Crorepati Sympathy

“ 16 lakhs!! That’s it???”  growled Changu’s father, jumping from his chair like a rebounding spring, as he heard the news of his son’s salary package on joining an unknown Company named GUI Soutions. 

“ Shame on you!! I must be damned that my son will be earning a mere 16 lakhs as a starting salary. Kumar has invited us for his daughter’s marriage reception on the 24^th of the month. I will cut a sorry figure before the guests when they come to know that a graduate from IIM-Z earns so less.”

“ But dad…” Changu tried in vain to reason, clutching his Galaxy tight to his ear. His father would not relent.

“ Changu beta, it’s me” His mother had just snatched the phone from his father in the nick of time. There is something about mothers and their expertise in rescue missions.

“I will talk to your father. Don’t worry too much. We will see you soon at the convocation. Bye beta and take care of your health.” Mom was at her consoling best.

Changu’s dad was still blowing hot. She sat beside him and tried soothing him.

“ Suno ji. Please leave it. So what if it is just a 16 lakh salary package.  How mad will you be at him? After all he is our son. I am sure he will do better than this in the coming days and get a decent pay.”

Her words seem to have the desired effect as Changu’s father mellowed down like a spent volcano.

“Its 2016 now. For the past 5 years I have read enough about the salaries of IIM kids not being less than a crore. And here your spoilt ‘saabzaadaa’ comes up with peanuts as pay. Hope the almighty pumps some sense into his head. Is this why we let him go to an IIM?? I don’t know.”

 He said with a resigned sigh, as if someone had just stolen his credit card.

Changu’s father had given up. He was referring to the newspaper daily which had just come up with its annual special of the season - a column dedicated to IIM grads and their pay packages, for the 5^th time in a row. Reading it had rendered his morning tea tasteless, especially when seen in light of his son’s ‘mediocre’ placement exploits.

Changu hung up, rather depressed from the call. He remembered the year when had graduated from IIT-Y in 2014. Like many of his star-struck (and dollar-struck) class-mates and 5 lakh other aspirants, he had given the online CAT and aced it to perfection. From among the plethora of coveted IIM calls, he had converted IIM-Z. How happy was he then!

A few months down the line, he realized that things were not as rosy as they seemed or were portrayed. To him it seemed as if he was caught in a whirpool of sorts; everyone was good at everything and most importantly better than him. Amidst all this, he had been fortunate enough to secure a job at the fag end of the placements in a infra company. He cursed himself for having rejected his graduation offer to come to this damned place. But life was without a Ctrl+Z as much as he wished it to be.

A few months later, it was convocation time. Friendship hugs, exchanging promises to be in touch till the last breath and final photography sessions were the flavor of the day for the graduating students. Changu bid a tearful farewell to his friends and proceeded for a full month’s rest before he joined his new workplace.

The evening of 24^th – At the wedding reception

It was a simple wedding reception spread over one of the well-lit lawns in city. There was a generous sprinkling of guests, which included Changu’s family.  Changu’s father was at his bonding best.

“So this is your son from the great IIM-Z, is it?. Got placed?” said a man who was artificially beaming. It was a rhetorical question, the one which would serve the purpose of a conversation-starter.

“Yes Khanna-saab, my son. He is already placed with…er..beta, what is the company name?” Changu’s father turned to him.

“ GUI Solutions..’Give-up Infra Solutions’ uncle.”  Said Changu hesitantly.

“Ok good good. (Pauses) Its ok, don’t worry. You can do well and earn well.” said Mr.Khanna with a pat, as if Changu was crying inconsolably. Then he continued.

“By the way, have you heard of Karan’s daughter, she was also in some IIM and now earns about 40 lakhs. She works for a bank he said. The girls earn a lot these days.”

Changu’s father shot a scornful “You loser” look at Changu, hell-bent on giving him a sharp dressing down later.

After the dinner, on the way back, Changu and his father had a quick one-n-one.

Father: “ Saw that? You should see and learn. She got a finance job and not some cheap infra thing. Its time that you grew up, earned and took responsibility”.

Changu instantly felt like a 5^th grade kid being taken apart by his father for an abysmal report card. 

Changu: “Dad. You do not know much about the placement process and the companies. And anyways most of them want girls and are focused on it.”

Father: “I know everything. You must have fallen in bad company while in college. Do not give excuses to cover up for your incompetence. That girl got admission into 1 among the top 3 IIMs in country. I saw the rankings of the college in the same paper which has the 1 crore news.”

Changu: (rebelling silently) “That’s because she is a girl. She gets extra points for being one. I never got any for being a guy. All I get is taunts”

Father: “Enough!! No need to whine like a sexist loser. When someone is doing better than you, you should acknowledge, learn & improve and not badmouth people, especially the girls. It’s your mother’s mistake, I always wanted a girl and then you happened. They do much better than you boys do, like in the board exams.”

Changu realized that the conversation had the potential of being a all-nighter unless he stopped responding to his father.

 He looked away with a slight smile, quite amused at the final comment, a rather loose one referred to the board exams.

CPeaking & WIMWI

Hi all,

Please find below the link to my article for an MBA site.
A humorous take on the famed class participation process @ WIMWI.

CPeaking & WIMWI

Happy reading!

Regards

Vish

Its that time of the year

Hi,

Yet another article of mine, a funny take on the 'prep months' after the CAT/XAT results are out and the B-schools come up with the GD-PI shortlists

A few things you could relate to 

 http://insideiim.com/its-that-time-of-the-season/

Read on

Regards

Vish

2 new articles

Hi folks,

Glad to tell you that I have written to posts which have been published in a MBA site called insideiim.com. Both articles are a funny take on the type of people you would come across in an IIM. Links to the articles are below. Happy Reading:

http://insideiim.com/the-many-varieties-of-b-school-students/

http://insideiim.com/the-many-varieties-of-b-school-students-females/

Regards
Vish

Maru'vellous' - Part6

After about an hour and a half of intense grilling, Mohta and his hordes gave Changu the leave. The interiewers dusted their hands gleefully as if they had invented something new while Changu wiped the beads off his forhead and loosened his tie in disgust  . It was that sort of an interview. Mohta  Co. had taken him to the cleaners and had given him probably the most torrid 90 minutes of his life. Mohta had played the cunning quizmaster while Tandon played the part of the nitpicker to perfection, latching on to every opportunity to counter and corner Changu. Yakku delivered the final knock-out punches by throwing random demoralising quotes in between and pummelling Changu's confidence to pulp.

To add to his woes, Changu had specified "Tea accounts" when asked about his 'long-term' goals. He had also said that his admiration for Maru T extended beyond that for all the girls in class to whom he had written 'juices' in class. The final nail in his coffin was when he had said that he preferred healthy ginger tea to junk like toffees and candies. This had enraged the wily Mohta and the rest was for all to see.

As the battered and bruised Changu walked out, Maru instantly recognized him as the same enthusiastic kid whom he had interviewed earlier tin the day. He had been waiting patiently for Changu and had just stepped out of his room after screwing a few Day-1'ers. He realized that it was the handiwork of his sworn competitor and vowed to get back at him using this god-sent opportunity.

Suddenely the same " Maru T , r u with me?" tone rang, echoing in the corridors, turning all heads towards him. In recen times, it had blasted its way up the popularity charts even surpassing the once famous 'Kolaveri' song.

Without looking at the phone screen, he killed the call with a click. Starbucks had been after him for their India strategy. They had wanted to merge with wtih big McD to form Mac'Bhook'. He was constantly ignoring them for they were one of the reasons he had earned a 'C-' in the SM course a good 2 decades ago at this very same place. And most importantly, the bright future of the company was before his eyes now. He smiled.

