What an amazing sting! Amazing because just a few days ago Aaj Tak was pleased as punch that apna patrakaar managed to sneak into Amitabhji's hospital room.
Operation Duryodhana, executed in partnership with Aniruddha Bahal's Cobrapost , the channel gave a real and powerful example of what being 'sabse tez' can be about.
Yes, competition may have dumbed down TV but with it also comes the incentive to take risks and do something to rise above the clutter. Something like Operation Duryodhana.
It's great that Aaj Tak recognised 'we can't do everything'. No major media house would have the expertise, the patience or the balls to pull of a sting operation of this magnitude. Working 8 months on one story? Uh, 8 days is a major 'well-researched' magazine cover. 8 hours is more like it on most days.
For Cobrapost too, the Aaj Tak tie up made a lot of sense. Remember what happened with Tehelkagate? Sure it got coverage but by giving co-ownership of the Duryodhana story to the Today group, Cobrapost's sting made a huge impact. And it didn't die down easily either.
Within hours all the parties whose MPs were implicated had suspended their MPs. Excepting the RJD.
In contrast with the Tehelka scandal where those caught on camera remained defiant and instead tried to harass Tehelka. Probably thinking: woh log chhote hain, unka mooh band karva sakte hain.
Now, it ain't gonna be possible. You can attack Aniruddha Bahal and his team but can you malign the India Today group and get away with it?
Win-win
The Aaj tak tie up also made great financial sense for the Small Guy. 5 lakhs were paid in bribes to the MPs alone. There must have been thousands of other incidental expenses. And of course the cost of running the Cobrapost operations - salaries, cellphones et al.
Instead of worrying about how the office electricity bill - as well as how to create an impact with the story - Cobrapost could concentrate on its core area of expertise: conducting the sting operation.
And it looked like they invested in some really great spy cameras 'cause the picture quality was far far superior to the grainy visuals generally seen in a sting operation.
As far as Aaj Tak was concerned what was Rs 15-20 lakhs? Or even more?? Sure there was a small risk that things would not come through but with Bahal's reputation that was a risk worth taking.
The result was a story that gave Aaj Tak eyeballs worth several crores. Given that the channel had Star News nipping at its heels, this was surely just what the TRP doctor ordered.
And it went on to show that no matter how many times you change your channel graphics, the ratings will come only when you give viewers a reason to tune in for your core offering - NEWS.
Giving Credit
The issue is of such national interest that no competitor can afford to ignore it. But surprisingly, this time almost all were graceful enough to acknowledge it was a Cobrapost-Aaj Tak sting operation.
This included even the biggies like TOI and HT although curiously ET had not done so and in its online article TOI was a little more coy, only mentioned Aaj Tak.
Only NDTV appeared to be in denial and sulking. . No mention of this news at all on their homepage
In their late night bulletin the top story was 'opening of Pune International airport'.
Star News, meanwhile, took a 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em' view and was airing its own series of 'look, these are your dirty politician' bulletins.
Questions
Getting politicians from across the spectrum of parties was a really smart idea. Perhaps that's what took the operation so long?
Given that 6 BJP MPs succumbed to the Dark Side one can infer that those in the party out of power had less avenues for 'income' and could be tempted more easily.
But how come there were no MPs from Left parties? Could the public conclude they have more integrity?
Secondly, did all the MPs approach/agree to take bribes? Or were there some who refused? That was interesting to know.
Some of the questions MPs agreed to raise were absolute rubbish. eg an imaginary genetically modified "Catch 22 cottonseed" . And the ROTFL :
“Is it true that while NRI firms such as India Uncut of USA, Sepia Mutiny of Britain and AnarCap Lib of Netherlands have been allowed to invest in Indian SSIs, the reputed German investment firm Desipundit has been denied permission? If so, the reasons thereof?
Was the Union Government of India planning to make automatic the long procedure of permission for SSIs to import new technologies such as Trackbacks, Pingbacks, Blogrolls, Splogs and Hitcounters?”
This question was submitted with the purpose of getting a reply from the minister of Small Scale Industries. Thankfully, there were some brains functioning in Parliament house because from Cobrapost's press release it would seem that none of the faltu questions actually made it to the floor or even as questions worthy of written replies.
But yeah, they made for a great story. It was good to see the Cobrapost guys retain a sense of humour in what must have been a tense and trying time.
If you offer an individual a bribe to do something corrupt, it is but natural that most of the time they will accept it, so it's the briber who is at fault for offering it in the first place? If we lose even the ability to be shocked by this kind of thing, times really are dangerous.
Of course, nobody's claiming that the media did this with purely altruistic motives -- of course they wanted a scoop, of course they wanted greater hits and TRPs. But in the process, if they revealed something as ludicruos as this, surely that was a good thing? And when you say the media could produce such scoops to serve their own ends, what you don't realize is that the media has too many checks built into the system. Nobody works alone, too many people are in the know and it's difficult to guarentee everybody will keep their mouths shut.
Made great business sense to conduct such sting operations. Behal & team also deserved credit to make honest & investigative journalism lucrative. Hope to see more Behal's in the future. Second, the Parties immediately suspended their MLAs because they had seen the Tehlaka days & they realised that it will harm their image, even if they fought it legally. This is the beauty of our system. No, Bangaru & Jaitley (jaya) weren't treated differently beacuse they were big fish.
The parties would have played defiant had this not had the potential of rewriting their political future.
All around us know about the court clerk who takes bribes, (except the police, of course), and so the media people will also have known who to invest their 15-20 lakhs on.
