Pics from the Listing Ceremony of Paradeep Phosphates Ltd (PPL) on 27 May 2022 at BSE

 

Pic above : Gong Ceremony at PPL Listing 

Pic above : Gong Ceremony at PPL Listing 

Pic above : With the BSE Bull

Ye Moh Moh Ke Dhaage On My Flute

Here's an attempt to play and record a short video on the very beautiful music composition 'Ye Moh Moh Ke Dhaage' sung by singerPapon. Enjoy and drop in your comments!

The lyrics and the notations played are embedded in the video itself.

Coorg : The Scotland of India

A brand new car- Hyundai NIOS Grand i10 Automatic , a brand new chilly place called the Scotland of India and two wanderers. The video portrays a journey where we unplanned the plan and set out freely as birds on an expedition together. 

This was KK's first car in life, a proud feeling for him. And our first long expedition from Bangalore to Coorg on this car. Hyundai NIOS came out brilliantly with an average mileage of 18km/l and a very smooth drive. You would find KK kissing his Hyundai NIOS many a times for the amazing performance!

Wishes and love to all viewers from two birds - KK and Suzi. Thanks for watching! Drop in your comments.

PS Credits for the tracks embedded in the video to follow soon :) 

My Heart Will Go On - A confluence of flute and guitar

The Beginning Alaap is Random and Impromptu. 

A confluence of flute and guitar to bring alive the beautiful rendition of Celine Dion. 

'My Heart Will Go On' <3 p="">

#Covid Days #Jam #Extempore

Yaman Recital on Flute

Picked up this bandish in Raag Yaman - Piya ki Nazariya Zadu Bhari on Flute this evening. 

#Covid Days #Bengaluru

Leadership, Trust and Managing Failures

There was a person tasked with the responsibility of launching a simple rocket ! He was given everything - abundant money, best of man-power - with the sole mission of successfully launching it in 6 years into a certain orbit. This was the beginning of the 70s. Thousands of people started working. They burnt the midnight oils and finally in 6 years they were ready with the rocket. 

An island was chosen for the launch. And after all the drills, at morning 7 AM, they launched it. Minutes before the launch, the computers threw an error. Our protagonist, who was the mission director, had the luxury of experts by his side. The experts quickly calculated and told the director that the error can be by-passed. 

The director, TRUSTING his team, bypassed the computer error and instructed to manually launch the 4 stage rocket. The first stage worked absolutely beautiful. Everyone watching live, including the global press, the citizens, was delighted. Such a proud moment for the Director and his team. 

But then in the 2nd stage, the rocket flirted with its course choosing to come back and fall into the ocean. It was a BIG FAILURE. 6 long years, money, man-power, hopes, aspirations, pride - all went down the drain instantaneously. 

A press-conference, with media from across the globe, had to follow. The failure was re-sounding. At that moment, the Director’s Boss came forward and decided to take the press conference himself and he declared “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have tried sincerely but have failed. We would try again and succeed the next time”. 

In an year from the failure, a second launch was attempted. This was after all an unprecedented success. The whole nation was jubilant, so was the protagonist - the mission director. The director and his team were waiting for this moment of joy. A press conference had to follow. This time the Director’s Boss came forward and told the Director “You go and take the press conference.”

This story epitomises leadership, trust, managing failures. When things went south, the leader came forward and took the onus of failure on his shoulders. When things were successful, the leader gave the credit of success to his team and himself took a backstep. 

Can you name the mission director and his boss? 

Do you have an interesting story to share ? 

Susnato

Sept 29th, 2019

Sangam (IIM Kozhikode's Annual Meet) 2019 at Chennai India

A rendezvous with the IIM K Family. Chennai 13th April 2019. 

Panktiyan Close to my Heart!

माना की तेरी दीद के काबिल नहीं हूँ मैं

तू मेरा शौक़ देख मेरा इंतज़ार देख

[दीद = sight]

granted that I may not worthy of your sight

look at my passion, and look at my perseverance

-Iqbal

One day you shall ask me which is more important, my life or yours; I shall say 'mine' and you will walk away not knowing you are my life. 

