IIM Calcutta GDPI

(From pagalguy :) )

DATE - 01-March-2011
SLOT - Morning 8.30 am

PROFILE:

Acads
X 84.13%, Goa Board, year 2002
XII 69.67%, Goa Board, year 2004
Undergrad Stream Computers 62.63%, from GEC Goa 2008

Work-Ex:
Accenture- 30 months

CAT (2010):
Aggregate:99.97%ile
(category if applicable):GEN

Extra acads : Negligible

Any other special thing abt you: First attempt

Interview & GD

Venue: Mumbai
Date : 1st March 2011
Course(PGDM/PGDCM):PGDM

GD :
Topic: "I do not want to do an MBA because..."
Number of Ppl present:8
Time: We were given A4 sheets to write about the topic in complete sentences for 5 min.
Then we were supposed to discuss the topic for 10 min.In the end each one of was asked to summarise the discussion(<1min)>Interview :
Panel Members Intro: P1 -a senior faculty (MIS) P2 - Someone from legal department.
On an average each interview lasted for 20-25 min.And nobody was grilled on anything as such.
I was the 7th to enter.It was less of an interview and more of a friendly conversation.
P1 started with the usual "tell me about yourself".Then seeing that I am from computer background,he asked me which was my favorite subject.Told data structures and C programming.Then he asked some 3-4 fundu quetions on the same.Surprisingly I could answer them.He was content.(The engineering wasnt a complete waste afterall )
Then he asked about my hobbies (I had mentioned Guitar and blogging) but not too much into it though I was hoping that he would.
He asked about my hometown in Goa(Corlim) and how far it is from panjim.Asked me from where I did my schooling(Mashel).
Told him it is a hometown of Dr.Raghunath Mashelkar as well
Then I asked him whether he is from Goa originally.Turned out he is
P2 hardly spoke.
While the interview was going on P1 and P2 were also talking among themselves.Basically it was a very informal and chilled out interview.

Then finally they asked me the trademark "why mba".As we pondered a lot on the same topic in the GD too,I think I was able to answer it convincingly.Both seemed satisfied and I was done.
But I was not offered a toffee or anything :(

Rate your preparation(0-5):2
Rate your performance(0-5):4

MISC
The community leader Jaydev Joshi was in my group.

All in all a great and satisfying experience.

(My first post on pagalguy )

VERDICT: CONVERTED

NMIMS GDPI Experince

(From Pagalguy :))

DATE - 08-March-2011
SLOT - Afternoon (1pm)

PROFILE:

Acads:
X : 84.13% (Goa Board)
XII : 69.67% (Goa Board)
Undergrad Major - 62.6% GEC Goa University (Computers)

Work-Ex: 31 months (Accenture)

NMAT Score: 252

Any other special thing about you: First attempt.

It was a bad day to start with.My bus was screwed halfway so had to change it again.
Reached Andheri at 1 PM.Rikshawala dropped me at NMIMS college.(My gdpi was at Mukesh Patel Colg)
The guard over there told me that gdpi process has already started.
I literally ran my way in the horrid afternoon heat to my gdpi venue.It was on 8th floor and thanks to Lord Murphy,the lift was not working.
So climbed all 8 floors.Already sweated and feeling dizzy.I thought I had missed the GD.But thankfully the briefing seminar was still going on.I heaved a sigh of relief.

GD:
As usual we had to choose from 2 topics, 1) facebook has resulted in destroying social manners and 2) spiritual gurus have brilliant marketing strategies.
With a majority of 7:3 we chose the first one.

Overall GD was quite decent.I entered 3-4 times.After that I couldnt shout any more so did not even try.
We did manage to touch upon various aspects(mostly negative)
There were times where we were beating around the bush or discussing irrelevant points.
2-3 times the Group dangerously tilted towards a fish market,but thanks to some courteous and chivalrous members,everyone more or less got a chance to speak.
The discussion continued even after the faculty annouced the 5-mins.So the GD was ended abruptly while one of the group memeber was halfway through his point.

My preparation(0-5):1
My performance(0-5):4


PI:
2 Male senior faculty and 1 lady faculty.

