. You apparently need some brains.

Solomon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Solomon said...

@ Sly,

Hindi is not the national language. Infact, we do not have any national language. It is just our official language.

Frustrations Amalgamated said...

@ sly

You Apparently need a good blog and at least one good blog post.

It doesnt take a man of noteworthy repute to hide sheepishly behind an open ID or a random name. It takes courage to face up and come out in open.

Anonymous said...

@sly, P. Venkataraman, Solomon

I would have bashed each of you for digressing from the discussion about the blogpost but there is someone trying to ruin my blog and I need
to whip his ass first.

http://taikun686.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/fucking-lol/

jibbu said...

@ all:

heres my reply to taikuns nonsense in his blog just in case he s a pussy enough to delete it:

Dude you seriously disappoint me with your analytical skills. You are much less endowed on that front than I initially thought. Your uber retarded mind still doesn't seem to understand that both sachin as well as atleast(stress on atleast) a million viewers who are smarter than you ( also who you think are retarded but will laught at your authority to call them that) very well appreciate the fact that sachin is a tenth grade pass. They also appreciate the fact somebody like sachin does not need the insurance called education because again he s a fucking genious with his bat. You dont call your eye doctor a hypocrite because he asks you to wear glasses but he himself is not wearing one. Because he doesnt need the fucking glasses. Now is that clear enough to your momo head? Ya I did not explicitly mention the word education because every douchebag that might ever read your blog can tell thats what we are talking about here. And I thought you do not need a reply with a spell-it-out-for-the-slow-kid kind of sensibility. But thats what you seem to judge my analysis by- if it has the keyword 'education'. I did not use the word 'education' also because I did not want to contribute to any poor unsuspecting fellow, who actually wants to read blogs about education, being directed to your shitty blog, which hardly has any shit worth reading about anything leave alone education. Your humour was lame is what I wanted you to realize because it stems from gross misinterpretation. My apologies to the sorry frog who had to be resurrected once again only to be shoved up your narcissistic ass. Now the jobless loser that you seem to be, I am sure you are gonna come up with a hugeass reply for this but I am not even intersted in seeing your reply let alone reply back to it. Simply because I ve got better things to do. Infact thats why all those people on that thread gave up on replying to you- because they had lives (unlike you) and not because they were left dumbstruck by your intellectual prowess (its too lol to think you even entertain such thoughts in that pea-sized brain of yours). So you may write some pseudo-intellectual crap and not see any reply from me and go around procaliming your "victory" in the argument and your "awesomness"( btw that s frickin hilarious macha. You did manage to crack me up on that one although unintentionally) like a middleschool kid. But in case your OCD induced need-to-write-the-last-reply is extreme and you cant live the rest of your life knowing I never read your final reply, I think you will stalk me up with emails or on social networking sites. In that case, I cant help but only feel immense pity for you man, because you are sad. Really really sad. And I say with the utmost brotherly concern, you need some help dude.

Anonymous said...

^
Now way would I delete that! In fact, I will put up a new blogpost, with 'just' the link to brilliant piece of work above, so that all my readers can check it out!

@P.V.

Sorry about all this non-blogpost related chatter.

Anonymous said...

No* way

Anonymous said...

nice war of word ..and comments ..impressive

Anonymous said...

hello everyone who has commented on this piece..

can't u ppl really appreciate that someone has tried to write a piece that was really humorous and additionally made you realise that deep down this is the truth..the irony of the educational system tht u hav been through..
at least Gangadhar wanted to join IIM to do his village a favour, something none of us will really care for..look inside your soul..it is not one of the bulleted points in ur checklist..you wan to join it coz u want a pay cheques of huge, lavishing amounts..

why is everyone bein so idiotically selfish tryin to prove their point right?

@ taikun686
it is not necessary tht u should score well in 10th n 12th n plan ur future ahead at the age of 12..the writer has already explained tht it is a village..wht do u expect..some overly paid ppl, with their pockets full of money all the time, sendin their children to good convent school, to learn fluent communication skills n later be brain washed to b a doc or an engineer..open up your eyes wide n your mind too..he didn't know back then that he was capable of 99.7..if he had known he could b a doc or er or somethin other than a kabaddi player or a post man, he would hav put in the best of him..



P.S.Don't kill the humor n d bottom line of the piece by sayin things to satisfy ur ego n ur points.

Anonymous said...

^
As I said before, I find the blogpost, appalling rather than humorous. So I don;t have any qualms about "killing" whatever you consider as "humor". My standards are way higher.

