Pulse December 2017

From the Editor’s Desk

It gives us immense pride to present yet another edition of annual magazine by the Media and
Communication Cell, IIM Lucknow. We have tried to include a panorama of articles, poems
and snippets to justify the varied latent talents of students – tomorrow’s managers. It has been
a rich learning experience for all us to work together, brainstorm ideas and exchange views over
different issues. In the pages of this magazine, we hope, you will find some pleasant memories
smiling back at you, reminding you of your eventful days at Hel(L).

We wish to extend this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the students who
contributed actively in terms of poems, articles, short stories etc. We are also grateful to Prof.
Pushpendra Priyadarshi for sharing his valuable time and teachings with us for the magazine.
Carrying the legacy of senior batches is a big imperative. We sincerely hope that we have done
justice to the purpose of this magazine. Happy reading!

Media & Communication Cell

IIM Lucknow

Team behind the scene (MCC 32 & 33)

 December2017
Pulse

Tell-A-Tale Specials
A Thin Line Boardroom Battles In The Indian
~Shreya Ganguly Corporate
~Shreyans Jain
The Man Who Conquered Failure
Chandler Goes For An Audition
~Nishant Kumar
~Kartikey Totewar
The World Ain’t Sunshine &
Rainbows Because There’s No Happiness In Game
~Pankaj Mann
Of Thrones
~Kartikey Totewar
The Real Question Touring Hampi
~Sakshi Shringika
~Sandeep Das
z Dreamt & Dead
Branding in Politics
~Devanshu
~Subhra Pratim Halder
Romeo and Juliet an unlikely happy
ending
~Aashna Goenka

Picasso
Let's Fly
~Bhoomika Gupta
Madhubani Painting
~Bhoomika Gupta
Beauty On Branch
~Bhargavy Ramachandiran
You Are The Love In This Sinful Tray
World! Word weaver
~Ankita Upmanyu Life led In Perseverance
The Road Less Travelled ~Pratik Ranjan
~Maitreyee K. Thakkar Do Or Do Not, There's No Try
The Cloud Factory ~Pankaj Mann
~Muktesh Jain The little misfit
River of Heaven ~Bhoomika Gupta
~Heemang Parmar And the Journey Goes On
Third Eye ~By Radha Tulsyan
~Tanmoy Adhikari I Wrote A Story
Routes: Behind That Glass ~V.K. Narasimhan
~Priya Gautam Sometimes
Tower of Hope ~Utsav Sengupta
~Aayushi Patel The Mango Software Engineers
Pulse`2017 Tonight, We Will Dine in Hell ~Anshuman Mohanty
~Amit Soni Laxmi And Durga
Media and
All Along the Watchtower ~Laveena Saxena
Communication Cell ~Sujit Emmanuel Jealousy
media@iiml.ac.in Benaras Blues and Faith & Fire ~Om Joy Halder
~Maitreyee.K. Thakkar
https://www.facebo
ok.com/mcc.iiml
Pulse December 2017
Boardroom Battles
In the Indian Corporate
“…his continued presence as a Director is a serious disruptive influence on these Company Boards, which can make
the company dysfunctional, particularly given his open hostility towards the primary promoter, Tata Sons.”
(In his appeal to the shareholders to remove Cyrus Mistry from the boards of Tata Group companies, dated Dec 06, 2016)
B oardroom battles are a manifestation of deteriorating
quality of corporate governance in board-managed
companies that disguise the interest of their shareholders
in mere numbers on their financial statements and create
multiple centres of power in corporate boards to undertake
risky ventures for ‘altruistic’ reasons. The outbreak of duels
in boardrooms in succession in recent years has reiterated
the need for a robust institutional framework that not only
seeks to revamp the role of independent directors but also
put in place necessary safeguards to protect the fortunes of
minority shareholders. It is time the corporates overhauled
their due diligence, both internal and external, to avoid
incurring losses in apparently unhealthy investments,
including manpower, and indulging in a bitter blame game
later to justify their actions to the investors.
Boardroom Battles and Corporate Governance
Peter Drucker coined a phrase, “Culture eats strategy for
breakfast” to caution businesses about the risk that
emanates from disconnecting the two and results in
crowding out of thoughtful discussions in boardrooms.
Often, a complex system of regulation, lack of mutually
acceptable metrics for measuring governance, rampant
conflict of interests and distrust between shareholder
activists and managers result in unintended consequences
and adversely affect value creation. The management is
overwhelmed by unrelenting pressure to achieve financial
results even at the cost of undermining long-term corporate
strategy and deviating from organisational mission.
The system of corporate governance is vulnerable to
litigation and a mere hiccup in the stock price or earnings
raises a red flag, inviting litigation against the board from
plaintiffs’ (shareholders) attorneys. This compels
corporates to relinquish staggered board structures and
elect directors for shorter terms. Thus, with a narrow
perspective of the corporate strategy, the board members
end up de-stabilising the entire structure instead of
promoting continuity and stability in the boardroom.
Corporate boards are obliged to ensure a proper mix of
skills and perspectives in the boardroom. It is often argued
that age and term limits are a blunt instrument for achieving
optimal board composition. Key strategic decisions require
time for evaluation of their success.
Improper succession planning not only leads to waste of
right business acumen and functional knowledge but also
leads to loss of future value creation opportunities.
Ratan N. Tata, Chairman, Tata Group
The Solution
The outbreak of boardroom battles has necessitated board
evaluation as a statutory requisite. Some such litmus tests
are discussed below:
Meaningful Director Evaluations: The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has specified guidelines
for board evaluation on various attributes. The use of
software and interpersonal tools like psychometrics and
role-based evaluation interface, for instance, has now
gained prominence in the light of Tata-Mistry corporate
battle as the latter had come off with flying colours in his
evaluation just a few months before his ouster. This
evaluative process is expected to improve boardroom
dynamics by discouraging underperforming directors from
seeking renewal of their terms and push others into action,
lest they be perceived as underperforming.
Shareholder Proxy Access: To prevent talent from
gravitating to other boards and ensure the right mix of skills
in the boardroom, shareholders with significant ownership
can nominate director candidates on the corporate ballot.
Transparency is the key to ensuring the highest standard of
corporate governance. For instance, if United Spirits
Limited (USL) had a proxy access rule, it would not have
lacked directors with risk expertise on its board at the time
of USL-Kingfisher Airlines fiasco.
Compensation Structure: Value-based management
practices that align interests of the board with that of the
shareholders help in mitigating reputational risk and loss of
value. For directors to think and behave like owners, it is
necessary for them to have more skin in the game and so
they should be allowed to purchase equity with their own
funds. Infosys with the right compensation structure could
have prevented its boardroom battle from making news and
helped it bridge the divide between then CEO Vishal Sikka
and founder N R Narayana Murthy.
Conclusion
Boardroom battles is a serious corporate governance issue
and calls for the formulation of pragmatic solutions that can
clarify governance roles and procedures by taking into
account differing board leadership cultures. It is time the
Indian corporates revamped their board structures and
delivered the kind of sustained value creation that long-
term shareholders expect and that the society deserves.
~Shreyans Jain
Pulse December 2017