'You look tired, paa' said Maru, re-adjusting his lungi and doing the cigarette-flipping act all at once.

' Yes Sir, er...i thought it was an interview for Maru T Stall..wtf?" a visibly irritated Changu retorted.

' Ok kid, keep your abuses to yourself. I know its extremely pissing off considering what you have been through. It happens.' (Flashback time: Maru remembered the day when he had gleefully promoted Surf in a P & G interview" and escaped getting thrashed by the interviewers. " Small Mistakes like these are common" he reminded himself with a chuckle.)

" I like you. Considering your passion, commitment and the fact that you have worked really hard, I would like to offer you a internship at the Maru T Stall group. If you accept it, then drink this (He poured tea from the kettle into a plastic cup with the Maru T logo).."

Changu took a sip and almost spat into it. But he made an attempt to finish it off.

Maru: (Seeing Changu's reaction) " I know it takes some time to get used to premium quality. But dont wory you will develop a taste for it, slowly but steadily. Now that you have drank my tea, it shows your allegiance to me. The days of allegiance over salt are over. Now its Maru-time! (He then gave a hi-five to Changu who still could believe his luck.)

Changu's penance had finally ended in success

Maruvellous - Part5

Changu's series of flashbacks was broken by a call from a member of the scheduling team. " Please follow me" she said as she escorted him to room 906. Changu knocked on the door, hoping to see Maru again. But as the door opened, it was the sly Mohta who was waiting for him instead of Maru. The venue for his interview was supposed to be Room 609 and this small moment of error was going to be very eventful for Changu.

"Hello champ" said Mohta waving his hands like a confused traffic policeman " Come have a seat."

Changu was surprised to see that Mohta was not alone. He had his 2 loyal side-kicks with him, Yakku and 'Tandon.  Both were in their favourite attire, their cargos and pull-overs. Both of then looked grossly overdressed in comparison to Mohta. But they did not mind it. They had got used to each other's ways.

Changu exchanged pleasantries with all of them and shook hands with Tandon and Mohta. Yakku gave him a his trademark 'Yo'( his middle and ring fingers folded and the rest protruding out).

Just as Changu bent down to pick up his fallen pen. Something pricked him hard on the hand and he started bleeding profusely.
"I am really sorry, boy" apologized Yakku. One of his overgrown spikes had touched Changu and had caused injury.

Tandon: (Matter of factly): " Dont worry, it will heal fast. This is nothing. Yesterday he killed a poor cat by mistake."

Mohta: (In no mood for casual talk): " Ok guys, enough of faaat. Lets get down to business. Here, take this kid's CV ( He gave both of them a copy each and proceeded to examine a copy himself).

Yakku: (Almost jumping out of his chair) " Only 9.7 in your undergrad??? You must be joking. This is abysmal. Sounds like a Maru T CV."

Tandon: " No extra-curriculars. And all hobbies/interests are standard. Beta, have you done anything in your life or not.? What a Maru-like CV"  (He read out all hobbies that Changu had mentioned as Changu wore an embarassing look on his face.)

Mohta: (Not liking the mention of Maru T's name)  " Guys, you are in an MCC interview now, ok. Tandon, those were the days. Kids these days. (Shake of the head. Pointing towards Tandon) You know what, Changu? You should be like this guy sitting near me.

Tandon's chest brimmed with pride as Mohta gave him a ego massage.
True, during his days, he was a master at attending PPTs and most of all at devouring pizzas at will, however cold they would be. People mocked at him , but a small thought grew into a bigger plan. He loved food. He had a started off by starting a 'petha' store in Agra with help from MCC.  But he was not satisfied and wanted to diversify and had started his pizza outlets which catered to the PPT requirements of the college. This humble business grew manifold into multiple outlets all over the country. All this because of true passion. He was indebted to this college for providing him with this idea..

In recent times, he and Mohta were the biggest sponsorers for all food stalls in the festivals in the college.

Yakku on the other hand, had a slew of hair saloons offering many unconventional and patented hairdos'. The store was named "Yakku"cellent and commanded a major market. His spikes were the talk of the town.

A gruelling interview session was in the offing and Changu already had beads of sweat on his foreheadie despite the AC being on full blast.

...

'Maru'vellous' - Part 4

Changu pranced too and fro in the corridor, waiting for his turn. It had been almost an hour and he had not been called for the next round of interviews. He feared that Maru would have forgotten about him, decided the final shortlists and packed off leaving him in the lurch. But Changu waited on, unmindful of the fact that there was a royal showdown going on between the 2 heavyweights, Maru & Mohta.

The optimist inside Changu cheered him up. A slight smile came up on his face as he remembered the sequence of events leading up to the CAT, the results, the shortlists, his selection and how his life had come one whole circle.

Yet another flashback , rather a series of flashbacks followed in the same ordered structure as his just-concluded 'case-analysis'.

http://my-newsense1.blogspot.com/2011/01/catastrophy.html

http://my-newsense1.blogspot.com/2011/02/catastrophy-2.html

http://my-newsense1.blogspot.com/2011/03/catastrophy-3.html

'Maru'vellous - Part3

Changu readied himself for the next round of interviews for the Maru T stall group. He went through the usual check-up measures once again - adjusting his tie, checking his pant zip, scrutinizing the contents (CVs) of his folder. This was truly judgement day for him.

 " This a test of my character." He reminded himself. "Either I do well or I screw up badly. If I do well, no big deal. I was destined for such big stuff. But if I dont, I wont be able to forgive myself or show my face to my section or dorm mates."

 The words " Kya Aap C hain?" rang in his head like the temple bell. He instantly reprimanded himself for thinking about T-nite temps-shouts at such an opportune moment as he waited outside near the tracker.

 Maru, meanwhile, had instructed the placement member not to schedule any interviews for the next few minutes. He had been at the interviews for 2 gruelling hours on a trot wherein he had ripped apart 12 Day-1ers. He felt good after his interaction with Changu. He walked out off the stuffed AC-filled room to take in some oxygen. He saw the same flurry of activity before his eyes which he had been a part of 2 decades ago. Anxious students running around or waiting for their turn and more anxious placement members working hard to schedule their interviews.

 Maru adjusted the drapes of his sky-blue lungi which was ideal attire for the unusually hot November heat. He walked up to the tea-coffee vending machine, poured in some tea and took a sip from the cup. He gave it a scornful look as if he could burn it off with his eyes.
"What Yaaa, Nowhere near our standards" he said to himself with a sly smile. He then proceeded to wash his hands with the tea to validate the fact that it was nothing more than hot water.

 Just as he was about to turn and leave, a very familiar face caught his eye. A short man, be-spectacled, side-parted hair and a swagger to go with it. He was shouting orders on his BB. The man then pulled out a box of lollipops and then took out a piece for himself. He then struggled to pull out the wrapper for the next 5 minutes and then emphatically stuffed it into his mouth.

Maru smiled to himself saying " So, Mohta is also here." as he crushed the tea-cup in his hand as a sign of the quintessential war-bugle.
 Like Maru, Mohta too had come to recruit able people for his company, Mohta Candy Consulting.

 Maru T & Co. and MCC were rivals in the consulting domain, although they had carved out a niche in their respective domains. Both were diametrically opposite in terms of their approach. Mohta was the one driven by analytical and logical thinking whereas Maru believed in hands-on, was spontaneous and took decisions on impulse. Nevertheless both had built successful, billion dollar companies which struck dollar signs in the eyes of the young graduates.
 What's more, as an icing on the cake, they were from the same graduating batch of the college and sat in the same row.
 They had a competitive streak about them and had a really unconventional approach which was reflected in their dress sense. Maru had worn a red shirt and majstic sky-blue lungi to ensure that his combo never matched. Mohta had come in striped shorts and the 50th variant of the 'Saarang' t-shirt which was the prescribed dress code at MCC. Sources said that instead of picking a pristine black trouser, he had adorned his wardrobe with 60 different shorts purchased at the prime Kota market for the same price as the trouser.

