Worship Your Stomach! (Pettu Pooja)

I was attending a typical Indian party in Kuwait and suddenly my attention was caught on our eating habits in Kuwait. Starters: Chinese chicken wings, spring rolls with all sorts of mixed sauces. Then we eat the butter nan , Chinese fried rice , butter chicken shahii khorma and mutter paneer all rich in fat and calories, next we opt for cold deserts, puddings and ice creams. At the end of the party, I looked at the serving dishes which were still full, salads and hot soups. Already we have had a diet disaster and then we do nothing to reverse the effects of it. We go home and sleep in our cozy air conditioned rooms, no sweat, no walking, plenty of food, good taste. Life is hunky dory. Yes, we do have an antidote for these comforts. That is the stress from work places and lack of athletic life.

We get diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension before we touch forty. Our children get diabetes and excess protein problems. Obesity affects their health and habits. Yet we do not do much about it.

I had this “Khalli –Vhalli” attitude towards healthy eating habits until my daughter Joanna was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes five years ago. What is alarming is the increasing number of Type 1 diabetes cases in Kuwait. There are already 7 Indian kids in my known circle of Kuwait with diabetes. Joanna was diagnosed in the aftermath of a severe viral fever infection. In the same year, I heard about 4 such cases, diagnosed in the same hospital, which is a very good reason to believe there is a link between viral infections and autoimmunity. Considering the extreme weather conditions of Kuwait, the viruses that survive in this environment, become extremely deadly, put up a good fight with the human immune system. Juvenile diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where the body develops certain antibodies that attack insulin producing pancreatic beta cells. Winter is the time all such viruses look for a suitable habitat. If you have a family history of diabetes and you have daughters, they are already in the risk group (Refer to http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-1/ for more)

The phenomenon is not just limited to Kuwait although our life style has a lot to attribute to it. Worldwide, 45 children are being diagnosed with diabetes everyday and 95 % of it is in the urban population. Viruses are also linked to stomach, pancreas and liver cancer as well (courtesy Readers Digest Nov 2010.issue)

Scientists have not pinned down the exact reasons of autoimmunity. There are different theories of excess hygiene, stress, vaccines, and milk proteins etc that contribute to autoimmunity. I am curious about why the majority of type 1 diabetes and autoimmune disorders affect girls more than boys and why in urban population?

Women naturally have stronger inflammatory responses than men when their immune systems are triggered, and inflammation plays a key role in many autoimmune diseases. Yet, the obese life style also has a lot to do with such triggers .Girls are less active compared to boys, and the urban population has more unhealthy eating habits with little or no exercise.

Kuwait is a paradise for food lovers. We get Continental, Chinese, Indian, Arabic, you name it and it is available in close proximity at affordable prices which increases the frequency of dining out. We blame the weather, safety and security for not going out for a walk or to a garden. Our kids pay the price for it. They are locked up in an apartment with a few electronic gadgets and plenty of processed food disasters.

I was giving this lecture to a friend of mine and she said, ‘I never give junk food to my kids’. For her junk food means only Hardees, KFC and Pizza hut. But then we do not realize that Kerala parathas and chicken 65 that we get in Indian restaurants are equally unhealthy. Do we store chocolates and ice creams back in our native homes like we stack here?

The funda of stomach is “Garbage in, Garbage out, and in between it manifests health disasters”. Junk food slows down metabolism and digestive enzymes and our intestine becomes a fertile ground for viruses that causes stomach infection.

The traditional food in Kuwait is meant for fighting the extreme weather. They need the fat, protein and carb to fight the cold in the winter and heat in summer. The grilled meat and fish are the inevitable part of traditional Arabic diet. But just the see the way Arabs supplement their fiber quota with plenty of salads, cucumber and “jar jeer”

Oriental people eat plenty of hot soups, half cooked vegetables and green tea. In fact, they have fewer incidents of diabetes and heart problems compared to other parts of the world.

In the west, people eat less carb and more protein. But then they top it with wine and rum which would stimulate digestion. Controlled quantities of alcohol are part of ayurveda, homeopathy and allopathy.

I grew up eating rice three times a day and green salads were never part of our diet.But we ate plenty of cooked vegetables topped with bananas, jack fruits, papayas, custard apples , mangoes supplemented with a lot of exercise. My mother’s problems were children eating over fibrous diet and being under weight. I have exactly the opposite problem.