It started with general "tell me about yourself" question.Then they asked me about my work,the type of role I have,responsibilities,how my engg in computers helped me in my job.I had to lie here.
Then the regular why mba,why mba after IT...from the looks of the professors,I dont think I gave fully satisying answers for those.They were taking references from My SOP.To be frank my SOP was very ordinary and small.So they didnt grill me much on that.But guys,be thorough with your SOP.You can really divert the interview in your favour if you have written a good SOP.
They asked me what I do in my free time.(Was waiting for this)
Told them about guitar,blogging etc.They did not push too much into it.
Tried to divert them to my hobbies 3-4 times.The male faculties were clearly not interested much.One of them asked me about "C guitar,F guitar".I was puzzled.I asked him whether he is talking about C chord,F chord.Apparently he was.
Then the lady asked me which notes doesnt have a #.Answered it.
Then they asked me about current affairs(My Achilles Heel).Told them I have started reading newspapers only recently.Then they asked some questions about Egypt revolution,effect of Libyan revolution on prices of oil barrel,legalising passive Euthanasia(Here again I tried to take them to my blog as I had a written a post.Again no heed.)
I could answer some of them.
Then they asked me if I dont get into any college will I try again.I told them,I had set a target of getting into top 20 college this year and if that doesnt happen I would be trying next year again but will target only top 10.
They asked me which is #20 college.I was not sure,said XIMB.

Frankly speaking it was an average PI,only the Lady faculty was listening and nodding intently,the male faculties never showed any interest.

My preparation(0-5):1
My performance(0-5):3

All in all a good end to a bad day.Keeping my fingers crossed.

Verdict:Awaited (Eagerly)

PS: CONVERTED....woooooohoooooooooooo...My first convert.I am just so overwhelmed :)

The Homecoming :)

Hey

So I am finally back in Mumbai after like 4 months of sabbatical in Goa.(Because of the pancreatitis..more about it some other time)

But,save for the hospitalisation,surgery,bed rest,strict diet etc, I had an awesome time at home.It was a break much needed.Far far away from the frustration,disparity and the negativity of the job(I tend to exaggerate this every time..I know :p),a calm and cool vacation at home with family for around 4 months is the perfect antidote.

Surprisingly towards the end of the period I was actually looking forward to joining back.Looks like even the happiness and relaxation taste sour when overdosed. Hehe

Apparently I wasnt able to book a train ticket,thanks to the overwhelming number of tourists leaving Goa on the same day,I had to book a bus ticket.Was able to book for a non ac sleeper bus for an exorbitant price of 1500.

And thus on the auspicious day of 2nd of January 2011 I left Goa and embark upon a journey to Mumbai.

On previous day I was having acidity problem.As a precautionary measure I had a blood test.Apparently the levels of an enzyme which is an indicator of pancreatitis had gone slightly high.I was literally jelly-legged.But then dad consulted the doctor and I was reassured that there is nothing to worry but henceforth I need to seriously cut on oily and deep fried food. :(

Bus journey only contributed to the bad mood.It was the worst one ever.

Inspite of the cozy and comfortable sleeper seat I had a terrible time with continuous head-splitting headache and acidity and upset stomach.Couldn't sleep for more than 10 min at a stretch throughout the night :(

Somehow in the morning the bus reached mumbai.I was feeling much better.The headache had been reduced to the occasional pangs.Stomach has made peace with me to a large extent.I reached home.There was no time for the after-journey nap.So freshened up and caught the bus to the company.

I am one of those guys who would judge the year from the way it starts.

And to be frank I had some qualms regarding how things gonna be this year after the way things were turning out last 2 days..

