A visit to TBI

One of the major factors which I considered while deciding to join IITB SJMSOM was the exposure one gets about entrepreneurial activities. Today it was more than justified. Prof. Banerjee took us to the TBI (Technology Business Incubator at IIT Bombay). And boy were we not impressed.
The first stop was an operational area of Zeus Numerix, a start up dealing with complex computational fluid dynamic problems. It was housed in a dingy room, giving the feel of a typical silicon valley startup. A few computers were scattered here and there on a few benches as people were religiously working at something with lot of fat books placed beside the computer screens. Not a single guy belied the nerdiness in the air there, till i noticed someone happily scrapping at Orkut. Thank God I shared something in common with them.
The director spoke to us. The director was a twenty something lad, dressed in semi formals and looked more like a student than a boss. He impressed us when he said that the company was already making profits. 30 Lacs on a revenue of 1.5 crores. The atmosphere there struck a chord with me as I could sense the excitement in the quiteness of the room. A silent determination and love for one's work was emanating from every corner of the room. People seemed to be proud of what they were doing. What else can you expect from a job. Interestingly the director was the least paid guy there !!
Then we proceeded to the more posh TBI. The infrastructure provided there was excellent. The companies were housed in plush rooms. Space seemed to be a constraint everywhere, as people worked side by side like students in classrooms. No personal space and no cubicles and probably no coffee vending machines too. Everyone meant business and there was no room for usual comforts/air of big companies. But unlike employees of big companies the body language seemed to reflect that theirs is the best work in the world. The spirit touched me, as my entrepreneurial spirit got a huge fillip and I became really restless.
I hope I realise my long cherished dream of doing a startup. Only time will show.

The sole Fan

I seem to be the sole fan of Dr. S. Banerjee in the MBA batch at IITB SJMSOM. If you go through his profile one will be just flabbergasted with his achievements. He seems to be a person of infinite potential. Acheiving so much in a life time is rare and I really admire him for it. He is full of wisdom. Whatever he says is derived from his extensive and supreme experiences. Perhaps its that we are not able to appreciate his talks simply due to lack of maturity and relatively less number of years of experience. I believe he would be a major hit in an executive education class where people are in senior manegerial posts and would be able to make more sense out of it. Perhaps we really are dwarfs in his presence. His practical wisdom is at a pedestal quite beyond our reach.But I am determined to extract whatever juice I can get out of such a maganaminous personality. Due to my limited ability I might not be able to derive much but would try to make the most of being student of such a great gentleman. I intend to forget about marks,forget about tests and just enjoy being in his company for four hours each week.

Banerjee's Barrage

We at IITB SJMSOM are lucky to have him. He goes by the name of Dr. S. Banerjee . The guy is full of wisecracks and wisdom. We are certainly dwarfed by his presence. He has an extreme penchant for proverbs of all size and shapes. I therefore have started collecting them. And the barrage of his one liners would be constantly updated here. So watch this space.

1.Instead of taking 5 Kgs of Broccoli take a 5 mg (medicinal) capsule.(This was when he mentioned about his notes which were condensed form of the reference book which he had recommended).
2.Person who has pure knowledge is like a bullock carrying sugar, who doesnot know how it tastes.(This was to emphasize the point that it counts only when knowledge is applied. Just theory is not good enough).
3.Tiger is important for health of the herd of deers. (The weakest in the herd becomes the tiger's victim. Thus each time someone falls victim to tiger the herd becomes stronger. Thus the big ones in an industry eliminate the weaklings who are not good for the industry).
4.If a cuckoo twitters once its not spring. (Dont remember the context).
5.Financial result is like a toothpaste. Once its out you cant push is behind. So Financial results should always be looked upon in the light of past events.
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6.When minds donot meet donot trust the word.(he was talking about why managers should have excellent Public relations).
7.Lots can be done with two threes (3,3). A typical indian will subtract 3-3 and get zero. An american will add 3+3 and get 6. A japanese would get 27 by raising 3 to the power of 3. A smart indian will get 33 by placing 3s next to each other.
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Cartoon from -> http://www.ahajokes.com/crt113.html