I was getting very bored sitting at home having no work to do, so i thought why not write about some of my experiences at IIT Bombay. I will share them in parts...
The Beginning
4 years ago a boy came to Mumbai!
He was very exhausted after 24 hour long journey and so were his parents.
The train stopped at Lokmanya Tilak Terminal,Bombay at around 11:30 pm.
They immediately decided to go to the college campus as it was thought that administration must have made some arrangement for the stay.
This was their first visit to Bombay.
The monsoon was in its full youth. It was pouring like cats and dogs.
All throughout his journey he was engulfed with so many questions which continued to trouble him in the taxi too.
“How is the college life going to be different?”
“How good would be the hostels?”
“Would there be any ragging?”
“How tough would be to manage all alone in this city?”
“Had he chosen a college near to his home, would that have been a better option?”
Well while he was still engulfed with all these thoughts, taxi entered the campus gate.
Security asked for his name, branch and his taxi was directed to Hostel-2.
In that pouring rain, campus looked mesmerizing.
Those wet leaves...the peculiar smell of wet soil...the sound of water dripping down from trees...
Everything was looking very different.
Well taxi entered into the gate of hostel-2 and all luggage was taken out.
The meter came to Rs. 350/-.
(In this much amount one could have made a round trip from lucknow to kanpur and still might have saved some money.At that time no one actually realized that they were being overcharged. The taxis in Bombay run by meter and usually the taxi-drivers are honest but there are exceptions too !)
The security at hostel told him his room no.
"Room No. 13"
There came the first shock.
(though he was not so superstitious, but still….
why room no 13? why not room no 12 or 14?")
The room was locked and the key was with the Hall manager who would come only in the morning, so for time being all luggage was taken to lounge which seemed pretty fancy.
The second shock came when he went to use the bathroom
"whooooooooo"
The bathroom was even worse than those in government hospitals located in remote villages.
The plaster was coming out, roof was leaking.They required immediate renovation.
(Which finally did happen after a month)
Anyways, he had no option. He freshened up. It was around 2 am. The canteen was still open. His parents had some food there but anxiety and nervousness had killed his hunger.
He came from a well to do family and had always lived in decent house. His new "den" was in no way comparable to his home.
Night passed....
In the morning he got the key to his room. It was a 15ft x 15ft room. Though it was deigned to accommodate only 1 student, but due to increase in the intake, the administration was forced to make them double-seater rooms. He realized that life is not going to be very easy in here and will involve lot of adjustment. His parents stayed with him for 2-3 days before leaving for Lucknow . Now he was left alone without any friends. There was not even a single person whom he knew in the entire campus.
Even his room mate was not there yet. Also there were only few students in the campus as there was still some days left for new session which was to begin from 25th July.
There were hardly any seniors at that time as they haven't yet returned from their holidays.So for the time being there was no fear of ragging.
Well slowly other students also started to arrive and hostel came to life.He met few people who had come from his hometown itself and this wiped away the feeling of loneliness which had troubled him for so long.
The next day every fresher was allotted a senior as mentor (a 4th year senior) who would help them to adjust to new circumstances and guide them in the case of any difficulty.
It took about 10-12 days for students to get comfortable with their new environment and now was the time to know about the hostel seniors and let the seniors know them..Yes !! time for ragging.....Actually its not called ragging there....Ragging is banned :)....the name which people at IIT Bombay give to this practice is "intro"........
I will write about some "intro" sessions with seniors in later posts
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Tatkal
I have realized in my 4 years of stay at Mumbai that going home at times is such a pain in the a**.
As such I only get to go home twice a year: in summers (May-July) and in winters (Dec).
And every year, specifically in summers I haven't been able to get a direct train to LUCKNOW. Once i had to stay in Bhopal, once in Jhansi and once I took a flight (which by the way was sponsored by RIL during my Internship period). Now in the last year when I have a lot of stuff to take home, I am again not been able to get a reservation. Recently only they have opened a reservation counter in the campus itself. So I thought it would be easy to book a tatkal-ticket from here.
As everyone had advised (and also from my past experiences) , I knew that to get a confirm ticket in tatkal quota ,I will have to be 1st or 2nd in the queue. I along with my friend reached the window at 5 am and what we find is that we were already 5th in the queue. Even one of them (a girl going to Kolkata) was standing there since 1 am; now this is the level of desperateness for going home.
Reservation started at 8 am. I had already made one of my friends to sit on computer back in the campus to try online booking. But today was a day of bad lucks. By the time our number came it was already 33 W/L in sleeper and 13 W/L in AC. Even my friend was not able to get the online ticket. The funny thing is that all 4 people who were ahead of us in the queue, got confirmed ticket.
I am seriously thinking that are we really so many people?? I mean at 8 am reservation starts and by the time it is 8:05 you have all seats filled (250 seats in sleeper class and 32 seats in third AC) .
Actual reason (as told by few insiders from railway itself) is that there are these dalals which go for bulk booking. Now I really don't understand that why can't this be stopped? These dalals charge some 300-400 etc over the actual ticket price, and if you are buying a tatkal ticket then it means u will be paying a minimum of 500 etc over the actual cost .These reservation and tatkal scheme is to benefit people and not these dalals. This has become a proper business...its like selling a movie ticket in black (which actually is illegal). Well sitting here and shouting on my blog won't help me....Tomorrow again I am going to try and let’s hope that I get it this time......