 Mohta had seen Maru. He walked up to him and gave a smile wider than the model in the Close-up ad.
  " Never a better time to run into old foes." Said Maru with a wink.

  " You said, it" agreed Mohta as he sucked his lollipop and tried tugging at Maru's lungi.
 Maru was up for the challenge. He swiftly moved aside saying "Nice try" and pulled the naadaa which protruded out from Mohta's shorts.

 5 of the awe-struck students moved Maru T & Co. to number 1 and pushed MCC to 2nd place in their preference list.

  "Yuck..what happened to your tongue." noted Maru.

  " Nah..thats nothing. Raspberry-flavoured lollipops na" said Motha as he brandished his lollipop before Maru like a sword.

 " So, hows it going for you?" enquired Maru " You have no idea." Mohta's face brimmed with attitude.

'Maru'vellous - Part2

Maru look quite stunned with Changu's prompt reply. Never had anyone spelled out such an outrageous boutique of hobbies/interests.

Changu couldn't believe what he had just said. This was way off the rehearsed answer in the 7 previous mock HR interviews he had given to his seniors back in the dorm as part of the interview preparation. The 'skill and knowledge development', ' learning', 'exposure to different sectors' answers were far from what he had just blabbered.
For a moment Changu felt like evaporating from the interview room to escape Maru T's wrath. Maru T still wore the same look on his face - he was expressionless.

Then came his thunderous response
" My boy, I am proud of you!! You have, by far, been the most honest of all the numerous candidates I have interacted with so far."

Changu: ???

Maru T: Yes (Wipes of a tear). You in many ways, remind me of my days here, when I would get a through battering in the interviews. When I saw and heard you, I felt I was seeing a reflection of myself in the past.

Maru T: " I am having a troublesome stomach. What could be the problem?"
Changu: (With the excitement of a school-going kid wanting to be the first to answer)
Sir, give me a minute to think..
(Makes a few tree structures and arrows in a piece of paper.)

After a minute.

Changu: Sir, we first break down the problem into different smaller issues by employing the 2-G (Gayaa Guzraa) framework. In this case, the problem could be because of the food, your own body processes or some drug reaction.

(referring to his 'trees') Food can be classified as home-made, outside, food cooked by you (stifles a laughter)

Body processes can be internal or external
We concentrate on external which can be exercises, work, personal stress.

I safely assume that you have not taken any drug so there can be no drug reaction.

Let us concentrate on work and personal issues:
Since u r the boss of your company, there can be no work issues I assume.

In Personal issues, I think the first and foremost problem would be the fact that you are worried about the guys who would be hitting on your daughter.

I personally feel this is the root of the problem and it should be addressed to elimiate your health problem (Changu took the paper he had scribbled in and signed off with an air of non-chalance to indicate that he had cracked a puzzle. He looked for a word of encouragement from Maru T after the 10 minute ordeal.)

Maru T: " You moron..to hell with your frameworks..I haven't even given you the the case to work on.
(Clutching his overgrown tummy).. I was talking about my heath issues in general. Anyways, you have already wasted 10 minutes of mine. But on the positive side, I like your thought process. It is structured to say the least.

Changu: (Be-mused) Oh..thank you Sir.

Maru T: Ok..Changu we will schedule you next round in a few minutes from now.

Changu looked both apprehensive yet confident.

'SLOT'tered

" Yaar, 6 ghante lagaataar soya hoon. Fir bhi neend aa rahi hain. ( I have slept for 6 hours but I stil feel like sleepy)" said 'ChoMu', my dorm-mate as he rubbed his blood-red eyes.

He had not got more than a few hrs of sleep in the past 4 days.
There was an element of guilt in his tone, for even a minute lapsed beyond the 'prescribed' sleeping time in WIMWI was akin to a sin committed.


"Abey Koi nahi! Peace Maar. Slot-2 khatam ho gaya ab.!!" I patted him and assured him that an extra hour of sleep would do no harm to his grades.

ChoMu's red eyes were a reflection of the pain all of us had been through in slot-1 and slot-2.

If ever there was a menu-card for Slot-1 and Slot-2, this is how it would have read:

8 surprise quizzes (slot 1)
8 more quizzes (slot-2, which ironically wasnt a surprise for us by then)
5 mid-term exam
8 end-term exams
9 marketing presentatons,
2 marketing projects
2 PS projects
5 WAC submissions
10 MC assignments
2 MC submissions
4 PLPs
1 GLP
....and countless cases from 13 casemats and an equivalent number of books which looked like "Yellow Pages" clones.
All this within 3 months.


" Main toh B******d 2 din tak subah hi nahi dekhoonga. Slot-3 se baad mein nipat lenge (I wont wake up in the near future. Slot-3 can wait)" quipped ChoMu with an air of nonchalance.
Quite understandably, my reassuring words had ensured he would not wake up till 11 pm that night.

Of the 29 dorms in WIMWI, Our Dorm, Dorm-7 (7th heaven) has the least number of Fachchas (juniors). There are 6 of us and 13 tuchchas (seniors). The 20th person in the dorm is a nerdy Mexican by the name of Jaymie (pronounced 'Hymie') who has just come on a 3-month long exchange programme along with 60-odd other people from different nationalities. The guy who stayed in the rooom before the Mexican arrived was Louie from France who it seems came here with the sole idea of touring india and seldom stayed in his room.
Of the 6 fahcchas, 4 of us-Bingo, Dhanno, Champ and me reside on the 1st floor while ChoMu and Gyaan are on the 2nd. The fact that we are just the 6 facchas in our dorm worked in our favour. It meant that we gelled up faster and better, (especially the 4 of us - ChoMu,Gyaan, Bingo and me, when we took refuge in our books in the cold confines of the library).

ChoMu is the quintessential aggressive and 'in-your-face' Haryanvi who would run rough-shod given a chance. He is from the dairy industry. He has a never-say-die attitude which makes him ideal WIMWI material. Slot-2 served as the ideal wake-up call for the normally relaxed and enthu-filled ChoMu.
He summed up his life here quite aptly in his sentences (of which a major proportion are unmentionables, censored in public interest)" @$%%%&& Aaj tak maine zindagi mein itni fight nahi maari,#$%### jitna har din yahaan maar rahaa hoon. Kuch samaj nahi aa raha, kya %@#$@@ ho raha hain" %##%##, #$#@@$, %#$%## .....

Dhanno is an epitome of studious-ness, hard-work and work-a-holism ,ready to latch on to any tit-bit of info which he thinks will equip him with the 'X' factor to propel himself ahead of others. A network engineer from CISCO, he is, by any stretch of imagination, the 'muggu' of the highest order (Pronounced as "Maggu", someone who Mugs and studies a lot more than the others do, WIMWI lingo) in our dorm. Has all the makings of a potential 'I-Schol'

Bingo,from the energy sector, is the eternally confused fachcha from IIT-M who has mastered the fine art of giving submissions at 5:59. well before the 6 pm deadline (Of course, not without losing enough sleep on it). He is credited with adulterating the WIMWI lingo with the IIT-M lingo (which actually sounds very user-friendly!). He has had his share of moments and 'claims-to-fame' in life.