Few tweaks for healthy habits suitable for life in Middle East:

1. Go brown. Say no to white bread. Alter it with brown bread, brown kuboos and brown rice.
2. When you eat Arabian food, eat like an Arab. Have a lot of salads, green leaves and then try some of their lemon and mint tea.
3. Keep your pizza and burger treats for a picnic day and make sure to go with a light diet the next day.
4. Do not stack your cabinets with crackers, biscuits and juices. Instead store nuts, popcorns and dry fruits. Have a count of the amount of chocolate and ice cream the children eat.
5. Say “no no” to nuggets, sausages, artificial juices and ready to eat processed food. They are high in sodium and saturated fat and directly affect your digestive enzymes, eventually leading to poor immune system responses.
6. Have plenty of fruits. Fruits starting with “P” (Prunes, Pear, Peach, Papaya, Pomegranate etc) are high in fiber along with bananas and water melon. They help bowel movement. Viruses that come to your body will take a natural exit when we eat fiber rich food.
7. Honey and dates are high in minerals and medicinal values. They stimulate a stronger immune system suitable for desert weather.
8. There are no short cuts for a healthy meal. You need to cook at home. Have control of ingredients that go in. Involve the children in cooking. Once they know how to cook, they will be less addicted to dining out.
9. Avoid having too many dairy products in winter. The fat in cheese and milk will slow down the digestion process and support excess mucus formation.
10. Most of the sauces like soy, barbecue and worcestershire etc have burnt sugar and sodium and unknown diet catastrophes. Avoid their frequent use.
11. Have an active life style. Regular exercises build muscles. Muscles burn more sugar. Means more room for a high calorie diet. Reduce the influence of play station and TV. Let our children get more rough and tough with their bikes, rollers, bats and rackets.

My grandmother’s recipe for viral attacks: If you suspect viral fever or cold, give a laxative to empty the stomach. Then provide 2-3 servings of herbal tea with jaggery (rich in iron and energy), dry ginger, cumin and black pepper corn, all of which are famous for anti spasmodic properties. The diet should be simple rice porridge or food that is easy to digest. Most of the viruses cannot survive this purification treatment of the digestive system.

Some useful food supplements for the winter:

1. Garlic - antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity. Generally people cannot eat it raw. For cold, sore throat or fever, roast a few garlic pods and eat it. Be careful if you are on medication for something else since garlic is a blood thinning agent.
2. Black pepper: Widely used in traditional Indian medicine and as a home remedy for relief from sore throat, throat congestion, cough etc. Use liberally in your salads and curries.
3. Honey: Keeps most of the allergies away. Have a spoon of honey every day in the morning
4. Dates: Dates provide several essential nutrients such as calcium, fiber, amino acids, sulfur, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, potassium and fats to the body. They are wonderful sources of dietary fiber and are rich in vitamins. Have 1-2 dates daily.
5. Mint and Sage leaves: These are part of Arabic teas. Mint is used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains and sage boosts the nervous system. Learn to drink Arabian herbal teas.
6. Cucumber: Cucumber contains erepsin, an enzyme that helps to digest protein. No wonder Arabs eat a lot of cucumber after a heavy poultry or mutton meal. Make sure to eat them after a non veg. diet.
7. Parsley: used as an enema and good for bones. You need to stimulate digestion in winter and your bones must be stronger to withstand the weather.
8. Lime and Oranges supply lot of vitamin C. Top your salads with Lime juice and orange slices.
9. Olive Oil: Gargle with olive oil if you have a sore throat. Olives are very good agents for fighting allergies and rheumatism.
10. Arugula/rocket (Jarjeer) famous for its digestive alcohol is a good source of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, and magnesium.

According to the principles of Ayurveda, a healthy lifestyle comprises of a proper routine regarding ahar (the food you eat), vihar (your activities) and achars (what you practice, discipline) based on hetu (material cause), kala (season) and desha (habitat). And your ahar (the food you eat) will affect your vihar (actions) and vichar (thoughts)

We cannot escape from the global warming and packaged food revolution and resultant health hazards. But we can minimize the effect of it. Worship the stomach and do not let impurities enter there. Have a balanced diet. These are insights Jo and her diabetes brought into to my life. I am going back to the wisdom of our ancestors. Let our children go a long way, and we have to be there to walk them!

