Dehradun Marathon 2016

There is something called Runner's high and it was quite some time that I hadn't indulged in the aforementioned. And ergo, I was just browsing through sites which list the marathons happening across the country and to my surprise there was one on this coming Sunday, that too in Dehradun. Wow, God has been listening lately, I pondered. But then I had no one to do it with (the race, I mean!) as my running mate was training hard at NPA. I posted the event on our IAS group and as expected there wasn't much response to it. Running two rounds of the ground in the morning PT is regarded as devilish leave alone the idea of 21 Km.  But then I knew certain people who have been frequenting the treadmills of the Gym. The first prey was Fouzia and from there on it was all like a fission reaction.

Of course, there were strong apprehensions as to how it would be possible to train for it with merely four days in hand. I wasn't sure too but one thing I know now by experience is that it is more of a mental game than physical. And if enough confidence can be generated in them, that would take them through. Since we had all run moderate distances in the Foundation Course, I thought it would be okay to push the first practice run to 10 km. And the fact that Mussoorie is such a perfect place for long distance running only helped. The ambient weather is just an icing on the cake. After that successful first run it was time to push it further to 15 Km and we went to the beautiful and hitherto unexplored site of the Camel back road. Post that we had 48 hours before the final race, the perfect time to unwind the sprains.

Now having participated in such events held in Metro cities, my expectations from the organizers were way over the line perhaps for a city like Dehradun. When we reached to collect the timing bibs on the eve of the event, the event team was totally flabbergasted by the demanding participants. And having paid a slightly overpriced fee, the participants deserve that arrogance of having denied the basic things. After a filling meal at the Pacific, we reached our place of stay which was unfortunately on the outskirts of the city and no scope of any conveyance loomed large upon us. With Murphy's Law in action, the bookings we made cancelled on us at 4 am in the morning with no solution at sight. One idea was to jog to the venue which was about 6 Km as a warm up for the marathon. I didn't even dare to discuss this with anyone at the prospect of being murdered right away. Thanks to a trusted local cab driver who came to the rescue.

When we reached the venue, the place was flooded with professionals showing off with all kinds of gadgets and running gears. Seeing all this, Uppal turned to me and said, "Dude, next time I want a list of all those fancy stuff, I would like to run with all that pompous". Yes yes, among all of them, we were looking like BPL marathon runners - Technologically challenged overweight under confidant wannabes.  There was this one guy with all kinds of flashlights on his dress perhaps wanting to be seen as the most "Enlightened" one. There were some groups of foreigners high on spirits and other stuff as well. Quite an amusing gathering.

We thought it would be a good idea to make buddy pairs among ourselves so that the other can keep motivating and that worked out pretty well at the end. The race started and since it was still dark, I followed that "Enlightened" guy. The track surprisingly turned out to be almost similar to that of the Mussoorie Marathon with all kinds of ups and downs. It was indeed a beautiful stretch exploring the virgin lands of Dehradun. For the first time I saw some visually challenged people also participating and completing the run. There was this specially able person with a blade covering up for one of his legs. Take a bow to all such people, who in spite of these predicaments, amaze us and inspire us by their zeal and determination.

After reaching the finish line, I eagerly awaited my friends. And there they were, one after the other, pouring in, as if it was nothing. I was so proud to see them all finish. It was their first one and I know for sure that there would be many to follow. In so little a time, you all have achieved a great feat indeed. Congratulations to all of you and special mention to Shilpa who even made it to the top three in the Women's Category. Way to go guys!

Megh Nidhi, Vinay Gowda, Fouzia, Aditya Uppal, Anunaya, Madhvi, Arwind Chauhan
Neelabh Saxena and Shilpa Sharma
Yours truly and Prashanth Chiluka

[Book Review] Poor Economics

Book Title - Poor Economics
Author - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo
Genre - Economics/ Development
Rating - 3/5

Exegesis – This book “Poor Economics” is essentially about the far less known mechanisms which come into play when we refer to the economic decisions made by the poor populace of the world as a whole. Generally one would think that given that these people are illiterate and hardly know anything about economics, they might just be making such decision in the dark. But as it turns out the name of the book is actually a misnomer. When one looks closely, one finds that they have their own frugal innovations when it comes to savings, loans and other financial matters. It is actually “Rich” and not “Poor” Economics.

