deepakchowdhary

Last weekend I went to campus for the first time after passing out in 2005. It was an overwhelming experience as I landed at Calicut airport. The need of calling out 'cheyta' ( brother )to anyone for help came naturally even though I haven't used that word for past 5 years. As the cab was taking me to campus I was so excited that I re lived my 2 years at campus by talking to the cab driver. At one point I was telling him about my days at campus and the next moment I was asking him about the eating joints, coffee shops, Taj, Hyson, Crown Cinema, Baskin's ice cream parlour near beach ( which actually has been closed down) and Paragaon fish curry. We kept on crossing beautiful country side on our way to campus. After some time we reached Kadavu resort and stopped to have lunch. Kerala parantha, Fish Moilee and another fried fish. It was filling and I continued my journey to K.
K campus has grown exponentially and it is not only the number of students ( which is 309 currently) but also in the number of hostels, number of bikes, cars and luxuries in the room. Geysers, AC and microwave oven.....yes today people have everything.
I know people always say that old times were better, old songs were melodious and old wine is sweeter and for K culture the maxim is so true. There are approx 600 students in campus but still you dont see bunch of friends sitting in the amphi and bitching about others. You don't see many couples hanging out in night canteen ( which again is not one but 2) and fighting over petty issues. Batchmates dont know each other and placements is something which is always on their mind. No rampant parties in campus and you actually have to hide liquor while getting to campus from the guards at the gate.
But some of the old things are still there in structure and memories which I guess no one can take it away. Library was still empty though the dear sofa had a message - only for faculties and visitor. Night canteen still served maggi ( but no fried one). Campus T Shirts are still in vogue and natural beauty is intact.
Apart from all this description of the current K I actually relived my entire 2 years at K. I went around to my hostel B top and went to my rooms ( 1st year and 2nd year). Spent some time in the balcony , though didnt cry but my eyes were moist. Had a good look at C hostel which still is one of the reasons why B hostel is still the preferred one :)
Meditation centre, Harvard steps, Amphi theatre, auditorium, class rooms, PGP office, mess and canteen....everything had something for me and it was amazing to be there.
Will I go again to campus soon...I am not sure but will I request to people who havent been to campus to go and stay a day there- YES...!!!
Those were the best days of life...one should try and relive them...makes you feel young.

I have observed that I am really bad at keeping my day to day life posted. Probably doesnt find it interesting enough to share. My 2010 started with a difference or atleast something I would always remember. A New Year Party in Cape Town is not an experience to be forgotten so easily. It was a wild affair with beautiful people, weather, music and wine till 4 AM. It was topped by an array of fireworks at water front to welcome 2010.
During my 16 day vacation in South Africa Cape town leg is way up on enjoyment and fun. Though the entire drive to Cape town from Port Elizabeth on Garden Route is an experience one can have more than once. Port Elizabeth is a very quite and serene city with industrious natives and good mix of immigrants giving the city a cosmo look. We stayed there for one night and the morning beach jog along with the time spent at Barney's ( one of the famous pub) stands out.
Knysna was the next town on our route where we stayed for 2 nights. Knysna is a kind of hill station with natural beauty all around the place. Para Sailing, Sky Diving, Catamaran ride to ocean where it tries to overpower the strong ocean waves are few of the many things the town offers. Brenton Beach is actually a heaven on earth and is one of the best places to just a beer and book by your side ( if you are feed up of women ).
Nature's Valley is another place en route to stop. As the name suggests its avalley which has ocean water surrounded by high mountains on 3 sides. Though the beach is rough but a group of people with football or beach ball can have a lot of fun. Dont forget to carry your grills and beer cans....
On our way to Oudtshoorn - another small town where we spent a night, a very French/Dutch town with the architecture, lighting and names reminding you of colonial days we stooped at Storm's bridge. Did not do bunjee jumping but its advisable that one should do if its on one's bucket list. My bucket was full...:)
Went to an Ostrich farm and yes I did ride an Ostrich for some 10 seconds after which I had to let it go else that bird would have thrown me off. Its something which is difficult to explain and memorable to experience. The bird is huge and dumb. You wont believe that during the hatching season if you remove one of the 2 eggs that it had laid then next morning the bird lays another one. And if you want it to give you another just steal another one and she would not realise it and would bear another one. The stolen eggs are then hatched in an incubator and thats how the population is increased in the farms to offer everything from that bird.
Then we went to Cango Caves and Lion ranch. Cango caves are biggest natural caves explored by man and are an awesome place to go. Lion ranch is also good but somehow lacks the fun bit. But ofcourse you can play around with Lion cubs if interested.
We reached Cape Town on 30th afternoon and as we thought the trip is culminating it took an all new level. There is so much to do in that city. We went to see Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point and its almost heavenly experience to stand at the edge of Cape Point and experience strong gush of wind and 2 oceans merging into one. In the city we did a chopper ride for half and hour and its amazing to have an aerial view of the city with its new spanking football stadium.
After the new year party on 31st we slept on 1st Jan till 4 PM.....so thats why I was dancing and sleeping on 1st Jan 2010.
We returned to Johannesburg and then did a tour to Sun City. So we started our tour from Joburg where we saw the Nelson Mandela Square, Moyo-the African restaurant and Kruger National Park ( 600 Kms from Joburg ).
Oh and not to forget that we are Indian we saw ' 3 Idiots' first day show in Joburg and paid fine for over speeding in Kruger Park.
All in all its an amazing country and an amazing experience...I only envy people who would be there in SA in June when FIFA 2010 would be on....

