My IIM Lucknow Essay-GD-PI experience

Getting an IIM GD-PI call was like a dream and getting through was more than what I desired. Its a combination of hard-work, intelligence and luck which has helped me to get through IIM Lucknow(IIML) call. Had I not got through IIML, I would not have shared my GD-PI experience[:)].

IIML second stage selection has an essay, a GD on same essay topic and a PI. My essay topic was a topic which I have thought for many many years, "Do God created man or man created God?". Being an atheist and avid reader, I always think rationally and like to give reasons for every step or every statement I give. Few points I wrote in essay and even said during GD were:
1)Why do God look like man? Just to make God super power we make him an abnormal looking human having many heads, many hands and many legs.
2) Humans always want some actor or doer for every action. Hence if any action is done and we are not able to find actor or doer then we hold god responsible for the action.
3) Humans love control in life, but there are many things which are beyond human control. Hence we make a super power, a super controller called God. We pray to god, we please him and then ask for favours. This is how we think that we can control our lives.
4) It is well said that, even random is a pattern which we cannot recognise.

Personal interview was amazing. It lasted only for 7-8mins. So the moment interview was done I knew that either I am through or I am rejected, there will be no middle course. In interview panel there were two panelist. One old and one bit young. After looking at faculty profiles on IIML website, I can say the older person was Mr N K Sinha and the bit younger one was Mr. Ashwani Kumar (I am not 100% sure though). So for me most of the questions were asked by Mr Sinha.

Mr. Sinha: Tell something about yourself.
Harshal: I am Harshal Chandak, born in city of Dombivli which is know as educational hub in suburbs. Being brought up in a middle class family my family gave me sole objective of studying well and earning a good job. Following that I studied well and was 14th in Mumbai Division in SSC. But when I went to my junior college...(Stopped)
Mr Sinha: (my engg percentages are 58.3, looking at that) But I think you stopped following your parents objective in engineering.
Harshal: Sort of, actually I was bit irresolute during my engineering and goofed up in exams.
Mr Sinha: U are an engineer, but then why you went into Career Launcher?
Harshal: I was very sure that I don't want to be part of IT industry. When I was 17 I had a dream of starting my own school but never thought so seriously over it. When I got opportunity to work in education industry, I thought this might be a way I can understand more about my dream. Hence I went to Career Launcher.
Mr. Sinha: What do you do in Career Launcher?
Harshal: My prime job is to mentor students. Being a small company I got lots of opportunity by working in different sections like marketing, sales, customer servicing, e-marketing.
Mr Sinha: What is mentoring?
Harshal: Mentoring is done in many stages. One is teaching fundamentals of math and DI as I teach those subject. Rest it also consists of motivating students. Like one of my student who is right now in IIFT was facing problems while giving mock exams. He was not able to score more than a particular level. So I advised him to continue with mock exams and not get frustated about the score.
Mr Sinha: Don't you think its common sense.
Harshal: Definitely its commmon sense. I know this but students sometime overlook this.
Mr Sinha: I thought Career Launcher pays faculties in tons but looking at your salary it doesn't look that way.
Harshal: This salary value is two year old as appraisals were not done last year due to recession.
Mr Sinha: How many times you have given CAT
Harshal: 5 times, but out of that only two were serious and rest three were not so serious.
Mr Sinha: What was ur last score?
Harshal: 97.17%, missed out on english. This time also I don't have great percentiles in English.
Mr Sinha: It might be bit akward question, but will you give CAT one more time?
Harshal: Definitely yes. I am totally in love with CAT exam as this is where I can give some exercise to my brain. (This I think was the turning point of the complete interview)
Mr Sinha: I think this CAT was very easy. What are your views?
Harshal: I don't think this CAT was very easy. As every year if you observe there are around 10-12 questions gettable, this year too same number of questios where gettable but only difference this time was less number of questions.
Mr Sinha: Looking at your 4 years experience and your love for CAT. Will join IIM or not?
Harshal: Definitely yes sir. This time I am adamant over joining only IIM's.
Mr Kumar: What are your hobbies?
Harshal: Reading books and trekking.
Mr Kumar: Where do you go for trek?
Harshal: In Sahyadri's i.e. in Maharashtra. I ensure that I have minimum 2 people so that if anything happens to me the other can bring me back and maximum 5-6 people.
Mr Kumar: Why maximum 5-6 people? Do you go for trek every year?
Harshal: Maximum 5-6 to avoid conflict. I have experienced that during trek even the best of the best friends fight. I do go to trek every year.(I could have mentioned seasons as well but forgot to do that)
Mr Kumar: Any incidence of conflict?
Harshal: It was I think during one trek when we were going to Tikona. It was raining lightly and my friends had super enthu about building a tent. The only resource they had was a huge plastic sheet. I warned them that this is not gonna work. But they continued with it and finally after one hour of hard work one strong wind blew our tent away. It was getting darker as well. Luckily I knew about a temple close by and hence we decided to take shelter in that temple. But one helpful farmer allowed us to stay in his house.
Mr Sinha: What is meaning of life for you?
Harshal: For me life is all about learning and not earning.
Mr Kumar and Mr Sinha: Thank you