Bangalore Management Academy

THE VOICE
Unleash your potential…
AUGUST 2009 | ISSUE III

Editor’s Note
In this issue…
rd
The hiatus is over, the restructuring complete, and the 3 issue of our
Editor‟s Note 1
newsletter is guaranteed to be better and fresher! So much has
happened over the last month and a half that we need two issues just Ingersoll Rand 2
to cover it. Two new batches (Welcome MBA 13 and MBA 14!), a
Emergence of Luxury Retailing 3
RAI event, visit from students from North Carolina U, the opening of
the induction hall, the passing of an iconic music legend as well as 4-24-4-7 4
journalist and so much more.
Managers & Team motivation 5

On a personal note, I have tentatively started my ECU term and as 35,000 feet above the ground 6
always we are looking for journalists, columnists, sportswriters, poets
Poem of the month - Who are you? 7
and so much more to help run this ever-expanding newsletter. Email
me at samir.yassin@gmail.com for more information and I hope you Rollercoaster Ride 7
enjoy this issue.
Jokes of the month 8

Samir Yassin Sports Roundup 9

OPENING PRAYER CEREMONY – By Naomi Oommen The Truman Show 11

It was a cool beautiful day in Bangalore with the azure blue sky & Photos 13
the warm sunshine streaming through the cotton clouds on 25th July
2009. The long-awaited Opening Day of the Bangalore BMA Campus Connect
Management Academy„s grand “Sports Complex & Multipurpose
Editorial Board:
Hall” had finally come, after the “Groundbreaking Ceremony” held
seventeen months ago. But the wait was worth the while, as we Salonee Priya Maithani- Managing Editor
gathered together in the morning to sing our hearts out for joy and Samir Yassin - Editor
MBA - 10B
celebrate this wonderful facility for our Students & the BMA
family.
Quote of the month
The Opening Prayer & Sermon by Reverend Father Satyanandam
Paul set the wonderful tone of the function, as he thanked God for It doesn‟t matter how many times
enabling us to see the impressive structure successfully completed. you fail. It doesn‟t matter how many
times you almost get it right. No one
The Director Administration Joe Thomas addressed the gathered is going to know or care about your
crowd and our Dean Dr Amir Ullah Khan closed by thanking failures, and neither should you. All
everyone for the support and hard work each one did in their you have to do is learn from them
and those around you because... All
respective departments. The efforts of everyone was appreciated, that matters in business is that you
especially the unsung heroes-„the construction laborers‟ who stood get it right once. Then everyone can
in the background grinning sheepishly. tell you how lucky you are.

God can bless us “with everything we need, and we will always Mark Cuban
have more than enough” to do all kinds of good things for each
other and our God-sent students.

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 BMA The Voice – August 2009
INGERSOLL RAND A lot of noise during testing, Then we went into the electronic
which would cause problem labs room, wherein we got to
By Ashwin Kumar, ECU following the city norms and witness a bio-metric security system
HR laws. developing, which reads about 21
Ingersoll Rand set up its R&D unit parts of the hand, before allowing
They also have manufacturing
in India, opening its R&D the person to enter, we also found
plants located in Ahmedabad and
department, in Bangalore on March out that they were one of the best
West Bengal.
19th 2008, with Mr. Herbert L bio-metric security system
Henkel as the chairman, CEO and FOR THE EMPLOYEES producers in the world.
President.
The catering is done by Kamat THE HIGHLIGHT
The main functions of the Bangalore Hotels, (which is famous in
Once we were through with the tour,
unit is to research and develop the Karnataka) and the cafeteria is large
we all returned to the seminar room,
products based on 3 major enough to accommodate over 400
where we were served with
segments, they are, employees. The cafeteria also
refreshments when Mr. Venkatesh
doubles as a video conferencing
Climate control technology Prasaad, the President of Bangalore
room.
Security system technology Ingersoll Rand, walked in to have a