Fahid Kapoor: " Fubah Fubah ifke fakal dekh lo tu faam tak maeeyat pake fhamjho".....
Fahid: "wo kya hai na mein Fh ko Fh bolta hoon"
Amol Gupte: " abey F ko F nahi bolega tu kya L bolega"....

There are many more memorable dialogs from the movie which I can just keep scribbling here to say how much I liked the movie. And hey before some of you start the usual like ..."It was good but not as good as I expected"..."Not upto the hype"...."Too much of a brainer..."....I have to say that this one is from top drawer and is a SUPERHIT movie ( or should I say Fuperhit)with fantastic performance by one and all.
When I saw this movie I loved the characterisation and screenplay which ensured that the movie does not slackens even a bit. Shahid Kapoor was fantastic, Priyanka Chopra in the Marathi Mulgi's role stood out. Bhope Bhai, Tashi and Bengali brothers all contributed to the excitement in the movie. After a long time here is a movie where in your remember the characters distinctly and are able to appreciate the nuances.
I would just say that its a "FEXY movie" and people who haven't seen should not miss it.
But surprisingly few people havent liked the movie much...well I dont know why but one of the reason was also that they dont like Shahid Kapoor stammering. I would just say that you can have your own likes and dislikes but a stammering Shahid is better than stammering and stuttering Shah Rukh.

Well there are times when one wonders what should I do to get paid in multiple lakhs for a 5 Hr job, fly business class at some one's expense, stay in suites and still dont have to pick the tab, be loved by people more than they have adored anyone at any moment of truth and have a name which everyone would like to be known with.
You wonder all this when you are with any Bollywood celebrity and yes you are the one paying in lakhs, you are the one making him fly, you are the one picking the tabs and you are the one making him more richer and more famous.I my line of work when we do celebrity round for our channel partners it makes me wonder why are people in India or for that matter anywhere so celeb crazy.One moment with celeb, one photograph with them and one hand shake with them in public is valued so much that we buy more than our capacity, we spend more than we would have liked and we wait more than we should. For just one moment with them.
Recently I went with the one of the Deols ( yes he is still a celeb for all of you who are raring to jump and say he is gone for good) to Indore market and realised that people do all sort of crazy stuff to get a glimpse of the celeb.
Take an autograph on a child's hand. ( what are you going to do with it)
Fighting the security ring to pat his back...
Wait in line for that elusive handshake...
Get bashed but determined enough to get near his car with black tinted glasses and try and peep in...
These are just few moments of truth....but I was astonish to see the crowd which goes crazy when a celeb waves hand and smiles but they dont know that he is wishpering into me to take him back to hotel as its too hot. Experience was good but equally sad to see that people stop respecting each other at that moment and only one thing matters to them....
We actually had to stop the visit after 2 counters and could only resume once we had more security....
Just that one Photograph....Star Wreck country...including me.!!

