Commencement

It's strange in a way and in other makes perfect sense that the Graduation day (last day in School) ceremony is called Commencement - a beginning. But the more I thought about it, the less strange it seemed and made more and more sense. The day was indeed a commencement; commencement of a new journey and a new career.

The excitement was in the air for this day few weeks in advance. Many could not believe where the 2 years went by so quick and I was no exception. Just seemed like yesterday that I was writing this post and sulking about having to move away from Pune and all the friends back home. It just took a little time before Boston became home and classmates became friends for life. 

For me Graduation ceremony was just about black robes and throwing the cap in the air - I was so wrong and boy am I happy for that or what? As a B-school applicant, three years back, I would always look up student commencement speeches of the school I was applying to. It always provided so much perspective into the school's culture and what it stands for. And being the innate dreamer that I am, I dreamt of the podium on my graduation day.

Dreams do come true!! Like many others, I always thought this was just a trap your trainers tell you to run longer or hike higher (how we hate those guys). I never imagined this dream of mine will come true UNLESS IT DID!! I was driving down Masspike when my phone buzzed and I read the sweet sweet email informing me that my speech was selected for the ceremony. I almost ran into a few trucks in the excitement. I had never stopped believing but somehow the belief was a little bit shaken during the 2 years at b-school. But this email restored that belief. Couldn't have asked for a better end to the bitter-sweet MBA journey. 

The day of commencement was beautiful, impeccable weather, sunshine, everyone looked so stunning (I even got my har done for once), families and loved ones and a feeling of accomplishment surrounded us. When I marched towards the venue with the music and cheering along with my classmates, it did feel like we had achieved something special. 

Personally, for me this is a commencement of a new belief in myself, commencement of possibilities and commencement of a life where dreams do come true.  

Thank you all for the kind and motivating words before and after the speech. I felt so very special hearing all your compliments and glad that everyone found something to identify with in the speech. Here is a link to the speech.. 

Boston keeps running

Patriots' day is one of the best days to be in Boston. Today was no exception until.. until the horrific and shameful act brought the race to a standstill. The city might have stopped for a brief moment to soak in what happened but Boston keeps running. Nothing can kill the sprit of Marathons or of Boston.

The weather was perfect, not very hot like last year but not too cold either. A perfect weather to run, to be outdoors and to cheer the ones running the Marathon. The most iconic of all marathons where Boston hosts runners from over 90 countries. Runner who are running for world peace, for their sons and daughters, in the memory of their moms and dads, for raising funds for cancer studies, against hunger and guns and for equality for all. The race is a reflection of human spirit to say the least.

I saw the kick-off of the race online and watched Japan's Yamamoto(46) finish the Wheelchair race in 2:25:28 and yet hardly seeming drained or tired. It was simply inspirational and very powerful to watch him cross the finish line. Motivated, I decided to head out to the race scene to cheer for these everyday heroes of the race. I walked barely a mile to 'Mile 24'.

The scene was breathtaking! 100s of runners one after the other, rocking various costumes, with no costumes, with messages, some waving, few dancing, most focussed but everyone returning a smile when you gave them a shout out. I joined the huge crowd of people cheering and celebrating the race. We kept on going "Run Run Run", "Go Mike", "Go Dave", "Go Cathy", "Go Jen", "Almost There", "No stopping Monday" and "You are my Hero".

One of my favorite guys from the race. He cheered for every single runner till his voice gave up. I tried to  keep up with him as much as I could.

Witnessing the race from so close was very humbling. People of all age, many with disabilities, and few even without limbs kept running. A guy who recently lost his daughter ran in her memory, a woman who lost an arm to cancer ran, a 74 yr old was running his 8th marathon, many wear running to test their limits and to prove they too can do it. Simply amazing!!

Wide spectrum of ages at the race - An old guy totally rocking the race and the Tux while little kids cheer them at the  mile 24!

The free spirit of the Boston Marathon

I stood there for 3 hours cheering and chatting with others around me. We cheered together for their daughters and boyfriends and girlfriends. I hugged random people upon news of their loved ones finishing the race. I high-five-d more people than I ever have but the fact that some of them started to run because you cheered kept all of us going.