- Khalil Gibran

Professional Career Highlights - Short Video

Professional Career Highlights

Video Link - CLICK HERE

*as on March 2019

How Brands and Marketers Participate in Kumbh Mela 2019

Kumbh Mela 2019 is a congregation of over 15 crore people from multiple geographies. This enormous ready market potential is a dream come true for many FMCG brands and marketers where a host of experimentation can happen viz. trials, awareness, adoptions, advertisements etc.

The video below from CNBC talks about the strategies brands and marketers do follow and should follow to make the right buck for their investment.

Personally, I feel customer acquisition can effectively happen through micro-steps like awareness, instant trials, recall. Each of these micro-steps must entail an element of "newness" for the consumers for TOFU conversions. To flow down through the funnel, consumers must additionally experience "value" at the time of awareness and first engagement with a brand.

An example of "newness" in the past includes HUL's signatory chapattis at the Kumbh while an example for "value" in the past would be Dabur's toothpaste stands for consumers(devotees) to brush.

An exciting 2 year journey !

Here's to an excellent journey at IIM Kozhikode, PGP-17 batch, Class of 2013-15. Convocated on April 4, 2015. Some major highlights of the IIM Kozhikode career were -

Won 6 prestigious corporate business case competitions at IIM-K in areas as diverse as e-commerce, consumer durables for rural india, online homes(real estate), online jewelry, FMCG, solar sector, and agri-sector for companies like TATA, Mahindra, Marico, HUL and Titan.

Co-authored research paper presented in 12th AIMS(Association of Indian Management Scholar) international conference on the topic 'Go-to-market strategies for e-tailing in India,2015' at IIM-K.

Interned with the prestigious TAS(Tata Administrative Services) having worked on the global strategy for cloud based deep storage for Tata Communications.

Part of the chess team that won gold for IIM-K in the inter IIM Sports tournament - Sangram'14.

Member of a very dynamic and intellect-driven EPS - Economics, Politics and Society Interest Group.

Titan Elevate National Finals at Taj Gateway, Bangalore

With the Managing Director of TITAN Ltd. Mr Bhaskar Bhatt. My team was in the top 4 out of 280 teams that had participated amongst top B-schools of the country.

At the TAJ Gateway, Bangalore on November 7, 2015.

Team Mu-Sigma-Kappa representing IIM Kozhikode.

HUL LIME Coverage on CNBC TV

HUL LIME Season 6 features my team - 'Mu-Sigma-Kappa'. It was a case on a leading online retailer of jewellery in India about targeting the 35+ aged women for them. 

My team was amongst the top 2 at IIM-K campus to be featured. Enjoy the video.

-- Susnato

Paper presentation on "Go-to-market strategies for emerging businesses in e-tailing industry" in AIMS International Conference in Management

At the 12th International AIMS Conference in Management held at IIM Kozhikode during Jan 3-5,2015.
Theme of Conference - 'Management Challenges in Uncertain Environment'.







Pics clockwise -
1. The presentation 2. Receiving the certificate of 'paper presentation' from the chair


For more info on the conference, visit - 
http://www.aims-international.org/aims12/index.asp

Mahindra WAR Room Season 7, Campus Runners Up at IIM Kozhikode

Team - 'Sahi Dhande, Galat Bande' receiving the Runners Up Award from the Jury

Along with the 'Best Presenter' Award !!

At IIM Kozhikode on 30th October, 2014.

We worked on Mahindra Solar EPC case and strategized for a complete B-plan for off-grid solar PV rooftop modules for Mahindra Solar in both B2B and B2C markets.

It is my 5th win in case study competitions at IIM-Kozhikode. Immensely proud ! Sincere gratitude to every single person who has helped in the way :-)

Titan Elevate'14 Campus Winners

Titan Elevate'14 - Campus Winners 

At IIM Kozhikode on 30th September,2014 

Worked on the marketing strategy to push Titan watches to rural India

Much satisfying a win, especially with two of the team-members having high fever and amidst a good competition from participating teams.

