Now this was one experience I dreaded from the beginning - simply because the GD's were the elimination for the PI, and I hardly had had any experience at GD's. And well - the worst possible happened.
Time: Around 1:15
Place: Indian Social Institute, Benson Road, Cantonment Side, Bangalore
Batch: (fgot :D )
No PI involved in this experience - rite - kinda sad story... SCMHRD didnt like me so much :( ...
ISI was really far off from where I live - so left at 10:30 am itself - reached by 11:45 am. I took some time to find the otherwise unknown place. Quiet surroundings - only the SCMHRD process on. We were seated in a room, with a group co-ordinator - Aditya by name. A very nice and kool dude - but was definitely solvin all the doubts only 'diplomatically'... - keeping to the safe side of praising SCMHRD well ;) ;)
The wait was a bit long - during which I heard good stuff like a lot of people from the groups making it to the PI's... and tat the panels were impressed with the Bangalore people... ;)
I saw my group when we were called -all boys - 2 without workex... total 8 of us...
We entered the room at around 1:35 pm.The panel consisted of two old gentlemen - one of whom spoke really fluently... the other guy was kind of the typical, uninterested guy...
GD 1 - Apparently a GT - but no cartoon strip, no video clip (as I had heard of other SCMHRD stuff from the Pune processes) - it was a huge transcript of one normal psychological exercise - 8 survivors in a tragedy (world comin to an end) and we have to select 3 out of them - based on the description of each of them... real tough to describe how this GD went coz all brought out good points (including me ) - but all knew that we were ratofyin our way around ... the 3 we selected finally were just about OK people...
Frank evaluation: I did pretty welll - chipped in a couple of times - and yes, during a major time of the GD I had the people lookin at me only... and i saw to it that I didnt simply hog air-time... (coutesy my Bangalore PG mates ;) )
Rating: 7.5/10
GD 2 - Case study - a one page transcript - total business related- about two companies who had a joint venture and were doin well - but one company is in the lead and due to the other's failures/set backs, the merger suffers. Lots and lots of other data. We have to think on whether the merger should continue to exist or should split up.
The GD was good enough - came to a decent conclusion (thankfully the same one I had selected) - though I had very less points in this one - and some people came out with some very good business-related points. There was a CA in the group who apparently would bring out some excellent points which overshadowed everyone else.
Frank evaluation: Decently managed it - but losing factor was I had very less actual contribution besides the two points I had jotted earlier. These points were brought out by others too. But overall, once again I was kind of among the top 3 speakers in the group - and the thing about emerging as the leader etc was all good enough - in fact - the consensus was initiated by me
Rating: 6/10
After this we were ushered to another room - nothing offered to eat too (dat was a bit bad as we all were very hungry - at least I was - come on SCMHRD guys - at least Marie biscuits are affordable :D ;) ) - I had tot i would get to grab somethin to eat after the GD's - but it wasnt goin to be the case...
45 min of wait and then the printed results - only 3 from our group were in - and well - i wasnt in them - so it was the 'bad luck' day for me...
Guys selected - no use givin their profiles coz only the GD/GT counts at this stage and they dont look at one's profile - the first fellow was da CA guy - real good in the second GD - gave a lot of good points - jotted down stuff in between GD, tried to conclude well etc etc . Person 2 had some good points which were jammed down by the others (and well me too - anyway its a fair game - all wanna have a share of the GD) - the surprise was Person 3 - spoke very less - had the group listening but i felt the points he made were crap with regards to the discussion goin in - didnt expect him to make it - but he did... (no hard feelings buddy ). The guys selected had to write an SOP kind of essay ( which I had really prepared well and come - pointless though :( ) - and then come for the interview on the next day.
Guys not selected - frankly there were 2 of us - me and another fellow who made some decent contribution, and gave the GD some shape when it was going haywire - but probably that WASN'T what the panel was lookin for... the others had some points too - but probably werent selected as they couldnt keep up with the pace of the GD...
It was a long ride back from the place to home - but as it managed to finish earlier - I cud manage to reach office and finish off some pending work. But yes, the day was kind of a let down. I had heard of many others who didnt make it through the SCMHRD GD's and finally made it to some better institutes - and relieved myself with these thoughts. Probably the institute never deserved me ;) .
Conclusions from my side for future SCMHRD aspirants:
- Sincerely no advice on how to go about doin it. Yes, some people were selected on the basis of the content - but some werent too... so hard to say which one holds more... So to be on the safer side - as the SCMHRD guys on PG have been sayin ---be good in your content...
- Leadership skills, how you speak, how you sit, listening blah blah is bull shit when this institute's GD process is concerened - - (sorry SCMHRD guys but this is my opinion)... frankly ALL of us were doin these things really well today... but it DIDNT count...
- The morning batch has a better chance of makin it - at least this is my conclusion. I read it elsewhere on this thread too. The ratio being selected in the morning were 6/8 or 7/8 etc. The afternoon figures dropped to 3/8 and 4/8. Another fellow I met before I left told me that in his group only 1 guy was selected out of the 8 people - I feel thats kind of really bad as people have really worked out their way for getting till here - elimination on a 50-50 basis can be decent.. like 4/8.
- Dont know about the females converting - but I heard a lot of them did make it today (saw it too) - inspite of being in low number this time... and some real good ones too
Not all that bogged on not being selected - comments on the evaluation procedure ---> give some weightage to the profile before throwing out at the GD stage - mite help throwing out a 3 or 4+ yrs experienced guy just because he cudnt make it in a fishmarket gd is unreasonable... so there should be some consideration (not stating my case here)- my personal opinion is that without the PI a person can neva be eliminated - but that doesnt hold here - so just try considering the above suggestion...