Essentially the book works on five ideas for reformulating our attempt to fight poverty namely – dealing with information asymmetry, more services to poor, missing markets for poor, the three Is (discussed later in this review) and the bad prejudices of the policy makers. The book beautifully presents facts and inferences to understand poverty in a deeper way and supplements every point with empirical evidence.

Genre – The theme of the book is developmental economics where the authors have dealt with various dimensions of development like Poverty, Health, Education and many more focusing on the idea that we first need to understand the complex and novel economic principles of the poor in order to make our schemes work. For e.g. generally we would think that if the rural poor have less children they would then be spending more per child when it comes to education. But evidence shows that the reverse happens. Since they have fewer children now, they think that the chances of their kids supporting them in the old age have reduced and ergo they start saving more for their future.

Previous Work – Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo both together founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab in 2003 and have been researching on various aspects of Poverty alleviation by way of conducting numerous researches across many countries. Abhijit Banerjee has also published another book titled “Making aid work” whereas Esther Duflo has authored one relating to Education of HIV prevention. Apart from these books they both have authored numerous papers and research journals on similar issues. In this present piece of work, they have come together to rethink poverty and the ways to end the same.

What the book adds? There have been several books rethinking the idea of poverty but this one certainly digs deeper and presents several new and intriguing perspectives. The entire world as a whole has been trying to get rid of this evil called poverty. Huge resources have been directed in this direction for so many centuries but why have we not succeeded yet? That’s because we have not correctly understood poverty and the ways of the poor. This book hits a bull’s eye on this note. We have huge amounts of aids coming into the developing countries but without significant results. This books deals with this anomaly as well.

Moreover, this book also attempts to bring to light the subtle inter linkages between various sectors like Education, Health, Social security and many others and scientifically demonstrates that how improvement in one sector leads to improvement of other or decline of the other. The entire gamut of inferences and assertions made in the book are supported by the hard evidences from the several Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) conducted in several parts of the world and especially the Third World Countries. The kind of effort which had been put in the conduction and completion of these trials is mind boggling.

The authors also deal with the rhetorical question of “Why policies fail?” and answer it beautifully in the form of the three Is namely – Ideology, Ignorance and Inertia. Apart from that the book also presents certain interesting facts when it comes to social welfare and the myth of hunger. Their studies claim that with improvement in Water and Sanitation, the populations were witnessing less cases of diarrhea and other ailments and thus people were leaking lesser calories. Apart from that there has been a decline in the requirement for physical labor. All these would surely mean that the daily calorie requirements have drastically come down and we cannot measure hunger based on that archaic calorie requirements.

Talking on the aspect of Health, the authors present the real reasons of failures with several studies to support their claim. As per them, the poor health indicators are mainly because of under diagnosis and overmedication which the present systems are exhibiting. Another major reason is the absenteeism of the health workers which is rampant in the rural parts of the world. Moreover, the authors also talk about the failure of the idea of the distribution of the freebies to the poor. Ideally that should work given that poor people would take anything being given for free. But as per research, they start seeing that commodity as valueless as it is being distributed free of cost.

In one part of the book, the authors present an interesting premise linking the phenomenon of Witch-hunting to the occurrences of drought in certain parts of the world. They say that since the produce was limited it was seen as a good idea to get rid of the non-producing mouths in the villages and such single women were an easy target. Meanwhile the data does resemble the idea but one cannot be entirely certain of this that people can go to this extent. Questionable and debatable premise at best, one would say. 

Quotes – Apart for the comprehensive discussions based on several empirical evidence, the book also presents some wonderful quotes which stay with the reader. While defining the idea of poverty the authors say, “Poverty is the absence of the capacity to realize one’s full potential as a human being”. Talking about evidence the authors say, “Verifiable evidence is a chimera, at best a distant fantasy, at worst a distraction”. There are several other wonderful lines which keep the reader engaged and creates a wonderful flow in the reading.

Overall, it becomes sort of a must read piece of work especially for those who are into public service or are planning to join them. The economics of the poor is not that simple and cannot be taken for granted. Those who are at the helm of policy formulation must first understand how economics works at the cutting edge. And this book is an excellent attempt in that direction. 

