From Ann Arbor to Chicago

At the risk of my blog being converted to a travel tips site, let me write about traveling from Ann Arbor.

Yes, you heard right. Public transportation in US is bad and pathetic in Michigan. That surprisingly surprises people even after knowing Detroit is a car's throw away from Ann Arbor!

Train? Well, yes, Amtrak does run from Ann Arbor but it is WAY too slow, unreliable and costly. It is surprisingly so considering there are really so few trains here. Apparently Amtrak gets the last preference on a track, which means LAST preference! Now that's something. Naturally, you cannot trust its timing - this aint no Europe. Of course it is costly too.

I guess the best way to travel out of Ann Arbor is through Chicago ... to Chicago too. It is a great city - a "real" city quite unlike some in Michigan now :) The most convenient way seems to be the Megabus which is, again surprisingly, not as famous as I initially thought. Greyhound? Seriously people?

The one time I did travel from Chicago to Ann Arbor on Greyhound, it took 50% longer. However, the worse part was a longing anticipation of whether there will be seats available on the bus! I was shocked and surprised to know that apparently you can travel Greyhound standing. Wow! If almost always overbook and if you are unlucky (no seat numbers, sorry mate), you go standing. Good luck with that. I heard at least 3 passengers confirm this in the line while we were anxiously waiting to get in at Chicago.

Now back to Megabus. The only time this seems to be running late is when it is snowing. That is understandable. I assume the other modes of transportation will do not better in that weather. I did travel during the snowy season and in fact I was lucky that the bus was an hour late at AA because I arrived half an hour late at the bus stop! The return from Chicago to AA was on a snowy night and the bus arrived over 2 hours late, but it seemed legitimate.

The Megabus also seems to do well with facilities - they have a WiFi on the bus though I don't like to carry my laptop during travel, simply because it spoils the ride for me, IMHO. No, I am not really advertising for Megabus here, but really, they seem to do a good job.

Oh and the better part? You can actually get tickets for as less as $1! No kidding - I did travel from Ann Arbor to Chicago on a $1 ticket, with a 50 cents online registration fees (which in hindsight comes to 50%!) So that's another reason to choose a rare mode of transportation besides your car in here.

Do you realize ...

TEDxUofM conference asks: If you made the statement, “Do you realize… ” to the world, what would you express?" My entry was the below poem, which got selected :) Looking forward now to attending the conference!

Do you realize the power of dreams

Of imagination let loose

Culmination of a myriad schemes

Striking like the lightning of Zeus



Do you realize the power of hope

Of wanting a better life

Optimism in its infinite scope

A world free of strife



Do you realize the power of the mind

Of dreaming the truly impossible

Perhaps mankind’s greatest find

That makes magic possible



Do you realize the power of science

Of understanding the world around

Looking at the grand alliance

Of the everyday mundane and the greatly profound



Do you realize the power of You

Of understanding we are made of sterner stuff

If only everybody knew

They were diamonds in the rough

Life as we (don't) hope it

(The scene is set before an exam. There are books scattered all around the place. There are scattered papers on a table, which also houses 3 empty coffee cups, an earphone and an iPod. The whole place looks like a mess. A guy is sitting on a chair, head held in his hands and sighing. He looks stiff and tense)
Enter Hardly.

Hardly: What a bloody mess! It looks like a vampire cave Laude.

Laude: But I am not the hunter, but the hunted. No time for your silly jokes Hardly, I gotta study!

Hardly: You kidding me! Why do you take things so seriously anyway?

Laude: (pretends not to listen) To read or not to read, that is the question.

Hardly: That question I thought had already been answered. You eat if you are hungry and you read if you have a hunger for what your reading is supposed to feed you.

Laude: Life unfortunately is more complicated. Remember the ant and the grasshopper?

Hardly: (laughs) Yea, imagine the hardworking ant being trampled under an elephant's leg as it gets ready for a life that doesn't exist.

Laude: And the point is?

Hardly: The point is that there is no point. If your reason for work is too much into the future, then it is worthless. On the other hand, if you have the journey and not a supposed destination in mind, then it makes sense. Your plane to the destination can be hijacked any moment.

Laude: You mean it is unwise to prepare for a better future?

Hardly: I mean it is unwise to anticipate a better future without exploring other avenues. If life is supposed to be about happiness, then the current state of affairs is perhaps as important as the future that you dream of. In any case, if I don't do well on tomorrow's exam, there is no guarantee that I won't have a good future, as much as there is no guarantee that you will have one if you perform better. The matter is not even of probabilities but rather a kind of hope that things will turn out well for the person working hard. Life of course never works that way.

Laude: I have found a logical flaw in your argument!

Hardly: What's that?

Laude: The exam is not tomorrow, but today (smiles)

Hardly: (laughs) You are always right!

(curtains close)

Title: Untitled

Ditching an MBA
And going for science
Will it lead to dismay
Or a natural alliance


Look for a job
That does not exist
Trod the globe
Or simply persist


Or spend 5 years
Doing what I like
But may end up in tears
With an unparalleled alike


Should I smile
For an excellent college
Or take a while
And truth to acknowledge


Should I have cried
For lack of choice
Reality denied
Any simply rejoice


Never know till the end
The good and bad
Till then pretend
You’re glad not sad


Parallel roads
Without a compare
Matrix reloads
And life goes where?


How do I know
Happier where I will be
Which way to go
So the heart is free

The Visa Experience

So here I am all geared up for the D-day. The most important thing for me is that the day is "astrologically good" :) I have a ton of papers I never knew even existed. I had documents from a CA about liquid assets (apparently liquid is the opposite of fixed, unlike what I learnt in my first grade :P)

Went to the Visa center about an hour earlier. Waited outside with my dad for some time, then went inside. Apparently, though I was half an hour early, I was one of the last people to arrive for that time slot! The line was long. All sorts of familiar "groups" of people - first time students, returning NRIs (the "yo-buddy cool dudes" :D), parents, etc. etc.

There is a lot of checking going on before we are allowed to enter inside. This is worse than the airport! The line doesn't move slowly; it moves slooooowly! However, the best part is after a little while, there is some "technical problem" and the almost zero line speed becomes exactly zero! They ask for people with children in first. After some time the problem is supposedly resolved and the 'near zero but not yet zero' speed continues. Some stupid checking and stuff goes on and we are sent inside.

The Indian staff are pretty rude, just as expected (I work in the AMERICAN embassy vanity!) Going inside, there are railway ticket counters. Hey wait a minute, I am not in a railway station! Oh, we are sent inside and they require the fingerprints of all the 10 fingers recorded so this is where they do this.

Going further inside the dungeon, we are required to show the filled in forms to a "vanity-rude" person who asks for some changes that are naturally meaningless but needed nonetheless (like typing in NA for your spouse's details even when you say you are not married and stuff like that!) Take a token and wait in the waiting area.

My chance comes pretty soon, perhaps after a wait of 10-15 minutes. So this is supposed to be THE moment. No, I am not really tensed. Go to the Visa Officer. She's a lady perhaps in her early 40s but I can be way off coz I am pretty bad at ages (especially with the ladies ;) ). She is typing something away at the computer. Here is the conversation -

(SK=me, VO=Visa Officer)

SK: Good morning ma'am.
VO: (smiles as if pleasantly surprised!) Good morning, how do you do?
SK: I am fine thank you, how do you do?
VO: I am great! Can I have a look at your documents?
SK: Sure!
(hands over the documents across the counter)
VO: (going through the documents) So University of Michigan huh?
SK: Yes ma'am.
VO: So how are you funding your studies?
SK: Personal funds + bank loan
VO: What does your father do?
SK: blah blah
VO: (types away at the computer)
VO: Your Visa has been sanctioned. You will get it in about 3 days.
SK: Thank you ma'am!