With all the reactions these sting operations have created in the country, I'm surprised that no one has flipped the coin and looked at the other side. The whole operation was a publicity stunt based on the fact that somebody will definitely fall for a bait. The question is, in any country with a corruption statistics like ours, how many politicians follow these ethics strongly, because for those who follow it with little lax can happily take this bribe since its not doing any direct harm to anyone (or is it ?). I'm not taking any sides, but I do think that the way media-power is rising in country, they'll surely become a big part of the corrupt system and use their power against/for political parties, but guess what, their misuse won't be technically termed as 'corruption'.
Jaya Jaitley and Bangaru Laxman were presidents of their parties instead of a everyday MP. Also since it had names of two main political parties, the parties knew the pressure wouldn't be on a single one. So best way out was take a high moral ground.
This sting operation was indeed something to be appreciated unlike the cheezy ones conducted by India TV which were more inclined to peek a boo in the private lives of the rich n famous .... Operation Duryodhan surely had to do something with the common man ...i m sure there will be many more like this and hope all the other political whizkids learn a sabak from this ....
Anyways the crux of the matter was that Aaj Tak had definitely got the TRP"S rolling its way ..
And I love the name 'Operation Duryodhana'. Although it's not apt in the literal sense coz the operation was more of a political 'vastraharan'.
This time the Duryodhan's were the ones getting 'exposed'. And ironically, it was a woman - Cobrapost's intrepid Suhasini Raj - who was doing the exposing.
And much as I'd like to see who she is, I hope she and the rest of the sting ops team stays away from the limelight. So we can look forward to many more such Duryodhans and vastraharans!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
That sinking feeling
Imagine staring at this for for 10 minutes of every day for the next 20 years of your life.
Because that's what happens if you buy the wrong bathroom fittings. You can sell off dud shares. You can throw away ill-fitting clothes. But junking a bathroom? Next to impossible.
And it's not just the money although yes - it costs a bomb. The bigger cost is your time and your life, both of which get screwed when random workmen float in and out of your house. And keep requiring random sums of money for screws and pipes and what not.
After which you check on the progress made in the last hour and note the shelf is slightly crooked or the tiles don't look like they're stuck on right.
But do you want perfection or do you just want peace? If you're not Monica from Friends, you know the answer!
Thande thande paani se...
...Log kisi zamaane mein nahate they. These days jacuzzis and shower cubicles and all those jazzy '5 star' type bathrooms are yours for the asking. (Even those lovely transparent glass sinks!)
Of course if you are an average dude living in a 900 sq ft flat the best you can try for is a shower with jet-sprays. For which you have to spend on installing a pressure pump and a storage geyser and what have you.
Apparently, the real high end stuff sells for as much as Rs 70 lakhs.
The latest in this is a steam shower with transparent glass cabin with two seats and a door. It is equipped with an overhead shower and two body showers. Other installation cabin includes a steam generator, thermostat temperature sensor, lighting and ventilation unit. An automatic fragrance unit is another temptation.
This article appeared in the Deccan Herald and honestly I think that's where the real market for these products is. The last time I was in Madras I was amazed by this 3 storey high shop on the outskirts of the city with model after model of amazing 'imported' bathroom fittings.
I guess they don't pay 1 crore for poky flats in posh but congested areas - they build sprawling kothis. And each bathroom is lovingly done up to reflect one's status in life. But, on a parallel view I have seen dull homes belonging to my friends and relatives who have extravagant bathroom fittings. I think India is trying to improve a lot in the area they are known to be dirty for.
The old joke was you hid your non-tax paid money beneath the bathroom tiles -now the money stares back at you from the crystal plated faucet.
Nah, I don't grudge 'em these small joys. Sanitaryware zindabad. Yes, we want our bathrooms to be 'glamourooms'.
But sadly, you never quite know if it's gonna go the glamour way or the horror way... I myself have one pink and white bathroom to ponder over. Kaafi bhayanak lagta hai.
Pray for me.
Yeh India, woh India
6th December is a date which will be remembered in history textbooks as the day on which the Babri masjid was demolished.
But, in Mumbai, it is the day you know you'll be stuck in a massive traffic snarl. Because 6th December is the day that thousands of Dalits descend on Chaityabhoomi near Shivaji Park - to pay homage to Dr B R Ambedkar on his death anniversary.
Many will stay on for a day or two - to 'see' the city. They will camp on the roads, at railway stations. Their presence will be an eyesore and a nuisance to the city-slickers.
And yet, we can only be grateful that they do go back to whatever miserable existence they know. That they don't choose to stay on here and demand a share in the visible prosperity of the 'other India'.
Because with their sheer magnitude in number, under an able leadership, they can easily decide it's time for 'revolution'!
On the other hand...
Even as the 'have nots' choose to stay peaceful, the haves are going on rampage. And over what? A bucket of water!
TOI reports:
It all started on a Saturday morning when two first year MBBS students, Sanchit Mittal and M Chandrakant, got into an argument over who would first get hot water for a bath. Chandrakant complained to the acting secretary of R M Bhatt Hostel, Ramdas Morale, a third-year student.
Morale and four others confronted an injured Mittal and later warned all non-Maharashtrian students not to "trouble" others.
Despite efforts to broker peace on Saturday and Sunday, a huge mob entered the hostel shouting slogans Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji! on Sunday night, students said. They vandalised the hostel rooms and beat up non-Maharashtrians.
All students are now out on bail - the judge apparently took cognisance of the fact that they have exams coming up. So instead of cooling their heels in the lock up, they only have to 'report' to the police station twice a week.
And finally...
TV channels flashed the news that there has been a lathi charge at Mumbai airport. Supporters of spiritual leader Swami Narendra were protesting against him being frisked by airport security.
To disperse this crowd, which refused to leave after demonstrating for over 2 hours outside the domestic terminal, a lathi charge was ordered. TV reporters say many have been injured...