In fact lookin at the bright side of it - at least I wont have to get up at 5:45 am for Yoga... (verified fact - no hard feelings SCMHRD guys ). Just expecting something better from the other GD/PI's - the best ones to come.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
SIBM GD/PI experience
Posting this one a bit late - though had kind of decided that I would post all my GD/PI experiences at one shot - after having got through a particular b-school - and here I am now - a proud to-be-MDI-alumnus penning down the experiences of this year..
Jan 30th 8 AM- Pune ( first batch in the entire GD/PI process spanning 4 days)
Institute: Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM)
Batch - 1XF ( had a SNAP 100 scorer in this batch too )
Composition: 10 boys, 1 gal... but well - the gal wasnt present in the GD's and GT's with us...
The sight of SIBM wasnt really a pleasing one for me, as I had seen it the previous day - as it was nothing more than a building - frankly speaking even smaller than my school. Though I was here, and I had to attend the GD/PI now. The previous evening had been spent meeting friends, and also meeting my buddy Chinmay at SIBM (a buddy was supposed to guide he/her through the entire GD/PI process)
There was a crowd outside SIBM - the line of students for registration had reached the road ( the institute is one building right outside the road ). I got in the line - and it didnt take time to finish the registration procedure. I was given a batch tag - and was directed upwards to one of the floors above. We were made to sit in a classroom - some 3 or 4 batches in the morning. After a brief presentation by the seniors on SIBM and its culture, we started off. The first thing on the programme was the essay
Essay as told above - Whistle Blowers are guardians to democracy..
Hardly any time to recollect thoughts and write some stuff, in fact the topic needs better understanding and better examples as a good essay - which of course mine lacked.
Rating - 5/10.
Following this we were led to separate rooms where we sat with our buddies/other coordinators, who I must say were extremely helpful. My batch was seated in a small circle, and the coordinator gave us more ideas on how life at SIBM is. Soon we were called for the interviews - which was unexpected to come before the GD's. I was the third on the list in the group. We were led to another room, where the three of us had a seat on the bench outside. The first person was a guy who was from PG (Pagalguy.com) - and had interacted with him in the morning. He seemed to have a good profile (2 years at DRDO, owner of a tech-forum online etc), and I was all apprehensive of him going before me. Still I was more at ease then expected. He had a cool interview, and so did the person before me - a 2 year experienced fellow at GE.
The next to enter was me. The following is how it all went.
Panel: One internal faculty(in middle) - F
One Senior HR Manager from Pepsi - P
One IIMA pass out - A
Myself - M
F did most of the questioning.
M (enters, greets and sits down)
F: So Ashish, tell me about yourself, your schooling, your extra curriculars, your workex, your hobbies and so on.
M (prepared answer): blah blah
P: Hmm ok - so which coaching institute have you prepared this answer from?
M (taken aback): Frankly this is my own prepared answer Sir, I do not require any external preparation for this - so I did not take help from any coaching class.
P: Thats good - its a general answer rite - so it doesnt require any preparations.
M: Yes Sir it doesnt
F: So Ashish, you have had workex as a technical consultant, so why an MBA now?
M: Blah blah - interests in HR etc
F: So Ashish, I see you have done your schooling and graduation at Goa. Why then do you want to come to Pune to do your management from SIBM? I am sure Goa too has a nice management institute.
M: blah blah - why SIBM prepared answer :D ;) - qualities SIBM possesses.
F: So what in HR interests you?
M: Blah blah - more on Traning and Development
P: Ohk - tell me more about what kinds of trainings are there in Oracle
M: Blah blah
P: Ohkay - are all these trainings required at all levels?
M: No - as you go higher in the ladder, you require to take certain types of trainings.. blah blah ( had discussed most of the T&D part with an HR manager I knew - phew - was saved here ;) )
P: Ohk
F ( looks at A )
A: So you say you like reading - what books do you read?
M: blah blah - all kinds blah blah
A: So name some books of Paulo Coelho
M: blah blah
A: Ohkay so you have interest in Hindu mythology...especially in Mahabharata - so I suppose I can ask you anything from it (big grin)
M: I guess so (scared a bit ;) )
A: Ohkay - how many siblings did Dhritarashtra have?
M: 100
A: Siblings?
M: (oops!!) - Oh sorry - he had one sibling - thats Pandu
A: Are you very sure?
M: Yes Sir
A: Hmm - I think you need to revise your concepts on Mahabharata again then (all laughing)
M: Perhaps sir - if you say so...(was reasonably sure of the answer)
F: Ohkay Ashish - so what if we dont offer you the admission at SIBM? Whats the backup plan?
M: (prepared answer): blah blah - have to do it this year itself - maybe correspondence in HR - cant pursue a residential MBA after this year - blah blah
F: So you are hell bent on doing HR this year itself
M: Yes Sir
F: Ohk then thank you Ashish.
M: Thank you Sir
M (thanks all and leaves)
Quite a decent interview - would rate it 8/10.
Was bugged as they didnt go through my files at all - though they were there in my hands all the while etc. - Had really arranged them well and brought - and I tot i had some things to show in them
GD - Case study ( I guess all had case studies )... first case study of my life - hence was a bit nervous...
The case was about a person who joins a company as a programmer, then the company changes its domain of technology, and along with it, this 4 yr experienced guy has to adapt to the new domain, and new business. He is unable to do it , and underperforms, hence is warned from HR manager to be removed. The guy gets pissed, applies to other companies, gets reco letters from known people etc etc. One year down the line or so, the HR manager tells him that he has to leave the company. The guy loses it and threatens to sue the company for the treatment and show the reco letters as proof etc etc.
What should the HR manager do?
PS - this is as far as I can remember the case - ne one else please correct me...
Okish discussion - lot of argument - there was more talk about the reco letters and the suing , rather than the HR manager's alternatives for tackling the problem - probably thats where we lost out. (my opinion).
