Dave Matthews Band in Charlottesville

Watching Dave Matthews Band in Charlottesville. Check.

I never expected to see as many concerts when I came here in July last year. It's a small city and I had naively assumed that concerts happen only in the NYCs and the SFs of this country. The websites about Darden and the city kept talking about a thriving music scene but I wasn't sure how that translated to big name concerts. In the last sixteen months, though, I have been pleasantly surprised. 

Dave Matthews is huge here. It's home for him. This is where he started. People from around here have bullet points like 'Been to 47 Dave Matthews Band concerts' in their resume. No, I'm not kidding.

To me, the best concerts are the ones in which the artist doesn't just play studio versions of his songs. Concerts in which there is a lot of spontaneity and 'live versions' of songs. Concerts in which the singer lets the instrumentalists take the stage and go wild. And that's why, in terms of sheer quality of music, this Friday's show is right at the top.

The first surprise of the night was Joe Lawlor. I never expected a 5 minute guitar solo in a DMB concert. But that's exactly what he gave us. A scorching solo high on style and melody. JM, who was standing next to me said, 'That, right there is worth the 60 bucks'. I couldn't have agreed more.

The star of the show, undoubtedly, was Boyd Tinsley. He made the violin sing, he jumped around the stage, he got the crowd roaring in between his riffs and he did it all with a perpetual smile on his face. He was in a zone. 

Seven, Everyday, You & I, Spaceman - there were a few songs that I knew but it didn't matter if you could sing along or not. The saxophone, the trumpet, the violin, the bass guitar - for two hours they wowed us and  kept us swinging to the melodies.

Eagerly looking forward to the next DMB concert. I hope they come to Dallas! But for the time being, thank you Charlottesville.

Diwali Weekend

So it was Diwali this weekend and there was a lot happening. It started with Thursday's Diwali Cold Call at Darden complete with butter chicken, chole, papdi chaat, vegetable jalfrezi, and kheer and a couple of fabulous group dances by a first years which culminated in a 5 minute impromptu all-jump-in dance to 'Desi Girl' (we also made a train and went around the PepsiCo Forum!). A few drinks and another party later, we were hungry again and ended the night with a trip to IHOP where JJ kept us entertained with his jokes and the 3 words of Hindi which he has managed to master!

On Friday, I had my most expensive meal in C'ville at Mas. Caipirinha, bacon wrapped dates, lamb chops, croquettes, and a couple of other fancy dished I don't remember. From there we went to The Backyard for another Darden get together. The two cute girls at the door convinced JM & JJ to buy the cups for the fashion show since it was a good cause. How could I say no after that. The cups got us drinks specials, though. I broke even after the first couple of drinks, so it was indeed for a good cause. 

The next morning, we went to watch a series of short films which were being screened as part of the Virginia Film Festival. Verdict - some people should not make short films. A few of them were good though. 

AI's son, M had turned 2 this week and the Birthday Lunch was on Saturday. JJ, JM, MI and I made a trip to Toys R Us. We unanimously agreed that MI was the most capable of deciding on gifts for 2 year olds. The three of us followed her to the section which had games based on alphabets, bought a couple of them and then decided to give M something more fun. And so  the bowling kit was bought. 

The problem with having 20 different things to eat is that even if you take a small portion of each, you end up with a food coma. That's what happened to me at AI's place. It was the most fun I've had at a gathering which didn't have any alcohol! The highlight was when little M opened his bowling kit and went crazy hitting the pins.He absolutely loved it.

The fun continued in the evening with a Diwali Potluck. Great food, more Bollywood music, an after party with guitar and songs and dumb charades till 4:00 in the morning, which included movies from the IMDB Bottom 100 list.

I don't miss Indian festivals as such. By that I mean, I don't miss the food and festivities or the tradition bit as long as I am having a good time. Of course it would be nice to do all that - visit pandals during Durga Puja and burn firecrackers during Diwali. But to put it bluntly, it's another day. And it's no big deal if I don't get to eat a special dish or go to a special place because everybody else is doing that. Yes, it wouldn't be fun to spend such a day alone doing work, or worse, nothing, but so would any other day.

What I do long for are my friends, family and the tastes, smells and sounds that I can't get here.

Happy Diwali everyone.

Beautiful Virginia

No, the fall colors aren't here yet. So I'll have to keep looking. 

One of the most beautiful drives I've done on an absolutely gorgeous October afternoon in Charlottesville. 

