PLS READ THIS...

Hello everyone...I want to clear some things out....It is true that im the Joint Secretary, and while it is my duty to SERVE you all, im not anybody's SERVANT..im aiming this dialogue at some very specific ppl whom i do not want to name, but i hope all of you heed the difference..

Now to address the HUGE hungama surrounding our business suits...thats right, A SUIT !!!!! A whole class of future CEOs and managers, and we cannot take a simple decision regarding 3 metres of cloth...truly i pity the companies tht are going to hire us..how much are we going to fight and play politics before we realise that at the end, only we are going to suffer, and not others? Neither the college nor the teachers will be affected, only us...

As Gupta Sir told a select few today, none of us is bigger than the organisation. We are all identified with our dept. so all of us HAS to take decisions tht will be for the best for the DEPT..it becomes obvious then, what we should all do...complain less, become united, and take decisions rationally...as all our teachers are saying again and again, MBA is not about studying from books..it is all about developing personality and getting into the right mindset..A manager's biggest role is to be a problem solver...but instead of finding a solution to every problem, we are finding problems in every solution..

ok...i went a bit of track... Back to the suits...may i describe wht i hve been going thru for the suits, and pls try to visualize the situation from my shoes..i have been running behind the whole class ever since our mid term tests got over..I requested Gauri to bring 3 suit samples...everyone rejected it on the spot bcoz "the quality wasnt good"....ok fine...i told everyone who dint like them to bring their own samples that was good quality..but no one bothered..Then i took 3 girls and went along with our GS mehul, all the way to the Bombay Dyeing showroom, to get samples..Then after that we went to Lajpat Nagar to get shirt samples...this whole process took 5 hours...Then i showed the 12 suit samples and 10 shirt samples to the entire class....obviously, fighting ensured...so i democratically took a vote...It narrowingly went in favor of suit no 6..but did the rest of the class accept the decision? NO !!!! ofcourse not...tht would hve been too simple...

Deluged with so many complaints, i had no choice but to drop the suit samples...i was earlier collecting rs. 3000 . . .2500 for the suit and 500 for the alumni meet, RUBAROO...so i just instructed sarwar to collect rs 500 for rubaroo...barely 30 ppl from the entire class gave him the money..then after the event was cancelled, he had to give the entire money back..luckily he handled the headaches superbly..i dont think most of u realised how tough it is to walk around with huge sums of other people's money in your pocket..its a huge responsibility..

now fast forwarding the story...i WANTED to arrange suits for the class fast..so i requested the other varun to help me..he said he had an uncle who was in the entire clothing business...so one day, we both went to his office..then he took us to the main wholesaler in Chandni Chowk..there using his contacts and A LOT of negotiations, we got 5 huge suit rolls itself...at 40% discount..then varun and i came back and the next day, we brought the rolls to class...and we kept displaying the cloths to all students like a couple of sales ladies, for TWO days...did the whole class like a particular design..again no, but this time, there was a proper majority atleast..more than 70% of the class said they prefferred the black suit with red stripes..WHEW!!!! our job was finally done!!!! right??? wrong....

I announced to everyone tht it would cost rs 2000 for the suit, pant, shirt tie AND stitching...everyone was ok with it, though some felt it was tad bit expensive...i kept asking around for opinions to everyone in class, blogged all abt it, sent everyone messages...mostly everyone was satisfied..so i told Varun to confirm with his uncle that we will be taking the suits...and i also requested everyone to bring the money...

