Yesterday, we had our last FM (Financial Markets) class and for that one last time, we had our Prof SM asking us, whether we had any Questions, Comments or Concerns!!! We had several but nothing that would make her stick around after the coming Monday. After all, all good things have to come to an end.
Interestingly enough, our course had started off with the whole class getting together to celebrate her birthday. But whoever thought that that was odd, found what was to follow even…stranger than fiction that is. She, in spite of being only a visiting faculty, and that too on a really short one from the land of maple leaves, had all of us, eating right out of her hands – whether it was being the gladiator woman cutting down on NCP (Negative CP) in class, explaining complex finance fundaes lucidly, conducting office hours to solve FM (Financial Markets) cases and problems, allowing spouses into the class for a day, to take the PGPXian domestic respect index to the stratosphere, celebrating birthdays together, putting her ‘consultant’ cap on and reviewing our placement profiles to give us invaluable feedback, inviting her parents to campus and introducing each and every one of us to them by name...the list just keeps going on and on. And the fact that she happens to be an IIMA alumni only increased the strength of our bonding. Who needs glue or liquor for bonding when there are fascinating subjects like OB to be discussed?
And funnily enough, our course came to a close with our very own PGPX official mimicry artist Suresh, under explicit exhortations from SM, doing an SM impression. And needless to say, what followed was lapped up with roars of laughter by all and sundry, not to mention SM herself.
That kinda, sorta motivated me to come up with my own snap shot of a ‘writer’s impression’ of her inimitable class style. What follows has to be read in a very distinct ‘Angrezi’ accent, for the bazooka effect.
SM: Good morning people, before we begin, are there any ICC?
Sri Sri: But Madam we fall under the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), not ICC (International Cricket Council) and we have Mr. SC backbencher as our president. He also happens to be a sleeping partner in several of our proceedings.
SM: Sir, can you please not call me madam. You can call me by my Madan name, sorry maiden name. And by the way, ICC stands for Issues, Comments, Concerns…
Sri Sri: Just like you don’t like being called Madam, I don’t like being called Sir.
SM: Good. Is everybody in the class able to see that? What Sri Sri is saying here is that he wants to do a complex option trading with me so that he can keep hiding his age.
SM: By the way, people…tomorrow will be the ‘bring your pets to the class’ day.
BN: But I don’t have any pets. Can I bring in some of ‘men’s original friends’ roaming around in the IIMA campus?
SM: Sure thing. That is truly a great idea. I would like them also to see that inside class, your life is not much different from theirs…except of course the air conditioning and the soft cushioned seats and all.
SM: Ok, let’s start. So, how many of you have not brought your calculators?
Hands popping up all over the place…
SM: Ok, don’t worry. I will be giving you a calculator each for your exam, along with the formula sheet, the annuity table, the normal distribution table, the multiplication table and any other table that you might need….
SM: Also, if any of you have any questions during the exam, like how many zeroes are there in this entire universe, let me know and I will be writing that down for you on the board. Also, I don’t mind giving one of them to you if your exemplary exam performance warrants that.
Obviously there are some sporadic protests, especially from the grade non-disclosure sections of the crowd…
SM: I know…I know it is not fair. But life rarely is.
MS: Prof, you talked about the put option and the call option? But how about the third option? Why are we not discussing that? That is kinda sorta my favorite option…
SM: Yes, thanks for reminding me. Let me exercise my third and final option, of not answering such questions…
SM: People, if you have any more questions, my office hours start immediately after the class and will continue till the start of our next class tomorrow, especially with the kind of traffic that I have been getting lately…
SM: Are we kind of, sort of OK, this far? Please tell yes…, because we have to move on….
MY: Prof, Can you please repeat your intuitive reasoning of the BS formula?
SM: What do you mean BS formula? This Black Scholes is a complex formula involving differential equations, people. I am just trying to break it down, so that you mathematically challenged guys don’t get freaked out and start sending me hate mails.
AC: Prof, Can you please go over this valuation problem once more?
SM: Sure. Step 1 - Read the question. Step 2 - Write down the variables. Step 3 - Draw the timeline Step 4 - Meet me at office hours so that I can walk you through the remaining steps.
SM: And remember, people…FM is always, always, always… of the people, by the people, for the people…
The winding down thus of this ultimate democratization of the Financial Markets was received by the masses with a standing ovation….
Thanks very much SM for all that you have given us…
One day we hope to make big bucks out of all this knowledge that we have gained from you and you will definitely hear from us. In the mean time, please don’t forget to push us out the door with at least a ‘B-’ to go, in the fast approaching end term…
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2 comments:
Good one, Biju.
SM has the knack of explaining the most complext ideas in the best possible way.
We thank her for all her help and wish her good luck.
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cinevalley
Good for people to know.
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