The Grinding Begins...

I wish I had the time to narrate my first-day experience at ISB. I am time-starved at the moment but promise to come back with an interesting account of my experience on April 14, 2007, the day I began my one-year “Vanvaas” at ISB.

For the time-being, you readers [ if at all ;) ] will have to be content with this blog of mine.

We are into the 3rd week at ISB and it seems as if we have already spent 3 months here. At the end of the 1st week of term-1, I am still trying to figure out what all hit me this week. I have started realizing the value of each minute and the way things are moving, I do not think it will be long before I start realizing the value of each second. I had never thought life would be so interestingly miserable. Gosh! You have to read 3-4 30-40-page chapters and come prepared for each class and then you have assignments.

There are so many things here that can actually drain everything out of you (your mental balance too). For our stay at ISB until now, my life has been tougher than that of most of the people here mainly because the average age here is 27 and the average work experience 5 years and I am 23 with a work experience of 1.5 yrs, one of the youngest guys here. But then, life has never been easy for me, may be because I always choose the toughest path.

For all those non-studious guys like me out there, I told you all the bad things that are happening here. Let us talk about the good ones now. Every weekend we have parties in which we have booze flowing everywhere and then there’s the dance floor which is set ablaze by the stunning ladies who can drink more vodkas, whiskies and beer than you can. If you really want a partner for life, I bet you will get one here ;). We already have a few budding love stories here.

Two sides of the same coin, right? Despite this coin having so many negatives, I still wish to keep it in my pocket because I know this coin (ISB) is very precious.

Saawan ka Andhaa...

I had no clue of how depressing the day would be that day. It was December 15, 2006 and the final results for ISB MBA were to be declared.

At 0800 hours, I was busy dressing up to leave for Alibaug where I had to meet a supplier regarding one of my projects. There were 2 other guys going with me, one was a 45 year old IITD graduate and the other was a retired L&T employee (from an unknown college). We were going in an INNOVA. Both of them sat in the front row while I was sitting alone in the second row. To my pleasant surprise, the car stopped after an hour in front of a beautiful lady who must be around 27 years of age. God does listen to honest prayers. This was proved when that lady sat beside me. When my 2 old friends started talking amongst themselves, I thought I would entertain my young lady. Not long before we started talking, she told me that she was the wife of the German fellow we were to meet in Alibaug. I took my evil eyes off her (the success of my project was more important than a short-lived relationship with her). I felt a little odd because my 2 old friends were calling her “Ma’am” while I was calling her by her name, ‘Shama’ (Gosh, could any name be sexier?).

It was 1000 hours now. I said to myself, “Screw everyone yaar. I still did not get any SMS from ISB about my selection or rejection. I do not want any girl. Give me my ISB result God.” God was probably listening to someone else’s request that time. My request was turned down. No SMS, no calls from anyone. Depression was creeping in but I tried to keep my happiness afloat using the young, graceful lady, who sat by my side, as my life-jacket. She definitely qualified all my cut-offs, the reason why I kept talking to her. Had she proposed me, I would not have thought twice before saying ‘Yes’, such was the sorrow of my probable rejection by ISB that was slowly making its way into my heart. I had now started consoling myself, “Had I got selected, I would have received an SMS by 0900 hours. This implies I did not get through despite my seemingly strong profile and a good interview. Never mind, I will apply to other B-schools before January and get through. ISB is not the last school on earth.” :(

We finally reached Alibaug at about 1200 hours and the ‘Pleasure’ of my ‘Tensed Pleasure’ during the entire trip ended leaving me ‘Tensed’ (Shama took the ‘Pleasure’ part when we parted at the German guy’s place). We met the German guy who was very enthusiastic and energetic. We talked a LITTLE about our project too. We finally set off for his beach house where we had some beer with fried fish. The beach was beautiful and clean with some sports cars, which he had made for some rich Mumbai customers (you know, the Ambanis and the Tatas keep buying such crazy stuffs), parked. I rode his four-wheeler bike and drove all his cars along the beach at great speeds skidding the cars while making a turn and trying to my mark at least on the sand. I tried to drive out the frustration that was now getting intimate with my heart. I ordered myself to enjoy the present to the hilt. “Maybe, I am destined to have a few girlfriends in Mumbai too. So, let’s enjoy life and the next 1.5 years in Mumbai,” I said to myself. :)

