For most of the MBA aspirants, CAT is the only exam that can take them to their destination, as most of them want to do MBA only from the IIMs. And along with the IIMs, many other top colleges of our country take CAT for short listing students for their colleges. As a result CAT becomes this really “big” exam which everyone who wants to do MBA must crack. But if the exam is of so much importance, then why do we have it just once a year. How can the IIMs or any other college for that matter choose potential MBAs from just a two and a half hours exam? All of us agree that sometimes we do have bad days when nothing works according to the way we want and we do end up screwing our whole day, and even if we are potentially capable of performing better on the other day. And if IIMs in their defense say that students should be able to perform well on all days then I feel that is not possible. Even a Narayan Murthy or a Bill Gates can have a bad day! So I feel that they should have at least one more CAT in the year (and two more will be just fine) to select the right students. This can go a long way in reducing the pressure that the students face. They may say that by giving half an hour extra in the paper, the students were more relaxed but then trust me, for me (I took CAT) and for many others who took CAT, the extra half an hour didn’t really help. In fact, there was extra anxiety relating to the extra time that was given.
Before the CAT exam, you really want it to come soon and get over with it but now when the CAT is over, you feel there is a vacuum, a very strong feeling of emptiness and more than that the bad feeling that ‘oh I could have performed better’ because no matter what, we can never really be satisfied. And then if the CAT goes bad, you get a jolt because all the effort you put into preparing for the exam for months get tested in those very crucial two and a half hours. Isn’t the whole feeling of studying like crazy for more than two months, for those two and a half hours a bit insane? After it is over, you actually look at all the things (that you loved doing) you sacrificed. All those dinners, night outs with friends, those long hours of chatting on phone, that feeling of meeting new people (sometimes guys, may be a potential boyfriend), going for movies every week and basically just hanging out with friends till late in the evenings. Sacrificing all that and now after CAT, getting back to the same things which we enjoyed earlier seems impossible! Now sometimes I wish that CAT had never gotten over, and especially when it has gone bad, you cannot even enjoy the after CAT feeling as you are again at the same place where you were before you started studying for it and that big question ‘what to do next’ yet again looms over you.
Though we have more exams for other MBA colleges but they are obviously not considered as important as the CAT and that is primarily because of all the hype around IIMs. Frankly speaking, sometimes I just fail to understand all the hype around IIMs! Of course, you get an awesome start if you are from IIM but what after that? After the start, the only thing that matters is your ability to handle all the pressure in the corporate world, to think creatively and innovatively and to be able to integrate all the available resources and create a successful enterprise and I feel no two and a half hours exam that is held only once in 365 days can decide anything.
I’m sure by now you must have realized that I’m being such a critic of CAT because it didn’t go quite well but I seriously feel in the interests of many, some changes need to be made. And one can identify with me only if he/she has taken CAT seriously.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
LACK OF CIVIC SENSE
India is poised to become a major economic force in the coming years. As economic influence of India in the world is reaching new heights, Indians on the other hand are becoming increasingly uncivil. As a frequent traveler of Metro, I’ve seen that people don’t have basic courtesy to offer their seat to a woman or at least to an old person! And while a pregnant woman is trying to maintain balance in the Metro, conscious youngsters are sitting and chatting, and even the men or other women for that matter don’t have the basic courtesy to get up and offer their seat. India was seen as a country where the old are respected but this has now just reduced to being a farce.
Moreover, thanks to common man our state is untidy and public offices reek of foul smell. A corner in the public office is reduced to a garbage dump and on every road in the city, one can see people answering the call of nature. And even if there is a garbage can 10 meters down the road, people will anyway throw the garbage on the road. Though some people might not want to follow rules as they are above them, but don’t they realize some responsibility towards fellow citizens or at least nature!
Also, there is a growing disregard for the common man by those in power. It’s an assumption that the rules are not made for them, and they are not obliged to follow any law of the land. Standing in a queue at banks, I’ve often seen people getting there work done in a jiffy without having to wait like a common man. Just because they are connected, do they become more important? Why are they considered to be in a more hurry than us, what about us, isn’t our time as precious as theirs? Moreover, when we’re traveling by air, our flight is, more often than not, delayed because of some or the other VIP. Why don’t these VIPs realize that it is because of us, they are who they are and that they should be concerned with our issues rather than show apathy towards us. But I believe, it’s our fault, we’re the ones who have put them on this pedestal where they can afford to ignore our concerns, as for us Indians we only respect those who are never punctual and make us wait.
