Eureka Batch it is!!!

You know what!! This is a beautiful time of the year. I know....I know it is still Jun and the sun is beating down on us with all its might but it is also the time when summer vacations get over. Now, It is ok if you guys raise your eyebrows and wonder: how on earth do summer vacations impact him ? Is he not a working professional? He does not get summer vacations!! Relax people, you are right, I do not get summer vacations (though I don't mind!!) but the kids at AID NOIDA do. For the past two months, the children were far away from the hustle-bustle of the city. Most of them went to their village and met their grand moms and grand dads. But, they are back now!!! Once again, the community is bustling with kids and most importantly our classes are back in session.

Yes!! After two month of lull AID NOIDA centre is again full with kids and volunteers. But there have been some changes. First of  all, The responsibility of senior batch (2007) has been transferred from I and Prashant to Prateek and Darshan. Secondly, I have been given responsibility for the Eureka Batch (2008-2010). Initially, it did not seem like a very big shift but last Saturday when I went to the class I realized that batch shifting is not that small a thing after all.
 
First of all, I will miss teaching the Senior Batch. The batch consists of the eldest and the most responsible kids studying at AID NOIDA. Being the batch owner for past 6 months I had seen a lot : Aashmina performing very funny" tum paas aaye... badbu phelaye" skit, Jaanbaaz, Sajaad and Subi managing junior kids and wonderful sessions on volcanoes, water cycle, earthquakes and many others topics. The innocence, the inquisitive nature and the sparkling intelligence of the kids have spellbound me. In fact, I feel personally attached to the senior batch and I will miss those classes.
Secondly, I was a bit nervous when I entered the new class. Yes, I was kind of worried how the kids in the Eureka batch would respond. Will they appreciate the change? Will they listen to me the way they pay attention to Anvita - Eureka Batch owner. What do I need to do to develop that trust? You think that I am being paranoid. No I am not!! It is not easy to teach in a class. One needs to connect with the kids. One needs to develop a bond of care and trust with the kids. It is the bond which lays the foundation of a healthy student-teacher relationship. I had developed that bond with the senior kids. It took me time, but slowly and steadily I was able to connect with them. Janbaaz, Sajjad, Subi, deepak, Danista, Julekha, each one of them had specific behaviour patterns and I knew how they would react to various situations. But now, I have a new batch and I need to start again.

Therefore, to make things easy during the transition, I requested Anvita and Charu to be present during the first class. Anvita arrived early and informed the kids about the change. The result: - the moment I entered the class Jainab said:"sir hum aapse nahi padhenge, hum Anvita didi se he padhenge"( Sir, we want Anvita madam to teach us, not you) . I had not expected that and I did not know what to say. I just smiled and sat down, knowing that many cute but big eyes are watching my every move. You know, it is a strange feeling when the kids observe you. Some of them look affectionately with their big black eyes, some of them have that curious look on their face - wondering “who is this new guy?” and some of them look confused and baffled, still contemplating on how to react. What did I do? I just maintained a broad smile on my face remembering what someone had said "A smile can go a long way".

As the kids settled in the class, we started a formal introduction session. One by one, the kids told us their name, the school in which they studied and the class they were studying in. Most of them were a bit jittery, scratching their head and speaking in barely audible voice but they still looked super cute.  Actually I am quite lucky, majority of the kids in the Eureka batch are girls. The benefit with girls is that they do not create a ruckus like boys do. They will generally sit quietly and pay attention. After the kids' introduction, it was my turn. I introduced myself to the kids and asked them what they did during the summer vacation. Some of the kids raised their hands and I asked them to come on stage one by one. Everybody had an interesting story. If some of them just talked about the good time they had with their grand dad, grand mom and other relatives, others told us how they won a cricket tournament in their village. So, everything was going smoothly and I felt like I am on a roll but suddenly, out came a voice " Sir Khadoss lag rahe hain"( Sir looks like a strict person). After a split second of silence, just enough to realize the innocence in the words of the child, we all started laughing and I recalled my own words: "Himanshu, it will take time to connect with the kids. It will take time".

Overall, it was a good class. I met some wonderful kids: Jainab, Quaish, Gudiya and Gia. Quaish in particular, is a very inquisitive fellow. He wants to know new things. He tries very hard to grasp everything that is said in the class and when he is in doubt, he asks the most basic of questions without any inhibition. It is these instances that make me feel that we can learn a lot from the kids. We take too many things for granted because we know them now. But we forget the time when we did not know much. For e.g: we all know how to tell time on a Wall clock. Try teaching this to a kid. You will use angles, table of five and clock diagrams to teach them the very basic of all things: Telling time.  To summarize, the fundamental concepts are brick walls which need the reinforcement of mortar named “teacher” to build a castle we know as “An Educated Adult”.