It all started when I came to know that we are having 4 day off from 29th April till 3rd May in Mumbai.Brains got together and ideas started flying to nail on to a destination for the weekend.Goa is good but would be hot, andaman is far and flight connectivity did not suit us. Daman & Diu was proclaimed boring and then finally 'Thailand' came into the picture....!!
So finally we landed in Bangkok on 29th evening still coming to terms that we started with Goa and ended in Bangkok.I must say it was an exhilarating experience. We travelled across the city and moved around near by states ( suburbs of Bangkok). We wanted to see the Tiger Temple in Thailand and found that it is just 2-3 hrs drive. So we headed for Tiger Temple in a district called Kanchanburi. On the way we stopped at 'Floating Market-Bangkok',which is a local market completely immersed in water and you move around and shop on a boat. Its an experience which would stick on to you. Though you dont have much to shop apart from T-shirts and candles. Remember the market from Roadies 5.0 (One in Thailand where Ashutosh won).
Then we headed towards an Elephant safari where the high point was when the giant leaps into the water with you holding your breath and sitting on top. Yes they click that pic and then sell you for 200 THB.
We moved closer towards the destination and stopped at the famous - Bridge on River Kwae. Thats the bridge which was made by POW from WW2 for Japanese connecting Thailand and Burma. It never got completed as the allied forces bombed it. For more details watch the movie....Its amazing watch..!!



Finally we reached the Tiger Temple-a Buddhist Monastery where tigers cubs are raised and they roam freely. You can touch them and pat them and get your selves clicked with the sexy cats...Its an experience beyond imagination. You have to touch and feel the animal to realise how Royale and magnificent they are....
We also went to Pattaya next day and walked the infamous Walking Street. Saw the GoGo bar and shows....did a lot of pub hopping. Water sports was another highlight - with ParaSailing, Jet Ski, Speed Boat and Under Sea Walk...
Exhausted ourselves at the shopping malls and returned to India with funfilled memories and empty pockets...!!

Last week was a hectic week for me as far as travelling was concerned. But before anything I must congratulate Asian Paints and me too :P on getting a thumbs up by Brand Equity on our latest Tractor Emulsion commercial with Vijay Raaz and Atul Kulkarni.
Moving on to my trip to Punjab and Jharkand ( yes state which was a part of Bihar)...Punjab Visit was primarily Jalandhar city and near by towns. The visit was fruitful and the network was excited about the product display and judgment done by us. Then on thursday I came back to Mumbai and then went to Calcutta the same day so that next morning I am able to catch a flight to Ranchi at 5:45am. People who know me can very well claim that I am not a typical morning guy. Getting up becomes even difficult when you have been travelling for the entire week and you have a cozy bed of Taj Bengal. Things become worst when you hit the bed at 12 in the night only to get up at 3:30 because the drive from Taj bengal to airport is some 40 minutes.
So as I made myself comfortable in bed I should have known that by no means I am gonna get up....and as I feared I got up at 5:10am. So I rushed down and some how got to the airport at 5:45am, so like one catches a train I asked the ground staff to put me on to the flight. Well I cant explain but a lot of coaxing went in to make her agree. Showing my conecting flights back from Jamshedpur with them helped a little. So finally I got in....
Stay in Ranchi and Jamshedpur was fine. Things about these small towns is that pace of life is very comfortable and you actually see more satisfaction and glee on their faces in the evening unlike hassled mumbaikar or tired and irate delhite. One funny thing which happened was that when I was checking out from Ranchi Hotel they asked me to pay Rs 50 for business centre usage and I was a little surprised because I had not used it. Then they told me that one of my collegue who was sitting in the lobby had used. So I just inquired and to my surprise he said that he also has not used it. Confirming this to the hotel desk they told that he has been charging his laptop in the lobby so the electricity usage is charged. My jaw dropped at their audacity and foolishness in saying that. Anyway the charges got reversed but principally they felt that they were correct in charging us for using electricity from lobby...:))
On my way back from Jamshedpur in flight a man inquired about the book I was reading " We are like that only" by Rama Bijapur. I told him its a nice book. The conversation started and he introduced himself as an employee of Microsoft. The purpose of visit was disclosed as a book launch at XLRI Jamshedpur. We kept on discussing about books, blogs and the new breed of hardworking-middleclass-MBA-lost love-smiling authors describing the story of an MBA or engineers in college and how Indian fiction is a rave right now. Discussed the chances of Arvind Adiga Winning Booker Prize for "The White Tiger".
When we got down at Calcutta airport I was waiting in the lounge for the connecting flight to Mumbai when I met him again. There I actually realised that this person himself has written a book which I have read before. You all would have guessed it by now from the XLRI connect and his famous Management Institute of Jamshedpur in his book. "Mediocre But Arrogant" was his book.
He showed me his new book and we again had some discussions as to how he manages being a director HR in an MNC and writing a book. How did he actually decided to write and how did he actually approached the publishers. Hmm...
He was just not a celebrity but a celebrity to me as it was the first time I read an author and met him and had a beer with him.
It was a good trip overall and this Sunday I would going to Patna market with a celebrity Divya Dutta.
Lets see how it goes as I am suppose to accompany her to 12 dealers in Patna....Jai ho...!

