Been There Bungled That , livre ebook

Advance Praise for the Book
Wodehouse comes to India s MBA-land. Been There Bungled That is a brilliantly irrepressible look at the classic engineer-MBA s journey through corporate land. Amazing how an insider has provided an insightful and delightful outside-in perspective on our foibles in consultancy, marketing, advertising and banking. The result is a roll on the floor laughter narrative. A must read for all corporate types who take themselves seriously. - V IKRAM S AKHUJA, CEO, Maxus Worldwide
A really funny look at corporations, travel, family, and life in general. - A RVIND S HARMA, Chairman CEO, Leo Burnett India Subcontinent
A hilarious book. Among other things, Paddy captures the inherent humour in a marketing job brilliantly. - J AYANT K APUR, ex-Chairman, Bacardi Martini India Ltd
I ve spent my entire career in the advertising industry and have loved it. But till I read this book, I didn t realize how comical it can be from time to time! - S AM B ALSARA, Chairman Managing Director, Madison World
If you take your job seriously, you must read this book because Paddy gives you numerous hilarious reasons why you should not! - S HANTANU K HOSLA, Managing Director, Procter Gamble India

Published by Random House India in 2013
Copyright Paddy Rangappa 2013 Illustrations Madhurya Balan
Random House Publishers India Private Limited Windsor IT Park, 7th Floor, Tower-B A-1, Sector-125, Noida-201301, UP
Random House Group Limited 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SW1V 2SA United Kingdom
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author s and publisher s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
EPUB ISBN 9788184004991
Contents
Dissuaded from doing an MBA
The mechanical engineer
Campus life
Married to the brand
Meeting more brand managers
A meaningful summer internship
Grappling with the IIMA curriculum
Submitting the POM report and meeting someone
Discussing career with Dr Wakefield (again)
A heavenly auto ride
The MBA man turns to consultancy
Parents meeting parents
Hurtling towards the wedding
The consultant
Tying the knot
The sophisticated shopper
Getting the first consultancy project
The dynamic, supercharged, recently-trained executive
The known unknowns
A man s monthly syndrome
Difficult conversations
Rekindling of an old love
The decisive, purposeful executive
A productive railway journey
A rollercoaster bus ride
The unique work ethic of Kerala
A banana or two a day
An angel joins the family
Driving the angel to sleep
Getting the full hotel service
How long will it take to get there?
An electric guitar for children
Addressing a change
An ancient civilization in the 21st century
The professional tennis player
A sensible sense of time
The dual-country driver
A king-sized city
The traits of a successful copy writer
Talk in America as Americans do
Flying travails
The disease that is mobile
Reunion with Q P Mumbai
Preparing for a pitch
A fraternity of fatness
The stranger danger
The after-pitch effect
Devious inanimate objects
Fridge, oh glorious fridge
The EE s and SS s of marketing at Gronollers
Supermarket man
Close encounters of the durian kind
Laundry Immersion Day
Helping out with homework
Mobile love
The power of branding
Something attempted, something done
Haircut evolution
Branding bliss
For the record
Taking marketing to the bank
Medically speaking
Banking on money
Culture shock in Tokyo
Taking taxi trips in Tokyo
The quest for a new toilet seat
We don t tolerate conflict of interest here
The flying go-getter gets going
The two secrets of marriage compatibility
A doctor for daughter
Lost in transportation
Avoiding the Goldman Sachs blunder
Fanatic football fever
The intrepid explorer
Exiting the bank
Hubby the handyman
The guilty party
Been there, done that
A Note on the Author
Dissuaded from doing an MBA
I T IS NOT OFTEN THAT a casual conversation with a relative stranger can have a significant impact on one s life but it happened to me when I spoke with Dr Sidelinger Wakefield in my third year of engineering.
I was home from college for the summer break and Dr Wakefield, my father s friend, was visiting. He was on holiday from the US, where he was a professor in an institution with a very amusing name: Brown University. I remember wondering whether the US was littered with sister universities bearing the names of other colours like Blue University, Green University and, perhaps exclusively for women, Pink University.
So Jags-, my name is Jagannath Srinivasan but people call me Jags -what are your plans after engineering? asked Wakefield, as he joined the family for tea one evening.
I m taking the CAT, I said.