This time, the kids are even younger with easy to mould habits and personalities. We need to tread carefully, one kid at a time, because in a very short time the mould will harden and habits crystallize. We at AID Noida have to make sure that no cracks or air pockets go unnoticed. Let us see how it goes.

Cheers!!

Toastmasters Project 5: Power of failure

Last week I gave my project 5: Your Body Speaks.

The aims for this speech project were to complement my message with my body during delivery. Specifically, I needed to be aware of my:

• posture,
• body movement,
• facial expressions, and
• Eye contact.

Power of Failure 

In the 19th century there was a man with some great ideas, and to test his ideas he used to carry out experiments. In fact, he was so much driven to conduct experiments that he intentionally worked during the night shift as a telegraph Operator. Alone at night, he used to conduct experiments and document his research. But one night, one of his clandestine experiments went wrong, and he ended up spilling sulphuric acid on his boss's desk. Next day, he was fired. Fired at the age of 20!!!. Now, this man could have easily sulked and given up, but he persevered. He sold newspapers and chocolates on the train. He even sold vegetables to supplement his income. But he never stopped conducting experiments. Eventually, that man held more than 1000 patents, started world's largest electric company (General Electric) and invented the world's first commercially viable electric bulb. That man was Thomas Alva Edison.

Madam Toastmaster, fellow Toastmaster and dear guests, failure is one bitter pill we all have to swallow some time in our lives. However strong we are, however rich we are, the dreaded bugbear named ‘Failure’ somehow comes out of the shadows and bites us. But you know something, one does not need to lose hope because failure itself does not matter, the way we respond to it does.

In general, there are two ways in which we can respond.

Response number 1: We can hide inside a cocoon of pain and suffering, and constantly punish ourselves.

"Oh my God, I have failed once more. I tried really hard but still it was not enough. What more do I need to do to succeed. I am tired of all this. I cannot take the pain and the humiliation. Look at everybody, all of them are laughing at me. That's it. I have had enough. I give up."

Response number 2: Calm and composed analysis of the outcome.

"Hmm, so it happened again. It does not feel good at all but still I need to analyze what went wrong. I must have done something wrong. I will talk to people who did well. Let me get their feedback. They can help me identify my weak areas. Aahh here you go, may be I should have practiced a little bit more. But, it is OK, this time I will leave no stone unturned and I will succeed. "

Just like Apples and Oranges, there is a stark difference between the two approaches.

One makes us feel miserable and sad. It even makes us doubt our own abilities.

The other calms us down, makes us feel confident and most importantly, it gives us hope.

Actually, it all depends upon how we perceive failure. If we fail, it does not mean that all the hard work we did, all the sacrifice we made and all the long hours we put in have gone down the drain. On the contrary, our each and every attempt leaves a lasting imprint on our personality.

So what, if you did not top your class, the hard work you put in has made you realize the importance of hard work and discipline.

It is OK if you did not win that public speaking competition. Remember the time when you went on stage for the first time, your hands were shaking and your legs were trembling. My dear friend, you have come a long way. Instead of cursing yourself, take heart from the improvement. 

You know, there is one more thing all us learn from failure. Perhaps, it is the most important lesson. We learn to empathize. Earlier, when someone failed, we could have easily ridiculed his effort but now when we found ourselves in the firing line and when we succumbed to the pressure, we realized success never comes easy. Once we fail, we start respecting other person’s efforts. We start showing empathy.

Therefore friends, failure is not that bad a thing after all. In fact, Failure is one of our best teachers. We just have to realize that the ultimate goal is to constantly improve ourselves. All the road blocks on our way symbolize learning opportunities: the bigger the boulder, the better the learning. So get up, flex your muscles and use your failures as the motivational platform to launch your dreams. Do not let people around you judge you. It is not their dream. Is it? It is yours. They do not know how much it means to you. They never will, No one will, except you. Thomas Edison tried 10000 times before discovering the right combination for the electric bulb and you want to say “I QUIT” in just one, two or three attempts. No, do not give up, because there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to aim a little bit higher, try a little bit harder and endure a little bit longer. 

After all, men are not defined by just the success they achieve; Men are also defined by the failures they overcome.

Madam Toastmaster.

Body language is definitely my weakest area. I was worried about each and every movement: my stance, my facial expression, my hand movement. Overall, it was a decent project. My evaluator complimented me on the facial expressions and purposeful eye contact, but he advised me to be more formal and composed at the start.

Cheers!!