Industrial technology There is a day for the families of the discussion with us.
(compressors) employees, called „Family Day‟
He had the privilege to work with
where there are numerous activities
The employee strength is 320, with Mr. Jack Welch (which blew our
conducted during the day.
242 engineers and the rest minds) for 2 years, during his stint

comprising of the management There is a full-fledged Gym and in G.E. and was an integral part of

team.
Some of the reasons about why they
were located in such a far location
from Bangalore (Over two hours
from BMA) were:
Budget
Futuristic look could not be
achieved in the interiors of
the city
sports room, to ensure employee
fitness is taken care of.
The view is scenic, with the façade
of the building facing a man-made
lake, and surrounded by
gardens.
We were given a tour of the
building, wherein we saw some
security systems at work, right from
door knobs to locks and pads.
many MNC setups in India. He had
started his career as a technical
engineer for the defense, from
where he went on to running the
operations in Agenin, and is now the
lush
President of Ingersoll Rand.
Some insights he gave us about
I.R‟s corporate social
responsibilities were amazing, with
some of them being

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They had a tie up with an
N.G.O called Agastya,
wherein they made a science
lab on wheels,
reached out to the rural parts
of Karnataka educating the
children on topics such as
the solar system, laws of
physics and other
knowledge. Thereby it was
said that, this program
actually increased
passing of students in the
subject.
They are highly environment
conscious and have tied up
with Ozone Depletion
Committee.
And, are true believers of
making Green Profits.
Their distribution is demand driven
B2B in nature, and economy driven,
the productivity of the organization
is based on the progress of the
economic conditions as they do not
lead in any sector specifically.
CONCLUSION
Samir had asked him if he had any
advice for aspiring managers to
which his response was “Work
Hard”. Also, he asked us young
aspirants to take the grinding which
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BMA The Voice – August 2009
we would get in the organization in BMA men
colleagues. Women and The Voice
are – Au
a positive manner, as these
ready for the new designs and the
grindings would help us in the
emerging fashion trends.
which future. The manner in which he
spoke to us and plethora of
People want to know more about
information he shared is something
that we will never forget. fashion, to develop their personal
style. This growing demand is
basic Emergence of
creating a new market for the luxury
Luxury Retailing in products ranging from the
the traditional style to the luxury side.
India This is because the young Indians
are getting more exposure to the
By Bhargava Murella international brands and they are
PGPRM 7 ECU also earning more than their parents.
Predicting the fashion trends with
However, there are barriers to the
the changing season is not easy. But
growth of luxury retail in India
many of the luxury and the designer
because we don‟t have the adequate
brands do that and now, many of the
infrastructure or long-term planning
International luxury brands feel that
to allow for either expansion of
this is the very good time to give the
existing retail stores to
same type of the feel to the Indian
accommodate increased products or
market.
place their stores in easily accessible
People are having a very good
locations.
exposure to the luxury brands from
Now most of the designer boutiques
the influences of international
are limited to the five star hotels and
magazines, movies, clients and
malls (for example: UB City in
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Bangalore has many luxury brands
as does Leela Palace).
Even in the Tier I and II cities,
people have developed a preference
for branded products and are no
longer hesitant in spending more for
their preferred brands. The trend
clearly speaks in volumes of the
emerging trend in luxury retailing.
Some of the luxury brands and the
designers in India are D&G (Dolce
& Gabbana), Christian Dior, Paul
Smith, and Armani.
I do feel that there is a concern that
the local trends and fashions are
getting stifled and drowned under
the weight of the
generation.
Whether Kurtas and size 6‟s will
exist in the future or the haute
coutures of Paris, London and
Milan, and trends of Hollywood will
occupy the Indian
remains to be seen.
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4 Professors, 24
students, 4 continents
in 7 hours
Rohit Poonja ECU HR
July 28, 2009 : Series of Lectures by
Senior BMA faculty for the
Undergraduate students of Kenan
Flagler Business School ( University of
North Carolina)
1st Lecture: Dr Amir Ullah Khan on
overview of the business environment
in India
This lecture covered the paradox that
India is along with the wide disparity
inherent it. The country where the latest
IT technologies and services coexist
hand in hand with the abundant poverty
permeating in the rest of the country.
The lecture covered key demographic
and economic indicators.
„Friends‟
2nd Lecture: Prof. Yamini on the IT
sector
This lecture was a discussion on the
Indian IT sector. The services and
processes followed by the major IT
companies were mentioned and how IT
as a sector evolved in India.
landscape There were also some questions asked
by the UNC students regarding the
divorce rate in the country and its co-
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BMA The Voice – August 2009
relation to the growing IT sector and
some pertinent questions regarding the
Indian society as a whole.
3rd Lecture: Prof. Soman on the
Financial sector
This lecture introduced the students to
the financial situation in the country. A
break-up of the financial sector was
given. A comparison of the Indian stock
exchange was made with the western
stock exchanges and there was a talk on
the various regulations and mechanisms
in place in the finance sector.
4th Lecture: Prof. Suresh on Labor and
employment
This lecture discussed the pertinent
labor and employment laws prevailing
in the country. There was again an
interesting interaction on the Indian
philosophy and how the mentalities of
the Indian workers have changed over
the years.
5th Lecture: Prof. David on Working in
India
This lecture initially talked about the
theoretical context like Hofestede‟s
cultural dimensions. The Professor then
went on to discuss his personal
experiences the various factors that an
expatriate might encounter while
working in India. It was a very practical
and insightful discussion on the various
idiosyncrasies, one might encounter in
India.
 BMA The Voice – August 2009