As such I only get to go home twice a year: in summers (May-July) and in winters (Dec).
And every year, specifically in summers I haven't been able to get a direct train to LUCKNOW. Once i had to stay in Bhopal, once in Jhansi and once I took a flight (which by the way was sponsored by RIL during my Internship period). Now in the last year when I have a lot of stuff to take home, I am again not been able to get a reservation. Recently only they have opened a reservation counter in the campus itself. So I thought it would be easy to book a tatkal-ticket from here.
As everyone had advised (and also from my past experiences) , I knew that to get a confirm ticket in tatkal quota ,I will have to be 1st or 2nd in the queue. I along with my friend reached the window at 5 am and what we find is that we were already 5th in the queue. Even one of them (a girl going to Kolkata) was standing there since 1 am; now this is the level of desperateness for going home.
Reservation started at 8 am. I had already made one of my friends to sit on computer back in the campus to try online booking. But today was a day of bad lucks. By the time our number came it was already 33 W/L in sleeper and 13 W/L in AC. Even my friend was not able to get the online ticket. The funny thing is that all 4 people who were ahead of us in the queue, got confirmed ticket.
I am seriously thinking that are we really so many people?? I mean at 8 am reservation starts and by the time it is 8:05 you have all seats filled (250 seats in sleeper class and 32 seats in third AC) .
Actual reason (as told by few insiders from railway itself) is that there are these dalals which go for bulk booking. Now I really don't understand that why can't this be stopped? These dalals charge some 300-400 etc over the actual ticket price, and if you are buying a tatkal ticket then it means u will be paying a minimum of 500 etc over the actual cost .These reservation and tatkal scheme is to benefit people and not these dalals. This has become a proper business...its like selling a movie ticket in black (which actually is illegal). Well sitting here and shouting on my blog won't help me....Tomorrow again I am going to try and let’s hope that I get it this time......
Thursday, April 9, 2009
jane kyun?
Kyun roz tum mere khwabon me aati ho,
Kyun tum mujhko itna satati ho,
Kyun ab aisa lagta hai ki jaise meri har khushi tumhi se hai,
Tum bin to ab meri zindagi "nahi" si hai,
Shayad tumhare layak nahi ye jaanta hun main,
Fir bhi ek mauka tumse maangta hun main.
Kyun sab jaankar bhi bhula nahi pata main tumhe,
Kyun is dil me kisi aur ko nahi basa pata hun main,
Kyun is bheed me bhi ek tanhai si hai,
Mere tassabur me bas teri hi muskurahaten chai si hain,
Shayad tum na milo mujhe kabhi ye jaanta hun main,
Fir bhi ek mauka tumse maangta hun main.
Kyun ab mehfilen mujhe raas nahi aati hain,
Kyun tumhari yadein mujhe jhakjhor si jaati hain,
Kyun chahta hun main tumko itna,
Na jaane tum bin kaise guzaarta hun main har lamha,
Shayad tum mujhko kabhi na chahogi ye jaanta hun main,
Fir bhi ek mauka tumse maangta hun main.
Kyun tum mujhko itna satati ho,
Kyun ab aisa lagta hai ki jaise meri har khushi tumhi se hai,
Tum bin to ab meri zindagi "nahi" si hai,
Shayad tumhare layak nahi ye jaanta hun main,
Fir bhi ek mauka tumse maangta hun main.
Kyun sab jaankar bhi bhula nahi pata main tumhe,
Kyun is dil me kisi aur ko nahi basa pata hun main,
Kyun is bheed me bhi ek tanhai si hai,
Mere tassabur me bas teri hi muskurahaten chai si hain,
Shayad tum na milo mujhe kabhi ye jaanta hun main,
Fir bhi ek mauka tumse maangta hun main.
Kyun ab mehfilen mujhe raas nahi aati hain,
Kyun tumhari yadein mujhe jhakjhor si jaati hain,
Kyun chahta hun main tumko itna,
Na jaane tum bin kaise guzaarta hun main har lamha,
Shayad tum mujhko kabhi na chahogi ye jaanta hun main,
Fir bhi ek mauka tumse maangta hun main.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Motivation-Less
From past few weeks I am observing one thing and which is that I am continuously running out of motivations in my life.
I have to do my final year project for which deadline is 14th April and i haven't yet started on it.
I hardly go to classes anymore and i have even started ditching quizzes.
Even today itself I had one lecture from 8:30 to 11 followed by a quiz from 11 to 12:30.
I woke up in time , had my breakfast but did not attend the lecture ; even at the time of writing this post there is a quiz going on in the department.
I don't know what has happened to me. Is it the same repeating - boring life in IIT which has resulted in such a attitude or is it due to few non so good developments which have taken place in recent months...
Something is missing...
I may seem to enjoy but realty is very different and complicated.
Life has become more like "surviving" than "living".
At times i feel so frustrated and at times so confused...
what's happening..and why?
" Why are those days gone
When life used to be fun
When even the pettiest of achievements made me proud
But now I feel like a looser
I even don't want to wake up from my sleep into the real world
All happiness seems to have been drained out from nowhere
I think I know the reason
Its not something,
Its someone who is missing from my life !"