More Second Year Awesomeness

Went to listen to Carbon Leaf last night. It was much more than I expected. I had gone to the concert having listened to only half a dozen or so of their songs. Most of them were kind of pop rock-ish with good melodies. I had been planning to go since I heard about them playing at the Jefferson Theater but wasn't so sure since there was nobody to go with. Luckily, BW reminded me of the concert a couple of days ago and we decided to go together. 

We had more an hour and a half to kill before they started playing. So we talked about our summers, second year so far and her amazing business plan ideas, writing a book, not becoming consultants or bankers and life after Darden. It was fun catching up since we don't have any common classes. 

They played for 2 hours. From 10 to 12. Their lead guitarist was really talented. Apart from the fact that he played the guitar, mandolin, banjo and violin, his riffs were melodious and had a flowing quality to them. The mandolin and banjo added a folk/bluegrass feel to some of their songs. And the lead singer came up with a few flute solos too! A lot of variety on display. Totally enjoyable. We even bought a CD each - buying into their request to support local musicians (they are from Virginia and have decided to cut their own records severing ties with the record label they were with earlier). No, really, it was because the music was good.

Afternoon drive to Shenandoah

So I finished my only exam at 12:30 in the afternoon and had about 5 hours to kill before going to the Darden International Food Festival. I was pretty sure, I wouldn't be working on the paper I need to finish by Monday. The weather was warm and sunny so a short drive to Skyline Drive seemed like a good idea. The fall colors are yet to come but it was pretty scenic nevertheless. We stopped at 'Beagle Gap' and walked along short trail before driving back.

They were all over the place. The bright red a stark contrast to an otherwise ordinary foliage

Taken from a 'Scenic Stop'

I love taking pictures of the rear view mirror. This one came out good.

I want to come back when all the leaves change color.

The New Darden Student Bloggers

...have been announced. Go check them out as they talk about all too familiar topics like Darden Cup, TGIT, DA spreadsheets and settling down as a grad student in Charlottesville.

Second Year - Is it really worth the hype?

It is. And it didn't feel like that in the first couple of weeks. Especially when we were going to classes on Fridays while the first years had the day off. 'Oh, you guys have classes, right', said a first year one day with a hint of a smile. 

Then the first long weekend happened, I went to NYC and thereafter things changed. I went to Shenandoah one weekend, got my Driver's License, drove to DC and generally started to enjoy second year. My roommate bought a TV and I got back to watching re runs of sitcoms. No 8 o' clock classes meant I eased into the day much like old times in Bangalore. Wake up at 9, turn on the TV, check emails, have tea. Lots of free time meant, I would loiter around Darden for no apparent reason looking to chat up with people!

Last weekend was particularly satisfying. I had thought I would actually do some work like starting on some of the final papers that are due and study for my Valuations exam (about which I have very little clue as of now). But procrastination got the better of me and I ended up being happier for that. Take Saturday for example. After the usual slow start to the morning (the weather was absolutely gorgeous, by the way), I was just about thinking of starting on my paper when a friend emailed about going to the UVA Vs FSU tailgate. A couple of hours, a few beers and chicken nuggets later, I came back home. 

Next stop was the Crozet Music Festival. A 20 minute ride through very picturesque roads brought us to the Misty Mountain Camp Resort. It was essentially an open field with a couple of stages where the bands were performing. We sat down there, had a glass of locally brewed beer, met a couple of other folks and just relaxed while the music played.

The evening followed from where the afternoon had ended. An Asian Business Club social where we threatened to throw the president in the pool, followed by watching The Social Network in a packed theater (Yes, that's a rarity in Charlottesville. Our small group of 15 odd people had to split up and find separate seats).

Although Saturday was an extremity, I think I have reached a point where I am only doing things I care about. I no longer bother about giving my 100% to everything. Yes, that means going to classes unprepared at times (a lot of times, to be honest). That also means cooking more at home and hitting the gym pretty regularly. I'm quite liking this part of my life.

Different Places, Different Lives

I was in NYC this weekend. Meeting friends. Chilling out. It was my third visit to the city and the first during summer. The weather (particularly on Saturday) was absolutely gorgeous. 

The point of this post however, isn't describing what I did. Which anyway, was pretty commonplace. What struck me was how different the lives of my friends was from my own. How it's tied so closely to the city and the experiences they've had. 

The married friend who recently moved from Boston. The MBA student who is looking forward to spending his last year in the city and the country. The Banker who misses Charlottesville but is totally looking forward to his new life. And the friend who spent two years in the city, fell in love with it, and comes over almost every weekend to catch up with her scores of friends.