I don't care if the doctor operating surgery on me came from from a rich family who could afford to send their kids to a convent school as long as he is good at what he does. Same goes for every other profession.

Capabilities of human mind can be endless. No one can gauge their own capabilities before trying. Does't mean everyone should busy themselves with just kabbadi. The one who starts "trying out" a particular thing the earliest and sticks to it will get an obvious advantage. Now, why or how or when he starts with a particular thing could me a matter of luck like being born in a rich family. Not his fault, that he has an advantage. Do you start penalizing guys in Olympics who have genes responsible for great athletic ability?

Anonymous said...

Hey NUMB-SKULL you think u r smarty pants, this is wht i said....ppl like u Don't Care!!

Anonymous said...

Nor does IIM or anyone who cares about maintaining his or her standards.

Anonymous said...

I dont think anyone from IIM won a nobel prize. Einstein himself was termed retarded and came out to be the genious of the century. So technically Einstein would have got rejected for not being the consistent performer like the iim's were looking for.

More over, coming to the point of performing in class 10 and 12. There are no consistent boards across the country to make it as a standar. The standards of CBSE and ICSE are way higher when compared to the state boards. So a 80 percent in CBSE could easily be equivalent to a 95 plus in a state board. With such a vast disparity in the way marks and boards operate, IIM's should have some sense not to take these marks which are quite baseless in my opinion into consideration.

Anonymous said...

@taikun

Lol.. I know you did a wikipedia search to get to know all this and dont even try and tell me you are well read coz what einstein wrote many essays himself and his biographies tell a lot more about the person he was. You are more interested in trying put others down least realiszing the fact that you are quite ignorant yourself. And I quite pity the fact that you dont realize this fact. Yes acceptance is tough for the mentally deranged.

And you're dead braincells cannot comprehend the fact about the disparity in the different boards which is a huge reason why these marks cannot be taken as a standard (CBSE/ICSE/STATE BOARD). You quite ignore some valid points and keep beating about the bush relentlessly.

And yes every IIM grad is not the best management professional. They turn out to be glorified coolies in investment firms and foreign banks. NRN wasnt from IIM. Warren buffet didnt even do an MBA. Dhirubhai ambani was MABF (Metric appeared but failed). MBA is just a gateway to huge cash for those who are in desperate need of it. And yes I did find you calling yourself an elite. Being an elite please launch your own web page instead of using wordpress for a blog.
Some free advice: please stop being so stuck up and get a life.

Anonymous said...

Your void brain cannot see the main valid points others make or what?

Now please tell how these IIM;s are gonna freaking, even out this disparity in the various borads. Any mug pot or even a lame ass can score a 100 percent in math in state board. But scoring more than a 95 percent in ICSE is a herculean task in comparison. Dont stupidly argue about the IIM grads and warren buffet.
No one is saying their system is stupid. But it would be great if the system was little better.

Anonymous said...

So according to you Einstein's "essays on himself" and his biographies suggest that he was considered a retard in the early years and you read all these biographies and essays! Your stupidity is unbelievably entertaining.

Apart from that, IIMs' job is to create management professionals and not entrepreneurs. Was Dhirubhai Ambani an idiot to send Anil Ambani to a business school? He did it because he wanted his son to be a great manager; Anil Ambani didn't need to be an entrepreneur.

As to why, I didn't negate your further points, is because I already established your ignorance and stupidity and I thought that would be enough to shut you up. Apparently it is not. 10th and 12th board marks are considered while checking the trend of the candidate's performance over a period of time. Absolute percentages are never compared.

ps: Elites don't burden themselves with unnecessary tasks when fully functional free services are available. Hence, Wordpress. Yes, I do have a life, fun and successful one. Bashing idiots like you is just one of my pastimes.

Anonymous said...

Nicely written but should not be contained JUST in blos. Poeple who write must also work towads it else we become one of those directors for whom this letter was written

Himanshu said...

I wanted to comment on taikun686, but after reading a couple of posts on his/her blog, I'm stopping myself from this futile exercise.

@PV: I think the 10th/12th marks criterion it put to see if the student was serious about things which mattered in his life back then. I'm not so sure if running behind a girl was in the best interests of the boy in the story in his 10th std. He would have had plenty of time later on. Primary education has been made a child's right for a reason - it makes one a good human being. And if some child is not taking this seriously, the IIMs don't want him, which I believe is perfectly alright since the government is spending a fortune on them.

@Sly: Harsha Bhogle also runs a successful personal enhancement workshop, wherein he definitely uses his IIM learnings.