I have to do my final year project for which deadline is 14th April and i haven't yet started on it.
I hardly go to classes anymore and i have even started ditching quizzes.
Even today itself I had one lecture from 8:30 to 11 followed by a quiz from 11 to 12:30.
I woke up in time , had my breakfast but did not attend the lecture ; even at the time of writing this post there is a quiz going on in the department.
I don't know what has happened to me. Is it the same repeating - boring life in IIT which has resulted in such a attitude or is it due to few non so good developments which have taken place in recent months...
Something is missing...
I may seem to enjoy but realty is very different and complicated.
Life has become more like "surviving" than "living".
At times i feel so frustrated and at times so confused...
what's happening..and why?
" Why are those days gone
When life used to be fun
When even the pettiest of achievements made me proud
But now I feel like a looser
I even don't want to wake up from my sleep into the real world
All happiness seems to have been drained out from nowhere
I think I know the reason
Its not something,
Its someone who is missing from my life !"
Monday, March 16, 2009
I Don't Love You
Don't blame me ,I don't love you
Blame my eyes who see you in everyone,
Blame my ears who hear you everywhere,
Blame my hands who want to hold you for ever,
Blame my mind whose every thought starts and ends at you,
and Blame my heart who knows everything but still loves you,
But don't blame me because ....... I don't love you !
Blame my eyes who see you in everyone,
Blame my ears who hear you everywhere,
Blame my hands who want to hold you for ever,
Blame my mind whose every thought starts and ends at you,
and Blame my heart who knows everything but still loves you,
But don't blame me because ....... I don't love you !
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
HE
Almost Everyday he fails to hear his 8am alarm
Almost Everyday he misses his breakfast
Almost Everyday he comes late to his lectures
Almost Everyday he is found sleeping in lecture only to be woken up by professor
Almost Everyday he hangs out with his friends at the coffee shop
Almost Everyday he spends hours on Orkut and Facebook
Almost Everyday he is found online on Gtalk and Yahoo
Almost Everyday he is a part of discussion on love,sex,girls and cricket
Almost Everyday he thinks of cleaning his room but never actually does
Almost Everyday he watches the same old episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Almost Everyday he cribs about his mess food
Almost Everyday he is found at the canteen at 1 am
Almost Everyday he takes a resolution only to break it on same day
Almost Everyday he wonders about existence of GOD
Almost Everyday he thinks about his life
But its not everyday, its not every hour , its not every minute
Its every moment
When he dreams of her !
Almost Everyday he misses his breakfast
Almost Everyday he comes late to his lectures
Almost Everyday he is found sleeping in lecture only to be woken up by professor
Almost Everyday he hangs out with his friends at the coffee shop
Almost Everyday he spends hours on Orkut and Facebook
Almost Everyday he is found online on Gtalk and Yahoo
Almost Everyday he is a part of discussion on love,sex,girls and cricket
Almost Everyday he thinks of cleaning his room but never actually does
Almost Everyday he watches the same old episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Almost Everyday he cribs about his mess food
Almost Everyday he is found at the canteen at 1 am
Almost Everyday he takes a resolution only to break it on same day
Almost Everyday he wonders about existence of GOD
Almost Everyday he thinks about his life
But its not everyday, its not every hour , its not every minute
Its every moment
When he dreams of her !
Friday, February 20, 2009
When Rahul goes missing...
This is a true story and whatever is described here took place in the year 1999 in a small town in UP, Shahjahanpur, where I lived for 8 years before moving to Lucknow.
I was in class 7th at that time.
....................................................
It was Saturday morning ,I was getting late for school. Half yearly exams were going on. I grabbed my toast from mom and took my bicycle out.
"Rahul...Rahul" I shouted twice . No one answered.
So I put my bicycle on stand and rang the doorbell of Rahul's home.He lived next door to me.
His landlord came out and told me that Rahul was missing since the day before.
"what...!!" i was shocked .Only yesterday morning I had accompanied him from school to home after exam.
I informed my mother about what had happened before hurrying away for my exam, as
it was already 8:15 and exam was to begin at 8:30.
Rahul and I studied in same school and same class but different sections.
He used to be very shy and introvert kind of person.
I won't call him as my friend , we shared a very formal kind of relationship restricted to just borrowing notes and at times playing cricket.
After giving my exam when I returned back, still there was no sign of Rahul.His mother was very upset and had broken down.
Rahul's younger sister was consoling her.
(A quality which I admire most about girls. Even in the toughest of times how easily they seem to have come over with difficulty and take care of others. For her age the maturity with which she dealt with the situation was simply amazing.)
Anyways that was my last exam. There was rumor that Rahul had been kidnapped and thus I was not allowed to go anywhere.That entire day I stayed in my house itself.
His mother told us that previous evening he went to buy some stuff from the nearby market. Strangely he had refused take his bicycle with him.
Everyone one was wondering on what could be possible reason for his disappearance.
And mostly people agreed that he must have been kidnapped but again there was no call from kidnapper yet.
His family had no enemies as such so chance of a revenge due to rivalry was also ruled out.
Two days passed by ,but there was no sign of Rahul. There were no phone calls either.
His father finally informed police.
On Monday night , Rahul's father got a call from somewhere and was stunned to hear his son's voice on phone. He was sobbing and told his father that he was kidnapped and that kidnappers took him to some other city. He had somehow managed to run away and that now he was hiding at that city's railway station.Everyone was relieved to know that atleast he was alive.