The two panelists were ok (one male one female) - the female leader stopped us twice to make the quiet people speak - the male guy was noting our expressions, how we spoke etc... the GD was stopped by the female lady (probably she got bored )
Rating for my performance: 7.5/10
Next
Group Task: (This was the weirdest part in the procedure)
Panel: 2 old gentlemen
Task 1: This was a handkerchief placed at a distance from all of us - and we had to somehow touch it by crossing the line before it, without touching any part of our body to the ground. Weird rite? We discussed for a major part of the time - but I landed up convincing them to spend more time on doing the task at the end - so we somehow started. One fellow volunteered to be held by the others - and we all held him in some strategic method. Somehow we managed to do the task eventually. Looks like they were observing more of the group dynamics in it.
Task 2: This was a restrainer-captive task - where the prof stands at one end. We have to pair ourselves with a partner. At one instance I am the restrainer, trying to hold my partner from reaching the prof at the other end of the room. Next I am the captive, and he is holding me, preventing me from reaching the prof. We had this exercise - and well, I had some fun tickling my partner (he complained, but I retorted sayin that the prof had mentioned 'the restrainer can do nethin in his power to stop the captive'. So it was kinda allowed. :D ;) . At the end of the task, we all were made to stand in a line, and were questioned one by one on whether we liked to be the restrainer or the captive. This was dumb as the others further in line would try to mould their answers acc to what we answered. I chose to be the captive, as I gave some gyaan about having a certain goal to move to etc.
Tough to rate myself - but would give it a 6.5/10.
Our group was the first to finish that day. We left at around 12 - and me and my restrainer partner (Akaash) went over and had something at a Java Green center nearby. From there we departed, and I moved to my friends place where I was staying, and prepared to leave Pune.
Overall I was kind of satisfied with the entire experience - knowing I had done well with most of the proceedings - though I knew that if I got other calls later, I would have to leave this one for them - as the last date to pay the fees (75k) was 28th Feb. Eventually I did land up converting SIBM, but took a strong decision and gave up the seat without paying the fees. I had other better interviews to attend - and was confident in cracking at least one more of them.
Jan 30th 8 AM- Pune ( first batch in the entire GD/PI process spanning 4 days)
Institute: Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM)
Batch - 1XF ( had a SNAP 100 scorer in this batch too )
Composition: 10 boys, 1 gal... but well - the gal wasnt present in the GD's and GT's with us...
The sight of SIBM wasnt really a pleasing one for me, as I had seen it the previous day - as it was nothing more than a building - frankly speaking even smaller than my school. Though I was here, and I had to attend the GD/PI now. The previous evening had been spent meeting friends, and also meeting my buddy Chinmay at SIBM (a buddy was supposed to guide he/her through the entire GD/PI process)
There was a crowd outside SIBM - the line of students for registration had reached the road ( the institute is one building right outside the road ). I got in the line - and it didnt take time to finish the registration procedure. I was given a batch tag - and was directed upwards to one of the floors above. We were made to sit in a classroom - some 3 or 4 batches in the morning. After a brief presentation by the seniors on SIBM and its culture, we started off. The first thing on the programme was the essay
Essay as told above - Whistle Blowers are guardians to democracy..
Hardly any time to recollect thoughts and write some stuff, in fact the topic needs better understanding and better examples as a good essay - which of course mine lacked.
Rating - 5/10.
Following this we were led to separate rooms where we sat with our buddies/other coordinators, who I must say were extremely helpful. My batch was seated in a small circle, and the coordinator gave us more ideas on how life at SIBM is. Soon we were called for the interviews - which was unexpected to come before the GD's. I was the third on the list in the group. We were led to another room, where the three of us had a seat on the bench outside. The first person was a guy who was from PG (Pagalguy.com) - and had interacted with him in the morning. He seemed to have a good profile (2 years at DRDO, owner of a tech-forum online etc), and I was all apprehensive of him going before me. Still I was more at ease then expected. He had a cool interview, and so did the person before me - a 2 year experienced fellow at GE.
The next to enter was me. The following is how it all went.
Panel: One internal faculty(in middle) - F
One Senior HR Manager from Pepsi - P
One IIMA pass out - A
Myself - M
F did most of the questioning.
M (enters, greets and sits down)
F: So Ashish, tell me about yourself, your schooling, your extra curriculars, your workex, your hobbies and so on.
M (prepared answer): blah blah
P: Hmm ok - so which coaching institute have you prepared this answer from?
M (taken aback): Frankly this is my own prepared answer Sir, I do not require any external preparation for this - so I did not take help from any coaching class.
P: Thats good - its a general answer rite - so it doesnt require any preparations.
M: Yes Sir it doesnt
F: So Ashish, you have had workex as a technical consultant, so why an MBA now?
M: Blah blah - interests in HR etc
F: So Ashish, I see you have done your schooling and graduation at Goa. Why then do you want to come to Pune to do your management from SIBM? I am sure Goa too has a nice management institute.
M: blah blah - why SIBM prepared answer :D ;) - qualities SIBM possesses.
F: So what in HR interests you?
M: Blah blah - more on Traning and Development
P: Ohk - tell me more about what kinds of trainings are there in Oracle
M: Blah blah
P: Ohkay - are all these trainings required at all levels?
M: No - as you go higher in the ladder, you require to take certain types of trainings.. blah blah ( had discussed most of the T&D part with an HR manager I knew - phew - was saved here ;) )
P: Ohk
F ( looks at A )
A: So you say you like reading - what books do you read?
M: blah blah - all kinds blah blah
A: So name some books of Paulo Coelho
M: blah blah
A: Ohkay so you have interest in Hindu mythology...especially in Mahabharata - so I suppose I can ask you anything from it (big grin)
M: I guess so (scared a bit ;) )
A: Ohkay - how many siblings did Dhritarashtra have?
M: 100
A: Siblings?
M: (oops!!) - Oh sorry - he had one sibling - thats Pandu
A: Are you very sure?
