Transcript of my IIML PI :-)

March 25, 2009

Profile:Workex: 9 Years in IT Sales

Panel :1

Essay/GD topic: Money is a good servant but a bad master…20 mins Essay. No rough sheets are allowed..I explained why money was invented & wnet about explaining how money is important today. Also explained how money cannot buy things like affection, peace of mind etc etc..I also wrote how money is beyond servant as in how a person moves towards unethical things when he doesn’t have money & how money as master pushes a person to safeguard it…

GD: 20 mins

No of People: 12

Out of the 20 minutes, close to about 15 minutes it was an absolute fish market..More than 5 people were speaking at a time..I came in as the 4th guy..Even that time, 2 people started along with me. I increased my volume, pierced through & ensured the other 2 stopped totally. I entered 8 times J in equal intervals & my point was the last one to end the GD.Points I spoke:
I spoke about how unemployement forces people to go directionless & gave the article about Mangalore Pubs as an example where the author spoke about the unemployment as the prime issue.
I spoke about the Bernaud Madoff $60 Bn fraud.
I spoke how money can be utilized properly like Karnataka government spends 7 Cr for health Checkups for school going kids, Madhya Pradesh government has implemented Ladli Ladki project for the upliftment of Girl Childs & also in UP how the Government has spent the money for correcting the Sex Ratio (This complete things I spoke in 1 shot, 1-2 mins everybody kept quiet J)
When some body said about greed being the reason, I spoke about the recent Mumbai rape issue, where a father went about doing that atrocity as a tantric told him that his business will improve.
I spoke about how excessive money pushes a person towards insecurity ie forced to safe guard his money.
I also spoke about how animals survive .They don’t have money J (Somebody said Money is the atmost important thing for Life)
Somebody said our culture is corrupted. I replied saying that “We respect people from poor background in this country who have come up in an ethical way. Examples: 2006, an IIMA passout who is a son of an Idli shopkeeper. 2007, a railway clerk who got 6 IIM calls”.
Panelist said stop.

PI

Prof1:Prof.Saji.K.B.Nair, Chairman Admissions, Marketing Group
Prof2: Dr.Roshan Lal Raina, Communications Group
Me: Yours truly…