People in India are just about ready to start a fight and join a mob. May it be a mob around an accident or mob around a policitian's speech. That's because people want to make themselves known, or feel that they are important , perhaps that's why their actions are so loud.
The protests started after the Swami was not allowed to carry his "mace" on-board and not because he was frisked at the airport ;-) HaHa !! What a bunch of Jokers !!
" Indians are a violent lot". The violence is seething undercurrent all the time and explodes when accountability is not present. That may be the reason we have so many swamis and sadhus preaching.
We don't examine our inner feelings, we sweep things under the carpet. This is especially true of the current generation, the post independence era children. We were a hypocratic snobbish lot.
The question: Why was Swamiji flying if he or his supporters have a problem with airport security? And if they did have a problem was protesting loudly the correct and spiritual thing to do?
Yes, on the surface there is 'civilisation'. But it doesn't take much for an almost-like-Bihar scenario. It takes but a minor spark to start a fire over imaginary 'issues'.
India is a cauldron, simmering with frustrations. Something is cooking - and it doesn't smell good.
But, in Mumbai, it is the day you know you'll be stuck in a massive traffic snarl. Because 6th December is the day that thousands of Dalits descend on Chaityabhoomi near Shivaji Park - to pay homage to Dr B R Ambedkar on his death anniversary.
Many will stay on for a day or two - to 'see' the city. They will camp on the roads, at railway stations. Their presence will be an eyesore and a nuisance to the city-slickers.
And yet, we can only be grateful that they do go back to whatever miserable existence they know. That they don't choose to stay on here and demand a share in the visible prosperity of the 'other India'.
Because with their sheer magnitude in number, under an able leadership, they can easily decide it's time for 'revolution'!
On the other hand...
Even as the 'have nots' choose to stay peaceful, the haves are going on rampage. And over what? A bucket of water!
TOI reports:
It all started on a Saturday morning when two first year MBBS students, Sanchit Mittal and M Chandrakant, got into an argument over who would first get hot water for a bath. Chandrakant complained to the acting secretary of R M Bhatt Hostel, Ramdas Morale, a third-year student.
Morale and four others confronted an injured Mittal and later warned all non-Maharashtrian students not to "trouble" others.
Despite efforts to broker peace on Saturday and Sunday, a huge mob entered the hostel shouting slogans Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji! on Sunday night, students said. They vandalised the hostel rooms and beat up non-Maharashtrians.
All students are now out on bail - the judge apparently took cognisance of the fact that they have exams coming up. So instead of cooling their heels in the lock up, they only have to 'report' to the police station twice a week.
And finally...
TV channels flashed the news that there has been a lathi charge at Mumbai airport. Supporters of spiritual leader Swami Narendra were protesting against him being frisked by airport security.
To disperse this crowd, which refused to leave after demonstrating for over 2 hours outside the domestic terminal, a lathi charge was ordered. TV reporters say many have been injured...
People in India are just about ready to start a fight and join a mob. May it be a mob around an accident or mob around a policitian's speech. That's because people want to make themselves known, or feel that they are important , perhaps that's why their actions are so loud.
The protests started after the Swami was not allowed to carry his "mace" on-board and not because he was frisked at the airport ;-) HaHa !! What a bunch of Jokers !!
" Indians are a violent lot". The violence is seething undercurrent all the time and explodes when accountability is not present. That may be the reason we have so many swamis and sadhus preaching.
We don't examine our inner feelings, we sweep things under the carpet. This is especially true of the current generation, the post independence era children. We were a hypocratic snobbish lot.
The question: Why was Swamiji flying if he or his supporters have a problem with airport security? And if they did have a problem was protesting loudly the correct and spiritual thing to do?
Yes, on the surface there is 'civilisation'. But it doesn't take much for an almost-like-Bihar scenario. It takes but a minor spark to start a fire over imaginary 'issues'.
India is a cauldron, simmering with frustrations. Something is cooking - and it doesn't smell good.
Ham Delivery
But that does nothing to alter the fact that Home Delivery is an absolute and complete dud of a film. With Vivek/ Viveik playing an absolute and complete dud of a character.
The storyline: Sunny Chopra is a 'writer' whose claim to fame is writing an agony aunt column in 'The Times of Hindustan'. He is known as 'Gyaan Guru'. In addition Sunny is writing a script for Karan Johar. And he has a beautiful live-in girlfriend (Ayesha Takia) whose chief occupation is making coffee for him and pottering around their swanky studio apartment.
He lies to his boss about being ill so he can work on the script. He lies to Karan Johar because he has no script yet. He lies to his fiancee for a chance to make out with Maya - an actress he meets on a talk show who happens to be his teenage fantasy.
What is even worse is the way he cheats on ordinary matters. Like refusing to pay for the pizza he's ordered because 'if it's late, it's free'. Even when it's bang on time. A guy who wears an Omega and refuses to pay Rs 265 for pizza (shudder - this is not an official product placement, I hope!)
And oh, he also returns worn shirts and used CDs to shops. Girlfriend mildly scolds him and says 'this is not correct'. Why she wants to marry this loser is what I am trying to figure out.
At one point he drops her off at a market, says he's parking the car and instead zooms off for a rendezvous with Maya. And no, none of this is slapstick or comic like in 'No Entry' or 'Kya Cool Hain Hum'. It's high decibel irritating!
To add to the sar mein dard there are a host of peripheral characters who are supposed to be 'funny'. One mad neighbour who is a brahmachari, another who sings to produce rain and a lunatic who kills Page 3 types.
Plus there's a string of 'guest appearances' - Karan as himself, Sunil Shetty, even Abhishek Bachchan in a blink-and-you-miss-him appearance. But it's like dal hi jal gai toh usme tadka maar ke koi faayda nahin.
