2 TV programs - old review

I thought I will narrate 2 recent programs that I watched on tv - 'out of the box' and 'damkegi delhi'. I saw both of them on Headlines Today news channel. Did you know that Aaj Tak (hindi) and Headlines Today (eng) are both owned/run by the India Today group? I just found out.

Anyhow, so 'out of the box' was a 30min program on IIM Ahmedabad students. And how going to IIMs is not about getting fat pay package from MNCs any more but about 'realizing their dreams and going their own way'. Fresh graduates are rejecting big offers from big companies (upto 1 crore per year package), and doing their own business, such as, catering, music, setting up schools/organizations, making business plans and presenting to govt etc. One of the IIM A graduates, opened a catering business at his own school - he cooks and prepares food for IIM students in their canteen because he realised that the earlier service was not adequate. Right now he is only serving south indian but will soon add gujrati snacks, and chinese and other cuisine as well.

Then there was another graduate who is recording his own album (he found the entire process of interviewing with MNCs boring :). Two recent graduates have opened a website for indian movie reviews and is thinking of schemes that will generate revenue for them. The site is:

http://www.infica.com/main.php.

They divide movies into 'Mist See', 'Should See', 'Time Pass', and 'Avoid'. I think its a great idea - Bobs may be you can contribute and make YOUR dreams come true :).

Another pass out from 1980s opened a blind school which is now the biggest organisation for Blind in India, and other countries including China are now using the same model. This guy also turned down big offers from big companies (of that time). BTW, naukri.com also is a IIM A start-up! I did not know that.

What great stories and so inspiring!! I wish I had taped this program - though I did write to the contact person of Headline News congratulating him on this great program. It included interviews from all of these guys who have set these great examples, and also of the Placing Head of IIMA. This placing officer (also a former IIMA graduate). was also VERY impressive. He was asked 'some graduates work for only 1-2 years in an MNC, and then leave to start their own business, arent they a hinderance to graduates who DO want that fat pay package?'. His response was 'i dont think we should look at it this way - the graduates that are starting their own business are creating jobs for so many others, jobs that dont otherwise exist. If one student provides job even to 10 others, I will be a happy camper'. Good answer, Mr.!

I now look at MBAs from a whole different angle - no, I am not going to do an MBA :).

So, the other program was 'damkegi delhi'. This was about the new model for delhi, which was unveiled (and work begun) to create 40 new flyovers, new roads, green areas, and a neat ultramodern bridge (which is so far only in 4-5 select metros of the world) with water sports on either side of the bridge. This bridge will be the new landmark of Delhi and will be taller than Qutub. This is in the area of Nazirabad (?) which is clogged with traffic - so it will be a big relief to commuters there. This is all part of the new face of delhi which is planned to complete in 2007. Imagine, it took them 2-3 years to come up with this plan (with German help), and now only 3 years to complete for the commonwealth games in 2010. What an ambitous and challenging task! They are also planning to privatise public transport (bye bye DTC buses- phew!) and improve roads, have more trains etc. Good strategy - attack the problem from all sides!

I love stories like these. Dont you? On the other hand, there are stories of lack of law and order in UP, and of shameful match-fixing. Alas...

Did you hear that recently Queen Mary, the biggest cruise ship, passed through SF? It caused traffic jams because everybody wanted to take a look at the ship. This ship, apparantely, has the most efficient waste drainage system - they dump almost all of their waste in the sea! Yikes, I don't think I want to ever go on a cruise again :(. I like what Anousheh Ansari, said in Oprah show, 'all politicians and leaders should go up in space - they will realise that earth is the only home we have in this big vast universe and that we dont take good care of it'.... So true.