“Tring-tring”, finally a call from someone. I picked up the phone only to find one of my colleagues, who had applied to ISB, on the line. “Where are you? What about the result Abhishek? You must have got through,” he said. “I have not received any SMS from ISB until now which implies I have not got through. Did you receive any SMS regarding your result?” I replied. My cracked dreams shattered when he told me he had received an SMS informing him of his selection. I congratulated him on his achievement and pretended to be normal despite getting the confirmation of my rejection. I had always maintained that this guy’s and my selection were mutually exclusive events because we were both in the same SBU in L&T, and there was no reason why ISB should take both of us (unless ISB valued my entrepreneurial ventures and extracurriculars).

My parents wanted me to get admission for my MBA soon but in a good school. I wanted them to feel proud of me and here I was screwing their dreams. I had however never told them that I had already had my interview and the results would be out on December 15.

On my way back, the lady again sat beside me but I was least interested in her now. All along my way back, I kept thinking how I would spend the next 1.5 years at L&T. I reached Mumbai and finally the flat I stay in. I planned a party right then with one of my friends to get rid of the frustration that was flirting with my heart and celebrated the GOOD NEWS of my staying in Mumbai for another 1.5 years.

I returned home late at night. I could not sleep despite a couple of vodka shots I had had before my dinner. How could I? I had just discovered my heart was pregnant with my frustration’s child. I kept chewing the issue. “I will not lose heart. I will start all over again,” I told myself. I started thinking about the schools where I would apply in the 2nd round. It was 0400 hours and sleep still eluded me. I kept discussing with myself, “What could be the reason for my rejection? Was it because I just had a little over 1 year of work experience, or was it because I showed a little attitude during the interview?” I did not check my email because I did not want to read that “Sorry, we are unable to offer you a place at ISB…” email. I remember lying awake until 0430. What happened for the next hour and a half, I do not know.

I suddenly woke up at 0600 hours and for no good reason, I picked up my cell. There was an SMS. “Happy staying in Mumbai dude. Must be some new chic who must have got your number from orkut,” I said to myself and opened the message. I noticed my eyes turn bigger, my mouth open and my pulse rate increase :-o. The unborn child of frustration had been aborted at 0500 hours. The message read, “Congratulations. You have been accepted into the ISB’s One-year PGPM which commences on April 14, 2007. Please check your email for the details.” No, I was not half asleep and I was not dreaming. There was a feeling of excitement down below in my body at a location I cannot disclose. I called up my home to give this great news of my selection. “Hello, Ma?” I said. “What happened? Is everything alright? Why have you called up so early in the morning? Tabyat to theek hai na beta?” Ma fired so many questions all at once. After assuring her that I was alright, I finally gave her the good news. I could sense the happiness and satisfaction in her voice.

After giving her the news, I hung up. The world came crashing down on me when a possibility, the probability of occurrence of which was pretty high, struck me. I always take my friends’ cells, delete my number from their cell phones and then send them messages like, “Congratulations. You have won free tickets to Singapore…” from my cell and ask them to call back for details. Was someone having his revenge? I had told my parents that I had got through. If they now find that the news was not true, how would they feel? Before making further calls to my loved ones, I logged onto the net. Oh, there it was, lying in my inbox, an email from ISB. Still surprised at the selection, I logged into my ISB account just to confirm that the email and SMS were not sent to me by mistake.

Everything seemed great. The morning had never been so pleasant. A big burden was off my head now. I reached my office on time after a long time on December 16, 2006 with my head held high. But as soon as I reached my office, I noticed that every building in L&T was painted green. I turned around and noticed all the vehicles were painted green, even my bike. “Today isn’t Holi?” I said to myself confused. Just then, I heard my soul whisper, “Saawan ke andhey ko sab hara hara dikhta hai.” ;)

A “DAY-NIGHT” DREAM…

It was August 17, 2005 at the Placement Complex, IIT Roorkee. I was nervous and pretended to listen to the PPT (Pre-Placement Talk) being given by Larsen & Toubro Limited (from hereon referred to as L & T) which had come to IIT Roorkee for placements. L & T had been my dream company and here it was. We were to have 2 written tests and then 2 rounds of interview.