Then overnight, a HUGE bunch of problems cropped up..some of them were:

1. The quality of material was not "upto standard"
2. it would become destroyed after one washing!!
3. it will disintegrate completely after wearing it 5 times !!!
4. its a bit expensive..
5. Its too cheap...
6. this is a HUGE investment..once we buy a suit, it should last us our entire LIFETIME...(this complaint is my personal favorite)...so it should be of the highest quality, but still be cheap..
7, we dont like the design
8. we dont like the color
9. we need lifetime guarantee on the suit..
10.why cant we all buy different suits?
10. why do we need to buy suits?

the list of complaints kept goin on and on and on...it is impossible to reach a consensus of 66 people, all of us have different tastes and preferences...we should all go with the majority..but our class is sooooooo sellfish, that even a few students who are in the minority raise a huge hue and cry...and fight unnecessarily and play politcs and divide the class...who are the ultimate losers?it is only us..rest of the world are either not bothered or are pointing and laughing at us...

one thing we are good at, that is complaining..and not taking any responsibility..do anyone of you realise how tough it was to get the suits?me and varun wasted DAYS running after the samples..now my time may be worthless to you all, but its very precious for me..i can do so many things, like sleeping or studying or watching a movie, rather than standing under the hot blazing sun and begging retailers to reduce prices...this is exactly what the other VARUn did, wasting his time, petrol, phone credit, etc etc etc...it is so easy to dismiss the samples as saying tht they are worthless...but do you know how much hard work we put behind it to get them to you?Y dont anyone of you go get samples?if you think that you can do better than me, y dont u go get atleast 5 suit samples of high quality, negotiate the prices for best bargain, get them to college, get one selected by a clear majority, decide on the prices, THEN COLLECT THE MONEY, give the advance, get the suit material, then arrange a tailor, get the measurements, get them stitched, then delivered, and still be responsible for any defects?

I dont know from where so many complaints came from....i never knew we had such great quality control agents and fashion experts in our class !!! who are so sure tht the suits we brought were of such low grade...even though Varun's uncle, who has been in this business for over 20 years, is GUARANTEEING the quality of the suits...truly, u guys are great indeed...

Anyways, to cap things off...I had spoken the student advisor..we HAVE to get the suits by November 9th...tht is the last date..And FINALLY by class consensus, we all agreed tht it should be black, with red stripes, a white shirt and a red tie...PLEASE NO MORE ARGUMENTS ON THIS MATTER !!!! I BEG ALL OF YOU !!!!!

Now you have two choices:

1. Go buy your own suit matching the color combination and get it stitched by yourself..you can make it as expensive or cheap as you want...minor variations are no problem at all..

2. Give rs 2000 to me, and i will get the suit to you as agreed before..last date to pay to me is this comig TUESDay..After that, i wont accept any more people, and you have to get your suits from outside..

The other Varun, being the good and naive guy he is, has agreed once AGAIN to go search for new QUALITY of suits..basically he is going to get a black suit with red stripes of Reid n Taylor...this we can offer you at a slightly higher price, which you may not or may not pay....only one thing is certain....<<<>>


-Thanks all of you...my apologies for sounding so rude, but i thot it wud be better to share my feelings and opinions, rather than bottling them up..HAVE A NICE DAY !!

-VARUN NAIR

SUIT

Hi ppl !!!! As u may (or may not) know, the class AS A WHOLE decided on a suit today ...so we have to get it as quickly as possible..Please bring rs 2000 tomorrow!!!! this includes the suit material, shirt material, tie AND stitching...im sure u will all agree that it cant get any cheaper than this. ...(actually u can, if u want a polyester suit)...I know some of u dont like the design, but please remember that the whole class chose this one as a CONSENSUS....this is our official dress, our uniform, which we have to wear in our dept during photo sessions, departmental events and other stuff..you are always willing to buy an expensive suit, with a design of your choice, that you can wear for ur individual interviews..so im looking forward to all ur cooperation in this regard...thanks!!!!

-Varun Nair

IMP NOTICE!!!

Hi Friends!

Just a few things i wanted to share with all of you..

1. All of you were looking very good in formals yesterday. Even though our VC didnt finally turn up, the class as a whole was finally looking like MBA students..i think we should all come in formals more often.