Bottom line: Less than 2 minutes interview. Just like everything else, this seems to be purely luck as well.

I was a little scared with the 221(g) stuff coz I applied in aero. That never came up in any case, reinforcing the luck factor and the astrologically good day :P

IIM Calcutta GD/PI experience on 9th March 2009

Had the IIM Calcutta interview and group discussion today. Was shortlisted only for the PGDCM program. Most present were in both or only for PGDM, I along with one other were the only ones for the exclusively PGDCM program.

The people shortlisted for both needed to give two personal interviews and only one GD. My centre was at IIM Calcutta. Was in the morning session, starting 9:30 am. No girls at all! Since the center was at IIM Calcutta, it seemed too familiar territory for them. The profs were completely in their informals. There were 3 profs in our panel.

We were asked to submit our originals and the form for verification. Did that, since I was the first in our group. It seemed to be great to have it done and then leave soon. People were strangely silent and there didn't seem to be a lot of interaction, contrary to the case of IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode interview.

The GD process:

Started with the GD for all the PGDCM shortlisted candidates. There were 9 in our group. We were called in one at a time from the list. I was the first one, so sat in the corner. Now this GD was different in that it wasn't in a hotel room, so the chairs were all arranged in a semi-circle and the three profs were sitting quite away. We were first told the "process" of the GD. We would be given a topic for discussion and a couple of minutes to think about it. Then there would be a 10 minute discussion. Then they said they would call out names in a random order and that person would have to speak for 1 minute everything that he hasn't spoken or a GD summary or anything. They didn't seem to look for anything in specific, coz they said initially about points you didn't get a chance to speak and later said you could also summarize.

The topic of the GD was "MBAs do not make good business leaders". Initial reaction was obviously that of shock! They didn't give us any paper to write on; then one person asked for a piece of paper and we were all given a leaf out of a notepad. No desk to write upon though!

Anyway, they said 'now you may st...' and one fellow began already. Typical coaching center brainwashing :D - start the GD and you are halfway through mentality. Anyway he said something. I was the fourth or fifth speaker.

One good thing for me in the GD was that I wasn't cut in between by anyone, and my voice seemed to be loud enough, a big improvement personally from the IIM Bangalore interview. I did come in a few times when everyone began speaking, but after a couple of seconds it was just me ... did feel good :P

Anyway, the discussion went on, not very good on the basis of the points proposed, which is similar to the IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozikode GDs as well. My performance seemed decently fine in terms of points as well as the total time for discussion.

One person had done this 'OK wait you don't speak, let him speak' thing once, but seemed almost legitimate as that guy had really not spoken once!

I didn't notice the time as usual, they said stop sometime soon. Then they said they would be calling out the names for them to speak for 1 minute. They started with the guy who hardly spoke, and they remarked that as well when they asked him to speak. For the next 4, it seemed to follow the order of going about those who spoke the least to those who were more active. This changed for the 5th person whom I thought must have been considered the best. No idea though.

I was the second last. Did give my viewpoint as well as a summary in the direction that I was talking about. No idea whether I spoke for 1 minute, but was fluent enough. They were cutting short people who exceeded their time, but they didn't do that for me, so I guess it would have been less than a minute.

The PI experience:

The three profs were sitting at the same place; a chair was placed about 10 feet from them! I didn't know whether to sit there or drag it front, so I just stood there. They signalled me to sit. I had to deliberately increase my volume so they could hear me. They did get whatever I was trying to say, though I didn't understand them a couple of times!

The three of them seemed to ask questions randomly in a random order on random topics. So I wouldn't remember them as questions from P1, P2 or P3. Also, since the questions were random mostly, I might err on the order in which they were asked.

So here it goes ...
(SK is me, P is a prof)

SK: Wishes them. Is signalled to sit on a chair 10 feet away from his interviewers. Fears it might be a stress interview.
P: So tell me something about yourself.
SK: tells about background, family, hobbies.

P: So you are coming from Guwahati.
SK: Yes sir.
P: So tell me why is the north east technologically backward.
SK: blah blah about their reluctance to adapt to new technologies and them feeling threatened by the change.
P: So you think it is all in the mindset?
SK: Yes sir.
P: How should the situation be improved?
SK: blah blah about how the government should employ more people in the local industries like oil.
P: So is it the government's prime responsibility to take care of industrialization?
SK: It is one of the main responsibilities of the government.
P: But that's where the concept of private firms comes in. Look at Gujrat, most of the industries are privately run.
SK: Sir private firms have their restrictions, like they cannot be socially inclusive etc etc and some blah blah.
P: Ok

P: So you play chess?
SK: Yes sir
P: Have you played at any level
SK: Just at the hostel level :P (should have said at the insti level at least!)
P: So tell me there was this thing about Deep Blue, the chess computer. But there haven't been many thereafter. Why is it so difficult to make one?
SK: The number of combinations of moves get increasingly large.
P: Do you know how large? A number?
SK: Not sure sir, but in billions. In addition, it is not just the next move, but a whole strategy that needs to be thought over, which may go well beyond the next move.
P: So how many opening moves are possible?
SK: (thinks) 12
P: Are you sure?
SK: (realizes he is grossly mistaken! Takes a few seconds more and says) 20, for the first move of white.
P: How did you arrive at that?
SK: 8 pawns, either one or two steps ahead = 16, two positions for each knight = 4, so total 20.
P: Ok

P: Do you follow sports?
SK: Not that much sir!!
P: So are you aware of everything happening around?
SK: I am reasonably well aware sir
P: So what do you understand by globalization? What comes to your mind when I say globalization?
SK: (thinks about Appadurai's handout in HSS :P decides its a bad idea!!) Sir it is the opening up of markets and an influx of the Western capitalist economies to the rest of the world; and try to explain and elaborate on it.
P: (Doesn't look very convinced) Can you tell me in a sentence
SK: Sir it the exchange of social, cultural and economic ties across the countries (or something like that!)
P: So it is not just about the economy?
SK: No sir.
P: (looks convinced) Ok

P: So do you follow the economic news? Do you read the Economic Times
SK: Sir I am reasonably well aware of events.
P: So what is ERP?
SK: No idea sir :D
P: Have you ever heard the term ERP(it was ERP or EPR, not sure :P )?
SK: Never sir
P: Not even when you are browsing through the news?
SK: NO sir!!
P: Didn't you read it in mechanical engineering?
SK: No sir
P: Didn't you have any courses on the use of information technology in industries, supply chain management etc.?
SK: No sir!
P: So what did you read in mechanical engineering?
SK: Fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, materials, thermodynamics etc :P
P: So you know about various turbines? What are the types?
SK: Sir basically two types - axial and radial!
P: No there are the ones with low head, medium head and large head right?
SK: (pretends to think!) I am not aware of their names sir!
P: Ok
P: Have you worked on a CNC?
SK: Yes sir, we had an assignment on it.
P: So what are its advantages over conventional lathe?
SK: blah blah about precision, accuracy and mass production.
P: So why do they still use conventional lathes?
SK: blah blah about ease of modification and cost.
P: So do they still use manual lathes in foreign countries?
SK: Yes sir.
(should have diverted the discussion towards Finland intern, like I did in the IIM Bangalore interview, but didn't!)

