Shubham Choudhary's Blog, page 2

My interview experience with IIM-L

Continuing my MBA interview experience posts, this one is about IIM Lucknow. Every year the criteria for calls changes, so I’d not go into that. The earlier posts in the series can be read here: IIFT, XLRI, MDI.

IIM Lucknow, one of the top 5 management colleges in the country and arguably the 4th best IIM right after ABC. There’s a lot that goes with just the IIM tag, not to mention the kind of culture and brand Lucknow carries with itself (It’s called Hel(L) for a reason). I’ll right away say that this interview wasn’t a convert, and Lucknow doesn’t declare a waitlist so I’m not sure where was I placed. In case you still want to read just to know how’s the process, here you go:

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Image courtesy: InsideIIM

Disclaimer:

1. Some things here might be influenced by my opinion.

2. You may find some sentences being repeated in other posts, that’s just to make this post relevant as a standalone one.

3. Things may change this year (They have actually, weightage to cat is decreasing with every passing year), but the way they take interviews shouldn’t.

4. And lastly, a lot of tense confusion might be there since the actual post was written right after the interview.

My IIM-L WAT/PI experience.

My profile:

General /Engineer/ Male.

CAT score: 99.46

Work ex: 28 Months (I work for OFSS as a developer)

10/12/UG: 92/92/6.2 (The 6.2 translates to 62%)

I’m also a published writer and had a startup back in college.

Date: 1st March Morning slot, Noida.

I reached around 8.45 AM, was 15 minutes late, it didn’t seem to matter too much. Everybody was given a serial number and document verification was being done in that order, I was the last guy.

WAT Topic: Indifference to ideas challenging national unity can be disastrous. 15 Minutes.

It took me around 2-3 minutes to even understand and think about what to write. Managed to finish within the word and time limit. Assuming that everybody was going to relate to the recent incidents, I tried diverting a bit and didn’t give too much stress on the current affairs. Don’t know if that works in my favor or against.

After the WAT, the verification was done in my case, then I was asked to take the data form to the other building where the interviews were being taken.

Interview:

I was the last guy to be interviewed. There were two people (Both Male, in their 40s) in the panel, and I guess there were 14 panels, with every panel interviewing around 12 candidates.

Interviews had begun when I reached, on an average everyone was in there for about 15 minutes, ours was Panel 1 which wasn’t grilling any candidate too much.

P1 came out and called my name for the interview. No questions about myself to begin with, they directly asked me if I was interested in ABM. I said no and that I’d already unchecked it in the data form. They asked me to write it again and sign it.

Then P1 started reading out my profile to me. Told me how I have cleared so many exams before and about my good score in Boards. I knew where this was going so I started smiling. And without further ado I was asked, why the low CGPA. I didn’t try to defend it and said that it was a mistake, I lost focus and I shouldn’t have. Then I told them about the reasons I lost focus, to try and get them to ask me something about my book or startup. But no, P2 asked if I think going for engineering was a wrong decision. I said no and said that despite being a 6 pointer I don’t think I’m a bad engineer or I’m bad at academics and told them how I was one of the best performing employees in my office. They still kept asking me if I’m satisfied with what I’ve done, if I could have gotten a better job had I scored better in college. This was followed by some more explaining.

Next P1 asked me about the three key takeaways I have from my job. I answered that. I was then asked a few follow up questions on that. Normal HR stuff. I had mentioned that creativity is a very important part of life and P2 asked me to prove that I’m creative. I gave him an example of a project at my work which was entirely different from what we normally do. I also mentioned writing a blog/book. While answering I realized that he wanted me to do something creative right away, but it was too late for that, and he seemed convinced too.

Then the big question, why MBA? I told them a 3 point answer of why I want to go for it. They seemed quite convinced with it. No follow up questions.

Then P2 asked what an algorithm is. Answered. How do you decide that an algorithm is better than the other for same program? I said time complexity is one criteria, they asked me for more, I answered but they didn’t seem convinced. Then I was asked if I’m updated with the current affairs, to which I said yes, expecting my knowledge of finance and budget to save the day for me. But they only asked me the definition of Budget. Which I told. Then the difference between Economic survey and Budget. Told that too. Then I was asked what is a 5 year plan and who makes it, and I still can’t believe it happened, but I forgot who makes it. Then P1, who was a very friendly person throughout, told me the answer and asked me if there’s been any recent developments there. I said a few things about the NITI Aayog but I wasn’t sure so I shut up soon.