Gyaan,from Renault with an aerospace degree from IIT-K to boast of, has probably earned a reputation of understating himself much too often. Given a chance between a drop-dead gorgeous woman and a bike, he would safely turn a blind eye to the lady and choose the machine. His craze for these mean machines almost made him weep on the day of the PS exam when the new R15 was being launched when he was in the examination hall.
Any negative talk/criticism about Delhi would be met with a very stiff and patriotic response from the man.

Champ,from Yahoo, makes it to the caricature of the software techie you would associate most Banglorean professionals with. A NIT-Suratkal product, he is well-versed with the knowledge of bits and bytes till the last molecule. His room also houses our 'pseudo' dorm-mate 'Suppandi' (Dorm 8 "Deity").

As I write this blog, people have just loosened up and put their feet up, albeit for the next 24 hrs till the registration for the next slot begins. There is also a mail from the TA (Teaching Associate) which tells us to prepare the marketing case for the next slot.

The next entry may take some while as this one did.

Over to Slot-3.


Regards

Vish

Mathosaurus

There are occasions when a potentially harmless subject like math is transformed into a monster of Jurassic proportions thanks to a deadly concotion of greek symbols.

Hardcore math lovers would gulp this down with the same ease as a can of coke.

Take a look

And you thought math was just about your mother telling you to keep "3 in the mind" and "4 in the hand" and do the counting.

(I know you are still wondering what the above equation was all about. Brutality)

Life!

Regards
Vish

The IIM I interview experience

Its always good if your IIM calls are closely spaced, preferably back-to-back interviews (although this isn't under our control). The intensity levels remain the same, you are charged up and you can say the same things over & over again without getting bored. My prolonged wait for the 'I' interview continued for 20 days after having finished XL, A,C,& L within 5 days. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally picked myself up for the big day.
The venue was the same as that of A & C (seriously, some age-old tie-up??). I reached there half an hr before the scheduled time of 1:30 pm and followed the directions to the I-waiting room on the 4th floor. There were 20-odd people already sitting there.
The usual scenes. Half of the crowd were shuffling & re-shuffling the contents of their folder, just to be sure. Some were deeply engrossed in their copies of the "Times", devouring every piece of information on tsunami-ravaged,N-crisis hit Japan. Some, like me, calmly studied the floor to avoid the nervous faces before us.

We were divided into 3 panels, each having 9 of us. We were provided with our sheets of paper for the Written ability test (WAT). The WAT was divided into 2 sections.
The 1st section was a large essay which had to be summarized in approx. 130 words. It was on the extinction of certain species of wild animals and factors affecting it.

The 2nd section had something which suggested " Ban on smoking in public places is necessary for public health." We had to present an argument for/against it in approx. 200 words and support it, preferably with suitable examples. I couldn't fathom whether I was fast or the others slow because I was giving finishing touches to my 2nd section when some of the others where in the middle of their 1st.

We were stipulated a time of 50 min. But the entire group was done with the WAT in only 40 min. I wrote on how ban on smoking is futile, issues in monitoring it, measures to discourage the habit, promoting public health at large, more spending for healthcare etc.

Our sheets taken, we were told to sit in the waiting room for our turns.
Yet another 2-hr long wait (I was used to it by now, a veteran of sorts in giving interviews.).

The girl before me came out of the interview room. She had almost the same expressions on her face as she had 15 min back when she had gone in. While she was inside, I could only hear laughter half of the time. No, not from her, from the panelists! After a 2-min hiatus, I was called in.

Panel:
P1: A man in his late 40s (Appeared the quite chilled,logical type interested in having a civilized & casual discussion.)

P2: A guy in his late 30s (Reminded you of your cruel young uncle with the god-given right to impose himself on you, monitored my words closely, looked for mistakes and chances to corner me.)

P3: An old man in his 60s who displayed the trademark features of all oldies who had interviewed me so far. The prime motive for his presence on the panel was to make me look as dumb as possible, throw random finance & eco terms at me and pummel my confidence to pulp.
He spoke less, was more intent in arranging the interview paper than gauging my intellect. He chipped in with questions on subjects which I had no idea about. He was ably supported by nitpicker P2.

P2 summons me inside.

P1: So..er..Vishwanath?
Me: (Still standing)..Yes sir, vishwanath

P1: Right vishwanath, pls sit.

P1: (Still looking at my interview form)..I was looking at your form and couldnt help wondering how photogenic ur face is. You are handsome with a smiling face. (???)
Me: Thank you Sir.

P1: You should be in modelling, man. Why Indore? It isnt the place.
Me: (Still smiling)
P2 sees it as an opportunity to sneak in and eyes my form.

P2: So, what is it..ok..metallurgy & materials engg. So wat is carbon-dating?
Me: Told him about it as a technique to measure the age of age-old items etc.

P2: How are the ages of fosils of plants & animals measured?
Me: Explained to him the theory of carbon-dating and usage. (fumbled in between)

P2: What is half life? (Cracked a cheap joke on it, saying his half-life is 18 years and he would love to tell women about it. The other laughed.)
Me: Explained to him about half life, decaying of carbon, etc. Somehow made sense.

P2: (cutting me ..)But why only carbon is used for it? why not any other element?
Me: 'Coz it is an element which has an affinity & combines well with different metals & non-metals to form different compounds abundantly available on earth.

P2: (Again cut me..) So,u mean carbon is most abundantly available on earth. Really?
Me: No.

P2: Then?
Me: Silicon, Oxygen & Iron are the most abundant on earth.

P2: (Again..) But you haven't told me. why the reason for carbon-dating for detecting the age? Its not just its affinity.(Gave some example of him having an affinity for different people but that doesnt mean he is good enough. He had a laugh about it.)
Me: I dont know.

P1: What is Bessemerization?
Me: (Thought for some time). Spoke about its importance & significance in steel-making process improvement.

P1: What is the current method?
Me: electric Arc furnace.. Elaborated on it.

P1: So what is value-engineering?
Me: It is about adopting an alternate route/means to create benefit in terms of cost reduction,lead time reduction,productivity enhancement, quality enhacning, weight reduction etc (gave an auto example.)

P1 nodded in satisfaction .P2 dint want to. No sign of P3 yet.

P1: But in a particular case,ford did value engineering and tinkered with their vehicle safety systems in the process? What about it?
Me: Sir, it was a case where ford evaluated the damages they would have to pay for the accidents occuring due to the change and the savings they would get from the value engg change. The former turned out to be less. So they went with the proposal.

P1 smiled & nodded. He felt good that I was knowing some stuff.

P2: But whats wrong with it? (Gave a wicked, sly grin).
Me: It compromises on the passenger safety knowingly. It is unethical.

P2: So what? (I wished this guy was in one of those accident-prone Ford Cars)
Me: It would signal bad quality, send a bad message out to the customers and the image of the company would take a beating.

P2: So what is the job of materials management exactly?
Me: Materials,cost, quality, delivery, supplier parts development,process...

P2: What is your efficiency?
Me: In terms of?

P2: How would I know? You must be having some targets right?
Me: Yes we do. In terms of completing the development in time, cost targets..

P2: (Cuts again..) So what si the efficiency?
Me: 80%

P3: (Intro)..What is Break-even?
Me: It the point where you start earning profits.

P2: Are you sure? (doubting, suspicious look)
Me: yes

P3: What is gestation period?
Me: period in which you recover the investments we make etc.

P2: (cuts me yet again..he was doing it on purpose) what is the difference between cost & investment?
Me: spoke about money, human capital, time value etc etc.

P3: So can humans depreciate?
Me: No, in terms of knowledge.