Far, far more was expected of director Sujoy Ghosh after Jhankaar Beats. Sadly, success probably went to his head. The script looks like it was written on a napkin by a bunch of friends who went out drinking.
Basically, someone first sat and wrote down 20 one liners and cool ideas and then decided to weave a screenplay around it. For example, you have to suffer Sunny referring to his girlfriend as 'Nani' for two hours. Just so that when he gets bonked on the head they can use the lame joke 'nani yaad aati hai'...
No Delivery
Eventually Boman Irani, playing a pizza delivery boy enters Sunny's life and shows him the sahi raasta. But not before he too is humiliated, bullied and treated like a piece of garbage - after doing a series of good deeds.
OK, so in the end Sunny apologises to pizzaboy and his girlfriend and realises what her value is but it's really unconvincing. Sunny is meant to represent the modern, metrosexual man. A guy who is afraid of making a commitment.
Fine - such people exist. But the character sketch we are given of this man is so shallow ki usme chullu bhar level ka bhi paani nahin hai. The man hangs a huge blow up of his own smiling face in the living room for Godssake!
But the worst, absolutely worst cut of all is that he dishes out advice as Gyaan Guru and practices the exact opposite in his own life. Maybe some actor could have carried it off - but not Vivek, whose every strand of hair is held in the right place, with the right amount of gel. A man whose I-love-myself-too-much look does not even look like it's taking much effort.
The problem is Vivek is the most fake, insincere and unlikable hero I have ever seen portrayed in Hindi films. Vivek, the bottomline is it doesn't matter how you spell your name. None of the films you've acted in after Saathiya have given the audience a reason to like you. While watching Kaal I remember thinking it wouldn't be too bad if your character got mauled by one of those tigers.
Here's the really strange bit. Salman Khan killed an innocent deer, ran over a sleeping man and beat up his girlfriend. He is not a great human being. Yet when he comes on screen, we forgive him for those couple of hours. In film after film, Salman plays the lying and cheating cad. But he's the lovable rogue, someone you just can't dislike.
Indian Industry is not going the "shesh-naag" way. While in '80s the "angry-young-man" as a concept had lost its charm and the industry was trying to find its feet...this time its the younger generation, their increasing income and the desire to experiment with and embrace the new that is driving the movie industry..
The quality of the movies coming out are horrible. Infact I would say except for movies which have Amitabh Bachchan in them, the rest of them aren't worth spending your money on. There are a few exceptions
of-course. In addition the following people must be banned from the Hindi Film Industry ...
(1) Akshay Kumar
(2) Everyone in Yash Raj Films (for glamourizing shitty places like Australia and I believe now Canada).
Of late the standard of hindi movies has fallen way below any comparison. Our movies are going through a phase which happened in mid 80s when movies like "Shesh naag" were being made. The other day I saw "Maine Pyar kyun kiya" and the only thing I was thinking was Maine yeh movie kyun dekhi. It was the worst kind of crap that I had seen in a long long time. I mean if you give me a chance I can make a more sensible and still hilarious movie than these guys and to top it all they have such cheap jokes like Arshad asking Sushmita "chalo doctor doctor kheley". Anyways I can go on and on because I was served three complete hours of horse manure, but the point is that our movies have become unbearable. Yes movies like these were being made earlier also but in between there were some good movies being made by good directors. Now even that is not happening.
I don't know what the secret is but you sure need to find out! And please, no more wishy-washy roles as rich spoilt brats. Step out of the box, stop looking in the mirror and putting your hair in place.
When the going gets tough, show us you can act!
MBA entrance: time for a rethink?
A friend of mine wrote in to me with info on a screw up at the IIFT extrance exam, held last year. Students at some centres were aggrieved.
The complaints:
1) The papers were not sealed and were distributed 5-7 minute before the test started. In some centres they were distributed 10-15 min earlier because invigilator were unaware of the correct instructions to be followed i.e. Question papers were distributed before OMR sheets.
The point being that in an exam where there is fierce competition even a small headstart may give an unfair advantage. A single extra answer may get you that coveted GD/ PI call.
2) At some centres there was precious time lost by the students owing to mismatching between Question paper and OMR sheets distributed by the invigilators. In many centres the mismatching went unnoticed.
3) There were numerous printing errors on the paper leading to confusion in marking answers.
There is even talk of exerting pressure on IIFT to reconduct the exam - by filing a PIL. Given the current media obsession with everything-to-do-with-B schools, it may make the front pages as well.
Not a nice prospect for IIFT, which is generally considered an A + or "top 10 institute".
Questions that arise
Must IIFT have its own separate exam based on the argument that we are a 'foreign trade institute'? If MICA can take in students through CAT, although it is a specialised advertising and communications course, why not IIFT?
They can test short-listed candidates on foreign trade knowledge at the GD and interview stage - MICA does something similar.
The reason I stress on more institutes joining CAT is that barring the 2003 leak it was a well-conducted exam. There was a set procedures where senior academic and non-academic staff from IIMs were deputed to supervise the administration of the exam at different centres.
From what I know they took the discharge of this duty extremely seriously and one has not heard of IIFT-like complaints.
The reason B schools insist on their own exams is to make a neat packet on the exam fee (average : Rs 1000) from the 10-15,000 students who take each test. (adding up to a couple of easily earned crores)
To put students through this expense and hassle and then not conduct a fair exam is, therefore, rather inexcusable.
With regards to the IIFT exam the buzz is 'such things have happened before'. It's just that with online discussion forums more students are airing their grievances. And their voice is more likely to be heard.