Which cat? The professor looked around him in confusion, as if expecting to see one slinking around. And where are you taking it?
Not the animal, I explained. I m taking the Common Admissions Test to get into the IIMs. The professor continued to look stumped. The Indian Institutes of Management. To get an MBA. That s Master of
At least I know what an MBA is! said Wakefield. But why an MBA?
I was puzzled by the question. I m puzzled by the question, I said. What do you mean?
You re studying engineering now, right? I nodded. Why?
That s easy, I said. I passed the JEE-the Joint Entrance Exam-to get into IIT. That s Indian Institute of Technology. I did badly in the medical college entrance test.
What?! You actually wanted to be a doctor?
Of course not, I said. Why do you ask?
Because you took the medical college entrance test. You just told me! The professor was getting agitated and his voice was rising.
Yes, I did, I replied soothingly. But that was only as a back-up. I was not serious.
The professor shook his head in bewilderment. Ok, so you really wanted to do engineering but just for fun, took the medical college test too. I understand-or at least I think I do-so tell me: what engineering are you studying?
Mechanical engineering at IIT Kanpur.
Why?
With my rank in the JEE-the Joint Entrance Exam, I said a little sheepishly, that was the best I could get. But it s a great university. In the overall ratings
No! I mean why did you choose mechanical engineering?
I didn t. I chose electronics engineering but could only get IIT Kharagpur for electronics. Mechanical engineering at Kanpur is better than electronics engineering at Kharagpur.
Now I m puzzled, said the professor. Better in what way?
In ranking of course, I said. I wondered how this gentleman had become a professor. He seemed to be lacking basic intelligence.
Let me get this straight. You chose your area of specialization based on its relative popularity and the popularity of the institute?
Yes, but it s not just the relative popularity of the specialization and the institute separately. It s the combination that s important. For example mechanical engineering at Kanpur is better than electrical engineering at Kharagpur but civil engineering in Kharagpur is better than electrical engineering in Madras. It s very complicated, I said smugly. ( And therefore beyond your comprehension, I added, but only to myself.)
I m not going to try to follow that, said Wakefield. ( Exactly, I said, again to myself.) Let me come back to my first question. Why, after studying mechanical engineering, do you want to do an MBA straightaway?
Well, I m just taking the CAT, as I said, but I ll also be applying for some engineering jobs on campus -the professor began to nod with enthusiasm- as well as applying for an MS degree in the US. Also
The professor stopped nodding with enthusiasm and interrupted me. Hang on. You don t know whether you ll work or do an MBA or study for an MS?
I nodded. It depends on what I get.
This is nonsense! The professor was getting excited again, I could tell, because his voice was rising once more. You need to know what you want to do in life.
He then began a lecture of an esoteric nature, covering how I should view education as preparatory ground for my long-term career; how I should apply what I study to the real world; by doing this, how I should attain a passion for my profession; and using this experience, how I should figure out if I would like to study further; and if so, in what field.

Mechanical engineering at Kanpur is better than electrical engineering at Kharagpur but civil engineering in Kharagpur is better than electrical engineering in Madras. It s very complicated.
Go get a job with an engineering company, he said finally. Work there for a couple of years. Then figure out if you want to continue working, or do an MBA or specialize further in engineering.
Mm, this professor was not so nutty after all. My parents were definitely impressed: both were listening wide-eyed and nodding sagely. Even my younger sister seemed to be nodding sagely but that might have been in response to the rock music faintly audible from a neighbour s radio.
Ok, I said.
Splendid! said the professor. And that means don t waste your time chasing cats this winter!
We all laughed politely.
The mechanical engineer
I N ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNSEL I had received from the learned professor Wakefield, I only applied for jobs on campus in my final year. Around me, classmates were applying for the CAT with gusto and filling out forms to take the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) to gain entrance into US universities, but I ignored them.
The job application process began with a group discussion, where a few of us s