P3: Can this building depreciate?
Me: Yes

P1: How do you go about value engineering? process followed for it?
Me: Explained about defining the objective in mind, forming a cross functional team, validating the process & the product, comparing the before/after effects and the nimplementing it.

P1: If we have very little/no time for all this?
Me: Then we can go for benchmarking with a imilar part for similar application used elsewhere and compare & verify data to conclude.

P2: If I want glass/glass-like appearance in my office tiles what type of material do i require?
Me: Materials which have the ame polished, surface finish like glas ...

P2: (cuts..shares a giggle with the other 2) No, but I want only glass. what should i take into account?
Me: A list of properties like compressive strength, load, machinability, surface finish, tempered glass etc.

P3: (obviously feeling left out)..What is cost?
Me: explained

P3: Do u know the 2 aspects of cost or not?
Me: fixed & variable cost

P3: What is fixed & variable cost?
Me: explained with examples like raw material & process. Variable would mean labour, inventory etc etc

P3: What labour? temporary or permanent?
Me: ?????

P2 (giggling all the time)

P3: Your salary has a variable cost right?
Me: Yes

P3: What is it? Esops?
Me: No, sir. It is sector performanc...

P2: (Cuts me off..) what are Esops?
Me: explained employee stock options

P3: How does Esops help you? (I have never taken Esops dude)
Me: Told that it is na option to take a stock of the company.

P2: What is a stock?
Me: A financial instrument by buying which you get a certain ownership of the company/firm. the price can appreciate or come down.

P2: So if u have a M&M Esops do you become equivalent to Mahindra himself? (Laughs out load. P1 & P3 join in.)

P3: So what r you. 0.000005% owner of M&M?
Me: (Damn you, did I ever say I took Esops any time.)

P3: So, what happens if you buy M&M company bonds?
Me: (Smile all the while) I dont know bonds sir.

P2 flashes a silent victory smile to himself.

P3: What is UPA-2?
Me: UPA in the 2nd term.

P3: (turns to other) OH..2nd term it seems.So, if u fail in your 1st term and give the same exam again, you have completed 2nd term?)

All3 of them have a good laugh and I give a big, bright smile.

P2: What is UPA?
ME: United Progressive Alliance.

P3: Who is the chaiperson of UPA-2?
Me: (thinking)

P3: C'mon, take a guess.
ME: (thought of Manmohan being remote-controlled by Sonia)..Sir, sonia Gandhi.

P2: What about Manmohan then?
Me: (??? Wat abt him?)


P1: There is a lot of talk about plastic & its connection to pollution. As a materials engineer waht will your opinion be?
Me: Spoke on identifying which plastics are degradable and which are not. Time taken to de-grade, educating the public on the classifications, making them aware of wat they use etc and use substitutes.

P1: What if it were one of your auto components?
Me: Talked about doing technical feasaiblity, application requirements, alternate materials, having a cross-functional team which includes a environmental engineer.

P2: (Not spoken for a while)..So, why was Keshub Mahindra in news lately?
Me: In connection with the Bhopal gas tragedy.

P2: What about it?
Me: He was implicated..

P2: sure?
Me: No, he was just arrested.

P2: What was the company?
Me: (Thought for a while) Dow Chemicals.. (AArgh.. it is Union carbide. How did i miss it??)

P2: But Dow says that it is not their company? (sly smile again)
Me: I know the company but cant recollect its name.

P2: Do you know the name of the chemical?
Me: Methyl iso-cyanate

P2: What was Keshub Mahindra's role in it?
Me: M not sure. But he was on the board of Directors.

P3: Actually much more than that. Chairman.
ME: ok

P2: (Showing off his GK)..Have you heard of chernobyl disaster?
Me: Yes

P2: What was it?
ME: explained nuclear reactor, radioactive explosion, etc etc

P2 (Cut me again..) what is the difference between Bhopal & Chernobyl?
Me: Chemicals were different, implications different..Chernobyl was...

P2: (Cuts.) When did chernobyl happen?
Me: Told

P2: Where did it happen?
ME: ukraine

P2: Where was it?
Me: USSR

P2 What is USSR?
Me: (Accidentally said "United Soviet Socialist Republics". But said it confidently enough)

P2: Where is USSR?
ME: Its no more there. It broke up into different countries.

P2: Broke up in 2 different countries?
ME: Not 2 different countries. Into (Spelled "I-N-T-O") many different countries including Russia.

P2: Ok. got it.

P1,P2, P3 look at each other and finally decide that they have had enough.

Me: (Smile) Thank you.


I dont really know how much the ordeal lasted. But it was good fun.


Final Verdict: " Converted "

Regards

Vish

The IIM L interview experience

Coming close on the heels of the 2 biggies 'A' & 'C', the 'L' interview was supposed to be the last of 'em all. It would end the series of 4 interviews on the trot (5 in 9 days) and i had to ensure that I ended the week on a high. 'L' wasnt going to be a cake-walk ,so i had heard and read at different forums. Even though I had become a veteran of sorts at facing GDs & PIs, I egged myself on to focus more. Complacency was the last thing on my mind; there was precious little gap between the interviews to get over-confident.

So, 26th of Feb it was. The venue this time was "Sea Princess Hotel" in the western suburb of Juhu. A plush, 4-star hotel in Juhu, its a stone's throw away from the Juhu beach. Many people, including me, dont know such a hotel exits due to the presence of other giants in the same region like the 'Marriot', the 'Ramada', the 'Centaur' etc etc just like IIM L is dwarfed by the presence of IIM A,B,C et al (Terrific analogy!!).
The security man at the entrance dint even take the trouble of 'X-ray'ing my bag after knowing that I was an "IIM interview-wala".

I sat with a few others in the beautiful banquet hall (Read: 'L' waiting room)as the crowd trickled in slowly but surely. The morning session had got over. No one was willing to comment on how they had performed, if not positively. I saw around and noted that 50% of them had already accompanied me to 'A' & 'C'. Quite a few of us had become good friends, some of them on back-slapping terms.

We were divided into 6 groups (panels) each consisting of 7-8 candidates for GDs/PIs. I was in panel 5 with 6 others (including a guy whom I had met at my coaching classes. A tough, talkative nut to crack watever be the GD topic.). We were led to one of the posh hotel rooms. 2 small tables joined together and 7 chairs fairly close to each other (and some light music would have made it perfect) was the GD site. But first the essay writing

We were alloted about 15 minutes for it (L showing that they were far more generous than the others.). The topic - " All Government instituitons should come in the purview of RTI."
A good topic and a far cry from the not-so-ideal GD of 'C'. There was lots to write on - the RTI, its uses so far, examples, recent facts & figures, good points, flipsides etc. The script was well-reasoned out, structured & concluded well.
A word of advice - please be aware of recent happenings and develop opinions on it.
Watch loads of talk shows,debates, discussions - it helps bigtime.

Most of us finished within the stipulated time (for want of more space to write. The guy beside me had increased his font-size deliberately.). Our papers were then taken away. The panel of 2 men instructed us to start our discussion saying we had 10.5 minutes for the same (7*1.5 = 10.5 min. Got the logic?). They then pretended to read through our 'essays'.

The GD kicked off on a brisk note as the spectacled guy opposite me spoke without interruption for half a minute till we thought it was time to cut him off and I managed to enter it. I managed to enter 3 more times. Everyone got an oppotunity to talk & most importantly be heard.
The points were pretty much the same as the ones put on paper. I spoke on RTI activism, the real estate mafia, politician-bureaucrat-biz nexus, RTI in defence deals & mining etc, the flipsides, media attention etc. At the end of the 10.5 munutes, we exited the room, a satisfied lot.
We were called for our turns for our interviews and as expected I was the last one.
All 6 panels had their interviews simultaneously in addition to the IIM B interviews which were also held in the same floor in opposite rooms. When you have the top 100-200 brightest minds of the country together within a few square metres, it is hard to miss the competitive streak and an air of anxiety is always prevalent.