M: Yes Sir
A: Hmm - I think you need to revise your concepts on Mahabharata again then (all laughing)
M: Perhaps sir - if you say so...(was reasonably sure of the answer)
F: Ohkay Ashish - so what if we dont offer you the admission at SIBM? Whats the backup plan?
M: (prepared answer): blah blah - have to do it this year itself - maybe correspondence in HR - cant pursue a residential MBA after this year - blah blah
F: So you are hell bent on doing HR this year itself
M: Yes Sir
F: Ohk then thank you Ashish.
M: Thank you Sir
M (thanks all and leaves)
Quite a decent interview - would rate it 8/10.
Was bugged as they didnt go through my files at all - though they were there in my hands all the while etc. - Had really arranged them well and brought - and I tot i had some things to show in them
GD - Case study ( I guess all had case studies )... first case study of my life - hence was a bit nervous...
The case was about a person who joins a company as a programmer, then the company changes its domain of technology, and along with it, this 4 yr experienced guy has to adapt to the new domain, and new business. He is unable to do it , and underperforms, hence is warned from HR manager to be removed. The guy gets pissed, applies to other companies, gets reco letters from known people etc etc. One year down the line or so, the HR manager tells him that he has to leave the company. The guy loses it and threatens to sue the company for the treatment and show the reco letters as proof etc etc.
What should the HR manager do?
PS - this is as far as I can remember the case - ne one else please correct me...
Okish discussion - lot of argument - there was more talk about the reco letters and the suing , rather than the HR manager's alternatives for tackling the problem - probably thats where we lost out. (my opinion).
The two panelists were ok (one male one female) - the female leader stopped us twice to make the quiet people speak - the male guy was noting our expressions, how we spoke etc... the GD was stopped by the female lady (probably she got bored )
Rating for my performance: 7.5/10
Next
Group Task: (This was the weirdest part in the procedure)
Panel: 2 old gentlemen
Task 1: This was a handkerchief placed at a distance from all of us - and we had to somehow touch it by crossing the line before it, without touching any part of our body to the ground. Weird rite? We discussed for a major part of the time - but I landed up convincing them to spend more time on doing the task at the end - so we somehow started. One fellow volunteered to be held by the others - and we all held him in some strategic method. Somehow we managed to do the task eventually. Looks like they were observing more of the group dynamics in it.
Task 2: This was a restrainer-captive task - where the prof stands at one end. We have to pair ourselves with a partner. At one instance I am the restrainer, trying to hold my partner from reaching the prof at the other end of the room. Next I am the captive, and he is holding me, preventing me from reaching the prof. We had this exercise - and well, I had some fun tickling my partner (he complained, but I retorted sayin that the prof had mentioned 'the restrainer can do nethin in his power to stop the captive'. So it was kinda allowed. :D ;) . At the end of the task, we all were made to stand in a line, and were questioned one by one on whether we liked to be the restrainer or the captive. This was dumb as the others further in line would try to mould their answers acc to what we answered. I chose to be the captive, as I gave some gyaan about having a certain goal to move to etc.
Tough to rate myself - but would give it a 6.5/10.
Our group was the first to finish that day. We left at around 12 - and me and my restrainer partner (Akaash) went over and had something at a Java Green center nearby. From there we departed, and I moved to my friends place where I was staying, and prepared to leave Pune.
Overall I was kind of satisfied with the entire experience - knowing I had done well with most of the proceedings - though I knew that if I got other calls later, I would have to leave this one for them - as the last date to pay the fees (75k) was 28th Feb. Eventually I did land up converting SIBM, but took a strong decision and gave up the seat without paying the fees. I had other better interviews to attend - and was confident in cracking at least one more of them.
Friday, February 16, 2007
GOA – JUST A HOLIDAY LAND ?
Somewhere in Dec 2006 I was informed by one of my friends that Rashmi Bansal was doing a run-up of Goa and its colleges (engineering and MBA) on the JAMMAG site, as well as on da JAM magazine. I tot it would be fun to rite to Rashmi, and tell her what facts of Goa I want her to highlight. I was surprised to receive Rashmi's reply, tellin me that she needed a proper write-up of da same for the survey... so wat followed was me writing it, and passing it to her - and she editing it down to proper size for da content on the page. I was unaware of what happened later - whether the article got published or not. Just today I got da confirmation of the article being printed in the JAM Magazine (Dec 1 to 15th issue), and also on the website. Please check out the same as under the section 'Behind the Booze'...
Click here for the article published on JAM website
The best part is dat it mentions my name and wherabouts too :D :D.
Though one small correction - it mentions me to be a student of Goa Engineering College, though I am actually from Padre Conceicao College of Engineering at Goa.
For the benefit of all, here is the proper, original article which was written by me. Hope it brings some awareness in one and all.
------------------------------------------------Begins.........
Yeah right – that’s what we hear more about - Goa being the ‘island’ of freedom, fun, enjoyment and the place where life is ‘susegaad’ in pure Goan style. The beaches, the sunset, the funky happy-go-lucky people – that’s what more people are looking forward to for a great vacation – after toiling for days and nights in their respective fields of work, families who need a break from the normal routine, couples who want to spice up their honeymoons, and yeah a lot more of others. Yes of couse, Goa offers all this to you – but probably the real life in Goa, how Goans make it big etc etc remains veiled behind the mish-mash which the tourism highlights and the picture which it presents before the world. Lets throw some light on the facts here.
Having been born in Goan, and being a native Goan, probably I can be the best horse’s mouth. But yes, its also true that one does realize the importance of his own native land when he is away from it – however far he may be. I moved to Bangalore in order to start my career a year back (yeah yeah – software). Fantastic climate, good people etc – but yes, Goa remains unmatched by everything. Having interacted with a lot of people here, my friends, my colleagues / superiors at the work place etc etc I gained knowledge about how exactly tourism has elevated as well as depreciated Goa’s image before the world, and especially before the people living in India.
