Black November at Darden! Is it really that bad?

As we sat together like a family at the Thanksgiving Dinner for international students, Marsh Pattie urged us to savor the moment and enjoy the much needed 5 day break from Darden and from Black November.

Novembers at Darden are called Black November as a seemingly constant and unmanageable deluge of academic work, networking events, resume and cover-letters overwhelm students each year. So, heeding to the advice, I decided to forget about cases, the worsening economy and the next steps in my pursuit for the dream internship and set-off for DC the next evening.

Once I got there, we went out to see the critically acclaimed movie Slumdog Millionaire, the rags-to-riches story of an orphan from the slums of Mumbai. It was a pretty realistic movie that captured every facet of the city that I’ve loved all my life. There is no city like Mumbai, the city that never sleeps; the financial capital of India which also hosts the largest slum in Asia; a remarkable mosaic of cultures and religions and yet, this city of 20 million struggles as one and triumphs as one. The city has given me more Ahaa Moments than I can remember. The movie had great cinematography and ended with a joyous song at the historic Victoria Terminus railway station.

When I got out of the theatre, I was inundated with phone calls asking me whether all was well with my family in Mumbai. It took me a moment to realize that Mumbai was under attack, again! Terrorists had targeted different sites across the city with grenades and automatic weapons killing more than 100 people. My first reaction was to call my folks to find out that they’re doing fine, and then I rushed home to find out the details. Mumbai has been the victim of random bomb blasts in the past year and a half but this was outrageous. The elegant Taj Mahal hotel at the Gateway of India, the background of many fond childhood memories, was on fire with hostages held up inside. So was the Oberoi Trident, the landmark at Nariman Point. Mumbai’s top three cops had been gunned down. Over 1 million people who travel daily through the Victoria Terminus railway station had been sprayed with bullets from AK47s.

The thought of innocent people already struggling through their daily battles now having to face bullets on their way to work is outrageous and dismaying at the same time. I know that the city will bounce back as it always has. People will turn out in huge numbers to heal each other emotionally, spiritually and financially. My heart goes out to these men and women. At the same time, I once again stand reminded of the triviality of my individual professional pursuits. It is truly a Black November.

Elections 2008 and Eric Schmidt

As November 4 draws close, I can’t flip a channel without noticing an election campaign ad. America has seen some close and well-fought election campaigns in the recent past. With the destiny of the country over the next four years and the current global financial crisis on line, the upcoming election has assumed enormous significance. While the country decides who is better-equipped: experience or change, either candidate will have to take on more challenges and turmoil than they would have liked. There is no denying Obama’s appeal, even to the unbiased onlooker inside me who wishes he could vote. I agree that Obama has successfully bet on technology to reach people. He sees technology as a key part of the solution to problems America faces, be it healthcare, energy or government transparency. The Google for Government bill that he proposed was passed as a Law and allows citizens to access budget secrets and federal tax dollar expenditures. These along with his uniqueness and the element of change have transformed this freshman of a politician into a juggernaut.

I am by no means a political expert but again the businessman inside me questions the feasibility of grand schemes dished out without details on implementation. Yesterday, Eric Schmidt, CEO and Chairman of Google was on campus to talk about Technology and Economy in an Obama Administration. While most people I’ve talked to agree that CEOs have typically been supportive of Republicans, Eric is sold on Obama. He cited the disparity and incongruence in the income distribution as a partial reason for the anger that Gen X and Gen Y (majority of the workforce at Google) hold against government policies – the depth of which he did not initially understand even though he knew that Obama was the runaway winner for them.

Irrespective of his political views, what stood out for me was the advice he gave us for becoming successful business-leaders and citizens:
· Keep Learning: Continue to keep learning. Our generation is much better prepared to address the same problems as there is so much more information available.
· The Power of an Idea: Never underestimate the power of an idea. If we can articulate a great idea and promote it, it will cascade and overhaul the interest groups that are opposed to its progress. Blacksburg, VA, where Schmidt grew up is a city that transformed from a rural place with few opportunities to becoming the most wired city in the world in 15 years, highlights the possibility of ideas.
· Collaborate: Innovation is taking risks to start new businesses. And the key is to do it in groups. These can be through your social networks, political affiliations, or university associations.
· Regulation and Transparency: Almost every business in America is directly or indirectly regulated. The real debate is about what appropriate regulation is and whether it is thought through and end-driven. There should always be a push towards transparency. Whether greater transparency would have changed recent global leadership decisions cannot be answered, but it could have definitely lead to a more informed strategy.

Back to the elections, everyone believes we are in this together. I can almost feel this yearning amongst the people that the government be more participatory. I hope the more able man wins.