Wharton Admission Reception: New Delhi

Last Thursday Wharton organized an admission reception at New Delhi. The Wharton panel consisted of one admission committee member, 6 alumni and around 6 to 10 current/admitted students.
The event was a great way to know the "Wharton way" of doing things. The alumni were especially helpful as they gave very practical answers to our( prospective applicants) questions. They answered questions regarding the application procedure, "why Wharton?" and general errors committed by applicants. Here is a brief list:

• Do not obsess with GMAT score. This was repeatedly stated for Indian applicants. In fact, one of alumni said whenever he meets applicants, they ask him about his GMAT score. GMAT score is just a data point. Beyond that your essays and recommendations play the most important role. James, one of the alumni who is a full time entrepreneur based in India,  told us about an instance when he read the file of an applicant with a 790 GMAT. James said "when you see a 790, you expect a lot from an applicant. But when the applicant does not come out as a right person for Wharton through his essays, no score can defend him". Basically, if one has 80% or above in both sections, then you do not need to worry. Focus on the application. But there is a caveat, score above 700 is desirable.
• While defining your long and short term goals do not fall in the trap of "Things might change at School". The admission committee knows that it is natural for applicants to change their goals once they are in the MBA program. But, when you define your short term and long term goals, just focus on what you have done till now because that is what you have with you, rest all is just a wild guess.  Moreover, Long term and short term goals should be unique i.e no one should be able to write exact same long term & short term goals.
• Make your essays personal, one of the current student told me that one of his essay was about how is proposed to his girlfriend!! Through that essay he was able to tell the adcom about his thought process and things that he values.
• One more tip about essays: Try to choose events that are recent ( around 3 years old). The adcom wants to see career progression. They want to see how you developed over a period of time. Therefore, it is great that you have some meaningful leadership stories from your college days but you also need to show that you have continued your development as a leader by taking leadership roles in your organization, community and even your family. This one was emphasized a lot, so I guess many of us commit that mistake.
• For consultants, do not include consulting jargons in your essays. The adcom personnel might find it difficult to comprehend.
• Articleship( residency) is considered full time work experience.
• And finally, Just be yourself. Do not write what you think Adcom wants to hear. They have been reading applications for a long time, it is very easy for them to differentiate marketing statements from real life experiences.

Overall, it was a fantastic event. The humility with which alumni answered all the questions was commendable. They were genuinely trying to relate to our queries and gave very realistic responses. One of alumni told me that he is glad that he is standing on the other side as he knows how emotionally draining the application process is. You know what, with half of June almost through, I am already starting to feel the pressure.

Cheers!!

Toastmasters Speech 4: My Tryst with the Extraordinary

Ok guys, one more Speech from Toastmasters. Please do not think I am running out ideas for my blog. This one was long due. The aims for this speech project focus on selection of words and phrases:

• Choose words and grammar which communicate clearly.
• Choose words and grammar which appeal to the senses.
• Eliminate jargon.

My Tryst with the Extraordinary

It is three in the afternoon and we are still driving. We started at 4 in the morning (its been 11Hours!!) and have covered more than 600 kms but we are not tired. The roads are, how should I put it, DEAD STRAIGHT, consisting of 30-40 kilometers long stretches. You just have to look straight and you can see the road kissing the clear blue sky at the horizon. In fact, we had to hardly change gears as our car cruised at 150 Kms/Hr on the Formula 1 track like tarmac. The landscape has changed though, from lush green fields in the morning to dusty, brown and barren stretches now. Moreover, the arid land signals that we are nearing our destination. Till now, to say the least, the journey has been different. After all, we have driven right through a dried up lake, zipped past numerous Havelis and Royal Villas, and just seen a group of 20-25 Bikers, clad in all black, cruise on their giant Enfield bikes towards our very own destination. It has been an incredible journey till now but we wonder what else is in store for us as our real journey is yet to begin.

Mr. Toastmasters, fellow toastmasters and dear guests, fasten your seat belts and ride along with me on a road trip to the royal Indian state of Rajasthan.