2. Our Alumni meet has been postponed till January second week. Due to unavoidable security reasons, our booking was cancelled. Lots of thanks to Pallavi, Nisha and Anam who called all the 300+ alumni to invite them, and then to Uma and Manju, for calling them up again and cancelling the invitations! Thanks girls...i will need ur help in Jan again..

3. We have to get our business suits ASAP!!! i will be bringing a few more suit samples today or 2morro..Pls bring rs 2500 on MONDAY without fail and submit it to Sarwar..we have to get the suits stitched before next week.

4. If anyone wants to collect their 500 bucks paid for the alumni meet, they can collect it from sarwar. or they can just let him keep it like i hve done, since we have to pay for the suits anyway.

5. VERY VERY IMP: It has been brought to my notice that students of our class consistently approach teachers for change of schedules, assignment dates, assignment topics, etc without consulting other students..I kindly request all of you NOT to do this. the teachers themselves are complaining that our class has no unity, and the blame ultimately falls on me and sarwar. for instance, one student approaches a teacher for preponing a class, then another one goes to the teacher and wants to postpone it, and yet another one wants to cancel the class all together!! please understand that this gives a very bad impression to the teachers, and you are compromising Sarwar's and my position. Sarwar is class REPRESENTATIVE. so for any problems you might face, please go and consult him. if hes not available, please come to me. We both will then take a decison that is in the best interest of the ENTIRE class, not just any particular individual or group. WE will then approach the concerned faculty and solve the problem.I think that most of you will agree to the logic behind this proposition.

Thanks to all of you, and my apologies if i have offended anyone. I have been in a cranky mood all of last week, and my temper has been very short. I would like to say sorry to people that i shouted at unnecessarily, like Pallavi, Devika and Anam. i kno there is no excuse for me for losing my temper, but u guys please understand that ur actions also reflect on me in font of other people eyes..

THANKS !!!! ROCK ON !!!!

-Varun Nair.

Placements

Hey Frenz,

Hope you all are having a very good time greedily gobbling sweets and bursting crackers with family and friends :) I have something very important to talk about (regarding placements). Please read this mail carefully and come forward with your active participation towards placements.

First of all we all need to understand how important summer placements are for our career. For that you need to identify the area you want to be in- Marketing, HR or Finance and specifically in which particular sector like Brand Management, Advertising etc. You have to realize what you want to do and what you are good at and set realistic goals for yourself.

People who are passionate about Marketing should come up with a list of companies and their contacts so that we will target those companies for summer training as well as final placements. We have to make our presence felt by giving corporate presentations and regular follow ups. Similarly we will do it for HR and Finance. Let’s join hands together. We have two days in hand and we can make good use of it. Please mail the list to jamia.placement.2011@gmail.com. Also, if we are willing to work now, things will be a lot easier next year.

We all need to understand the gravity of the situation and the limited time we have (we are already running late).I hope I am not sounding too preachy ;) I wish all of you a very HAPPY DIWALI. May this Diwali enlighten us with wisdom and knowledge. Hope we have brighter days ahead :)

Thanks & Regards,

Fazela Begum

IMPORTANT UPDATE....

Hi friends!!! I hope you all had a wonderful week (yes, im being sarcastic)...finally! we can relax till our exams start on november 19th right? Not exactly....

First of all,this coming Tuesday and Wednesday we have Confluence, our Jamia Career n Placement fair..Its a pretty big event, and we have given ads in national newspapers, delhi radio, invited students of all major Colleges, etc.. Though most of the companies who are coming to place are not looking for management students per se, it will still be a great opportunity to meet top level people..I think that classes might be suspended on both the days, but i no idea about it yet, i have to confirm it...The most rewarding event for us will be the seminars given by the senior executives of different companies on both the days..I will be very beneficial for us if we can attend it,as we can learn what are these companies expecting from their future employees (hopefully us!)..They will also give information and advice on various career prospects and the fields that have a lot of scope..Im personally looking forward to the talk on Sports Management, and another talk on Retailing in India....There will also be talks on general preparation, skill building, etc...at the end of every talk, there will be an opportunity for us to personally interact with the speakers, and im sure it will be invaluable for us...MIB and BBS students are very excited about these events, and we should be too....This is an ideal platform where we can let everyone know that Jamia MBA program is alive and kicking....So im looking forwards to a lot of interactive participation from you guys..Remember, a lot of executives from top companies are coming to jamia for the first time...If we can impress them,then they will definitely rturn for placements, and then CMS students can reap the benfits... Mohit and Nadeem have volunteered from our class...and I might me anchoring the second quarter of the first day's events along with our senior sheeba zaidi...