P: So you are one of the few candidates who have applied only to the PGDCM program. Why is that?
SK: I wasn't shortlisted for the PGDM program.
P: (Some talk among themselves) Ok.
P: So do you know about the PGDCM program? Have you gone through the course structure?
SK: I have seen the outline sir.
P: So are you at all interested in it?
SK: Yes sir very much :D In fact I am good in programming, won the google programming contest and also a game programming event. I am good at the logic part of it.
P: So you have to find whether a number is prime or not. How will you do it.
SK: Check till root (N)
P: Why root N?
SK: Because any factor above root (N) will have a lesser factor too.
P: Ok fine, but still it is a lot of work for big numbers. Can you think of something more efficient.
SK: (thinks) Talk about Fermat's little theorem. This guy doesn't know it!
P: So what is it? a power what? what is a? will this work? some nonsense blabbar.
SK: This was an alternative when multiplication is cheap, I cannot think of anything else.
P: Ok.

P: So you like mathematics?
SK: Yes sir.
P: Which area?
SK: Number theory!
P: What is a rational number?
SK: Which can be expressed as p/q where p,q are integers. (Didn't say about q being positive! )
P: So can you tell me a number that isn't rational?
SK: pi
P: Something simpler?!
SK: root 2! :D
P: So can you prove that root 2 isn't rational?
SK: (thinks for a couple of seconds) Yes sir, I think I can.
P: Take the pen, directs me to the board, and asks me to use it.
SK: Take a minute and prove it.
P: (Convinced) OK

P: What is this course on Critical Thinking that you have taken?
SK: It is a philosophy course sir.
P: You have taken another course as well on philosophy right?
SK: Yes sir I like it very much :D
P: So can you tell me some differences between oriental and western philosophies??
SK: blah blah about soul, karma etc. (Should have talked about how religion and philosophy are so mixed and integral in eastern philosophies but completely the opposite for western philosophies. )
P: Can you name any 3 western philosophers?
SK: (sudden mind blank!) Descartes, Sartre (?!) ... ... (thinks) Plato, Aristotle!
P: Ok.

P: So you have heard this term "Meltdown" recently?
SK: Yes sir.
P: What does it mean?
SK: some blah blah about breakdown of financial institutions and the current economic system as we know it.
P: How did it start?
SK: Started with the US sub-prime mortgage crisis.
P: What is sub prime?
SK: Those customers who do not have adequate means to pay back.
P: Is that what is sub-prime?
SK: Sir banks have a credit history of customers, and those that do not have good credit history are sub-prime.
P: (not very convinced) Hmm ok.


P: (to others asking them if they had anything else to ask. None had) Ok so you may go.
SK: Thank you sirs.
P: (while I was collecting my file) So what other IIM calls do you have?
SK: IIM Kozikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Ahmedabad. (didn't tell him Bangalore, don't know why!)
P: Is this your first interview?
SK: No sir, I am already done with Kozikode
P: Ok
SK: Thank you sir !

IIM Bangalore GD/PI experience on 24th February 2009

Had my IIM Bangalore interview and GD today, 24th Feb 09 at Kolkata. The venue was the same - Kelinworth Hotel. My slot was the morning 9:00 am slot.

There were two panels. Each panel was supposed to have 8 candidates, but two were absent? :eek: ... and two were absent even from the other panel! So in all, we were 6 of us. One girl, rest boys. The interview panel had a lady prof and a male prof. Dress sense of profs was formal, unlike for the IIM Kozhikode interview! My panel had one guy from Shillong, one guy from Sikkim and me from Guwahati! :D I was 3rd in my panel.

The GD experience:

Started off with a GD. Called the names and we were made to sit in order, just like for IIM Kozhikode interview. They told us we would be given a topic, given 5 minutes to think, 15 minutes to discuss and 5-10 minutes to write a summary. They weren't strict at all with the timings, and when some people didn't finish their summary writing in time, they announced that those who had finished may leave, rest may take more time! Anyway, I did finish it in time :)

We were strangely allowed to keep the GD sheet with ourselves. This was not the case with the other panel, where the sheets were taken away. This is the exact topic of the GD:

In recent times, the government has imposed restrictions on nightlife. All pubs and nightclubs have to be shut by 11:30 and discotheques are not allowed. The government and the police contend that imposing early closing hours has helped reduce crime rates and drunken driving. The people visiting pubs and nightclubs say that they are not criminals and drunk driving is unlikely to stop unless sliquor shops are closed down. They further point out that by putting curbs on nightlife, the government risks criminalizing fairly harmless activity. Anyway if this argument is carried to its logical conclusion then it would be like arguing that all travel should be stopped because any travel raises the risk of accident. They also argue that drinking and dancing is not illegal and the government is imposing unncessary restrictions. In reply some people argue that it is immoral to drink and dance and 11:30 at night is late enough. The supporters contend that they work long hours often past 11 p.m. and if they feel the urge to go for a drink they should be allowed to. The arguments rage on.

Where do you stand in this debate?

The GD had absolutely no high noise levels and was very civil. My performance wasn't as good as it could/should have been, but wasn't bad either. Did come up with a couple of good points but overall speaking time was quite less, and should have been much more. Later the first question in my interview was my opinion on the topic of the GD!

Anyway, IIM Bangalore claims that it gives only 5% weightage to the GD, 5% to the summary and another 5% to the summary style! The only problem is there are very less freshers called for the GD/PI process, and so might be slightly difficult to make it finally. However, overall the GD was satisfactory though could have been better.

The interview experience:

The interview lasted for about 12-15 minutes. People coming out were quite happy with their performance. There was no stress at all. The interview was very casual in nature, absolutely no technical questions and no questions on general knowledge/economics etc too! Was just like a conversation across the table.

The lady prof was asking all the questions and the other prof was going through the certificates. Since it was more like a conversation and questions raised from where I led the discussion to, I don't think the experience might help people much! But anyway, here it is - the questions may not be in order
(LP = lady prof, MP = male prof, SK = me)

LP: So what do you think about the GD
SK: (starts off with a summary type, where I say 'the group felt that...')
LP: No, tell me your views on the topic
SK: blah blah in partial support of nightlife and clubs with sensible restrictions etc. Mention somewhere that crime isn't exactly proportional to nightlife, as can be seen in foreign countries. Also say that there should be regular alcohol checks, as in foreign countries perhaps.
LP: So can you tell me one country where such checks are done?
SK: When I went to Finland (:D :P) I did see an active nightlife and also the crime rate is one of the least in the world
LP: So why do you think crime rate is less there? Are Indians more unruly?
SK: blah blah about they being rich
LP: Ok.

