I am back again ...

I was long gone. But I was engrossed into a lot more than blogging. I was busy watching Sachin score is 200 in ODI. I was just amazed and could not think of anything else, let alone blogging. Here are a few memorable quotes from who's who around the world on Sachin. I got them as a email forward, and copying it here.

@Hashim Amla
"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it."
Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight


@yaseer hameed
"Sometimes you get so engrossed in watching batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar that you lose focus on your job."


"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
- What Andrew Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin


Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives"
BBC on Sachin


But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds - or a game - until Tendulkar was out.

"Tuzhe pata hai tune kiska catch chhoda hai?"
Wasim Akram to Abdul Razzaq when the latter dropped Sachin's catch.

@Brian Charles Lara
Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.

"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin"
- Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997)

@M. L. Jaisimha:
"The more I see of him the more confused I'm getting to which is his best knock."

@Glen McGrath
"The joy he brings to the millions of his countrymen, the grace with which he handles all the adulation and the expectations and his innate humility -all make for a one-in-a-billion individual"

@Anjali, Sachin's Wife
"I can be hundred per cent sure that Sachin will not play for a minute longer when he is not enjoying himself. He is still so eager to go out there and play. He will play as long as he feels he can play,"

by Matthew Hayden- i feel is the best SACHIN QUOTE-he said
"I HAVE SEEN GOD, HE BATS AT NO.4 FOR INDIA"

"Even my father's name is Sachin Tendulkar."
Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, tells her class her father's name after the teacher informs them of a restaurant of the same name in Mumbai

Anil Kumble:
I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the nets!

@ Shahrukh
quoting Shahrukh from an interview
Que: Who do you think as most important celebrity ?
Shahrukh: There was a big party where stars from bollywood and cricket were invited. Suddenly, there was a big noise, all wanted to see approaching Amitabh Bachhan.
Then Sachin entered the hall and Amitabh was leading the queue to get a grab of the GENIUS!!

@Navjot Singh Sidhu
India me aap PrimeMinister ko ek Baar Katghare me khada kar sakte hain..Par Sachin Tendulkar par Ungli nahi utha Sakte..

@waqar younis
He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also .

A banner once said-
' I WILL SEE GOD WHEN I DIE BUT TILL THEN I WILL SEE SACHIN '
that quiet defines Sachin-The greatest.

Sachin Tendulkar has often reminded me of a veteran army colonel who has many medals on his chest to show how he has conquered bowlers all over the world
-- Allan Donald

And i remember reading in one of Allan Donald's interview. This interview was in Cricket Talk and 7-8 yrs ago.
I was bowling to Sachin and he hit me for two fours in a row. One from point and the other in between point and gully. That was the last two balls of the over and the over after that we (SA) took a wicket and during the group meeting i told Jonty (Rhodes) to be alert and i know a way to pin Sachin. And i delivered the first ball of my next over and it was a fuller length delevery outside offstump. And i shouted catch. To my astonishment the ball was hit to the cover boundary. Such was the brilliance of Sachin. His reflex time is the best i have ever seen. Its like 1/20th of a sec. To get his wicket better not prepare. Atleast
u wont regret if he hits you for boundaries.


Peter Rebouck - aussie journalist
On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!

NKP Salve, former Union Minister
This was when he was accused of ball tempering
"Sachin cannot cheat. He is to cricket what (Mahatma) Gandhiji was to politics. It's clear discrimination."


Andy Flower:
There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others.

Another interview call – Cranfield

Received an interview invite from Cranfield. It will be a telephonic one and will be done by Sean Rickard, the Director of admissions at Cranfield SOM.

This is only the second interview call this season for me, the first being XLRI GMP. Pretty excited about the same.

As per the information gathered from various resources, the interview will be an informal talk and will be mainly focused on why MBA, why UK, why Cranfield only. I hope I get to communicate smoothly, as I think telephonic interview is not the best way to face an interview. Also I hope to get some amount of scholarships as well.

As about Cranfield, here are the reasons that made me choose the school:

1. Location - proximity to London. (about 1 hour away)

2. Batch profile - average exp near to mine

3. Brand - Good recognition of the degree and the school within and outside UK.

4. Good in consultancy

5. Good ROI. Very good career progression of students passing out.

[updated on 22 March 2010]

Had an interview with Sean Rickard, the director of admissions.  Not so convicing I would say. Lets see what happens.

Here were a few questions asked to me:

1. Discussion on the essay/case-study that was given to me prior to interview.

2. India-vs-china after 25 years.

3. Why Cranfield MBA?

4. How will you cope with highly experienced students of cranfield class. My age is 29 and avg age at Cranfield is 33.

5. Any questions I had - I asked a few.

Overall 25 minutes, and I would say, it can go either way. I could have answered better, I believe.

