The Habit of Winning

by Vince Lombardi


Winning is not a sometime thing. You don't win once in-a-while. You don't do things right once in-a-while. You do them right all the time.

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that is first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game - but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been a zeal to be the first in anything we do and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes out to play, he's got to play from the ground up. From the soles of his feet right up, to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's okay - you've got to be smart to be number one in my business. But, more important, you've got to play with your heart. With every fiber of your body. If you are lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different from running any other kind of organization - an army, a political party, a business. The problems are the same. The objective is to win. To beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive team. That's why they're here - to compete. They know the rules and the objectives when they get in the game. The objective is to win - fairly, squarely, decently, by the rules - but to win. And in truth, I have never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, did not appreciate the grind - the discipline. There is something in good men that really yarns for....needs...discipline and the harsh reality of head-to-head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man, or that men must be brutalized to be competitive. I believe in God and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hours, his greatness fulfillment to all he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battled victorious.

HUL memories

Memories are understood by all of us (in a very simple way) as those moments which we have already lived through in the past and we remember those moments in the present. These moments which are brought and remembered in the present are usually good, pleasant and soothing moments. A normal human being always talks about pleasant memories.

Statistically speaking, out of 10 memories, 8 are usually good and pleasant memories. The other 2 could be out of anger or something unpleasnt.

I have spent more than 4 months in HUL now and I am now gonna share a few memories that I think is gonna stay with me for the rest of my life!!

Now, this doesn't mean that my memories @ GIM wouldn't be written about anymore. I think of that place all the time. And i don't think that GIM is past. It always would remain in the present.

The memories of HUL which i m gonna share with u all started not on the day I joined this esteemed organization. It did not start on the day when HUL came to our campus and gave us the offer letters a week later. It started when 2 PRs - Ayan and Sudeshna went all the way to Backbay Reclamation, where our head office is situated (bang opp Jamnalal Bajaj), made presentation to Leena and Doug and a couple of other top brass. This was the first ever presentation made by any GIMite at such level.

D'Lima was a big force in making this event happen. He crafted the entire plan and I think he contributed in a BIG way in bringing HUL to our campus.

3 ppl made it to HUL. Myself, Rahul Batta and Gautam Gupta. After we were told briefly about how we shall be going ahead by the HR, what we experienced would have never happened to anyone. The OTFF corridor, which joins the Lib corridor and the one which runs perpendicular to it to join the OTFF washrooms, was crowded by our batchmates and they were all clapping for 3 of us. Man!! This is BIG. Really big!! HUL effect was already seen and experienced!!

The joining was marked by mixed emotions. We were excited that we were joining the best FMCG co. But we were a little disappointed that we were joining too soon. We joined HUL on the 11th of Feb. 3 months prior to our avg DoJ which usually happens in May.

In any MBA and especially in Goa, the last semester is the best semester. Nobody gives a damn to acads. Ppl make plans which are usually in weeks and geographies that are covered are far far Goa or even places like Kerala. These are like the last few months which we get to spend with each other. These are like the best few months we get to spend with each other.

We weren't gonna get this at all. And that is why we were massively disappointed. We were disappointed not to have gone to Kerala where 35 crazy ppl had their best times of their lives. Though there was this little cheer in our minds that we would be joining them all in Mar when we come back for our convocation for 10 days.

Anyways, we reported to the HUL guest house on 10th eve. I came to Mumbai from Baroda, Gautam was already there and had come from Calcutta and I joined Batta at the Mumbai Airport and he was coming from Goa. There were 27 CMLTs in all which had joined HUL on the 11th and were staying at the guest house in Belapur where we were being accomodated for the next 4 days. The institutes which had been picked up for this new role (1D) were GIM, IMI, Welingkar, Fore and KJ Somaiya. BIM guys were scheduled to join in April.

I won't be writing about the new role i just mentioned above. But i would definitely be sharing the experiences I had when I used to visit outlets like wholesalers, kirana, family grocers, fancy stores, etc. Amazing experiences!! The brand HUL is what I saw was the main reason why so much of respect (and sometimes fear) was expressed by the "seths" of these outlets.

I would write about all of these later. But meanwhile, the touring which involves in training stint takes you to awesome places. Some of the pics have been shared here. Enjoy!!



Chirimiri is a hill station which primarily is known for its coal mines (South Eastern Coalfields Ltd). This view is taken from top of the hill.


Amrut Dhara. One of the best locations in Chirimiri. In monsoons, no one can stand where i am standing.


That is Ambikapur station building. Beautifully made.

The smoke which you see is coming from the ground beneath which is the hot coal which has not been mined. The view looks awesome in rains!!

OTFFU

This the how the OTFFU t-shirt looked from the front













This is how the rear side of OTFFU T-shirt looked





OT first floor or simply OTFF is a historic place in GIM. Actually, GIM or Old Goa Hospital itself being so historic owing to its 150 years old building, OT is its small subset. It has its own flair and memories which the Goans are associated with.