A Thin Line
November 2, 2017 April 9, 2018:

And everywhere I go, I just feel someone……someone is
following me….”
Gauri broke down as she cupped her face with her hands.
She had been trying to control her emotions for what
seemed like ages now. Warm tears were now flowing
freely down her cheeks, without any restrain, without any
inhibition…. tears that had been bottled up for too long.
Kabir took a day off for perhaps the first time in his entire
career …... Today, as much as he loved his profession,
as much as he wanted to help the world so that no one
suffered the same as he did, back in his childhood, as
much as he knew several patients were in dire need of his
aid, he just couldn’t face his clinic after his first major
professional failure.

The man sitting in the chair opposite her sighed and Gauri had committed suicide the day before.
shifted in his position to place a hand over her head, He tried to calm his mind. He had done everything
hoping that it would provide her with some solace. His possible, hadn’t he? Not just
efforts seemed fruitful as Gauri’s medical assistance, he had
sobs turned into howls. ‘Good’, he ‘Remember Kabir, being a psychiatrist gone out of his professional
thought. ‘Let her emotions express brings in a lot of responsibilities. barriers for this case and
themselves.’
There is a very thin line between being had even counselled her
parents trying to make them
It had been 10 years since he had professional and personal. Be extra
stepped into this profession. His mind understand and
cautious never to cross that line.’ comprehend that their
wandered as he remembered the
wise words of his professor at the medical school, daughter was in dire need of
‘Remember Kabir, being a psychiatrist brings in a lot of their acceptance, help and support. He had contacted her
responsibilities. There is a very thin line between being school, her friends, even a relative she was close to. But
professional and personal. Be extra cautious never to still somewhere down the line, he felt guilty. He had had a
cross that line.’ gut feeling that things were going beyond his control the
moment he met her for the last time at the session. Why
He had tried to maintain that piece of advice, word to word. on earth hadn’t he been more cautious then? He could
But with Gauri, all his professionalism seemed to have saved a life if he just hadn’t been so careless and
vamoose into thin air. As soon as the girl had stepped neglectful. Cursing himself, he entered the washroom and
inside his chamber three years back and had narrated her switched on the lights.
story, he had felt a strong connect with her innocence and
helplessness. Bitter childhood experiences and He heard a sound first.
professional encounters had warned him then and there And then a figure in the mirror… …. a known figure……
that this case needed his help the most. But how could he Gauri stood there, smiling at him. And then her
ever help if Gauri, under societal pressure, stopped taking countenance changed. “Doctor, I still feel someone …...
in any advice in the middle of her medical course? someone is following me.”
His mind came back to the present as he heard a knock ~Shreya Ganguly
on the door. The nurse peeped in to ask if the doctor
needed anything.

“Nothing, Naina”, Kabir smiled back.