[updated on 24 March 2010]

Got an Admit !

Finally an admit. I feel like being on the moon. Did not get any scholarship though, but its worth it.

Asking for recommendations again and again – How much is too much

Applying to B-Schools is a pain. Especially when you get rejected (as in my case) in earlier rounds, and then you try to apply to as many as you can in later rounds.

One of the things that is required for all B-School apps is letter of recommendation. I asked my manager to write it for me and she obliged. But then I have been asking over and over again, and now the count has gone upto 5.

I don't know about others, but it feels awkward to ask for recommendation more than 2-3 times from the same recommender. I think those who are applying to B-Schools know what I am talking about.

So, how many is too much ?

For me I think the limit is 6. Purely because you simply can not churn out more than 6 apps in the same year.  Also if you do not get selected in the first 6 schools you choose, you need to re-think your strategy. Either the choice of schools have been bad, or your profile needs a major rejig.

Stupid interview questions

Recently read this article on businessweek

Here are a few interview questions which are termed stupid by this article. Read it and you will know why. I agree to most of it.

• Where do you see yourself in five years?

• If you were an animal/a can of soup/some other random object, which one would you be?

• What are your weaknesses?

• What in particular interested you about our company?

• What would your past managers say about you?

A very interesting read...

[Business Week article]

Mc Gregors Theory X and Y

Almost everyone knows this theory.

Here is a good explanation for those who don't know it yet - http://www.mgmtguru.com/mgt301/301_Lecture1Page12.htm

I am back

Havent been active on this blog for a looong time.

A lot of events have happened in between, and the most important one being Sachin's 200, the first by any batsman.

Well, believe it or not, I was expecting it, on that day. (Its another matter that I expected this many times prior to this as well, in fact every time he goes to bat.)

IPL 3 is about to get started..., pretty excited about it.

And this time I am supporting RCB.

Interview with XLRI profs – a pleasant experience

I had an interview at Chennai for the GMP program at XLRI. It was a wonderful experience. I would not say it was a perfect interview, because I could not answer a few questions that I though I should have. But overall, it was good. The professors were very friendly and the whole thing was like an informal talk. It went for 20-25 minutes.

I felt there were quite a lot of GK/awareness related questions, and less about why MBA/why GMP/what post-MBA/goals/strengths/weakness etc. I was also hoping to get a few questions on the five essays that I wrote, but none came up. So I would believe that the interview will have a less weightage than GMAT score, academics and other things (like work ex, company worked with etc).

I had the impression that the professors would like to take a stress interview and tear me apart. But it was completely opposite. In fact, one of the professors looked happy with my response and even said "Good". I do not know what that means though. I hope it means good.

I was very happy with the attitude of the professors toward the interview, and I thought it was very comforting and soothing. Especially, because I reached 15 minutes late to the venue. I , along with my wife drove from Bangalore and a missed-turn on NH7, and the Chennai traffic delayed us by 2 hours. Then it took some time to search for the college and park it there. I had taken my formals (jacket, shirt, tie, shoes et-al), and slipped into them in my car itself in the Loyolla College parking lot.

Here are a list of questions I was asked:

0. About my 10/12/graduation marks, to verify that I am the person who filled in the application.

1. Why are you late, what happened?

2. Tell me about yourself, what are your interests outside work.

3. What are the four most developed states in India. ?

4. What are the states constituting the BIMARU belt.

5. How is the manufacturing sector doing ?

6. What are the 4 major things that India exports.

7. About Abdul Kalam's vision 2020

8. Was it a mistake not to select Kalam for a second term for president ?

9. What is the difference between Computer Science, and Engineering ? Is it an engineering discipline or technology. What are bachelor of technology, and bachelor of engineering.

10. Between Barack Obama, and Manmohan Singh who according to you is a better leader ?

11. About my home town - Baharagora in Jharkhand - sudden impulse to education, why ?

12. Maoists, Naxalite problems in Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand.

13. What are Maoists demands ? How can one solve them?

14. Why should we take you ?  - 2 reasons.

It was over before I could think of whether it was going good or bad. I thought I did not answer any question completely, and concretely. I had an idea on each topic being asked, but manage to answer only in bits and pieces, especially about Kalams 2020 vision, and about manufacturing/exports.  In the end I asked a question - why not Bangalore as a interview venue, and then I picked up a candy and walked out.

However, I feel it went good.I was confident and I think they would like to consider me.

As usual, I will keep my fingers crossed.