IAS Diaries Part 7 - Road to Football Finals

There are things that motivate us, intrigue us, indulge us and more importantly push us to our limits. These are different for everyone and to varying extents I suppose. Football drives me over the mundane dimensions, something which can only be felt. And this has been the case since the year 1999 when I saw the Champions League Finals. I fell in love with Sir Alex Ferguson, with David Beckham, with Manchester United and above all, the beautiful game of Football. Although it was already too late to have discovered the love for football, I always wanted to take part in a Football tournament and of course to win it. I could have achieved the same at college but injuries kept me at bay. I could have achieved the same when I was at IRS but unfortunately someone else was pulling the strings. It had to be here. At the Happy Valley Ground. As the home team of the Inter Services Meet.

In the Foundation Course, we did enjoy a lot of wonderful football especially the Inter-Section Football Tournament....err sorry i meant the LBS Pro Football League, as Dr. Raja would want me to refer it as. The good part was that there were many Footballers and you could manage to get enough numbers on the field every evening. After everyone else left, there were hardly any numbers in the IAS to form a team forget about playing everyday. But slowly players emerged as we unveiled some hidden talent of the batch. Even before going on Bharat Darshan, we had many meetings to discuss the players, the formations and the strategies. An advisory was also issued to players to maintain a good stature of their health over these two long months which had the potential to undo all the hard work done in the Foundation Course.

One great thing that happened over the Bharat Darshan, and all credit goes to Apoorv Devgan and others, who called on the Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and requisitioned for some coaches to be sent to LBS for the preparations of the ISM. And we are all grateful to him and SAI to have sent some brilliant coaches. Bajrang ji, who hails from Haryana, came as the Football coach and right from the very first day, we were all so much impressed not just with his knowledge of Football but for the wonderful human being that he is. And from there, started a hectic but enjoyable stint of wonderful Football. We were sort of pushing it, by playing both in the mornings and evenings, but perhaps that was quintessential to put on a good show.

Every morning he would come up with a different kind of drill which focused on a specific skill set. To be frank, I always thought that given the paucity of time we should rather focus on team coordination. That would help us to read the passes and through balls made by the teammates. We were not going to acquire the skills so soon anyway. But who are we to know the nuances of the game. Someone who has spent more than 30 years teaching football, surely knows it better. And man, he was right. We could feel it in the matches that all those silly drills and work outs have actually helped us to improve. He always knew what he was doing. Apart from that, he was very particular about time, he would not let us practice more than what he felt was apt. As he would often say, balance is everything.

We had played some practice matches before the ISM with some of the local teams consisting of mainly teenagers from local schools. We won some, we lost others. But at the end of every match all he would talk about were the good things we did that day. The positives. And at the end he would say that the level at ISM would be no where close to this. And finally the day was here. Just after the inauguration, we were scheduled to play our first match against NAAA (National Academy of Audit and Accounts). Since we had no time to warm up before the match, the first half was rather dull as we tried to max our energy levels. The second half was way better and eventually an easy win for us. I remember the coach saying after the match jokingly that, "अभी आप सब लोग अच्छे मूड में हो, हम एक टीम फोटो ले लेते है, आगे पता नहीं क्या हो, मैं आपको इसी तरह याद रखना चाहूंगा !"

The next match was up against NADT. A tough opponent I would say as we saw them playing their first match. They had good finishers and good headers of the ball. And so we scripted a plan to deal with the same. And with Maradona's grace....err i meant God's grace, all went according to the plan. And we were into the finals against the most dreaded team of the football event, the NPA (National Police Academy). Now they had a pro-team with players mostly from Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and yes from India too. Given the rigorous Police Training, they were possibly at the peak of their fitness. The agility and stamina was more than apparent in their game. If we were to beat this team, our synergy needed to be at it's peak. As that was our strength. Unlike them, we have been practicing together for quite some time now. And that matters in a team game. Individually all can be brilliant but if they lack synergy, nothing can help.

Of course we had to change the game plan for this too. Instead of playing three players up front, we decided to go with only two and add one more to the defense. I have to confess I have thoroughly enjoyed playing as a Central Defender all this long. I started my football as a striker only to realize that I would do better at the wings as mid fielder. But here at LBS, I thought it was important to stay back and be part of the wall. Defense might not have that glory of scoring goals but it offers you the silent satisfaction of holding the guard and not letting the team down. The final game was more than an Epic in terms of thrills and up-downs. We were leading 2-1 for most part of the game. Thanks to Raja Gopal Sunkara for the wonderful goals that he scored. They were attacking ferociously and we were defending tirelessly. But in that one moment of weakness, 20 seconds before the final whistle, they scored again, sending the game into penalty shoot outs.