Of course I can attribute tourism to be a major factor to have underlined Goa’s presence in the world. But yes, there are a lot of facts, which remain unseen, yet are taken for granted. For starters, most of my friends would go holidaying to Goa with the sole purpose of alcohol – and of course playfully condemning me as a person who has alcohol running in his blood – not believing that well, I do not drink. According to me, the very fact that alcohol is available at a cheap rate in Goa has tarnished Goa’s image. A blot on Goa’s canvas is the way it is being portrayed in this way – as a merry land where alcohol seems to be the only hope to life live with leisure, and well – all Goans indulge into alcoholism undeniably with pleasure. Probably people would actually need to peek into Goan culture and see that it’s the tourists themselves who mar Goan image in this way, by spending their holidays on the beaches and of course indulging in excessive drinking, sometimes to the extent that they create unnecessary issues in hotels, spoil Goan culture by openly exhibiting their cultures in a drunken state and so on. Several cases like this have been seen on Goan newspaper pages, mentioning names of Goans involved, yet ignored – well – just to worsen the existing beliefs about Goans.
Goan culture has been imbibed in several places in the Konkan region, and a lot of places of course do not attribute the same to Goa. This applies in most cases to the Goan language ie Konkani too. An even more important fact is that there is a major chunk of Goans is Hindus, yet the religion aspect highlighted by most of the tourism and other media is Catholic. I do not wish to compare the percentages of Hindus and Catholics in Goa here, just that the fact remains unseen that the Hindu culture in Goa is unlike any other state. There are innumerous temples, devasthanas, religious sites etc besides the huge number of churches. Of course to add to this a lot of mosques too– that is the Hindus, the Muslims and the Catholics live in peace and harmony. But as the Portuguese had ruled over Goa for quite a long time, Catholicism is dominant in the way tourism portrays Goa – placing major emphasis on Catholic culture. What I want to point out here is that the beauty of the churches and the Catholic religion is very pristine and rich, yet the vast spectrum of Goan Hindu cultures and traditions is not worth missing as an important trait to promotion and tourism.
Several points like these seem to have found root in the minds of people from all over the world – not just India – in terms of interpreting Goan culture and the people. Another one well-heard of in these days is that most Goans are non-residents, especially the Hindus and are either people from Maharashtra or Karnataka, who moved to Goa long back and settled in Goa. This is seemingly outrageous, as a majority of Goans are natives of Goa itself. Speaking of Hindus, there is a class of Goans, which specifically hold up the trace of Goan culture in their roots – these are the Goan Saraswat Brahmins. The class is very rich and prestigious, and well known in Goa. There are several such classes, which proudly hold the native Goan staff high. Yet several people outside Goa bear misconceptions, and build facts on half-truths and rumours.
I have completed my entire education in Goa itself, right from schooling, and would say that yes, Goa has some of the best schools and colleges – but again – most of which arent well known throughout India. Probably this is because most people in Goa choose to pursue their education under the State Board, which according to me isnt at par with the CBSE or the ICSE boards. What I gained from my education in Goa is primarily invaluable ethics and morals, which are hardly imparted in any institute nowadays – but find prime importance in Goan schools and colleges. I also had an opportunity of studying in the ICSE board in my primary and uptil my Sixth Standard, which imparted a lot of basic skills, and a high level of communication skills with verbal fluency in English in me. Making another important point here – the English standard in Goa, as I have observed is the one of the highest as compared to most of the other states. Most Goans excel in their fluency in this language as compared to other Indians, probably because English bears a huge weightage in their curriculum, and is the meduim of instruction is to a large extent in Goa. Of course I have made this observation only after having interacted with several people from other states in Bangalore. I have noticed that in most of the other states in India, the regional language is more dominant as compared to English, and in most cases, it even has an influence in the way English is spoken in the states. This is probably where Goans stand out, as there is miniscule or no impact of the regional language in spoken English.
Probably where Goan education might take a beating is the level of education in the other states, the study atmosphere, the cream of the intelligent Indian students etc. The Goan curriculum for Engineering was of a high-level, and on par with most of the NIT’s as I had noticed (many colleagues in the NIT’s). But the atmosphere for study was more languid, and very less student desiring to reach great heights. There are also a lesser number of extra-curricular activities and major events of institute meets, fests etc in Goa. Higher education on the national front also bears little weightage in Goa – most people would have, around ten years back or so pursued their masters more in arts or science. With the coming of three engineering colleges in Goa, there was a spurt of engineers passing out each year at Goa. After I finished my engineering, Goa also came up with BITS, a national engineering college, with national standards. There is little knowledge I can impart on it, as it has come up just recently. Though there is little Goa can offer to core electronic or computer engineers in terms of bright careers and work. Hence most people pursue their work life outside Goa – like me in Bangalore. The companies coming for campus recruitment to Goan colleges have increased only in recent times, but of course they mainly come from the other cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. Higher education from prestigious national institutes, in terms of MS, Mtech or MBA has been gaining importance only in the recent times, with a lot of people aspiring to do their further studies from the IIT’s, IIM’s and other national institutes. Although the resources available for studying for competitive entrance exams etc are meagre. Aspirants would normally have to get better coaching etc from outside the state and then fulfil their ambitions. A good example would be the removal of Goa as a center for the Common Admisstion Test of the IIMs two years back. This is probably where Goa needs some run-up to do, as Goan population is on the rise, and Goa is out to chart out its position in the world. Although I would always want to further my career in my own native land – I know for sure that the beauty and the status that Goa enjoys now would be destroyed if software and other industries start entering Goa on a large scale. Hence according to me, Goa is better off without these. Probably its just the task of the Goans to make it big themselves, and then make their own state reach great heights.