No technical questions, no current affairs, nothing about my profile or extra currics, no maths… basically nothing that I’d studied for in the past 7 days. But it still went for 15+ minutes. I didn’t feel it was a bad interview at any point, but a B-School like IIM-L definitely needs more. So, let’s see. (Update: Not a convert)

Some FAQs:

1. Duration: The whole thing gets over in 2-3.5 hours, depending on your turn. I was the last guy and I was out in 3 hours. But there were candidates in other panels still waiting.

2. Take your personal data form and fill it properly, make no mistakes about your preferences etc.

3. For all I know, the ‘why MBA’ question is the most important part of the interview.

4. I’ll update as I remember more. Not a convert, but I guess my cgpa had a lot to do with it. All the best for your preparation.

I’m currently a student at XLRI, you can read this blog for more of experiences about the same and some other general crap that I write.

My XLRI Jamshedpur GD-PI Experience

Recently I wrote about my interview experience with IIFT. In continuation to that series, (and my worthless attempts to keep the blog alive and kicking), here’s my GD-PI experience at XLRI Jamshedpur. This post is special for two reasons, one that this is one of the longest posts on this blog, and two, I ended up joining XLRI and am sitting in a class as I post this, so there’s a personal connect to it (and a faculty’s constant looks).

XAT 2016 was taken by over 75000 students and was considered by many major b-schools of the country much like the previous years. XAT 2017 has been bigger and better in both magnitude and execution. As the score cards for XAT are out and soon the results will be as well, here’s something to help you gain some insight on how the process is.

About XLRI Jamshepdur:

As the Web says: One of the top 5 Management colleges in the country, Xavier Labour Relations Institute, widely known as XLRI was founded in 1949 by Fr. Quinn Enright s.j. in the Steel City of Jamshedpur. Fr. Enright visualized XLRI to be a partner in the liberation and development journey of the independent India with a vision of “renewing the face of the earth”.

The oldest b-school in the country, XLRI’s HR specialisation is considered to be one of the best not only in India but across Asia as well. XLRI’s business management course is also one of the best in the country and is highly regarded for its academic rigour and quality of education. Not to mention the USP of the institute, the alumni that are everywhere in the industry.

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Disclaimer:

1. Some things here might be influenced by my opinion.

2. You may find some sentences being repeated in other posts, that’s just to make this post relevant as a standalone one.

3. Things may change this year, but the way they take interviews shouldn’t.

4. And lastly, some tense confusion might be there since the actual post was written right after the interview.

So here is my XLRI-BM GD/PI experience.

My profile:

General /Engineer (NIT Jaipur- ECE)/ Male.

XAT score: 99.395

Work ex: 28 Months (I worked for OFSS Pune as a developer)

10/12/UG: 92.6/92.2/6.2

I’m also a published writer and had a start-up back in college.

Date: 13th March Afternoon slot, Mumbai (XIMR).

I reached around 1.15 PM, a few candidates were already there, and the process started at 2, no document verification was done.

GD Topic: Is religion an economic activity? 40 Minutes (We were 8 people).

In the time that we had waited outside, we had discussed how GD at XLRI is different from others and decided not to let it become a fish market. So, one of the guys began with a point for the topic and rest of us added to it. After about 20 minutes we started discussing the points against, which was quite a difficult task. Many of us deviated a lot. This was the time I gave some good points. By the last 10 minutes we were discussing the criteria for the arguments and decided the best arguments in unison. Overall it was done quite well; I do believe my performance could have been better. It was quite a long GD and everybody got a chance to pitch in multiple times.

Interview: (It’s a long one, went for around 30 minutes)

I was the second last guy to be interviewed, yet again; I don’t know what these b-school interviews have against me. There were three people (All Male, in their 40s) in the panel.

Every interview took around 25-30 minutes, started at 3 PM, my turn came at 6.00.

As I went in, I was asked if this was a tiring day, to which I said yes. Out of the three people in the panel, two (P1, P3) had my forms (the questionnaire etc. that we’d filled). The one person in the middle (P2) asked me to hand over my folder. And this happened for the first time in the last 9 years since I gave my first interview that somebody wanted to look at my certificates!