LP: So you are in your final year
SK: Yes ma'am
LP: So are you placed?
SK: Yes ma'am,.
LP: So where will you be placed?
SK: Didn't get the final offer letter, no idea!
LP: So what will you be joining as? What will be your role?
LP, SK: (blah blah about it, some desultory chit chat ! )

MP: So I will ask you a standard question, you may give me a standard answer!
SK: :O :O :O
MP: So why do you want to do an MBA?
SK: blah blah about how it would make me more useful and complement my technical background.
MP: (not convinced, some other questions)
SK: Sir I was actively involved with organizing my technical festival ....
MP: OK OK now THAT is a standard answer. No need to elaborate :D I'll cancel this question!
SK: (smiles!)
MP: So you have been to Finland right?
SK: Yes sir
MP: What is the most common drink there?
SK: (:O) I am not very sure, but Finlandia vodka is very famous! :D
MP, SK: (some chit chat about it)
MP,SK: (chit chat about drinking at IITs, drugs(!), ragging, smoking, why I don't drink, peer groups, how IITs much have changed(!) etc. etc. )

LP: So what are your hobbies?
SK: Playing chess, writing poems and short essays
LP: What do you write on?
SK: Contemporary topics, philosophy and religion
LP: What was the last thing you wrote about?
SK, LP, MP: (a whole lot of chit chat about religion, Hinduism, western influence, writing at IIT, and blah blah blah!!)
LP: Have you gotten your work published in say newspapers or magazines?
SK: No ma'am, just the college maganizes and newsletters.

LP: So you mentioned in your SOP about your internship at IISc. Did you visit IIM Bangalore then?
SK: (:D :O :P) No ma'am!
LP: So you didn't have MBA on your mind then?
SK: Not exactly ma'am.
LP: So when did you have those plans?
SK: After coming back!! ( :D) I was involved with my technical festival, gotten a first hand feel of management blah blah
LP: So do you think organizing a fest is equivalent to a career in management?
SK: Not really ma'am, but blah blah about how MBA would help me a lot to apply my technical 'expertise' and make informed decisions and blah blah
LP: Ok, thank you for your time
SK: Thank you ma'am, thank you sir. (leaves)

Travel 'tips' for a Tawang trip

We went to Tawang from 11th Feb to 14th Feb, the 10 of us. It was naturally a wonderful experience. Here is detailed information about everything that I used to plan the trip which may be useful for everyone, especially the IITGians :)

Firstly, you could go via a travel agent. Probably the best would be Himalayan travels. The biggest advantage is obviously that you don’t need to plan anything and there is very low possibility of things going ‘wrong’. On the other hand, you would naturally lose your freedom and would have to follow the agent’s schedules, which includes quite a lot of extra stay in hotels (for obvious reasons!) e.g. a night stay at Guwahati, a night stay at Bomdilla. In addition, it costs easily 30-50% more due to high hotel changes. It would probably suit professors and their family, as the agent told us. Still if this option interests you or if you want to find out more about it, you can contact Himalayan Holidays - Himalayan Holidays, Kabar Khana Road, Tezpur. Ph: 03712-223580 (O), 221646(R), 9957178796.

This was supposedly our first plan which never materialized (isn’t that obvious ;) ). I finally asked a few of the people around who had already been there, and from what I gathered, I found what I finally planned to be quite the optimal. Of course that was the best that suited us, which may not be the case with everyone or every group. The main thing was that the stay part at Tezpur and Bomdilla were absent. This also resulted in a considerably less time required for the whole trip.

The final plan:
Someone very recently asked me what the phrase ‘back seat driver’ meant. I can now explain it to him more clearly :)

We started from IIT Guwahati in the night on Wednesday, about 11:30 pm. The reason was that it seemed pointless to include a night stay at Tezpur. This was the only ‘not the best/optimal’ choice I had to make, but was unavoidable since no one wanted to go to the city to get the best bargain. It took the 10 of us Rs. 3500 to go to Tezpur, which was costly since the travel was during the night, the pickup was from IIT Guwahati and the driver whom I contacted couldn’t manage to get a sumo :( We finally ended up in two vehicles – a Maruti van and an Indica. To those in the Maruti van, we would remember that the best moments of the trip would never be possible without this division into two groups :P The tyre got punctured a couple of times, but it didn’t take long to fix it and the story going on inside was way too interesting for anyone to bother even the slightest bit :D Use this contact only in the worst case. The best thing to do would be to go to the city and book a sumo for the trip. Taxis and other vehicles like Maruti vans are available too. The vehicle can be decided by the size of the group. In any case, the cost of hiring a vehicle isn't really proportional to the number of people or its seating capacity, so you can always book a larger vehicle like Sumo instead of a Taxi at almost the same price. In the worst case, you could call up these drivers: Khan – 9864055474 (preferable), Bapan – 9859156172 (NOT preferable! Was drunk!) We reached Tezpur in the morning, about 4:00 am. Spent some time at Bapan’s house on his continuous insistence. Then we went to Himalayan travels, which opened about 5:00 am, Thursday.

The driver that we got was seriously the best. Lots of people had previously complained about getting grumpy or poor drivers, but we seemed quite lucky with this. I would very strongly recommend that if you are considering a trip, do contact Himalayan Travels and book yourself this guy. He’s from Arunachal Pradesh and originally from Tawang. His contact: Lakpo – 9402070455. The charge was Rs. 4000 for the trip to Tawang, (Rs. 400 per head). It is a standard rate and I don't think you can get it for any less. This is where the real advantage of 10 people came in. Each sumo carries 10 people, so if you are more, you will have to split and if you are less, then there would be other passengers along with you as well. Otherwise it might also be good to consider paying the whole 4000 rupees and getting the sumo for yourself – perhaps more comfortable. Going by my personal experience, I would always prefer a Sumo over other vehicles like a Taxi or Maruti Van at roads such as these, for the sheer performance of the Sumo - somehow gives you much more confidence. During winters, the roads are all covered with ice and it becomes very difficult to control the vehicle.

We started around 5:30am. Had a stop at Bhalukpong to get the passes. It is a very easy procedure there. I went with Lakpa to the officer’s house. He gave us a few papers for the application, then went to another person for the approval. Finally got the passes in a relatively short time span. Cost us Rs. 300 in all for 10 people with absolutely no bribe!
Finally reached Tawang at about 9:00 pm in the night. Had no idea about the stay. We did go to a few places mentioned by people who had gone before, but they were out of the ‘common rooms’ that had cheaper accommodation. After seeing about 3-4 hotels, finally decided on this one. It was quite good, we took 2 rooms with double bed and a single bed in each room. For two days, it cost us Rs. 4500 in all, including the stay, heater (they charge extra for this!) and one dinner and one lunch. Contact is Hotel Tawang View Ph: 03794 – 223009/224548/222433 Mob: 9436895447 (Lohit Sharma)

About sight seeing in Tawang, we were lucky when Lakpa agreed to take us on a day’s trip around. Charged us Rs. 2500, which is quite cheaper than if you go by the standard procedure of hiring Taxis or perhaps even other sumos. Places worth visiting are a couple of lakes – frozen, semi-frozen, the Madhuri lake (good and famous!), an army memorial for the war heroes of 1962 (closes early but should visit!), a monastery. All views are extremely beautiful, especially the sceneries on the way. Sela pass is the highest point on the way. Took one day to roam about in Tawang. Actually there isn't anything special in Tawang, it is the surrounding places and the scenic beauty on the way that really makes the trip worthwhile.

Return again we went with Lakpa to Tezpur. Took comparatively lesser time than the earlier onward journey. Also stopped by on the way for playing around in snow – was great fun :) Return again cost Rs. 4000. Then finally booked another sumo from the Himalayan Travels office in Tezpur for Rs. 2500 to IITG back.