Picture source: www.greaterimmunity.com

Balance Scoreboard @40

4 Decades of life
3 Parents to look upon
2 Dependents to support
1 Husband for company (Alhamdulillah)

Few good friends
Few strands of grey (That’s wisdom)
Few memories to cherish
Few KDs in the pocket (Thank God!)

I am growing in numbers
But count me not with loners
A generation is coming along
And we will rock again(God willing!)

The Ballad of a Bedouin Dame

For my eyes the desert in winter is like a young woman. Pleasant…sleepy mornings… lot of sunlight….sporadic rains… and full of tiny yellow flowers (desert daisies). But in summer, the desert becomes a hell hole. Scorching heat… sand storms….. endless barren land….and the plight of earth becomes like the Bedouin girl whose predicament is to marry an old man.

The seasons cannot change … but … I dream to have a change in the life of the daughters of desert.

Yeteek el afyaa (May god give you courage and strength)!


She is a shy gypsy dame of the desert
In sweet sixteen, fresh from the winter dew
Peeping out from her white tabernacle
With a glittering veil of fog and rain
Glowing sands adorned her anklets
Twilight flashes frilled her apron
She is busy cooking *"K'nafa' in the desert
With lovely daisies and marigolds.


A truck load of soldiers passed by,
Along with mystique rain clouds,
All heading towards *Arifjan.
A handsome soldier gave her a grin.
O’ dear! She can only admire,
Both the soldier and the passing clouds
Her fate is to marry an old man,
Lest the family honor be suffered.


When summer comes, she will be in his harem.
Jailed alone, scorched in his heat.
Sand storms from his *"shisha" will choke her
His embraces will torment her
Her tears would dry, sobs will not be heard
Only the crows’ feet will be seen
From the corners of her black *"'niqab"
The deep carvings of her sufferings.
A thousand camels will eat away the *"K’nafa"
Her sons and brothers would go away.
Where else she would go?
She is the daughter of the desert.
Destined to live and die with the old man.


** Knafa is the typical Arabic sweet with yellow and orange noodles mixed with cheese and a topping of pistachios.
** Arifjan is the American military base in Kuwait.
** Niqab is the face veil used by the Arab women, notably the eyes are only exposed.

South Got Talent

Talent, Techniques, Skills and Competition make a perfect breeding ground for creativity. Tamil film industry has witnessed a creative surge especially in music composition. The revolution started with music maestro Ilyaraja. He brought the synthesis of Western and Indian classical music to the industry. Remember the mesmerizing compositions of Ilayaraja from 80s and early 90s. ‘Mazhakala megam vannu”,”O priya priya” and “Kanna Kalamanei” to name a few.

Then came “The Mozart of Madras”, A.R.Rahman, who fought his way up to Oscar and Grammies. Amazing is his diversity and experiments with different musical styles. Who else can give such a fusion of Carnatic, Hindustani, Western, Qawali and folk lore with a perfect blend of vocal and instrumental music?. Look at the range from his debut song, “Chinna chinna Aasai…” to ‘Jai Ho” to “Mazhakali”

There is another Rahman is in the making with Harris Jayaraj and his soul elating “Vaseegra” and “Sittum Vizhi” numbers.

To add to the bonanza, here comes a bunch of hybrid musicians like Yuvan Ilyaraja and G.V Prakshkumar inheriting the magic from the ancestors.


My car stereo has been playing Delhi 6 numbers these days.

“Hoye hoye hoye hoye hoye hoye
Saiyaan ched dewe,Nanad chutki leve,
Sasural genda phool”

Rahman’s music, Prasool's lyrics, kites at sea side and the images of Abishek’s shake … Wah !!! I’m at Chandni Chowk not in Kuwait.

The overdose of punches in Tamil movies could be annoying, but the music is scintillating.

Enjoy!!!

TORRENTS

The idyllic memories of the past,
Drifting through the parched mind,
Sliding back to my remote hamlet.

The fury of torrents lashing the blue hills,
The wind spiraling through the green paddies,
The crunching of wriggling bamboo stems,
The belly dancing of the coconut trees,
The herd rushing for the shelter,
The lonely shepherd under the plantain,
The gushing of the mountain stream,

Suddenly the wrath of the torrents stops.