This is how it went on after that.

P1: So Shubham, as I can see in this form, class X 92.6, class XII 92.2, and then MNIT Jaipur, 6.2. How much did you enjoy your life in college?

Only if I had a penny every time I was asked that. I’d started laughing midway when he was asking the question, and the other two panelists too were smiling, knowing that I know the question.

Me: There’s no excuse for that performance, sir. I lost my focus and performed badly.

P1: What made you lose your focus?

Me: Although I’m not blaming my activities for my bad academics, but I had my own startup in college, and I also was too much into writing and published my first book in 2012 and I guess somewhere I had to pay the price with my academics.

(From there on it was all about my book)

P1: Tell me how the MRP of a book is decided. What are the important factors?

(Answered; told in detail about the pricing in the industry)

P1: So how do you explain the prices today, do you think self publishing is better than traditional?

(There were a few more questions in the same topic)

(Answered)

P3: What was your book about?

(Told. I kept smiling throughout, since it was a humor/fiction book and the name is ‘My EX Fell in Love’, one ought to get nervous saying that to such a senior person)

P3: Tell me a three things that you’d tell a new writer who wants to get published.

(I told him about the issues I faced and the mistakes I made. As soon as I mentioned the second point, i.e., define your target customer, he cut me off and asked me about my target customers)

(I told him about their age and other demographic data. He wasn’t convinced and asked me for more. This went on to the extent that I even told him the eating habits of a few of my readers. (I didn’t even have to make anything up; this was actually easy to tell))

(P2 (who was looking at my certificates till now), asked me a few more questions about the book, the publisher etc)

P1: Ok, enough about the book. Tell me about your startup.

(I explained the b-plan and why we’d started it.)

(P1 then asked a few cross questions about the start-up and its domain that I answered)

P2: So how do you think management is going to help you in your career?

(One of the 50 shades of why MBA question)

I answered it, connecting this to my start-up and before I could complete, P1 interrupted: I think you’re only coming to MBA to get a good brand name in your profile, that will make it easier for you to get funding.

Me: Sir as much as I agree that XLRI would be a big addition to my resume, I don’t think NIT Jaipur is a small brand name or the fact that I was a student entrepreneur was not enough to get me funding.

P1: So why didn’t you go full time with your start-up, or writing for that matter?

Me: For writing, it was never the plan. I wrote the book because I wanted to, not because I thought I’d make it a profession. For the start-up, I didn’t have a vision.

(And then I said a few more things like where I lacked and how I plan to learn that in MBA)

P3: So does your family know about your writing?

Me: Of course!

P3: Did they like your book?

Me: My parents did, so did most of my friends. My sister didn’t.

(Everybody laughs)

P3: So how did you take her criticism?

Me: (Told how she disliked my work and gave me a few things to improve which I did, and how she really liked the things I wrote next)

P2: By the things I wrote next, do you mean another book?

Me: Yes sir. (Shouldn’t have said it I guess. Blunder!)

P1: So why didn’t you publish it?

Me: Sir I had to halt the project, I couldn’t think of an ending that’s worth the story I’d written.

P1: So what if you come to XLRI and then think of an ending and end up compromising your studies here?

(This started sort of an argument where all the three panelists tried to tell me that I’m a good writer, that was evident to them from the questionnaire too, and I should not even think of MBA and go to full time writing instead and I kept defending my decision till what seemed like an eternity)

As soon as this ended, all three looked at each other and asked me to go. 20 minutes, and the interview was over! I stood up, and then P3 realized he’d something to ask and asked me to sit again.

(This was followed by some basic questions about publishing and business, and some more grilling on why I am not going for writing full time)

(I was also asked about my performance in GD, to which I said it was average, and I’d rank myself at 4 out of 8. When they asked me who the best was, I named one guy, then I also named one for the worst, which kind of surprised them, but I was pretty confident with my reasons for both)

P2: Can you tell me someone who started writing around the same time as you but managed to make it big?

Me: Nikita Singh. Her first book came around a few months before I started writing and today she’s one of the bestselling authors in the country.

P2: So what does it take to be her?

Me: (I mentioned the need of a network and many other things and how I wrote a story with her)

P2: You have all that don’t you? You’ll probably ditch us in the middle of your studies!