Before August 17, I did sit for a few software firms like Oracle, etc despite my lack of interest in the software industry. I had not prepared for the tests and so, had no idea of the type of questions that came. My batchmates were too professional to share with me the type of questions that were usually asked. And to make my situation worse, my ego did not let me give it a damn. I never requested anyone for the questions. As a result, I tasted failure in the written tests of Oracle and even Tata Motors. It did not hurt me much as I was never serious for those companies. Other students did a lot of practice and got through. Oracle was the first company I had sat for. It had come on August 12. When I did not qualify even the first round of Oracle’s written test, I was down. Frustration had started setting in. Then had come another software firm, failure again. I had then become desperate to get a job. August 12 to August 17 was the most frustrating phase of my life. Then had come L & T. And here I was, waiting to write the tests for L & T.

L & T was here for the recruitment of graduates for the post of Management trainees (from hereon referred to as MT). I knew I had to be in this time. I qualified the first round of written tests and breathed a sigh of relief only to know we are to appear for another round of written tests. In the second round, I performed miserably. It was a Verbal test, similar to the critical reasoning questions that come in CAT and I had no practice. I read the questions at snail’s pace. What was going on in my mind at that time was to keep my accuracy high instead of looking to solve all the questions. I did that. I left 12 questions untouched. I was sure I would be thrown out and I was, but only partially. God apparently had something worse in store for me. Though I was rejected for the post of an MT, I was offered an interview for the post of a Graduate Engineer Trainee (from hereon referred to as GET).

At this point, I think I should tell you the difference between an MT and a GET as told to us by L & T during the PPT. An MT is the one the company identifies as a future manager with leadership qualities n blah blah… He is on a fast track career. That means, he will be given promotions quicker than anyone else in the company. MT is selected for the Management Leadership Program of the company. The starting package offered was 3.75 lacs p.a for an MT and 2.30 lacs p.a for a GET.

I then had to decide whether to go for the interview for the post of a GET. On one hand, there was that frustration of failing in almost all of the written tests I had appeared in and the desperation to get a job, while on the other, was the post of a GET which I knew did not deserve me. I decided in favor of going for this interview, not to get the job but to get a feel of an interview ( I had never faced an interview in my life).

Many other students who had not qualified the 2nd round of written tests were offered the same. The next day, we had our interviews. Around 15 students had come for the interview for the post of GET and I was one of them. Rest of the students did not even turn up to say they were not interested in the post of GET. I knew my chances were meager even for the post of a GET because my knowledge of Mechanical Engineering was no better than a software engineer’s knowledge of it, if not worse. My other friends were surprised, when they came to know that I wanted to appear for the interview, because my CGPA was quite good (I still do not know why my CGPA was good, I have never had interest in studies. I hate them more than anything. I still wonder how I got through IIT JEE.) I ignored their advice of not sitting in the interview for the post of a GET. I told them I would tell the interviewers, I did not want to join as a GET.

Almost all of the candidates got interviewed except me. When I told the interviewers that I was still to be interviewed, they asked me to wait. Then the interviewers took a break for lunch and asked me to have my lunch and come back. I was the only candidate left to be interviewed. After lunch, they finally called me. I tried not to answer any of the questions they asked me, but everytime I used to say, “ I am sorry, I do not know the answer to that.”, they used to say “ You do not know a thing as simple as this?” I then used to blurt out the answer. During the interview, one of the interviewers tried to trap me but I gave such an answer, the guy who was trying to trap me was embarrassed (because I made both the interviewers realize that his arguments were silly) and deprived of all suitable words of reply while the other interviewer started laughing loudly and even said “Mast banda hai yaar.” They tried hard to convince me to join L & T. I had an impressive resume, and I knew they were desperate to select me. I told them straight away “ Sir, I do not want to join as a GET, I want to join as an MT. I could not qualify my written test for MT because it was a bad day for me.” To this, they said, “ You will be given a chance 4-5 months after you join L & T to become an MT.” I left finally thinking I had screwed up my chances of getting selected. I was happy at having done this. My purpose was to face this interview, not to get selected in it. In the evening, I went to the Placement Complex again, dressed up for BPCL but my name was struck off from the list of candidates appearing for the Group Discussion for BPCL: reason, I had got selected in L & T and now could not apply in any other company. I did not have the slightest feeling of happiness despite being the only one in the insti selected as a GET. 3 of my batchmates got selected as MT the next day. There were 2 more guys who joined my “BAND OF SCREWED UP GUYS” after getting rejected in their MT interviews and were offered the post of a GET which they had accepted.

