IIM Kozhikode Essay-GD-PI experience

IIM Kozhikode was my first IIM interview. It was on 26th March 2010. Given huge amount of expectations I had from me, I was bit scared before going for the essay, GD and PI. I was completely soaked in sweat due to hot and humid weather and was rehearsing all my answers in mind during the one hour train journey. I was more careful as it was my first interview.

Essay: "Fools and fanatics are certain about things but wiser people are not"

I started with Albert Eistein quote saying, "There are two things in world that are infinite, universe and human stupidity. Though i am not sure about the former." I wrote who can be termed as fool and fanatics and why are they sure about things because they are driven by parochial attitude and a very dogmatic approach. Sometimes fanatics take decisions only to ensure that their points are accepted even when they know that they are wrong. I wrote tha wise people are unsure because they always try to figure out reasons and try to understand things better, which results into indecisiveness. There is a four dimensional apporach of taking decision. Single dimension is based on self perception. Two dimensional based on opinions and self perception. Three dimensional when two dimensional model is given a knowledge resource and the fourth dimension is innovation.

GD: A passage was given regarding water scarcity and mis-management of water.

I started the GD saying that water is life and the entire humanity is based on water. We have very limited resource of drinking water. Talked about resources not valued when in abundance and current drought has brought our mis-management to lime-light. Spoke points like water harvesting to volunterrily done by every citizen, sachin tendulkar being brand amassador of save water campaign, excessive use of ground water by farmers have resulted into decrease in ground water level, desalinization plant should be built, waste water from bathrooms and toilets should be treated to be used in carwashing or gardening in a society and also spoke about a brazilian campaign where government asked citizen to flush toilet only after three usages.

PI experience: There were three people in the panel. Two prof and an alumni. One prof was around 40-45(terming it as P1), another one was bit scary with big eyes and long beard(looked very simlar to Jharkand Chief minister Shibhu..hence terming him as CM) and the alumn was very young, tall and very serious faced(A1).

P1: You teach in Career Launcher. Do you take care of GD-PI?
Harshal: Yes
P1: What is good GD-PI or Essay-PI?
Harshal: I think essay, gd and pi is good. As there are few people who good at writing and few are good at speaking. Hence essay and gd will be helpful in testing both.
P1: How was the GD?
Harshal: Frankly speaking, I never expected IIM GD's to be so civilised as many things are stake. But the gd was extremely civislised and everyone got a chance to speak. We also put in many points and constructed very nicely. We were also able to summarize it, that was one gud point. P1: Rate the people in GD.
Harshal: (I started pointing towards the chair numbers) This guy gave in many points and came with many new ideas. The girl tried to speak but managed to give few points. The guy over there had serious communications problem. He tried to speak later but I am sorry that I spoke at that time. I felt sorry for him.
P1: Rate urself
Harshal: 8.5/10
P1: Who is the highest?
Harshal: That I cann't do. As everyone has different perception while doing that.
P1: We are looking for your perception.
Harshal: Still I cann't tell you who is the highest. But I can tell you top three. You decide whom you want to make first, second and third. One is me and others are chair 5 and 7.
P1: Still will you tell me who is first
Harshal: Here many things are at stakes. I know they are my compitetors but still I would not like to tell who is the highest.
CM: You did engineering and then you went into Career Launcher. Don't you thing you wasted an engineering seat?
Harshal: No. I didn't waste any engineering seat. I know I am not applying any technical knowledge out here but I am still applying my analytical skills. Also because I am an engineer I was able to work on e-learning module of Career Launcher. At the same time the job profile clearly specifies that an engineer is required for my post and hence I am taking a position which only an engineer can take.
CM: What u did in e-learning module?
Harshal:We were trying to develop a learning module where the classes will be conducted on net. This will help them to understand the concepts better, also revise them any time they want and will reduce travelling time, which is a major problem in mumbai.
CM: Don't you think e-learning module doesn't have demand in India?
Harshal: This is because students are very much used to human touch while learning. Hence for the intial phases we are trying to launch this as an teaching aid and not as product. So once people get used to things we can shift our focus from normal teaching to core e-learning.
A1: What is your favourite subject in engineering?
Harshal: (OMG!!) Sir, its Bio-medical instrumentation. (This is my ace answer as I am 99% sure that people don't know this topic)
A1: Any other subject?
Harshal: Others are not favourite as such. But being instrumentation it was a sandwich course so if you want you can ask me about electronics. I will try to answer those.
A1: What is K-map?
Harshal: I don't know. (Later I found that I knew the concept but never knew that it is called K-map. I am bad at remembering names and terminologies)
A1: What is semiconductor?
Harshal: (Explained him global concept about semiconductor being doped with impurity and all kind of shit)
A1: Differentiate between conductor, semiconductor and resistor.
Harshal: Conductor conducts alwaysss, semi-conductor behaves like conductor after some thresh-hold while resistor have higher threshhold.
A1: How can we use resistor?
Harshal: We can use to create different potential drop and can use to activate different gadgets at different time by using it like a switch.
(A1 was thinking resistor in parallel combination and I was thinking in series. Later I cleared his misconception)
A1: What is register?
Harshal: I only know that its a memory device rest I don't know.
A1: What is todays news?
Harshal: Maria becoming new ATS chief. 15% water cut in Mumbai and the finance budget of Maharashtra.
A1: Who was the previous ATS chief?
Harshal: I don't remember the name, but it is some person starting with R. I think its Rastogi( In reality it was Raghuwanshi)
A1: Fiscal deficit of Maharashtra.
Harshal: It was given in the paper but now I am not able to recall.
A1: GDP of India.
Harshal: 6.8 ( he was asking me in terms of money value but I gave him GDP growth rate. I didn't realized at that time)
A1: 6.8, what?
Harshal: percent (he understood what I was talking about)
CM: What do u do in spare time?
Harshal: I work for 9hr a day, 4hr travelling, 8hr sleeping and hence I am hardly left with any spare time. (I think I could have answered him better than this....but I took this learning to give better answer and helped in Lucknow)
CM: Don't you think you sleep more?
Harshal: During my peak season, I work for 14hr and sleep only for 5-4hr.
(I don't know what was trying to prove, but this was because I was irked by acads questions)
P1, CM, A1: Thank you

