Paridhi The GBO Newsletter
October 2010
CWG Medal Crisis
Shamed by vigilant media exposures of
the abysmal state of preparations for the
Commonwealth Games, the government finally
woke up and with a Herculean effort averted a
disaster. A totally unnecessary crisis and adverse
publicity was caused by shoddy management.
Finally, the positive elements such as the lavish
food arrangements for visitors, the rousing
opening ceremony, and above all, the splendid
performance by our sportsmen saved the day.
The spectacle of filthy toilets and rooms,
flooded basements, and a collapsing bridge
shown on global television screens did no credit
to India's reputation as a business destination
and a country which can deliver complex
projects. The unusually heavy rains in Delhi
exposed the shabby state of our capital city's
drainage and sewerage systems. The Yamuna,
long abused by Delhi's untreated sewerage found
its revenge as its waters rose and flooded large
areas near the capital. The dengue outbreak this
year coming at the time of the Games posed a
severe challenge, considering that hospitals in
Delhi were overcrowded with cases, and the
Games village itself was sited in a flood-prone
area.
Security preparedness was extraordinary
to the point of overkill, but this must be
considered necessary and despite the
inconveniences, the citizens of Delhi cooperated.
Our Union home minister displayed sterling
leadership qualities in this effort. Traffic
regulation in Delhi during CWG 2010 used the
reserved lane system that was used in the Athens
Olympics. Its success was assured by a
combination of strong publicity and police
presence to ensure that violators were swiftly
dealt with. Even Delhi's normally unruly traffic
was brought under control.
The CWG project was a complex one, and
demanded from the start an integrated and
determined effort under a single command to
enable it to be completed. The Delhi Metro,
another complex urban project, is a shining
example of how under a single authority
outstanding results can be achieved. But CWG
2010 became a pie for many agencies to put their
fingers into, a battleground for turf and ego wars,
and not the least, a cow to be milked through
patently corrupt procurement practices. Despite
six years of lead time, the scenario was of
frequent reports of slippages and roadblocks in
implementation of various components of the
project, for reasons that could only be attributed
to lack of unified authority.
The hapless citizens of Delhi were never
asked whether they would like to have the CWG in
Delhi, and if so what it would cost them in terms
of money, and inconvenience. A business-as-
usual approach was visible right up to 2009 when
it was realised that time was running out, and
international criticism of the preparations began
to be articulated.
Unfavourable comparisons were made
between Delhi's CWG 2010 and the preparations
for CWG 2014 in Glasgow. Though last-minute
efforts salvaged the CWG,there were several
glitches in the various systems that have not
been properly tested.
Editor-Ravi Shankar
Page 8
For example, ticket sales were a disaster,
with empty stands for many events, while people
were being turned away with the message that no
tickets were available for sale. While
sportspersons, officials and VIPs were well taken
care of, the ordinary spectators were given no
priority and were nowhere near the centre of the
planning process, and were left to their own
devices. Even heads of diplomatic missions were
not properly handled during the opening
ceremony — a serious lapse of protocol. Gaffes by
one of the leading members of the OC became
part of the humour component of the coverage of
the Games.
The shining stars were of course our
sportsmen. They showed how individual grit and
perseverance can win despite numerous
obstacles and deficiencies due to the way our
sports federations, under the guise of autonomy,
perpetrate mediocrity and mismanagement. But
to take our performance to the level of Australia or
China, we need to do much better. The dedication
of individual sportsmen must be matched by the
dedication of those who administer sports. Sports
bodies must no longer be parking slots for political
patronage. Autonomy is a good thing, but there
must be minimum guiding principles and
standards to be met, and where they are not met,
government must play the role of regulator and
take corrective action.
On a broader level, we need to realise that
in a globalised world, we have to meet global
minimum standards. The shameful example of an
official who said that hygiene standards are lower
in India should give us pause for thought.
Everyday we come across examples of
unacceptable situations — traffic violations going
unpunished, building contractors cutting corners,
garbage lying around, open drains and sewers,
animals, particularly cattle, wandering around the
streets and on so-called express highways, and
most visibly people using public spaces as toilets.
Some of these could be called the revenge of the
poor, arising out of poverty and deprivation, but
most of these are simply due to lack of education
and consciousness. It is time to recognise these
as a disease, and not pass them off as an amusing
transition phase in our development process.
Our political leadership had shown a lack of
vision, courage and determination in the run-up
to CWG 2010. Failure cannot be passed on to so-
called autonomous sports bodies, or individual
ministries or a state government. Now that the
Games are over, it is time for accounts to be
rendered to the nation for failures and corruption
in the system and wastage of public money. The
leadership must deliver on its promise to conduct
a thorough investigation of all aspects of the
management of the Games identify and
investigate lapses, so that they are not repeated,
and learn lessons for the future. As for our
sportsmen, the nation salutes their sterling
performance and encourages them to scale new
heights.
