Lead Kindly Light -- Cardinal Newman

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, no pray'd that Thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path, but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.

So long Thy pwer hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

God's Own Interview

I was 9th in a group of 9 for the IIMK interview, held in the afternoon of 20th March 2006 , which meant that I had an awfully long wait ahead of me. Candidates went in and came out one after the other; all informing us that they were concentrating on academics (by the way, 5 of them in the group were kids with less than one year or no work experience) and some complained that the panel were trying to stress them out. Finally, after almost two hours of wait, my turn came at around 4.30 pm. Hungry and tired, and a bit apprehensive of acad questions that might be posed to me, I went in. P1 and P2 were sitting across a table and I (Me) greeted them with a warm Good Afternoon. I was offered a seat, and I thanked them.

P2: Anu, when I saw your name first, I thought it was a girl.
Me: Sir, my name gets often confused for a girl’s.
P2: So, I am not the first person?
Me: Not at all. In fact (I almost started narrating a very funny incident, then I thought better not go there. So stopped at the ‘in fact’).

P1: So you were waiting there till all the other 8 candidates had their interview. Plus you would have talked to people in the other panel. Why don’t you give us some feedback?
Me: Sir, as far as I could gather, interview was revolving much around academics. But then, since most of them did not have any significant work experience, that is what one could expect. So, I would say that the interviews are going along expected lines.
P1: So you don’t have any complaints?
Me: None whatsoever, sir.
P1: Are you prepared?
I couldn’t understand in what context he was asking this.
Me: Excuse me, Sir?
P1: Are you prepared for whatever we all are here for?
Me: Yes, sir.
P2: What do you expect for your interview?
Oh…here is a golden chance; now or never!Me: Sir, since I have some experience to back myself up with, I don’t expect much acad related questions.
P1: See, you are here for admission to post graduation, and the qualification required for the same is graduation. Work experience is just an added flavor.
Me: Sir, I am not ruling out the possibility of Acad questions. But I think the emphasis will be lesser on acads.

P2: OK, so you ase working in xxx. Where are you posted?
Me: Mangalore.
P2: Mangalore?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Does xxx have an office at Mangalore?
Me: (It transpires so, doesn’t it?) Yes sir. In fact Mangalore is xxx’s first office outside Bangalore.
P1: So tell us about what is happening to the IT Industry? Talk about KPOs.I begin the usual knowledge session on moving up the value chain.
P1: Asks me to explain the value chain.I take anticipatory bail saying I will explain within the confines of my knowledge and start right from the voice based services and goes up till consulting. When I reached application development, P1 interrupted and asked me what it was. I explained it and went further.
P1: So how is KPO different?I talked about knowledge being the key aspect here, outsourcing companies having experts who could analyze data and things like that.

P2: So you are a Mechanical Engineer?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: How comfortable are you in taking questions from Mechanical?
Me: Not very much comfortable, sir. I passed out in 2002, and it has been almost 4 years now, and I am very much out of touch.
P2: But you can’t escape it.
Me: I am not expecting to escape it sir. I know I might have to take up questions from there also. But I just wanted to tell you upfront that I might not be able to answer questions really well.
P2: OK. What is Carnot’s law?
Me: Carnot’s law?
P2: Yes, thermodynamics.
Me: I don’t remember such a law, sir.
P2: OK, OK, OK. Tell me zeroth law of thermodynamics.
Me: Sir, zeroth law states that if a body A is in thermal equilibrium with a body B, which is in turn, in thermal equilibrium with a body C, then A is in thermal equilibrium with C.
P2: OK, what are its applications?
Me (thought for a while): Sir, they are applied in thermometers. Explained how.
P2: You said you don’t remember anything.
Me: I didn’t mean so sir. I meant I don’t remember advanced mechanical stuff. I do remember the basics.
P2: OK any other applications?Me (thinking)…Luckily, P1 interrupts.