Cleansing the sky and earth,
Leaving the instant pools and streams,
Pearl droplets from the foliage,
Rolling crystals on yam leaves,
Orphaned mangoes lying for a pick,
Fragrant bed of jasmines and *chembagam,
The blissful world of my childhood.

(In memory of my little hamlet in Kerala)

* Chembagam is a fragrant flower of plumeria tree, also called frangipani in English.

Jolted By Avatar!

Once a crazy went to watch a crazy movie!


It’s weird. Cannot say that I enjoyed watching the movie. But the Avatars are haunting my sleep for last two days. Certainly, James Cameron is successful in creating impacts. I am not the right person to review the movie, but adding some loud thoughts.

As an opening note the character Jake is impressive. A synonym of modern day youngster who takes interest in life and experimenting it big time. The substance of the movie, the Na’vi creatures and their super natural abilities reminded me of a rare mixture of Indo-Egyptian and Greek mythologies. On one hand they looked like Hanuman and his monkey troop, on the other their face and hair, reminiscence of Egyptian pharaohs. The large flying birds can be directly correlated to Phoenix.

I could not relate Pandora as a remote earth like planet. Rather, could easily relate old and modern world. If you time travel the Pandora has all the settings of earth in Vedic times or similar mythological times. The era where man was in harmony with nature and spiritually connected to trees and the world around him.

On the logical side, if at all there is an earth like planet somewhere in the galaxy, on what grounds we can say the form of life and the evolutionary process over there is same as earth.
Why that life should look like life on earth?. Why should there be horses and dogs? Why the ultimate form intelligence in that planet should walk on two legs and have similar emotions and morals like us? Can that intelligence be in some reptiles or something that walk on 4 legs? Smarter Snakes and elephant or scorpion like creatures….possible..who knows?
The underlying message of Pandora is the earth itself. West has the same imperialist temper to ambush into other nations without valuing their culture, religion, polity and beliefs. Avatar puts forth a good criticism of colonial life. You would have seen Colonel Mikes and RDA corporations in Iraq, Afghanistan or vietnam.
Finally, the futility of war is well portrayed. You never win a war. The winner only survives, a survival as good as death.

On an end note, the film has technical excellence. Sentiments are well utilized. Along with Jake you will fall in love with some bizarre man like beings.

Take a roller coaster ride of your brain, watch Avatar!!!! .

WELCOME 2010!

It is 2010. Welcome to a new year and a new decade.

I heard one my friends lamenting “There is nothing new in the new year. Old job..
… old friends…...old wife… old routines...what’s new in New Year?”

Well, the answer is “Keep the old wine, old wife and old friends. Remaining all you can get new “

There is some significance to this hype of a new year. It is time to do an assessment and a milestone check of life. A good point for some self discovery, to take new resolutions and get some stimulus of hope.

Personally, I love the tranquility of winter claded December and freshness of January, the best months to reinvent the self.

“The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope.” Pierre Decarrdien

Let me rephrase this little different.

“The future belongs to those who hope and give the next generation reason for hope.”

May your dreams come true in the New Year!

2012 - A Disappointment.

With Great Expectation I went to watch the movie 2012 and came back with a feeling of just another movie. Multiple threads of story, far from realistic failed to reflect the agony of people in front of death. Hey, I got it... the emotions are missing.

World may or may not end in 2012. But sure mine and your world would end one day. Does anyone know the date and time?

Respect the life and live it full!

"Anathm Ajnatham Avarnaneeyam Eeloka Golam Thriyunna Margam"
Athilegdioridutthu Irkikkunna Marthyan Kathayenthu kandu"

Translated as:

Idefinite,Unknown and Inexplicable are the ways of this planet.
What does the man know sitting in a distant corner?

30 second Speech by Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)

VERY SHORT, MOST EFFECTIVE SPEECH AND SEE HOW TRUE IT IS!!!

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in
the
air.
You name them:

Work,
Family,
Health,
Friends &
Spirit

and you keep juggling all of these in the Air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.
If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are
made
of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrecoverably scuffed,

marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.
They will never be the same.
You must understand that and strive for it.”

Optimizing the Glass Jar

Being a wife, a mother, chasing a career along with studies is an acrobatic act. The real management is in changing multiple hats with justice to each role you play. Before I begin, here is an interesting anecdote.