Is a manager solely responsible

to keep the team motivated?
Aliya Ray

Nowadays we have been looking at many articles and blogs on motivation, may be just because
recession is going on. Many articles give tips to manager as to how they can keep their team
motivated. But does motivation solely rely on manager‟s shoulders? Does it mean that if a
manager doesn‟t motivate the team, that team never performs?

Well I have a different view on this. Motivation is not a dose of any medicine that the manager
needs to give to the team on a regular basis, but it should be there in each individual as their own
characteristic.

In today‟s scenario one should be self motivated. If we have clear goals in our mind and a way to
achieve our goals, then it doesn‟t matter who is our manager, what is the market scenario. Just a
confidence in ourselves and the hunger to achieve our goals keep us motivated.

We need to make sure that the work we do, we do it perfectly. In our day to day life, we do the
same thing every day and its becomes so routine that the enthusiasm is not there, but we never
realize that in the same day to day routine task, there are many things to learn and excel on.

We have been given a particular responsibility and we just perform that much, but we should have
the tendency to learn more, acquire more knowledge and skills to perform more tasks in much
better way. This will enable us to do new task every time and we can excel in that new task too.

Management will definitely observe the knowledge we have and the way the task are performed.
Management always encourages people who are self motivated, and then they help us in achieving
our goals. Managers will show us the destination, but we need to find out our own path to reach
there.

So I believe motivation is not a manager‟s responsibility but it is the zeal of the individual to give
their best in whatever they do. If we have the zeal to succeed and positive attitude, we will
definitely achieve our goals and every small achievement will keep oneself motivated.

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 BMA The Voice – August 2009

35,000 feet above the ground

Sarla Singh MBA 12 A

Flying 35000 above the earth, and serving inside a 1 km passage, to the passengers, and getting to
see new places and fly around the world, so nice seems the life of an airhostess. Today, it has
become a trend for many young girls too.

I Sarla, of MBA 12 have had an experience of 1 and a half year, of doing the same, and though
the job description could be as rosy as people sound it, it is not an easy task.

Being an airhostess, means having high levels of emotional intelligence, as one comes across
people of different characteristics, and we have to serve all of them equally. Work hours are
something which goes on for 12 hours at a stretch and we get a break of 4 hours maximum, to rest
or do our personal chores.

We also have to be resistant to cultural shocks. Since I was handling a route from Goa to Russia,
on Transaro, I had a firsthand experience of the enormous cultural gap. Though the culture shocks
were indeed slightly uncomfortable to handle, I got used it as my experience in this field grew.
And, that was one of the toughest challenges I faced till date.

Furthermore, through all these pressures and standards to be maintained we also have to put our
best foot forward, or in this case the best face forward, which again is the most important thing
for an air hostess, that is to look good, beautiful and presentable.