Moreover, thanks to common man our state is untidy and public offices reek of foul smell. A corner in the public office is reduced to a garbage dump and on every road in the city, one can see people answering the call of nature. And even if there is a garbage can 10 meters down the road, people will anyway throw the garbage on the road. Though some people might not want to follow rules as they are above them, but don’t they realize some responsibility towards fellow citizens or at least nature!
Also, there is a growing disregard for the common man by those in power. It’s an assumption that the rules are not made for them, and they are not obliged to follow any law of the land. Standing in a queue at banks, I’ve often seen people getting there work done in a jiffy without having to wait like a common man. Just because they are connected, do they become more important? Why are they considered to be in a more hurry than us, what about us, isn’t our time as precious as theirs? Moreover, when we’re traveling by air, our flight is, more often than not, delayed because of some or the other VIP. Why don’t these VIPs realize that it is because of us, they are who they are and that they should be concerned with our issues rather than show apathy towards us. But I believe, it’s our fault, we’re the ones who have put them on this pedestal where they can afford to ignore our concerns, as for us Indians we only respect those who are never punctual and make us wait.
Monday, September 04, 2006
HAS LOVE LOST ITS VALUE?
It is said that love is the emotion that brings two beings together no matter how different they are. Is it so? Is it really the binding force that brings two souls who may be poles apart together and can people actually spend the rest of their lives with one person? Or can one have more than one true love?
Almost all of us in India get married by the time we are 30, and to people we love. Is 30 the right age to take the biggest decision of your life that you’ve finally met your soul mate!? I wonder!! And what if one meets his or her soul mate after 30 which is very much possible, and if he/she wants to go to him/her then will we call them infidel? Or should they just go on living with the one they married even when they know that they’ll be happier in the other relationship? So the love was never there in the previous relationship. Isn’t it so? So am I right when I say that love has lost its value or should I say that there was no love in the previous relationship and therefore the marriage fell apart?
When one is in love, everything seems new, every day is so beautiful, but how long does this last? In today’s world, well, I’ll say not for long. Everybody may call me a cynic but I believe that love is no longer unconditional now; it has too many strings attached! These days the parameters to decide whether one will be happy in a relationship do not include same level of thinking and interests but money and status. And it’s true with all of us. But then can I call this relationship which is based on money and status instead of trust and respect, LOVE? Is this the new definition of love? Or can we still bring back the notion of unconditional love? Perhaps the notion of unconditional love is only restricted to our pets now. The era of puppy love is over! Or am I right when I say love has become lust. Is it only passion and the pleasure one gets from a relationship that holds two beings together?
Even after trying to find the answers to above asked questions, I still feel it’s not love that has lost its value, the people who have destroyed it by looking it in materialistic terms are to be blamed. If a relationship is solely based on money and status then it cannot be called love. Love is beyond that and I still believe its meaning has not lost the importance. Those who love someone irrespective of materialistic gains and even the physical pleasures will agree with me. We see love all around us and people who are just too fed up with their lives might like to believe otherwise and couples who only look for gains from the other should not insult the word love by calling their relationship love.
Almost all of us in India get married by the time we are 30, and to people we love. Is 30 the right age to take the biggest decision of your life that you’ve finally met your soul mate!? I wonder!! And what if one meets his or her soul mate after 30 which is very much possible, and if he/she wants to go to him/her then will we call them infidel? Or should they just go on living with the one they married even when they know that they’ll be happier in the other relationship? So the love was never there in the previous relationship. Isn’t it so? So am I right when I say that love has lost its value or should I say that there was no love in the previous relationship and therefore the marriage fell apart?
When one is in love, everything seems new, every day is so beautiful, but how long does this last? In today’s world, well, I’ll say not for long. Everybody may call me a cynic but I believe that love is no longer unconditional now; it has too many strings attached! These days the parameters to decide whether one will be happy in a relationship do not include same level of thinking and interests but money and status. And it’s true with all of us. But then can I call this relationship which is based on money and status instead of trust and respect, LOVE? Is this the new definition of love? Or can we still bring back the notion of unconditional love? Perhaps the notion of unconditional love is only restricted to our pets now. The era of puppy love is over! Or am I right when I say love has become lust. Is it only passion and the pleasure one gets from a relationship that holds two beings together?