A large wave of runners clocking in a under 3 hour finish. 

Slow but very steady and solid. Love his beard!  

A marathon is the place where everyday men and women appear superhuman. It does not need a stadium or many equipment, it takes place on the everyday streets where everyday people run and go from ordinary to extra-ordinary.

Team Noah!

And then suddenly in midst of all this there was an unrest. Everyone seemed worried suddenly. I checked Twitter to find out there was some explosion at the Finish line. I just assumed it must be some construction or domestic small scale explosion. But within minutes we were proven wrong and the word that it might be something more serious spread. My friend and I decided to leave not wanting to get in the way of authorities. As the events unfolded and we learned more about the blasts, it just horrified us and sent a chill down the spine.

Why today? Why the Marathon? Why Boston? So many questions and frustrations. Perhaps the forces behind this sick act wanted to break the spirit of the people, perhaps they wanted to shatter the inspiration that the race brings or perhaps they are just sadists who cannot see a peaceful event that brings people of all backgrounds and beliefs together. Whatever their reason, nothing can ever justify such a heinous act. NOTHING!!

The race might have come to a stop but it served its purpose. We did see the undying spirit of the runners. We were inspired and motivated. Most of all, we did not really stop and we won't. Boston Marathon will be back next year with renewed vigor and hope.

“If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a

 marathon.” – Kathrine Switzer

  

Mediocrity

A recent Quora question, “What will be the 1^st line of your bio/auto biography?” made me think long. Oh yeah, I am addicted to Quora, but more about that later.

So I had various versions going on through my head:
- I had arrived
- At the stroke of midnight, with her usual fanfare, Anagha made an entry.
- And I thought to myself, “Meh so much for the nine month wait”.
- As the clock struck 12, ending the month of May, my life changed, I was born.

Moving away from just the birth clichés, I thought even harder:
- A small town girl, out there to make it big.  (I know, real bad and cheesy)
- If I said I never thought this book would be written, I would be lying.
- I spent a lot of time thinking about this sentence 20 years back.

And then something struck and this was my final answer: 

"Mediocrity best explains everything that I am but hope it doesn't define me, as I have never ceased to fight it."

Successfully or not is yet to be decided. When I wrote this down, I was pretty satisfied with it. Not because of what it says about me but because it is true.

When we are growing up, we always think of doing great things, at least I did. Don’t get me wrong, I still do but I guess the definition of great has changed. Great is no more becoming famous, earning ton of money and giving to charity or becoming the first Indian woman to win a grand slam (sweet!). Actually it’s exactly all this but not in an overnight-filmy kind of way. More in an enduring and patient kind of way. Not sure if this is true or just a story adult me tells the kid me to justify why we couldn’t do all that we set out for – yet!

But yep, that’s the story; I mean the start so far. What will be your start?

Devidas

He always walked in with a smile and messed up hair

His shirt was always a size smaller for his tummy and pant an inch too long

His hands were cracked and shoes unclean but had a heart of a king

He was always eager to talk and never wished to stop

He loved his car and always shut the door a little too hard

He was always there to pick me up at the wee hours when I arrived home

He was the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave

He was also the first one to defend his beloved ‘Bhau’ and the family

He was the one we counted on and looked for, for anything and everything

He was Devidas!!!

Just this morning, when I got up to the rains and cloudy weather, mom called up and something seemed odd. She spoke about a lot of other things but seemed lost. Finally when I asked and heard her speak, my heart stopped.

Devidas is no more. Our driver for last so many years but more of a family to all of us is gone. I am so far away from home and haven’t seen him for last 2 years but still cannot stop thinking about what a great guy he was and feel the big loss and void this has caused.

May his soul rest in peace!

Pune - 12

Pune has been trending on Twitter for the last 2 days. It has to do a great deal with David Guetta. Frankly, I feel he is overrated. Anyway, it made me think of Pune and what I miss most about the place...