Prof 1 comes to call me in at 12.41 PM
Me: Good Morning Sirs.
Prof1: Its almost afternoon now (laughs)Me too laughed..
Prof2: Prem, what were you doing from 1995-1996 (I have a break after my 12th class)
Me:Sir, In tamilnadu, we have a provision to improve our 12th standard scores, if we want to. Hence I appeared for my Phyics, Chemistry & Biology exams & improved my total by 152 marks.
Prof2: What did you do from 2000 to 2004..
Me: Sir, I was working with M/s.Rolta India Ltd..Prof2: When did u get placed
Me: Sir, in May 2000..through Campus Placement
Prof2: Campus Placement, hmmm...
Prof1: (going through the file) Oh, you were in Sales from the beginingMe : Yes (Smile)Prof2: But you haven’t mentioned it in the form?
Me: Sir, Iam working in the fourth Organisation, but we have space to mention only 3 jobs.
Prof1: oh, but you could have mentioned below the box.
Me: Sir, I wasn’t sure if I can do that. Also it would have looked so clumpsy.
Prof1: That’s ok (starts marking the same with pencil in the form & starts going through the certificates)
Prof2: Your scores during Engineering seems very low (With a not so happy face)
Prof1: He would have been preparing for CAT then (in a mocking tone)Me: Sir, I didn’t prepare for CAT
Prof1: No no you would have, else why would have your scores gone down ??(Mocking with a sarcastic smile)
Me: Sir, actually I went through some problems in life.(Started with my moms hospitalization & told the actual issue).Along with studies, I had the responsibility of taking care of my family members.I was a day scholar travelling 120KMs + 120 KMs every day.
Prof 1: (stopped mocking) with an empathetic tone, “Are you the only kid?”
Me: Sir, Iam the only son & I have a younger Sister. I also had the responsibility of bringing her up.Prof1: Whats your dad???
Me: He works as a clerk with SBI
Prof1: From where to where, were you travelling?Me: From Thiruvallur to Vellore Sir
Prof2: Prem, you are working a good company, why do you want to do this programme??
Me: Sir, as you see , it has taken me 9 years to reach where Iam today.If I have look at my present organization itself, my next role would be to head the complete education business. Now for me to do well in this role, I need to understand the complete business dynamics & an MBA will help me do understand that well…
Prof1: Prem, hope you got the question wrong, what Prof 2 was trying to ask you was, why not a 1 year MBA, why a 2 year programme now?
Me: Sir, I actually thought about this, when I started my CAT preparations. During the process of understanding the course, I understood that a 1 year MBA is like a crash course. Focussed more towards on academics with strict dead lines. Since Iam coming back to studies after a long time, I want to start my studies from the basics and also want to balance my academic as well as college life including extracurriculars.Also as you mentioned, I couldn’t do much towards my academics during my college days. Now I really want to do academically well.
Prof 1: is this your only call???
Me: Yes Sir
Prof2: But Prem, you know the current situation, do you think it to be wise to leave such a good job now??
Me: Sir, You are right & even I have thought about this.After understanding the current situation, Iam sure after 2 years , things wont be this bad. Iam not saying it will improve drastically, but it would be better than today. Also Iam trying to work out a sabbatical option as a back. If you just look at my latest job shift, it happened in November, even that time the market was bad. I strongly believe that opportunities, though less are available & it’s the responsibility of an individual to find that & it also depends on an individual’s capability
Prof2: You did BE, CSE. Can I ask you some questions from Networks??
Me: Sir, its 9 years since I have done my BE, I hardly remember any subjects now(Smiles around)
Prof1: Prem, you work for Mathworks right??
Me: Yes Sir
Prof1: You report to Mr.XXXXXXX(I was shocked because he knew my boss )
Me: Yes Sir
Prof 1: You sell Matlab, Can I ask you questions on that???. You cannot sell a product without knowing it (Smiles)
Me: Sir, I have joined 4.5 months back only, I will try my level best (Smile)
Prof1: In Matlab, you guys say Matrices, what is that?
Me: Matrix is the representation of elements in an array , in rows & columns or in simpler words, it is the pictorial representation of Linear Equations
Prof1: What is a determinant?
Me: It’s the value of a Matrix
Prof1: (Draws a 3X3 Matrix) Find the determinant ??
Me: (started solving)Prof1: Don’t solve, explain me how to solve it.Me:Explained it properly
Prof 1: Tell me Prem, does MATLAB has any limitations on the number of rows & columns of a Matrix
Me: (wasn’t sure) No Sir, we don’t have (Which turned out to be true
Prof1: But OS will have limitations Me: Yes Sir, but we say that our product doesn’t have limitations & that’s one of our strengths & USPs (100% correct, which I found later)Prof1: What about Excel???
Me: (Wasn’t sure) No sir, even they don’t have (Which turned about to be wrong )
Prof 1: Are you sure???
Me: (confidently) Yes Sir.
Prof 2: What is this “SPURTI”
Me: Sir, Inspired by what has happened to my mom, I started participating in lots of social activities. I have been a regular donor of blood from college days..Sir, hope you won’t mind if I explain you from the past
Prof2: That’s fine, go on (Prof 1 &2 were listening seriously)
Me: We as a family celebrate our birthdays in Orphanages. Having done all this, I wanted to do something more, that’s when I met a person who has some disability due to Cerebral Palsy & his only dream is to crack CAT. Seeing his determination, I got determined to help him achieve his dreams.Thats when I started this institute called SPURTI along with my Friends & its running successfully..
Both Prof 1 & Prof 2 spontaneously said, “Thank You”I thanked them & walked out…PI lasted for 9 mins.....Iam happy except but Excel goofup…Looking at the process now, I feel I couldn’t have done any better than this. Iam leaving results to the destiny.

Your comments are welcome..