I was talking to S who is doing his MBA. And his experience has been so different than mine. True, he recruited for banking and I ran away from anything that was related to Finance. But more so was the influence of the city he was living in. For him going out meant exploring cuisines and new clubs. For me, it meant half a dozen bars. For him, campus was a building. I, took the courtyard with benches for granted. I had missed my first class at Darden to get to NYC. He was thinking of not missing as many classes in second year as he did in the first. I had applied to his school too. Primarily because of the lure of NYC and my goal of going into Digital Media. It's interesting to think how different my life would have been if I had got the admit. It's not a question of good or bad. To be frank, I hadn't given much thought to these issues while applying.

When someone asks me if I like a city, I give them my standard answer. Living in a city is different from a short visit. And liking a city depends a lot on the people you know there. Again, I'm not in any way trying to 'compare' Charlottesville to NYC. Doing so would be foolish. Its just fascinating how the experience of being a student in C'ville can be so different than being a student in NYC and working in NYC. And how those experiences can in turn change who you are. To some extent, at least.

I met N on Saturday. We talked a lot. Useless, nonsensical things. And sensible, serious stuff. As usual, she did most of the talking because she always has these stories to tell. Some of them, I couldn't relate to. Others, got me thinking. We have different ways of looking at life and going about it. She likes to plan and break down the bigger things into smaller, tangible lists. I like to think I am more prone to taking things as they come. Both of us have changed though. From extremes, to a more measured, balanced middle. As one of the few people who have read my blog since I started writing, she remarked how my style and content has changed. I remember telling her that it's in a way a reflection of my life. I'm not clueless about where my life is going but a lot of it just happens.

You don't miss something unless you know what it is. This trip did that for me. Showed me a glimpse. And for the first time in a year, on the first two days of the week, I had trouble not letting my mind wander away from my here and now.

Guest Post: Pakistan Flood Relief - The uphill battle to rebuild lives -- Jawwad Farid

17-20 million affected

5 million without shelter on the streets and roadsides because relief camps are overwhelmed

1.6 million people are already being affected by waterborne diseases

800,000 people still cannot be reached because bridges have been washed off

170000 acres of crop land has been affected

The water came at night in Nowshera.

Not silently like a thief, nor on tip toes, but with all the ferocity of a moving sea mixed with the weight of mud, stones, trees and swept away dreams. 2 am at night, all you could do was wake up and run. But unlike a tidal wave that comes in, takes what it needs to pacify an angry God, and goes, the water in Nowshera kept on coming. Days later when the flooding stopped, like an unwelcome and over bearing guest it stayed. And it brought company with it to keep away the boredom of lesser lives it haunted; misery, hunger and silence.

You could change the name of the city and repeat the story throughout the length of the mighty Indus. By the time you would reach Sind and Thatta, the late night rush to safety, the breaches in river embankments and the loss of life, livelihood and loved ones become one practiced orchestra. No audience except the three that water brought with it to Nowshera; misery, hunger and silence. No post performance celebration other than the one where millions of souls slowly start re-threading their lives, one battered tin clad suitcase at a time.

With the water slowly receding the relief mosaic across Pakistan is looking more and more like a drive in movie in an endless loop across multiple time zones. Upnorth, we need food, clothing, medicine, water purifiers and shelter. Down south, we are still waiting for Thatta and nearby cities and villages along the Indus Delta to take on the first wave of flood waters.

The widespread devastation and damage to infrastructure has added a new dimension of difficulty to relief efforts. And so if you can’t find food or support in the enclave over run by mud that you used to call home, you walk to the relief camps being set up near larger urban centers.

A school for children now houses 30 families and 150 kids. It is not women and children first. The men have opted to stay behind to guard livestock or land for in the chaos caused by a raging river there is more room for tragedy, robbery and outright villainy by your fellow beings. Possession is nine-tenth of law, especially if thy neighbor has been claimed by the rising waters of River Indus.

A white collar family is not used to handouts or being treated as landless destitute. But the tragedy that is unfolding across Pakistan across millions of lives, hundreds of cities and thousands of camps is just that.

You may have escaped the water; but will you ever escape the fate and the company the Indus brought with it.

Misery, hunger, death and silence.

Jawwad Farid is the founder and CEO of Alchemy Technologies. He is an actuary by profession, a computer scientist by training, and a Columbia Business School MBA.