He sighed as he wrote down a prescription for Gauri, fully

aware that her condition was now beyond medical
treatment alone. She needed full social and functional
support and that was evidently too much to ask for, from
the “normal” society. Schizophrenia, or for that matter any
‘mental illnesses had no place to exist at all and needed
either to be ‘dealt with a strong mind and heart’ or
completely ignored. Kabir’s cheeks flushed with anger as
he pondered over the hypocrisy and diplomacy of
mankind and the sound of the page tearing from the pad
resonated both his frustration and desperation.
 Pulse December 2017
The Man Who Conquered Failure
T here was this very poor guy of 16 years whose dad
passed away when he was 5. He had a family of 5
sisters, one non-working mother and one elder non-
working brother. He joined Indian Navy to help his family
financially, right after completing his schooling. 6 months later, he gave the exam and cleared it. Then
came the competition in which he not only stood first, but
But he wasn’t making enough.
Therefore, he chose to be a
"Tu aheer hai? Aur jaat bhi? Lagta deep sea diving! He stood first and
diver in Navy for which they are
paid extra with ration supply nhi hai beta! haar gaya na baaniye cleared the exam.
and everything. se!!"
Now for the diving exam, there were a total of 16 cadets
of which only 3 were to be selected. He lost in the
swimming category itself to this other guy who was a
baniya. He was to go back home the next day, expelled.
That evening in the mess, the baniya walked upto him
and said, "Tu aheer hai? Aur jaat bhi? Lagta nhi hai beta!
haar gaya na baaniye se!!" (You don't look like you
belong to a warrior caste, I defeated you so easily!) He
didn't comment then, just packed his bags and left the
other day.
Romeo & Juliet: An Unlikely “Happy Ending”
I can’t think of happy endings without thinking of romance
and fairy tales. It’s clichéd and passé and all that but that’s
just how it is. Most of us grew up with the idea that happy
endings imply hero ends up with heroine, and when that
doesn’t happen (because villains, duh), it makes us
unhappy. We feel unsettled, as though all’s not well with
the universe.
I felt this injustice the first time I saw Romeo and Juliet- the
terrible version made better by the presence of the very
dreamy Di Caprio. And ever since I have wondered what
would happen if they didn’t die; what would happen if they
got their “happily ever after”?
When I was younger, I was naïve enough to believe that
they should’ve gotten their happily ever after. But upon
deeper introspection, it seems fairly obvious that they were
not meant to be.
Romeo and Juliet did not love each other! They were a pair
of juvenile teenagers who saw each other at a party, got
infatuated and proceeded to make out. The only
connection they felt was one based purely on physical
attraction.
The next selection was after 6 months. In this time, all he
did was train himself to become a stone physically. Running
over 20 kms every morning and evening, diving off random
and unsafe cliffs, once was even arrested for jumping in
high tide in the Arabian Sea for practicing!
also set a record for Indian Navy in
2 months after that, he was the
chief instructor of the same baniya
guy who had mocked him and now was junior to him in the
Navy!
Today he holds international deep-sea water clearance of
400 mts and has topped the Deep-sea diver medic exam of
UK beating contestants from 162 countries and made India
proud.
He is my dad. :')
~Nishant Kumar
They never even bothered to get to know each other.
They didn’t know what made the other person tick, their
passions, their “little idiosyncrasies” as Robbin Williams
pointed out in Good Will Hunting- the small things that
people in love ought to know about each other. The
millennials would call, what they were doing, hooking up, at
best. Also, let’s imagine them alive and kicking in the 21 st
century. I bet, all would be well in paradise city until the
honeymoon period got over. But once the sex got boring
and the credit cards maxed out, reality would dawn upon
our “star crossed lovers.” What if Romeo loved rom-com
and Juliet despised them? The fights for the TV remote
would never stop! Which of the two spoilt kids would do the
dishes at night? What if Juliet did not want kids and Romeo
wanted two? The possibilities are endless.
While the hopeless romantic in me believes love will
conquer all, common sense insists otherwise. Happy
endings are vastly overrated and only happy until they’re
not anymore. And Romeo and Juliet, are no exception.
~Aashna Goenka
Pulse December 2017
Chandler goes for an Audition!
What if Chandler Bing (Friend’s Cast) after quitting his job in Season 9, decides to go for the Roadies Auditions
before interning with the advertising agency?
The Audition
Raghu: Come in.
Chandler enters and sits on the chair in front of the
interviewers.
Raghu: [Raising his voice] Did I ask you to sit?
Chandler: Oh! I am sorry for thinking this chair was
meant for the contestants to sit.
Rajiv stares angrily.
Raghu: [Shouting] Who do you think you are?
Chandler: Well Raghu, I’m a head-hunter. I hook up
out of work Soviet scientists with rogue third - world
nations. [Looking at Rajiv] Hi hairless Rasputin!
[Waves]
Ranvijay: I am stunned.
Rajiv: [Shouting] Tu Roadie banega? Tu Roadie
banega! THIS GUY WANTS TO BECOME A ROADIE!
Chandler: I wonder why am I here today?
Ranvijay: I am stunned.
Chandler: I am sorry but I say dumber stuff before
9am than most people say all day. Hi I am Chandler. I
make jokes when I’m uncomfortable.
Raghu: [ Hurls abuses for a couple of minutes].
[Talking to Ranvijay] I saw this guy flirting with Bani
outside.
Chandler: Did you talk to her? Did she say anything
about me? Liked what she saw, huh? Dug my action,
did she? Checking out the Chan Chan man!
Rajiv: You fu# #$@, #%&*&%$, Mot$%#%%.
Chandler: Hey, Hey Heyyyy!!! In my defence, until I
was 25, I thought the only response to ‘I love you’ was
‘Oh Crap!’. I’m hopeless and awkward and desperate
for love!
Raghu: [ Turning to Rajiv] This is it! I have had it with
this guy. We have built this Roadies from scratch.
Millions of people come to us to become a Roadie. And
this guy thinks …
Chandler: I just realized I can sleep with my eyes
open.
Raghu: [ Bangs his pencil on the table and shouts] Do
you think you are funny?
Chandler: I might be able to send you some jokes on
your email. Isn’t your mail ID
‘www.hahanotsomuch.com?
Raghu: Enough!
Ranvijay: I am stunned.
Chandler: I would have given you some tips for your
anger management but you see, I am not good at
giving advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic
comment?
Raghu: Get out! Get the fu#$ OUT!
Rajiv: When you go outside, tell Bani to come in. She
will know what it means.
Chandler: You sure she will crack the code?
Raghu: [Throws the entire pencil holder at Chandler]
you bit#$, mot@#$$@%, fu@#$... [Keeps on going for
5 minutes]
Ranvijay: I am stunned.
~Kartikey Totewar
Pulse December 2017
Life Led in Perseverance
Invigorated by the gales
Leaning behind the forlornness
Ravaging through the tempestuous way
There was nothing I wanted to say
Resolved to make it worth to live
And summoning my strength to weave
A path the world will walk upon
To be victorious and then to be gone
The hindrances are sure to fall
They can’t elude my vigour at all
None can ever inveigle me
For my mind is one sanctuary
That I can say is mine alone
All my efforts will be to hone
The good qualities that I have earned
By experience, observations and all that I learned
The times when I was beguiled
Were the ones when I was riled
By even the slightest invocation
Aloof and listless with wry elation
But soon the dubious feelings were gone
And I was on my way alone
Moving with consummate ease
अभी बहुत दूर ही जाना है
राह ों पर उगते काट ों से, इन असफलता के चाट ों से
इन ढ ग
ों -बन्दरबाों ट ों से , इन श र भरे सन्नाट ों से ,
चचोंगारी या ह ज्वाला ह या म हमयी मधुशाला ह
अमृत का कलश चमले तुझक या चिष से भरता प्याला ह ,
सोंकट के पिवत हैं या चफर या चफर चिलासी मैखाना है
हे पचिक ,तुझे ना घबराना ,ना ही श्रम से चिग जाना है ,
है मोंचिल अब भी दू र बहुत , अभी बहुत दू र ही जाना है
है मोंचिल अब भी दू र बहुत , अभी बहुत दू र ही जाना है .
Feeling the energy release
To bear the strain and start again
For my doings were never in vain
For success never needs a hand
Neither love nor a friend
I’ve reached the place destined for me
What remains of this to see
Is how will this life perish
Frail with age and impoverished
The cruel reality of death will
Be born from the sufferings till
The light fades in the darkness
Embracing it with happiness
And here ends the life led in perseverance
But now nothing
The venue where body parts the soul
The latter bound to a voyage for all
Eternity until the point
Where both are again rejoined
The voyage in the void commences
Rejuvenating all the sense
~ Pratik Ranjan
ज़िन्दगी और खेल
ये खेल भी अनम ल हैं , आओ िरा खेल कभी
ये चिन्दगी भी खेल है , समझ िरा जी ल सही ,
एक लक्ष्य है , सौ बेचियााँ , सबसे तु झे ही जूझना
जीतेगा तू और चसफव तू , दे चिश्व भर क सूचना ,
चगर के सम्हल , उठ , चफर चनकल ,जा मोंचिल क चूम ले
राह ों पे भी ह हक़ तेरा , कुछ ऐसे दु चनया घूम ले ,
ना अहम् ह जाए चिजय का , हार भी झेल कभी
ये खेल भी अनम ल हैं , आओ िरा खेल कभी
~Vivek Sisaudia
 Pulse December 2017