One day, an old professor of the School of Public Management in France, was invited to lecture on the topic of “Efficient Time Management" The Professor started with an experiment. He pulled out a big glass jar and gently placed it in front of the students and filled it with a bag of stones. Then he took some pebbles, carefully poured in slightly rattled the jar, allowing the pebbles to slip through the larger stones. Next, the professor poured bagful sand into the jar. The sand filled up the spaces between the stones and the pebbles. And last, the professor poured a pitcher of water in the jar until it was absolutely full. Then the professor asked, “What great truth can we surmise from this experiment?” With his thoughts on the lecture topic, one manager quickly replied, “We learn that as full as our schedules may appear, if we only increase our effort, it is always possible to add more meetings and tasks.”
“No”, replied the professor. The great truth that we can conclude from this experiment is:
If we don’t put all the larger stones in the jar first, we will never be able to fit all of them later.
Well, the moral of the story is, management is all about prioritizing important objectives in their order. Of course, the most precious treasure, the stones of my life is undoubtedly my family and the role of a mother. Then there is my work, the pebbles of financial security and confidence, aptly fit in the gaps of stones. The dream of pursuing the MBA or studies falls into a self actualization need. Like sand, studies can augment both my family and work. This piece of write up is my hobby which will float like water amidst all other responsibilities.
The jarful concept is not an easy path to pursue, but if determined nothing is impossible. When you steal the time from your children's life, see where you can adjust and compensate. I have tried everything from outsourcing to replacement to delegation for the last 3 years of my MBA tenure.
It is not important to cook for your children every day, but it is important serve the food with love. Keep mommy specials for a week end treat. Remember to give them a good night and good morning hug. Never forget the most important philosophy of family life; when your children are sick, an exam and MBA can wait. One day you will be measured by the love you gave not by your MBA.
Time slicing is a game by itself. A TV can be replaced by a radio in the kitchen. You must take your children to the garden in the weekends but be wise to carry a laptop or a book for yourself and have the pleasure of multitasking. It is not important to be there for all social events and gala parties but it is important to visit a friend and family member who are in need.
In work ethics, be a die hard professional. Never do the crime of using the working hours for assignments. But be liberal to cut down the lunch hour to 10 minutes and dedicate the rest to books. An extra one hour in the office for studies can do miracles.
The last advice, never seclude yourself. There will be crashing points even you weigh and balance. Reach out for help. I have used the services my mother, mother-in-law, friends, husband and colleagues all part of my MBA journey and kept them always approachable.
It is time to get back to my daily dose of stones, pebbles, sand and water. I wish good luck to all those who dare to chase the jarful of life.

Marketing Styles - Royal Resorts and 21 coconut

Marketing - Royal Resorts Style

There are classical examples of great and innovate marketing campaigns failed to adjudge the key factor of marketing, consumer behavior. It is good to pause as a consumer and think for a moment before trumpeting about the aggressive marketing techniques. I had a chance to experience as a consumer two different styles of marketing and a real eye opener of how simple things a make big difference in life.

It was my first holiday to Goa with my family, the land of sea, sun, fun and freedom. While looking for the food outlets at Mapsua , a biker stopped us introducing him as the representative of Royal Resorts and he had some gifts for us. He made my husband and my daughter open 2 gift coupons and said, “Your daughter has proven very lucky by winning a gift coupon of a holiday package from 5 star Royal Resorts”. He said he would like to take us to the resort at his expense and insisted us to join him. Although we had reservations to go with a stranger, my marketing curiosity took the lead. He took us to the resort and after a very warm greeting, one of their sales people took over the show. She took us a for a tour, then said there were some promotional offers which had to be closed on that day and keep an open mind to what they had to offer. We started the conversation and at one stage I felt this was a stereotype same as their competitors and expressed my opinion.
There you go, suddenly her smile vanished, she put an abrupt end to the talk and said not interested in wasting her and our time. Incidentally, she realized the value of time after we wasted two hours of our time and skipped the lunch for their marketing stunt. We were directed to another area where they quietly gave us a coupon to spent two nights holiday at their resort for two people. Generally, I am a customer who shows lot of patience to understand the client and love to learn from their marketing talks. For me that was unnecessary insult and a real waste of time to deal with overtly aggressive sales person.
If we are not their target customers, they shouldn’t have taken me and my family to their resorts.
If their purpose was to create awareness, the team should have the patience to explain and be polite till the end. A customer is customer. If not today, tomorrow he can become your target customer.
Finally, Sales should be always a team work starting from the person who brings the lead to the person who actually closes the deal.
It was a pleasant experience turned to unpleasant and I said a permanent adieu to Royal resorts.