Result I got a waitlist 8, this is surely going to get cleared but I don't care now about this as I am already through IIM Lucknow.

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

My quotes

• Passion is the greatest drug I ever had, the effect never subsides.
• The difference between 'Autocracy and Democracy' is same as 'Rape and Sex', its consensus.
• Love you so much baby, that the thought of compensating the missed love next life increases my desire to die.
• Religion is the greatest abuse humans devised. The only difference is they use it for themselves and they are happy using it.
• Finished my first quarter of life. My first quarter taught me survival techniques. Now the second quarter will decide how I end. Either as XYZ or as Harshal?
• Happiness is color of joy and sadness is shade of grief. I am either becoming color blind or suffering from amnesia as I forgot the distiguishing factor between the two.
• Getting into a fast train is a very fateful event. For the event to occur one need to be at right place, jump at right time and hoping that no evil body comes in ur way. Then and only then one can board a fast train.
• Past is like event happening at event horizon. You know the event has passed away but still you can see it.
• Perception is uni-dimensional approach, opinionated is a bi-dimensional approach, knowledge gives a three-dimensional approach but never forget innovation gives the fourth dimensional approach.
• I am dumb you are deaf. Communication is certainly one way, you are saying and I am listening. Atleast I am sure that you are not listening.
• Problem cannot be solved until it is recognized as a problem. Problem cannot be solved by running away from it but by running behind it.
• Fortune Favours the brave and consistency makes a great.......he who fights alone, will march towards the throne..
• Mind is sexier than body
• love is very potent and addictive drug...u never understand when you get addicted and when deprived from it, drives you crazy...some can get better by rehabilitation.....but those who cann't should be granted euthanasia..

Stab me again

lost my thought on a confused lane,
jaded mind has gone insane.
lit my dreams n smoked it away,
deep down inside there it lay.
dead it is with a beating heart,
left no strength to tear it apart.

drip drip blood tick tick pain
let me cut closer to the vein
O! People of glory, stab me again.

beats just echoed in my head
ran n ran until the sound fade
time went on n I went to sleep
open door let dream to creep
back to zero question still remain
should I demolish or should I regain

drip drip blood tick tick pain
let me cut closer to the vein
O! People of Glory, Stab me again.

As silent as I can be
closing towards my destiny
incinerate me or shall I be buried
what is future, why should I be worried
entangled mind is all for illusion
creator can only destroy delusion

drip drip blood tick tick pain
let me cut closer to the vein
O! People of Glory, Stab me again.

song for my rock band

Smile has all vanished,...tears all dried....honesty been questioned.....sincerity not respected...love wrongly taken...what I have is to cultivate hate.....that is all I can do...take it from me...deprive me from all...so I become nothing...you can stab me harder..as I still cann't feel the pain..stab me harder...

never wanted this to happen...but it happened again and again....kept my silence, tortured myself...I wanted to scream but just screamed in my head...thought something is wrong..but disaster it end...I blame no-one as no-one is what I have became..you can stab me harder...as I still cann't feel the pain...stab me harder..

body is ticking..mind running slow...thoughts sleeping in day..are awake all night..everyday i wake up...i just wish for death...there is silence just silence in my head..I can feel nothing just passing numbness...there is no pain..you stab me harder..as I still cann't feel the pain...stab me harder..

forbidden my love...forsaken me in hour of need...oh my men of need...you stripped my soul...wimps all yours, forced on me...pain is what I felt...cooled my anger with every tear...vengeance is not what I am...your every question...will be answered just by silence..I do feel the pain...but I cannot shout...hardened thoughts driving me insane...I don't care about people...and people you have became..i am left with no emotions..you can stab me harder...I do feel the pain...you can stab me harder..