Over all, my experience as an airhostess can be put forth as a fairy tale, and yes this fairy tale does
have its hardships, and if we can deal with it positively and overcome the same, we will in any
walks of life have a HAPPY ENDING.

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Who Are You?
Zarina Deshmukh MBA 13
They asked me once
WHO ARE YOU?
Describe yourself in one sentence
Confused and bewildered
I took my time to think
Then I laughed at myself
As soon as I realized that
In one word I‟m Human
A HUMAN BEING
As sometimes I am confused
I know not what to answer
But on another I am the BEST
Answering all the question
In one word I‟m Human Being
I‟ve made many mistakes
I was named human
I became experienced
But I remained a human being
Always fought for the religion
Cut many heads in the name of
God
But I‟m the one calls for a united
humanity
Fought for the unity
In one word I‟m Human Being
Once there was I,
The desperate, and the violent
And then there was I,
The tranquil, the calm
In one word I‟m Human Being
I lost my hope and faith
And I was called the human being
I touched the sky with full of
spirit
and faith in me
And again there I‟m the Human
Being
To err is human
I forgive & still I‟m human being
BMA The Voice – August 2009
who hesitates and is nervous
when I‟m afraid
But when I speak, the world
listens to me.
In one word I‟m a Human Being
From the dust of the earth
To the heights of Mars
I remain the Human Being
the one who dies in the floods
the one without any shelter or
house
To the one who is sipping tea at
white house
I remained the Human Being
The one who betrays, avenge
Jealous and angry
To the one who forgives,
Kind and enthusiastic
I‟m one & only Human Being
In one word I‟m a HUMAN
BEING.

A Rollercoaster Ride – By Nikhil Kumar MPA (professional accounting)

A rollercoaster ride is what I term it. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the time that I have been here. What I have
benefited from my experience is that I have learnt the meaning of being flexible and adapting to “change”. When a situation
used to take place in my life, I had no idea as to how to approach it. But after spending time in BMA, I have learnt that things do
not come the easy way. The exposure I gained from being in BMA was worthwhile and one of the most mesmerizing ones. My
first term was one where I did not know who I was sitting with or what the whole process of induction was all about where a set
of new faces from different cultures were there but from the same country. Yes, that did scare me but it was pretty exciting to
see so many new faces. Then, what was the most un- anticipatory moment was when I went with the basic feeling that MBA
was a walk in the park but I was so totally wrong. Each term passed by and I started realizing that the flow of things became
harder but much more cherishable when the outcome was achieved. When anything related to finance used to pop out, I felt like
a small fish swimming in a huge ocean. However, there were so many more with the same feeling.

Hence, this experience of mine was a rollercoaster ride with all the twists, turns and surprises that existed in my time in BMA.

Thus, I pass on the torch to those entering BMA and hope the best for all those who carry on this torch. It may be a very tiring
journey, an exasperating one but this is something you would never forget as they would turn out to be the best memories of
your entire life.

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Jokes of the Month
How Did you Make Your money?
A young man asked an older rich man how he made
his money.
The old guy fingered his sweater and said, "Well, son,
it was 1934 and in the depth of the Great Depression. I
was down to my last dime.
"I invested that dime in an apple. I spent the entire day
polishing the apple and, at the end of the day, I sold
the apple for fifteen cents.
"The next morning, I invested those fifteen cents in
two apples. I spent the entire day polishing them and
sold them for 30 cents. I continued this system for a
month, by the end of which I'd accumulated a fortune
of $1.59."
"And that's how you built an empire?" the boy asked.
"Heavens, no!" the man replied. "Then my wife's
father died and left us two million dollars."
New Entrant in the Periodic Table
Research has led to the discovery of the heaviest
element not yet known to science. The new element,
Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant
neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy
neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces called
morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of
lepton-like particles called peons. Since
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BMA The Voice – August 2009
Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however,
it can be detected, because it impedes every action
with which it comes into contact.
A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a
reaction that would normally take less than a second to
take from four days to four years to complete.
Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2-6 years; it
does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization
in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy
neutrons exchange places.
In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase
over time, since each reorganization will cause more
morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This
characteristic of moron promotion leads some
scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed
whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This
hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.
When catalyzed with money, Governmentium
becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just
as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as
many peons but twice as many morons.
A government big enough to give you everything you
want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson
(Jokes from http://www.cleanbusinessjokes.com/)
PUZZLE
Three men go to a restaurant for dinner. They order the
same meal and the bill is 30 pounds. They pay 10
pounds each. The waiter then returns 5 pounds. They
give the waiter 2 pounds tip. They are left with 3
pounds. Technically they spend 9 pounds each. And
since 9 x 3 = 27 + 2 = 29. Where is the missing 1
pound?
8 www.bmaindia.com