Pic Credits : Uttam S

The goal post where the shoot out took place was possibly jinxed. The ball would just not go in, for both the teams. It came down to the last penalty. Raja Gopal was to take that and perhaps everyone had a feeling that he would score. He did. We were just a save away and Sakhtya did the wonderful save once again. That was it. We had won the football finals. We had defeated NPA in football. A first in the history of the Inter Services meet. The home crowd went berserk. The adrenaline inundated the whole Happy Valley ground. It had become, a theater of dreams. A dream, a long cherished one finally realized. Just before the last kick, I could see that our coach had both eyes covered with his hands. He was so attached to the idea of us wining. And when we did, there were tears in his eyes. And as a team, that's possibly the best gift you can give to your mentor. Just to mention, it was not just football, he had gone to watch every game of LBS be it Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis or any other, to cheer the players from LBS. Sir, we were lucky to have you here.

Standing - Vinay Gowda, Raja Gopal, Sh Bajrang Ji, Kamal Kishore, Prabhat Malik, Naman Kishore, Sumit Sattawan, Chaitanya
Sitting - Apporv Devgan, Aman, Yours truly, Renzin and Sakhtya.

Of course the win is dedicated to our Coach Shri Bajrang ji. And to the wonderful players of our team. And to the fabulous support of our colleagues. But there is this one other person I want to dedicate this to. To this cute little kid from the locality who would always come in the evenings to see us practice. He himself played quite well which symbolizes the great untapped potential India has in the youngsters. But to the irony, he had no football shoes. One day he asked me,"Sir, how much do these football shoes of yours cost, i want one". And when i told him, he was like," Ooo, that much, I perhaps will never get them". I told him if he comes regularly, he would get a pair from me. It is sad to see such great talent in the country without the right kind of support and guidance. This win, is for him, and thousands like him, to the great sporting talent of India!

IAS Diaries Part 6 - Inter Services Meet (ISM ) 2016 - Sangam!

After nearly a month of extensive exposure to academic rays of the Phase 1 in the form of PPTs and Seminars, a much needed and a much awaited break was on the offing. The Inter-Services Meet 2016, also called so aptly as the Sangam, is a fairly new idea first tested in the year 2013. And the idea was to bring all the Officer Trainees of various Services together at one place and indulge them in various games, sports and other events which would allow them to know each other in a much better way. Esprit de corps may be the rhetoric but that doesn't mean that it can be undermined. All these Services are the pillars of Indian Administration and it's in the interest of the nation that they stand together and they stand united.

We were all so excited for other reasons as well. More importantly, it was home coming for our mates who had left us at the end of the 90th Foundation Course. Those four cherished months once again came to life for another four days. It was so nice to see people everywhere around the campus and Happy Valley was never before seen that happy. And also were happy the owners of Ganga and Pooja Dhaba but possibly for pure economic reasons. The first day was perhaps emotional for many with their pals and former roommates coming back again. And the unexpected rains seemed so symbolic in this light. As if the gods knew. The weather courtesy the showers was brilliant. And so was the atmosphere.

To our surprise, we were scheduled to have some classes even as our friends had started to pour in. I really liked the idea of our batch sharing our rooms with those coming from different services. It was like those good old times. Various services were tied up with various hostels so that their coordination can be smooth but we all know how that works out. People will stay where they want to. And of course, more categorically, with whom they want to. So the ISM began with an Ice Breaking session where we developed a marketing campaign for a fictional Civil Service called Indian Sports Service (ISS). Yes Yes, uncanny resemblance to a similar abbreviation. But frankly the real Ice Breaking takes place at Ganga Dhaba. The one which is for eternity. The one which is on the rocks.

So this time, we had planned for a two fold increase in the number of events and a similar increase in the number of participants. The total incoming soared to a blistering 270 which coupled with our own batch surpassed the number in the Foundation Course. The event was declared open by the Chief Guest in the Happy Valley Complex where all the participants stood holding their academy flags and placards. It was a colorful and picturesque moment to be in. The Happy Valley had turned into a valley of flowers with shades of the Athletics meets from the Foundation Course. Pure bliss. And then the adventure began. Three days of non-stop power play in Football, Volleyball, Basketball and all the other balls you can imagine. If that is not your taste of indulgence, then on offer was Geek play too in the form of Quiz, Debate and Management Games.