But still we didn't know where he was.
This was when police came in picture again. The call was traced to a city Moradabad. The call was made from the phone booth of city railway station.
His father accompanied with Police went to the city , and by the next day Rahul was back in home.
But the actual thing was still unresolved.
Who kidnapped him? Why?
Why kidnappers never called?
How did Rahul manage to get away from them?
But I was wondering on completely different question
"Was Rahul actually kidnapped?"
His statement was recorded by police. The police found lot of discrepancies between what he had told to his father on phone and to what he was telling now to police.
Slowly the mystery unwinded. Rahul was never kidnapped.
He had run away from his home !
Again there was million dollar question ; still waiting to be answered....
Why did he run away from his home?
What had forced a 14 year old kid to take such a strong step?
I think I always knew the answer.
You will be surprised to know the actual reason, as was I.
I knew how much his parents wanted him to excel in studies actually who's parents don't want their child to be a topper.
In fact he was good in studies but not probably the best. He had managed to get a class rank of 6th and 7th on various occasions but had not been able to improve further.
He had told me the previous day (before he disappeared); that he had screwed his science paper very badly and that there was hardly any chance of him being in even top 10 of class.
At that time I thought that it was not that big a deal and these were still only half yearly exams.
But eventually it turned out that it was indeed a big deal for him.
He just could not bear the depression of performing badly in exams and ran away from home. He probably thought that he won't be able to bear the embarrassment when the result comes out.
I have seen it many times that parents put too much expectations on their child and at times it actually becomes so difficult for the child to live up to that. Every parents want their child to be a topper. And the worst thing which parents do is to compare their child with others.
"When Sumit can get 90% why can't u"
"Akash won the essay competition why did not you?"
"Rakesh has got the scholarship what were you doing?"
"Nikhil studies for 6 hrs a day why don't you?"
and there are many more questions like that.
Thankfully in my case, Parents were very supportive atleast in later half of my education and specially during my engineering entrance examinations.
I really don't know who was to be blamed for entire Rahul incident ;
The parents who expected too much from their child
or
The child who misinterpreted his parents expectations.
I was in class 7th at that time.
....................................................
It was Saturday morning ,I was getting late for school. Half yearly exams were going on. I grabbed my toast from mom and took my bicycle out.
"Rahul...Rahul" I shouted twice . No one answered.
So I put my bicycle on stand and rang the doorbell of Rahul's home.He lived next door to me.
His landlord came out and told me that Rahul was missing since the day before.
"what...!!" i was shocked .Only yesterday morning I had accompanied him from school to home after exam.
I informed my mother about what had happened before hurrying away for my exam, as
it was already 8:15 and exam was to begin at 8:30.
Rahul and I studied in same school and same class but different sections.
He used to be very shy and introvert kind of person.
I won't call him as my friend , we shared a very formal kind of relationship restricted to just borrowing notes and at times playing cricket.
After giving my exam when I returned back, still there was no sign of Rahul.His mother was very upset and had broken down.
Rahul's younger sister was consoling her.
(A quality which I admire most about girls. Even in the toughest of times how easily they seem to have come over with difficulty and take care of others. For her age the maturity with which she dealt with the situation was simply amazing.)
Anyways that was my last exam. There was rumor that Rahul had been kidnapped and thus I was not allowed to go anywhere.That entire day I stayed in my house itself.
His mother told us that previous evening he went to buy some stuff from the nearby market. Strangely he had refused take his bicycle with him.
Everyone one was wondering on what could be possible reason for his disappearance.
And mostly people agreed that he must have been kidnapped but again there was no call from kidnapper yet.
His family had no enemies as such so chance of a revenge due to rivalry was also ruled out.
Two days passed by ,but there was no sign of Rahul. There were no phone calls either.
His father finally informed police.
On Monday night , Rahul's father got a call from somewhere and was stunned to hear his son's voice on phone. He was sobbing and told his father that he was kidnapped and that kidnappers took him to some other city. He had somehow managed to run away and that now he was hiding at that city's railway station.Everyone was relieved to know that atleast he was alive.
But still we didn't know where he was.
This was when police came in picture again. The call was traced to a city Moradabad. The call was made from the phone booth of city railway station.
His father accompanied with Police went to the city , and by the next day Rahul was back in home.
But the actual thing was still unresolved.
Who kidnapped him? Why?
Why kidnappers never called?
How did Rahul manage to get away from them?
But I was wondering on completely different question
"Was Rahul actually kidnapped?"
His statement was recorded by police. The police found lot of discrepancies between what he had told to his father on phone and to what he was telling now to police.
Slowly the mystery unwinded. Rahul was never kidnapped.
He had run away from his home !
Again there was million dollar question ; still waiting to be answered....
Why did he run away from his home?
What had forced a 14 year old kid to take such a strong step?
I think I always knew the answer.
You will be surprised to know the actual reason, as was I.
I knew how much his parents wanted him to excel in studies actually who's parents don't want their child to be a topper.
In fact he was good in studies but not probably the best. He had managed to get a class rank of 6th and 7th on various occasions but had not been able to improve further.
He had told me the previous day (before he disappeared); that he had screwed his science paper very badly and that there was hardly any chance of him being in even top 10 of class.