Going online
Conducting paper and pen exams on gigantic scale is becoming a pain for B schools. But when XLRI did an online exam a couple years ago the result was an embarrassing system crash. They're back to pen and paper since.
The future of B school entrance is online, but getting the technical and infrastructural details right will take a couple of years. We would have to go the GRE/GMAT way and not insist on a simultaneous exam for 150,000 students.
But then, doubts might be raised about the difficulty levels not being the same for every exam taker. Yes, the same happens with GRE/GMAT but that is not a make-or-break score.
Even with a relatively poor GMAT score you can hope to get into a good B school - if your profile is outstanding in other ways. The same is not true in India.
If CAT is to go online, the entire approach to B school admission would have to change. But, you might ask, how will an IIM A or B cope with the US style admissions. How will they sift through essays from 150,000 students?
Allwin Agnel, a non-MBA and founder of pagalguy.com has an interesting perspective on this. Right now, he says, we have 150,000 applicants because all they have to do is take a 2 hour multiple choice exam.
Make it harder - ask applicants to write 3 essays, get recommendation letters, demonstrate leadership capability through past work experience. The number will fall drastically, as only committed students will apply.
Winds of change
That could well be true. IIM A launched PGP X program which is a 1 year course for managers with 7-15 years experience. The admission procedure was very different - GMAT scores were accepted, candidates had to write essays and 'leadership potential' was an important selection criteria.
This participant profile: average GMAT of 700, age of 32 years and work experience of over 9 years. The average salary applicants are forgoing to join the program is Rs 10.7 lakhs. The course fee for PGP X is another Rs 10 lakhs.
So while IIM A is offering placement services, that is not the only carrot. This is going to be one bunch of let-me-get-the-most-out-of-this-course participants. Compared to regular PGP students, these folks will be far more knowledge-hungry - no doubt about it!
As regards selectivity: around 1000 applications were received; admit offers were made to 71 candidates of which 67 accepted (a bit of a surprise - the institute was expecting 60 to join). But overall, the selection committee was delighted with the profile, depth and breadth of experience on offer.
The difference between India and most other countries is the sheer number of people available to try every lucrative looking career option.
While a lack of focus among students in India is a reason for these numbers along with a thriving coaching class culture. However by making it difficult to appear exam (either through exbortent price tags or through an elaborate process) looks a sarcastically capitalistic idea.
Our aim should be to encourage focussed people to appear for these tests. Some of the solutions offered are making the exams exclusive to "richer people" - not necessarily to the focussed ones.
Obviously CAT would have a role to play but it would not be the ONLY criteria. Say candidates accepted to Harvard or Wharton have an average GMAT score of 700.
Similarly it could be that at IIM A it's a 95 percentile in CAT. The interview call would be based on CAT score + recommendations + essays + academic record.
CAT would still filter out the numbers. But some outstanding people may not do as well in CAT - say they are at 91 percentile. But based on the other information available they may get a chance to go for the GD/ PI round.
On the other hand everyone who makes a 99th percentile may or may not get a call if they are lacking in other aspects.
Sure, coaching classes will get in here as well. But selection committees are generally able to smell the genuine candidates. Malcolm Gladwell's 'Blink' explains how and why their instincts should be trusted.
And given that there are 3-5 interviewers biases do get evened out.
If such a process involves a larger no of interviews then alumni could be roped in to also sit on some of the interview panels (it happens but has not been institutionalised).
70-90% of current IIM students are engineers. Some may be from 'small towns' but to the best of my knowledge there are hardly any Govt Arts College graduates there - even with the current entry system.
Reference letters, previous work experience (for leadership) are dangerous territory. Suppose I am from an A grade Delhi University college - do I stand a very unfair advantage over a student from a Government Arts College in a town centre? Especially given that the concept of reference letters is a big scam. You have to essentially boot lick all the right professors and engage them to write a glorious proof of your existence. The professors academic standing also makes a difference.
Opportunities in smaller towns for joining associations or fruitfully engaging oneself in a college based society in India are small. CAT is a great equalizer in many senses. (Or not - Given that more rocket eh.. career launchers makes money out of damn exam!)
In US, they start with long 'consultation' sessions to gather as much information about the candidate as possible and then in agreement with the applicant to write their SoPs, 'design' recommendation letters and suggest which professors to get them from, writing instances from work experiance (or life) that could project any dim-witted lazy loser as the best go getter on this planet and a Bill Gates or Jack Welch in the making.
We are a country of innovators (remember those 'jugaad' jokes?) and the way out has to be innovative, not just a copy of a process developed almost a century ago in a foreign land which is under debate even back home! Most of the competitive exams are conducted in a pathetic fashion..Lets hope atleast these premier exams are conducted well!!Sad state, this..... CAT, and most MBA entrance processes in India are very messy.
MICA accepts CAT, XAT or GMAT scores. Had it been a regular B-School, it would have been the right step. But for an institute that is trying to position itself as the Communications Management School (C-School), it might work the wrong way. We have thousands of students applying to MICA each year, just because they wrote CAT. They believe that MICA gets them the usual MBA Marketing, Finance & HR jobs.
It might be a failed positioning exercise for MICA, but for niche B-Schools, it might just make sense having a special entrance. The only pitfall is that we might not get quality MBA level applicants.
This could well be the future of B school entrance but then we would have to accept some level of subjectivity creeping in. And that, in India, always leaves scope for doubts and corruption.
ISB admissions and IIM A's PGP X are indications that it can be done in a fair and credible manner. But it would mean moving out of the comfort zone. Never easy but probably inevitable.
Let's wait and watch!
The complaints:
1) The papers were not sealed and were distributed 5-7 minute before the test started. In some centres they were distributed 10-15 min earlier because invigilator were unaware of the correct instructions to be followed i.e. Question papers were distributed before OMR sheets.