Me: Even if I do, and even if I can make it as big as her, I don’t think I’d be ditching anybody. (Followed by how her work has degraded with time and how I don’t want to be a part of that Engineer turned MBA turned Author clan, and write good books even if I do)

P3: Shubham, look me in the eye and tell me one thing, don’t you think if you manage to get one bestseller in the coming years, you’d leave everything and take up writing? Am I wrong?

Me: No.

P3: (Looks at the other panelists) told you.

Me: I’m sorry sir but by no I meant I’m disagreeing with you. Sorry for not making it clear. I don’t know if what you say can happen or not, but saying that by succeeding in one thing I’ll fail in the other is wrong. I’ve paid the price once in my academics and it’s not happening again. No matter what B-School I go to, I can tell you I’ll be one of the best there, regardless of what I do apart from academics.

This is the time it came to an end. P1 asked me if I have a copy of the book to gift him, I said I wish I’d brought one. To which P1 jokingly said bring a copy to the college if you get selected.

As I stood up to go out, they offered a candy, and then asked to take one more as I took one. And then asked to take another one (Well, more candies for me!)  by this time everybody was laughing, I don’t even know why.

Some FAQs:

Duration: XLRI-BM interviews go on for about 25-30 minutes on an average. I reached the centre at 1.15 and my interview was over at 6.30, I’m assuming the last guy left at 7.
Your certificates matter. Take them.
Make sure you know your questionnaire responses and video inside out.
Be very very clear about your reasoning and opinions. Express yourself.
For all I know, XLRI interviews don’t focus that much on your knowledge of academics or the world around you, it’s more about how much do you know yourself.
Sorry for taking so much time of those who read this, this was probably the longest and the most in depth yet chilled out interview I’ve had, I just had to share this.

The post was originally published on PagalGuy. My other interview experiences can be read here: IIFT, MDI, IIM-Lucknow.

Since I am a student at XLRI, my experience of the campus life can be read in this The Hindu Business line article 

My interview experience with IIFT

Preparing for CAT, XAT, IIFT, NMAT and a thousand other exams is a story of almost every engineer who is either too specific about his targets or is essentially aimless. But that’s a conversation I’d never have on this blog (What else would you expect from an engineer turned writer turned IT employee turned management graduate, sounds too cliched eh?)

So I’ll come right to the point. About a quarter million people appear for CAT and other such exams every year to be marked on a 100 percentile scale in order to join the rat race called admissions. The whole saga of IIMs and other b-school admissions then begins taking them through various processes like GDs, Interviews, WATs (Written ability tests) and what not. Having been through all of this in 2015-16, I believe my experiences could prove to be useful for some people. So here’s my interview experience with IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade).

What is IIFT?

As the wiki says: One of the top 10-15 Management colleges in the country, The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is an autonomous public business school established in 1963 by the Government of India (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) to help professionalize the country’s foreign trade management and increase exports by developing human resources; generating, analyzing and disseminating data; and conducting research. Its flagship program is the Master of Business Administration in International Business (MBA-IB)

Picture credits: CollegeDekho.com

Disclaimer:

1. Some things here might be influenced by my opinion.

2. You may find some sentences being repeated in other posts, that’s just to make this post relevant as a standalone one.

3. Things may change this year, but the way they take interviews shouldn’t.

4. And lastly, some tense confusion might be there since the actual post was written right after the interview.

My IIFT WAT/GD/PI experience.

My profile:

General /Engineer/ Male.

IIFT score:  58.66 (99.55 %ile)

Work ex: 28 Months (I worked for OFSS as a developer)

10/12/UG: 92/92/6.2

I’m also a published writer and had a startup back in college.

Date: 2nd Feb Afternoon slot, Mumbai.

I reached around 1.25 PM. There was no document verification done. The process started at 2.

WAT Topic: Urgent requirement of a public transport infrastructure in India.  20 Minutes.

Basically I wrote about the traffic problems in India and lack of connectivity which indirectly affects the economy. Gave a few examples and ended with some potential solutions. Not sure how good it was, but I’m definitely getting 2 less marks for my handwriting.

GD: Are the companies in India socially responsible.  Everybody speaks one by one for two minutes each, and then the floor is open for 10 minutes to be summarized in the end by 1-3 people.

