Inside the mind and heart of Venkatesh Sridhar

As I arrived today morning to class and booted my laptop and then started Microsoft Outlook. There was this innocuous little mail sitting in my inbox. As I read it, the first thing that stuck me was that “Sometimes Education ruins you!” and that’s how I came up with this title for the post. Now what was that mail about?

It was about the famous Dabbawalas of Mumbai. I will just attach the para from the mail:

This is One of the best case of 6 sigma. They have achieved 6 sigma but 6 sigma practitioner says that this cannot be included as a 6 sigma case study because they have not used any of the stated tool. But I say that tools are just a mean to achieve the target, which they have. We all can learn some fabulous thing from these guys.

I have put the sentence that affected me the most in bold. I cannot believe that these so called “6 sigma practitioners” do not want to include this mammoth achievement as an example of 6 sigma, just because they don’t want follow the tools. I do not understand whether, the means are more important than the end result. These guys are not even using technology. As I thought about it further, I think there is a very commercial interest in this. Imagine, if they include this as an example of 6 sigma and that these dabbawalas have not used technology, won’t their business be affected. These guys cannot achieve 6 sigma without using technology, technology companies make money using it, these 6 sigma practitioners are paid heavily, their jobs may be on the line.

These dabbawalas are uneducated. Yet, they have this uncanny ability to deliver their service on time. Domino’s Pizza says, “30 mins mein delivery nahi tho Pizza free”. But, imagine these dabbawalas have a 99.99% accuracy rate. We, the so called experts in business - MBA’s cannot achieve this WITHOUT the use of technology. If you look at their system, you would find it to be simple, practical, cheap and something that works. Whereas we MBA’s would complicate the thing and make it so complicated that when we revisit for a review, we ourselves cannot understand it.

So, like I said, sometimes education does ruin you. There is a saying that says,

If you ever want to be an entrepreneur never become a MBA!

I think that sums it up very well.

I am now back in Dubai. Back to those same LC’s, the same quizzes, the same routine of starting the day by shutting off my alarm turning my huge body around n go back to sleep, same prob of not having a broadband connection at the villas…. the administration has to try and help us out, but it seems to have its own limitations….

Will keep you guys posted…..

I know I have been lazy and havent updated the blog. So here let me try… I am back in my cosy home on my cosy lil bed blogging. It was an excellent flight. Took some pics of mumbai by night will post them soon. Well I have been chillaxing. Doing nothing but eat, sleep and surf. Collecting a lot of data which I plan to take back. Lots of movies, videos and music. Will finally get to hear Kishore Da in Dubai after a long time. I have become lazy. So till the next time.. cya folks….

n yea forget to tell u guys this year also plannin 2 write a novel alongwith my closest friend in Dubai —> Swathi Sridharan. Will keep you updated on that.