Jawwad has worked directly as a founder, mentor or advisor at multiple startups including two green field life insurance companies, multiple technology product businesses, financial services consulting operations, product focused distribution as well as micro insurance, micro pensions and micro finance startups. The ones he remembers the most are his failures.

He came to Darden in April for his talk "REBOOT - Everything you ever wanted to know about STARTUP FAILURE" and is a regular contributor to the DesiBackToDesh, Learning Corporate Finance and Oil Insight  blogs. 

You can view the original post here

Guest Post: Doing Business In Africa - Joe Andrasko

So here it goes, the first ever blog post about summer internships and recruiting from a guy who has yet to write his first cover letter…  

From a recruiting perspective, my first year at Darden was a bit atypical. I came to Charlottesville focused on entrepreneurship and, throughout the first year, I couldn’t seem to shake my interest in working for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to be interested in “real jobs.” I polished up my résumé last fall, made sure I used action words in all my bullet points, tweaked margins and fonts, the whole nine yards. I even went to some company briefings and “networked” on the recommendation of the good folks at the CDC who kept urging me to “trust the process.” At the end of the day though, my buy-in for the “the process” wasn’t quite there. By October, I decided to curtail the briefings. By November, I had all but written off the traditional summer internship.

Here’s the way I saw it: I was 27 years old, single, no family to support, and had a meager savings sufficient enough to provide sustenance at least in the form of ramen noodles and Natty Light for a year or so. If the actuarial folks at big insurance companies have it right, I also have roughly 50 more years of life expectancy (knock on wood) during which I can work long and hard for whatever big corporate brand deems me worthy of employment. So, where was the value in spending 10-12 weeks slogging away for some big company over the summer? The full-time job offer? I thought they had second-year recruiting for that. The learning experience? I thought we had cases for that. Bragging rights? Touché… but I thought those had already come with admission to Darden.

So what should I do? Like the protagonist of any good HBS case, I gratuitously mentioned my elitist business school credentials and “consulted my notes from first-year finance” for the answer. After careful analysis, my cost of capital (in this case, 10-12 weeks of time in July and August) seemed too great for me to justify the investment in a formal internship. 

If you’re still reading (which I realize is highly unlikely after the above reference to DCF-ing my life – no pun intended), you’ll be happy to know that I didn’t simply trade off a summer in corporate America for a summer on the Jersey Shore. Instead, I did what any good entrepreneur would do and took advantage of one of the best kept secrets at Darden: The Batten Incubator. (For anyone interested in entrepreneurship, the Incubator is worth checking out)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I started two small businesses prior to Darden so abandoning the formal recruiting process was perhaps somewhat expected. I did also cave-in to interviewing for one job in the spring. Truth be told, I had a pretty difficult time deciding against taking it. But here’s why I did: As part of his sales pitch, the company’s founder told me what a great experience it would be to work for more experienced entrepreneurs like himself. After all, he reminded me, he had sold his first company – the one he started in his late twenties – for $180 million. I’m not sure he intended it, but that statement actually convinced me not to take the job. Why would I go work for him when I could go take a shot at building my own $180 million business? Game on. 

So I traded the traditional route for a shot at never having a boss and enjoyed an exciting summer. The business that I’m trying to start, a small private equity fund focused on agribusiness investments in southern Africa, allowed me split time between Incubator meetings in Charlottesville and farm visits in Swaziland. Needless to say, however, I still haven’t managed to sell anything for $180 million. 

So, what does that mean? Well, if first-year finance can continue to enlighten us, it’s time to employ a hedging strategy. I’m back on the recruiting train, secretly jealous of classmates with fancy offers, and trying my best to get back into the good graces of the CDC. I’m still hopeful about my business prospects and still wary of corporate America but at the end of the day, Darden does expose us to some pretty great opportunities and writing them all off on principal seems somewhat shortsighted. The good news is, I can sleep at night knowing that I put together a summer that was as educational and enjoyable as it was untraditional. And, if I need to spend a little extra time tweaking bullet points and actions words this fall, so be it.

For more info about the Africa endeavor and my summer in the Incubator feel free to check out this blurb by the significantly more eloquent folks in the Darden communications office.

Joe, apart from being one of the smartest kids at Darden also happens to belong to the most awesome Learning Team here. LT 32. When he's not flying off to Swaziland, or running his tutoring business at Nantucket, he gets kicks out of making excel models without moving his hands off the keyboard.