Three cheers for....

Three cheers for....


About Me...

I'm an ex-Capt. (NDA-IMA)...left the army because of an accident (lost right shoulder and of course, the rest of it)...got hold of life...became a leftie...started driving and writing with left...took CAT & GMAT...joined and left ISB after 20 golden days...joined IIM Ahmedabad from there...PGP 2007 - 2009...currently in Hyderabad... Well, Life is iffy !!

So, I'll make it easy...

You can drop a note to: rajat@rajatmishra.co.in

Personal Website

Story in a short video

Quotes I live by...

  • Stretch out your limits once a while...lest you lose your elasticity... (recent offhand thought)
  • It's better to burn out, than fade away (Neil Young)
  • This too shall pass...
  • Shit happens...Life Goes on... (adapted from Forrest Gump)
  • Don't be sad, it's over...be glad, it happened !!
  • He Knows not his own strength, who hath not met adversity - Ben Johnson
  • Do whteva you want...Don't get caught !! (NDA)
  • Rules are like rulers...some can be bent, others can be broken :)

Friday, January 26, 2007

What should I join IIM'A or ISB?

@Everybody, I’ve added a couple of points in this post (as on 14 May 08) according to the present situation since many people still visit this link…ATB to all of you…

> I’m in a lovely dilemma for the past few days, something for which I worked my fingers to the bone. Already paid 1.5 lakh for confirming the seat at the ISB. Got the interview of IIM’A on 22Mar…GD n PI are no big deal, If I decide to
> Thinking of the upsides and downsides of both gives me headache!! Though I have weighed my options, I feel both are at par…
Here r a few pointers:

IIM A:

+ve:
-Better reputation in d cntry vis-à-vis ISB
-2 yrs will give enough time 2 make the foundation strong
(especially with my Army background)-Summer placements....will give me a taste of C world before the placement process
-Will come with 4yrs of exp (approx)
-Will have the army experience, NDA background behind me
-Cheaper than ISB by Rs 10lakh/-[Update-This point might not be very valid now (as of 2011) since the difference has come down to ~ Rs 6 lakh]
-Better alumni footprint in d cntry
-Placement almost …no need to say anything on that :)

-ve:
-A good, thoroughly studious environment vis-à-vis 5 star culture of ISB [thtz the way I want to live life :) ]
-Loose out on one year of job where the additional Rs 10lakh [Update-Now ~Rs 6 lakh] can highly b taken care of
-Peer level quality in terms of experience & work profile is comparatively a tad lower than that at ISB for obvious reasons [Update-This has also changed over the years and A has a considerable strength of people with Work Ex]


ISB+ve:- Peer level of highest quality, ppl with diverse profiles, work ex etc.
- Spiffing Faculty... prof coming from Wharton, etc.
- 5 star culture...life style...right on with my funda of "Live life while u're still alive"
- One year gets saved, especially after putting in a bit of service
- Good repute in n outside India, combined
- Good average package vis-à-vis IIM’A

- Not bound by Government regulations....
- Think on d personal front after an year.... :)
-ve:- Chances of getting a better profile in IIM A....I’ll b one of d crowd at ISB, with ppl havin exp in d corporate world, foreign assignments et al
- Companies might not know d use of luring someone with my profile coz they’ve nt seen my work out of d army…Nt the case at IIM’A coz I'll go for the summer placements b4 the actual one...
- Can manage finances for IIM easily…Rs 5lakh/- [Update- Now ~ Rs 12 lakh].....loan for ISB [Might not be very relevant now]
- Too short a period for ppl like me who r neophytes as far as corporate world is concerned…2yrs at IIM A may make more sense in this case....



Disclaimer: Both the programmes are different per se and cannot actually be compared. These points have been considered according to my priorities in life and as per my requirements, and have no bearing on the status of the respective institutions...Love 'em both!! Also the decision parameters and way of looking at this would be different for every individual. FYI pls!
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Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Rise of the Phoenix...

Contd…

> Saw another example of an officer in Pune hosp, who had lost his entire rt leg, half left leg and half right hand because of a delay in evacuation from a post at Siachen glacier…Inspite of d embattled times he was undergoing, he always had a big smile tto spare for his visitors…

> Decided 2 tk life as it comes, live every moment 2 the fullest…was in roaming-around condn in a few months…started writing with d left hand…came home n started drivin our car wid d left hand (with immdt effect!!)…no big deal when u come to think of it, esp when the gears r as it is on d left!! Became a “modified leftie”!!

> Was told by senior offrs tht this being a very severe injury, won’t b able to continue in d army…didn’t want to leave though…left the studies long b4 at NDA…newayz, was told tht even If I continue under exceptional circumstances, my career will bite the dust, no command of unit et al…Decided to move on…Left the army in Mar’06!!

