We too ran a business....

A few weeks back we were greeted with the news by one of our teachers, while in the HR class,  that we were to have a simulation classes. Waves of despair washed through us as we realized that we had to stay back the weekend for the so called "really good" class.We had this session on the Friday, Saturday and the Sunday.

We rushed off to break the news to the poor souls who has to stay the previous weekend for their other guest lecturers.  We tried to obtain some satisfaction from the fact that we weren't staying the second consecutive weekend in college and that we were not going to be attending a lecture.

As the D-day drew near,  we got more information on the program from the faculty. The faculty had already attended these sessions and they felt that the value add was really high and that we had to attend these sessions. Sentences that we heard here and there....."will be divided into groups."....."apply knowledge in all functional areas"..."need wi-fi and laptops the entire time"....."should have a strong background in finance"......"class from morning till night"....."software enabled..." swam thorough our heads.

I couldn't figure out whether to b excited or tensed. And so the D-day arrived and I trudged to class with my friends to make it in time for the 9.00 session. We found a list containing our group details when we reached the Group Learning Center (GLC). We were all divided into groups of five. So that was 12 groups of five each, where 6 groups were from Mars and six groups were from Earth. It was to be the same industries in two different places.

We had many small games and activities in between the main "Game". The main activity was "Running a Business". All of us were operating in the Boiler Industry and I am not going into the nitty-gritties explaining the rules and regulations and our small decisions.

My team consisted of four others - Shruthy, Sanand, George and Georgy. This was the first time I was in a group with them. We named our venture "EXCEL Ltd." In a nutshell, our activities consisted of making the vision, mission, strategy for our company.

We were working for, we were told, 10 quarters. So at the beginning of each quarter we had to set out each persons "roles", the forecasted demand for each segment, out production, the priorities for distribution, the market reports we wanted, the number of sales and after sales people in each segment, the advertisements in each sector, the R&D expenditure and even the long-term and sort-term loans. It seems quite a handful doesn't it?

Those three days....What can I say....Those were 3 amazing days. We worked together as a team, made many blunders, made loads of progress and got excited when we made profits. The intensity with which we discussed the numbers and took decisions, the adrenalin rush when we decided to go ahead with our decisions, the tensions that we had once we submitted out decisions and awaited the "quarter results"...Though I describe the moments, the intensity of all these emotions really cannot be explained.

The game was completed in 8 quarters and at the end of three days we wanted it to go on. We wanted to have more quarters in order to make decisions. We had long-term strategies that we wanted to implement. We wanted to improve our business. We wanted to be the market leaders in terms of customers, in terms of profits, in terms of margin and so on....We just didn't want to stop.

Those three days were really amazing and did add much value for all of us. The learning from the simulation game of  "EnParadigm Solution" was just too great. Thank you Veetrag and Ferzand for that amazing experience....Hats off to you guys(https://www.facebook.com/LearningCurveSimulation?sk=wall&filter=2)!!! Thank you Rajagiri for allowing it to happen, it was really amazing.

And last but not the least...my group mates.....Sanand, Shruthy, George and Georgy.....Amazing time guys...It was one of the best groups I have worked with. Working with you guys was a pleasure. I just wish we could have run our business a bit longer :) And yeah thanks Georgy and Sanand for not "firing" me when I made a colossal blunder :P. We are a great team guys and I hope I get the chance to work with you guys again.

We, The Living

I just got off reading Ayn Rand's 'We, The Living'. And I don't know what to say....

The feeling one gets as they finish her book....It's difficult to explain but I will try.... The sense of despair that washes over you, the despondency that settles in you as you realize that everything she has written is true. 

The book contain the protagonist, Kira returning to her home town in Russia post the revolution. This book is said to be Ayn Rand's first book against Communism. There are three main characters in the book to look out for - Kira, Leo and Andrei. 

While Andrei is communist and talks about living for the society and serving the society selflessly, Leo is anti-communist and wants to live for himself and does not believe in selfless service. Kira is also anti-communist and live to fulfill her dreams. Doesn't seem complicated does it? 

As the story moves on, one reads the situation prevalent there and Kira's and Leo's struggle against that difficult system. One is blacklisted if one does not go out of the way to serve society and if one was an aristocrat. It shows the society losing it's luster. It depicts Kira losing her fight as she discovers that she cannot live for herself.

Most of Ayn Rand's books make you think, think deeply. 

This book really touched me because like Kira says in the book, it is inconceivable that one live only for the society. Just imagine, if the society were to impose on us such a ruling that anything and everything that we are to do is to be linked with helping the society. It would be such that any frivolity, any entertainment will be frowned upon. One will not be allowed to read, listen to music , dance or do anything that is considered a waste to the society. All that one does is the work decided by the state and whether you are good at what you do is not considered. The only thing that is considered is the contribution to you society. And scorn be on you if you expect high remuneration for the service that you do.

This is the horrifying way in which the post revolution state has been depicted. I just cannot imagine living in a world like that. 

Ayn Rand has written so beautifully that there are those instances where I was so moved, so frustrated by the system that Kira in me rose up to the surface. I wanted to infuse strength to Kira, wanted her to try and get out of the system and live her life and her dream.

Kira's words give much room for thought. Life is desolate and has no meaning if we aren't living for ourselves and pursuing the goals we want to pursue. Whether it be things for society, or for family or just for ourselves, unless we are self motivated to do them it will be neigh impossible to do them. Won't life lose it's meaning if we cannot see where we are going and if we cannot serve in the way we know best??? 