At that time I thought that it was not that big a deal and these were still only half yearly exams.
But eventually it turned out that it was indeed a big deal for him.
He just could not bear the depression of performing badly in exams and ran away from home. He probably thought that he won't be able to bear the embarrassment when the result comes out.
I have seen it many times that parents put too much expectations on their child and at times it actually becomes so difficult for the child to live up to that. Every parents want their child to be a topper. And the worst thing which parents do is to compare their child with others.
"When Sumit can get 90% why can't u"
"Akash won the essay competition why did not you?"
"Rakesh has got the scholarship what were you doing?"
"Nikhil studies for 6 hrs a day why don't you?"
and there are many more questions like that.
Thankfully in my case, Parents were very supportive atleast in later half of my education and specially during my engineering entrance examinations.
I really don't know who was to be blamed for entire Rahul incident ;
The parents who expected too much from their child
or
The child who misinterpreted his parents expectations.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
14th February
Today is Valentines day and like any other IITian I am sitting in my room in front of my computer changing my gtalk status message every now and then.
Even I had an exam today (mid-semester exam). I tell you their is a secret behind putting an exam on 14th Feb. IIT council does that so that guys will have atleast something to do on V day , otherwise they might go out of the campus and get depressed on looking at different pairs romancing at Marine Drive or Bandra Stand.
I don't have anything to write for this day. I came across this song and liked it very much.In case you also like this song or want to listen to it then follow the link provided at the end of this post.
"The One"
When i saw you, For the first time.
I knew you are the one.
You didn't say ,a word to me but love was in the air.
Then you held my hand and pulled me in to your world
From that on my life has change for good.
Now, i never feel lonely again.
Coz' u are in my life.
Love, How can i explain to u? the way i feel inside when think of you.
i thank you for everything that u show me.
Don't u ever forget that i love you?
Love, i know that someday will soon you'll be right next to me.
Holding me so tight so i will always be yours.
Although we can't be together now. Remember i am here for u.
And i know you're there for me.Whenever i long to be with u.
I just close my eyes and pretend you're here.
I see you,i touch you, i feel you like real.
Nothing can ever change what i feel inside.
How long must i be far away from you.
I don't know dear but i know we're one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vszl-ouK5PI&feature=related
"If you love me only in my dreams, let me be asleep forever."
HaPpY VaLeNtInEs DaY !
Even I had an exam today (mid-semester exam). I tell you their is a secret behind putting an exam on 14th Feb. IIT council does that so that guys will have atleast something to do on V day , otherwise they might go out of the campus and get depressed on looking at different pairs romancing at Marine Drive or Bandra Stand.
I don't have anything to write for this day. I came across this song and liked it very much.In case you also like this song or want to listen to it then follow the link provided at the end of this post.
"The One"
When i saw you, For the first time.
I knew you are the one.
You didn't say ,a word to me but love was in the air.
Then you held my hand and pulled me in to your world
From that on my life has change for good.
Now, i never feel lonely again.
Coz' u are in my life.
Love, How can i explain to u? the way i feel inside when think of you.
i thank you for everything that u show me.
Don't u ever forget that i love you?
Love, i know that someday will soon you'll be right next to me.
Holding me so tight so i will always be yours.
Although we can't be together now. Remember i am here for u.
And i know you're there for me.Whenever i long to be with u.
I just close my eyes and pretend you're here.
I see you,i touch you, i feel you like real.
Nothing can ever change what i feel inside.
How long must i be far away from you.
I don't know dear but i know we're one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vszl-ouK5PI&feature=related
"If you love me only in my dreams, let me be asleep forever."
HaPpY VaLeNtInEs DaY !
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Placement : DAY 7
No more philosophical crap in this post :-)
Well here I am gonna share one of my interview experience.
Companies I appeared --> infinite
Companies which shortlisted me --> finite
Shortlist
(Group Study)
ZS Assosciates
Delloite (Group Case Study)
Lanxess
(Interview)
Sabre
Croda
Futures First
Axiom
TSMG
Indian Oil (Finally Got the job !)
I am here writing about an interview from which I think I learned the most. It was Futures First.
It had 2 rounds of written tests.
The first test was a 6 min test with 40 questions (Ya you read it right 40 Q and 6 min).It was a simple test designed to test calculation speed. It had mostly
Multiplication and Division questions and obviously calculator was not allowed.I think I manged to do some 27-28 questions correctly and was shortlisted for 2nd round of test.
The second test was more like CAT with more weight-age on P n C and Probability and ya there was no English :P.
Some how I qualified this also, and was among last 40 to be called for interview.
I was very excited about this company.The interviews started at 2 am (yes am means in the morning, jab andhera hota hai , na ki jab dhoop hoti hai :-))
My interview started at 2:30 am.
Interview began on a peaceful note with panel (which consisted of 2 people in their late 20's) asking normal HR questions and things related to my CV.
Well after the normal Questions were over it was the time for real ones.
Finally the one thing which I hate the most was asked to me.
"A CHEMICAL ENGINEER : Why you want to work in trading ???".
(I actually had no correct answer for it. I myself don't know what I want to do. At that time what mattered most to me was that I had to get a job , whatever sector it may be.)