I have spent decent enough time in marketing to realise the positives and negatives of moving to Marketing and with that moving to Mumbai. It has been some good 6 months in marketing. Moving to marketing meant I would be having 5 days a week and no late night monthend sittings. Yes its true that I dont have to sit till 2 am in the morning to do sales targets but on the other hand I see that the time I spend in office is much more engrossing and tiring than in sales. Here in marketing I have to punch in before 10am else I loose my half days salary. This is adhered to by one and all in the hierarchy. Tyre punctures and traffic jams are of no good to your rescue. So now I feel that I have become much more organised. Other thing which I have learnt here is multi-tasking. Well yes the much over used term in corporate life has stuck me and I am being forced to do multi tasking here. Handling a range of products for the entire nation forces you to do that. All the while something or the other is happening and you being a single point of contact for sales in marketing doesnt help it.
Got involved in making a commercial ( well being there at sets and screwing your sundays) for Tractor Emulsion. Used BUDGET as a hook and did this Budget Shaadi commercial. Seems to be fine. Also did a lot of consumer driven activities for Royale and other brands.
Another thing which is there in marketing is coordination. Working with agencies and getting work done out of them has never been easy. Your entire schedule gets stuck till some creative brain in agency comes out with something "different" and "unique".
Have travelled almost all parts of the country and air hostesses now recognise me like they would any celebrity. I am sure airlines would be doing their sales targets comfortably. I even see them projecting growths ex-me as a tough challenge.
Staying in Mumbai is a mix feeling again. I miss Delhi badly. Better roads,better eating joints,nice weather and ofcourse best parents...:)
Mumbai also has its advantages like 24 hr water, 24hr electricity but I suddenly realise that these are the basic things which any city should provide to its residents. Drinking and driving in Mumbai is inviting trouble. So this is another thing which I miss...:P
Weekends ( whatever I have got) have been one big movie experience and setting up house and reading. Setting up house is so expensive ( after marriage). You need to buy separate sets of towel for hand wash and separate for bathing. And yes 2 separate sets for guests...uhhh.! Coaster sets, microwave oven,refrigerator,DVD player,Washing machine, Proper Sofa Set, Dinning table....ohh God...life was simpler. But yes you also enjoy when everything is in place...
This is a season time for us ( paint companies) and work is all around. I am travelling to Mumbai-Delhi-Amritsar-Jalandhar-Chandigarh-Mumbai-Calcutta-Ranchi-Jamshedpur-Calcutta-Mumbai...in next 5 days..:(
There are more things in store I would keep all interested and disinterested folks up to date.
Till then go and get your house painted. We are running this initiative called Colourweek from 4rth Oct till 11th Oct