Was a great trip overall. Food is pretty good – rice and curry are standard meals. Helpful to carry some anti-vomiting tablets if anyone isn’t very comfortable with the mountainous roads. The time December-January and even February beginning are very cold, so do carry adequate woolens. Gloves and a monkey-cap are a must during this time at least :) Any other queries, you are welcome to ask anytime :)

References (on request :P)
1. Pranjal, IITG, 2011

IIM Kozhikode Interview Experience on 9th February 2009

IIMK GD/PI experience
----------------------------------

Had the GD/PI of IIM Kozikode at 9:00 am on Monday, Feb. 9th. Venue was Kelinworth Hotel in Kolkata. Hotel was pretty good, lots of foreigners too - guess its 3 star but not sure. Reached the centre by 8:15 am; decided it was too early, took a stroll outside for 10 minutes and went in. Some chairs to sit in the open, so sat there. 6 others had already arrived. A few others had come later. By 8:45 we were asked to go inside and be seated. About 18-20 people were present. 3 were girls ;)

4 people arrived, we figured they would be the interview/GD panel. Not dressed formally at all. At least two thought an "in-shirt" would do no harm! For the first panel, they called out the names. One person was absent. My name was called in second last. Total of 9 in my panel. We were seated as they called our names, so I was in the last but one chair - next to the corner one. Was getting pretty tensed already - I still just HATE GDs!
There was a paper in front of us, covered. We were instructed to read it and jot down any points for 5 minutes on the same sheet of paper (wonder why there was a pad present too!) and would then be given 15 minutes for the discussion.

The case was about how some Janavi was called Jane in her office, worked when her family and friends slept and thinks the Indian Independence day is on 4th July (?!) and the question was whether the IT/BPO industry had destroyed a whole generation of Indians. I had no clue whether to support or go against it (as usual!) ; didn't write down any 'points' for discussion since I never start the GD anyway! Just wanted to go with the flow. Was already getting tenser! My first impression for the group was they are not as dominant as say the group in IMS or the all 'charged' up group at IITG thanks to VC! (thanks again to him for the impression I carry about GDs!!) It did prove right in the end.

The case started with someone trying to define the problem. As usual it sounded dumb. As usual, three guys then tried to 'pitch in'. As usual, I was clueless! Didn't speak for about 2-3 minutes initially at all. Then tried to say something, got cut down by the 'market'. Remembered what Ankit said - if needed raise your voice, keep continuing what you are saying. Went for it. Was surprised the group became silent to listen to me, though my points weren't the best or even as good as I would have liked them to be. Still, it felt nice. Then on, I periodically kept pitching in and people progressively paid more attention. The one girl in our group never got a chance to speak but kept trying. Out of frustration sometime in the middle when she was cut by someone, she went on a recorded tape recorded mode - 'May I May I May I' and then the whole group became silent. Was fun to watch.

Overall GD was far better than my expectations, at least in terms of the number of times or minutes that I spoke for. In terms of time, I would be in the top 3-4. Still, was a good experience. The moderators seemed quite 'warm' and un-intimidating.

The interview was to be in the same order. Sat with 3 others - a guy Sourabh from NIT Nagpur who stayed in Guwahati for 14 years, another guy with 4-5 years experience in some Japanese company and the girl in our group - Madhuri from Patna. Sourabh had gotten all calls (97 odd percentile). Chit-chatted for quite some time about a variety of topics including some GK/current affairs. Didn't get anywhere near tensed during this time, all to be changed soon.
Sourabh was the first to go in and come out. Immediately after was Madhuri. Then some guy and then me. Both Sourabh and Madhuri said it was quite OK types, not a stress interview. The others from the second panel said it was a proper stress interview, quite unhappy about it.
Got quite tensed in the interview initially for about 5 minutes, then it was all cool. Interview had two people, P1 and P2. P1 asked mostly technical, P2 was more into other stuff. Both were very cool about it all. SK is me, Siddharth Kalla :) The other group had questions like explain refrigeration etc,which I could never answer!!

SK: Good afternoon sirs
P1: Please have a seat. Please hand over the form and the certificates.
SK: [does as told]
P1: Ok so Mr. Siddharth Kalla, you from IIT Guwahati right?
P2: [meanwhile looks at my form]
SK: Yes sir
P1: Tell me something about yourself
SK: [realizes he wasn't prepared for this. How DUMB!]
SK: I am Siddharth Kalla from final year Mechanical Engineering from IIT Guwahati
P1: [Nods his head as if telling me he already knows it all and wants something 'more']
SK: Tell him my hobbies, my final year B.Tech project (?!) and about my family background.
P1: So you are Mechanical Engineering. Do you know about engines, heat exhangers and thermodynamics?
SK: [this is the worst part! Thats one area I know just nothing of! ]
SK: I know the fundamentals, we had the basics of it in a course (No way I was going to tell him how many courses we actually had!!)
[now the best part he asks me the real basics. happy with it]
P1: So what is the zeroth law of thermodynamics?
SK: Tell him about thermal equilibrium. Try to act 'smart' and tell him thats the principle a thermometer works on.
P1: So what is the principle in a thermometer.
SK: For a mercury in glass thermometer, it is expansion on heating.
P1: OK so any other methods for measuring the temperature?
SK: [thinks for a while] Pressure of a gas - when heated, the pressure increases.
P1: [nods] So anything else?
SK: [thinks again for a while longer] Resistance changes with temperature, so that can be measured.
P1: Nods more emphatically. So any others?
SK: [thinks way too longer! - how could I forget thermocouples!]
P1: OK, so what is the first law of thermodynamics?
SK: Sir, basically conservation of energy.
P1: So what is the second law of thermodynamics?
SK: Sir it basically [word used for the second time - to be avoided in future!!] says that the entropy of the universe always increases.
P1: [Gets WIDE EYED. I should have told about how heat--> work can never be 100% efficient or something about heat engines and source-sink stuff]
P1: What is entropy?
SK: It is a measure of disorderness in a system.
P1: So why should it always increase?
SK: Thats how things are - there can be no proof for it, it is just like the conservation of energy - it cannot be proved but found to be true in all cases.
P1: Okkk [seems semi-convinced]
P1: So why are the laws named as zeroth, first and second instead of first, second and third?
SK: Sir the first law was stated earlier and then the zeroth law.
P1: Are you sure?
SK: Yes sir [remember reading it somewhere, don't know where!] the first law was stated first, then the zeroth law was identified and found to be more fundamental than the first law. So it was called the zeroth law.
P1: Ok so what is a heat exchanger?
SK: [thinks for a while] It is basically (?!) for heat exchange.
P1: Heat exchange where?
SK: Between a hot fluid and cold fluid.
P1: Ok so what are the different modes of heat transfer?
SK: Conduction, convection and radiation.
P1: What is conduction.
SK: [explains about molecular vibrations etc.]
P1: Does it always occur naturally or can it be forced?
SK: [thinks for a while] I am not sure if it can be forced, but convection can be forced.
P1: So in a heat exchanger, which is the most dominant mode of heat transfer?
SK: Sir convection is most dominant
P1 : Ok... [seems convinced]
SK: [why does he say this?!] but conduction is also important
P1: CONDUCTION?
SK: [tells hims about the surface interface where conduction takes place blah blah blah]
P1: So why is there conduction and convection, why not just conduction?
SK: Tell him that it is convenient, and it occurs regularly in nature, like land breeze, sea breeze. Also tell him its something like electricity and magnetism that we study separately though they are unified. No visible reaction from him.
P1: So how many types of heat exchangers are there?
SK: Parallel and counter parallel.
P1: What are they?
SK: [explains]
P1: Any other types?
SK: [thinks] None that I know of
P1: Ok, so which one is more effective?
SK: Counter parallel?
P1: Why is it so, when it is the same cross sectional area.
SK: [Tries to explain, not convinced. Leaves it.]
Turns to P2.
P2: So have you learned any managerial skills during your college study?
SK: Fundae about organizational skills.
P2: Do you follow current affairs, politics, economics etc?
SK: To the basic level, yes sir. (Had no intention to take my chances!)
P2: So what is the latest happening?
SK: Gaza ... explains blah blah
P2: Anything in India?
SK: [begins to think!! OMG couldn't come up with anything - VERY BAD!]
P2: So what is GDP?
SK: Value of all the goods and services produced in a country.
P1: So is the renumeration of Sachin and Shahrukh added to the GDP?
SK: Sir I think so
P1: But they are not producing any goods?
SK: Sir they provide a service that people like to pay and watch.
P1: But that is already covered in the advertising.
SK: [didn't want to argue. pretend to think] I am not sure sir
P1: [smiles] OK
P1: [looks at P2, both nod]
P1: Thank you Mr. Siddharth.
SK: Look surprised(?!) I felt the interview was too short - later realized it was for 15 minutes -seemed like 5 minutes! I stand up to go and also wish them
P1: Are you surprised that the interview is over? (!?)
SK: [Smiles, thinks and says] Sir, A little bit yes sir. (very timidly!)
P1: [laughs!]
P1: Is this your first interview?
SK: Yes sir
P1: All the best to you
SK: Thank you sir!