In the opening speech, our Director said a wonderful thing. That you should play to win hearts and not medals. This is one platform where we come together to develop long lasting relationships but the last few editions of Sangam had slightly gone the way they should not have. And these very words came to life for all the three days to follow. Irrespective of the winners, the crowd appreciated all. Everyone was giving the best and that too in the right spirits. It was a treat to watch players from different services appreciating the play and skills of the others. But then, the talent was such that you can't help but appreciate. The standards seriously were much above the expectations of everyone. I wonder if people in Services can play so well, what about our professional sportsmen. There is no stopping India given the right support is provided to them.

Now one of the things which can be changed is perhaps the format of the meet. The catch here is that there are many academies where the intake is relatively small with respect to other academies and ergo it becomes difficult for them to compete in contact sports which are essentially team games. So as a result they loose out on the overall tally and might feel that they didn't stand a shot at the trophy right at the first place which is technically true. So may be there could perhaps be a Sports trophy for the bigger academies and another one for other events which we talked about where the smaller academies are at an equal footing. Something the coming Sangam's can look into.

If the display of sporting talent was not enough, the Culturals were there to blow the minds. There was so much variety, so many shades and myriad colours. Be it the melodious story of a grandmother who struggles to learn how to read from her wonderful grand daughter, be it the story of Karna retold in the context of contemporary social evils, be it the Tandava portrayed in the amazing shades of Ultra Violet, be it the Sand Art, be it the Puppet show or simply be it the romance of the lonely duo. Breath taking it was, folks. Kudos to all.

At the end, many ponder and question, who won?  Isn't everyone a winner here. Those who gave their best for their academies. Those who cheered the most for their academies.  Those who cheered for the other academies. Those who cheered the efforts put in by others. Those who still believed in you when you faulted. Those who lifted up your morale. Everyone indeed, was a winner. Lastly, I raise a toast, to the wonderful spirit shown by everyone from across the services. It was wonderful to have all of you at LBS NAA. We will cherish these memories forever. Sports is that one thing that unites us irrespective of all the difference. It brings us together. It gives us strength. Muhammad Ali once said, "It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out, it's the pebble in your shoe." Let's hope this coming together has only strengthened our resolve to work together. The pebbles wouldn't hurt any more!


P.S. For Sangam experience in the form of Nishant Jain's poetry, click here!

And for a Short Film on ISM made by Mahender Tawar, Click Here!

[Book Review] Karmayogi * * *

Book Title - KARMAYOGI: A biography of E. Sreedharan
Author - M.S. Ashokan
Genre - Bio
My Rating - 3/5

Well surely this book is not that widely known as the man being talked in the book. We all know the great things done by this celebrated Engineer now more commonly known as the metro man of India. The spectacle which is the Delhi Metro wouldn't perhaps been possible without such a passionate and dedicated personality. But then most people do not know the fact that this man has always been brilliant in this field.

In his long and fruitful career in the Indian railways he has achieved many impossibles taking it to an altogether different level. The Konkan Railways, the Pampan Bridge , just to name a few. But there are numerous other projects which showcase his brilliance as a technocrat. He is perhaps the best role model not just to the engineers joining the government but perhaps to all the public servants and beyond. The dedication and commitment he had for the job, if there are even 100 people like him in the services, the country would surely gallop forward.

It also answers the apprehensions some candidates have before they join the government. Will I be able to work fearlessly and do my bit without being dragged into the mud. Well, if you are to follow the foot steps of this legend in questions, surely this would seem like a simple choice that you and only you can make. The book also talks of those sad cross roads which one cannot avoid. But the point is that we need to continue to strive for the better pastures.

The book actually goes beyond the work spheres of E. Sreedharan and also presents the family dimension which very few people know about. But again there is lots to learn on that front as well. And you see that divine connection between one's personal and professional ethics. Whatever disguise you may use for your profession, you essentially remain the same person and you cannot stop the reflections.

This book is a MUST read for all those joining or aspiring to join the public service. India needs today people like him in all nooks and corners of governance and administration.

[Book Review] Sita ****

Book title - Sita
Author - Devdutt Pattanaik
Genre- Mythology
My rating - 4/5

We have all heard these stories before. Seen that famous version of TV series on Doordarshan when we were kids. And for most of us, the character of Lord Rama has been the greatest. But when it comes to "Greatest epic" most people point to the Mahabharata and the zillion learning it has to offer. But that were this Book starts, attempting to prove that there is lot to learn from this epic as well. And boy o' boy you would be surprised.

