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Resolutions For The Year

Amit K — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:04:46 +0000

Do you need to wait for 31st December every year before deciding to make those sacrosanct resolutions. Na….I do not think so. Resolutions just can be spurred when you feel the need to change, the need to do something better, the need to have goals that can keep you motivated. My last year’s resolution list was a pretty successful one (bearing the weight loss mission).

This year things are different, now after two and a half years of an amazing journey in TCS, am back to college life : MBA at one of the top B schools in India, Xavier Institute Of Management, Bhubaneswar.

So here is my long drawn list for this year…not according to priority

1. Read business newspapers daily. This is really difficult to do.

2. Blog on a consistent basis.

3. Lose atleast 10 kgs in 6 month.s Have a tennis court and a wonderful gym in our campus. But need time to get into my sport shoes.

4. Read a lot of books. Target is 1 every month.

5. Target for CFA in June.

6. Do decently in academics, no urge to top, need to give others a chance na

7. Get involved in college activities, clubs and events and enjoy every moment of my experience here.

8. Participate in a lot of inter B school events. Have great opportunities here.

9. Get placed in good company in a job that I would be passionate about.

10 . This one is a secret… keeping it to my self .

Writing down the list of resolutions seems great….it feels like half the battle is over. Now remains the other half of the battle, sticking to those resolutions and improving as a person.

Victory will be mine

My Entry For Buzzz It Event By Goa Institute Of Management

Amit K — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:23:37 +0000

Goa Institute Of Management for the first time had a B School competition hosted along with their flagship event Samriddhi.

The competition was designing the social media strategy for a hotel in Goa. Here is my entry for the same.

Buzzz it amit kaundinya_ximb

Do drop in your comments about the same.

Article On Innovation In Rural India Published In X-ite

Amit K — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 04:42:49 +0000

XIMB’s flagship event Envision 2010 saw the launch of the magazine X-ite. The theme for the magazine was ”Innovation In IT”.

Check out my article on Innovation In Rural India (Page 38) on which I give my views on the scope for innovation in the rural market and the pointers to be kept in mind when innovating for the bottom of the pyramid.

Would also recommend to check the article on ”Outsourcing” (page 20) by Romi Chandra from XLRI and another one on “Shopping Experiences” (page 26) by Aafrozy Ara from XIMB.

Check out the X-ite magazine.

Xi te 2010

Case Study Entry For Sync Quest Competition At NITIE

Amit K — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:11:14 +0000

NITIE came up with an interesting case study as a part of their LITMUS event, I decided to take part in this. My first attempt at a case study as a Bschooler. 340 teams participated. Unfortunately I did not make it to the top 5 teams.

Though participating and tinkering with my grey cells was indeed a good experience. Marketing is all about practicing what you learn. Hence will surely try my hands at a few more case study competitions in future.

In the mean while would like my blog readers to provide me with feedback on my case.

The case study on Frozen foods company and its rules

Sync quest’10 case

Sync quest’10 rules

My case study presentation

Sync quest ximb_marketix

Donations So Far For Project Ashraya : An XIM B Student Initiative

Amit K — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:06:00 +0000

The following people have experienced the “Joy of Giving”. If you too want to experience the same, please do get in touch with us at : u110127[at]stu[dot]ximb[dot]ac[dot]in

List Of Donors for Project Ashraya

Ashraya team contribution : Rs. 5000
Aseem Nasnodkar : Rs. 500
Garima Kushwah : Rs. 500
Babita Satpathy : Rs. 100
S. Mishra : Rs. 100
Samir Samant : Rs. 100
Avinash Bisoi : Rs. 100
M.K. Panda : Rs. 100
Dr. Rahul : Rs. 100
Prof. SN Behera : Rs. 100
S. Devi : Rs. 50
Dr. Sushanta : Rs. 50
Avinash : Rs. 40
R.K. Meher : Rs. 50
S.N. Mohanty : Rs. 20
Sudharayali Pradhan : Rs. 20

If you too want to experience the same, please do get in touch with us at u110127[at]stu[dot]ximb[dot]ac[dot]in

Donate For Project Ashraya : An XIM B Student Initiative

Amit K — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:46:44 +0000

If you are interested in sending across any donations for project Ashraya, please drop in a mail at u110127[at]stu[dot]ximb[dot]ac[dot]in and we will get back to you immediately on the most convenient way you can make the donation.

We welcome you to experience the Joy Of Giving.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Project Ashraya : A Student Initiative At XIM B

Amit K — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:42:10 +0000

“ASHRAYA” is a self-owned organisation, which is committed to provide home, education and food to orphaned and mentally challenged children. The organisation is located at Dumduma in the vicinity of Bhubaneswar. It caters to around 25-30 children. The organization is fully committed to shape the future of these deprived kids, who are facing the wrath of ill fate. Ashraya’s main concern now is to provide these children with a proper shelter to stay during the rainy season.

The organization was started by Mr. Binayak Pallei in 2003. When we visited ASHRAYA, we were moved by the condition of the children living there : no proper shelter, no proper sanitation, very poor conditions for one to spend their childhood in.

ASHRAYA is not under aegis of any NGO and the government funding to the organization is moribund too. So, the institution is completely dependent on voluntarycontributions and charity of certain generous people in the area. Thus, there is no constant and regular source of funding and there is a lot of scope for improvement of condition of these children at ASHRAYA.

Ten of us from Xavier Institute Of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) have decided to do our bit in helping out Ashraya with funding and to do our bit in improving the quality of life of people there.