Our first destination is the blue city in the heart of Rajashan : Jodhpur.
The first thing that strikes you when you enter the city is the presence of colors. In fact the city personifies the colorful spirit of Rajasthan.  The women wear colorful dresses, flaunting all the possible hues of red, blue, yellow and green. The men dress conservatively in their plain dhotis and kurtas but, take my word for it, their turbans are the most colorful ones I ever seen. Even the long, funny looking, overstretched auto rickshaws flaunt colors as a newly wed bride flaunts her jewelery. The use of color is so profound that it appears as if all the colors in the world have conspired with people of Rajasthan to mesmerize all the travelers.
After soaking in the colors of the city, we wanted to experience royalty, so we headed towards Mehrangarh fort. As we entered the fort, we were welcomed by tall guards sporting intimidating moustaches. Immediately, we were directed towards a lift. A lift in a fort? We wondered. The guard announced " The tour starts from the top". Now the real fun began. As we came out of the lift on the top floor, we immediately realized the strategic importance of the fort. The fort is located at the highest point in the city, making it ideal for reconnaissance. Huge cannons capable of ripping through any armor are placed along the walls. No wonder that the fort has never been conquered. Moreover, the whole city is visible from the top. Small houses, big houses, hotels and shops, all are painted in blue. It appears as if the sky has come down on Earth to savour the beauty of the fort.
As we went deep into the fort, there was a sense of royalty in the air. The daggers, the swords and the royal dresses of kings and queens were displayed in the Fort museum. But the most awe inspiring ones were the huge palanquins. These majestic structures, which at one time served as royal transport, personify the luxury and authority of the Royals. After enjoying the beauty of the fort to the hilt, we sat on the fort wall as the sun set and wondered what else is in store for us as we decided to drive towards Jaisalmer.
The great golden city of Jaisalmer rests in the heart of the Thar desert. If Jodhpur is the heart, then Jaisalmer is the Soul of Rajasthan. Without doubt, it is one place where you can experience silence. Just go and sit in a lonely corner and you will not only hear yourself breathe but also hear your own heart beat. As we drove through the desert towards the Khuri dunes, we experienced enormity. As far as our eyes allowed us, we saw sand dunes, one overlapping the other till they met the sky. The sun played hide and seek as the dunes rose and fell. The sunset and sunrise were majestic. I had never seen a sun that big. As the sun descended in the lap of the dunes, I stared at the whole disc and somehow felt loosing myself as thoughts about life, its purpose, the cosmos and  its existence overwhelmed me.
As the night enveloped us, we decided to stay in the desert although we were warned: It will be a cold night. We were given sleeping bags and extra blankets to protect us. I gave a stupid smile thinking " What an irony, Sleeping bag and layers of Blanket in the desert" and tried to sleep. But mother nature had other ideas. She wanted to share more, show us more. As I opened my eyes at around midnight, I realized that there was too much brightness for a night sky. I could literally see the light Grey sand ( looks Grey at night) in the milky light.  I wondered where the light came from. I was sure there was no moon that night. But then how come so much light!! As I braved the cold to peep out of my sleeping bag, I saw an army of stars spread across the night sky. It appeared as if someone had sprayed white paint on a black Canvas. Dear friends, I was witnessing the milky way in all its glory. Apparently, the pollution levels are so low in the desert that you can see the milky way clearly. Something almost unthinkable in metros.I dazed at the stars with a feeling of contentment and fell asleep thinking that mother nature had kept the best for the last.

Of all the incredible thing in Rajsthan, the one that I remember the most is the feeling of Vastness. The realization that we human beings are just a small peg of the giant wheel called Universe. Kings and Queens will come and go, Lords and Bishops will come and go but stars, deserts and rivers are timeless. Therefore, there is no point in worrying about trivial tangibles, in fact life is all about valuing the intangibles such as love, faith, friendship and peace.

As we turned back towards New Delhi, we knew that we had experienced something extraordinary, something unique. In those 4 days, we had tryst with royalty and experienced actual serenity. We had realized the fragility of human existence. In totality, we had experienced the magical state of Rajasthan.
 
Over to you Mr. Toastmaster.

Good project overall. The evaluator really liked my topic selection. He told me i did justice with it. But he also told me , there could have been more purposeful stage movements. Ahhhh.. I have to get this correct.. lets see.. may be next speech.

Cheers!!!

Phase 2 Begins!!

There is a different kind of feeling post GMAT. I am feeling a bit aimless of sorts. This might come as a surprise but really after coming back from office I sometime look around and just scratch my head. I used to prepare for the GMAT almost everyday. Ok, at least visited all the GMAT prep sites and read out articles and practice some questions. All this took my time, but now it is all over. I know there is lot more to do. In fact whatever I have done till now is may be just 10% of the whole thing. But you know, I have realized something. It is much easier to prepare for an exam than to work towards a goal( read B-school admission) which does not have a fixed framework in place. GMAT is actually quite straightforward. You have a set of books to prepare from. After sometime you know your weak areas. Keep on working on them and eventually if you are consistent enough, you will show some improvement. The bottom line: you have a framework or methodology in place, follow a strict schedule and you will get a decent score, if not a stellar one.
BUT my friends, identifying your long term goals, short term goals, strengths and weaknesses is much more difficult. It requires honest introspection, detailed analysis of who you are and most difficult of all realization of you weaknesses which eventually limit the size of your ambitions. I have been trying to do the same for a while now. Trying to look back at my life, calling back all those instances which have left an imprint on me. It is darn difficult you know. On top of that when you have to write essays that bring out the real self of you like a 3D Hollywood movie, it becomes a herculean task. But I am not disappointed with the confusion around me. I know there is a way out. It requires concentration, hard work and perseverance. At present, I am a confused dude who is looking all around his inner self to frame a story which is worth a read. But like Winston Churchill, I have nothing to offer but blood, sweat, toil and tears. Lets see how the story unfolds.

