D-Company members for an year...friends-for-life

My PGPX syndicate group (Group D; alias D-Company) mates are much more than mere case-discussion-buddies. They are “family” here on campus and I am sure they will remain friends for life. We folks have been with each other through easy and tough times, both within and outside of the classroom! Here are my reflections on each one of the Group-D “magnificent seven” (actually six, cause I will leave myself out of this).

Arun the agony aunt: Have to start with him as he is the most responsible of the group members. He diligently remembers all the deadlines, and handles all the money dealings for the entire batch. An ex-entrepreneur and an experienced hand at stock-market investing, Arun can never be too far away from either money or “numbers” (in case discussions). He is almost the “agony-aunt” of the entire batch due to his easily approachable and dependable persona, and is certainly one of the most popular guys in PGPX-III. For Group-D, he is the one who always does course correction if the discussion is going astray during our endless syndicate room pre-class-prep sessions.

Harish the “sutradhar”: This cool dude from Seychelles is a true Gujrati (no offence meant) who can smell a business opportunity even in the most mundane activities. Sooner or later I am sure he will be a business tycoon. Apart from his commercial astuteness, Harish has a “cool” side to him; he is easily the most fun-loving person in the group. With his interests and amazing knowledge ranging from drinks to cigars to watches (and post PGPX to crazy topics such as retail, 3PL, supply chain :-() he takes a centre stage in most group parties. An amazing story teller, Harish is always looking for a fun (and often scandalous) story to tell; hence his sutradhar title.

Senthil the smooth-talker: Well when our Group D is least prepared for the case discussion or presentation all we need to do is to “put” Senthil is front of the class and his “performance” never lets us down. I sometimes feel his level of “performance” is inversely proportional to Group D’s level of preparation! He is the “calming factor” of the group -- ever so cool and unfazed by deadlines and deliverable schedules; his Australia connection clearly showing in his “chilled” attitude.

Bhaskar the wizard: Bhaskar can “conjure” a presentation deck in 30 seconds flat! So many times it has happened that while the group is discussing a case, Bhaskar’s magic fingers are at work creating the slide deck or the white-paper/report to be submitted; as the discussion ends, the Group has a deck already made! He is clearly the silent-wizard of Group D. While he does not believe in wasting his grey cells (and trust me he has the most in our Group) in mundane discussions; he is clearly the sharpest of the lot. His fun side, which is not apparent unless you know him really well, clearly shows in his hilarious one-liners.

Prateek the sharp-shooter: Behind this ex-army-man’s straight face and a half-mischievous smile, is a really great buddy always willing to step in for people in need of any kind of help. He gets a high in life cracking tough puzzle-type cases, driving long distances, attending/hosting small (restricted) parties, and doing anything adventurous (probably a hangover from his army days!).

Kamesh the Don: He is the “elected” leader of D Company due to his special ability in using ingenious ways (ranging from requesting to soft coercion to threats-to-life!) to get the group together for syndicate meetings. A fun-loving bloke with an infectious laughter, amazing level of enthusiasm, and a chill attitude towards life, Kamesh is most fun to be with during group parties, where he often ends up delivering some truly marvellous and inspiring speeches in high “spirits”!!