> Shifted to Pune… thanx to the army, even after leavin, was given an accommodation in an Offrs Mess for 9 months…No wonder, the Army takes care of a faujee even after leavin it…

> Joined a coaching institute 2 brush up d basics, joined www.pagalguy.com, the forum tht did wonders for me….Prepared for GMAT and CAT…gave GMAT in Aug 06 end, racked up a 740, 98 percentile…here r d comments on prep…

http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/gmat-and-related-discussions/17581-racked-up-a-740-a-2.html

> Always had ISB Hyderabad (Indian School of Business) in mind…got the call for intvw, gave the intvw...no grilling...gave d feeling tht they wud tk me...but didn't say so obtrusively...

> Gave CAT perfunctorily, as a Plan B coz I’d already cut-the-mustard by givin a good intvw, almost a sure-shot!! Got d confirmation of ISB on 15 Dec 06…

> In Jan got d call from IIM A,C,K,I,L….wonderful dilemma…one,4 which I’d dreamt of… Would either go for IIM A or ISB in the near future…

> Would impute dis success to:
-my mother n sis’ for being strong, givin d support n blessings reqd
-blessings of my Dad n all d elders up there, n my relatives…
-all n sundry at pagalguy n my coachin inst for d guidance n support…
-the army, for takin care of the adm arrangements while I studied…
-My love, for standing by me, takin away all the worries I might have had about d iffy future and for being there…:))
-lastly, nebody whom i might've missed...

Thnx @everybody...

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

The Accident...

Contd…

>Course was going on fine…was among the top-notch ones…getting good scores…one fine day…22Dec2004, disaster struck n struck really hard…was going on my bike...on the way from an official get together....around midnight, 2330hrs...

>Ostensibly, acc to eyewitnesses, a tractor-trolley overtook another bike…came on wrong side of the road…came face-2-face at the last moment…it was dark…cudn’t mk out d extent of the trolley part…Trolley hit my right shoulder head-on…lost consciousness…She (yes, the same lady officer) was sitting behind…she had a knee facture, fortunately cell was workin… called my coursemates…few of them came…luckily an empty civil car came…took us to d hosp…

>Died by d time I reached d OP table bcoz of blood loss…Surgeons were brought in from Ahmedabad…came overnight…spent the night finding d best way out, had to amputate the arm though…was given 17-18 units of blood…within 2 dayz, Tsunami happened…crisis everywhere…

>Became conscious on 03 Jan ‘05…felt as though a mosquito was biting my right hand…finally a doc broke the news…everbody was lookin at me to see my reaction…Said through d fractured jaw… “Okay, get me some chocolate shake please”…could feel the humor in d atmosphere thereafter…

> Quite a huge list of damages to my infrastructure, no head-injury though, thnx 2 d helmet…

> The NDA mentality took charge… “It could’ve been worse buddy!! Cud have been much worse…u’re still well-off with just one loss”…So d spirits were high…teeths were missing, jaws fractured…tht didn’t deter me 4m havin shakes n chocolates!! Hand was missin,one leg in plaster…tht didn’t deter me from doin one-hand push-ups…

> It is the way you take-on life…you either “exist” or “live” it to the fullest…thz wht keeps you going...

Thursday, January 18, 2007

This was me...Then...

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Lets begin from the beginning…in the beginning, there was me….

Father was in the Army…like father like son…decided to try for NDA…Prepared for n joined the NDA in 99’Jun…3 yrs of brittle training...many ups n downs…learned the intricacies of life…understood the meaning of “There is no limit to human endurance”

Followed by IMA…joined my father’s regt…EME…saw infantry life for an year in field…a stupendous experience…saw the beauty of Sikkim…Gangtok,Nathu La, et al…
Did my share of operations…joined my regt thereafter…went for a course to Baroda (Gujarat)

The Love story:

>Was briefed by my seniors that DO NOT fall in love with any lady-officer or Gujju (gujaratiiiis)…However, it had to transpire, happened…met my first love…another lady officer (junior), doing the course with me…though she was a doonite(from dehradun) ..i.e. Pahadi…took the number of all 4 lady officers, to get hers !! …used to send “forwards” to all four, so tht no wrong signal goes to her !! Heh heh…
>somehow things clicked…I sing good enough…she happened to sing good enough too…met socially, often…in practices…sang in parties…one thing led to another n sparks flew…was head over heels in love… kinda odd for me to ask the question actually…she being a junior…It was a matter of prestige…Ex-NDA…not used to hearing NO (Disobedience of orders!! Heh Heh Heh)…wht If…newayz,got a confirmation on my Birthday of the same… At every course get-2gether, there was n unsaid rule… “Hey!! shez my gal” had 2 necessarily sit wid me on d bike ...
lovely time...d courtship...no tension, other than a few skirmishes...a bit of greenry in the eyes sometimes...managing time between studies and her...doin well at both d fronts..


To be continued…

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