Thankfully things straightened out slowly.First of all I got a warm welcome from project buddies.Second,and best of all was that I was told that I had become comparatively thin. :) (A Joy short-lived until another friend greeted me with "PeTya".Grrrrr)

Although nothing had changed drastically as far as project is concerned,the team had grown in size and also the work pressure was comparatively less.On top of it I got a workstation in a very safe and fortified place.(You have to be an IT guy to understand the value of that).So I could have rendezvous with my old time savior buddies viz office communicator,Dilbert,pagalguy,wikipedia etc without the leads watching :p

Also caught up with another lifeline of mine,the table tennis in the Gymkhana.Thats the place where I have gotten more acknowledgement for my skills(TT) than I ever got in my project. :)

So all in all the week went pretty fast (just like the Time does nowadays) without any bumps or hiccoughs.And I let out a sigh of relief. :)

Ill say this year has kickstarted really well for me.Hoping that it remains faithful to its mood throughout. :)

I love to make resolutinos every year.Here are some for this one.

• Blog more.(Have set a target of atleast 50 posts this year :) )
• Crib less.(This one is tricky.But I love challenges)
• Be more positive and optimistic.(Again difficult but I think I am on the right path.In fact you can sense it from the tone of this post)
• Lot less social networking (It's the need of the hr)

And few more...

Hoping to abide by them till the year end.Would love to refer to this post at the end of the year regarding how many of those resolutions I could do justice too.

Have some dreams,aspirations,ambitions...And I am very positive about them.I have become a firm believer of the law of attraction (Like attracts Like).Too many experiences to ignore it. :)

So let me severe my blabber right here(if you are still reading) and kickstart the blogroll by wishing you all a very happy,prosperous and a satiating new year.May all your (and mine) dreams and wishes come true.May we do not need a resolution list next year :p

May this year be one of the awesomest one ever.

C ya.

PS: Nothing changes much in the real world when you are in a limbo.At least not in 4 months :p

Forgive me for this....plzkthnx :p

Hi

With few short days remaining before I head back to Mumbai and surrender myself to the routine,here is another post I present you.(There are 2-3 more coming soon,if I could finish them before I leave)

Anyway...

This time it's a short story that spewed out of my useless musings :p

Its about an existing concept but in a quest to quell my boredom from the long hrs of nothingness,I tried to build a silly allegory around it. :p

Imagine you are having a bad day.You go for a walk to take your mind away from it and relax.But as our Lord Murphy(Piss be upon him) has revealed time and again to the mankind,things always have a knack to go from bad to worse.

You walk over a quicksand by mistake.And quicksand happily obliges and takes you in.

That quicksand is owned by a powerful evil creature.It drags whoever attacks its space to the bottom.It notices you and its coming for you.You realise that and try desperately to get out of it.

And just when you had thought you could get out of the quicksand,the creature gets hold of your belt.Lets assume that the belt is your prized possession and very important to you.

That creature will never let go the belt.It is exceptionally powerfull when it comes to pulling people into quicksand by their belts.

Now as per these conditions,the only movement in the quicksand is downwards.

If you hold on to it you'll go down with it.So how do you get out of that.

Or..can you at all..??

Yes.The solution is that simple.You are right...Let go off the belt and come out of that quicksand.

Let the creature devour on it as much as it wants in its quicksand happily.You can always have more of those belts.

Ok I know the fable was bit drawn-out.But turning to the gist of it... :p

The belt depicts the painful past memories.

That creature is the one who is responsible for tearing them up.

The quicksand is the concoction of negativity,regret,frustration and tons more similar ingredients.

Letting the belt go is what Forgiveness is all about..

You do that not because you want to make that creature happy and fed.

You do that because you want to come out of the quicksand.

Should you forget it??..Hell no.Lest you should fall into that quicksand again with that creature.

Remember the golden words,"Forgive but don't forget" and more importantly learn from the experience. ;)

So summing it up.It works.Forgiveness works..It's not about playing saint.It's not about a meek surrender.There is a straightforward transparent motive behind that.That is not allowing your past memories to haunt you perpetually.When you let it go you make a room for a new happiness that might be missed simply because there was too little space and hostility for it in your mind.

It makes you positive,however cliched that word might have become nowadays its the single most important thing that will cruise you through any predicament.It is very conducive to the manifestation of the dreams that you hope will some day come true.

I know I am sounding like one of those guys from "The Secret" movie.(no they are not paying me for that :p) But it worked to a great extent for me and I am still working on it.

Afterall isnt happiness that what all our pursuits are eventually about.

Just think over it.