I was tensed, very tensed. My elder brother had asked me to be patient in placements which had I been, I would have easily got placed in companies that came later with far better packages. When I told him I got selected as a GET, he said it was good. “To get a job is a big thing. Do not worry, it is good,” he had said. I knew he also knew it was not that good.

I sat for HLL (as it was open for all) but screwed my interview purposely. My resume got misplaced by the placement office and did not even reach the recruiters from Schlumberger. I got a call from Tavant Technologies (the package was 3.2 lacs p.a). This time I got through the written test easily. I was asked a puzzle in the first round of interview. The question was wrong. I asked the interviewer, “ Are you sure this question is correct?” He said he was. I solved it within seconds. But then he said, he did not expect this solution from me and asked me to solve it in some other way. I knew the question was wrong. But I also knew if I convinced him that his question was wrong, he would get pissed off and I would have to face the consequences. Knowing that I could not solve that incorrect question correctly, I gave him a better answer. I told him that the puzzles that they ask in interviews are common ones and the students who are in a habit of solving puzzles will even know the answer of these puzzles before solving. Hence, you should not base your selection on whether a candidate is able to solve a puzzle or not. The result was unexpected. I got through. I had smoked just before the interview. This was again done to ruin my chances of getting through the interview as I was least interested in a software job. To me, there is nothing as boring in this Universe as the job of a software engineer. The second round of interview (which was a mere formality) had to be telephonic. I did not give the second round. I had a very good reason for that. I am an incorrigible optimist and believe firmly in the philosophy, “ Everything happens for my best”. I was determined to join L & T and become an MT. I had this aim of becoming an MT since August 18, 2005. There was not a single day in my life after August 18 when I did not think about this GET to MT conversion because I had friends who had got selected as MTs. Then I had other friends who had received jobs offering package of 4-5 lacs p.a where mine was just 2.3 lacs p.a. Later I got my offer letter which got misplaced by one of my friends. In that offer letter, the salary break-up was given. I was getting a paltry sum of 10000 per month. When I told Dad about my salary , he laughed. That made my determination even stronger. “ How can he do that? I have achieved it on my own without anyone’s help,” I had said to myself.

To make matters worse, one of my relatives, who had graduated from IIT KGP, got selected as an MT in L & T. You know relatives start comparing you with your relative if such a thing happens. There was one of my friends from IIT D who had done his internship with me in Germany and who used to think of me to be a stud, he also got selected as an MT in L & T. Life became hell. Even he was surprised when I told him I was joining as a GET. I had then told him, “I am doing it for a reason.” There were several reasons why I had joined as a GET, out of which one was the most important. I needed a conversion from a GET to an MT for my MBA. The foreign universities ask for career progress and all that stuff while analyzing your application. And I knew I would gain more if I joined as a GET and then got converted to an MT than I would if I joined directly as an MT. But if I failed to get converted to an MT, life would become hell. Nothing would be worse. Everyday, my MT friends and I used to go in the same bus. There very sight made me feel ashamed of myself. I am taciturn by nature and these daily incidents made me even more disinclined to conversations. I never talked to anyone except my boss. I never talked to anyone in the department. I rarely smiled, rest aside my smile turning into guffaws. GETs from regional colleges used to ask every other day the reason why I joined as a GET even after being an IITian (just because they held a grudge against IITians). Life was tough, very tough. Nothing could be a better test of my patience and my will power.