By Abhishek (giBS)
October 2010 VOL 2 ISSUE 2 A monthly production by Global Business Operations students of SRCC
Insidestory GBO needs CHANGE ?
Marketing
Page 2
Spirit Of
GBO/Poem
Page 3
Finstrument
Page 4
Events
Page 5
Faith Pays
Page 6
Just Chill...
Page 7
CWG Medal Crisis
Page 8
Upcoming Events
NOSTALGIA’10
GBO Alumni Team is organizing Annual Alumni Dinner Nostalgia'10.
Venue- SRCC College
Timing-23rd October,1830 Hrs
. different monthly challenges, leading small groups through
After the successful organization of the HR Summit and the
Marketing Summit-Navyam, The GBO community came up with
its next mega event, FINIESTA'10- The Annual Finance Conclave,
organized by FINOCRATS- The Finance Society.
Finiesta was a pan India event inviting participants from the
best Bschools in the country. The event spanned for around two
weeks through online and onsite activities. The first 10-12 days
were on an online platform, wherein, willing participants got to
participate in a host of events such as BrainWatch-The Kick-off
series, The Indian Stock League and The Strategist. The next part
of the event were onsite events where the participants had to be
present at the venue of the competition. The onsite event
comprised of events such as Cognizance, Strategist, and the
Annual Finance Summit’10. The final day of the conclave will
culminate at The Grand, New Delhi on the 31st October, 2010.
The theme of the discussion would be 'Sustainability in the New
Normal', where stalwarts of the industry would provide students
with their experienced insights into the topic.
The event proved to be immensely successful with student from
institutes all over the country actively participated and got to win
a lot of attractive prizes, worth around Rs. 1 Lacs. The event
marked a new era for GBO by taking it to a complete new level.
The amazing response not only testified the hard work put in, but
also set a benchmark for the coming years. The FINOCRATS team
really worked hard to realize this event successfully and we wish
them luck for their future endeavors.
Over the past few years it has become
increasingly evident that constant academic,
athletic and cultural improvement requires
change in how we view a B-school and the B-
school environment. As a B-school
community, GBO has always maintained a goal
of being on the forefront of improvement .
Inculcating House system in such goal
intended course structure will allow our B-
school to grow academically, foster individual
and community spirituality as well as
motivating greater B-school involvement by
both students and teachers. For students, this
system will provide a "best start" by creating
smaller communities within the larger GBO
team with the single aim of generating greater
B-school spirit and the skills to achieve their
own personal level of excellence.
The goal is to provide a system by which students can
internalize the core values of Honesty, Sincerity, Integrity,
Commitment to Excellence, Equity, Dignity and Respect,
Continuous Improvement, Passion for Learning, and
Compassion for Life into their everyday lives to carry with
them beyond the four walls of SRCC.
In the House System at GBO, all students will
participate, however each students has a different role to
play. Juniors will be the main participants -- competing
against other Houses for "House" supremacy! Experienced
students will volunteer to participate as leaders over a House.
For example, say in a year, we will have 5 prominent students
leading different Houses.
The specific tasks leaders will play vary from creating
House Day activities to taking time out to mentor other
students during House Days and throughout the year. Senior
students need to realize that junior students are the future of
our B-school, and so as leaders they are expected to take
time out to touch base and connect juniors to the greater B-
school community and at the same time junior students with
huge experience needs to act as contributors to the learning
environment which I emphasize here. This will be an
excellent mentoring opportunity and will be a new feature
here at GBO.
We are very proud of our GBO but…………..as is the case
every year, we miss the opportunity to even know our own
batch mates and students from other batch. A House system
will provide a structure within the College which will allow
students to be known more closely and therefore cared for
more effectively. It is a way of fostering sound pastoral care
in a large scale.
Each House will consist of approximately thirty students
and 2-3 staffs. Students may be cared for by the same House
Leaders and staffs for their entire time at the College.
Consequently, a healthy interaction will also be there
between staffs and students. The students can further be
grouped into tutor groups, under the care of one or two
teachers. Tutors are most immediately responsible for the
academic and general progress of the students and may
continuously remain in contact with a group for some time as
they move through the College.
The system will encourage a sense of belonging and
continuity among many College families and staff. Loyalty
and commitment to Houses will foster over time and will be
an added advantage to this dynamic course structure .
By Ravi Shankar Upadhyay