Lucknow

I am Arjun Myne, IIM Lucknow’s representative for Olympus.

An Engineer by qualification, I have worked with Tata Consultancy Services before joining IIM Lucknow. Last summer, I have interned with JP Morgan Chase.

 My interests include playing cricket and travelling. Looking forward to Intaglio…

Please feel free to leave your comments (bouquets & brickbats) on this page, and I will reply as soon as possible.

Question of the day: 02/01/2008

Who amongst the other 5 candidates do you think is your biggest competitor in Olympus 2008?

Olympus 2008 has been a promising platform to identify the best from amongst the IIMs. Each of my worthy competitors is brilliant and is poised to achieve his/her best in their respective lives. The journey insofar has seen us confronted by myriad issues, on which each of us have deliberated, and have presented our own opinions before you.

The opinions and the views of all the opponents have been well thought-out. The competition is intense, and it would be unfair on my part to even attempt to judge anyone as better than the other as early as now. The competition is wide open!

Scaling Mount Olympus.

Kudos to the Olympus & Intaglio organizing teams to conceptualize and implement such a wonderful experience for us all!

May the best man/woman win.

Thinking beyond Olympus, I sincerely believe that each of us is a winner in his/her own right. This experience itself has the potential to catapult us into the next level by virtue of the very quality of the interaction with some of the best people in the country. There is space for 6 and more at the top, and its only time before we make it there. J

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Question of the day: 01/01/08  

Educated, energetic and able youngsters of our country (except those belonging to some political lineage) often shy away from entering politics and hence do not take up a direct responsibility of making a positive impact on the society. Comment.

This is a story of hope and despair. This is a story of youthful aspirations gone unrealized.

There was a child, with a righteous mind and a will to make things better. The character was full of substance. Education harnessed the mind and opened it to the world and its peculiarities. With education, the mind gradually became aware of why people cohabitate, why societies exist, that there exist boundaries of language, cultures and geography and how the world functions. With time the child becomes an adult. Armed with the enthusiasm of youth and the fearlessness of a noble mind, s/he aspires to solve all the worries of the world through the powerful medium called ‘politics’.

Politics, in its purest definition is ‘the art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.’ In philosophy, politics and its ultimate aim has been an everlasting debate. I choose to accept the view that ‘the goal of politics is to make people happy’.

There is immense potential in politics and what we can achieve through it. Every person, every business and every society is nurtured by the policies that the governing polity sets. The vision, or the lack of it, has the ability to build a super-power or to cripple the nation. Now, who are the people who are behind the mask of ‘politics’? These are the men and women who hold this responsibility.

Resuming the story from where we left off….

India is a country where the people rule. Democracy, as they say, is of the people, by the people and for the people. The mind of our protagonist awakens to the possibilities of the change that can be realized through politics. But, ever since our young man/woman starts living the landscape called ‘the Indian democracy’, every hope seems unreal.

S/he sees images of the local ‘grass-root’ political leaders who enjoy a perennial residence in the courts of justice and are well-assisted by the local ‘bhais’ and ‘gun-toting self-styled leaders’. Irrespective of their ideological leanings, the grass-roots seem equally …. err, uninspiring! Power in society resides with either the politically or the criminally connected.

“umeed pe duniya kaayam hai” – Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee (Former Prime Minister of India)

Still, hope is not lost. The noble aspirations seek the diamonds – shining examples of leadership, who despite the odds remain committed to their people and their responsibility. “But, how do I get there?” is the question that now comes up in the mind. Thus, begins the search for the channels to enter politics.

This is where I believe the political aspirations of our youth are hurt the most. One, our democracy is built on the premise of representation of the people. The country, however, isn’t tailor-made for democracy. With innumerable divisions between her people, in terms of language, religion, caste and culture, the representation often becomes a majority game, while the deeper ideological issues get swept under the carpet. The second problem is that political ambitions are based on ‘credibility’ of the candidate, as perceived by the electors. Credibility, in India is a synonym for political lineage or the appropriate networks. Even the righteous, educated and sincere Indian is no match for the ‘brother-in-law’ of the chief of the ruling party, or the uneducated soul, who is being used as a pawn by the leaders of a party (to appeal to the masses).

Back to our story….

Despair sets in. Despair at the lack of opportunities, despair at the mass of people who actually ‘rule’ the country, without governing it. “Probably ambitions are just that – ambitions, not reality”, is what the mind concedes.

But, all isn’t lost. The righteous mind with the power of education make him/her go on, in the pursuit of the Indian dream – an honest and respectable job, with enough money to secure the comforts for the family. The righteous mind now believes that the contribution is to be made indirectly, through the chosen profession and as a respectable member of society.

The hope that was got marred by despair. The story of youthful aspirations remained unrealized. India lost another leader in the making.

The awakening

Millions saw and admired ‘rang de basanti’. That too, was a story of despair. How many more such stories can we afford? Fortunately, ours is the age of young men and women, who happily give up their mega-bucks to chase their entrepreneurial dreams. We seek such youth who are fearless in mind and have a clear vision of what they wish to achieve and how. I call this ‘political entrepreneurship’ and akin to social entrepreneurship, it has the ability to transform lives.

The impediment of ‘credibility’ has only one solution. Work where it is needed most. From the smallest unit of democracy (whether it is a panchayat or a local ward), there is work to do and this is where we need to act. Credibility has to be fought for and won.