Goa is also on the forefront as far as the film industry is concerned. However in the recent times, Goa has acquired more of a negative stance in Bollywood cinema. To cite examples, Goa is portrayed mostly as a location of meet for smugglers or dacoits, or most of the times incidences of murder, rape, robberies are associated with Goa. This trend is now being seen on the small screen too. There is no particular reason why this has been happening – and it’s well known to Goans that there are hardly any such incidents in Goa. Yet cinema portrays Goa as the rendezvous for crime. Enjoyable on cinema, yet hard to believe, and emotionally hurting to the Goan.
Though now, Goa has earned its position in international cinema too, with the advent of festivals like IFFI. It makes me proud to say that Goa is the chosen location for such a prestigious event every year. It’s great to see that Goa is making its mark in most of the fields now – and enjoys a prized status in India. There is much much more to speak about Goa – but I guess this is all I have to say. It is definitely upto each person to individually see what Goa holds in reality, and how Goa enjoys its esteemed place on the map of the nation. Goa is a holiday destination for one and all, true, but well is, of course, much more than that too.
_________________________________________Ends.....
Click here for the article published on JAM website
The best part is dat it mentions my name and wherabouts too :D :D.
Though one small correction - it mentions me to be a student of Goa Engineering College, though I am actually from Padre Conceicao College of Engineering at Goa.
For the benefit of all, here is the proper, original article which was written by me. Hope it brings some awareness in one and all.
------------------------------------------------Begins.........
Yeah right – that’s what we hear more about - Goa being the ‘island’ of freedom, fun, enjoyment and the place where life is ‘susegaad’ in pure Goan style. The beaches, the sunset, the funky happy-go-lucky people – that’s what more people are looking forward to for a great vacation – after toiling for days and nights in their respective fields of work, families who need a break from the normal routine, couples who want to spice up their honeymoons, and yeah a lot more of others. Yes of couse, Goa offers all this to you – but probably the real life in Goa, how Goans make it big etc etc remains veiled behind the mish-mash which the tourism highlights and the picture which it presents before the world. Lets throw some light on the facts here.
Having been born in Goan, and being a native Goan, probably I can be the best horse’s mouth. But yes, its also true that one does realize the importance of his own native land when he is away from it – however far he may be. I moved to Bangalore in order to start my career a year back (yeah yeah – software). Fantastic climate, good people etc – but yes, Goa remains unmatched by everything. Having interacted with a lot of people here, my friends, my colleagues / superiors at the work place etc etc I gained knowledge about how exactly tourism has elevated as well as depreciated Goa’s image before the world, and especially before the people living in India.
Of course I can attribute tourism to be a major factor to have underlined Goa’s presence in the world. But yes, there are a lot of facts, which remain unseen, yet are taken for granted. For starters, most of my friends would go holidaying to Goa with the sole purpose of alcohol – and of course playfully condemning me as a person who has alcohol running in his blood – not believing that well, I do not drink. According to me, the very fact that alcohol is available at a cheap rate in Goa has tarnished Goa’s image. A blot on Goa’s canvas is the way it is being portrayed in this way – as a merry land where alcohol seems to be the only hope to life live with leisure, and well – all Goans indulge into alcoholism undeniably with pleasure. Probably people would actually need to peek into Goan culture and see that it’s the tourists themselves who mar Goan image in this way, by spending their holidays on the beaches and of course indulging in excessive drinking, sometimes to the extent that they create unnecessary issues in hotels, spoil Goan culture by openly exhibiting their cultures in a drunken state and so on. Several cases like this have been seen on Goan newspaper pages, mentioning names of Goans involved, yet ignored – well – just to worsen the existing beliefs about Goans.
Goan culture has been imbibed in several places in the Konkan region, and a lot of places of course do not attribute the same to Goa. This applies in most cases to the Goan language ie Konkani too. An even more important fact is that there is a major chunk of Goans is Hindus, yet the religion aspect highlighted by most of the tourism and other media is Catholic. I do not wish to compare the percentages of Hindus and Catholics in Goa here, just that the fact remains unseen that the Hindu culture in Goa is unlike any other state. There are innumerous temples, devasthanas, religious sites etc besides the huge number of churches. Of course to add to this a lot of mosques too– that is the Hindus, the Muslims and the Catholics live in peace and harmony. But as the Portuguese had ruled over Goa for quite a long time, Catholicism is dominant in the way tourism portrays Goa – placing major emphasis on Catholic culture. What I want to point out here is that the beauty of the churches and the Catholic religion is very pristine and rich, yet the vast spectrum of Goan Hindu cultures and traditions is not worth missing as an important trait to promotion and tourism.
Several points like these seem to have found root in the minds of people from all over the world – not just India – in terms of interpreting Goan culture and the people. Another one well-heard of in these days is that most Goans are non-residents, especially the Hindus and are either people from Maharashtra or Karnataka, who moved to Goa long back and settled in Goa. This is seemingly outrageous, as a majority of Goans are natives of Goa itself. Speaking of Hindus, there is a class of Goans, which specifically hold up the trace of Goan culture in their roots – these are the Goan Saraswat Brahmins. The class is very rich and prestigious, and well known in Goa. There are several such classes, which proudly hold the native Goan staff high. Yet several people outside Goa bear misconceptions, and build facts on half-truths and rumours.
I have completed my entire education in Goa itself, right from schooling, and would say that yes, Goa has some of the best schools and colleges – but again – most of which arent well known throughout India. Probably this is because most people in Goa choose to pursue their education under the State Board, which according to me isnt at par with the CBSE or the ICSE boards. What I gained from my education in Goa is primarily invaluable ethics and morals, which are hardly imparted in any institute nowadays – but find prime importance in Goan schools and colleges. I also had an opportunity of studying in the ICSE board in my primary and uptil my Sixth Standard, which imparted a lot of basic skills, and a high level of communication skills with verbal fluency in English in me. Making another important point here – the English standard in Goa, as I have observed is the one of the highest as compared to most of the other states. Most Goans excel in their fluency in this language as compared to other Indians, probably because English bears a huge weightage in their curriculum, and is the meduim of instruction is to a large extent in Goa. Of course I have made this observation only after having interacted with several people from other states in Bangalore. I have noticed that in most of the other states in India, the regional language is more dominant as compared to English, and in most cases, it even has an influence in the way English is spoken in the states. This is probably where Goans stand out, as there is miniscule or no impact of the regional language in spoken English.