Do or Do Not, There's No Try

“Soon we must all face the choices between what is right and what is easy”- Albus Dumbledore

T he stories we love do live in us forever and one of them

trait belief in oneself, with that belief you can then learn to
is a story about a wizard named harry potter. It's the oldest
harness your potential, think of it in this way.
story ever told. It’s the forces of good against evil, light
Every great leader, great mentor, and great teacher in history
against dark, friends versus foe. It’s the story we’ve heard
started out nothing more than a student. And if they can do
billion times before but somehow it never gets old. Harry
it, why not us, why not you. It matters not what someone is
Potter rehashes some ancient themes but with a new and
born but what they grow to be. So, wherever you have come
fresh perspective. Its human nature to feel the struggle
from, start believing in yourself. You always carry all the
between good and bad everyday
power you’ll ever need. You have
but the story of harry potter is much
more than this ancient struggle, It’s It’s also about love, perseverance the magic to control your own life,
and justice. Harry survived a become so good that they can’t
also about love, perseverance and
ignore you. Your own will is
justice. Harry survived a brutal brutal attack because of the love extremely powerful, look what the
attack because of the love of his
of his mother. He persevered for power of will did for harry potter, so
mother. He persevered for 7 years
7 years battling
battling Voldemort and eventually justice reigned. This is Voldemort and be good, do good because
eventually Dumbledore
justice reigned reminds us ‘It's our choices that shows what we
what many people thought impossible, but Harry gave people
truly are far more than our abilities, so get up and do what
hope and that helped them believe the impossible possible.
you want to do’. Yes, we may have dark and difficult times
Even though we are not wizards and witches, the author JK
ahead of us but as Sirius Black would say, “what’s life without
Rowling teaches us that magic lives within, that what makes
a little risk”. Always remember that happiness can be found
somebody extraordinary is already inside of us, that we can
even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn
be as extraordinary as Harry Potter. Through the Harry Potter
on the lights. Anything is possible if you have enough nerve
story, we see that working hard is important, but before the
says JKR, she had it, harry had it and you have it.
work can even begin you must possess the most important
~Pankaj Mann
Pulse December 2017
The Little Misfit
O nce upon a time in a not so far away land of humans
lived a little girl named Hope. Hope was a girl with
immensely active imagination. Her shimmering big brown
eyes reflected the beauty of the entire universe. She was
just 8 but had already built castles in her memory palace,
had become the President of the Milky Way galaxy and
had found her prince charming. Her world was perfect
except for the fact that her imagination, Mr. Purple (purple
being her favorite color), was her only friend. This was not
because she had issues connecting with the society but
because she was afraid of making friends.
Her father had a transferable job and they shifted from city
to city after every 2-3 years. Change was truly the only
constant in her life. As soon as she made a new best friend
and thought that they would share all of their secrets for
the entire life, it was time to move. As soon as she thought
she had found the city which would fit her personality the
best, it was time to move. For her father it was just
business as usual but for her it was the utter hard work of
building a new world all over again. In the initial few years
of her life, her heart broke every time they moved. The
thought of leaving behind all the relationships that she had
formed with the butterflies, the puppies, the kittens, the
trees, the wind and the house was soul shattering. So, she
decided to shut herself out from the cosmos of love and
emotions. She stopped making human friends and started
looking for friends who could move with her wherever she
went and that is when she found Mr. Purple. True
friendship with no strings attached.
And The Journey Goes On...
An unusual excitement, the never- ending
Enthusiasm was all I could experience that day
For the "congratulations" with my name on the desktop
Gave me the pathway to be here today
The journey began with the soothing sunlight
With inductions throughout day and night
"City of Nawabs " would've never seemed so right for me,
for each of the HelLite
CVs. The other kids at school thought she was weird, a girl
who talked to the wind and was always lost in the La La Land.
She was the girl who could make original sketches which
others could not comprehend, the girl who would sing the
songs of friendship when she had no visible friend. She was
the only girl who was never invited to the birthday parties and
was always left with her teachers at the school picnic. Not
that any of this bothered her. To her these people were just
strangers, the passer-byes who would exit her life after 2
years. Even her parents thought there was something wrong
with her. They would comfort her and arrange sleep overs for
her, wishing that eventually she would connect with the
world. But what they couldn't fathom was her reason of
solitude. They couldn't penetrate her mind and understand
her true fears. They denied medical help and thought that she
was too little to be surrounded by doctors.
Hope was infamous in her age group and was called by many
names - the silent speaker, the solitary thinker but the one
she thought most suited her was the "little misfit". Wasn't she
the one? Indeed, she was. The one misfit to live in this
generic world. She was misfit for all the blanket talks, the
pointless competition and the crazy hobby classes. She was
beyond all this. Her world was created exclusively for her and
Mr. Purple. Ms. Little Misfit was fit for the visionary world. She
was the beauty which the world was misfit to conceive. Hope
was the best fit for her Utopian universe where the love and
care were not dependent on transient human bonds but was
created by one for oneself with strong faith and loyalty.
~Bhoomika Gupta
A full night sleep felt like freebies
Witnesses are the red bricks & the tall trees
When all those tired feet ran crunching the dry leaves
Some danced at "dhol" beats in the lawn
In some eyes, tears were still on
Naming it a bad phase which has now gone
In hope of better future, the journey goes on...
~Radha Tulsyan
Pulse December 2017