P1: How comfortable are you with mathematics?
Me: Just like Mechanical Engineering sir; I am comfortable with basics.
P1: How about differentiation and integration?
Me: I am pretty much confident of basic differentiation and integration sir ( I just wanted this to go very well into their heads)
P1: Is there any differentiation other than basic differentiation?
Me: There are advanced things like partial differentiation, sir.
P1: What is a partial differentiation?
Me: Differentiating an equation in multiple variables treating all except one variable as a constant.

P1: Write down an equation in multiple variables.
I start to write ‘f(x,y) =’ P1 says: Not the general equation. Write an equation which is usually used.I think for a second and thought equation of circle is a good choice. I write down x^2 + y^2 = a^2 and rewrite it as y = sqrt (a^2 – x^2). Write down dow Y / dow X = Alas! I can’t differentiate sqrt (a^2 – x^2). I forgot how to... I admit I can’t proceed, hearing which P1 says, why don’t you write a simple equation and proceed?I wrote down z = x + y and did the partial differentiation with respect to x

P1 turns to P2 and asks, do you have any more questions?
P2: You have been working for almost the past 4 years.I corrected him that it is almost three years now.
P2: What do you know about the market?
Me: Do you mean the economy?
P2: Yes.
Me: Nothing much sir.
P2: Why is that so? You have been working for so long.
Me: Well, sir. My work doesn’t involve anything that requires the analysis of economy. It revolves around everyday…
P2: (Interrupts me). It is not about analysis; it is about awareness.
Me: As for awareness, I have a good deal of awareness, I believe, sir.

P2: What is the size of IT Industry in India?Me: Around 75000 crore rupees, sir.
P2: What is that? Revenues?
Me: Yes, sir. The revenues.
P2: How many people are working in it?
Me: Around a million sir?

P2 (exclaims): A million?????P1 and P2 starts laughing
Me: Yes sir (I start smiling)
P2: How much is that?
Me: Ten lakhs.P
2 (Still with a hint of a laugh) : Ten lakh people in IT Industry?
Me: Sir, IT and IT Enabled services put together.
P2: It comes to a million, eh?
Me: I am not exactly sure sir. But I think it comes to around a million.
P2 (to P1) : Do you have anything else?
P1: No…Thank you Anu.
Me: Thank you very much sirs.
P1: And all the best.
Me: Thank you very much sir.

I get up and leave the room and seeing an empty corridor at the CPP block, I run out of IIMB.

Proe that you are you, mister

One of the weirdest Pi I have had. I thought C was unfair on me. I had a bad GD and I have a low CAT score, but am I not eligible for a fightback in PI? I guess C decided that I am not. I lost the battle before it actually began.OK, I should give you some background information. I was filling up the CAT application form, and I found that I had this photograph with me, all two copies of it. I pasted one on the form and sent it across to IIMK, and peacefully forgot about the other copy. A roommate of mine picked it up and placed it alongside the photographs of gods that we had at our home and said that he was placing me along with the gods. Needless to say, I got the same treatment as the gods did. When I took out my application form for IIMC, I found out that they have specifically asked for the same copy of the photograph as I had pasted on the CAT application form, and this was repeated at 2-3 places, which made me believe that C is very particular of this thing. I went to the Gods and saw my photo lying there, all in dust and dirt. A good friend of mine took pains to clean it up as nicely as he could and gave it to me in some presentable form. I thought, OK...let me go ahead and paste this one. But the problem was that it was taken an year ago and I was sporting a nice trim moustache on it. Now I have a clean-shaven appearance. Also, during this period, I gained around 5 kilograms of weight and lost another 10 later on. In totum, I looked a bit different on the photograph.Now to the Interview Hall (M23 at IIMB again, for the fourth time in my life).I (Me in the transcript below) went in and saw 4 panelists sitting there, one towards the extreme left (P1) had asked me to come in. The other three (P2, P3 and P4) were engaged in some serious discussions as to what the problems in Indian IT industry were.P1 offered me a seat and I thanked him and wished him a good afternoon. The other three now stopped discussion, and I promptly wished them too.

P4: Tell us something about yourself.P1 handed over my application form to P3 and he looked at me, and he looked amazed.