Cheers!!

Toastmasters Speech 2 : PRAYAS - An attempt to educate

Recently I completed my second project at East Delhi Toastmasters. The project's main aim was to organize my speech by developing a strong opening, explain the theme through main points & sub points and conclude effectively.

So here it goes.....

Do you know which country has the largest illiterate population in the world? ........It is India. We have an adult literacy rate of mere 66% and child literacy rate of 82%. One might say that 82% is not that bad but dear friends let me inform you that the world average is around 88%. We are way behind the world standards. On one hand we are the second fastest growing economy in the world and on the other hand we have this demon of illiteracy looming over our heads. What should we do? sit back and relax.... wait for the tiring Right to Education Act, Mid day meal scheme and Sarva Shikha Abhiyan to make an impact or should we rise up, take responsibility and try to create a difference through our efforts.
Mr. Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters and dear guests, Prayas Noida is one such education initiative that aims to create a difference and bring change in our society. Prayas, as the name implies, is an attempt by young working professional to develop a sustainable education model which instills the importance of education among the residents of the Noida slum community.
The model is based on a three step process, each of which aims to develop a self sustainable system.
Step 1: If the kids do not go to school, bring education to the kids.
Most of the kids in the community do not go to school or drop out because of lack of good government education system. Government schools do not motivate kids to perform well in schools and are not responsible for poor academic performance. This unaccountability seriously diminishes the learning intent of kids and forces them to drop out. Prayas Noida works towards decreasing this drop out rate. We take up classes on weekdays which cater to primary school subjects such as English, Hindi, Maths, Social studies and Science. The classes aim to develop basic understanding of science, English, Hindi and other subjects among the kids. But as all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, we organize activity classes on the weekends to develop the kids' creative side. In the weekend classes, kids participate in plays, sing songs, play games, identify countries on the globe and learn about earthquakes, volcanoes, rains and lot more. In summary, Prayas aims to make education fun and enjoyable. But, Is this a sustainable model? Without Formal education, kids will not progress beyond a limit. They need degrees and diplomas to make it big in life. The next step addresses exactly this issue.

Step 2: Formal education
After the kids have developed interest in education, the next step is to ensure their admission to recognized schools. Prayas Noida volunteers visit various schools in Noida such as Naye disha, OM foundation, Holy Angel and others.  They persuade the school management to organize entrance tests and if the kids do well admit them with full scholarship. Many of our bright students have got admitted in good schools and are performing really well. For instance, Jaanbaaz, one of our students, has scored 74 out of 75 in mathematics. Just imagine a kid from the slums whose family barely make its ends meet is performing so well in school. Prayas was recently able to admit 4 more students of the junior batch to OM foundation public school.
But again, is this enough? Is this approach sustainable? No it is not. Because Prayas will not be there with the kids for ever. In that case, who will encourage them and keep a track of their performance? I know the answer.. It is the parents and more specifically the mothers. Here comes step 3.

Step 3: Educate the women.
Women are the foundation of every society. If the women of the house are educated, it is guaranteed that the children will be educated. Prayas organizes weekend classes for the women with an aim of imparting basic education. The women learn  basic mathematics so as to keep a track of their house hold expenses. They learn to read and write. Now the community women can write their name instead of using the ubiquitous thumb as a sign of their identity. They manage the family grocery store and maintain the accounts independently as their men go to work. All these small changes have empowered the community women. The women now know the importance of education as they have seen the difference it makes. Correspondingly, they want their kids to do well. The women keep a tab on the kid's school performance by checking performance reports, meeting school teachers and ensuring that kids finish their homework.

Now, we have a sustainable system in place. A system that thrives on itself : Young children hungry for education - good school system- Parental support that ensures continuity.  So friends this is what prayas does, but what will you do? Most of you were lucky to be born in affluent families.You and in fact I, did not have to worry about the basic necessities of life. We just had them all around us. But look around, their are lot more people who do not have this privilege. Therefore, It is our responsibility to share the gift of knowledge with others. We can take some time out of our lives, not much just 2-3 hours a week and share our knowledge with the underprivileged. Because remember education is not a privilege, It is a necessity.

Over to you Mr. Toastmasters.