Read more about the Project Ashraya carried out by students of Xavier Institute Of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Objectives of our project.
Implementation Plan.
Donations Received.
The team of students of Xavier Institute Of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Ashraya Project Videos

The Joy Of Giving

A Busy Year Ahead!

Amit K — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:33:56 +0000

Just turned a year older this April. While I look upon the way last year has passed (they do breeze by don’t they?), things do not seem to have gone as planned.

While I am exceeding expectations of my supervisors at work, certainly I have not lived upto the expectations I have set for myself. And this year I have decided come what may, I am not going to disappoint myself. Have drawn out a list of things that I want to do this year. So hopefully when I look upon this year, I would have a nice big smile on my face.

1. Get into a good B-school.Very very important. Top priority. Need to work real hard here.

2. Lose 12 kgs. It has to happen this year. But with no time to join a gym, things look difficult.

3. Do things you love not necessarily things that get you money.

4. Always keep smiling. Never grumble about how life is going. This is a must for everyone, the more you grumble the more worse your life would becomes, and you would end up grumbling more. And the cycle just continues.

5. Learn, Learn, Learn.

6. Share, Share, Share.

7. Reduce movies to a bare minimum. This one’s really tough. It’s like asking myself to stop breathing .

8. Lead from the front in all situations. If something seems right, then follow it passionately.

9. Take my public speaking and communication skills up to a whole new level. I am doing fine here, but there is always scope for improvement.

10. Treasure my loved ones. Never let down my parents or friends ever in life.

That’s it for now.Time to get working. After all I have quite a few goals to be met eh

Zoya Factor Is A Breezy Read

Amit K — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:07:55 +0000

First of all, no complete review here, as I am just half way through Anuja Chauhan’s debut novel, Zoya factor.

Just bought this book a few days back and ended up debiting my account by a good 295 bucks. But half way into the novel, and it definitely seems worth the price.

AnujaChauhan picks upon the superstitious and cricket nausea that has infected our country and weaves quite a creative story around it.

Zoya, a 27 year old ad agency worker, has suddenly got cult status after the Indian cricket team believes that she is their lucky charm. Having a breakfast with Zoya, is all that it would take to get over their bad form, after all Zoya was born on 25th June 1983, the very day India had won the World Cup. So off goes Zoya with the Indian Cricket Team to Australia, to bless India with all the luck they need to win the coveted World Cup. Will Zoya prove lucky for the team and help them win the World Cup? There’s also romance brewing between Indian skipper, Nikhil Khoda ( if u cann’ t fig. out this to be Dhoni..u ain’t no any cricket) and Zoya.

While it can be predicted to where the book is headed for, it’s Anuja’s casual writing style that makes this one perfect, if you are looking for a light weight fun read.

Anuja the brain behind the Oye Bubbly and Yeh Dil Maange More campaigns for Pepsi is in full form with cheeky one liners, wicked jokes and an interesting bunch of characters.

Apart from a quiet little page which says that, “All characters in this book are fictional”..and all that crap, the entire book screams real life characters, be it cricketers, celebrities or the board executives. Anuja has a dig at all of them and invokes much humor.

The first 200 pages have been a breezy read and here’s hoping that the entire journey would be equally enjoyable. But, whatever be the outcome, Zoya Factor definitely needs to be recreated on celluloid. It’s a book that screams loudly, “I AM A BOLLYWOOD MOVIE“. Surely it won’t be a surprise to find it hitting the screens soon.

On a parallel note, the Men In Blue seem to be squashing and thwarting everything that seems to come their way. Sri Lanka has been tamed on their home soil. Four consecutive victories in a row. Surely the Zoya factor seems to have clinged onto our team

Currently Listening To : Wake Me Up When September Ends

Luck By Chance : A Peek Into The Film World

Amit K — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:53:31 +0000

Without building up any suspense, Zoya Akthar’s directorial debut is indeed a good watch. Making three hours in a dark room, not seem like three long hours but three entertaining hours is a task in itself. And Zoya does manage to pull it off.

Armed with a lot of insider knowledge about the film industry, Zoya does a superb job of providing a glimpse into it. Most importantly Zoya has managed to create wonderful set of characters, the successful manipulative producer Romi Rolly ( Rishi Kapoor) , a struggling actress (Konkona Sharma) and Farhan Akthar’s struggling actor friend are the ones that stand apart. The characters are full of life and blood and not just mere caricatures.

The dialogues by Javed Akthar are surely the backbone for the film and perhaps Luck By Chance would not have worked that well had it not been for those wonderful lines.

Present in just a few scenes, Hrithik Roshan gives a stunning performance as the superstar Zafar Khan. Farhan Akthar gives a sincere performance. Isha Shravani impresses for once playing the dumbwit starlet daughter. Konkona Sen Sharma is reliable as always. It’s always a joy to watch her on screen.

But it is Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor who you yearn to see for. Rishi Kapoor who plays the successful good at heart producer and Dimple Kapadia who plays the yesteryear’s starlet are simply superb. And once again credit has to be given to Zoya for the wonderful characters she has developed.
Do look out for the several joyful special appearances in Luck by Chance, each actor very sportingly ridiculing himself, and it is not just that these stars are added to increase the celebrity quotient of the film, it simply is the script’s requirement. Luck By Chance surely could not have done with these appearances. Aamir Khan, Anurag Kashyap and Abhishek Bachchan stand out here.

Shankar Ehsaan Loy, do a good job in the music department, but surely they could have done better. Sapnon Se Bhare Naina is surely the best of the lot.

All said and done, Luck By Chance charms. It may not be totally hatke but it is far better than most of the mediocre cinema that is dished out every Friday.

Luck By Chance Movie Rating : 3/5