Well I gave a prepared satisfactory answer and convinced the guys that I am very ambitious person who wants to be a millionaire and thus trading is the best job for me.
Suddenly the other guy asked me
"Tell me in figures how much u want to earn in 5 years."
Now I was not prepared for that.
I said May be in 10s of crores but he insisted
"No , tell me exactly how much , if not in 5 years then say in 10 years"
As I was about answer it ,the other guy rescued me and he smiled as he said
"Ya we understand you want to be crorepati before you get 30".
I was rather relaxed unaware of the fact that it was just the starter ...main course was still to come.
I was now asked to look around the whole room for 15 seconds.
I looked for , I suppose for 10 seconds only and they began the rapid fire round.
"Whats written on my pen?"
"Sorry sir , I could not see as you are holding it in your hands. Its not visible."
"How many pins are at the soft board behind you?"
"4, Sir."
"Name the colors of the pins."
"Red, Blue , Green , Yellow."
"Name them in the order as they are arranged on the board."
"Red, Green, Blue, Yellow errrr....ummmm... Its Red, Green ,Yellow and Blue".
"Which Company is the AC?"
"Voltas ( I actually confused between Voltas and Videocon and I still don't know which was it)."
"How many switches are in the room?"
"4 ( Again I had no idea)."
But I think it went satisfactory well , though not one of the best. I think I still had my chances.
(Later I realized it was a stress interview.)
Then suddenly they asked me completely arbitrary questions.
"OK Kshitij now tell me -Who is the Governor of Maharashtra?"
"What ???" I almost shouted. Hey this was not supposed to be an IAS interview and why should they care about the governors , I wondered. But finally I said - "Sorry Sir, I don't know."
"So which city are you from?"
"Lucknow."
Who is governor there?
"Mr. T.V. Rajeshwar."
Who is the vice president of India?
"Ohh I knew the name , Sir I can't remember it now. But I know he is a Muslim guy."
I can't believe I said that.
"Did you attend our PPT (Pre-Placement Talk)?"
"No, Sir. I went at the venue but it got postponed for an hour or so and I had some other commitment so I could not wait there."
"Did you visit our website?"
"Yes, sir I did."
"How many offices do we have in India?"
"umm...errr...I will have to count."
"Leave it. Do we have an office in Chennai?"
"No."(This I knew)
"When was our company stated?"
"1980's I suppose."
And this was it. I had failed miserly in convincing him that I was actually interested in the company. Now I knew it was over.
First of all I had not attended the PPT which was a bad impression.
The company was started in 2000 and not in 1980's again a deadly mistake.
As a formality He asked me if I wanted to know anything about the company to which I asked questions I had prepared.
Finally a 30 minute gruesome interview was over.
I knew my selection would now entirely depend on how other people screw the interview.
I was told that the result will be out by around 4 am and will be informed through the placement blog (The normal standard which is followed in IITs).
I had Delloite interview in the morning but I could not sleep at all.
They did not post the result till 4 am and we had an internet ban from 4-7 am.
At 7 am I checked the blog My name was not there. I was disappointed. I hadn't slept whole night and I had a Delloite interview at 9 am.
At times it becomes so difficult, I think probably that was the worst day during my placement season.
Anyways I think I made few mistakes in this interview, which I should address.
First of all , my stress interview did not go very well and in the companies which operate in share market it's a very important think they look for- How well one can handle stress.
Secondly I had a very poor knowledge about the company.
Finally bad days passed and I got placed in Indian Oil on 22nd December.
I will just say here. Learn from your mistakes and don't get dishearten.
Congratulations to all those placed ...
and
All the best to the ones still going through tough times.
Well here I am gonna share one of my interview experience.
Companies I appeared --> infinite
Companies which shortlisted me --> finite
Shortlist
(Group Study)
ZS Assosciates
Delloite (Group Case Study)
Lanxess
(Interview)
Sabre
Croda
Futures First
Axiom
TSMG
Indian Oil (Finally Got the job !)
I am here writing about an interview from which I think I learned the most. It was Futures First.
It had 2 rounds of written tests.
The first test was a 6 min test with 40 questions (Ya you read it right 40 Q and 6 min).It was a simple test designed to test calculation speed. It had mostly
Multiplication and Division questions and obviously calculator was not allowed.I think I manged to do some 27-28 questions correctly and was shortlisted for 2nd round of test.
The second test was more like CAT with more weight-age on P n C and Probability and ya there was no English :P.
Some how I qualified this also, and was among last 40 to be called for interview.
I was very excited about this company.The interviews started at 2 am (yes am means in the morning, jab andhera hota hai , na ki jab dhoop hoti hai :-))
My interview started at 2:30 am.
Interview began on a peaceful note with panel (which consisted of 2 people in their late 20's) asking normal HR questions and things related to my CV.
Well after the normal Questions were over it was the time for real ones.
Finally the one thing which I hate the most was asked to me.
"A CHEMICAL ENGINEER : Why you want to work in trading ???".
(I actually had no correct answer for it. I myself don't know what I want to do. At that time what mattered most to me was that I had to get a job , whatever sector it may be.)
Well I gave a prepared satisfactory answer and convinced the guys that I am very ambitious person who wants to be a millionaire and thus trading is the best job for me.
Suddenly the other guy asked me
"Tell me in figures how much u want to earn in 5 years."
Now I was not prepared for that.