But over here, I am talking about the historic angle which is attached to OTFF as a residence. OTFF was home to so many ppl in the last 14-15 years. It has been traditionally proven, over and over again, that OTFF was home to not only the guys who stayed in those rooms but also the ladies who used to stay and (most of the time) work at OTFF!!

Things happen so quickly in OTFF. Friendships. Relationships. Projects. Music change. Decisions. Venues to go for dinner. So many things.

OTFF is not just a place. It is a platform. It is a mindset that all its residents have within themselves as well as for each other. This mindset is such a big thing. It automatically brings that respect, that acceptibility, that resonance which no other place in GIM can provide. And this mindset is shared across not just amongst the residents, but the visitors as well.

OTFF is a brand in itself. Be it alumni meets, be it internally organized bucket parties. It is always known as OTFF party. The brand was so strong that we made a union to protect this brand. We called this body as OTFF union or simply OTTFU.

And we made OTFFU a brand. All parties were henceforth being organized by the OTFFU. We made an exlusive community on Orkut by the name OTFFU!!

We in fact made an exclusive OTFFU T-shirt. This was a limited edition launch and we then realized that this can be promoted in all alumni meets!! Hence we did that. And it was an instantanneous success!! And why would it not be?? Which GIMite is not proud of OTFF? The idea was obviously appreciated.

The idea, by the way, was conceptualised by CS and Alimax. What an idea!! The T-shirt's front view had a message " Statutory Warning Addiction Guaranteed" with the GIM logo above placed at the centre and not at the side (unlike the normal GIM t-shirt). This concept was taken from Adidas. The logo is always at the centre. The reverse had all the major activities that used to happen on the OTFF like Pela Pela, etc. The color chosen was white and black.

Pela Pela was fun. Though many ppl found it too disturbing (especially from the junior batch), but then who the fuck cares!! We enjoyed playing it! Whosoever started Pela Pela, dude, our hats off to u.....wherever u r!!

One thing was certain. This place was not for those who wanted to be alone, who focused on acads, who were used staying in Hill top. OTFF was a place which attracted all out of which a handful (57 ppl to be precise; 3 X 4=12, 3 X 1=3, 2 X 21=42) resided.

We brought in carom board there which was again a huge success. Hardly any doors were latched. This demonstrated the openness of the place, the free nature of the ppl who live there, the masculinity attached with the place!!

OTFF was a phenomenon which brought about the uniqueness of living in GIM. This uniqueness was itself an idea which shared across the batch!! We shared happiness in OTFF. We shared all our secrets there. We shared smokes in OTFF. We shared booze in OTFF.

GIM to was a unique phenomenon that happened to all of us. The biggest factor why this phenomenon was unique to most of us was OTFF.

The baton of OTFFU has been passed on. The brand I am sure is gonna stay in the decades to come.

Placement memories

How often have u seen Naveen like that??


Ya baby!! those smiles are priceless!!

And those too!!
How often do u see that?? My best pic during placement week!

And more smiles!!
And even more smiles!!

Casa de Cha

This is Manoj Uncle, owner, Casa

I never understood why we ignored this place in the first year. We always used this place for fags or simply chai at very irregular intervals. This could be due the fact that we weren't sure of such a place and since hardly anybody had meals there, nobody could know the greatness of the food there.

So what is so great about the place. Is it the food? Is it the place itself (almost on the banks of Mandovi and the view from the window seat was so serene!!)? Is it the service which Manoj uncle used to give. Why on earth we got so emotional and so attached with this place in the 2nd yr?

I think it all started with summers. Quite a few of our batchmates were doing their summers in Goa. And it was they who started having their lunch at Casa. And i think it was they who made the place so popular.

We tried. We liked it. We really liked it!! For the non-veg ppl, Wed and Fri was spl because chicken was prepared. And the best thing about the food at Casa was the simplicity. The simplicity was expressed in taste, in preparation, in serving.

And the lunch was usually followed by lime soda - "nimbu soda". This drink was a big hit. Everyone liked it. Everyone had it at least once. We used to have it after lunch. We used to have it after a match played be it Volleyball or football or cricket. This drink was consumed by all and it saw becoming a part of all the post discussions which used to happen after the matches or any other discussion - be it private or public.

Other items offered at Casa were nimbu cha (lemon tea), half fry, masala pav, samosas and MIRCHI PAKODA. This was one more item which was so popular. Prof Mirchi was asked my Manoj Unlce "Mirchi pakoda?" and Prof Mirchi used to say "haan..one plate". And then i used to ask Mirchi.."sir, u also come in plates???" and he used to laugh it away!!

So everyone was very closely associated with Casa. Be it us or Fac. CMR used to spend 1/3rd of his time at Casa out of the time he used to spend at the institute. Prof. Ranjini, Prof Sarita, Mukesh, Vivek the librarian, Prof Nagu, Prof Mihir, Prof Anand.

One fac which was never seen (or perhaps was seen only once or max twice) was Prof Parulekar. I still don't have any clue why he was hardly seen at Casa. Nina Jacob was one other person never seen there. But then HR ppl have their own creativity in explaining why they do things differently!! Sundaram would agree with me on this.