There are various versions of the Ramayana across several nations especially and Indian sub continent and south east Asia and this is an attempt to join pointers to all of them and to make the best sense of the work. The best thing of Devdutt Pattanaik's writing is that he goes on to explain the little things which we mostly overlook in this great story. And of course there is a lot of learning in those small left over couplets.

Another interesting dimension of the book is that it presents the story from a neutral point of view. There are no judgments as such but there is so much evidence that one if forced to have an opinion. The way the perspective of Sita has been put forward is sublime and makes you think to the core which ultimately shakes the very foundations of your values. Some might feel that this presents a feminist perspective but after you finish reading it, you are sure it only presents the just perspective.

Some of the lines in this book are so powerful that they are surely to stay with you till eternity. The author talks of our limits and says, " Within infinite myths lies an eternal truth. Who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes, Indra a hundred. You and I, only two".  It so beautifully debates over the existence and nature of Heaven. The author says," Heaven is a place where there is no hunger". Ah, there can't be a better definition. The work also discusses various moral dilemmas of life and the way out of them. You get a lot of insights on the idea of Karma.

The book also takes you beyond the commonly known facts and tales and surprises you at times. It is a great read not only to rekindle those childhood days but perhaps to understand everything which this world is based upon. Highly recommended.  

IAS Diaries Part 5 - Of Seminars & of PPTs

Once upon a time, long long ago in the 90th Foundation Course, some wise owl told us that the Phase 1 of our Professional IAS training would be way too chill and he was surely not talking about the temperatures. Unlike the Foundation Course, we thought we would have the weekend to ourselves. We would have the weekday evenings to us as well so that we can play whatsoever we want and all this would rejuvenate us for the next module in the offing. And here we are, on a Saturday morning, roaming around the campus with garbage bags and brooms doing Shramdaan.

I guess we all had this figured that Phase I would be academically draining but certainly not to this extent. Every week we have a module which is like a broader theme namely Education, Health, Rural Development etc and then we are bombarded with information in the form of - Case studies, Research Papers, Journals and Presentations. From Monday to Friday, we have a zillion emails in our Inbox from the faculty and upon seeing them, the Officer Trainees are reminded of that scene from Matrix where Neo dodges all those bullets by bending here and there. We do it without any such effort though, just select all and mark as read. And then from here to Sunday evening, we have a cease fire agreement giving our Inbox some breathing space.

Now that is still okay to some extent but there is more. We also have a Case Study stint every week wherein we copy a few things from a few papers and hurriedly make a presentation not getting enough time to comprehend the matter in question. Then we have a weekly seminar as the show stopper for every module wherein the Officer trainees present a topic from that particular module. The groups for both are generally constituted with 9-10 Officer Trainees. The only problem is that when you have such a large group, everyone tends to think that some or the other person will own up the responsibility, be the good Samaritan and burn some midnight oil to prepare a patch work errr Presentation I mean, so that the rest can be free loaders.

As soon as the Group members are revealed, the Keen Type Probationer (KTP) hunt begins. Officer Trainees with their fingers crossed open the email containing the list of Group members praying to get at least one KTP in their group so that they need not do a thing except for pretentious indulgence. Then there are those who think that there should be a division of labor howsoever unfair and everyone should play a role. So they act quickly, create a WhatsApp group of all members and then take a back seat claiming that they have done their bit by providing a platform for others to exchange ideas.

Some groups on the other hand, get lucky or so to say at least. They get multiple KTPs. But with KTPs, comes the plausibility of intellectual cold wars, sometimes ending up in turf battles on the questions that who would prepare the PPT and who would present it? It's like one of those First world problems we often come across, only much more ridiculous. But whatever be the case, there is always a PPT. And that's what most Officer Trainees believe in, the economic theory of the Invisible Hand. The whole scenario is like a market and it will take care of itself. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy.

Now I am not saying this idea of flip sessions is bad. But I believe one such thing per week would make more sense and we would get enough time to do our research and to comprehensively understand the topic at hand. Too much of anything is bad. With all these incoming and outgoing presentations, I feel like I am back to square one, at my first job, Deloitte Consulting. Gosh, at least I was paid better there. Anyway, one of the presenters had a very interesting quote about PPTs which I would like to mention as a closing remark...

"PowerPoint slides are like children. No matter how ugly they are, you’ll think they’re beautiful if they’re yours."  - Scott Adams.