Marketing - 21 coconut style.

Some people make real difference in life that was what Alex taught me, an ordinary Goan with extra ordinary warmth.
Once our stop by at the Candolim beach, I happened to occupy one of the beach chairs watching my children and husband playing, After half an hour a shy guy emerged “Mam , I own the beach restaurant 21- coconut and this chair belongs to me. If you use the chairs for long time you got to pay 100 rupees / hour or else you need to buy something from my restaurant “ . For me the better option was to get something from them. Although I was little hesitant about hygiene part of the beach side make shift restaurant, myself and children settled on tea. Then I noticed that he had an extra friendly demeanor with all his customers. While we were sipping my coffee he came with an additional plate of cake and told us that it was his birthday. Alex demonstrated about the specialty of his restaurant is the typical goan meal with fish curry and showed my kids the pictures he had clicked with the customers at his restaurant. Before we could leave the place, he gave us a 20 % discount on the bill. Although we could not make it for the fish fry and rice on that day, if ever I pass by Candolim, I would definitely make it to 21 coconuts for a fish masala lunch.

Probably, Alex would have had a birthday every day or one of his brothers.
Probably, the discount he gave us was little less than what he charged to the foreigners.
Regardless, he taught me the biggest lessons of marketing, the practical methods of customer attraction and retention.

The Group 6 and MBA Coffee

This is the story of 3 long years in 2 minutes. The story of a six people armed with an MBA gun and a dream to succeed frequented the fisheries building. People with little bit of ambition and a life much larger than an MBA. As any other campus monument, the story also has a silent witness, the coffee shop down the fisheries building which overheard their achievements, frustrations, tragedies and comedies of Ignou MBA venture.

It was at the end of first semester at ignou that the group started evolving. All those great informal groups, innovative ideas and creative brains are discovered over the coffee/ tea. So it was their quest for this great refreshment and zeal for a group that took them to our famous coffee shop. In the beginning , the early birds of the semester occupy empty class rooms before the “counselor shows” at 6:30 PM .Then they had to see otherwise sober Mr.Amjad changing his colours or the counselors from neighboring classes driving them out, on which they had no control over. The fact is that, they used to be the regular noise makers and heart of heart they loved the freedom of being a student once again. Never mind the resultant public nagging. A student is a student regardless of his status, color, creed and of course the age.

It was Mr. Manoj; the senior most male member of the group invited the ladies to the coffee shop. He paid a heavy price for his courtesy, by always getting the privilege to pay for the rest of the group. So the famous coffee shop lets us call it as MBA coffee shop does not need an introduction. It is one among those typical Kuwait restaurants that could sell Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, Srilankan and Arabic food, all at the same time with the best rates available. It had the right ingredient of a meeting place, being close to ignou office, so far away from counselllors, a right sneak peek from those jealous husbands, wives, girlfriends and protective fathers.

The great MBA coffee shop marked the beginning of group 6 formations. With their suit, boot, style and white color complex, the group had the absolute of anonymity, among the workers who frequented the coffee shop. The group 6 consisted of the group entrepreneur Gurpreet, Group all rounder Govind, Math brain Ranjini, group DHL Robin, Management expert Manoj, the group advisor Jainy, and of course some occasional guest visitors (the regularly irregular lot).

One of the constructive discussions of the group was grading the counselors. “Who is the dictator? Who is sarcastic? Who is friendly, who is sincere? And who all are outstanding? And of course, who all can be replaced by ay one of the team members (No offenses please, these were the simple thoughts of some seniors)”. The shop also witnessed the groups’ management strategies of how to extend/ beat the assignment dead lines and how to negotiate the extension of fees schedules. Group always had a consensus on these two issues. The coffee shop had also witnessed generosity and great group sharing philosophies. Some of the core assignments were shared, copied and articulately reproduced by the team members (Author is also no exception).