P3: You look totally different!

Me: I had sported a moustache earlier on, sir. This photo was taken at that time.

P4: Is this the one you have pasted on your CAT admit card?

Me: Yes sir. And that is why I have pasted this photograph here. It is specifically mentioned that I should use the same copy.

P3: But how can we believe that it is you? There is no similarity at all.He placed his hand over his nose and looked at me from different angles.

P3: You look like xxxxx now (I did not hear the name he said, I would have loved to hear whom I look like, but thought it would be silly to ask him to repeat it. So I just smiled).

P4: Ok, you were about to tell us about yourself...go on.Me: Sir, my name is Anu P. Thomas. I belong..

P4 (interrupting me): You are from?

Me: Kerala.

P3: Which part of Kerala?

Me: I am from the south Kerala, sir. Not extreme south, but some where towards the South.

P2: Which is the place?

Me: Tiruvalla, sir.

P4 (pointing to P2 and P1): Tell your name to them, they might not have heard.

I mistook it for the place name and duly informed P1 and P2 that the name of the place is Tiruvalla.

P4: I meant your name.

Me: OK, sir my name is Anu P. Thomas.

P2: Where are you from?

Me: I am from Tiruvalla in Kerala, sir.

P2: Where is it?Me: Sir, Tiruvalla is in Pathanamthitta district, some thirty kilometers south of Kottayam and about a 110 kilometers south of Eranakulam.

P4: OK, continue with your description of yourself.

Me: Sir I am graduate in Mechanical Engineering, and I am now working as a...

P4: Where did you graduate from?

Me: Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Kottayam, sir.

P3 (Looking suspicious) Are you sure?I was taken aback. What is he talking about? Am I not sure where I graduated from?

Me: Yes sir.P3(handing over my application form to me): Then what have you written here?

Me: M. G. University.

P3: What have you told just now?

Me: Sir, what I have written here is the name of the University that grants the degree, but what I told is the name of the college I studied in. It is affiliated to M. G. University

P3 and P4 do not look convinced. They looked as if they have just spotted an imposter who neither looked like his photo nor knew where he studied.There was some silence looming around. I decided to continue with the description of myself. I said I am working for so and so.

P1: How long?

Me: I am with xxx for the past 34 months, sir.

P1 (Looking at all the salary slips I had put in): What are all these certificates? We have clearly mentioned what all we need.

Me: Sir, for the first 4 months, I was in training, and I was earning a stipend during that time. Once the training was over, I was inducted as an employee. My designation was so and so during the training period, then it changed to so and so. Also, I was in the US during January, so I got two salary slips for January, the Indian and US. I have put all of them in.

P2: So you were in US?

Me: I was in US during December and January, sir.

P2: Where in US?

Me: In the state of Maine. The place name was Portland.

Again a dull silence. I decided not to go back to the 'describe yourself' thing.

P1: So, tell us about the politics in Kerala and the role Mr. Karunakaran is playing.

I talked about the seesaw politics in Kerala and the way the two major alliances almost alternately come to power and how LDF is almost all set to return to the power. I also talked about Mr. Karunakaran and his son Mr. Muralidharan and their efforts to gain control over the state unit of congress not being fruitful and they forming a new party.P1 now asked me what the role of Karunakaran's daughter is to which I replied that there was a time when Muralidharan, despite being an MP since 1989 had a period of low popularity and Karunakaran tried to address the situation by bringing in his daughter.

P1: What is her name?

Me: Miss Padmaja. Rather Mrs. Padmaja Venugopal.

P4 now asks me how many siblings I have. I said I have two elder sisters and a younger brother. P4 asked me what they were doing and P3 asked me if they are married. I replied that both my sisters are married. Now P3 asked me then how come my family size is 6. I said I had thought about it for a while, and I couldn't consider my sisters out of my family. Then he said if my family income is to go up by 85%, what could that mean to these numbers. Some discussion about it followed.

P1: What is the problem with Kasargod?

