hone do dil ko FANAA

After his last blockbuster Rang De Basanti, Aamir Khan will return to the marquee with Yash Raj Films' Fanaa.

Aamir shares the frame with Kajol for the first time.

Directed by Kunal Kohli (Hum Tum), Fanaa is one of this year's biggest and most awaited releases.

The film is being readied for a May 26 release.

Interview@VGSoM

The PANEL :
Prof. Sadhan K.De (specialistaion in Information Technology, Information Systems and Technology Management)
Prof. Biplab Dutta (B. Arch. IIT Kharagpur, M. Tech. (Construction) IIT Delhi, Ph.D. IIT Delhi)
Prof. Bani Chatterjee (specialistaion in HR)

The same panel memebers who were there during the Case Study

The GRIND begins :

For the sake of brevity, lets call Mr. De as P1, Mr. Dutta as P2 and Mrs. Chatterjee as P3.
As i enter the room, P1 starts speaking.
P1: Well Arindam, so what do u think, how did u moderate the group?
me: I hope, I did a satisfactory job.
P1: We also think so.
The P2 and P3 nod their heads in approval.
P1: (looking at my form) I don't want to ask you any question.
me: (dejected, dumbfounded and thinking - There goes my chance at VGSoM).
P1: Your profile matches exactly wid what we require at VGSoM.
me: (happy but still thinking - kya fek raha hai, pehle makkhan lagata hai..fir mujhe lega bhi nehi..)
P1: So you have around 2 years work experience.. so wud you leave the job, if you get a call from VGSoM?
me: Definitely.
P2: (looking at my form) So, you have work-ex in JAVA. Tell me about the projects you worked upon.
me: blah blah blah (had some preparation on this question)
P2: (looking satisfied, gave the baton once more to P1)
P1: So, tell me Arindam, do you think that work-ex is really needed for pursuing an MBA degree?
me: Yes, I think so.
P1: Why?
me: There is a gulf of difference between what we are taught during our engineering days and what we are exposed to once we enter the industry.So, obviously any work-ex ensures in bridging that gap.
All the while P3 is just looking at me, the way I talk, my body movements. She is not asking a single question at all.
P1: So, after Narendrapur and Jadavpur, you want to complete the hattrick from Kharagpur?
At this juncture, all four of us start laughing.
P1: Ok Arindam you can leave now.
me: I leave the room after thanking all of them.

My interview lasted for around 4-5 minutes, the shortest @Kharagpur.

Case Study@VGSoM

The CASE :

There's a non-ferrous metal manufacturing company which is the market leader in India. But for the last two years it is running in losses because of the cyclical nature of the business. The cyclical nature being that one year you incur a loss, while the very next year you have a profit. Some high level manager ( i dont remember the designation) needed help. He had 2 options:
(i) To expand is some related sector like asbestos sheets, rods, etc which had similar boom-bust cycle, and
(ii) To diversify to a totally new high gain sector.

So, the manager needs to convey his thoughts to his superiors. What should he do now?

The SITUATION :
There were twelve (11 guys and 1 girl) of us in the room sitting in the form of U shape. The panel comprised of 3 professors from IIT Kharagpur.
I was candidate no. 6, more or less centrally placed in the U shape.

The TWIST :
In a normal scenario, when a case study starts it begins from candidate 1, then 2, until it reaches 12. here was the googly. They made 12 chits with 1..12 written on it and put it in a bowl. One of the professors told

India is a democratic country, we have to appease everyone...so in order to randomize the process...we will pick up a chit and the no. written on it will be called aloud. The candidate having the same no. will then speak for a minute.

So inspite of being candidate 6, my turn to speak came 10th.

The STUDY BEGINS :
The candidates spoke in favour of either of the points and finally stuck with one point. I could easily feel that by the time my turn comes to speak, i would be devoid of any new points of my own (a very common phenomenon in a group discussion or case study). My mind went into overdrive at that moment, and i could literally feel my heart beating oops zooming.

The TURN finally comes :
Finally it was my turn to speak. I put forward my strong case of the possible scenario where we can utilise both the options. In case of the first option the favourable points being the ready market(it being the market leader), gathering funds from the financial institutes, etc. In the mean time, the company can develop its R&D center to explore other channels. It can also go for a feasibility study from a consulting firm to deliberate about the pros and cons of diversifying. So, we are exploring about the possibilty of utlising the second option as well.

The FINAL TWIST :
After all had finished with their turn, the professor told

Now it will be an open discussion. Our earlier experience at Mumbai and Delhi is that it turns out to be a fishmarket. So appoint a moderator and he /she will guide the dicussion.

I told that why dont u select a chit once more, so that the guy/girl can be randomly selected?
He then told, ok, u be the moderator.
Bas fir kya tha..dil bol raha tha maar dala...maar dala..
But i managed it well perhaps, which i learnt later during my interview.