So this was my second speech. The topic is very close to my heart but I did not show much energy and my evaluator pointed exactly what I felt...You were low on energy. So from next time I need to be more convincing and more passionate, especially when speaking on a motivational topic like this one.

Cheers!!

GMAT Done

Yeah it is true!!  I have finally given my GMAT and scored a 720( VA 37 - 80%, QA 50 - 93 %) Overall -94%.  Not a stellar score but i know the score is enough to target any top school in the US. I am finally relived that I am done with the GMAT. Now I have to focus on the applications: research schools, contact students, go to college receptions, ask for recommendations and finally write my essays.
It is a long journey but as Robert Frost said 'I have miles to go before I sleep'.

Cheers!!

Knewton GMAT( Free Practice test) : 660( QA 47, VA 33) ... Not that impressed

As I have thoroughly practiced OG 12 and GMAT verbal review, It is time to dig into some actual tests. After MGMAT 1, this Knewton CAT was my second test. Although the score is way below my target score, I still managed to take some positives out of the exam. First, I was finally able to attempt all questions in VA and QA. Infact I managed to finish the two sections before time. Second, the number of mistakes in QA decreased. Last, I came across a potential weak area, which I have to address before the big day.
Before I get into further details, I need to list the stats:
VA : 41 questions ( 30 correct, 11 wrong(6 RC, 4 SC, 1 CR))   : Score :- 33 (66 percentile)
QA: 37 questions (33 correct, 4 wrong):  Score:- 47 (86 Percentile)

In VA, the biggest culprit was reading comprehension. The passages were very long and a bit abstruse. I am generally good at RCs but in the Knewton tests, the RCs had some extra bite.Nevertheless, post analysis, I realized that most of the errors were because of inadequate comprehension of the passage. One should be able to logically link all the paragraphs together. In my case, I tend to read through the para in a hurry. And if the paragraph is a bit confusing, I loose the plot. This create a 'reasoning void' which haunts me in inference based questions.
As far as the Sentence correction questions are concerned, I got 4 wrong out of 15. that is roughly 70% accuracy.  I know it is not enough and anything less than 80-85% is not acceptable. But again, it is an adaptive test. You never know what kind of difficulty level will be there in the exam. Hence, the idea is to prepare myself for the the toughest questions.
CR section was below par. The questions were comparatively easy and in no way up to the 700- 800 mark. Except one silly mistake, I got them all right.
As far as the QA section is concerned, the questions were not very tough (MGMAT quant section was very tough). I finished the section with 5 minutes to spare and got 4 question wrong.
After finishing the test and detailed analysis, I came to a conclusion that Knewton test has a 'not so perfect' scoring algorithm. Afterall how can anyone get just 87% if he makes just 4 mistakes. Moreover, the explanations and data analysis of the test were nowhere close to MGMAT. Infact, If someone has less time on their hand,i would not recommend him to take the test.

Anyways, as my eyes start to close , it is time to sign off.....

The Reds

Lot has happened in English Premier League during the January transfer season for Liverpool. First, after lot of speculation and yes-nos, King Kenny managed to buy Suarez from Ajax for some $30 million. Then, El Nino dropped a bomb. He wanted out of Liverpool. Everybody was shocked, specially the fans. Despite being a foreigner, they had loved him and given him that special position in their heart. Apparently, Torres felt that Liverpool is not performing consistently enough for him to stay. After all, Liverpool neither qualified for Champions League nor seem like making the top 4 in EPL this year. Torres, arguably the best finisher in the game, wanted to win cups( read Champions league, EPL) and contribute to a team that is performing. Hence, IMHO, he left liverpool. Kenny wanted him to stay but later on let him go with a royal snub " Nobody is bigger than the club. If someone believes that then that person is delusional".  Btw, Liverpool's bank account swelled by some $ 65 million.
But, as they say in hindi " picture abhi baki hai mere dost"( the show is not over yet, my friend), Kenny managed to buy Andy Carroll from Newcastle United for some $42 million. It is an outrageous amount for a 22 year old, but Liverpool desperately needed an extra striker. In the first place, Suarez was bought in to support Torres in the front. But as Torres left, King Kenny vouched for Carroll, who in his brief stint at Newcastle has shown signs of brilliance. So finally, with Suarez and Carroll in front, Liverpool is looking much better. I just hope that we make it to top 4 this season. 