After spending some good 3 yrs in sales I have decided to move to marketing with Asian Paints. Soon ( second week of April) I would be moving to Bombay in my new marketing role as Brand Manager. So right now I am in this exit mode where there is no will to do the market visits, meeting dealers and settling issues and the new role is a week away. Sitting in office knowing you dont have much to do is really painful. On 28th of the month I would start handing over to the new soul coming all the way from calcutta to take up my role here in Delhi.
Now when the date is coming closer to move I am getting into this reminiscent mode about by sales stint till now in Asian Paints. First day in sales and I had to manage a group of dealers from Chandigarh to jalandhar for a product launch. Not knowing anything about them or sales it was the most painful shock which I got. Then after spending some good 6 months as trainee I moved to Ludhiana where in I tasted the real flavor of sales. Painful dealers and sales pressure actually kept me on toes. My visits to dealers and interaction with team Amit, Ashwani,Ravi, Sanjeev and Ankur is something I would always remember. Staying in Ludhiana which is not among the best of the cities to enjoy urban hood was an experience in its own. I bought my firt car Maruti Esteem and a truck slammed into it in Ludhiana.The brawls with Vijay Hardware, SK paints, Kallu building material and many more is something which I never thought I would get into. I never thought that I would be using strong words and closing shops and business with people. I went there very timid and by the time came was posted to Delhi I was a very confident sales manager.
Then came Delhi stint. I joined and realised that the entire team here is new. This is the phenomenon which is very prevalent in Metros because of the sunrise industries always ready to pay higher to our guys than what we pay. Holding on to them and dealing with the lowest market share depot for Asian paints in the entire country was a challenge. Driving 1 and a half hours one way was another pain. But staying at home was so much fun. Doing initiatives with my team Anurag, Amol,Ankit, Arvind,Sudeep,Chadhaji and laxmi was quite fun. We are on a verge of closing the unit at a very healthy growth rate.
Now moving to marketing comes with 2 thoughts: one is new role entirely different and a completely different set up. secondly moving to Mumbai. Though I have stayed in Mumbai and I found it okie but living with family is a different ball game all together. Lets hope things all in place fast.
Right now I can just keep my fingers crossed and hope the worst will not hit me right away...:)

Well time actually flies once you stop giving importance or stop noticing it. Thats exactly what has happened to me in the last month or so. Work is one of the culprit as October is a season time for all the paint companies.It seems every one is getting there house painted,though it is good, but still keeps me very busy. Getting up early and then driving one and half hour to office to see things in mess. Irrate dealers, empty godowns and I dont know what not. Last few days have been killing with market visits and season on full swing.
Parents also want house to be painted but some how I am not able to get paint for my own house. Its actually really frustrating when you arent ready to support. Mom gets really agitated when she sees me working like this.
Even wedding shopping has come to a halt and the whole blame comes on me...well I guess one has to be prepared for all this.

Right now me reading "papillon" and thats the only thing I am able to do for myself....
Bets of luck to me...lot of things to be done...!

Well it is actually true and I am feeling a little uncomfortable while posting this blog entry after 20 Weeks....thats quite a while to be away from the partner who has been more loyal than anyone here. I am not pretty sure about the mannerism and nuances of writing a "coming back blog" so I would just try and see what all have happened in those 20 weeks.
Well I got settled in Delhi office and have started doing well after the April debacle.Team here has started getting into the flavour of DC....(thats me..hehehe).
Indian Football team won nehru cup first time since its inception.
Indian Hockey team won Asia Cup after 4 years.
Indian Cricket team has won 20-20 world cup.
Share market has seen a full swing and is back on track.
Most of the batch mates have switched yet another job.
India as a Nation got a year older.
and so did I....hehehe
I have become a little more wiser by attending a couple of trainung programs from the company....
and I have met "the ONE", with whom I am gonna spend my life with...( i know i could have been more romantic) but thats the way I am.

This is fine for a start and I have recapped the 20 weeks so lets see how things move on from here....