Give it a try incase you have had a quicksand incident before ;)

(In some rare cases the power of forgiveness will make that creature come to you to apologise and return your precious belt...hehe)

Comments welcome.

Gracias

Sukhant...Indeed!

I recently saw a nice marathi movie "Sukhant" (in marathi "a happy end")

There have been quite a lot of thought provoking movies being made in marathi that touches on various social issues lately and this is one of them.

Its about a son(Atul Kulkarni) whose mother turns quadriplegic in an accident.

Her limbs are paralysed.She can talk,eat,smell etc.She has all the senses intact but cannot move by herself.She tries hard to make her peace with her plight for about a year or so.

Finally she has enough.She couldnt take it anymore.She has no will and ambition left to live.She can sense how big a liability she is becoming to herself and her family members.

She begs his son to release her out of this She tells him to end her life.

Now he has to choose between a painful dilemma of letting his most beloved person,the one who brought him into this world,who nourished him,who toiled for his education and upbringing and made him what he is today,live painfully in agony,reduced literally to a vegetable,incapable of doing none of the daily chores by herself,or to free her out of her misery and theoretically commit a matricide.

He tries to fight her case to get a legal approval for this tremendous decision, as no surgeon would do it otherwise lest it becomes a culpable homicide.But he fails.His appeal is dismissed in all the courts he tries.

Finally with no other options left,he chooses the way any rational,responsble son who truly loves his mother would choose.

A very touching concept,nice direction and excellent performances from everyone.Really couldn't stop contemplating over the movie afterwards.

Euthanasia or mercy killing,especially as far as humans are concerned,is still a very contentious issue.And has not been legalized even in developed countries with some exceptions.It is always seen as a homicide,no matter whether the recipient has given his full consent for the same.

From a third person view it seems like a criminal homicide.Some sentimental arguments like "if you cannot create a life life than don't destroy it","only god can give or take life" etc all supports the anti euthanasia case very strongly,however little sense they make.

But I think a person has full right of what he is going to do with his life.This isnt suicide.There is no self murder involved here.Someone who opts for a suicide,makes that choice instinctively,and has a choice to turn things around for him before he mutilates his life but in case of euthanasia,one makes a conscious,well-thought decision.(Ideally)

An instant peaceful death is lot better than dying a bit everyday.Ofcourse no one would know this better than the victim who has chosen a death.

If we set aside these pseudo-moral arguments and think from an unbiased perspective,I think it's a very practical thing to do.Why the concept of putting pets to sleep came into place.Because its only humane to not allow them to suffer every day every minute.

If we can have so much consideration for an animal's life,then why not for human's.Infact logically we can empathise with the sufferings of a fellow human being much more effectively.

Of course there should be enough care taken before its actual implementation.

For eg,the patient's psychological condition,his ability to take decision,the clarity of mind before he chooses this option.

These can be achieved through a lot of ways.The counselling sessions,biometric tests etc.

I also think that everything should be done and tried first in order to change his/her mind.

Enough care should also be taken to prevent its misuse by people who would be benefitted by the death of the victim.

All in all I think its a very modern and rational concept and totally in sync with humanity.

Lets just hope someday soon Euthanasia would evolve itself out its "homicide" tag and the world would be ready for such solutions.

Peace.

As I quoted..

Hey Fellas

Time for a lil' narcissism...just kidding :p

Couldn't find a good topic to muse over so thought of posting a consolidated list of all my status messages on facebook, orkut,messengers etc.Most of these were conceived out of the sheer cynicism and negativity of the office walls.Some were formed by tweaking the existing ones..Some were out of the personal experience and the rest were the serendipity or the mini-epiphanies that I get randomly :p.Will keep this list updated as and when I come up with new ones.

All of them are original.Mind you it isn't a big deal.You don't have to be great people to come up with such quotes..All you need is little cynicism with a tinge of negativity :)

(In case you doubt the originality any of them please do so,it would be more than a compliment for me :p )

Enjoy!!