Me: (Problem?? It is such a nice calm place) Sir, there is no problems with Kasargod. Sometime back, there were some talks about Kasargod wanting to merge with Karnataka, but I don't think it is much of an agitation now.

P3: So, what is the biggest agitation in Kerala now?

I gave him the smart city deal having caused the most widespread agitation in recent times.

P1: Tell me what is Kerala famous for? Any special sweets from Kerala?

Me: Kozhikkode's Halwa is very famous sir.

P3: What is it made of?Me: I am not sure sir.

P3: Is it sweet?

Me: It is very sweet.

P3: so sugar must be there. Hahahaha.

Me: Of course, sir. Sugar is an ingredient and also oil. But they do not form the major ingredient.

P1: OK, what else is there?

Me: (Thinking)

P1: Banana?

Me: Oh, yes sir, banana chips are very famous.

P1: So, what is that special type of banana?

Me: Sir, we call it Ethappazham, but I don’t know the English term.

P1: Nentra?

Me: Yes, sir. We also call it Nentra, but I am not sure what the English term is.

P1: There is no English term. It is called Nentra only. We get it even in Calcutta.

Me: (Smiles) Oh...Okaye...

P4: OK, Mr. Thomas. That is it. But we warn you that there is a problem with your identity. Also the problem he (pointing to P3) pointed out. We don't think it is good to penalize you now, but you will have to prove your identity if you are given a call.

P1: Do you have your xxx identity card?

Me: I have it at my room at BTM, sir. I also have my passport there. But I haven't brought them along.

P1: You should have brought it. That would have solved the problem straight away.

Me: A proof of identity wasn't mentioned as one of the documents that I should bring sir. So, I thought no need to bring it.

P4: OK...there is a 95% chance that you are the right person. But should we give you a final call, you should prove your identity. I mean you should be prepared for that.

Me: (Come on, you still think there is only 95% chance of my not being an imposter?) I will be able to do that, sir.

P4: OK, we will keep a note of it here.

Me: All right sir.

P4: OK, thank you.I stood up, and collected my files, and P1 informed me that he had kept back my salary slips. I asked him if he didn't need the academic certificates. He said no.

P4: OK, Mr. Thomas, now don't ask the next candidate to come in. I will ask her to come in.

Me: OK, sir.

I thanked them all, and walked out wondering how on earth I could prove I am myself. It might not be required anyway, I guess.

Fun Indoors

The Biggest of 'em all!

Had my GD and interview for IIM Ahmedabad at Bangalore on 2nd March. There were 8 pople in our group, all except me were kids studying in their final year of B Tech (one each from NITC, NITK, BITS, CET, GEC Trichur, Model Engg College...there was one more guy, I can't recollect where he was from...all except one were malayalis)

Case Study for GD : For a change, this was not a piece of fiction. This was about increasing the height of Tehri dam and its impact on the people of Tehri town. A very nice discussion followed where all of us were passionate, at the same time compassionate towards each other...quite a few points came up and were discussed in detail...I didn't bring up any new point but actively participated in the discussion. The summary sheet was snatched away from me before I could complete it.

I would give a 4/10 for my performance overall.I was the second one in the line for PI. The first one told us that he was grilled on mathematics (Hahaha....I didn't know if I should cry or laugh, anyway, I knew mine is a gone case) and Civil Engineering. No budget, no extra currics and no personal details...Some 5 minutes passed by, and a face appeared through a half open door, and called my name out. I said a typical "Yeah" and moved towards the door.

I went swiftly in, closed the door after me, and walked towards the panel. I was offered a (hot)seat by the professor who would be P3 in the transcript below. I thanked him, and offered a sweet smile and Good Morning to all the Ps (P1, P2 and P3)P1 asked me my certificates and I gave it to him. The professors went through my data form (which I thought, in total would contain the biggest description about me until I got to see the data form for IIMI).

