Jai Hind - A salute to our Nation on 62nd Independence Day

I salute Indian National Flag on the occasion of 61 years of our independence.

On this August 15, we have celebrated 62nd Indian independence day in our Ayyakhar Bhavan, Queens Road in Bangalore at 8:00 am. On this occasion, our Chief Commissioner of Income Tax spoke and mainly emohised on the concept of "Ahamkaram" (Self-ego) and said that we should go away from self and try to help others within our own way. He said that there can there views on an issue. One is my view, two is your view and three is our view. Unless we take correct view taking into consideration of my view and your view, we cannot think of giving a helping hand to others.

On this eve, I also salute our Indian, Mr. Abhinav Bindra, who had achieved the first gold medal for India in an individual capacity in air rifle shooting event at Beijing Olympics, 2008. We had to wait for more than a century to get a gold medal in any olympics in an individual capacity. India is a billion country now!

The economy is on downtrend as suggested by the letest GDP estimate of 7.7% for the fiscal 2009 by PM's Economic Advisory Council. This is a downward estimate from its own ealrier estimate. The reasons for dpwnturn could be

• The tight monetary conditions prevailing in the market with the corersponding rising inetrest rates.
• The sluggish industrial growth. The main concern is the deccelration in the capital goods sector which is in single digit (5% for the period from April-June, 2008) when compared to the robust double digit growth in the same period of last year.
• The inflationary trends. The inflation tocuhed almost 16 yeras high last week. This inflation is mainly driven by incresed global prices of agricultural commodities, and oil. It is also fuelled by the relentless increase in the prices of steel and cement in India. All the developed countries are also facing their worst inflationary pressures on their economy.
• The global slow down mainly driven by weak US economy. The US economy is still reeling under sub-prime crisis. But, still to come is the credit card bubble which is yet to catch the Indian media. I will discuss this issue in this month seperately.
• The not so encouraging liquidity in stock market which in egenral reflects the sentiment towards Indian economy.

Everything is not so gloomy. The Indian economy will bounce back from the next fiscal by which time new government at the centre will bring in stability to the economic policies as well as the inflationary pressure may subside paving the way for reduced interest rates. These aspects will increse the credit offtake by the banks, will fuel the infrastructure, real estate and housing sector which are very sensitive to the interest rates.

The following are the highlights of the Prime Minsiter Sri Manmohan Singh on the eve of independence day

1. For the first time in history, we have had four years of nearly 9.0% economic growth. India is among the world’s fastest growing economies. Our economy must grow at the rate of at least ten per cent every year to get rid of poverty and generate employment for all.
2. Our growth is critically dependent on "Saat Sutras", namely agriculture, irrigation, education, health, employment, urban renewal and infrastructure.
3. India will have 30 new universities, 8 new IITs, 7 new IIMs, 20 new IIITs, 5 new Indian Institutes of Science, 2 Schools of Planning and Architecture, 10 NITs, and a 1000 new polytechnics.
4. The world today sees India as a major knowledge power whose people are skilled, competent, hard working and peace loving.

The complete speech of the PM can be seen by clicking here

ISB: Programmes Expenses for PGP 2009-10

The following is the information in respect of expenses relating to one year PGP programme for the academic year 2009-10. The School awards institutional grants and corporate-sponsored scholarship assistance in addition to facilitating agreements with financial institutions to provide long-term, low-interest loans.

*Note: As advised by the Counsel of the School, Service Tax is not applicable on the fees charged for the PGP programme. This view is not accepted by the Service Tax Authorities. The matter is under adjudication and should the decision go against the School, the School reserves the right to collect the service tax amount from the students in addition to the fees. The present rate of service tax (inclusive of cess) is 12.36%.

*Note:

1. USD amounts are approximate and will be likely to change depending on the exchange rate.
2. The School realises its fee in Indian Rupees. There are options available to make payments in foreign currency also; in which case the amount realised must be equivalent to the amounts fixed in INR.
3. It is mandatory to live in the campus.
4. Tuition fees cover course packs provided but certain courses require mandatory text books over and above the study material supplied by ISB.
5. Every student is required to have a laptop. You can buy one from vendors identified by the School (ISB will help you to get special rates) or bring your own. Rates may vary according to the model opted for.
6. Expenses pertaining to meals can differ depending upon the plan opted. The residential facilities have kitchens for people who would like to cook.