The World Isn’t Sunshine & Rainbows

“Every champion was once a contender that refused to give

Rocky Balboa, who doesn’t know the Italian Stallion who’s There’s an inner power that propels winners. And winners are
made six movies and more than a billion dollars in the box the one who truly listens to their hearts. In the final film, Rocky
office worldwide. But if you think Rocky is just a simple delivers one of the most inspirational speeches about life. He
up” movie you are about to have your bell rung. Rocky
boxing tells his son, “Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it’s not
is a small-town boxer, big time dreamer whose life is going about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit
nowhere but then he’s chosen at random by the and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep
undisputed heavy weight moving forward, that’s how
champion, Apollo Creed, to a “Nobody is gonna hit as hard as winning is done. It’s good to know
title fight and suddenly he has that it’s not the knockdown that
the chance to prove that he’s
life. But it’s not about how hard you defines us, but how we get back up
not a worthless bum and he hit. It’s about how hard you can get and fight for our goals. And it
fights for self-respect. This is hit and keep moving forward.” doesn’t matter how this looks to
something we can all relate to, other people sitting on the
at some point. At least, I can. There is often time when we bleachers. If it’s something you want to do, then you go do it.
feel lost and unworthy and then an opportunity arises to Put simply, fighters fight, and as the champ says, “Nobody
prove them all wrong but we don’t take it, why? Well, owes nobody nothing. You owe yourself.” going in one more
failure can be a scary opponent. Rocky was in a sweat, he round when you don’t think you can, that makes all the
was terrified. But he still stepped in the ring. And that’s difference in your life. You have the chance to be something
what you gotta learn, is that growth begins at the end of better and bigger, become dangerous, in a good way. Train
your comfort zone. Believe in yourself, you gotta believe harder, inside and out. And then, like Rocky’s trainer Mickey
in yourself. Nothing is real unless you believe in who you is always screaming: “you’re gonna eat lightning and you’re
are! There’s a moment in Rocky when he starts to believe gonna crap thunder.”
in his dream, really believing and that’s when everything
~Pankaj Mann
turns around for him. Now, I know it’s just a movie but
these moments happen in real life. You have to be aware
of it, you have to challenge it, you have to get your back
off the ropes and listen to your heart.
 Pulse December 2017
The Real Question
T he other day was just another usual day for me except
that I got an early leave from my boss at work. A usual
workaholic, he prefers to stay at office for two-third of his life
and expects all the employees to do the same. Bizarre
creatures – ‘bosses’.
I immediately made my plans to catch an old friend in the
city. Picking his favourite chocolate box, I hopped in my
car. And with a quick calculation of avoiding the traffic and
saving the exponentially depleting fossil fuels, instantly
decided to take the metro for some distance and walk the
rest. As I made my way to the main road, I encountered a
real crowd - Hawkers in ‘gumtis’, temporary shops,
roadside ‘thelas’ and lots of street encroaching vendors
shouting on top of their voice to sell their so called
‘branded quality, discounted price’ commodities. The aura
of the marketplace though not classy was charming. It was
the glimpse of the real India. The glaring hues and
fashionable commodities automatically slowed down my
pace as I made my way through the crowd. You can
definitely not avoid the fancy displays even if you don’t
have to buy anything. Finally, a handful of kiosks marked
the end of the market, from where I stepped on the
footpath heading towards the metro station a few furlongs
away.
The footpath ideally meant for passers-by to walk on, was
unusually occupied by a chain of cobblers. It actually is, a
usual sight lining any footpath in India, but what was
unusual that among them, was a loud voice shouting at
every passing person “Joote polish karwa lo uncle”.
It was a 7-8 years old boy, well-groomed in a white shirt, a
pair of little battered trousers and chappals, symmetrically
oriented and kept beside his cobbling kit. His face lit every
time someone passed by and he welcomed each one of
them as a host welcomes his guests for a feast.
He was so dedicated in his occupation that it hardly
mattered what his job labeled him as. He wasn’t yet
successful to get a customer, but did get the attention of
every passed by, and every time it happened, he would
smile at the queue of cobblers sitting adjacent to him,
much older in age and profession.
As I stopped to watch him, he got his first customer of the
day. A middle-aged man stopped and offered his shoe to
set him at work. And he smiled as if he had conquered the
world. Feeling a little empathetic, I started to walk towards
the metro again, when I heard the man ask him a question
“Tum school nahi jaate?”
I immediately stopped to hear his response. “Jaate hain
na...Gaav me. Yahan chhuttiyon me aate hain. Apna
paisa kamane.”
I smiled and started walking again. The word “apna”
echoed in my ears for the next few hours. He was too
young, too poor and probably unimportant for the world.
Yet, he was important to himself. He had a sense of pride
in his work. He had dedication. He had satisfaction. The
final verdict – He was happy.
This episode triggered a question in me. That boy earned
a meagre amount from a socially perceived low status job,
yet took pride in his work. I earned in lakhs and had a
highly dignified job. Yet, did I take pride in my work? Was
I happy?
This question is not just to me. It is for each individual out
there, who has been and is in a better off position than at
least that boy. But are you content? Are you happy?
We know this answer. What we need is the answer to
“WHY?”
~Sakshi Shringika
Pulse December 2017