These are questions I ask myself. Life has a lot to offer us. I believe that as long as we know where we want to go and accept life with open arms and work constantly for it, we will and we can reach those goals. 

Crochet....

 I have grown up watching my mother stitch. Crochet, knitting, embroidery......you name it and it seemed that she could do all these different types of stitching...this was my understanding when I was in the 8th standard or so...

I still remember going to another aunty to learn crochet though my mother stitched quite a lot of crochet. You see, I didn't want to learn from my mother...All my friends were going to another person to learn and I too wanted to learn. So determined I was to go, that I actually did. We didn't learn just crochet but we learnt other things too.. Unfortunately I don't remember what it is that I was to have learnt during the session. But what I do remember is that when I was done with the course I still couldn't stitch.

With my nose high up in the air, I declared to my mom that I wasn't going to 'waste' my time stitching the doilies that she kept stitching. I decided to stick to the Anchor stitch kits and cross stitch patterns.  Embroidery too wasn't my forte so I decided not to risk doing too much of that.

But in course of time, as I saw the beautiful things that my mom made, I changed my mind and decided to learn crochet. My first project was a 'carrot bookmark' which was as long as the palm of my hand. It definitely did not look like a carrot. I wish I had a picture to show that utter disaster. It was such a flop that I was scared to try again. And as I said earlier I was determined not to 'waste' my time on doilies and make only useful things as bookmarks and bags and the such.

I began by making scrunchies. That was definitely a crazy phase where I think I influenced my mom too, to abandon her projects for a while to make a few scrunchies. These small projects taught me my basics in crochet and I ended up having a dozen or two scrunchies in all the colors imaginable. My only frustration at these moments were when I couldn't stitch as fast as my mom. You see , I had started ,learning but I wanted to be as fast, as neat and as accomplished as her. No small feat, huh?

I haven't yet reached that stage, but I am still learning and have a long way to go as she is far ahead, doing new exciting and beautiful things. Some so complicated that I still haven't got the courage to start them.

Well...Let me now get back to where I was...

Yeah once I had done with the scrunchies, I didn't do anything much for some time. I was in Amrita and I couldn't spend much time stitching. But once in a while I did escape home and towards the end of my graduation in Amrita and the year after that I had four major projects completed. I had made two bags and two doilies.

                                                            My first doily

                     My second bag - I had to finish this to take to college and show off

"Doilies?",the question may pop into your mind. Yes, 'Doilies', I changed my mind they are after all pretty things and do have their decorative uses. :)

I don't remember the other small things that I have made over the past 2-3 years. There have been small projects like pencil boxes, cell phone pouches and book marks. Some of these I still have and some have been given to friends.

Pretty long post...Don't you think? And I still haven't got to where I wanted to go. I still haven't penned down what I really wanted to. So here goes...hoping that I am not boring the people out there...

I had gone to Bangalore for my summer project and although I never carried any thread and needle, I decided to raid the stash that mom had taken to Bangalore for my own purpose. I thought to myself that I would make something nice and do something useful during those two months.

I don't think I did much stitching,other than a few small things - doilies, cell phone cover and a book mark. But my time in Bangalore ended up with Santhy, a good friend of mine, wanting to learn crochet. And I was more than happy to teach her the little I knew.

                                           Santhy's First Project for her niece

                                                     Her second project

And I never imagined that any body else would be interested to learn. But when I got back to Rajagiri I found out that Santhy's sister had learnt from Santhy and has started crocheting. She also made a cap as her first project.

So do you think it ended there? By now am sure that you would have guessed how the story would carry on from here. So if you are exasperated with my really long post then you can close this and go, else please do go on...:)

Well after I returned to college (Rajagiri), I had so many projects in my mind. Things that I wanted to do that I brought threads, needles and patterns to the hostel. Seeing my projects and seeing Santhy's project, more people wanted to learn and make things.

Uma first jumped in as she was able to obtain the thread and needle. She started making a lace edging for a kerchief

She still has two more rows to go...But just look at that, isn't it amazing? And now she has also started on a cap...

The cap

                                                Uma working hard on her cap


Just a few days and she is all set. Uma, if you are reading this, 'Don't blush, you are doing an amazing job...'

And then Rimjim, Gincy joined the bandwagon. They had been pestering me for a really long time to teach them but we got the wool and the needles only recently.

          Gincy being thrilled with the stitches she is learning and the amount stitched

  Rimjhim and Santhy on Rimjhim's stitching - She is working at perfecting her stitches

Both Gincy and Rimjhim are now in the process of making a doily. And quite successfully too, if I may add. They are both on the 3rd row and it is not a very simple one (my bad choice) but they are working wonders. I don't have photos to show of their progress but they sure are making progress.

So why am I saying all this. I set out to write about all this because teaching my friends the very little I know, had been a really wonderful experience for me. To see the thrill on their faces when they learn a new stitch, complete a row...The feeling is just amazing...

So this is just a note (and a really long one at that) to tell my friends that these days when they have been stitching have been really wonderful for me. Wonderful to see them create, wonderful to see their joy and also a morale booster for me.

And to end it all....No matter how the world changes, there will be people who are fascinated by crochet and who want to learn and create stuff.....And so the legacy continues....