Sports Roundup by Amit Desai PGPRM 9 & President
The battlefield was filled with
vanquished warriors and the
heroes are:
Badminton
Niranjan Hegde of MBA 09
again proved himself to be the
best badminton player of BMA by
defeating Pradeep Gazmeer
MBA 10/11. The match was an
amazing piece to watch. Niranjan
won two straight games to bag the
singles title. Double was played
by Nishant Nair and
Mohammad Yusuf Yamin
against Niranjan and Sumit.
Nishant and Yusuf won the
doubles title. The game was
interesting as both teams were
strong. There were 3 matches in
all – the 1st match was won by
Nishant and Yusuf and the 2nd
one by Niranjan and Sumit. The
grand finale match anointed
Nishant and Yusuf as the
champion of doubles.
Women‟s single was won by
Prachi and Sumitra was the
runner-up. Mixed doubles was a
very interesting match, Rajesh
and Ranjitha from MBA 10/11
won against Yusuf and Prachi.
Basketball
MBA 10/11 squad of Ashwin,
Rajiv, Sunil, Rohit, Pradeep and
Samir (captain) won their two
matches in a superb fashion
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showing an array of teamwork
and flash of attacking flair against
both the ECU team as well as the
MBA 12 team. The man of the
series was Samir.
Football
This was the highlight of sports
day, people who missed this
match I really feel you missed
something amazing. The match
was very entertaining, till the end
no team was able to score a goal.
The game had to end in penalty
shootout, where MBA 10, 11,
IS5, PGPRM7, 8 won the penalty
shootout 3-0 in a tight affair.
Arjun (The man of the match)
was the goal keeper for the
wining team who saved 5 goals
for the victory for their team.
MBA 12 & UG batch that made a
lovely effort were on the losing
side this time although the team
spirit and lovely show of game
for all the audience was really
appreciated.
Volley Ball
It started early morning at 9.00
with 4 teams participating in the
game. Two teams got eliminated
and MBA 10, 11, IS5, PGPRM7,
8 & MBA 09/PGPRM 07entered
the Finals. MBA 10/11, IS 5
PGPRM7 managed to bag the title
of the best volley ball team in
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BMA The Voice – August 2009
BMA. The man of the tournament
was Solomon Ashok from MBA
10/11.
Cricket
SEMI FINAL WINNER 1:
MBA 10, 11, IS5, PGPRM7, 8,
defeated MBA 12, U.G by 9
wickets, with 7.3 overs to spare
SEMI FINAL WINNER 2: ECU
2 (Vaibhav‟s team) defeated ECU
1 ( Parth‟s team) in super over,
by 6 runs.
The Finals were scheduled on
June 28th. Both teams being very
strong meant an exciting and
awaited match by everybody.
MBA 10, 11, IS5, PGPRM7, 8
batted first and scored a huge
score for ECU team to chase.
Vaibhavs (ECU team) had a
strong batting line up and were
found very confident to win the
match. Rohit and Amit Sharma
of ECU made it a very easy chase
even with such huge score on the
board and their team won the
grand finale Cricket match. Rohit
scored 70 runs and Amit scored
55. This opening pair of ECU
hurt MBA 10/11 match. Target
set by MBA 10/11 was 213 and
ECU team scored these runs in
18.5 overs with 7 balls to spare.
Special Thanks to our Umpires
Vamshi and Ashwin

We would like to thank
1) Directors, Dean and our MD
who themselves rolled back
the clock and played a
wonderful first innings
before the match was halted
due to rain. They also
participated in more
activities than the students
(Shame on us)! Kudos
BMA The Voice – August 2009
2) Mr. Chikkana and his team 5) Mr. Bala BMA The Voice – Au
(marketing
for amazing support to executive) for over all
organize the event support to organize the
3) Mr. Uma Shankar and team event.
for extending their support 6) Last but not the least, all the
in transport. council members and all the
4) Mr. Raghvendra and his students of BMA who
team for amazing delicious extended great support to
breakfast and lunch in the organize the event.
ground.