Because There’s No Happiness In Game Of Thrones

W hat if Daenerys isn’t convinced by Tyrion to wait out the
war with King’s Landing in order to fight the white walkers
and decides to attack the Kingdom?
The Current Situation: Daenerys reaches King's Landing and
is caught off guard by the Lannister army. Most of her ships
and army are destroyed by Cersei’s use of wildfire. The
unsullied and the Lannister army are in the middle of a
gruesome battle with no precise distinction between the two
armies. Daenerys is standing at a vantage point observing
the battle. She has her three dragons hovering above the
battle ground. The y have been on the field fighting with the
unsullied. However, they have been seriously injured by the
infantry.
The dragons are just waiting for their mother to give them
command. But how can she use them! If she lets them get on
the battleground, she might
“Burn them! Burn lose her dragons, her
them all!! Burn them children. If she orders them
to fly and breathe fire, she
all! Burn …….” might kill her unsullied as
well. She’s watching her army perish as she thinks. She
knows she is so close. This is what she has fought for so
long. To rule the 7 kingdoms. But she knows her dream might
remain a dream now. She knows she will have to retreat.
That’s her only choice. Or is it?
She knows what she needs to do if she wishes to accomplish
what she always wanted. She's fighting a battle inpside.
Tyrion observes this. He knows what is happening. He knows
when the Masters rebelled against Daenerys, she wanted to
kill all of them. She wouldn’t care if innocent lives were lost
during the battle. Causalities of war as she would call it. But
he had stopped her. He had made her think otherwise.
He sees a smirk.
Daenerys looks at Tyrion.
He knows she's way beyond the point of explaining. He
knows she's not the Daenerys he once met. He knows
what she has become now.
He wished this day would never come.
He wished she wouldn't become her father.
The dragons look at their mother.
She looks back at them.
“Dracarys!”
“Burn them! Burn them all!! Burn them all! Burn …….”
Silence ensues.
She wants to shout, but her voice fades away. She cannot
collect the strength to speak. She can only feel the weird
sensation in her abdomen. She sees the tip of a blade.
The blade gushing out of her body.
She watches the ‘Hand of the Queen’ betray her. Crying
as he does it.
She lies on the ground observing the madness ensuing in
front of her. Death on both sides.
She closes her eyes wishing she hadn't met a similar fate
as her father.
~Kartikey Totewar

He knows they are losing. He watches as the Mother of

Dragons is filled with tears. But he somehow cannot observe
the sadness.
Pulse December 2017

I Wrote a Story…
I wrote a story,
maybe ye’d like to read.
A crying man’s wish,
please pay some heed. The Mango Software Engineers
Through the moments of joy and pain,
Too macabre for the gentle,
this was more than just a story. while facing client escalations and unending rain,
Too flagitious for the just,
Battling depression and heartaches,
a million deaths for one glory.
From clinching a seat in the public transport,
Feather on writing parchment, to writing an impeccable piece of code,
ink ye’d expect to see.
But know not ye bone it is, Switching between frying pan and power point,
the blood least expected to be. Celebrating promotions at local food joints,

Immaculate scripting it was, Still regretting over choosing Engineering,

righted were million wrongs.
As hay burnt and men fell,
hear ye cries, not songs.
All for a tin-God,
a swelling vibe of pride.
A shame to the brave man,
wusses, the rest did nothing but hide.
As deputies followed their liege,
Brass ring hopes alive.
Yet, always finding an hour or two for volunteering,
Back to back calls and countless hours on internet,
so many colleagues who turn out to be best of friends,
A million dreams of onsite and traveling the world,
the ultimate comfort of sick leave and work from home
We code, we test, we automate,
We earn, we spend and we celebrate
We are here, there and everywhere

Nickel and dime the lands forlorn, The ordinary people with identity cards, swiping in and
Not sparing a man his hive. out, day in and day out.
Yet there is something that makes us special,
Today grows not grass nor singeth the cuckoo,
We never give up
Darkness all I see against the skyline.
Halt and hear, O Voyager!!! Be it a piece of code or life,
Exculpate this lamenting trunk-less vine.
We never give up.
I wrote a story, We are the Mango Software Engineers,
maybe ye’d like to read.
~Anshuman Mohanty
A crying man’s wish,
please pay some heed.

