Cover, Macaroons, Sesquipedalian, HDFC
1. You are invited to the Sangeet+Mehendi ceremony of my book
(S&M) Sangeet and Mehendi, have been added to the calendar of weddings in India. In case of a book launch, the ‘cover-reveal’ is the new sangeet+mehendi moment. The Dreamers and Unicorns team is delighted to invite you to our cover-reveal moment.
When : LinkedIn Live November 3, 2020 at 5:30pm IST
What will happen: You will meet 3 writers, 3 friends, 3 styles
Join by going here on 3rd Nov, 2020 at 5:30pm https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijitbhaduri/
The event is called ‘A Class Apart’ (read on and you will know why) and features
N Madhavan, my classmate from college. His twitter bio says “Journalist/Writer/Alleged poet. Economy/politics/tech Music/movies. ex @reuter, HT,ET, @bsindia. Read on @firstpost heard on @bbcworldbiz” He is the wit in Twitter
David Rasquinha, Managing Director and Chairman at Exim Bank and a classmate from XLRI Jamshedpur. (He won a gold medal in Economics at XLRI). He writes the best book reviews. And this will encourage him to write a kind review of my book!
We will reveal the book cover and share the pre-order link for my book during the cover-reveal. You will receive the wedding (book launch) invitation too if you attend the Sangeet+Mehendi.
Why you should attend?
1. If you are a writer: We will talk about how each one approaches writing - whether it is a review, a newspaper column, a social media post, or even a thank you note, it is an opportunity to write in a manner that connects. You can ask the panel questions about the art and craft of writing. #writingtips
2. If you are not a writer: Then you must attend it to show your support for a soon-to-be-born book (can’t think of any other reason) and me. Please invite your friends. They can follow me on LinkedIn and join the event.
2. The ‘syllabus’ should be like the plot of a mystery
The syllabus is a relic of the past when all learning was put into silos. Many academic institutions have not kept pace with the fluidity of the real world. Some say that the syllabus has become obsolete in academics, just as job descriptions are predicted to disappear at workplaces.
What if the syllabus is a story that is written like a mystery that is unravelling and keeps the learner engaged by the anticipation of twists and turns.
Stories are compelling when we do not know what lies ahead - the twists and turns keep us engaged. The syllabus too must contain “mysteries, problems, as-yet-unresolved difficulties with which students will wrestle all term.” It is up to the students to find their way through this story together, not for the teacher to simply deliver it. Read more
Send this idea to a teacher and see what he/she has to say.
3. Sesquipedalian
In the film Mary Poppins, I first heard the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious which is used as ‘something to say when you have nothing to say’.
As Fr Mascarenhas (‘Mascy’ to all those he taught) told us in his first class that he hated ‘sesquipedalians’ (pronounced as ses-key-peda-lee-uns) because they used complex words and jargon to hide their ignorance. Research confirms what Mascy told us long ago at XLRI. It just shows someone is insecure.
Funnily, the paper that talks about this is titled, “Compensatory conspicuous communication: Low status increases jargon use” (serious, see this)
Communicating in simple terms is a skill. Insecure people like to scare us by using jargon and buzzwords. Read more If you know a sesquipedalian, do share in the comment below.
4. If you don’t have all answers, it is OK
Pooja Dhingra is the founder and executive chef of Le15 Patisserie, which she founded in 2010. In 2016, Pooja was featured on the Forbes ’30 under 30′ list both in India and Asia. She also hosts a podcast called #NoSugarCoat and has authored 3 bestselling cookbooks. She is often called India’s ‘macaroon queen’ (not to be confused with Macron, the French President)
This water-colour painting of three macaroons was being done by Nandini (my spouse) when it was still half-baked. She has just started taking classes. Tell her what you think of it.
Pooja wrote about her journey as an entrepreneur. She says, “I used to feel, as the founder of my company, like I should know what to do in every situation, even ones that were outside of my knowledge and experience. With time, I understood that coming to terms with the fact that you actually don’t know the answer, and acknowledging that, is the first step to fixing it” Read the article
Leave a comment for Pooja
5. Note taking
I was invited by Devina Sengupta and Saumya Bhattacharya of Economic Times to join them on the ET Podcast. The job market in India post-COVID. These are the notes I took while preparing my ideas and then added what Devina and Saumya had to say. The color code helps me group the ideas as the discussion moves.
Here is the podcast <listen>
Lessons from a #MarketShaper
The Economist (Oct 31-Nov 6, 2020) talks about HDFC Bank under the leadership of Aditya Puri. Did you know that at $90bn, HDFC is worth more than Citibank and HSBC and ranks among the top 10 banks in the world. A #MarketShaper is usually one that has a global presence. Yet HDFC is certainly a firm that views India as a large enough market that they have steadily built over the last 25 years. No wonder The Economist rates Aditya Puri as the “best banker in the world” ahead of more high profile bankers like Jamie Dixon. I believe, the key lies in their tagline: ‘We understand your world’. They have a nuanced understanding of the Indian consumer and have minimised giving loans to India’s “indebted oligarchs”. See this chart
Tech is no longer a sector. It is now a competency. Would you agree?
Stay curious, stay connected.