The point being that in an exam where there is fierce competition even a small headstart may give an unfair advantage. A single extra answer may get you that coveted GD/ PI call.
2) At some centres there was precious time lost by the students owing to mismatching between Question paper and OMR sheets distributed by the invigilators. In many centres the mismatching went unnoticed.
3) There were numerous printing errors on the paper leading to confusion in marking answers.
There is even talk of exerting pressure on IIFT to reconduct the exam - by filing a PIL. Given the current media obsession with everything-to-do-with-B schools, it may make the front pages as well.
Not a nice prospect for IIFT, which is generally considered an A + or "top 10 institute".
Questions that arise
Must IIFT have its own separate exam based on the argument that we are a 'foreign trade institute'? If MICA can take in students through CAT, although it is a specialised advertising and communications course, why not IIFT?
They can test short-listed candidates on foreign trade knowledge at the GD and interview stage - MICA does something similar.
The reason I stress on more institutes joining CAT is that barring the 2003 leak it was a well-conducted exam. There was a set procedures where senior academic and non-academic staff from IIMs were deputed to supervise the administration of the exam at different centres.
From what I know they took the discharge of this duty extremely seriously and one has not heard of IIFT-like complaints.
The reason B schools insist on their own exams is to make a neat packet on the exam fee (average : Rs 1000) from the 10-15,000 students who take each test. (adding up to a couple of easily earned crores)
To put students through this expense and hassle and then not conduct a fair exam is, therefore, rather inexcusable.
With regards to the IIFT exam the buzz is 'such things have happened before'. It's just that with online discussion forums more students are airing their grievances. And their voice is more likely to be heard.
Going online
Conducting paper and pen exams on gigantic scale is becoming a pain for B schools. But when XLRI did an online exam a couple years ago the result was an embarrassing system crash. They're back to pen and paper since.
The future of B school entrance is online, but getting the technical and infrastructural details right will take a couple of years. We would have to go the GRE/GMAT way and not insist on a simultaneous exam for 150,000 students.
But then, doubts might be raised about the difficulty levels not being the same for every exam taker. Yes, the same happens with GRE/GMAT but that is not a make-or-break score.
Even with a relatively poor GMAT score you can hope to get into a good B school - if your profile is outstanding in other ways. The same is not true in India.
If CAT is to go online, the entire approach to B school admission would have to change. But, you might ask, how will an IIM A or B cope with the US style admissions. How will they sift through essays from 150,000 students?
Allwin Agnel, a non-MBA and founder of pagalguy.com has an interesting perspective on this. Right now, he says, we have 150,000 applicants because all they have to do is take a 2 hour multiple choice exam.
Make it harder - ask applicants to write 3 essays, get recommendation letters, demonstrate leadership capability through past work experience. The number will fall drastically, as only committed students will apply.
Winds of change
That could well be true. IIM A launched PGP X program which is a 1 year course for managers with 7-15 years experience. The admission procedure was very different - GMAT scores were accepted, candidates had to write essays and 'leadership potential' was an important selection criteria.
This participant profile: average GMAT of 700, age of 32 years and work experience of over 9 years. The average salary applicants are forgoing to join the program is Rs 10.7 lakhs. The course fee for PGP X is another Rs 10 lakhs.
So while IIM A is offering placement services, that is not the only carrot. This is going to be one bunch of let-me-get-the-most-out-of-this-course participants. Compared to regular PGP students, these folks will be far more knowledge-hungry - no doubt about it!
As regards selectivity: around 1000 applications were received; admit offers were made to 71 candidates of which 67 accepted (a bit of a surprise - the institute was expecting 60 to join). But overall, the selection committee was delighted with the profile, depth and breadth of experience on offer.
The difference between India and most other countries is the sheer number of people available to try every lucrative looking career option.
While a lack of focus among students in India is a reason for these numbers along with a thriving coaching class culture. However by making it difficult to appear exam (either through exbortent price tags or through an elaborate process) looks a sarcastically capitalistic idea.
Our aim should be to encourage focussed people to appear for these tests. Some of the solutions offered are making the exams exclusive to "richer people" - not necessarily to the focussed ones.
Obviously CAT would have a role to play but it would not be the ONLY criteria. Say candidates accepted to Harvard or Wharton have an average GMAT score of 700.
Similarly it could be that at IIM A it's a 95 percentile in CAT. The interview call would be based on CAT score + recommendations + essays + academic record.
CAT would still filter out the numbers. But some outstanding people may not do as well in CAT - say they are at 91 percentile. But based on the other information available they may get a chance to go for the GD/ PI round.
On the other hand everyone who makes a 99th percentile may or may not get a call if they are lacking in other aspects.
Sure, coaching classes will get in here as well. But selection committees are generally able to smell the genuine candidates. Malcolm Gladwell's 'Blink' explains how and why their instincts should be trusted.
And given that there are 3-5 interviewers biases do get evened out.
If such a process involves a larger no of interviews then alumni could be roped in to also sit on some of the interview panels (it happens but has not been institutionalised).
70-90% of current IIM students are engineers. Some may be from 'small towns' but to the best of my knowledge there are hardly any Govt Arts College graduates there - even with the current entry system.
Reference letters, previous work experience (for leadership) are dangerous territory. Suppose I am from an A grade Delhi University college - do I stand a very unfair advantage over a student from a Government Arts College in a town centre? Especially given that the concept of reference letters is a big scam. You have to essentially boot lick all the right professors and engage them to write a glorious proof of your existence. The professors academic standing also makes a difference.
Opportunities in smaller towns for joining associations or fruitfully engaging oneself in a college based society in India are small. CAT is a great equalizer in many senses. (Or not - Given that more rocket eh.. career launchers makes money out of damn exam!)