We were 11 people, I was the last guy. Everybody chipped in a few points, but it got quite repetitive with everybody mentioning how Tata, Infosys and Reliance are using the CSR to do social activities. I mentioned the work by MSMEs and startups, and how CSR shouldn’t be the only parameter. The floor was open for around 10 minutes where everybody contributed. The moderator didn’t really look very impressed with the points. He asked 2 people to summarize, I felt like the 2 summaries didn’t really capture the whole thing so I requested for a chance and summarized it myself.

Interview:

Once again I was the last guy to be interviewed. The students were divided into three batches. The panel taking the GD wasn’t the one that took the interview.

The interview process started around 3.10 after a short coffee break. As expected, the interviews were quite chilled out with no candidate being grilled too much. They were asking questions on current affairs, academics and the interview form; nothing too deep. Most candidates were free within 10-15 minutes. My turn came at 5.30.

As I entered the room, I was asked to sit down and explain the things I did in the waiting period of two hours. I said I took a walk, had a coffee, asked others a bit about their interview. They asked me if that helped, I said it didn’t. Both the interviewers were quite jolly. They asked me to entertain them, since they are tired after so many interviews.

I told them that I have some experience in Radio Jockeying and I could do a bit for them. They were surprised, and asked me to go ahead. I did something like what we hear on radios, and included them in the things I said, even played a song for them. They started laughing.

Now comes the part where they ask me the question that nobody could ever ignore, WHY THE LOW CGPA!!? (Sorry for the extra loud writing) And I started defending it with my usual answer. But they told me not to defend my cgpa, as the extra-currics are more than making up for it. I still said that I could have done better.

They asked me what I do in OFSS, why I want to go for an MBA and if selected, which field would I choose to go for.  I answered it all. Then I was asked my CAT and XAT score, and on hearing that I have other calls, they asked me what if IIML also selects me. That’s where I probably screwed up, and instead of defending one institute, I started criticizing the IIM admission policy (Even I’m asking myself why). Although the interviewers took that too casually and started discussing what should be the criteria in my opinion, where I supported the way IIFT and XLRI select candidates.

In short, the interview was quite relaxing, with no academic questions or even current affairs/Finance for that matter. It was over in 10 minutes, give or take two. I’m sure the upcoming interviews are going to be very different from this.

Not expecting anything yet. But I guess it was a good start to the season.

Some FAQs:

1. Duration: The whole thing gets over in 2-4 hours, depending on your turn.

2. The IIFT administration is absolutely student friendly, no matter what’s your issue, they’re always supportive.

3. Take a look at things like the IIFT Website, Foreign trade policy of India, Demonetisation and the GDP controversy, might come in handy.

4. Your parents can accompany you, at least in Mumbai and Kolkata there is space for waiting.

5. I’ll update as I remember more.  It was a direct convert to IIFT Delhi, which I ended up not joining owing to some other results.

Tagged: CAT, cat preparation, demonetisation, IIFT, iims, interview, mba, wat, XAT

IndiPR.com: An initiative by Indiblogger.

It’s been long since I last wrote a blogpost, and a lot has happened in that duration. I plan to write a lot in the coming months, but all of that I’m saving for later. This post is for this one particular place that I love, a website to which I owe most of my achievements in blogging, and some really great friends who I met through it. I’m talking about Indiblogger. The Indi team is amazingly innovative and efficient, and they always manage to surprise the bloggers with a number of initiatives they keep taking up, may it be the blogger drives or the happy hours. This one, is the all new IndiPR. This is something that I just had to tell all my readers. Do give their press release a read.

IndiBlogger Launches IndiPR.com – A self-learning engine that automatically targets the right publishers



Thousands of businesses, products and services are launched everyday across the world. When these products go live, a Press Release (like the one you’re currently reading) is usually the first order of business. Businesses of various sizes, including start-ups, can now have their Press Releases published by relevant influencers in less than 72 hours.

IndiPR.com was built to make it extremely simple for a business to get their Press Releases published by top bloggers. All a business has to do is upload their Press Release and the ‘Automated Influencer Targeting Engine’, or ‘AITE’ for short, proceeds to accept applications and automatically shortlists bloggers based on various factors including internal ratings and rankings. Once shortlisted, the influencers do their research and publish their articles.