Medical Insurance

• It is mandatory for all students and their dependents living on campus to have medical insurance.
• The ISB will arrange to purchase a group medical insurance for all students and their dependents.
• The premium of this will have to be paid by all students in addition to the other fees at the time of registration.
• The premium is aproximately in the range of INR 1,300 to 4,000 depending on the age of the insured - these amounts are approximate and subject to change.
  Miscellaneous Expenses
• Please also budget for some miscellaneous expenses which may vary depending on your needs and preferences (like schooling for children, sightseeing, etc.) Exchange Programme ExpensesIf you wish to participate in the exchange programme certain expenses have to be borne by the student depending upon the travelling and accommodation costs incurred. It may vary from USD 6000 to USD 10000 (approx.) depending upon the school you have been admitted to.

ISB admission information sessions - other locations

The ISB conducts Information Sessions to reach out to all prospective students. The agenda for each session includes:
A presentation on Admissions (40 mins)
Question and Answer session (40 mins)
City Address Date Timings Registration

1. Bangalore ITC Windsor August 24, 2008 10:00 am - 12 noon Register
2. Bangalore ITC Windsor August 24, 2008 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Register
3. Chandigarh PHD HouseSector-31-A, Chandigarh August 10, 2008 10:00 am - 12 noon Register
4. Chennai Taj Connemara August 31, 2008 10:00 am - 12 noon Register
5. Chennai Taj Connemara August 31, 2008 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Register
6. Kolkata Taj Bengal August 10, 2008 10:00 am - 12 noon Register
7. Kolkata Taj Bengal August 10, 2008 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Register
8. Mumbai World Trade Centre, Cuffee Parade August 2, 2008 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Register
9. Mumbai Taj Lands End August 3, 2008 10:00 am - 12 noon Register
10. Mumbai Taj Lands End August 3, 2008 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Register

A nominal fee will be charged to attend these sessions.

ISB Campus Sessions - August to November, 2008 at Hyderabad

The best way to explore what the ISB has to offer to its students is to visit its sprawling campus on the outskirts of Hyderabad on any of the following Fridays, for an On-Campus Information Session. At these sessions you can learn more about the ISB and about admissions into its Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) in particular. You will also get the chance to interact one-on-one with our Admissions Staff and the Class of 2009. The agenda for each session includes:
Venue: ISB, HyderabadCampus Tour: 6:00 pm– 6:15 pm
A presentation on Admissions: 6:20 pm– 6:50 pm
Question and Answer session: 6:50 pm – 7:30 pm
Date Timings Registration

1. August 1, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
2. August 8, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
3. August 22, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
4. August 29, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
5. September 5, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
6. September 19, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
7. September 26, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
8. October 3, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
9. October 10, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
10. October 17, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
11. October 24, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
12. October 31, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
13. November 7, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
14. November 14, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
15. November 21, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register
16. November 28, 2008 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm Register

It is also to be mentioned here that the ISB conducts admission information sessions at other big cities. For other cities, please click here.

ISB - Application deadlines for the Round-1 & Round -2 for the Class of 2010 (PGP 2009-10)

Admission process for PGP 2009-10 has already commenced. As per the website of ISB, the application deadlines are as follows:

For Indian passport holders

For Non-Indian Passport Holders
For all international applicants, the rolling application process begins in June and goes on till January. The applicant , if shortlisted will be interviewed within one month of the application submission date. However, in exceptional situations it might take more than a month. The applicant will be informed about the decision within three weeks from the date of the interview. International candidates may need additional time to arrange for their visas, housing, and financial aid, and to work on their English proficiency, hence they are encouraged to apply early.
For any further information or assistance please mail them at PGPAdmissions@isb.edu

Course commencement date: Mid April, 2009
Disclaimer: The candidates are requested to check the ISB's website for any change or extension in the deadline.

ISB - Curtain Raiser for the academic year 2009-10

Hai Friends,
All the best for all those people who are aspiring to become tomorrow's global leaders at Indian School of Business, which is ranged as Top-20 in the global MBA rankings by Financial Times. Now that the admission process for Round-1 has started, think about it seriously, prepare with acumen and hit the bulls eye in your first attempt. I also wish all the best for re-applicants who missed the bus in their earlier attempts. In this blog, I would try to give the information about the ISB admission process, the details of admission information sessions conducted by ISB at Hyderabad and other big cities, actual interview experiences of candidates appeared in the previous years as well as in the current year, the opinions of persons who passed out from ISB, the Indian macro economic scenario, the inflation trends, the monetory trends, the growth in the Gross Dometic Product, analysis of various emerging sectors of Indian economy, emerging employment opportunities and much more.