Probably where Goan education might take a beating is the level of education in the other states, the study atmosphere, the cream of the intelligent Indian students etc. The Goan curriculum for Engineering was of a high-level, and on par with most of the NIT’s as I had noticed (many colleagues in the NIT’s). But the atmosphere for study was more languid, and very less student desiring to reach great heights. There are also a lesser number of extra-curricular activities and major events of institute meets, fests etc in Goa. Higher education on the national front also bears little weightage in Goa – most people would have, around ten years back or so pursued their masters more in arts or science. With the coming of three engineering colleges in Goa, there was a spurt of engineers passing out each year at Goa. After I finished my engineering, Goa also came up with BITS, a national engineering college, with national standards. There is little knowledge I can impart on it, as it has come up just recently. Though there is little Goa can offer to core electronic or computer engineers in terms of bright careers and work. Hence most people pursue their work life outside Goa – like me in Bangalore. The companies coming for campus recruitment to Goan colleges have increased only in recent times, but of course they mainly come from the other cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. Higher education from prestigious national institutes, in terms of MS, Mtech or MBA has been gaining importance only in the recent times, with a lot of people aspiring to do their further studies from the IIT’s, IIM’s and other national institutes. Although the resources available for studying for competitive entrance exams etc are meagre. Aspirants would normally have to get better coaching etc from outside the state and then fulfil their ambitions. A good example would be the removal of Goa as a center for the Common Admisstion Test of the IIMs two years back. This is probably where Goa needs some run-up to do, as Goan population is on the rise, and Goa is out to chart out its position in the world. Although I would always want to further my career in my own native land – I know for sure that the beauty and the status that Goa enjoys now would be destroyed if software and other industries start entering Goa on a large scale. Hence according to me, Goa is better off without these. Probably its just the task of the Goans to make it big themselves, and then make their own state reach great heights.
Goa is also on the forefront as far as the film industry is concerned. However in the recent times, Goa has acquired more of a negative stance in Bollywood cinema. To cite examples, Goa is portrayed mostly as a location of meet for smugglers or dacoits, or most of the times incidences of murder, rape, robberies are associated with Goa. This trend is now being seen on the small screen too. There is no particular reason why this has been happening – and it’s well known to Goans that there are hardly any such incidents in Goa. Yet cinema portrays Goa as the rendezvous for crime. Enjoyable on cinema, yet hard to believe, and emotionally hurting to the Goan.
Though now, Goa has earned its position in international cinema too, with the advent of festivals like IFFI. It makes me proud to say that Goa is the chosen location for such a prestigious event every year. It’s great to see that Goa is making its mark in most of the fields now – and enjoys a prized status in India. There is much much more to speak about Goa – but I guess this is all I have to say. It is definitely upto each person to individually see what Goa holds in reality, and how Goa enjoys its esteemed place on the map of the nation. Goa is a holiday destination for one and all, true, but well is, of course, much more than that too.
_________________________________________Ends.....
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Catastrophic Admission Test...
19th November 2006. 1.77 lakh students. 2.5 hours. 3 gruelling sections. 6 renowned B-schools. One renowned – but over-hyped admission test.
No more stats needed – it was yet another year when students sharpened their ‘lead’ weapons and braced themselves for the make-or-break 2.5 hours – yes, 2.5 hours this time as opposed to the 2 hours before. But was it supposed to help collect your energy and supplement the weak chances, or retain you in the cave of strategy and sweat for longer… this was what no one knew about.
Brief additions – as usual my center was in North Bangalore – and I spent the previous nite at my friends’ place. The college was close by and was supposed to be a famous one in Malleswaram – that’s the area. No surprises in the morning – a huge crowd at the center – but yes, this time a majority of the crowd seemed very much prepared for whateva was supposed to come. TIME/CL/CF/PT/IMS/… (and many more…) seemed to have done their job well – though I will reserve my comments for that, later.
Having found the class and relieved myself, I settled in the typical Bangalorean college benches, awaiting for what was supposed to be the media sensation for the day – the question paper. The gleam of the white booklet was so much that in the hurry I forgot to get a very good look at the OMR itself – it had 5 options for every question. 120 questions printed – so well, I had kind of prepared for each kind of question paper pattern – and formulated some strategies. Though I skipped to settle my mind for the 5 option pattern for those few minutes. Mistake 1.
Why does the Admission Committee ask for the entire addressh to be SHADED is a question which still bothers me. Though I could have done without doing the same – probably I wouldn’t have wasted time till 5 minutes after the test began. Test booklet were distributed 5 minutes late – 75 questions - +4 and –1 pattern - and I had just time to shade the relevant stuff and see the pattern – though I was still shading ‘Bannerghatta Road’ – had practised for it, but it was getting irritating. Mistake 2. All of a sudden the bell rang… heh wait a minute – I am still shadin da address dude – cudnt u ask me before ringing it ???
The next moment I snatch the booklet, break it open and begin on my planned journey for the next 2.5 hours. If I can remember properly now – here’s the detailed transcript:
10:35 – Test begins for me – and I notice 5 options for each answer. Ok enough for 75 questions – I can definitely spend a lot of time on each question – but hang on – one smalll thing – the verbal section can definitely get tough as in elimination of options. But it might not be the case. Lets hope not. Lets go ahead and see the questions. Lets relax… Lets…
10:50 – Verbal. 3 shaded bubbles only – a forced attempt. Tough section. Bakwaas type questions. Sweat.