It is the place where the group leader gave great lessons of how to write the best of the assignments, exams and projects and finally got over scored by his favorite disciple. And CPMs, Hypothesis, Chi square, the never to be tallied balance sheets, Drucker and Kotler etc got boiled over the tea (always after the exam). Those brilliant lads who had done well had the jubilation and those desperate ladies who failed to write well had the free consolations/counseling from the rest of the team. “Do not worry about the grades yar, we are here to pass the exam and take a MBA”, yet they worried about their grades and their neighbors grades. After all, we are all human beings and we call this jealousy in modern words as healthy competition.

Another significant experience from the coffee shop is that invariably, on all days, the future of management got chased out by the shop owner on the grounds noise pollution. An average MBA student brings 200 fills (usual menu tea and samosas) worth business at the expense of 45 minutes of noise pollution. (Thanks to the whole hearted laughter of some of the team members).Whereas, an ordinary worker brings at least 500 fills sales within 15 minutes. What a great management theory!!! Nevertheless, the MBA coffee shop had the courtesy to forget the previous day and the group had the tolerance to have the samosas again despite the repeated stomach cramps it gave.

Well the stories can go on…Today there is an Ignou management forum and some formal entities. However, the group 6 was the predecessor of current MBA forum, and the driving force behind some of the adult members like the author. In its own right, the MBA coffee shop and the 100 fills coffee will be the souvenirs of Group 6’s MBA experience.

Excerpts from the life of a working mother

The inspiration to write this message was the last semester of my MBA at Ignou. Sometimes it is grueling to manage a job, family, children and adult education. It is a great balancing act, but worth every minute.

Assignments - Last of the Legions

I have been obsessed with assignments for the past two and a half months and I cannot stop writing this for all working mothers (and good fathers as well) who is doing an EMBEEAEI. I had written all my university exams and certification without skipping any of my favorite TV shows and movies. But this one has been an amazing journey throughout.

The statistics:

I dried up 3 pen.
2 bundles of A4 sheets.
Wrote 32 questions and around 320 final pages.
Searched net around 75 hours.
Spent a total of 260 hours approximately. Some the assignments were written in single sit and it took nothing less than 8 hours for each .

The Lessons I can give:
How :
To make 20 chapattis in 20 minutes.
To make idlis and write assignments together.
To convert kitchen and bathrooms to learning centers.
To mange your time efficiently?( say you prayers in the car, eat assignments and food together etc)

The gains: My 4 year old daughter learned the importance of studies. She can spend hours in front of books. Queried the answer goes “I’m writing assignments"
I made my husband compassionate. He had been both father and mother for my kids in the last 1 month. One Friday he was going through the daily chore of a woman and exclaimed “I never knew you do all these on a day". "Yes, I do all these + do a mushrif job + write assignments"
My 7 year old daughter learned to make omelets and wash her clothes - quite and early achievement.

The management lessons:
Lesson 1 - Never let your Spouse (especially a husband) proof read your assignments. My school, my spelling, my college all was under question.”Are you writing a fiction or an essay" was his last question.

Fiction or essay I have put my soul in to it.

Lesson 2: Never let a father help the children with homework. They may bring home all red marks in their books.

Lesson 3: Never let your children know that you are doing assignments.
I happened to meet my daughters' teachers. The older one's teacher complained that she submitted her project last and the excuse was: "My mom is busy with assignments".
Small one was a step ahead. She told her teacher not to give her homework at all since her Mom is busy with assignments.

Lesson 4: Never let your spouse go to your study center.
My husband's theory until October 25 th was “What assignments and what Ignou, "Kucha likhneka or kuch dhenaka ".He took one set of my assignments to Mr. Amjad. Then I started seeing ghosts of Amjad, Rajan, Santana , Martin all in one.

The loss:
3 weeks I did not go to church.
I missed all social activities for the past 2 months.
I missed two vital appointments for my daughter.
My daughters have become cartoon addicted.
I have not called my families back in India for last 1 month.
I lost 2 kilos and last one week and was sleeping only 3 hours a day.

THE BIG GAINS: Still waiting for it. While I'm posting this, I just know the results of MS-63 only. Whatever be the results, I must say congratulations to my husband and daughters who took it all the way along with me."

Success cannot be bought. To achieve it, you must set yourself on fire."-Vinay Chhabra

Regards,
Jainy