At this point of time, I think I should tell you the difference between an MT and a GET which I came to know when I joined L & T. Both of them do the same work. But, an MT is called a “Daamaad (son-in-law)” of the company. Everyone respects them. He gets what he wants. Nobody can fire him but he can fire even senior managers. He gets loads of money and incentives to stay in the company and of course a fast track career. The HR people respect him a lot. He has a very high market value. On the other hand, a GET gets firing from all the sides, HR guys, boss, boss’ boss, everyone. Though I never got a firing from anyone mainly because I was from an IIT, I was not comfortable working as a GET. Also out of the two employees at the same level of hierarchy, the one who is an MT gets far more money and benefits than the one who is not.

There was some relief when I saw 13000 on my paycheck because I was expecting 10000 bucks. Not a single day was my mind peaceful. I just had one thing in my mind -‘MT’. I confess my inability to put the thoughts I had then, the tensions I had then, into words in this blog. I could not discuss my thoughts with anyone. I even lied to my gf (who I met soon after I had joined L & T) saying I received 3.75 lacs p.a. But it was not with the intension of creating a false impression on her but with the intension of creating a tremendous pressure on me to work harder for the post of an MT. I wanted to do it for her, I wanted to do it for my family and I wanted to do it for myself. Let me tell you, having a gf and living in Mumbai will screw the s--- out of you if you have a monthly income of just 13000 bucks (especially when you refuse any financial support from your parents). But it was all about managing my resources which I have always been good at. Having a very understanding gf who never asked for anything but my company, helped me manage my resources and time better.

After 1.5 yrs of wait, I finally got my shot. The tests continued for 4 months. The selection procedure was more rigorous here than it was at my insti campus last year. The day when my boss was to tell everyone the results, he had asked 3 guys (including me) who had reached the final round of interviews to wait in the office until he came back. When he came back, he called one of the other guys (and not me) in his cabin. I knew I had lost. I almost broke down. My dreams shattered in front of my eyes when I saw my boss giving an envelope to that other guy. I left without meeting my boss. I was on my way back to my flat thinking about future course of action to be taken. I was thinking of companies I should apply to. Just then I got a call from one of my colleagues. I told him I did not need my boss’ consolations. I got down of the bus I was returning in, when an Assistant Manager forced me to return to office. I entered boss’ cabin. Man, it was such a relief. This was the day I had been waiting for since 1 yr 9 months. I got my reward, I became an MT. It was the most satisfying moment of my professional life. Only I knew how important it was for me to get this tag of MT. I had achieved what I had been dreaming of for almost 2 yrs.

Kaun kehta hai “din ke sapne sach nahi hote”???

Classifying the fairer sex...

Not long ago, I, with one of my friends had classified girls into few categories (based on looks). I am not going to write all that stuff again because it has already been posted by my dear "mamu" in his blog.

Sitting here in office, after finishing today's work, I was thinking of the other classification which I normally use whenever I see a girl, or a woman. And thought of putting it right here.

Whenever I see a girl or a woman (under 35), I ask myself this one question and that tells me whether to go ahead with the "staring" job or not."If she proposes, will I marry her?is she worth marrying?"If the answer to this is 'yes', I start staring at her.Well, you might want to know the parameters which I check before answering this question. hmmm...bata dun kya???

'My lady' has to clear a few cut-offs to merit my stare. You know, this IIT Joint Entrance Examination (even though I took it 4 years ago) has had a tremendous effect on me. To make that effect worse, B-School Entrance Examination preparation stepped into my life. So,I now set cut-offs to qualify candidates (strictly girls). So, here we go...

Section-I:

She has to have a very sweet face which I can get up and see every morning, without getting bored for at least...ummm...how many years...ok...as long as we live. She has got to have that freshness in her looks.

Section-II, III, IV:

The next 3 cut-offs are related to her figure. She should have a (34''-36'')-(24''-26'')-(34''-36'') figure. Here, there are upper cut-offs too. The first dimension is for the bust and then you can go down to the waist and the hips.

Section-V:

The next cut-off is for height. She should be above 5' 0'' and <= 5'8.5''. I am 5'9'', hence the values of the upper and the lower cut-offs.

There is one important note regarding this. If she scores more in Section-I, she can qualify even if she marginally fails to clear cut-offs in one or two of the other sections. In any case, she won't qualify if she's unable to clear cut-offs in more than 2 sections.This classification is definitely better than the first one that we had come up with. Shall come back with more interesting blogs soon. Till then, take care...