What you are supposed to carry when you travel :)

It might sound like a funny post. Nevertheless, with so little time to plan things out, sometimes going directly from the classes or just after exams, I thought this would be a small quick reference to all the things that you need to take for your journey to the IIM interviews. Of course I might have missed something, you are more than welcome to point it out so that I can incorporate it into the list. Hope it helps at least a few (at least me!!)

The essentials:
1. Money!
2. Ticket
3. Call letter + form (if any)
4. Certificates, including CAT admit card, CAT score card, originals of undergraduation, 12th, 10th marksheets, originals of certificates of extra-curricular activities and any other certificates for activities mentioned in the form.
5. College id card, credit card (required at times for verification of booking of flight, if any)
6. Cell phone with a SIM that works (you may find this 'stupid' if you ain't from Guwahati!) and a charger
It always helps when you have some last moment questions about say your hobbies (like I did before my IIM Kozikode interview!) that you might wish to know by calling up a friend and asking him to google it up!
7. Address of the hotel, any booking details etc.
8. A couple of photos might come in handy
9. Some ask for the xerox copies of your marksheets, so make sure you have them.
10. A pen!

Dress:
You will need 1 or 2 formal shirt(s), pant(s), tie, belt, socks, shoes. Some also wear a coat, which I don't.
Personally I find it very inconvenient to wear formal clothes, especially shoes on informal occasions. When traveling by flight, I wear the formal shoes along with my informal dress, and carry my formal dress and a pair of slippers with me. I always travel only with a handbag, and all items do conveniently fit into it!
So when I go out or in my room, I would never have to wear the formals except during the interview/GD.

Misc:
1. Toothbrush
2. Toothpaste
3. Soap (many smaller hotels don't have it!)
4. Towel (it may come in handy. The towels I was given for my first stay weren't as clean as I would have liked them to be. A towel always comes in handy; remember Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!)
5. Few old newspapers (again comes in handy to keep your clothes. The shelves given weren't very clean again and I didn't want to keep my formals directly on it. A few old newspapers/today's newspaper again always comes in handy)
6. Shoe polish/brush (If you wear your formal shoes during travel, it would be good to have them polished before the interview)
About shoe polish, I found quite a few cobblers on my way to the hotel, who would polish your shoes well. You might want to make use of this facility! However, I don't know anything about their timings etc. so it might be risky if you land in the evening and your interview is in the morning. Perhaps I'll ask them about their timings and update it here!
7. Shaving kit
Again, there are a few barber shops around, but it might be risky. If you are like Gunda, forget this ;)
8. Shampoo
Again this depends on you. I prefer a head bath on the night before the interview.
9. Pen
10. Watch

You can generally get all the above items from the shops around, but you may have to travel a bit and it might be risky if you don't get it.

This doesnt realy belong here! :( :P

I am in Tampere, but where do I go now?!

We were given student accommodations in the student housing apartments called TOAS. The problem was that it is open only for a specific time – the office hours and that is the only time when you can collect your keys. I knew of this before hand, so I asked the ‘friend’ who was also on a similar internship under the same professor to collect my keys, who promptly refused (it was only much later I knew the real reason of refusal!) so I asked the secretary of my professor to collect it and give it to him, which she did. Now I reached Tampere a bit late – may be a hour or two after the office closed. As told by the ‘friend’ I came to the office only to know that the address he had given was completely incomplete! And I did ask a few people around and no one seemed to know. I then asked a person sitting inside a car, who googled this place up in his cell phone (if you are not aware, Nokia is a Finnish company!) and told me that the place was 6.4km from the place that I was in! (I do not wish to elaborate more, for the respect of my word that I gave him that I would not disclose the truth in the blog :P)

One important thing that I missed was carrying luggage without wheels! Now I had two bags of luggage and one laptop bag, which in all weighed about 35kg. And it was really difficult to get moving with 3 bags! I think it was by far the worst levels of unpreparedness from my side!

Anyway, I took a bus to a hotel that I had booked earlier (somehow sensing things would not be as smooth as I would like to be – another reason justifying my nick as clairvoyance :P ). I was clueless about which stop to get off, and the bus driver couldn’t understand what I was saying! It is wise to remember that most bus drivers, at least in Tampere, do not understand English! So I was clueless, with 3 huge bags inside the bus, which itself felt awkward and looking out of the window for some unknown clues! An old lady (probably 65-70 years old) was staring at me, which made me feel even more awkward, but then she came to me herself and asked me where I wanted to go. I think it was perhaps easy to catch that I was completely lost! Anyway, she told me, in a very broken English combined with Finnish that it was ahead and that she would tell me where to get down. When the stop came, she said that the route was a bit complicated and hence she would guide me! She got down at that stop too (she had to go further down!) and then helped me with the route.

People here are quite reserved, however, when asked for help, they are very prompt and go out of their way to help you, especially if you are completely lost!

Some things to keep in mind

I believe that my 3 month stay taught me many things. These are some of the things that one should keep in mind:

· If you are unsure of your destination or need to travel by busses or if your professor doesn’t come to pick you up from the airport, I think you should have a suitcase with wheels!! (I carried 3 bags, which were really very inconvenient and perhaps the worst thing in my trip!)

· One thing that I missed carrying was the nailcutter!! I did try to find it in a few shops, but they never seemed to understand what I was asking for! For those who are in the same situation, there is one shop ‘Vaapa Valinta’ (spelling may be wrong :P) at Duo. You get all the household items, including nailcutters there.