I said May be in 10s of crores but he insisted
"No , tell me exactly how much , if not in 5 years then say in 10 years"
As I was about answer it ,the other guy rescued me and he smiled as he said
"Ya we understand you want to be crorepati before you get 30".
I was rather relaxed unaware of the fact that it was just the starter ...main course was still to come.
I was now asked to look around the whole room for 15 seconds.
I looked for , I suppose for 10 seconds only and they began the rapid fire round.
"Whats written on my pen?"
"Sorry sir , I could not see as you are holding it in your hands. Its not visible."
"How many pins are at the soft board behind you?"
"4, Sir."
"Name the colors of the pins."
"Red, Blue , Green , Yellow."
"Name them in the order as they are arranged on the board."
"Red, Green, Blue, Yellow errrr....ummmm... Its Red, Green ,Yellow and Blue".
"Which Company is the AC?"
"Voltas ( I actually confused between Voltas and Videocon and I still don't know which was it)."
"How many switches are in the room?"
"4 ( Again I had no idea)."
But I think it went satisfactory well , though not one of the best. I think I still had my chances.
(Later I realized it was a stress interview.)
Then suddenly they asked me completely arbitrary questions.
"OK Kshitij now tell me -Who is the Governor of Maharashtra?"
"What ???" I almost shouted. Hey this was not supposed to be an IAS interview and why should they care about the governors , I wondered. But finally I said - "Sorry Sir, I don't know."
"So which city are you from?"
"Lucknow."
Who is governor there?
"Mr. T.V. Rajeshwar."
Who is the vice president of India?
"Ohh I knew the name , Sir I can't remember it now. But I know he is a Muslim guy."
I can't believe I said that.
"Did you attend our PPT (Pre-Placement Talk)?"
"No, Sir. I went at the venue but it got postponed for an hour or so and I had some other commitment so I could not wait there."
"Did you visit our website?"
"Yes, sir I did."
"How many offices do we have in India?"
"umm...errr...I will have to count."
"Leave it. Do we have an office in Chennai?"
"No."(This I knew)
"When was our company stated?"
"1980's I suppose."
And this was it. I had failed miserly in convincing him that I was actually interested in the company. Now I knew it was over.
First of all I had not attended the PPT which was a bad impression.
The company was started in 2000 and not in 1980's again a deadly mistake.
As a formality He asked me if I wanted to know anything about the company to which I asked questions I had prepared.
Finally a 30 minute gruesome interview was over.
I knew my selection would now entirely depend on how other people screw the interview.
I was told that the result will be out by around 4 am and will be informed through the placement blog (The normal standard which is followed in IITs).
I had Delloite interview in the morning but I could not sleep at all.
They did not post the result till 4 am and we had an internet ban from 4-7 am.
At 7 am I checked the blog My name was not there. I was disappointed. I hadn't slept whole night and I had a Delloite interview at 9 am.
At times it becomes so difficult, I think probably that was the worst day during my placement season.
Anyways I think I made few mistakes in this interview, which I should address.
First of all , my stress interview did not go very well and in the companies which operate in share market it's a very important think they look for- How well one can handle stress.
Secondly I had a very poor knowledge about the company.
Finally bad days passed and I got placed in Indian Oil on 22nd December.
I will just say here. Learn from your mistakes and don't get dishearten.
Congratulations to all those placed ...
and
All the best to the ones still going through tough times.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Believe !
Sorry guys but again its going to be little philosophical post of mine.But the reason why I m writing it is that I think it carries some motivational ingredients in it and will bring in some positive thinking.
Well only few days ago one of my friends told me this short story which I liked very much
and thought that I should tell this to as many people as I can and thus how it is featuring on my blog.
First things first...
This story is not my creation.I heard it from one of my friends Ashish Kumar Singh (AKS) who heard it from someone else. This is how good words spread.
One thing more
I will request all my readers to read this post with their heart and make minimal use of their brain :-).
The story goes like this :-
There was a small village in some part of India . It had been 5 years since it rained there.
Everyone had lost all hopes. Then one day a "Rishi-Muni" came there and he told the villagers that they should make some offerings to GOD in whatever form they can (like money, clothes & food etc) and then only it will rain.Everyone in the Village agreed that there is no harm in trying this and also as they very badly needed a good monsoon. Everyone made his contribution. Time passed by ;it didn't rain. That "Rishi-Muni" never came back to that village.
Villagers slowly forgot everything that Rishi had said and started migrating to other places.
In the same village there was a little girl. Since the time she had heard of the Rishi's saying she had started saving money. One day she breaks her "gullak", collects all the money (50 paisa ,1 ruppe coins all what she had) and goes to nearby city to buy some thing....
and what did she buy ???
She bought an umbrella...
When everyone asked her that it hasn't rained in the village for more than 5 years now...and that there is no use of buying it....and that why was she wasting her money.
The girl simply replied "I believe, it will rain."
I actually don't know whether it ever rained in the village or not and the truth is that I don't want to know.
What I have learned from this little girl is that "one should believe in his beliefs".
I now believe in my beliefs more than I ever did and that's what matters.
I will just say one thing here don't loose hope.
BELIEVE !
Well only few days ago one of my friends told me this short story which I liked very much
and thought that I should tell this to as many people as I can and thus how it is featuring on my blog.