 Extra Thanks!!!!
BMA Management and the Students‟ Council sincerely appreciate and thank all the students for their valuable
contribution towards society by donating blood in Mallya Hospital.

1) Sourabh : MBA10
2) Varun : MBA10
3) Ujjwal : MBA 12
4) Brendon: MBA 12
5) Arka : MBA 12
6) Gauthami : MBA 12
7) Ashish MBA 12
8) Bishwadeb : MBA 12
9) Vamshi : MBA 12

I hope more of us make time to contribute to society as there is no time better than the present. We are the privileged
few who are allowed luxuries that most of the rest of the world dream of including education, electricity, water.

Please don‟t wait for someone else to do it but rather let‟s honor our social responsibility by giving what we can be it
knowledge, clothes, money or time and if we can make a difference in just one person‟s life then we have made a
significant contribution.

Excellence in Store Operations By Bhargava Murella PGPRM ECU

BMA and Retailer Association of India (RAI) have jointly performed a workshop on 8th and 9th July, 2009 for the
future retail managers, sorry it is future mini CEO‟s. For this workshop we had speakers who are working in the retail
industry like Mr. Sathish S from Mega Mart, he gave a lecture on Store manager “A Mini CEO” his role and
responsibilities, another lecture was on how to drive the top line (sales), income sensitivity of retailers and few tips
for store managers of the chain stores. And Mr. Surender Gnanaolivu from Mahindra Retail gave an excellent
presentation on how the store design is done to attract the different type of the customers. There were also many
pictures of the international and the local brands showing how they have done their visual merchandising and how
they maintain them.

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 BMA The Voice – August 2009
BMA
Day two started with a very good presentation on the store location selection and catchment area analysis The Voice
which gave – Aug
a clear idea about all the things that what we have to keep in the mind while we are selecting a location and how we
can do the local marketing for that store. In the second half we had Dr. N.V.R Nathan, Senior Advisor of IL & FSCDI
Limited, give a lecture on the merchandise assortments, category management and buying system. We finished the
event with a video on customer service. For this workshop, along with the BMA students were store managers of
different retail groups like Next, Mahindra Retail, Flying Machine, Viveks and many others which gave us an
excellent opportunity to meet them and they have also invited us to their stores to observe how they functioned which
something we will definitely take advantage of. Hope to have more of these events in the future and to see more of
you there.