• A Bum is the lowest form of Git.
• A man is only as strong as his weakest limb.
• I think therefore I ain't.
• Every genius has a tragedy.Mine is that I aint a genius.
• Nothing lasts forever except the proverb.
• Everything in life hits a hiatus sooner or later.I am waiting for my hiatus to hit life.
• Why aren't rhetorical questions supposed to be answered.
• Definition of Procrastination in simple words :- Well...will define it later...
• Learning curve is inversely proportional to passion.
• Where there is will there is a will not.
• I'm running outta time to keep myself busy.
• I love to play on moral high ground.It's mostly empty.
• Pain can be sweet sometimes..It makes you aware of yourself.
• The grass is always greener on the other side....even when the other side is a plain mirror.
• One of the benefits of being an Atheist is that you can swear to god....and Lie.
• I got the sunshine,I got the rain...Then I woke up,I was daydreaming again.
• A Catch-22 :- Sometimes I hate myself for being a Narcissist.
• Ironically enough,Ive unlearned the ability to unlearn things.
• Is there any condition that would break the infinite loop of "No work in life" and "No life in work
• Murphy's Law about office humor comic strips :- The more you read them,the more you can relate to them.
• Live like there is no tomorrow....Oh wait..I was supposed do that yesterday!!!
• Sycophants are born, not made.
• I am *NOT* a cheap labor...I am just a misguided philanthropist.
• I'm sorry I cannot fake smile...my mouth hurts if I do that.
• When the number of people who hate being stereotyped increases,they form a stereotype themeselves.
• déjà vu is when you ask yourself "has this happened before". Monotonousness is when you ask yourself the same question,Rhetorically.
• A Pessimist, even while dreaming, is aware that it is just a dream.
• A strong Principle generates a lot of interest.
• Incredulity is the best compliment one can ever get.
• When the packaging is pretty nobody cares about the content however bad it is,and when its not,nobody cares about the content however good it is.
• Opportunity does knock more than once..Its just that nobody's home the other times.
• If Only.The 2 most regretful words.If only they didn't exist.
• Where there is a wheel there is a Revolution.
• Coherecny leis in hte eyse fo beeholdr.
• It is always safer to use a comparative degree.
• Life always points us in the right direction...but with a middle finger.
• Thrice bitten,always shy.
• Sometimes, relief from the pain is so soothing that it just overwhelms the question of "Why me".
• When not interested in the content, people do judge a book by its cover.
• A Time Table is easier made than followed.
• Conscience is such a bitch.
• I said,they quoted.
• I get notifications,hence I am.
• I often get to say "I told you so"...But mostly to myself.
• I din't mean to be witty...that was unwittingly done.
• When the going gets tough,the tough gets going..others just change the project.
• Life...That boring period between the naps..
• A career change isnt an answer to all the questions..rather its a question to all the presupposed answers.
• Good/bad things happen to bad/good people.
• A coin toss is the simplest solution to the most intricate dilemmas.
• There are only 2 types of people in the world.Those who are explicit, ...
• The only problem with selflessness is that people eventually start taking you for granted.
• I am sure there are people out there who want to prove me paranoid.
• Those who live on Mount Everest,never experience the thrill and Joy of climbing it.
• Smooth sailors have short autobiographies.
• Defeats are the crucial tastemakers in the final winning recipe.
• Generally people find my silence quotable...
• I tried to Write with my Left hand.It didn't feel Right..
• Oddly enough,sometimes things even out.
• Nice guys finish last.Only becuase they want to have the last laugh.
• I fought my way to the top of the food chain just to prove that, even a vegetarian can...
• Some things in life cannot be explained,for everything else no one's interested...
• There is really nothing called as closed doors...Most of the times we try hard to push or pull open a door, which is actually a sliding one.
• An alarm clock is a necessary evil.
• Law of averages is fine...Its the law of "above-averages" that creates problems..
• Ill give my 200% not to have a cliche in this sentence....
• Definition Procrastination(noun) :-
• When the going gets tough, the new proverbs spurt..
• R is impotent.
• It only matters as long as you mind
• Sarcasm is a dish best served wit a pun
• Each and every sweeping generalization is baseless.
• I had a dream...but that damn alarm!!
• Always laugh at your miseries before anyone else does.
• Denial =is= just a river in Egypt...nothing else...simply nothing
• Some people always expect you to be cynical, without realizing the irony behind doing so.
• A battle of wits cannot be won with weak PUNches.