1. The dense traffic and driving my Kinitec or Duddu's Activa almost brusing off other bikes on the way. At the traffic signal, aligning the bike neatly in the maze of vehicles like playing a live 'Bricks' version.
2. Going to Sinhgad early morning on weekends and getting back in time to catch some awesome breakfast at Vaishali.
3. Partying at Thousand Oaks - sitting on same table every single time, next to the speaker. Amazing music, friends and great spirits!!
4. Getting up late the next day and grabbing brunch at Grubshub, Katta or Yorkshire. Laughing till it hurts and waiting till getting kicked out!!
5. Unplanned last minute late night movies at City Pride Kothrud - always regretting going there - deciding never to go again - but yet go again the next week.
E square - never finding a parking spot, always running late, getting irritated by the pony teenagers, missing 'quality' of city pride kothrud.
6. BIG BAZAAR!!! The crowd, the chaos, the discounts, the chocolate fondue, buying absolutely useless items and never regretting it.
7. Walks on the polluted, crowded road - roadside food - Mankar dosa, Kalyaan Bhel, Amrutulya Chai, Mastani House and Kopryavarche kaka pani puri.
8. Playing Baddy on the roads in the night, late night coffee, late night gossips sitting on random stairs.
9. Bus ride to every morning (well almost) to Magarpattacity. The freshness of the mornings, the urgency in the air, the crappy radio, that horrible bus driver and that grumpy girl on the next seat.
10. TEKDI!! Meeting lost friends and distant acquaintances - Subway after the climb down!
11. Being close to Konkan and so many great mountains - those weekend trips in to the wilderness.
12. The Puneri Attitude - That's the one I miss the most. The curt answers, the sharp wit, the closed shops, the simple pride of being a PUNERI!!!

I can go on to a 100 points but this would be a good bullet point to stop as we are Pune-12 :)

You can take a person out of Pune but never Pune out of a person!  

Quarter Mile!!

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Can’t believe a semester is already over. Seems like yesterday that I wrote this POST about moving to Boston and trying to settle down. Reading through it, I realized I wasn’t too happy about moving here. So pleased that Boston, Babson and most importantly the people turned it around. As they say, you are having a good time if you don’t realize when time passed. This is what exactly happened. Got a little busy with school and next thing I know is that the semester is over…!!

It all started with meeting so many diverse classmates from all over the world and going through the pain of helping them pronounce my name only to give up in the end. So far only 2 non-Indians have aced the art of saying my name right. For most of the rest I am baptized to ‘Ana’. I kind of like the name, I do get a lot of slack form my desi group about it but its better than being called Anagaganagdjhsfj.

Pre-MBA was a weeklong induction for the international students to understand US culture. The famous Indian ‘Head Bob’ is now the only hurdle in our way of becoming vilayati babus and bens.

Class of 2013 - International Students

Boston is a place you don’t need too much time to fall in love with. The city is one of the most beautiful ones I have seen. Lot of history, cool places to hang out and lotta eat out places what else you need. The Boston day tour during my first week here was exciting. Not only did I get to know the city but the people a little better too.

Quincy Market, Boston

Tech Mark has so far been the best experience at Babson. It is basically a Business simulation competition that went on for 2 days. The Class of 2013 was divided in teams of 7 and we all competed against each other to meet certain business goals. It was dynamic, real time, fast and exciting. In those 2 days we learnt a whole lot about business and definitely understood what we need to pay attention to during the coming 2 years. An unparalleled experience. We also won ‘a price of unspeakable value’ in the end. And more than anything, I feel the price was the phrase in itself which is overused ad over abused ever since.

Tech Mark Team

One of the best parts of staying on campus is that the party never ends. You are back from a party in Boston and another one starts in the kitchen; it just never stops. You get the liberty of getting up at 8 for an 8.30 AM class. Also I can use the gym facilities anytime. Making use of that I learned to play a new sport – SQUASH. I started in September and with the help of my awesome friends cum coaches, I can play reasonably well by the end of December. Woot!! Learning Squash has definitely been one of the highlights of this semester. Figuring out new stuff to learn in the coming semester, could be piano or probably getting back to drums.  

The difficult part of staying in a dorm especially in the US is the food. But turns out in my case it became the best part of the day. I still haven’t really figured out but just like that a group came along and the 8 of us started cooking as a group. None had any mentionable skills but we were ready to get food poisoned for fellow cooks. Surprisingly, each one of us can today take pride in a specialty dish and some other not-so-special dishes. Dinner is the time everyone comes together and after fights over dishes, spoons, rotis and chairs are settled starts a non-stop conversation about the days happenings, professors, classes and everything under the sun.

