Know thy readers.

Dbabble is like the blood of IIM-A.

Its actually just a software, playing the role of an online notice board. But to really understand its importance, you'd have to shut it down for a day. People wouldnt know where to go for those essential updates. Sport lovers wouldnt know how to schedule events. Romantics wouldnt be able to proclaim their love, straight or otherwise. The nerdy ones wouldnt be able to get those articles to keep them occupied during those few minutes they are not studying their cases.

Dbab with its numerous notice boards, is really the lifeline of IIM-A.

Before I took it for granted, I found it quite fascinating. Take the jokes notice board for example. Someone would post a joke, and thus start a thread. Soon half a dozen replies would follow.

If the joke's liked and is original, there would be applause. "Good show !". If the joke's a repeat the message is "RCP". And if the joke's by a fresher, regardless of its originality, the response is "Mug le, fachche." (Go study, fresher).

Something happened today which made me wonder if the profs dont have a notice board for themselves.

I mean, think about it. Its a possibility. There would be one prof who would start a thread which might go like this.

"Hey, I conducted a surprise quiz today. The students didnt know what hit them !"

and then there would be a dozen replies.

"Good show !!"

"Great stuff ! Keep it up !"

"Hey, I did it too !"

"Gusshow ! Give it to them !!"

"Keep one more tomorrow ! They will blow the hell out of them !"

"This is good, but not good enough. I conducted back to back quizzes. My students were dumbfounded."


All this might amuse you, but do you guys realize how much of a risk I'm taking by flirting with these kind of topics?

Today afternoon, as I was turning the key in the lock on my door, I called out to Samba. As I do nearly every afternoon, after classes.

"Are O Samba, how was your favorite class today?"

"It was terrific yaar. Today he teased so many students that I just couldnt stop laughing."

"What did he say? Do you remember anything he said?"

"Of course. I've written them down !"

"Wow!"

"Okay." he looked at his notebook, "First there was this guy who had a confusion about the cash flow statement. He didnt quite understand what the concept was, and asked why an amount had to be subtracted at one place and added at the other."

"Ok."

"And he replied to him that to gain something you have to lose something. Kuch Paane Ke Liye, Kuch Khona padta hai. After all haar ke jeethne waale ko hi to Baazigar kehten hai." (I am sorry, non-Hindi folks.)

I laughed. Samba went on. "And then he pulled your friend (One of my BITSian friends is in the same section) again into a discussion on Rajnikant and Baba (Baba is Rajnikant's name in a movie). He goes into movies every now and then. Its hilarious !"

"Then, we were looking at the ITC report where one particular entry had something to do with the exchange rates. I dont remember it exactly, but one girl with an economics background suggested that it involved macroeconomics, to which he replied 'You dont need macroeconomics. Economic times would be sufficient. Pick up the initial rate, pick up the final rate, find the difference and multiply by the amount. You'd get it'. The girl just shut up. And after that he'd ask your friend, 'Baba would agree right?'"

"Hey, you guys sure have some serious fun."

"Yeah. He tells us that he has to resort to this sort of antics to keep the students awake, as its the third class of the day."

I laughed. Samba continued, "Then some other guy asked a question. To which he said, 'How can you be wrong, you are the kadavul, or some word like that. I dont know what it means. But it sure did shock that guy."

My wide smile froze. Kadavul is the Tamil word for God. It sounded familiar and recent. Where have I seen this, and why would the guy would be so shocked by the remark?

Oh yes.

Oh no.

Kadavul is the pen-name by which one of the...

"After that he went completely into other topics for about 10 minutes. Now what was that... Yeah, he went off on a tangent. He talked about some guy in Section C or D who wrote something in his blog. Something about accounting being a philosophy. He quoted a few lines, I dont remember what it was. He then said that accounting definitely wasnt philosophy. Hey what happened to you ?"

Kadavul is the pen-name by which one of the guys I know signs off in his blog.

No points for guessing who the guy in Section D is.

My smile was now completely gone. And the color slowly drained from my face.

"Wait a minute. Is that your blog he was talking about?"