My turn finally did arrive after what seemed an eternity of wait outside the same room in which we had our GD session. (They deliberately did that i guess).

P1: (the khadoos guy), P2 : (relatively cool).I sensed a stress-session there in the offing and i guessed it right!!

P1: Come in, why are you waiting outside. We were wasting time inside
waiting for you.
Me: (Not my problem)Sir, I thought it appropriate to wait till u called me.

P1: Sit down, you dont expect us to ask you questions standing, do u?
Me: sat down

P1: (Not looking at me. He dint 70% of the time ,to unsettle me)Tell us about urself.
Me: (perfect poetry - blah blah1, blah2 etc)

I hand over the originals/certificates to P1. P1 & P2 divide it among themselves as if it were the 'prashad' offered in temple.

P1: (Pissed at not being able to find a fault in my 10th, 12th & grad marks started examining the quality of my trancript, quite deliberately) So where is the original for ur transcript?
Me: Sir , what u r holding is the original transcript of my marks.

P1: What??? (Stunned expression on his face, as if I had told him my favourite hobby was watcing porn) You call this a transcript and u call urself an engineer.
(Turns to P2) Looks at this piece of paper. They call it an original these days it seems. imagine how worse a photocopy wud be (Hearty laugh all around. Hearty laugh changes to a disgusted expression and shake of the head.)

P1: You have a lot of work to do. My advice to u is go and get this laminated properly and only then attend future interviews.understood?

(Ya right, it was just torn a bit at 1-2 places which had obviosuly not missed his eye. He was making a mountain of a mole-hill. I sat expressionless and nodded my head).

P2: You say u hav completed B.Tech. what is so great about B.E/B.Tech? what is the difference between degree & diploma?
Me: (Ragging chalu) ..Sir , B.tech is composed of balh, blah.. ( happily cut off by the ever-khadoos P1).


P1: You have done B.tech in NIT Trichy.
Me : yes sir.

P1: So u will go to IIM Trichy?
Me: Yes sir.

P1: and IIM A?
Me: Yes sir.

P1: Stop confusing us. Do u want IIM Trichy or A? Dont change ur answers at will.
Me: I would A over Trichy.

P1: So u have done B.tech in metallurgy...(cut off by P2)
Me: Yes sir

P2: What is the latest in metallurgy these days?
Me: Rattled off the names of a few processes & benefits in the industry.

P2: (Still obsessed with my marksheets)..See this marksheet specifies marks. You must have a certificate which specifies whether u have flunked or passed?
Me: (What the?) Sir, the marksheet satisfies both requirements. Pls have a closer look (He did and ruefully admitted he was wrong.)

P1: (Purposely singling out a subject in the 6th sem in which I got a D)What is High speed steel?
Me: Told what it is, its uses.

P1: What are its benefits?
Me: Clung on to my 6th sem basics and formed the answer well.

(P1 nodded in appreciation.)

P1: Do u know the inventor of this?
Me: No sir.

P1: Think. He is one connected with 'scientific management'.
Me: Cant recall the name, Sir.

P2: (Feeling left out)I see u have also studied Economics in ur graduation (As if I had a choice then).
Me: Yes sir, i did.

P2: What do u remember? Do u remember anything?
Me: Yes sir (rattled off names/terms/terminologies like 'bandwagon effect','demand-supply' curve,elasticity of demand, 4P's of marketing, Some smith etc.

P2: What is on X-axis of demand-supply curve?
Me: Dont remember ir.

P2: Y-axis?
Me: Dont know sir.

P1: You said adam smith. When did he live?
Me: Sir, 16th century.

P1: He wrote a book. what was it called? (argh..can v just move on)
Me: I remember he wrote book. Cant seem to recollect its name.

P2: At least he remembers Adam smith ( and both have a laugh. I join in)

P2: So wat is ur job about. explain it to us?
Me: Told about it for a few minutes.

P1: So,wat is standardisation?
Me: Explained it to them with the help of an example in automobile part. Told them the benefits of it.

P1: (nodding his head) good. So which is a most recent & visual exampls of standardisation in auto industry?
Me: (thought for while)..Sir, its K-series engines in Maruti (explained about maruti's platform and multiple launches in short ime).

P1: do u know wat is simplification?
Me: no sir. Not heard of it.

P1: do u have any hobbies/interests?
Me: Yes sir reading & blogging.

P1: So u write your own blogs and you are forced to read them urself only. ( Turns to P2. Roaring laughter all around.)
Me: (smiling) Sir, i have got enough readership base for my blogs.

P2: What do u read?
Me: Fiction. Political-fiction.

P2: Which language?
Me: English

P1: What about Tamil? you know to read it?
Me: Yes sir I can read & write

P2: So u read tamil novels also?
ME: No sir, not novels. But i read the smaller sections/captions/sign boards in tamil.

P1:(turning to P2) Most of them dont even know to read their mother-tongue well. Its a pity. (yeah..say that while staying in Mumbai)

P1: Do u read Jeffrey Archer?
Me: No i dont.

P1: Why?
Me: Coz, I find it boring.

P1: (turns to P2 who by now seems to be having a ball of a time)These guys specify reading but say they dont like Archer. What a shame, these people.
Me: (Nothing but a stifled smile)

P2: what books & author?
Me: Named a few

P1: Is the protagonist same or different for all Dan Brown novels?
Me: Sir, for "Da Vinci code" and "Angels & Demons" it is the same.

P1: What is his name?
Me: Robert Langdon.

P2: (cuts off P1 and his questioning spree)..Did u watch the movie or u stick only to books and more books?
Me: Sir i did watch the movie.

P1: What did u like? book or movie and why?
Me: Sir , the book. Becoz while watching the movie you only have to watch what is shown or pojected to u. In a book, u can analyze and make mental pictures of characters as per ypur convenienc and thought.

Both seemed satisfied with the answer. A few more questions followed on it which I reasoned out well. Some more banter and laughter.

P2: You have fileld up PGP-abm profile also.
Me: Yes sir. But its a 2nd choice

P1: Whatever it is. At the end of it, its a choice and u filled it. There is no escape.
Me: Yes sir.

P2: So tell me..why do u want to do abm?
Me: (fumbled at the start but then picked up after a few seconds of thought. Talked abt M&m, farm equipment, initiatives for productivity,mechanization, farm advicing etc and so my interest.)

P2: what is the initiatives taken by m&m called?
Me: Shubhlabh. (Explained what they do like seed distribution, supporting irrigation, soil testing etc.)

P1: Have u been to a village?
ME: Not exactly village. but my engg college was in the country-side far frm city.
(Both giggle over my answer.)

P1: have u been to a village farm?
Me: Yes Sir.

P2: Have u seen people farming?
Me: Yes sir. But not from very close quarters.

P2: So from where do u see farming? Using binocolurs?? (Both have a laugh and i join in with a smile)

P1 & P@ look at each done with a " I am done" expression.
"Thank you" They said in a chorus, I reciprocated and walked out of yet another gruelling session.


Final Verdict: " Converted after a prolonged wait-list. (Not that it mattered finally)"


Regards

Vish

The IIM C interview experience

The first IIM biggie (IIM A) was done with the day before. Although the process went off well for me, I wasn't convinced my performance would be good enough to take me through. The others along with me had had similar interview experiences and most of them had come out with smiling/non-crying faces, a non-indicator. Hence the expectation on the next biggie was more.