P1: So you are a module leader?
Me: I have played that role, sir. But currently I am not.
P1: Were you one when you wrote this?Me: No sir.
P1: How big is your team now?
Me: We are a four member team now, sir. It doesn't have any modules as such.
P1: Then why have you written...err...hmm...achcha you have written you was assigned...
Me: Yes sir.
P1: So tell us about the work that you are doing.
Me: Explains that it is an average cost inventory maintenance application running at XXXX.
P1: Are you able to use anything you learned in Mechanical Engineering in this?
Me: Some concepts from Industrial Engineering are found helpful in, may be not for actual use, but in relating some of the things being done (I was as unclear as this sentence is )
P1: Who decides the methods? Is it you who suggests the way things are to be done, or does th client gives you the solution and you just code it?
Me: It is the latter way. It is the client who decides what is best for them. We just implement the solution.
P1: How well do you think they are doing this?
Me: Some unclear answers...
P1: Some grilling on inventory valuation methods
Me: Answers...
P1: How is the economic order quantity decided in cases of seasonal price variations...
Me: Fumbles...Tell them that it might be using the historical data and current market trends

P1: Rules out the current market trend, I hang on to the history, P1 asks if the enterprise is new, are they at a loss, I fumble again...blurts out something...

P2 takes over
P2: You were talking about inventory. Is there anything in the software industry which can be compared to inventory in a manufacturing set-up?
Me: Thinks a bit and tells him that we need storage space to keep our softwares. Therefore it carries a cost and may be treated as inventory.
P2 rejects this and tells me that it is very negligible, and I asserts that it is still a cost. P2 decides to give me a clue and asks me what about the skill levels. I decide to go further on this and tells them that people is the main asset of software companies and they can be regarded as inventory. But P2 was adamant that it is skills, I tried to reason my stand saying that ultimately it comes to people, but P2 didn't agree. Finllay I gave in saying "You are right sir, it is the skillsets".

P2: How much of mathematics do you remember?
Me: (Is your name Chacko Mash, by any chance?) Sir, I am out of touch for the past three-three and a half years and do not remember much now
P2: This is not the proper way to answer. You should tell me some topic from 10+2, rather post 10+2 from which I can ask you some questons.
Me: (Oh...now I am sure you are Chacko Mash (for the uninitiated, Chacko Mash is a character in a malayalam movie who believes that the ticking of earth is in mathematics and that without mathematics, world is a big zero) Sir, in that case, I would like to take some questions from Matrix (did I spell it right?) and determinants.
P2: OK....so, what is the rank of a matrix?
Me: (Nice sweet simle) I do not remeber that, sir.
P2: Looks a bit surprised, and jots down a 3X3 matrix on a paper, and asks me to find out its determinant value.
Me: Expands it into a big array of numbers (a11 (a22*a33-a23*a32)-a21*..... funda) and says this is it sir.
P2: So what will it be?
Me: Oh...you want me to do the complete calculation? (P2 looks at P3 and smiles...rather laughs soundlessly)
Me: I do the complete calculation and finds out the value to be zero :O

P3 chips in: How could you tell this without even doing the calculations?
Me: (Looks at the matrix once again...)
P3: What is special about those numbers?
I said that the matrix is equal to its transpose. Apparenly, it wasn't the answer they were looking for...
P3 excalimed "Transpose??" P2 started a mild laugh. P3 said it was something related to the rank of the matrix.
I said I can't see any speciality for those numbers except that Aij = Aji, and that I don't remember the concept of rank of a matrix very well.

P3: OK...imagine you are at Bombay airport, have boarded a flight to New York via London and a small kid stting at the windo next to you wants to name out all the water bodies as you pass above them. What will be your answer? The water bodies and the sequence.
Me (Hahaha..I could answer this while in 4th Standard) : Sir, water bodies will include rivers and seas, I can list down the seas, but not rivers (Not that I didn't know any, but didn't want to take any more chances)
P3: OK, all major water bodies.
Me: Arabian sea will come first. If the flight route is through the air space of Iran, you will fly over the Caspian sea, then the Meditarranean sea, English Channel will come when going to London, and after that, it will be Atlantic Ocean all the way till New York.
P3: If you are coming back flying westward?
Me: The great lake of Michigan, the Pacefic ocean, south Chinba sea, Bay of Bengal, and then you will reach back Bombay.
P3: Tell me some of the islands where you can see people of Indian origin.
Me: Fiji is one of them, where we have a lot of people of Indian origin. Then Mauritius, Madagaskar and Sri Lanka.
P3: OK...do you know how come they are there?
Me: They are mainly people whom the Britishers forcefully took there to work in plantations. Some people might be there who willfully went there in search of better opportunities.