~V K Narasimhan
Pulse December 2017
Dreamt & Dead
As I woke up, I gaze back at the restraints of my past.
The ones, which have always stood as a barrier, and as
wormholes into a new dimension of my perspective. I
quantify my dreams, while they are born to be uplifted and
achieved. Sanguinity has been long lost, but the future
promises me a cheerful panorama of positive multitudes.
Dreamt past – stands nowhere, but yet, shapes me
presently as to who I am – Dead.
The illusions of the mind have rendered me with an
invigorating impulse. An impulse that nu llifies reality and
the imagination. I extend my gaze, broadening the
narrower viewpoints of my perception. The crowded
streets, the calm ocean, the mystical skies, the infinite
universe - they all seem to coalesce into one entity with
me being a minuscule part of the gigantic.
My journey contemplates newer milestones as I step down
on to the realities of the Earthly shores. My feet traverse
on the unlaid paths - curious, engrossed and eager to feel
the discoveries. The freedom of my being encourages me
towards greater journeys. But am I that strong? Are the
unlaid paths real, or just an illusion? Enigma – I call it.
*The Story can be read in reverse order of paragraphs starting from end.
The leap that I took to surge into the diversities of the
profound life has pushed me into the deepest depths of
the surreal mischievousness.
The waves of past and future collide and maneuver me
onto the heavy waters. I drift, I depart. The shore is never
far, but the distance is never less. My departure lands me
into the singularity of nothingness. Is there someone? Can
anyone hear me? No – m y inner conscience answers.
Something has been long lost. Something will remain
forever to achieve.
I roam around endlessly, searching for that one objective,
engrossing my soul, killing my being, incarnating myself.
Futility is what that overthrows every other emotion.
Purposefulness stands on the precipice to take that leap
of faith – the departure. I die, and I am reborn in that flight.
Beep - beep, beep - beep. I open my eyes. The curves on
the screen convey my life dancing on the life support
system. Am I that weak? Laying under the blanket, with
my eyes half open, I can see my daughter. She looks
mine, a mirror reflection of my wife. Pakhi, I still remember
her name. But, where is she? Is she lost?
I fret, I drown, and I resign into the search.
~Devanshu
Pulse December 2017
Sometimes
Sometimes, love grows silently
in the shadows;
behind the glitter of unsuspecting friendship,
like a demon lurking in the dark.
It now happens quite often, every day you are coming late.
Sometimes it doesn't gift feelings,
pleasing and comforting,
which paints a thousand pictures in your imagination,
pictures worth a thousand words unsaid for the one.
Today again the argument happened, I was again silenced,
Instead it gifts loneliness,
solitude becomes a habit until it’s your best friend,
and expressions of feelings are hard to swallow,
as if a rash had developed on the skin of your throat.
Sometimes, it’s all right
to not feel anything-
because u know when your love grows without nurturing,
like a weed which grows in the wild,
Unrequited and demolishing every other feeling in its
sight,
It is likely to outgrow
~Utsav Sen Gupta
Jealousy
Jealousy, thou art a green eyed monster,
Who eats away a man's peace very faster.
Thou burn a man's soul within,
Thy presence makes a man abject and mean.
Thy bearer can render any evil,
With thy impulse one often finds hard to deal.
You cause anger; will to harm and what not.
The doer often moans and curses your drive when caught.
You are the root of many many misdeeds,
As thy bearer can do anything to satisfy thy need.
One humble request i lay to thou,
Leave human race for ever and now.
The world should be heaven sans thee,
Filled with laughter, love, brotherhood and glee.
~Om Joy Halder
Laxmi And Durga
It’s 2 at the night,
I am in the hall, waiting for your call,
You, again, come drenched in alcohol!
Today, I again will face a similar fate,
You promised it would never repeat,
I guess, now I should accept defeat.
I was shushed, asked not to call it domestic violence
I shouted, I pleaded, I wept,
My tears didn’t dry until I slept.
Am I only your trophy wife?
Is this my fate for the rest of my life?
We met in a typical arrangement, over snacks and tea,
And now I am left alone, someone please hear my plea!
But my words echoed back to me,
Enough of pleading! I have to set myself free.
You have taken my emotions as a toy,
But you have been greatly mistaken, Oh boy!
If I were caring, I can be fierce too,
I can be Laxmi and be Durga to you.
I have waited too long, you have gone too far,
Now this suffering will end only when you are behind the
bars!!
~Laveena Saxena
दो धारी तलवार
क्या जीिन में मुझे ि चमलेगा ज ये चदल चाहता है ?
ज चकसी ने ना दे खा, ि भचिष्य पल-पल सताता है
कहाित है - “चकस्मत में ज चलखा है , िह िरूर चमलेगा ”
इतना आसान ह , त इों सान का हाि- पै र भी ना चहलेगा
ये चजोंदगी एक द धारी तलिार है जनाब
आपके आज पे चनभव र करता है , भचिष्य का बहाि
कमाव ि कर ज आज सिारे
हर चीि में बस अपना कल ना चनहारे
भचिष्य सुधारने के चलए कुछ ल ग आज चबगािते हैं
ऐसे ल ग इन जीिन से शायद कुछ ज्यादा ही चाहते हैं ...
~Muktesh Jain
 Pulse December 2017

Branding in Politics

up”

Branding is a commonly known marketing practice to create a unique name & image in the minds of your target
audience in order to establish a differentiated presence amongst one’s competitors. In the Indian electoral space,
branding has been in the rise due to personification of policies, ideologies and election campaigns as well. Due to the
rise in social and political consciousness among the emerging Indian middle class, efforts are being on to make people
visualize a set of narratives associated with a particular political party. It will result in branding a particular party in
the narrative suitable to one’s own electoral interests. In this hullabaloo, the rhetorical debates around political
personas take over the issue-based discussions, resulting in a chaotic & cluttered political landscape, where voters
become a mute & amused spectators of personified attacks & pointless mud-sliding among parties.