'C' had its process at the same centre as 'A' and a similar afternoon session. There was a verification team who checked and matched our attested photocopies with our originals (The Bengali accent too amusing and hard to miss). There were 3 panels for the GD & Interview. I was in panel 1 and there were 7 others along with me. We were led to a room where sat the panel - a lady and a man.

We were told to sit, each given a sheet of paper and told to write an essay.
The topic, well ,take a guess - " The woods are lovely, dark & deep but I have got promises to keep." I could hear hearts sink in the room when the topic was announced. Our 5-min had begun and so did the frantic scribbling. I tried to make some sense out of the Robert Frost lines given to us by linking it to the present day gloom of corruption, negativity and the positivity of youth as the silver lining which helps them keep their promises. Within a few moments our papers were taken away.

We were then instructed to have a GD on the same topic for the next 10 minutes. Everyone had a " Are you kidding me?" expression on their faces for the next 10 seconds till I decided to break the deadlock by bringing in my ideas which more-or-less reflected what I had put on paper.

The others, not to be left behind, then summoned enough thoughts to speak on it for the next 5 minutes. I did make an entry 3more times. The guy & girl to my right & left respectively were more intent on improving their listening skills. A 3rd guy , who seemed to be a Robert frost fanatic, quoted lines from frost's other poems. A 4th guy was making sense everytime he spoke only to be cut by the 5th guy who made up his mind to be as tangential to the topic as posible.

The discussion threatened to meander into a tame end in the first 7 minutes itself as all of us fumbled for new ideas, our creativity taking a kit-kat break. All our efforts to revive the discussion came to no avail and soon enough all of us were summarizing the whole thing. Just too abstract a topic we thought!


Yet another 2 hr long wait, I was the last person.(I once contemplated changing my name. Sometimes its a disadvantage.)

I was called in for my turn.

P1 - the lady
P2- the man

I handed over the interview forms and the verified documents to them.

P2: So tell us a little about yourself.
Me: Acads, company, profile,work ex, city, family etc (lasted 2 minutes till I was cut off by the lady)

P1: What is your job all about?
Me: Ma'am , its more about vendor management & part development. (Spoke about my job in Materials management, developing auto components, suppliers etc)

P1: (Getting more curious) So which are the vehicle projects you have worked on?
Me: Spoke about the Scorpio, Xylo, Bolero and commercial vehicles like MAxximo and Ingenio and the vehicle systems.

P2: So what are the challenges you have faced in you work?
Me:(talked about satisfying the various agencies including the designers, pricing team, supply chain, the supplier etc)

P2: Any specific challenges you can highlight?
Me: Talked about a recent challenge of developing a second supplier, upgradation, resolving critical issues.

P1: (Validating my answer) Where was the supplier?
Me: Rajkot.

P1: I see you have won a few awards in quizzing. what about GK quiz, nothing?
Me: I am good at it Sir. but back in college there were many who were more competent than me. hence I dont have any objective evidence to show for it.

P1: Ok..So besides that, what are your interests?
Me: Blogging & Reading

P1: What do u read?
Me: Fiction

P2: Tell us about the last book that u have read.
Me: "The negotiator" by Fredrick forsyth. (Gave her the entir gist of it.)

P2: Any 3 highlights of the book?
Me: Told

P1: But why is called the negotiator?
Me: Told

P1: So does every situation need a negotiator?
Me: told him something like , u dont need any specific person. Each situation demands certain skills or strengths and each one of equipped with those in given circumstances could act as one.

P1: So do you think Hosni mubarak was a good negotiator?
Me: Spoke about how he had to assess the ituation, the benefits and flipsides of him continuing or stepping down, needed to 'give' more than 'take' on issues like unemployment, std of living etc.

P1 & P2 nodded in affirmation

P2: So ..tell us about your blog?
Me: told them about the latest one.( One about CAT2020, which took a dig at excessive proliferation of new B-schools & institutes and their selection criteria.)

P1: So, would you have been shortlisted if we had applied a minimum criteria for 5th std marks also?
Me: Yes, I have topped in school consistently.

P2: So you think mushrooming of new institutes, as per your blog,is good or bad?
Me: Reasoned out my opinion and then came to the answer on how the management colleges should be graded & classsified, monitored over a period of time and then be given a IIM status because brands dont emerge overnight and that they take shape over the years.

P1: But if we dont have new institutes how will you give management education to people?
Me: Another reasoning on quality and parameters affecting it and employability of the students, not to generate supply by comprimising on quality etc.

P1: How do you measure quality of mba institute?
Me: Spoke on broad-based competencies & capabilities built by a institute which can be applied in practical uses and also how a quality institute provides good human capital even in face of crisis.

P2: Only capability is enough for a job?
Me: Capability, knowledge and attitude all are needed & matter equally.

P2: So M&M selected you because of all these?
Me: Gave yet another reasoning on how there might be constraint of time & space when recruiters come to pick students in colleges, so it might not be possible to assess all these in a shortt time and some asumptions go in it like the name of the institute.

P1 & P2 look at each other and then at me and say " I think we are done"

P2: Do you have any questions?
Me: Why isnt IIM C featuring among the top 10 best b'schools in the world?

They wouldnt have expected anyone to ask it but nevertheless the lady explained how the rankings were not a credible yardstick and they had their own benchmarks and if we had a discussion on it it would cost us the whole day.

I smiled, said a "thank you" and walked out feeling quite satisfied.

I had managed to banish the performance of 'A' aside by performing better in 'C'.


Final Verdict: " Successfully Converted . Khoob Bhaalo"


Regards

Vish

The IIM A interview experience

The past week was packed with activity and it was more hectic than one could have asked for. (The "CATatastrophy" series will still continue on my blogpage but with a few interruptions in the form of my interview experiences like this one.)

So the day had finally arrived. 23rd of Feb it was! The venue for the interview was Dadar Catering College, a stone's throw away from the iconic Shivaji Park. I reached there a good 30 min before the scheduled time of quarter to 2. Seeing a tie in my hand, the man at the gate instantly recognized me as a "interview-wala" and let me in. The college looked more like a complex of residential buildings joined together. Each of these had interview sessions of other IIMs simultaneously. Nervous students and their more anxious parents sat in chairs outside; posibly making the mistake of coming to the venue hrs before the process and sweating their palms off.

Following the directions in the placards, I made my way to the 4th floor to the waiting room of IIM-A which housed about 7 candidates including 2 girls. I greeted all of them with a smile and took my seat. Not even did i spend a minute in the room, did I feel the immense sense of competition all around me which I could literally smell & taste. And why not, it is IIM-A after all, voted the best B-school in the country by popular public perception!!
2 of the dudes were deeply engrossed in the "economic times" enough to give you running commentary on the volatility in markets & inflationary sentiments. The girl to my right, not to be outdone, took out a book from her bag and started romancing derivatives & integral calculus. The most nervous guy next to me tried to strike a conversation with me by asking me about Laplace transform & Fourier series equations. I gave him a look as if he had just asked me about Suresh Kalmadi's bank balance.

A big, burly man who could barely make it past the room's entrance, called out our names from the corridor and ticked in his sheet. Maybe they kept him there to intimidate us. We were then summoned into a room with 8 chairs.

We got the first clear view of the people who would evaluate us during the process. P1, was a man probably in his late 40s and with a very accomodating look on his face. P2, a guy in his late 30s, seemed for like a alumnus of the institute, dressed in smart casuals.
After the initial pleasantries, we were asked to keep our certificates/marksheets/profile interview form aside for their verification. We were then given a topic " Networking is more important than academics for success in life." and asked to write on for 10 min on the given sheet of paper.