Republic Day celebrations at Prayas

On 26th January, India celebrates its Republic Day - the day on which our constitution came into force and hence we became a Republic. Although, every Republic day brings with it the spirit of patriotism and harmony but this Republic day was a special one for me. 
At AID( Association for India's Development) PRAYAS, we organized the Republic day celebrations for the community kids at Noida. The two months effort which involved preparing kids for songs and dances finally materialized into a very cute and heart warming performance. The junior most kids (EUREKA BATCH) put a smile on everyone's face by singing  NANNA MUNNA RAHI HUN and EK CHIDYA AANEK CHIDYA. The dance performance by senior batch on the beats of JAI HO spell bound the audience. Then a play performed by the kids send across the message 'Education is not a privilege, it is a necessity'.
The most heartening experience was when parents of the community children came on the stage and spoke about the difference created by PRAYAS. They talked about the importance of education, cleanliness, tolerance and family planning  that has been instilled in the community through efforts of PRAYAS. I personally feel, these first hand account by the community members really encourage other parents to send their kids to PRAYAS.  We had more than 80 new registrations and the peculiar thing was every parent asked what PRAYAS is charging for teaching the kids. We had a hard time explaining them there is no fee and we prepare kids to attain a certain minimum level so that they can get admission in good schools.
Overall, the whole idea of the celebration is to convey the importance of education and increase the confidence of kids by giving them a platform to perform in public.  And I believe, we were able to do just that.

VANDE MATARAM

The Ice Breaker: What is life all about?

Yesterday, I gave my first ever speech 'The Ice Breaker' at East Delhi Toastmasters. The objectives of the speech were to identify my public speaking abilities and introduce myself to the club members. So here it goes.....
What is life all about? Is it about money, friendship, family, fame , success or love? It is a very cliched question ..right? All of us have asked ourselves this question one time or the other, but maybe never came up with a convincing answer.
When I was a kid, life was about chocolates, video games and cricket. I did not know what success and failure are. I did not understand why people fight. I had no idea what religion means. I was just worried about my chocolates. If i did not get one, I used to cry and my mother gave me one immediately. So friends, during my childhood, life was all about innocence, fun and yes chocolates.
As I grew up, things got a little bit serious. Something called studies came in my life. I was told that you have to study to succeed in your life. So I studied. I was the topper of class 10th board exams and managed to get into one of the best engineering colleges in India. For some time life was about studying, working hard, knowing my potential and tasting success. The success helped a lot because if you succeed you start believing in yourself and your confidence rises. As you get confident, you aim to achieve tougher goals and work harder towards them. So, before engineering, Life was as much about inculcating the ethos of discipline and hard work as it was about knowing my potential.
Then came my engineering days, the super awesome engineering days. Suddenly, life was about everything except studies. Life was about music.. the Iron Maidens... the Led Zeppelins... the Pink Floyds...and many more. Life was about reading. I read about my country, world politics, religion, human rights and successful businesses. I also got involved in clubs and societies, organized various events, arranged sponsorships, took care of publicity and managed a team of more than 100 volunteers. Life was also about a girlfriend, although it was 'one way traffic' for most of the time but it was wonderful. So friends, during my engineering days, Life was about exploring myself, developing my personality, knowing about the world and discovering love.
Post engineering, I got placed in one of the biggest professional services firms as a consultant. So now life was about earning a livelihood. Some people told me that job life is not at all good because you have to work for somebody and take orders. But I loved my job. I was working with the best of people and in a competitive environment. I was challenging myself so it was fun. It was even more fun because I was independent. I was earning my own money. When you earn your own money, you can spend it where ever you want to. And I spend it on my passions. I love traveling. I traveled across the Indian state of Rajsthan in my car, covering more than 2500 kilometers in 4 days. I have traveled to Nanital once, Amritsar twice and was recently in Goa. I follow my favorite football teams Liverpool and FC Barelona with all my heart. You can find me in sports bar on the weekends cheering the Reds. So life was all about working hard and partying harder. Life was about following my passion and keeping things lively.
During these four periods, Life was about different things. So what is life really about? I will tell you... Life is about new experiences. It is about meeting new people, doing new things and experiencing new cultures. Why is that so important? It is important because every new experience leaves an imprint on us, molds us, changes us and adds a new dimension to our lives. There is no absolute way to do things. There are many!! we will know about them only if  we are receptive to change and new ideas. That is why Life is all about new experiences.
So friends, life is not about getting up every morning and going to office, doing your job and coming back home. It is not a new experience.
Try going to country side, where there is no pollution. Gaze in the clear night sky, you will see the Milky way. It looks like a white sheet spanning across the black sky. Thats a new experience.
Stand on the sea beach with naked feet and let waves flow through your legs. As the waves recede, feel the sand escaping beneath your feet as you sink further in the sand. That is a new experience.
Travel thousands of kilometers across the Thar desert and feel the happiest when an Indian Army soldier on India- Pakistan border greets you with passion because very few Indians actually go there. That is a new experience.
And last but not the least, Standing here in East Delhi Toastmasters giving my first ever Ice Breaker. That is a new experience.

