So, the bang finally happened and it happened in a manner so as to prove the old adage notion yet again. The notion that whatever you read or study for the interviews, every single bit of that would eventually turn into utter waste. Out of the blue questions are always there to be shot at you.
This time the interview was on 14th March at IHC, New Delhi. It was scheduled at 1400 hours, and the reporting time was 1300 hours. Reaching the venue was followed by a long search for the actual spot where Interviews were being conducted. The IHC was so vast in size (1 million acre) and with no directional arrows or whatsoever provided within the premises, it took quite some time to land the actual destination. Moreover, some big weird seminar was also being held inside. The worst part was the fact that all the candidates were made to sit for verification in an area where lunch of a particular section of people was going on. People were eating delicious food and all the candidates were sitting and just smelling it. It seemed a big embarrassing joke going on. Nonetheless, verification happened followed by the division of candidates into 3 panels. I came in Panel-2 and was allotted No. 4!
Soon we were called inside a room for the essay writing. My panel included 8 people – all present. Out of these 8, a guy was from IIT-K, two guys from NITs, 2 girls from SRCC and 3 more people I don’t know. I happened to be one of the only two freshers in that batch. Everyone else had some wok ex in their kitties.
Essay topic: "The celebration of days in some way or the other like Mothers’ day, Fathers’ day, etc. is nothing but a means to unleash consumerism."
We were allotted 10 minutes to think and organize our thoughts on a rough sheet of paper. And, further 20 minutes for writing the essay. The topic seemed easy to almost everyone, and almost everyone came out happily.
Very soon they started calling people inside on the basis of numbers allotted for the Interviews. My number this time luckily came after just waiting for an hour or so.
I was called in at 03:30 pm by one of the panelist (I’d call him M, as he was sitting in the middle). There were other two panelists sitting inside – smiling L (who was continuously staring and smiling at his laptop) on the left and silent R (also staring at his laptop) on the right.
So this is a brief account of whatever happened. Read on!
As soon as I entered the room I greeted all of them.
L: Okay Abhishek! Have a seat.
Me: Thank you, Sir.
L: [Sill staring at his lapiop] What would you like to name your daughter?
Me: [Whaaaat ?] I’d like to name her Abhilasha as I love this name. Moreover this also happens to be the name of my sister, so yes. This name I’d prefer.
L: But, here you have written Aradhaya in your form?
Me: [Whaaaat is this joke all about?] Where in my form? I don’t think I mentioned any such thing anywhere.
M suddenly chips in by telling L that Aradhaya is Abhishek Bacchan’s daughter. He also tells L that what he is reading is not the form, but a news headline. L is convinced. [I was still trying to figure out the weirdness going on]
M: You were the Head Boy of your School? How and why?
Me: [Rattled off highlighting my academics, good and disciplined behavior and teachers liking me]
M: That means you were the nicest guy in school?
Me: I won’t consider myself to be the nicest guy at school, but according to the teachers and their criteria of selection, I think I was considered so.
M: Okay, do you follow cricket?
Me: [Should I say yes, and expect hoard of questions] No sir, I don’t follow it. However, I am little aware of it.
P2: Fine. You must be knowing about Dravid and Ganguly. Dravid was always a nice guy and all but he never was a great captain. Ganguly was just the opposite. You seem to be just like Dravid – a nice person but I think you can never be a great leader.
Me: Contradicted him by citing certain examples. Told him various initiatives I took at school, especially related to Wildlife.
While I was answering, M and L were smiling for only-God-knows what reason.
M: You like Wildlife a lot. Is it?
Me: Yes Sir. I do.
M: Tell me the number of tigers remaining in India?
Me: [Number?] I cannot tell the exact number, but their population is tremendously declining.
L: No! I want the exact number?
Me: I cannot make any guess, Sir.
L: How can you calculate their existing number?
Me: Umm .. Based on the National Parks in the country, and their presence.
L and M again start smiling for only-God-knows what reason.
L: Where is their number the largest?
Me: [For God’s sake: STOP talking tigers!] No idea where, but their presence is large in Bangalore and even in Uttarakhand.
L: Which national park is in Uttarakhand?
Me: Told about Jim Corbett National Park
L: Who was Jim Corbett?
Me: Told in detail
L started laughing contemptuously for only-God-knows what reason
L: Jim Corbett was a ‘Man-Eater’? Who told you?
Me: [Whaat?] No Sir, I didn’t say Jim Corbett was a Man-Eater. He was the slayer of tigers which were known as the Man-eaters.
L & M [in unison]: No. You just said.
Me: I am sorry. That might have been a mistake.
M: Why do you think should we take you? How are you different from every other candidate we are interviewing?
Me: Rattled off something related good academics, good extracurrics, et. al.
M: Whomsoever gets a call from Bangalore and is sitting outside is good in all this? Why only you?
Me: I have displayed consistency … [interrupts]
M: Every second person we have been interviewing is consistent.
Me: Speechless for a second, but rephrased my statement again. He seemed satiated.
M: We cannot ask anything about your Work-ex because you don’t have any. Why MBA now?
Me: Told mentioning “….effectively and efficiently…” in my sentence to which I was interrupted
L: Define ‘effectiveness’ and ‘efficiency’.
Me: Arbit bakar
L: Differentiate between efficiency and productivity. According to your definition both of these should be same. Are they?
Me: Arbit Gyaan
L: Tell me something for which efficiency can be calculated and not productivity?
Me: [Stuttering] Efficiency and productivity .. umm ..
L: [Repeats his question] I wont repeat it the third time.
Me: Cited certain examples. He seemed conviced.
So finally R, who was continuously staring at his laptop and intermittingly at me, spoke.
R: Some question on the present energy scenario of world and globe.
Me: Rattled off. Was cross questioned in between. Answered them effectively, to which L said, “This is all newspaper stuff.” To this I wondered, from where else can one know of the latest happening. Imagine? Dream?
While I was answering to one of the question on Nuclear crisis, I was interrupted by M abruptly.
M: Thank you, Abhishek! You may leave now.
Me: [At least let me complete my sentence] Fine, Sir. Thank you!
Subsequently, I came out bewildered at such an abrupt ending, abrupt beginning, shortness (15 minutes), crispness, shocking nature of the Interview. No current affairs. No academics. No project. No internship. Nothing was asked. I wonder what would they even judge me on! Weirdest Interview of them all.
Anyway, three down. I next, which I might skip. If that is so, this happens to be my last bow as far as my Interview experiences were concerned!
P.S: I penned down this post siting in the waiting room of New Delhi Railway Station waiting for the train scheduled at 2355 hours while on my way back to R.