P2 is back into the action: Where does V.S. Naipaul belong to?
Me: It is the Carribeans, sir. He is from the Carribeans.
P2: Which country?
Me: I do not know for sure, sir. It might be Cuba (All the three Profs started laughing), I smiled back and said I am not very sure.
P2: Who is the leader of Cuba?
Me: It is Fidel Castro.
P2: Do you know any other Latin American leaders ?
I started searching my database for a matching name when P2 expands the question..."Any other Latin American Leftist leaders"?
Me (Now I ratified the observation by the one who was interviewed before me that the Maths Professor was a Bengali) : I have heard of Cheguera, sir.
P2: Where is he from?
Me: I think he is from Bolivia (P2 starts laughing again)
Me: ...no sir, Bolivia is where he met his death.
P2: Name the Latin Amreican countries..
Me: Brazil is the biggest Latin American country, then we have Argentina, Urugway, Colombia, Paragway, Chile and Bolivia (Hehe...I haven't watched any other Latin American country in World Cup Football)
P2: OK, that is it...(turns to P1)..anythiung else?
P1: No, Nothing...(May be on an after thought) How many calls do you have?
Me: I have calls from all the six IIMs, sir.
P1: OK...you can take a toffee and leave...I thanked P1 for the toffee and then thanked all the professors, gave out one of the swetest smiles ever donned my face and walked out.

The First Blood: Tryst with IIML

I was interviewed by Panel VII on 22nd Feb. I reached IIMB at around 1.15 and found 3 guys sitting there, all from College of Engineering Trivandrum and obviously Malayalis. Just chitchatted with them for sometime, and 5 more people came along, all from Chennai (one was from Lucknow studying at IIT Chennai and another one was a malayali settled in Chennai). 7 out of the 9 people were studying in their final year, and one was working, and had 8 months experience till date (Nineth one is me!).

We were called in at around 2.05 pm and we were asked to write a paragraph of about 150 words on "The Secret of Being Happy is to make others believe that they are the cause of it". After we wrote down our thoughts, the sheets were taken away and we started discussion on the same topic. It went on nicely, without much of a chaos,, occassionally forming sub-groups or deviating from the topic. I chipped in 5-6 times, and contributed a point or two, but I felt I could have made it better (as usual).

I was the sixth one to be interviewed. I think my interviewers were thew same as Thecky's. Let me put them as P1 and P2. Myself shall be M.P2 asks for my certificates and I cordially hand over the two folders that I was carrying along.
P1: Tell us about yourself quickly in some two minutes:
M: My name is so and so, and I work for so and so for the last 33 months. My responsiblities include this and that, my latest assignment was this.P1 interruptrs me and asks for a little clarification.
M: After clarification, I go on with my answer, tells what my interests are. Then goes on to my strengths and says I posses good analytical skills:
P1: Do you really have good analytical skills?
M: Esssaaaaaaaar
P1 hands over to me his pen and says: Then analyze this pen.
M: The physical or functional part, sir?
P1: Which ever way you would like to..
M: OK Sir. (I decide to go for the physical analysis). This pen can be divided into two major parts, the body and the Cap. The cap has a holder, a piece to fit in the holder and a body of its own. The body of the pen has a bottom part to facilitate the insertion and removal of the refill and a refill itself.
P1: That's all?M: Yes, sir.
P1: You haven't talked anything about the processes. How would you say your analysis is complete without it/
M: Sir, I just did an analysis of its parts.
P1: Still, you should analyze the processes too, right?
M: As for processes, Sir, the cap fits into the body through a subtle mechanical projection ( HUH??? What did I mean??? ). The refill has ink, which flows out through the nib, by virtue of gravity.