The other impediment of ‘channel’ is the bigger challenge. There are two ways to surpass it. One is to collaborate amongst all the similar people to form a non-aligned network, where the only ideology is development. Lok Paritrana (a political party floated by IITian) is one step in the right direction. The second approach has come to light with the LEAD INDIA campaign to bring forth leaders of today. This unique ‘corporatized and publicized’ channel has the ability to transform the Indian political landscape. Kudos to the mastermind behind it!

The larger impediment, however, lies in the mind. The will makes all the difference.

 

I sign off today, with this inspiring video.

 

Question of the day: 31/12

On the eve of the new year what targets should India as a country set for itself to achieve in 2008?

It’s that time of the year… time to look ahead, dream and resolve to achieve the impossible. But, my dream seems pleasantly different today. I really believe in the dreams I have for my country. Just a decade ago, people my age would have seen similar dreams, but with the “i-dont-think-this-would-happen, but-I wish-it would (sigh)’ feeling in their hearts. Why this metamorphosis of the Indian youth into a positive and pleasantly aggressive being?

India is changing. We are part of this change. In fact, we are the change. The feeling is exemplified in the ads of today. We are the “I am what I am” Reebok youth who can flaunt their “Impossible is nothing” a la Adidas belief on their sleeves. And it is with this very belief in you and me that I dream today.

Here I go and present before you my dreams for India 2008.

There are two ways of looking at the targets.

1.       The Milestones – This view presents the tangible achievements that come in recognition of our country in our journey for development.

2.       The intangibles – is the other view, which comprise of the intangible achievements, which are in the realm of efforts that our nation makes towards greater development and prosperity.

The thread binding the two should be the dream to make India the country that every country looks up to and admires for its abilities and its growth. Yes, we lack in many places and have struggled in the past. But, it is time to make an impact on the world in whatever we do.

The theme for this dream is “India – Impact 2008”

The Milestones – I present my wish-list for the milestones that India should achieve in 2008:

1.       Top 100 in Human Development Index (HDI) – the single measure of all that we wish. From eradication of poverty and hunger to access to quality primary education, from empowerment of women to moving towards a more sustainable environment, the HDI targets are all-encompassing. From its present position of 128, we have a long way to go

2.       The Indian M&A juggernaut rolleth – bigger deals, higher targets. The past few years have seen Tetley, Corus and Novellis being bagged by indian companies. The time is not far when we will see the very British ‘Jaguar’ rolling down the roads in India. The stage is set for the global Indian takeover.

3.       The Indian CEO phenomenon – the worth of the people is from the indelible mark that our people leave on the global arena. Indra Nooyi (Pepsico), Vikram Pandit (Citigroup) & Shantanu Narayen (Adobe) are our torch-bearers. 2008 should see many more join them in their place in the sky.

4.       Back to the roots – the political drama should shift to the rural India. Politics needs to be developmental rather than governmental. The focus has to be on enabling the masses towards self-governance. The emergence of forums such as Lead India give a platform for the leaders to emerge from the masses and take the Lead.

5.       India Formula 1 – the global F1 racing circuit would add a novel sporting & tourism destination with India on its map. We need  more dynamic people like Vijay Mallya, who can dream big and make it happen. The roar of the F1 Ferrari engine is not far away.

6.       Oscar – we await the highest award. Nothing more, nothing less.

7.       Capture gold at the dragon Olympics – the elusive Gold is our target. China did the impossible in 2004. Its our turn now. We need to reclaim event the 1/100th second.

The milestones are the dream of every citizen. What each one of us has to resolve this year, at  the stroke of midnight, is that every one of us will dedicate our energies to help our nation reach these milestones. In our own small way, we have to live this dream.

“Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” – Henry David Thoreau

Impossible is nothing. 

Happy New Year !

Question of the day – 30/12

Will Cooperation rather than competition amongst the IIM student community help in building a stronger brand in the long run?

Every word that I write here is with the aim of emerging as the winner of this competition between the IIMs. This very stage exists because we compete with each other. And compete, we must. It is this very struggle to prove one better than the other that drives us to achieve the next level of brilliance. Would anyone of us stretch ourselves without any competition? I doubt it. So, it can be safely established that competition is healthy and brings out the best in us.

Then, why do we ask the question “cooperation rather than competition”? Because, we are constantly riddled with our own individualistic desires of better jobs, the fatter package and the bigger brand name. Deep down in our hearts, we know that we compete and excessively seek better for the self (and our own IIM), and question the achievements of the other IIMs.

I choose to address this question by deliberating on ‘cooperation’ between the pan-IIM student community and the advantages thereof. As educated and responsible (if I may use this to refer to all of us J) participants of this elite community, the country looks up to us as leaders not just in business, but also as citizens who can take India into the league of super-nations. We need collaboration to address social and political issues of importance to you, me and the millions out there who don’t even know what IIM stands for! An example of this collaboration is the support that the pan-IIM community extended in support of the Manjunath Shanmugam (IIML ’04 alumnus) killing, which compelled the nation to stand up and take notice, and finally ensured justice. Our efforts have the capability to change the nation’s mindset. Such unity is the cornerstone of all that we, the members of this community, should strive to achieve. In time to come, the achievements of our community (IIMs) would be established by the impact that our work has had on our country.

Taking another view – the world knows us as IIMs, and it is in the best interests of all of us in this community to collaborate our resources (faculty, research and knowledge) and much more to ensure that the brand IIM reaches the heights that we all want it to. In the long run, the “IIM” tag is bigger than any suffix that we may attach to it. The steps taken by the Pan-IIM Alumni community are in this direction.

Now, this brings me to the inevitable question – should international educational institutes collaborate instead of competing against each other. That, my friends, is a question for another day. J