Comedians as Heads of State

 Seriously (!), it's not such a bad idea. We already have the Ukrainian Prez., the Punjab C.M. and in the past, Trump and Bush (OK, not officially comics, but you know what I mean).. and a bunch of dictators all over the world, who were extremely funny when they weren't executing people randomly. Let's be rational, and list down the benefits of having a funnyman/woman in the top job.

Humour is in short supply, with all the WhatsApp wars going on about your favourite politician, cricketer, or Football player (nod to American football too). 

Most governmental decisions are funny, to the discerning eye. 

The Happiness Quotient of a nation is something to preserve and expand.

Comedians in Hindi films are extinct - with all the special effects, and superheroes, who has the time to think of a comedy track like the guy who says 'Khamba ukhaad ke,' the sidekick to Gunmaster G 9 (Mithun C.) played by Jagdeep?

The bureaucrats run the show anyway, regardless of the party in power (as Yes, Minister proved so well), so might as well have fun with a funny guy/gal up there.

No, I am not contesting.. not funny enough for the job.

IDA Revisited

 IDA is a think-tank that again invited me this year to a meeting of Higher Ed leaders to discuss policy issues in higher education in India. There were many VCs from universities across the country. 

Had a few interesting conversations on the sidelights. This time it was at Le Meridian, Delhi. A pic with one of the organisers, Meekshi Dagar-


and one with the group. I am in it somewhere...




Meeting Nikita

 We have been meeting for more than a few years now, after we both left IMT Nagpur-she as a student, and I as the Director.

First met in Pune when she had just joined her job and was a trainee, around 10 years ago. Then in Hyderabad, with her friend and colleague, Ritika. After that at Gurgaon, along with Shruti and Aditya. That was pre-COVID. Managed to meet up once more, after a couple of hits and misses, in March 2024.

Always a pleasure chatting with her about everything in life. She's a great conversationalist, and a sales professional par excellence. Proof that we met. 😉😉




Campus Vibes- Prestige University, Indore

 Each campus has its vibes. So does ours. Here are a few pics that capture these vibes, over the last few months - 23-24.

Festivities, guest faculty from all around the world (below)



RJ of Red FM, above, and a CNBC appearance.


Natasha Kothari, founder of Studio UnGap, above.
Below- Veronica Thavonat, originally from Argentina, ex-KPMG Spain at the campus






Above- our outreach in Nagaland and Assam. Met Mr. Temjen Mina Along, Minister, and Dr. Poorvanku Sarmah of IIT Guwahati

Music and Me

 I have grown up with film music-Hindi. And still love the older songs. Added some ghazal and non-film music due to various influences, but film songs continue to be my first love, due to the longer association. I am a regular radio listener, and as I write this, am listening to Amit Khanna, lyricist, present a special Jaimala on Vividh Bharathi.

He is most known for songs like Chalte Chalte, mere ye geet yaad rakhna (Bappi Lahiri tuned it), and I like many of his songs from Des Pardes or other Dev Anand films. Dev Anand persuaded him to come into Mumbai, and films.

Songs that made an impact on me were mostly Kishore Kumar in my younger days. It may be a coincidence, but I am only 3 hours from where he grew up-Khandwa.


Alumni from School in Parbhani

 This was my wife's school, in Pune. Their batchmates and spouses had a meet in Parbhani, in Maharashtra. My first visit to the town.

It was a great experience, with one NRI couple and many from Pune, Mumbai or nearby places like Aurangabad or Amravati participating.

There was a lot of reminiscing, leg-pulling, nostalgia and of course, singing and dancing. I was happy to meet a couple of professors, some agriculturists, and a few businesspeople and home-makers too. We had a few gender discourses and some party games organised by the Coconut Lagoon, a resort where we stayed. 

There was also a taste of Sindhi and Gujarati food, along with local specialities. Dal pakwan is one I remember. Also a Hurda party and green chick peas- harbara. Bullock cart and horse rides were available for interested people.

The weather was perfect, not too cold or warm. The conversations too.

Teaching Can be Fun

 Learning and teaching can both be fun, if the conditions are right, and the teachers are open-minded. What methods they use to impart learning makes a lot of difference.

Recently, I had occasion to handle a couple of Research Methods sections at Prestige University. The students did a group exercise for a project, choosing a brand that they would base some consumer research on.

Pics from that session. 






Comedians as Heads of State

 Seriously (!), it's not such a bad idea. We already have the Ukrainian Prez., the Punjab C.M. and in the past, Trump and Bush (OK, not ...

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