First things first...
This story is not my creation.I heard it from one of my friends Ashish Kumar Singh (AKS) who heard it from someone else. This is how good words spread.
One thing more
I will request all my readers to read this post with their heart and make minimal use of their brain :-).
The story goes like this :-
There was a small village in some part of India . It had been 5 years since it rained there.
Everyone had lost all hopes. Then one day a "Rishi-Muni" came there and he told the villagers that they should make some offerings to GOD in whatever form they can (like money, clothes & food etc) and then only it will rain.Everyone in the Village agreed that there is no harm in trying this and also as they very badly needed a good monsoon. Everyone made his contribution. Time passed by ;it didn't rain. That "Rishi-Muni" never came back to that village.
Villagers slowly forgot everything that Rishi had said and started migrating to other places.
In the same village there was a little girl. Since the time she had heard of the Rishi's saying she had started saving money. One day she breaks her "gullak", collects all the money (50 paisa ,1 ruppe coins all what she had) and goes to nearby city to buy some thing....
and what did she buy ???
She bought an umbrella...
When everyone asked her that it hasn't rained in the village for more than 5 years now...and that there is no use of buying it....and that why was she wasting her money.
The girl simply replied "I believe, it will rain."
I actually don't know whether it ever rained in the village or not and the truth is that I don't want to know.
What I have learned from this little girl is that "one should believe in his beliefs".
I now believe in my beliefs more than I ever did and that's what matters.
I will just say one thing here don't loose hope.
BELIEVE !
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Life
Well after seeing whole world blogging , I have also developed an urge to express myself through internet. Also when Mr Big B can do it why can't I :-) .
Though this is my first post but still whatever I am going to write here is going to be very philosophical. Lot of things which I have seen in my "little" life of 22 years have puzzled me. Specially few questions I think everyone tries to seek answer for - "What is purpose of life?" "What is happiness?" and like that.
One think which I have realized in few years that actually everyone of us looks for -happiness , money and success but the catch is that most of us confuse 1 thing with other. Almost everyone thinks money is actual criteria for happiness but trust me it is not. A farmer working in the fields and earning probably 5 grands a month might be much happier than a person working for some financial bank and earning 50 grands a month.
We all run in the rat race just following what others are doing failing to realize our real passion.
just for example ... almost 2lakh student sit for JEE (Joint Entrance Examination: An admission test for reputed engineering college in India) , but how many of us really have the passion to become an engineer. I am a chemical engineer and I now know that being a chemical engineer was definitely not my passion.
I think I have realized it much earlier because I have thought on these things, but there are many-many people who never actually think about all these matters. For them , its initially to register in some course which can guarantee them a good job , then probably work for 12-14 hrs a day in some MNC - earn a handfull of money - get married - have kids and follow the typical life.
I know that money is very important and I am not at all undermining its importance. I am just wondering here that why can't we find a passion in life and make a career out of it. I know that in such case money might be little less but the whole satisfaction and happiness one will get will be way more. Because there are people who have done it.... like various musicians , artists , mountaineers and so on who actually follow their passions.
I have realized that there are 2 things which is the criteria for worthy life
first to find a "passion" in life and second to find "true love". Probably I will discuss about second thing in my later posts.
If some one has found these 2 things in life I think he will have no regrets in his life.
I am currently confused. I think I know what I am passionate about is but I am not very sure and probably in few years from now everything will be clear to me.Its just a beginning for me I am just 22 I have time but what about you all.
Have you found your passion ?
Though this is my first post but still whatever I am going to write here is going to be very philosophical. Lot of things which I have seen in my "little" life of 22 years have puzzled me. Specially few questions I think everyone tries to seek answer for - "What is purpose of life?" "What is happiness?" and like that.
One think which I have realized in few years that actually everyone of us looks for -happiness , money and success but the catch is that most of us confuse 1 thing with other. Almost everyone thinks money is actual criteria for happiness but trust me it is not. A farmer working in the fields and earning probably 5 grands a month might be much happier than a person working for some financial bank and earning 50 grands a month.
We all run in the rat race just following what others are doing failing to realize our real passion.
just for example ... almost 2lakh student sit for JEE (Joint Entrance Examination: An admission test for reputed engineering college in India) , but how many of us really have the passion to become an engineer. I am a chemical engineer and I now know that being a chemical engineer was definitely not my passion.
I think I have realized it much earlier because I have thought on these things, but there are many-many people who never actually think about all these matters. For them , its initially to register in some course which can guarantee them a good job , then probably work for 12-14 hrs a day in some MNC - earn a handfull of money - get married - have kids and follow the typical life.
I know that money is very important and I am not at all undermining its importance. I am just wondering here that why can't we find a passion in life and make a career out of it. I know that in such case money might be little less but the whole satisfaction and happiness one will get will be way more. Because there are people who have done it.... like various musicians , artists , mountaineers and so on who actually follow their passions.
I have realized that there are 2 things which is the criteria for worthy life
first to find a "passion" in life and second to find "true love". Probably I will discuss about second thing in my later posts.
If some one has found these 2 things in life I think he will have no regrets in his life.
I am currently confused. I think I know what I am passionate about is but I am not very sure and probably in few years from now everything will be clear to me.Its just a beginning for me I am just 22 I have time but what about you all.
Have you found your passion ?
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