In US, they start with long 'consultation' sessions to gather as much information about the candidate as possible and then in agreement with the applicant to write their SoPs, 'design' recommendation letters and suggest which professors to get them from, writing instances from work experiance (or life) that could project any dim-witted lazy loser as the best go getter on this planet and a Bill Gates or Jack Welch in the making.
We are a country of innovators (remember those 'jugaad' jokes?) and the way out has to be innovative, not just a copy of a process developed almost a century ago in a foreign land which is under debate even back home! Most of the competitive exams are conducted in a pathetic fashion..Lets hope atleast these premier exams are conducted well!!Sad state, this..... CAT, and most MBA entrance processes in India are very messy.
MICA accepts CAT, XAT or GMAT scores. Had it been a regular B-School, it would have been the right step. But for an institute that is trying to position itself as the Communications Management School (C-School), it might work the wrong way. We have thousands of students applying to MICA each year, just because they wrote CAT. They believe that MICA gets them the usual MBA Marketing, Finance & HR jobs.
It might be a failed positioning exercise for MICA, but for niche B-Schools, it might just make sense having a special entrance. The only pitfall is that we might not get quality MBA level applicants.
This could well be the future of B school entrance but then we would have to accept some level of subjectivity creeping in. And that, in India, always leaves scope for doubts and corruption.
ISB admissions and IIM A's PGP X are indications that it can be done in a fair and credible manner. But it would mean moving out of the comfort zone. Never easy but probably inevitable.
Let's wait and watch!
Till debt do us part
While the oil mafia tried to entice him with bribes to turn a blind eye on fuel aduletaration, murderd IOC sales manager S Manjunath refused to waver in the line of duty, despite his own financial constraints.
So reads the poignant story in the Indian Express.
Details printed by the paper reveal that of his modest monthly salary of Rs 25,000, Manjunath was paying Rs 10,100 as EMI's towards two education loans (of Rs 3.5 lakhs) taken to finance his studies at IIM Lucknow. In addition, 3 months ago, he had availed of a car loan from his employer (EMI: Rs 1300)
It feels odd and a little sacrilegous to read about the private details of a deceased person's life. But in this case, the details are being published to make a point - that Manjunath could easily have taken the bribes offered and made his life easier.
He had apparently defaulted on the previous month's EMI for the PNB loan, prompting his father to write a stern letter to the son. A letter the son did not live to read...
Feeling Loansome?
In the last 10 years, education loans have become a way of life. Fees at professional schools - whether medical, engineering or management - have shot up. If and when students complain, they are offered a quick and ready solution: "take a loan".
And yes, getting a loan is not difficult. Loans upto Rs 4 lakhs don't even require margin. But repaying the loan is not all that easy. The interest rates charged by banks like SBI and Bank of Baroda is 10.5%.
This is linked to the BPLR (Bank Prime Lending Rate). Compared to housing loans which are available at 8-8.5%, education loans are pricier. But here's the surprise -BOB will even give you a car loan at 2% below the prime rate (ie at 8.5%).
I am not a banking expert so I can only conjecture that educational loans (below Rs 4 lakhs) are unsecured and hence the 2% additional interest rate charged is to cover the risk of default. In case of both cars and houses, the bank can attach the asset in case the borrower fails to repay.
Student loans have long been a millstone around the neck of college goers in the US. Interest rates (linked to their BPLR) are lower than in India, but the sheer number of people who take loans (practically every college-goer!) means the overall student loan market is huge.
The happy news for them however is that interest rates on federal student loans dropped to an all-time low - at 4.06% some five years back.
This is a political decision. "The Bush administration was committed to helping students and their families finance college and career training," declared Secretary of Education Rod Paige while announcing the rate cut.
Student loan-seekers are not yet a big enough interest group in India but in years to come they will be. Future PMs, please take note!
Soon enough there may be a market for loan consolidators as well.
Think before you...
The point is 'how to finance your studies' is the easy part. But before joining a particular institute, make sure you have an idea of the kind of salary you will earn on passing out. Most banks offer a 6 month grace period after which EMIs begin.
The average salary from the average B school is about Rs 15-20,000 p.m. Ditto for engineers getting into IT jobs. Can you afford to live in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore on Rs 10,000 a month (rent, transport, food, bijli et al) and repay Rs 10,000 as EMI?
Of course, you'll eventually earn more but not right away! I'm not saying this would happen to everyone - but it's a very real danger!
But the worst off would be medical students. Given that they earn paltry sums until they complete their MDs, it makes sense to take a loan only if your dad owns a nursing home or is willing to shoulder your EMI burden for several years to come!
Loans for studies abroad (which require collateral, and attract higher interest rates) are another case in point. You can take a loan - even upto Rs 50 lakhs. But will you be able to earn in dollars or pounds after finishing the degree - at least to recover your tuition costs?
If not, are your parents wealthy enough to start forking out the rather large EMIs that will follow??
So be a 'loan ranger' but make doubly sure the country you choose to study in has work permit possibilities. And that the institute you join has genuine campus placements.
Though it makes good sense to leave higher education to market forces and subsidize primary education, the approach of government in providing means- scholarship is loathable. Government provides huge sums of money to premier institutes (at least IIT's) to help those who can't afford to pay high fees. But it has become yet another case of a good scheme with poor planning.
One of my friends whose family income was just greater than the limit set by governement couldn't benefit whereas a fellow who owned a bike and laptop could! The difference was that former's father was in service and paid full income tax and the latter's father being a businessman showed lesser income than what he actually earned. The result - my friend had to take a loan to fund his studies.