More glimpses of the event at 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1498613183728608.1073741837.1475884172668176&type=1

Marico Campus Finalist

At IIM Kozhikode on 17th September, 2014
Marico Masala Oats Case

TAS Summers'14

A fantastic 7 week internship with TATA Communications on Cloud Storage comes to closure in May'14.

Mahindra War Room 2013 - Campus Runners Up !

At IIM Kozhikode on October 29,2013

G - Loud !!!

Pic Courtesy : Chess.com

Chess, as a game, is as much royal as its pervasiveness across countries. From being invented in India to being the National game of one big country, chess is played in most parts of the world, often having some of the strongest historical legacies. The Middle East, the Soviet Union, even the USA including the Oriental world were the biggest hubs and practitioners of chess. Each of these regions has produced a world champion during one time or the other. Bobby Fischer is one name that comes to my chess mind as one of the greatest chess grand-masters. I have matured as a chess player studying a lot of his ‘immortal’ games. So does Gary Kasparov. In this modern day, my chess imagination is captured more by the prodigious Magnus Carlsen of Norway. He is possibly the youngest and the sharpest, the world is now seeing. Anand has been my nostalgic favourite always.
I have loved playing chess ever since I was a child. I am fortunate to not only play but win numerous accolades throughout my ten year long chess career – prominent among them are playing with the present world champion Vishy Anand; representing my State – Gujarat, my school my college in various National tournaments and being a State chess champion.
But, the leader in me always finds it difficult to market chess at least in the Indian subcontinent. In spite of the fact we have the present world chess champion from our country, there is very specialized and streamlined pervasiveness of chess in the country as compared to say countries like Russia. I have had a hard time taking the game amongst the youth spontaneously; perhaps owing to the perceptive passiveness of the game. Chess does not offer cheerleaders like an IPL match. And an average Indian’s span of focus stretches very little to sit through a classical chess match. And sadly so, this is the first time in history that India will be hosting a world chess championship in November 2013. Simply the culture of chess has been missing in our country so to say.
I think, chess as a game goes much beyond the permutations and combinations on the board. A typical chess championship match requires players to study their opponent right from the opponent’s childhood, in an effort to analyse and gauge his cognitive power, tactics and style of play. Every player plays differently in different positions and stages of one’s chess game. Some like it positional, some tactical, some a combination of the two, some like end-games and thus clearing pieces off board pretty early, and some are too good in their openings. So, chess is about studying psychologies of opponents as much as it is about studying positions.
When I read and see the world champions and the world renowned grandmasters; I simply get awed by the tremendous memory each one possesses. Magnus Carlsen has played against 10 international masters blindfolded. Anand and Kasparov plays with 200 players in one time simultaneously and defeats 95 % of them. That means the chess-grandmasters have to store and analyse a mammoth 200 positions and all their complexities in their mind at one time. And not to forget the fact that the differently-abled blind players also play chess stupendously. I have learnt that these players tend to concentrate better blindfoldedly – something that’s natural to them as a compensatory cognitive blessing. Ian McDownald’s seminal work on blind chess players was inspiring to say the least to me. (http://www.algorithmsthedocumentary.com/about-the-film/).
My dream is to meet the chess grandmasters of the world in their respective countries, including the world champions – Carlsen(Norway), Kramnik(Russia), Topalov(Bulgaria), Gelfand(Israel), Aronian(Armenia), Anand(India); learn about the chess culture in there and implement innovative and encouraging models in India to promote this game amongst the people, in particularly amongst the youth and children. I believe manifestation of this will lead to increased output in terms of research; strategic and analytical thinking right from the grass-root levels in India. All this is possible if a low-cost, affordable, easily accessible and visually stimulating model can be created across the country even penetrating to rural villages of the country. I want to create such an indigenous model, after getting cues from chess culture in different countries and meeting the world renowned chess grandmasters.