P1: Now, relate this to your organization
M: Sir, just like this pen, our organization too has two parts, the management and the labor..
P1: Does XXXXX has a labor force? Is there such a classification?
M: There is no classification as such, sir. But there is a set of people who performs the managerial tasks and who plan out things, and a set of people of do the actual programming part.

P1: Why are managers necessary?
M: They facilitate the work, sir. They plan the work and decide the number of people necessary to do the work, and..

P1: They plan the work or help you plan the work?
M: Managers are involved in getting the work and executing the project, sir. So they will have to plan as to how exactly the work will be done...
P1: How will you define a project?
M: A tasks taken up by a team of people which results in a desirable outcome (Oh My god! Why did I ever attempt to create a definition ex-tempore? )
P1: So you are saying that a project will necesserily result in a pre-determined outcome?
M: I believe so, sir. May not be a pre-determined outcome, but a project will have an outcome (F1 F1...can somebody tell me how far or how close I am to the truth?)

P2 now chips in and asks something about the salary slips I had produced, some numbers not matching. I try to explain and segregate the salary slips and tell him what exactly each one of them is...P1 says it is OK, go ahead)
P2: What do you think of the new budget?
M: Sir, the finance minister has told that he is comited to bring down the Fiscal deficit and also that the fringe benefit tax would stay. So I think the budget will retain the current tax structure, but would try to bring down the fiscal deficit.
P2: How can you bring down the fiscal deficit? There are only limited resources, and your taxes are not going to increase..
M: Disinvestment of shares in Non-Navaratna companies could be an option, also, a reduction in non-planned expenditure (Oh Holy Shit!) would be an option.
P2: What is non-planned expenditure?(at this point, P1 gets up and move across to a nearby table, where a computer was installed and starts brwosing through it..may be internet, may be not...he remained there till the end of my interview)
M: Sir, I have only a vague idea about these things. Planned expenditure would consists of..
P2: You only brought up the non-planned expenditure. You should tell us what it is..
M: Sir, planned expenditure consists of expenditures towards activities which are planned: like 5 year plan, annual plan etc. Non-planned expenditure would include expenditures other than this.

P2: What all will come under it?
M: Salaries, pensions, interest of public debts etc.
P2: How can you reduce them?
M: Better governance could be an option, reduced allowances etc.
P2: Is it feasible to reduce them?
M: If we impose on ourseleves a good discipline, it is feasible, sir.
P2: Ever heard of VRS?
M: Voluntary Retirement Scheme. Yes, sir, I have heard of it.
P2: Silence
M: But sir, I don't think VRS can help in reducing the non-planned exenditure, because when people retire , you have to pay them the retirement benefits, which would be more than the salaries. In the long run, it might help, but for the current year, it is not.
P2: So, how do you think we can reduce the non-planned expenditure
M: [How many times have you asked this question, sir? Don't you think it is time you give up? Well, certainly I do think so] I offer them a sweet smile and say...Sir, I do not have much ideas about these things.
P2: If you don't have much idea, you should tell us, so that we can move forward. OK..tell me about the future of IT industry.
M: Some things about moving up the value chain, new locations like Philippines and Bulgaria, the challenge they pose towards the Indian IT companies, how clients expect more value, how important it is for us to move up the value chain and such things...

P2: Habe you heard of drifts?
M: In what context sir?(I somehow tried to relate it with Drag, about which I had learnt in third semester in Engineering...1999 that is...)
P2: WTO
M: (Relieved a bit) I have no idea, sir.
P2: You know nothing about WTO?
M: I don't know much except its expansion, sir.P2 Looks at me inquisitively. I just smile.

P2: OK then, that is it...(turns to P1 who as I said, was sitting at the computer at a nearby table) Do you have anything else?
P1: No, nothing at all, all the best (for other interviews... may be )I thank the two gentlemen and walk out, and close the door after me.