· For the phone connection, I took the prepaid cell connection, which was very convenient. There is a shop at Duo again, where they sell the connections. DNA and Kolumbus are quite popular there. I took the Kolumbus connection – for 5 euros you get a new connection and also 10 euros worth of talktime! (don’t ask me how!)

· Calling home: there are calling cards that are available there, to call up home. The cost to call up India through them was almost the same as a call from India. For 10 euros you get about 1 hour 40 min of talktime to India. These are available at the oriental shop that is behind Duo – it is run by a Pakistani lady.

· I later switched to VoIP service, which turned out to be quite cheap. I chose the chatlife service, which was good in that the pulse – the rate for which you are charged, was 1 second. So even if there seemed to be a few other services that appeared cheaper, I found this to be the cheapest option there. Also, the setting and installation were quite straightforward and well explained in the site. The owner, Daniel, is also a personal friend of mine through the internet forums. So this was quite ideal for me.

· For a bank account, Nordea is supposed to be friendly for foreigners. Opening a bank account is really very straightforward – just go to the counter (there is always a token system here; you press a button and you get a slip with your number, wait for the number to flash at the counter!) and give them your passport (you need to have your passport to open a new account and even later for some modifications etc to your account) and they do all the work! No form filling! After some 5 minutes of typing at the computer, they give you a couple of pages to sign. Also ask for a visa electron (which is useful – all grocery shops etc have this facility, also this is the ATM card) and internet banking facility (it costs 2 euros per month but certainly worth the effort. Transactions done via internet banking are free, but those done at the bank by the staff will cost you!) The lady at the counter showed me how to use internet banking by paying the rent of my first month. Nordea branch is also located at Duo.

· Generally the TOAS apartments have the required utensils if there are people already living there or if the previous tenants have left theirs. I had almost everything in my kitchen, right from pan to 14 forks and 8 knives and 6 chopsticks! I used to cook too, mostly, since I wasn’t really interested to try out beef and pork :P

· For shopping, LIDL is the cheapest store. There are no MRPs written on the packs – each supermarket seems to have their own pricing! A carton of full cream milk costed 99 cents at SIWA – a supermarket near my apartment and 79 cents at LIDL! Now most Finns don’t actually like LIDL (I think coz it’s a German chain!) but the prices are really cheaper and you can actually make that out!

· Since I am a vegetarian, it was initially difficult for me, since all the food labels and all information on the covers is only in Finnish. Full cream milk, which is quite good, is in red coloured cartons. Among frozen pizzas, cheese mozzarella is purely vegetarian. There are many snacks and small chocolates etc available too. You also have noodles – both ordinary and chow meen. The ordinary ones are again vegetable and chicken. I also liked the cornflakes and equivalent stuff. Chocos was available, which tasted much better! And there are many such equivalent stuff, which I tried out. Most are quite good. A wide variety of juices are also available.

My "Limericks" Part - 5

41. SIMPLICITY

In your life, you should be simple
On your face, you should wear a dimple
Life will be so easy and fun
You will feel your life like that of sun
As the time you will find will be ample


42. STATE OF EARTH

The earth will be in a very bad state
It will be abandoned by fate
We have destroyed this beautiful place
Of life, there will be no trace
To mourn now, it is too late


43. STOP POLLUTION

Man will destroy earth one day
This, the soul of earth says
We should stop pollution at once
The waste will then be reduced by tons
Else, for our foolishness, others will pay


44. THE LORD

At every moment you are seen,
In all places you have been
A supreme power watches you
He knows what you do
So keep your heart clean


45. THE MYSTERIES OF SCIENCE

The mysteries of science are very deep
All we can do is just take a peep
When will everything be known to man?
He is trying as much as he can
If he succeeds, we can have a peaceful sleep


46. THINKING DEEP

You should always think deep
Only then will your efforts reap
Everything should be your own
But if you fail, you shouldn’t moan
But from others work you should not peep


47. WAR

A war is definitely not right
At any cost we must not fight
So many people are slain
And many more in pain
And no one sees their plight


48. WHY ONE SUCCEEDS

The same divine exists in all
Still one rises, rest all fall
It is a known to man
That if he thinks he can
Then he will stand tall.


49. WRONG WAY

Why do people take the wrong way?
When they know they’ll have to pay
Probably they see only momentarily gains
They want to be happy and without any pains
But one thing for sure is-in trouble they’ll lay


50.

Your level should be higher than the sky

For every statement you should ask why

Then you will reach great heights

You will be remembered day and night

Even when you reach the heaven high

My "Limericks" Part - 4

31. NEVER WASTE TIME

Never waste the time you get
Things will then automatically set
Just hard work you must do
And be interested too
Then for success one can bet


32. OBSERVATIONS

Nature should be observed by you
Many things, then you can do
You should observe the stars and the sun
Learning will become easy and fun
New things can be discovered too!


33. PEACE ON EARTH

In this world, where do you find peace?
Whether it is free or you have to pay fees
Man is destroying everything on this earth
He now does have a very cruel heart
And will one day kill all animals and trees


34. PEACE WITH EVERYTHING

You should not cut trees
With animals, you should be in peace
Then the earth will be full of life
There will be absolutely no strife
And life will then be full of ease


35. PEACEFUL MIND

You should be calm with a peaceful mind
Then you can do whatever you find
Because then you will be slow
And definitely ideas will flow
In your brain, from front to hind


36. PERFECTION

The price for success you must pay
You must work throughout the day
But everyone does so much
What’s special in your touch?
“He’s different”, perfection will say.


37. RECOGNIZING PEOPLE

We can know a person by his words
Whether or not he picks up swords
Crow and nightingale look the same
But one is wild and one is tame
By the voice, we distinguish the two birds


38. RELIGION

For religion you must care
But such people have become rare
God exists- you can see him
But the chances are dim
But if you do, you are a flare.


39. REVENGE

Taking revenge is not right
With others you should not fight
Forgive people for your own sake
Your own peace of mind is at stake
And then will day dawn after a long night


40. SCHOOL

Why do you study at school?
For studies it is not a powerful tool
At home, you can be
And study for hours, you see
But without socializing, you'll be an eternal fool

My "Limericks" Part - 3

21. HEALTHY LIFE

You should be healthy and strong
Then what you do will not go wrong
You can enjoy your life
Then there is no need to strife
Even in a huge throng


22. HELP OTHERS

Help others who are in need
For money, do not have any greed
Money won’t give peace of mind
Goodness with it-you can never find
So make this earth better-sow its seed


23. HELPING OTHERS

You will surely die one day
For all your deeds you have to pay
So when you live, you should
Care for people and do them good
Since a false tale, you cannot say


24. HOW TO LIVE-1

You should observe, not see
Plant not a plant but a tree
Help many but not one
Please a million and hurt none
Think not of ‘you’ but of ‘we’


25. HOW TO LIVE-2

You must respect the young and old
You should survive in heat and cold
You should respect the ideas of every man
And be as patient as you can
And prove to the world that everything cannot be sold


26. HOW TO BE GREAT

You can become great
You will be helped by the fate
Only if your mind is pure
And assistance of fate is for sure
Only thing is you have to wait


27. LOVING NATURE

The trees provide you food
All the animals are good
You should love the nature around you
As you are a part of it too
And for nature, only good you do


28. MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS

0+4=4; 4+3=7; 7+4=11; 11+9=20

Zero added to four is four
And not a number more
Four with three make seven
Another four make the sum eleven
When added to nine, gives a score