Dinner Gang \m/

SLE (Something (I forget) Learning Experience), another interesting and fun part of the 1^st semester. My team was pretty diverse - Indian, American, Chinese, Chinese American and Latin American, we had it all. This made communicating a whole lot difficult and funny but nonetheless at the end of the day we all did a great job. The 24 hour exam for Strategy stream was the real test, we slogged all night and submitted 28 seconds before deadline. Phew!! We did pull off some on the spot presentations and submissions which was pretty cool just like our team name - 3D \m/

Team 3D

While the school never took it too easy on us, we never stopped having fun either. Zipcar was not just a case study we did but an enabler for all the fun out of campus. Destinatin 1, Harvard Square + Zipcar + Awesome Music +  Endless time finding parking + Falafel = AWESOMENESS!! Once Zipcar gave us the 'wheels when we needed', anything closer than Harvard Square to have dinner was blasphemy.

1st Snow 2011

Staying in Boston has so many perks. You get to see the RED SOX play and for free if you sign up to pic some trash. Broke MBA students will do anything :P Also get to visit MIT and Harvard for various events and listen to some amazing speakers. Although the Babson pride never stops us from bashing these ahem 'other' schools in Boston.

Red Sox Game

In other news, I did manage to be a part of various club activities and get on leadership of a couple I really wanted to. Being a part of the flagship event of Babson, Babson Entrepreneurship Forum made it possible to share the same frame as Michael Porter, the man behind every MBA's (at least 1st year) most favorite words "Porter's 5 forces". I also managed to lose some elections at school and that was a maiden experience and surprisingly a good one. Definitely got to learn a lot from it, in fact a little more than all the victories of Undergrad :)

Same frame as Michael Porter!!

The achievement of the semester and might as well of the year be finally gathering some courage to perform DANCE on stage. 'I was meant for the stage' may be one of my most favorite songs but dancing as a part of it was never a part of the plan mostly for the safety of the viewers. But being in a completely new environment and having audiences with stronger hearts made even this feat possible. It wasn't as bad as I would imagine in my head or may be it was, who can tell!!!

Sheela ki Jawani ;)

Diwali 2011!!

Time kept flying amidst all these truck load activities. I did scoop some time to study and be answerable to my family back home paying for my tuition. But I truly believe everything mentioned is a part of the experience and not just the academics and classroom teaching. All this craziness adds up to what we call the 'MBA Experience'. Glad so far it has bee great.....

Yale MBA Games

I guess by the end of the 1st semester I did find a new home, new friends and lot of new experiences. Herez to an equally or even more eventful and awesome semester!! Cheers!!

Let the craziness continue!!

Koshish Karne Walon...!!!

Randomly got reminded of and started reciting one of my MOST favorite poems from school days... My Mom and Dad had gifted me this poster with Pt. Harivansh Rai Bacchan's poem about never giving up. I was amazed that I still remember it word to word.. Here it goes... (Its in Hindi, non-Hindi speakers, please excuse me this time around....)

Lehron se Darkar nauka par nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti

Nanhi cheenti jab daana lekar chalti hai,
chadhti deewaron par, sau bar phisalti hai.
Man ka vishwas ragon mein saahas bharta hai,
chadhkar girna, girkar chadhna na akharta hai.
Akhir uski mehnat bekar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

Dubkiyan sindhu mein gotakhor lagata hai,
ja ja kar khali haath lautkar aata hai
Milte nahi sahaj hi moti gehre paani mein,
badhta dugna utsah isi hairani mein.
Muthi uski khali har bar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahi hoti.

Asaflta ek chunauti hai, ise sweekar karo,
kya kami reh gayi, dekho aur sudhar karo.

Jab tak na safal ho, neend chain ko tyago tum,
Sangharsh ka maidan chhodkar mat bhago tum.
Kuch kiye bina hi jai jaikar nahin hoti,
koshish karne walon ki haar nahin hoti.

– Harivansh Rai Bacchan