Even after trying to find the answers to above asked questions, I still feel it’s not love that has lost its value, the people who have destroyed it by looking it in materialistic terms are to be blamed. If a relationship is solely based on money and status then it cannot be called love. Love is beyond that and I still believe its meaning has not lost the importance. Those who love someone irrespective of materialistic gains and even the physical pleasures will agree with me. We see love all around us and people who are just too fed up with their lives might like to believe otherwise and couples who only look for gains from the other should not insult the word love by calling their relationship love.
MEDIA AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE!?
Thanks to media the middle class is far more involved in public protests than ever before. SMSes, candlelight vigils, online petitions have become the new way to participate in a protest. Though earlier in public protests media coverage did matter but its role is paramount today.
The trend started recently when in February, as news of the acquittal of all accused in the Jessica Lall case spread, middle class did something new. When a TV news channel asked people to send SMSes in protest of this mockery of justice, thousands of people from across the nation sent overpriced SMSes to four digit commercial numbers in protest. Even the print media played an important role by following on these stories and keeping the middle class engaged. And even Bollywood played a part! The movie Rang De Basanti persuaded the youngsters to get out of their house and protest for a cause. A month after the release of the film, a crowd gathered at New Delhi's India Gate to protest against justice denied in Jessica Lall case and held a candlelight vigil, a la Rang de Basanti.
This trend is certainly on the upswing, it started with protests against the injustice in the Jessica Lall case and since then, the middle class and the youth have used protests as the new way of forcing the government to give in to their demands. However, though the media has mobilized the masses to fight for their cause, at the same time it can be seen that today the protests have become more about attracting the media. Almost every cause that has an effect on the public has received coverage from the media. In fact, protests are becoming more inventive. Face painting and artfully designed placards make for striking images on the TV screen and photo features in the media. If the celebrities can be roped in, it almost always ensures a front-page photograph in leading daily newspapers, and TV coverage by news-hungry 24x7 news channels. But only the protests which use publicity attract the media. During the storm of media reports around the anti-quota issue, while student doctors and engineers garnered all the headlines and front-page photographs, it was rare to see any coverage at all of the demonstrations carried out in favor of quotas for OBCs.
But i wonder has the media really brought the otherwise indifferent middle class to fight for their rights? And what about the biased role of media-why do only high profile cases arouse media’s interest? And is media actually supporting the public cause or are these just the new ways of sensationalism and garnering more readerships?
The trend started recently when in February, as news of the acquittal of all accused in the Jessica Lall case spread, middle class did something new. When a TV news channel asked people to send SMSes in protest of this mockery of justice, thousands of people from across the nation sent overpriced SMSes to four digit commercial numbers in protest. Even the print media played an important role by following on these stories and keeping the middle class engaged. And even Bollywood played a part! The movie Rang De Basanti persuaded the youngsters to get out of their house and protest for a cause. A month after the release of the film, a crowd gathered at New Delhi's India Gate to protest against justice denied in Jessica Lall case and held a candlelight vigil, a la Rang de Basanti.
This trend is certainly on the upswing, it started with protests against the injustice in the Jessica Lall case and since then, the middle class and the youth have used protests as the new way of forcing the government to give in to their demands. However, though the media has mobilized the masses to fight for their cause, at the same time it can be seen that today the protests have become more about attracting the media. Almost every cause that has an effect on the public has received coverage from the media. In fact, protests are becoming more inventive. Face painting and artfully designed placards make for striking images on the TV screen and photo features in the media. If the celebrities can be roped in, it almost always ensures a front-page photograph in leading daily newspapers, and TV coverage by news-hungry 24x7 news channels. But only the protests which use publicity attract the media. During the storm of media reports around the anti-quota issue, while student doctors and engineers garnered all the headlines and front-page photographs, it was rare to see any coverage at all of the demonstrations carried out in favor of quotas for OBCs.
But i wonder has the media really brought the otherwise indifferent middle class to fight for their rights? And what about the biased role of media-why do only high profile cases arouse media’s interest? And is media actually supporting the public cause or are these just the new ways of sensationalism and garnering more readerships?
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
CAT!!
well i always thought that cat wont be very difficult to crack! but i was in for a surprise! its not an aptitude test but a stupid math exam! if u're not good in math which some people like me are not then just forget about cat!! i'm like other 1 lakh students preparing for cat!! hope everything works out well though i'm very scared!! i hope they reduce math as i dont understand why does one have to be good in math 2 be a good manager!! wats the relation?? reasoning shoud be increased as that is what matters. and even english is fine but why math!!!!!! cat needs a revival fast or many potential managers will fly out of the country....lets hope for the best!
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