Beautiful minds

A friend of mine who is doing his MBA from The Rotman School of Business came down from Toronto last weekend. We have a bunch of us batchmates from IT BHU here in NorCal and we decided to get together for dinner. Six of us turned up. Another friend who is in the GSB Chicago MBA program was there.

At the dinner the conversation between the two MBA students was both brilliant and intriguing.

It was brilliant because they were talking about their experiences from the MBA programs. Give or take a few minor details their experiences were mostly the same. They were both very excited and very aware of things. Their conversation was replete with MBA jargon. It was really a pleasure to watch them. We all agree that life had become monotonous. Yet here were these two guys who seemed recharged.

But the conversation was also intriguing. Although these guys were excited and energized, they weren't really sure what they wanted to do with their new found knowledge. They seemed like little kids, excited with every new toy they got. Every semester there was a new subject, a new experience, a new toy.

There was also some conversation about why one should do an MBA. There were two us, including me, who are applying this year. There was a guy who had recently bought a house and so cannot afford an MBA and another who is finding it hard to come up with a reason for why he needs an MBA.

I am going through the motions of an application process. One thing I realized talking to the MBA guys is that MBA is not really the launch, rather its a launching pad. The real work starts after the MBA finishes. However MBAs have an intense coursework and one needs to compromise on a number of things. People talk about sleepless nights etc. but I think what gets hit the hardest is the family. Its all the more difficult if you have a kid and more so if your spouse is working or studying. Whether full time or part time, MBA will keep you away from your family. Like I said, that's just the beginning. If you really want to crank it up, the action starts after the MBA. But most families have an expectation that its a matter of 2 or 3 years before their beloved will be back with them.

The point I am trying to make is that to me makes sense to think of life and career long term. Its like running a marathon. If you run hard at the start you will tire yourself out and perhaps lose. This is one reason why I am not considering a full time MBA, nor any program that requires me to fly out on Fridays and miss spending that evening with my family. While in the MBA program I don't want to drift too far away from my family.

I saw that my friends are facing this problem. Family always comes first. If I went to the best MBA program and missed spending time with my son, whom I love beyond words, it would be worth nothing to me. That's who I am.

Hats off to a star

Yesterday I came across the music of Saawariya. This is the new movie by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I had read on many forums that the music was good, so I wanted to give it a listen. It is a habit of mine to try and identify the singer while listening to a song for the first time. I am able to recognize a lot of voices. Perhaps a small gift I have :-) Anyway, the first song I heard was "Jab Se Tere Naina" sung by Shaan. Hands down this is my favorite song in this compilation.

Then I moved on to the title track, "Saawariya". I could not recognize the voice, though it sounded very familiar. I looked up the album, and it said Shail Hada. I could not believe my eyes. My friend, my brother Shailendra Singh Hada had made it big. I am so so happy for him, I just can't find the right collection of words to describe how I feel. We grew up together in Kota. We went to the same school, St. Paul's, Kota. I often went to his house to hear him sing. We spent a lot of time together.

I went on to engineering college and he moved to Mumbai to find his place in Bollywood-land. When I started working in Mumbai I met him again. He was living with his brother. Seeing him survive in a "chawl", struggling to find work, made my heart ache. I could not see him that way. I have always known that he has a magic voice. I still have the album he compiled specially for me. But I tried to get him to join college and take studies seriously. In an industry where work comes with connections, I worried for him.

After I came to the US I lost touch with him. As God is my witness, I tried looking him up on the internet a number of times. He had told me that he was going to change his name to Kumar Shail. Anyhow, I am ecstatic that he has found success. All those glowing comments he has received for his rendition are all well deserved. And no doubt that he will now find more work, and more success.

I guess a lot of people will now surface that will claim to be his friends. I would really like to get in touch with him, if only once, to tell him how unbelievably happy I am. Regardless of whether I get that chance or not hats off to a star.