Thank you

As I ended my speech, everybody stood up and applauded. This is a tradition at Toastmasters. When you give your first speech, the whole club gives you a standing ovation. I am proud to be part of East Delhi Toastmasters. The mutual respect and caring nature of the members is commendable.

Looking forward to the next meeting on Friday.

Cheers!!

MGMAT 1:- 670(VA 36, QA 45) : A scratchy start

Last week I finally took the plunge and gave my first CAT. The result speaks for itself. Not a very good start but come on!! it was my very first test ... I have miles to go before I conquer the GMAT.
Before the test I was confident of scoring as high as a 50-51 in QA and doing reasonably well in VA. But as my scores portray I had a horrid time in both QA and VA. Manhattan GMAT QA is really tough. I would say it is a notch above the actual GMAT QA. Apart from time consuming Data Sufficiency questions there were some very tough probability and P&C questions.
VA was 'practical' with 700-800 score range questions being more difficult. RCs were not that tough except for some inference questions but CR was time consuming. I have this knack of assuming situations in CR which actually dents my accuracy.
The summary of the test goes like this :
VA : Score 36 ( missed the last three questions so lacked speed)
Maximum time taken in CR with least accuracy.
Minimum time taken in SC and RC.

QA: Score 45 ( could do only 30 questions, missed the last 7!!) 
Data sufficiency & Probability most time consuming.

Learings:
VA :
CR : Not more than 2 minutes in any question. It simply increase pressure and hence decreases accuracy.
Stay within the scope of the argument. The answer should be related to the argument. It should not bring an new condition.
SC : Not more than 90 seconds in any question. If you do not find the answer in 1.5 minutes than you probably do not get the concept of the of the question. Just make an intelligent guess and move on.
RC: I have been doing good in RC. May be a bit more comprehension required to avoid regression.

QA :
Set aside your EGO  and act practically. It is OK to make guesses in some questions. I do not need to answer all questions correctly to ace the QA section.

Overall, the test was a good reality check. The test lists time take to solve every question along with the expected time. The test also provides the stats for the worst attempt and the best attempt. MGMAT analysis is very detailed. You look at the stats and you know what went wrong. This was my free test, I will buy the whole set of 6 tests and give them like the actual GMAT. ( I did not attempt the AWA section in this one)

I also bought the Official Guide for Verbal Review 12th edition. I need more practice  in Verbal so why not practice with actual GMAT questions.

P.S : Hiatus in blogging should be blamed on my awesome trip to Goa. It took me a whole week to bring myself back from the beautiful beaches and mouth watering Sea food to the 'Not So Interesting' GMAT preparation. May be one day......I will have my own Shack on the Anjuna Beach.......what!! there is nothing wrong in dreaming .... :)

Cheers!!

The Indian Razai : Motivation killer

2011 has started to role on and its already 4 days old!! Along with New Year resolutions and new found optimism, 2011 brought the super lazy winters. Last 3 days have been excruciatingly tough. Maximum of 13-16 degree Celsius and minimum of 3 degrees!! I do not mind the winters, in fact I love them. But there is one more angle to all this chill. We Indians have these ultra warm bed quilts called 'Razais' which are made by stuffing cotton wool inside cotton or silk sheets. North India's winters and the Great Indian Razai are a pair made in heaven. . These razais are so comfortable and cozy  that once you are inside one of these it is almost impossible to come out.
Everyday after dinner, I decide to study for my GMAT. I get into my room and open my laptop.  After sometime, I feel the chill setting in my legs and hence very innocently decide to cover my legs with the Razai. At this moment, I am firmly in control and working on problems. But gradually, the magic sets in. I involuntarily start sinking deeper and deeper into the quilt. Such is the innocuous nature of the quilt that within the 20-30 minutes, I find myself completely wrapped inside the Razai and that too half asleep!!!
Many of you might think that I am a lazy ass but you have to experience the comfort to believe me. But as they say - 'where there is a will there is a way', I have decided to conquer the winters and shun the coziness of my beloved Razai. From now on, No more excuses and no procrastination. If I do it again, I will blog about it. Maybe, the shame of posting my helplessness will motivate me to focus.
Btw, Maths Review is done. Brushed up my concepts of Mean, Median, Mode, Ranges etc..... revised some probability and geometry formulas.  Now, I need to give that OG12 Diagnostic test.  I want to treat the test as my first reality check and then build from there. I am kind of hoping that I do well, will be a good omen. After all we all need some little victories to conquer the Beast.......
Just a passing thought to share my optimism:
Keep on Dreaming everybody .......... It shows that you are alive and kicking ......