Next on the list is Rubaroo, our alumni meet..for the first time (i think)we are going to hold it outside our campus, and its going to be a MEGA event...we have sent out invitations to almost ALL our CMS graduated students, and many of them have accepted and are comin...i shall update you guys on the exact date this coming week...its tentatively on the 24th of this month...that leaves us very less time to get everything organized..needless to say, organizing such a big event will surely give you practical exposure to management, so if anyone wants to volunteer, please let me know..its going to be held in a conference room, and lunch will be catered by a 3 star restaurant..the alumni meet will be the most enriching experience we get from this semester...we can directly meet and talk with all the people who graduated from our college itself, meaning that their experiences will be the most relevant for us..they have already been out there in the job market, and have succeeded..they had gone through a lot of hard work and sufferring, made alot of mistakes, and learnt from them.. but that is exactly why we need an alumni meet..they can tell us the mistakes they made, and the short cuts they took and the contacts they made and how they made them..they can tel us what are the pros and cons of working in a particular sector or company.. they can guide us on how to prepare ourselves for interviews, what kind of questions our employers might ask and most importantly, what employers expect from us..they can instruct us on how to negotiate our salary and perks and ow to move up the corporate ladder...how can they do all this, you ask? simple...they have done it recently, or are in the process of doing it right now...they can provide us with an insight into the markets like no one else can, and ensure that we dont have to take unnecessary pains or hardships...

But there is one small thing all of you have to do, and do it VERY QUICKLY…you have to get your business suits stitched…I cannot emphasize enough on the importance of our business suits, especially since we are MBA students…A business mans’ suits is his most powerful asset, im sure most of you will agree to that..whenever you see a successful business man or senior executive or any manger on TV, magazines, or even in real life, what is the one common thing that they have? A powerful business suit, that speak volumes about what kind of person they are.. Plus, they are MANDATORY for all placement events and interviews in our college…(and a MBA graduate without an official dress? UGH..what an insult....) Since all of us have to have IDENTICAL suits, we all have to get it from the same place…Mehul, our GS, can arrange very high quality cloth from Bombay Dyeing at more than 50% off…so we have to get them quickly, and get them stitched ASAP…So im kindly requesting you to bring Rs. 3000 on MONDAY itself and give it to our class CR, Sarwar…This includes our contribution to Rubaroo as well….im sure all of you will agree that 2500 is quite a bargain for a suit (go checkout Westside or pantaloons or Bombay Dyeing showrooms…..no suits come under 4000 rs, and they are of crappy quality)..the average good suits cost 6000 rupees atleast…remember for all you skeptics out there, that to earn something, you have to first spend something…and according to me, our business suits will be directly linked to our final placement offers, as it’s such a powerful tool to impress prospective employers…

So to sum it up, any volunteers for Rubaroo please contact me…and EVERYONE please bring Rs. 3000 and submit it on Monday itself..you all know that finally, you have to pay up the cash, whether you like it or not, and there is no way you can escape from it…

To end on a lighter note, did you know that an alumnus is a “A male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university?” the plural of alumnus is alumni….A female graduate is called an alumna and its plural is alumnae…that something for the feminists to lose sleep about…all the alumni meets happening around the world...

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Varun Valsalan Nair,

(The “pathla” Varun)