29. MATHEMATICS

Mathematics is interesting and sane
For it, you should use your brain
But people have become lazy
And think the subject is crazy
And the thoughts get entangled in a chain


30. MATHS

Maths is easy and fun
It’ll make your brain run
You have to think a lot
And get the plot in the right spot
And then you’ll know the paradoxes and puns

My "Limericks" Part - 2

11. DRIVING

You should have clear roads
The trucks should be with fewer loads
Then it will be safe to drive
And you need not strive
To get your right driving code


12. FIGHTING

You should never fight
It is definitely not right
Both of you will be in pain
No one will ever gain
It shows your weakness, not your might


13. FOOL

A person is an ingenious fool
Who thinks harming others is cool
He is an idiotic creature
With a strange feature
That he is a brainless mechanical tool


14. GIVING UP

You should never give up things
Whether you are a pauper or king
If you do so, you will remain low
Before things, you have to bow
And you will be like a bird without wings


15. GOOD HEART

You should have a good heart
All weaknesses will then depart
You will become mentally strong
And very few things will go wrong
So cleaning you heart, from today you start


16. GOOD MIND

You should have a good mind
Solutions to everything -you can find
You should always read
Only then should you feed
All knowledge, you should grind


17. GREETING PEOPLE

You should like everyone you meet
With happiness, people you should greet
Then they will be happy with you
For you, anything they will do
To help you, they’ll jump to their feet


18. GROWING TREES

Green trees you should grow
Then cool air will blow
And give us fresh air
Of pollution, trees will take care
So plants, you should sow and sow


19. HAWKING

Hawking is a great man
He did whatever he can
Though he cannot talk
He cannot even walk
And may die in a short span


20. HEALTH

You will never be ill
All germs, you can kill
Only if you eat healthy food
Because for your health, it is good
And you’ll never have to take a pill

My "Limericks" Part - 1

There was a time, within some time from when I started to write that I was quite interested in limericks.
Limericks are 5 lines long, and have the rhyme scheme aabba.
Limericks are supposed to be humourous, but the ones that I had written were of a serious kind. I stopped when I reached 50!

1. A FRIEND

A friend is one whom you can trust
This quality is a must
Loving person he should be
But that is secondary, you see
Without belief you will bite the dust


2. A GREAT PERSON

A great person will talk less
And he never makes a mess
You should also be like one
Imbibe good qualities-at least some
And still should never feel any stress


3. A LIAR

Some people always tell a lie
Their company is worse than a sty
You should never believe them as such
Because the trouble will be so much
You cannot be in peace no matter how much you try


4. AFTER DEATH

Your actions are recorded by the lord
So why fight? Drop your sword
You should give an account to him
That story, you cannot trim
As everything is known to God.


5. BEING SATISFIED

You should be satisfied with what you get
Things will then automatically set
You need not worry much about the past
You should forget it very fast
New ideas, in you should let


6. BEING UNHAPPY

Some people are unhappy by birth
They do not have any mirth
They are always sad
And that is too bad
As everyone should be happy on earth


7. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Believe that you can do everything
But to your goal you should cling
Never ever should you lose heart
Else with success you have to part
And day and night, your goal you sing.


8. CHARACTER

Character is needed the most
For which you need not boast
Without it, you are lame
No amount of intelligence can tame
As you would be a sun dried toast


9. DIFFICULT TIMES

You should learn to live in thorns
And still should not get horns
Then you will be an ultimate soul
You will learn to be normal even in hot coal
Of death you will not mourn

10. DO THE RIGHT

Always do only the right
In your mind there should be no fight
Let a thousand go against you
Still only good you should do
You should be high in your sight

Poem: My life at present

Hi I am Siddharth writing this all

60 kg and 6 feet tall

Life presently is crap, without any sense

With clouds of doubts thick, dark and dense

Existence is without meaning

The soul is without feeling

The heart is barren land

The head is desert sand

What happened to me no one will know

The clouds of doubt just grow and grow

There is no one I can call a true friend

There are many, but they only pretend

This is not the life I always wanted

But these are the nightmares that always haunted

This is no great piece of work, but then this was written in a depressed mood, and perhaps my first one at IIT Guwahati. So it does have a special meaning for me!

Poem: Life at IIT

Ever wondered why IIT is so great?

Ever wondered how great engineers it’ll make

It is not a matter of just fate

But undistorted facts you’ll have to take

Let’s see what we have actually got here

People sleeping with a wheel and a gear?

This is far from the truth, come a little near

Life is not so simple after all, my dear!

Do we really read the whole day?

No, never we’ll all say

We keep those idealists at bay

Strange is this institute’s way!

Is it the best in the world we have got?

How to sing and dance we forgot?

Nobel prizes we have sought?

In a world of books are we caught?

No it’s nothing of all these

All we have is great expertise!

Spare us from nerds and geeks please!

Studies are not just a matter of degrees!

We’ll do what we love, and have fun!

Recreation we’ll never shun

Studies to fun as a gram to a ton!

And you can just about take that, not as a pun!

It’s a balanced life that we adopt

“Learning is fun” phrase is never dropped

Trying out new things we have never stopped

And this is the reason we have always topped!

©2006 Kalla Siddharth

Another poem aimed at getting a good rhyme, without trying to compromise on the quality of the content presented

Poem: Dream

DREAM

What is the use of a life without a dream?
Too impractical though it may seem
But look at the engine which runs on steam
Was it not once just an impossible dream?

Look at Einstein with his innovative scheme
Were his theories not to the very extreme?
It cut through science like a laser beam
Was it not just another impossible dream?

Look at our ’83 world cup team
It outplayed the game’s supreme
Heard India’s victory scream?
Was it not just another impossible dream?

As life progresses all this makes sense
The pleasure of a worthy achievement is immense
And when life becomes full – thick and dense
There is no stopping – no boundary, no fence

What the future holds is all suspense
So make your thoughts powerful and intense
Don’t let a single doubt cross your line of defense
And attack life with a powerful offense

Be positive at any expense
Live life in dollars, not in cents
The infinite mind power – you never condense
Never live life on the devil’s pretense


©2006 Kalla Siddharth

Poem: Success

SUCCESS

There was a time when I tried something new
And ah! I failed so miserably, but I tried
Like me, there were only a few
But I never complained or cried

True, I did not achieve what I set forth to
But I have learnt what others have not
In this field I am still a novice, I am new
But I tried and tried, and gave it my best shot

The path wasn’t a bed of roses, there were great pains
And though I have lost this battle, I have not lost my heart
But from this lesson of life were immense gains
And I wish to continue, this was just a start

I dared to travel all the way up the road
And I kept my motivation high all the way
My eyes on my goal, I never thought about the load
The load of “he will never make it”, as all would say

I shut my ears to the cries of the mediocre men
For they always tried to pull me down
My decision about life was taken and that’s when
I was alone, opposing a whole negativistic town

A decade down the line I can now see
The same people now asking me how
And now every word I speak they agree
But their attitude is the same even now

They will never come up in life I know for sure
Even if I tell them the secret I follow
For their attitude I can never find a cure
To me, their lives seem so hollow

Achieving anything is all in the mind
It’s what price you are ready to pay for your goal
The power to oppose even the whole of mankind
Is what distinguishes diamond from coal




I wrote this poem in IITG, as usual when in a philosophical mood...