One typical habit we had developed in the 4th term was playing CS the whole night and then have breakfast at Casa. And then sleep the whole day. Visitng Facs were very kind enough to come in the middle of the term during the weekends. Hence we were vella the whole day.

This was followed by lunch at Casa. I always used to have Veg thali with more than 2 kappas in it. The typical ingredients of the thali were:
1) 2 cups of rice
2) papad
3) Salad
4) Dal
5) Bhaaji
6) Sol kari.
7) Kappa
8) pickles.

The non-veg didn't have Bhaaji and pickles. Fish (baangra or king fish and on very rare occasions prawns) was the regular feature in the non-veg thali.

As you can see, simplicity of the food was the biggest strength. But later on it was more of a hang-out joint. When we didn't want to be in the institute, we used to be at Casa.

Carlos and that lazy person (never knew his name).....were a typical feature of Casa. Carlos typical was hardly seen. But whenever he was visible, he was always on his toes. And that lazy person always used to forget the orders he took. Hence he always used to come the 2nd time to check whether he missed out any order. It turned out that he had to take most of the orders again.

I think this delay did a lot of things. It helped in oozing out all the fatigue we used to carry before entering Casa. I think it did a lot in building the bondage we share as a batch in a big way.

If one does an analysis on the time spent outside the campus, then Casa would have a market share of more than 75%. This means that apart from classrooms and hostel rooms, the no. of times we used to go out, we used to be at Casa almost 8 out of 10 times. This is huge. As daily crowding at Casa was so frequent.

This daily crowding got infected so rapidly to our junior batch as well. In that way, they are damn lucky as we never had such infections!!

The biggest day in Manoj uncle's life would be when he recieved 80 grand in one day. This was our last day at the institute. Uncle was so over-whelmed that he was treating all of us with beer and cold-drinks at Gene's. In spite of us not wanting them any more, he kept "dumping" those bottles of beer on us.

And he was in tears when we all were leaving. As Ishaan and Ashish had put it, he misses us as much as we miss him. I miss that beg thali. Those kappas. That nimbu soda.

Jaggu's and Kal's juice centre

Jaggu and gang. Former Volleyball champs

Kailash and his fruits at his outlet

These places has its own history. When we came in to GIM in 2006, there was no food served at Jaggu's then and the place was simply used for packaged foods like wafers, kurkure, etc, beverages like tea, coffee and cold drinks and ice creams.
We also used to purchase our stationary items from there. Phone recharge was also one amenity available there. Food sucked at Joe's and hence we used to either eat at Gene's or go out or selectively eat at Joe's.

Kal's juice center was crowded at specific intervals like just before 8:30 or 9 am classes, breaks in between 2 consequtive lectures, post lunch or post dinner, etc. Some ppl used to have their lunch in the form of fruit plate.

Both Kailash and Jaggu provided taxi services to the students (and one or two fac members) which used to be quite a respite to all us as both Madgaon station and Dabolim Airport were like 45 min to 1.5 hours of journey. A phone call was enough to take care of the logistics.

We became a lot closer to Jaggu especially after he got the approval to prepare Paratha's and Maggi and bread-omlette and curry-rice and other "non-meal" items. Our going out to dine was drastically reduced especially in 4th and 5th terms when the elective selectively were ripping our asses apart.

Turn wise mktg guys, fin guys and HR guys had to continuously attend anywhere between 3 to 6 lectures per day . And we used to have small breaks in between 2 lectures of 10 to 15 min. Both Jaggu and Kailash (and Casa....post on which is coming soon) gave us the necessary break.

The food item was just a tool to ooze off our mental fatigue which was done usually by Bakar sessions either with a smoke or just like that.

Parathas for lunch with a coke and Rajma or curry chawal for dinner followed by coffee or ice cream was a routine thing. Capstone, MI, Pricing, voleyball, cricket, football, movies, fac members, juniors, leg pulling of fellow batchmates, companies, career.

Everything was discussed on those stairs. It was open forum where everyone participated (while on their way to Jaggu's) and gave their opinions.
An example:
We were having dinner and while having dinner, we were trying to prove why Anant Sandhu is called a poojari or a sethbaaj!! After at least 3 to 4 rounds of rigorous discussions, which involved not less than 10 to 12 ppl, we could convincingly prove that Anant Sandhu is a sethbaaj and he is a poojari!!

All of these are not coming back to us. We might come back to them once every year for a day or 2 to relive these moments. But for the meantime, we don't have those parathas or chai and above all those bakar sessions.

Blog Community

The blogs which have been launched by our batchmates so far are as follows:

1) http://peace-memories.blogspot.com/
(Tapan)

2) http://eplanalysis.blogspot.com/
(Ashish Bardapurkar)

3) http://askdpankazz.blogspot.com/
(Pankazzz)

4) http://csthinks.wordpress.com/
(CS)

5) http://daysofhourlives.blogspot.com/
(Ishaan)

6) http://vivekspeakz.blogspot.com/
(Vivek)

7) http://iplbydruid.blogspot.com/
(Sundaram)