The caricature attached at the top contains few ‘taglines’ one can attribute to some of the leading public figures in
India. Is that a simple test of memory or is it the output of a larger media management at work? The answer is obvious
and the advent of new-age, innovative digital marketing strategies employed by PR teams create multiple touch
points with the masses with a unified tone of messaging and engagement. How does a politician become a ‘pappu’
or how can a political party can be seen supportive of ‘tere qaatil zinda hai’ without anything occurring on real time.
It is the art of branding and has its own merits and demerits. To an extent, a commonly used phrase – any publicity
is good publicity is true for the ‘brand recall’ of smaller political parties. Also, it takes lesser effort to connect with
the voters who are already having a built-in portrayal of the ideology & image associated with the party – so much
so that recently, the ruling party in Gujarat went to polls without a manifesto & released it just a day before polling
took place. This illustrates the significance of branding conducive to the party roadmap and narrative it wants to set
for itself.

However, on the flip side, adverse branding can be the worst nightmare for any political party, if it’s not countered
at appropriate time. You might be witnessing an outspoken & pro-temple avatar in a recently coronated public figure,
which in all probability, is an outcome of sentiment analysis and newly devised engagement strategy on all media
platforms. It is seen as a quest to reposition self and the party as a viable alternative to the majority community –
sensible to their beliefs & aggressively safeguarding their socio-economic interests and cultural plurality. The
primetime debates across channels & engagements happening on social media can be seen more as a brand-building
tool rather than discussions on pressing issues of the time. We hope that political branding does not cause loss of
cognition, reasoning and bargaining power of electorates in the long run. Till then, ‘achhe din’ is here to stay.
~ Subhra Pratim Halder
Pulse December 2017

हम वन्दे मातरम् गायेंगे

जब जाती -धमव के बोंटिारे से हम ऊपर उठ जाएों गे , गचलय ों में है ये श र उठा ,

जब बच्चे बच्चे के मन में भचिष्य की लौ जलाएों गे ,
तब चहन्दु स्तानी कहलायेंगे ,
तब हम िन्दे मातरम् गायेंगे !
क ना क ना दे श का , अभी त है धधक रहा ,
एक गुस्से का ज्वालामुखी , आखखर क्य ों पनप रहा .
चजस पल सबक हम एक ही छत्त के नीचे लाएों गे ,
तब चहन्दु स्तानी कहलायेंगे ,
तब हम िन्दे मातरम् गायेंगे !
जब खिे ह जाना जन -गण -मन पे से ना मेरी दे शभखि तौली
काशी काबा एक है , है राम रहीम भी एक ,
की गाये हमारी माता है .
पर बुोंदेलखोंि में जब ग िोंश मरे ,
तब कौन दे खने जाता है ?
गाये से पहले जब इों सान की जान हम बचाएों गे ,
तब चहों दुस्तानी कहलायेंगे ,
और तब ही िन्दे मातरम गायेंगे .
जब िन्दे मातरम् गाना ह और ये बात मेरे मन से आये ,
जब दे शप्रे म का राग मेरे कमो में निर आये ,
जाए ,

पर गाये है चहन्दू और बकरा मुखिम , कैसा ये तमाशा दे ख . जब हर ऊाँगली चकसी की और बेिजह ना उठने पाए ,

चजस चदन ये चश्मे उतार , इों सान क इों सान सा दे ख पाएों गे , उस पल जाके हम सब चहों दुस्तानी ह जाएों गे ,

तब चहन्दु स्तानी कहलायेंगे , तब हम िन्दे मातरम् गायेंगे …

तब हम िन्दे मातरम गायेंगे !

चााँ द की दू री नाप चुके ,

पर भू क से एक गौरी मर जाती है ,
हर गिव क त ि ये खबर ,
चफर अोंतस में आग लगाती है ,
चजस चदन हर चकसी के पे ट में चनिाला हम पहुचायेंगे ,
तब चहन्दु स्तानी कहलायेंगे ,
तब हम िन्दे मातरम् गायेंगे !

कैसी ये खाम शी है , ज एक चनभव या पै दा कर जाती है ,

कैसी ये लाचारी है , ज शमव से आाँ ख झुक जाती है .
इस हिस का है अब अोंत कहााँ ,
बस म मबत्ती की आग से ये ना जल पाती है ,
बोंद कर द हर उस लिके क ,
चजस कारण लिकी बाहर आने में घबराती है .

चजस चदन सिके हर लिकी के चलए सुरचित हम कर पाएों गे ,

तब चहों दुस्तानी कहलायेंगे ,
तब हम िन्दे मातरम गायेंगे !

ताज महल ह या तेज महालय ,

लाल चकला या चसन्दू री महल ,
मैं त जानु उस बच्चे की बोंद आाँ खें ,
अस्पताल में चजसकी मााँ की चीख सी गया िा चदल दे हल .
जब अपने मासूम क हम खुद ही नहीों बचा पाएों गे ,
आखखर चकस हक़ से हम चहों दुस्तानी कहलायेंगे ,
चकस आिाि से िन्दे मातरम गायेंगे ?
Pulse December 2017
Pulse
Picasso Entries

Madhubani Painting ~ Bhoomika Gupta Let’s Fly ~ Bhoomika Gupta

You are the love in the sinful tray world Third Eye ~ Tanmoy Adhikary
~Ankita Upamanyu

Routes: Behind that glass

~ Priya Gautam
 December 2017
Pulse
Pulse December 2017

Tower of Hope ~ Ayushi Patel Tonight we will dine in hell ~ Amit Soni

All along the watchtower ~Sujit Emmanuel

Beauty on branch – Bhargavy R.
Faith & Fire and Benaras Blues
~ Maitreyee K. Thakkar
 December 2017
Pulse
Pulse December 2017
Courtesy – Sandeep Das (Hampi, Badami & Bijapur Tour)
Pulse
Pulse December 2017
Lifelines of IIML – PGP32 and PGP33
Entry to Hell (Induction): Courtesy – Right Angles

Batch of 2018 (PGP32 & ABM13)

Batch of 2019 (PGP33 and ABM14)

Pulse December 2017
Contributors – Pulse 2017 Edition