11:10 – VERY easy quant. Contrary to what I had expected. Some questions done and others marked. Can definitely do more. Bhaaaaaaaaai – wahi theherna – main waapas aaoonga.
11:30 – Easy DI – couldn’t believe I was doing well in this section, as it had been my nemesis throughout the preparations.
11:55 – Wtf – what was that ? RC?? One passage took more than 15 min !! What was happening? Verbal was my strongest section or what?? More sweat. Nervous like hell throughout. Gulping some water. Look on top – bhagwaan – main hi kyon??
12:20 – DI. Well done Ashish. Could manage some questions nicely. And the backward strategy worked everywhere. Verbal on mind though. Questions unanswered everywhere.
12:45 – Quant. Ok enough job done – but I could have done much better. Verbal questions still unanswered.
12:57 – Marked all the unsure verbal questions. Kya aur thoda quant karein ???
1:00 – Sorry buddy – time up.
All fancies of 75 attempts etc in paani. 45 attempts in all – 14 in Quant, 12 in DI and 19 in Verbal (god knows here if they were attempts or what – but they were well reasoned out according to me).
The rest is kinda curtains – oops history ;) – one good job done – I stayed away from the analysis and other bull shit offered by the coaching classes till the results – and did a fine job in that. Did not calculate my score. Threw the paper in one corner of the house. Great stuff. Definitely a degraded quality paper in terms of what the IIMs could have come out with. Only later did I come to know that the GMAT too has 5 options for each question. But does it have such pathetic, endlessly debatable Verbal questions? That’s another question altogether. Will be comin up in my verdict – but maybe not so soon.
Bout whether the result was good or not – that’s another story. Kisi aur din – sure… :D :D
No more stats needed – it was yet another year when students sharpened their ‘lead’ weapons and braced themselves for the make-or-break 2.5 hours – yes, 2.5 hours this time as opposed to the 2 hours before. But was it supposed to help collect your energy and supplement the weak chances, or retain you in the cave of strategy and sweat for longer… this was what no one knew about.
Brief additions – as usual my center was in North Bangalore – and I spent the previous nite at my friends’ place. The college was close by and was supposed to be a famous one in Malleswaram – that’s the area. No surprises in the morning – a huge crowd at the center – but yes, this time a majority of the crowd seemed very much prepared for whateva was supposed to come. TIME/CL/CF/PT/IMS/… (and many more…) seemed to have done their job well – though I will reserve my comments for that, later.
Having found the class and relieved myself, I settled in the typical Bangalorean college benches, awaiting for what was supposed to be the media sensation for the day – the question paper. The gleam of the white booklet was so much that in the hurry I forgot to get a very good look at the OMR itself – it had 5 options for every question. 120 questions printed – so well, I had kind of prepared for each kind of question paper pattern – and formulated some strategies. Though I skipped to settle my mind for the 5 option pattern for those few minutes. Mistake 1.
Why does the Admission Committee ask for the entire addressh to be SHADED is a question which still bothers me. Though I could have done without doing the same – probably I wouldn’t have wasted time till 5 minutes after the test began. Test booklet were distributed 5 minutes late – 75 questions - +4 and –1 pattern - and I had just time to shade the relevant stuff and see the pattern – though I was still shading ‘Bannerghatta Road’ – had practised for it, but it was getting irritating. Mistake 2. All of a sudden the bell rang… heh wait a minute – I am still shadin da address dude – cudnt u ask me before ringing it ???
The next moment I snatch the booklet, break it open and begin on my planned journey for the next 2.5 hours. If I can remember properly now – here’s the detailed transcript:
10:35 – Test begins for me – and I notice 5 options for each answer. Ok enough for 75 questions – I can definitely spend a lot of time on each question – but hang on – one smalll thing – the verbal section can definitely get tough as in elimination of options. But it might not be the case. Lets hope not. Lets go ahead and see the questions. Lets relax… Lets…
10:50 – Verbal. 3 shaded bubbles only – a forced attempt. Tough section. Bakwaas type questions. Sweat.
11:10 – VERY easy quant. Contrary to what I had expected. Some questions done and others marked. Can definitely do more. Bhaaaaaaaaai – wahi theherna – main waapas aaoonga.
11:30 – Easy DI – couldn’t believe I was doing well in this section, as it had been my nemesis throughout the preparations.
11:55 – Wtf – what was that ? RC?? One passage took more than 15 min !! What was happening? Verbal was my strongest section or what?? More sweat. Nervous like hell throughout. Gulping some water. Look on top – bhagwaan – main hi kyon??
12:20 – DI. Well done Ashish. Could manage some questions nicely. And the backward strategy worked everywhere. Verbal on mind though. Questions unanswered everywhere.
12:45 – Quant. Ok enough job done – but I could have done much better. Verbal questions still unanswered.
12:57 – Marked all the unsure verbal questions. Kya aur thoda quant karein ???
1:00 – Sorry buddy – time up.
All fancies of 75 attempts etc in paani. 45 attempts in all – 14 in Quant, 12 in DI and 19 in Verbal (god knows here if they were attempts or what – but they were well reasoned out according to me).
The rest is kinda curtains – oops history ;) – one good job done – I stayed away from the analysis and other bull shit offered by the coaching classes till the results – and did a fine job in that. Did not calculate my score. Threw the paper in one corner of the house. Great stuff. Definitely a degraded quality paper in terms of what the IIMs could have come out with. Only later did I come to know that the GMAT too has 5 options for each question. But does it have such pathetic, endlessly debatable Verbal questions? That’s another question altogether. Will be comin up in my verdict – but maybe not so soon.
Bout whether the result was good or not – that’s another story. Kisi aur din – sure… :D :D
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