I think such a scheme would exist in IIM's too but does it really help the needy? The whole problem is because people value the so called education provided in college too much and are willing to pay the exorbitant amounts demanded by colleges. It is high time society gives school and college education its true worth and stops behaving as if school or college education is a great thing. Only then will the extortion of people by those involved in the education business stop. After all college education is only a matter of timepass and brand building and is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated in the world as nobody ever uses what they learnt in college.
The same applies for healthcare as well where unnecessary tests and surgeries are done and it is high time some corrections happened in that regard.
And even then, be prepared for some amount of struggle in the initial years. The best education adds long-term value - and you have to be willing to pay the price.
The problem is, not all degrees, diplomas and quasi-degrees/ diplomas are really a value-add. But we live in a culture where people think an 'additional qualification' is definitely an asset. At least it looks good on paper...
Unfortuntely, sometimes it's better to keep that kaagaaz kora. Save on those EMIs. And write your own destiny.
So reads the poignant story in the Indian Express.
Details printed by the paper reveal that of his modest monthly salary of Rs 25,000, Manjunath was paying Rs 10,100 as EMI's towards two education loans (of Rs 3.5 lakhs) taken to finance his studies at IIM Lucknow. In addition, 3 months ago, he had availed of a car loan from his employer (EMI: Rs 1300)
It feels odd and a little sacrilegous to read about the private details of a deceased person's life. But in this case, the details are being published to make a point - that Manjunath could easily have taken the bribes offered and made his life easier.
He had apparently defaulted on the previous month's EMI for the PNB loan, prompting his father to write a stern letter to the son. A letter the son did not live to read...
Feeling Loansome?
In the last 10 years, education loans have become a way of life. Fees at professional schools - whether medical, engineering or management - have shot up. If and when students complain, they are offered a quick and ready solution: "take a loan".
And yes, getting a loan is not difficult. Loans upto Rs 4 lakhs don't even require margin. But repaying the loan is not all that easy. The interest rates charged by banks like SBI and Bank of Baroda is 10.5%.
This is linked to the BPLR (Bank Prime Lending Rate). Compared to housing loans which are available at 8-8.5%, education loans are pricier. But here's the surprise -BOB will even give you a car loan at 2% below the prime rate (ie at 8.5%).
I am not a banking expert so I can only conjecture that educational loans (below Rs 4 lakhs) are unsecured and hence the 2% additional interest rate charged is to cover the risk of default. In case of both cars and houses, the bank can attach the asset in case the borrower fails to repay.
Student loans have long been a millstone around the neck of college goers in the US. Interest rates (linked to their BPLR) are lower than in India, but the sheer number of people who take loans (practically every college-goer!) means the overall student loan market is huge.
The happy news for them however is that interest rates on federal student loans dropped to an all-time low - at 4.06% some five years back.
This is a political decision. "The Bush administration was committed to helping students and their families finance college and career training," declared Secretary of Education Rod Paige while announcing the rate cut.
Student loan-seekers are not yet a big enough interest group in India but in years to come they will be. Future PMs, please take note!
Soon enough there may be a market for loan consolidators as well.
Think before you...
The point is 'how to finance your studies' is the easy part. But before joining a particular institute, make sure you have an idea of the kind of salary you will earn on passing out. Most banks offer a 6 month grace period after which EMIs begin.
The average salary from the average B school is about Rs 15-20,000 p.m. Ditto for engineers getting into IT jobs. Can you afford to live in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore on Rs 10,000 a month (rent, transport, food, bijli et al) and repay Rs 10,000 as EMI?
Of course, you'll eventually earn more but not right away! I'm not saying this would happen to everyone - but it's a very real danger!
But the worst off would be medical students. Given that they earn paltry sums until they complete their MDs, it makes sense to take a loan only if your dad owns a nursing home or is willing to shoulder your EMI burden for several years to come!
Loans for studies abroad (which require collateral, and attract higher interest rates) are another case in point. You can take a loan - even upto Rs 50 lakhs. But will you be able to earn in dollars or pounds after finishing the degree - at least to recover your tuition costs?
If not, are your parents wealthy enough to start forking out the rather large EMIs that will follow??
So be a 'loan ranger' but make doubly sure the country you choose to study in has work permit possibilities. And that the institute you join has genuine campus placements.
Though it makes good sense to leave higher education to market forces and subsidize primary education, the approach of government in providing means- scholarship is loathable. Government provides huge sums of money to premier institutes (at least IIT's) to help those who can't afford to pay high fees. But it has become yet another case of a good scheme with poor planning.
One of my friends whose family income was just greater than the limit set by governement couldn't benefit whereas a fellow who owned a bike and laptop could! The difference was that former's father was in service and paid full income tax and the latter's father being a businessman showed lesser income than what he actually earned. The result - my friend had to take a loan to fund his studies.
I think such a scheme would exist in IIM's too but does it really help the needy? The whole problem is because people value the so called education provided in college too much and are willing to pay the exorbitant amounts demanded by colleges. It is high time society gives school and college education its true worth and stops behaving as if school or college education is a great thing. Only then will the extortion of people by those involved in the education business stop. After all college education is only a matter of timepass and brand building and is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated in the world as nobody ever uses what they learnt in college.
The same applies for healthcare as well where unnecessary tests and surgeries are done and it is high time some corrections happened in that regard.
And even then, be prepared for some amount of struggle in the initial years. The best education adds long-term value - and you have to be willing to pay the price.
The problem is, not all degrees, diplomas and quasi-degrees/ diplomas are really a value-add. But we live in a culture where people think an 'additional qualification' is definitely an asset. At least it looks good on paper...
Unfortuntely, sometimes it's better to keep that kaagaaz kora. Save on those EMIs. And write your own destiny.
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