Regards,

PS: The submission "Definition Procrastination(noun) :-" was accepted by Grouchy Rabbit.

Check out here http://grouchyrabbit.com/permalink.php?viewid=42897

The cat that was....

It all began when my cat was attacked by some 5-6 stray dogs in the backyard.It was a horrific attack and yet somehow the cat miraculously survived but with lot of wounds.

We waited for 2 days with a hope of any improvement.None came.The cat barely ate or moved from his box.

So we had to call a vet finally.This guy from neighborhood was a good one we were told.

We have never seen a vet before.Or rather never felt a need of one.This time it was bit serious.

The vet arrived.Examined his wounds.He said that he should have been called the same day.

The cat was weak and wounded.Yet it required 4 of us to hold him down while the vat treated him.Yet he managed to defy us all with uncanny strenght for an animal wounded that much.(I was holding his front legs,which wasnt appreciated a lot by him.So while squirming it bit me twice.Which resulted in me taking 3 anti rabis injections myself :( )

His second dose was a quicky.Got over in a jiffy.This time the crew was much more alert about his strengh and quick maneuvers.Thankfully nobody apart from the cat had to take injection this time.

After the 3rd and final injection the cat was in full force and spirit and it struggled successfully to avoid the application of any oinment on his wounds by vet.

But all in all the vet was very happy with his progress and assured that the wound would be healed in no time.Also there were no more injections.(Me and dad let out a sigh of relief)

The cat was quite composed and looked hale and hearty.We were happy.

Before sleeping I made sure all the doors and windows are closed.I even got up in the midnight to check whether the cat was there..He was very much there happily snoring in the chair..

Somewhere late in the night I went to sleep.

Today morning around 10

Got up.Checked the cat in the hall,felt relieved and went on with the morning chores.

I had a 2 hr mock test in the morning.So at around 11 I started it.After it was over I came outside as usual to check for the cat.

The cat had gone.There was a window in my dads room that was opened.

Fuck!!

How in the world did I overlook that.

I went outside to see if the cat is in the neighborhood.(Which it usually is).No signs.

To add to my qualms I saw a flock of stray dogs,the ones which had attacked the cat in the first place just outside.

Mind just wasnt ready to accept that his lifeline is over.Maybe because it was too unfortunate and painful to be true.Specially after his near death experience,the way he survived and held up,the way we could successfully nurse him back to health....It just cant be.Fate cant be this cruel.But then he has never been out for this long.He wasnt home for almost a day.I tried to search him (or his torn up body if in case :( ) in the colony...All I could find was a different flock of mongrels.

Well,the mind slowly began to accept it.The hardest part.Which every pet lover fears of.The death of his beloved pet.

Although this cat wasnt exactly as close to me as the previous ones.Still we had our moments.

The sight of him cozed up all nicely in the softest part of the bed,waking up for nothing but food,completely indifferent to any distraction,any noice of any level(except that of food jars).

Sometimes these are the things where we find our solace in.The connection is unexplainable.It just feels good.To pet him.To irritate him.To feed him.I guess thats what the pets are for.They are precious.But sadly they are living things.They have a finite life.They play their part,become a part of you...and just leave some day.

Being a pet lover is a blessing and a curse too.

Today Evening around 7

I wake up.Desperately looked for any sign of him in the hall.No luck.So it was confirmed.I accepted it.felt really really bad.

While I was sitting dully remembering him,Mom came from the office.

Before I could tell her the terrible news (even she is fond of this cat as much as I and dad are) she asked me what was the cat doing on a tree outside.

An instant shot of adrenalin injected into me.I literally ran outside.Chuckled a bit around.

Something fell down from the nearby tree.It was living.It was moving.It was black and it was white.And it had a tail as well.:)

My beloved and stupid cat came running towards me.

A sad day culminated into a pleasant evening :)

Meao-nara. :)

PS:Herez that crook btw (Notice the black patch on his lower jaw.My sister says it makes him look like charlie chaplin)