“Good morning and in case I don’t see ya Good afternoon, Good

evening and Good night”
The Truman Show – Samir Yassin MBA 10 ECU
That is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies for a variety of reasons. In the scene, Truman, Jim
Carey, greets his neighbors in this manner before getting into the car to try to escape the „town‟ that he is in. Among
the analogies from this are the mundane and routine ruts that we get into once we get habituated to a particular cycle.
Truman desperately tries to add color to his life by trying new things however much „fate‟ seems to be against this.
I remember walking into a large classroom on my induction day and wondering what I, at 30 years of age at the time,
was doing there? I looked around and saw fellow students, some with families, trying to imagine who they were from
a first impression. Fast-forward two days and I am sitting in another classroom being taught the significance of not
plagiarizing by Dr Thompson (Who has rocked in IM this semester). Another few days and I get voted class rep by
my peers and I am at this point beginning to remember the names that went with the faces.
The beginning of term one was great, apart from nightmare Tuesdays that had 8 hours of MMA and LOB with a
lunch break in between. Flashes of Professors Prasad Rao and Rekha flit by with each of them impacting me in ways
demanding me to push myself to MY limits and expect nothing less. Each in their unique way imparted in me the
footprint that will always resonate in me. Assignments were the order of the day for breakfast, lunch and dinner with
mid and end-terms as the deserts. I remember newspapers being thrown at me in PDW while Dr Amrita nurtured our
personalities to that next level we kept hearing about. 4 Finance teachers (including week zero) which had Professor
Nambiar pick us all out of the fear we festered for Finance and impart a term‟s worth of data in only two weeks in a
way only he could. There was also a memory of cultural differences that arose resulting in my resignation from my
CR post (The storming period in LOB). Rohit Poonja whose friendship helped me through so much and life taught
me so much. A meeting after end-terms with Dr Yamini and Director Ajith that showed me how different this
institute is in terms of the burning desire to propel itself to Everestian-heights. I would not have done as well in QT if
it wasn‟t for Rajesh and Bhargava, so thank you both! Oh and by the way, the U.S. elected their first Black President.
The second semester was one filled with intrigue as we had a one month break, in which I switched off and recharged
my batteries, followed by a merge with MBA batch 11. Of course I must mention the mentor whose prose actually
compelled us to be in class at 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays whose name was Professor Mohan Kuruvilla. Having adjusted
to the rigors and challenges of BMA, the second semester was more about endurance and maintaining focus more
than anything else. I even found time to co-found Intelligentsia and ideated with some amazing peers who presented

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 BMA The Voice – August 2009
BMA in
(Yes you MBA 13), helped form the foundation and set the stage for a club that will last the test of time TheBMA.
Voice – Aug
There were Boston Legal, Chuck and Dexter courses and sprinklings of somebody’s gonna get hurt every night
balanced with an advanced course in the art of war… I mean politics. But as they say, whatever doesn‟t kill you
makes you stronger and advice bestowed upon me by all faculty and administration has helped shape me into who I
am right now.
I now stand at the precipice armed with everything I have amassed in the last 40 weeks facing my next challenge,
ECU. I have heard so much about the ECU candidate that it seems they never sleep, live in the library and submit
30,000 word assignments a day (None of which have been substantiated). I feel ready for the final stage of my
metamorphosis into a Marketer bred on the words of Kotler, Ries and Trout among many others.
I had many challenges during this journey of which I regret none. I have learned so much from so many people that I
will always be grateful for everything and urge you all to enjoy the ride because once we leave this haven, real life is
Prime Time! Front and center, under the spotlights and the world is our stage to paint with it our future. Be positive
and make the most of this because I have been in more than 8 countries across 4 continents and have not found what
we have been blessed with here. It‟s not perfect, but YOU can help us get there. As we have picked up where our
seniors have left off and gone that much higher, I urge you to do the same and promise that you will not regret it.

Your peer, fan and hopeful friend

Samir Magdi Hassan Mohammed Yassin (Yes all of that is my name!)

MBA ECU
P.S. If I actually did not include anyone‟s name that should be on there then it is because this list would have
extended beyond the allowed limit so forgive me. I plan on giving a fake Oscar speech thanking my parents next
issue so look for your names then. I would also like to wish the Muslims an advance Ramadan Kareem which is
expected to start around the 20-22nd of this month Insha‟Allah.
A man builds a house with 4 walls. Each wall is facing south. A bear lumbers by.
What color is the bear? (White because he must have built it in the North Pole)

From the desk of Joe Thomas, Director - Administration

GOOD NEWS!!!
College party will be on the 8th August 2009.
The 10th of August 2009 will be celebrated as the Ethnic Wear Day (students are allowed to come in their ethnic wear)

BMA Voice Needs You!

We look forward to your contribution for

Cover story, fun articles, fun events @ BMA, interesting first person accounts, reviews on books, movies & eat
outs and more...

Mail your inputs to:

salonee@bmaindia.com
samir.yassin@gmail.com

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 BMA The Voice – August 2009
BMA The Voice – Aug

Inauguration of Sports Complex by Reverend Satyanandam Paul (left) Love is all we need!

Welcome MBA 14, the latest in a proud tradition of Spartans!

Our Visitors from the United States pose with us in front of the Knowledge Center

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