The 10-min essay writing session started sharp at 1:45 pm (impressed).
I dont think it lasted the exact 10 min.
I made my points crisp,clear and structured it reasonably well although I did sacrifice my hand-writing at times. I tilted towards networking's importance wherein i explained what it is, its evolution over time, what acads can get u to,what networking can get u to, examples about blogs & social networks for brand promotion, etc etc. Our papers were taken away after what seemed like only 5 min. We were then told to sit outside for our turn.

Mine came after a prolonged 2 n half hr wait.

P2 did most of the asking and P1 most of the document verification.

P1: So, what should we call you "Vishwanath" or " Hariharan" ?
Me: sir, "Vishwanath" is my name. (As if it matters, both names aren't the shortest)

Unlike most people whose interviews started with the standard favourtie of the interviewer "Tell me something about yourself", my interviews invariably started with something more simple like "What is your name?".

P1: (smiling & studying my 1st sem graduation marksheet closely) I see you dont seem to be too fond of "Matrices & calculus"
(aargh..D grade in the first sem of engg. I dont know about past-life karma, but past karma of present-life can come to haunt you bad.)

Me: (Smiled and nodded my head in the affirmative with a sheepish "Yes sir")


P2: (Scanning my profile form intently) Vishwanath, just tell us something about your work.
Me: I told them about my journey from the production shop to materials managementin M&M,supplier-related work, quality, cost , delivery, my role & responsibilities in brief, development work in some vehicle projects etc

P1: (whose eyes had lit up when i said Scorpio)So u develop components for Scorpio?
Me: Sir, not just the scorpio but all vehicles which come under the purview of the auto sector.

P1 & P2 nodded.

P2: So,how is M&M doing?
Me: (I spoke abt the varied product range (bike, car, truck etc etc)which M&M had got itself into in place of just the iconic 'jeep' with which it was identified earlier.)

P2: Hmm.. How is M&M's 2-wheeler business doing?
Me: I spoke about it as a brave move. But brave always doesnt mean great move..but still early days

P2: Would u buy/recommend somone to buy a M&M 2-wheeler? why?
Me: (I spoke about the latest news of sales nos dropping in the last quarter, market scene, skepticism to the new entrant and adopting a wait-n-watch policy.)

P2: What is the existing perception about M&M as a company?
Me: I had enough to blurt about. I told them about how M&M as a company is changing from a conservative indian company to a global brand, its JVs with Renault, international trucks & navistar, its acquisition of South korean auto major Ssanyong motors, M&M's entry into new markets like US which are challenging and demanding, projecting a positive image, re-positioning etc etc

P2: Why do u want to leave your present company for an mba?
Me: Told him about how I look to add to my skills with each opportunity, about my growth from just a metallurgist to the auto-engineer and the value-addition i have done in 3 yrs, talked about mba giving me the flexibility to diversify to new areas/sectors and taking up higher responsibilities.

P2: What would u do mba in (specialization)?
ME: Sir, I would want to keep my options open for now (cliched answer)

P2, till then, was still scanning my profile form which was barely 5 pages long and dint need such intense scrutiny. he looked at me with an expresion of "I have heard that b4. Be specific"

Me: If I am asked for preferences, then operations & marketing would be on top of it.

P2 smiled..he had probably heard a lot of finance till then. Finally, someone had saved operations from extinction.

P1: (Who had taken a profound liking to my graduation mark sheets) Which other calls have u got?
Me: Sir, I have got calls from calcutta, lucknow, indore and the 4 new IIMs (have to be honest, no? dont hv a choice, do u?)

P2: What are your hobbies/interests?
Sir: I am passionate about blogging, reading, travel etc


P2: Good, so what do you blog on?
Me: Told them that the blogs are on people, places, events and I keep the subject as relevant and contemporary as possible so that people can enjoy them.

P2: What is the latest on ur blogspace? What is it about?
Me: Spoke about the latest "CATastrophy" series on my page which takes u to CAT2020 with 26 new premier institutes of management, the intensity of competition, the selection criteria etc (they seemed to enjoy it)

P2: What do u read?
Me: Sir, Fiction

P2: Recent fiction novels?
ME: Rattled the names of a few of them and the recent one I had read.

P2: Do u read & follow current affairs?
Me: Yes Sir

P2: So whats the latest news?
Me: Its about Libya. the current situation has escalated to violence.100s are dead and many injured in clashes. Gadaffi is still defiant under international pressure. he has been there for 42 yrs and says he will die a martyr.

P2: Before Libya? in Egypt, the jasmine revolution?
Me: Sir, it started off in Tunisia and then spread to Egypt where Hosni mubarak had to step down eventually.

. Why did Hosni step down after so many days of revolt? he could have held on right?
Me: Sir it was not just the protests. but there was some amount of back-channel diplmacy going on between the US. The US backed him for their interests but they dint want the situation to go out of hand. So he stapped down. (accidentally I said that the americans were fond of him. This attracted a hearty laugh from both of them)

P2: What is the impact of this spreading crisis on india?
Me: I talked about the region being a strategic point for africa, europe, asia and trade & trade routes being affected,the suez canal being an important region with a capacity to transit 3 million oil barrells a day, oil crisis spiralling out of control and more inflation especially for countries like India dependent on arabs for oil.

P1: What are your favourite subjects?
ME: Sir, heat treatment & powder metallurgy

P1 asked me a metallurgy related question which I answered correctly

P2(Again back to current affairs) What is the latest economic news hogging headlines?
Me: Reliance selling stake to BP, budget'11, GDP growth at 8.9%, industry decline a bit etc etc

P2: U say there is economic growth but industry decline..how do u explain the contradiction?
Me: Talked about contributing factors being industry, services & agri sector. While services sector, agri have witnessed growth in each of them , it has been slow in industry.

P1: what is Contribution of agri sector to india's gdp?
ME: 16%

P1:What is the % of population in india dependent on agri?
Me: (Guessed).. Sir 40% ! (feeling silly for the bluff)

P1: Are u sure?
Me: Its just a guess Sir

. Any latest bad news in inda?
Other than the scams, the parliament not functioning due to want of JPC.(aargh..how did i miss telangana, godhra..feeling silly)

P2: Parliament not functioning is actually a good thing. (All 3 of us had a laugh about it.)

P1: What is the market share of M&M in vehicle sales in india?
ME: Told them (on my finger tips)

P1: Do u think the last 3-4 yrs for M&M has been stagnant?
(Spoke about decline in production due to low demand from sept 08 till feb09 , then steady growth, said it was largely slow growth if 2007 compared directly to 2010, hence stagnant overall... I could have done better in this , especially the reasoning)

P2: Do u know probability (oops..finally comes the nuclear bomb)
Me: Yes, a little

P2: Explain cummulative distribution something-something curve..(???)
Me: No sir, not heard of it ( wat do u expect from a metallurgist who has forsaken it for the last 5-6 years of my life.)

P2: Basic probability laws?
Me:(thought for some time)The probability of 2 mutually exclusive events occuring does not influence each other , to which he asked for more basic stuff

P2: can probability be negative?
Me: No

P2: Can probability be zero?
Me: Yes

Both look at eahc other saying "We are done", smile at me and say a pleasant 'thank you'. No alpenliebe offered from the cup.

It was chilled out and lasted between 10-15 mins i guess. the panel was cool.
If u dint know anything u cud say that u dint know it.
It was the same for everyone, so I dint read much into it.
Personally, i cud hv reasoned better in some questions but overall it was an ok feeling.

Kept my fingers crossed..the next day, the next biggie - IIM C.


Final Verdict: " Biggest Convert of the season"

Regards

Vish