Anoop Johnson, Co-founder & Director of Marketing at IndiBlogger, adds, “With a starting budget of just USD 150, a business of any size will be able to get their press releases published by influential bloggers with a few clicks.”

IndiPR.com assists digital marketers with a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, SEO, content marketing, generating awareness and gaining much needed conversations around the product, driven by internet users on influencer platforms like blogs.

One of the main issues that most marketers face when working with influencers is the cumbersome process associated with identifying and targeting each Influencer. Karthik DR, Co-founder & Business Head at IndiBlogger says, “The amount of time that people spend in trying to identify and contact influencers is huge. With IndiPR.com, you don’t have to worry about any of this as the system just needs your Press Release. The rest is history!”

In the future, IndiPR.com will carry more than just Press Releases. Influencers will be able to get creative assignments, get invitations to attend the trendiest launch events and be privy to the latest news on the planet before the world wakes up to it.

Renie Ravin, the Founder and CEO of IndiBlogger, says, “We believe that this system will help Influencers with fresh and new content on their site every day. In a way, you could be writing about the next Google without even realising its immense potential.”

Contact Information:

Anoop Johnson

contact@indipr.com

Phone – +91-9900-001655 or 0124-4891498

Now I’m excited as hell about this, and I’m sure so are my fellow bloggers. Here’s wishing all the luck to both Team Indi and the brands that will be using this engine.

PS: I have a lot to say on this blog, just a little more wait, and you’ll have your dose of humor (and pathetic jokes) in your inbox.

 

Tagged: brands, indiblogger, indipr.com

Waking up to a Gold Morning

I was recently asked about my mantra of keeping my mornings fresh and cheerful. After laughing for a minute about it, I started thinking about those times when I woke up at 9 in the morning to miss the first and the second alarm, the office bus, the bed tea, the breakfast, the Halley’s Comet, and the holocaust… Erm… In short, my mornings were mostly not even close to being cheerful. It was rather a prelude to an even gloomier day I’m going to have myself or make it for the others.

But then I realized the importance of having a good start to a day, (if you think I’m going to preach like one of those TV ads, you’re probably right), and made some amends to change the way I wake up. My alarm got peppier (from the usual Samsung ringtone to ‘I wanna be’ by Bryan Adams), my breakfast got healthier (Or tastier as the Diet Nazis would put it), and I started making those small to do lists to be finished before afternoon. It might seem small, but these activities can actually make a big difference to the way you start your day.

And in comes the big question, am I there yet? That’s what I asked myself when I saw the #Colgate360GoldMornings campaign. The campaign is simple, to tell others how to convert your mornings into Gold mornings. And the answer to that question was, no. I was still not in the situation where the mornings are the best part of my day. Now would be the time I say that I’m not a morning person, but then again, I’m not an evening or night person either. Is bed person a thing?

So what else can one do to make his mornings better, or Gold mornings, as they say? Waking up next to your hot partner is one solution, I know, but that’s not an option for most of us, don’t you think. So what else? If you’re already done with alarm and breakfast regime that I mentioned, may I suggest Greenday? I mean, once you hit the playlist and start with the ‘Boulevard of Broken dreams’, there’s pretty much nothing that can get you down from that high.

Oh, and one more thing would be to revolutionize the way you spend your morning. Like changing your toothbrush to Colgate 360 Charcoal Gold? And trust me, I’m not just advertising here, look at this wonderful proof that I have which is making my Gold mornings everyday!

Now would be the time you tell me the things you do. And Make sure you visit https://www.facebook.com/ColgateIndia to stay updated for even more Golden mornings!

Tagged: colgate, colgate360gold, indiblogger, mornings

Book review: The bestseller she wrote.

You must be wondering if I’ve started doing book reviews on ABugInMyMind… Well, the answer is no. But I had to make an exception for two reasons, one, it was about time I post something good and two, my original book review blog is kind of taken down temporarily… well, mostly the latter. :D

Coming to the review, Ravi Subramaniyan, also called the John Grisham of India, decided to bring a change and deviated a little from his usual style of writing gripping thrillers based on a banker’s life. This time it’s a story of love, fame, betrayal and deceit, based on a banker’s life. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ravi’s style of writing, in fact “Bankster” is one book that I’ve recommended to almost all of my reader friends, but this change in form of “The bestseller she wrote”, didn’t really appeal to me in a way his other books did. Although, as a standalone book it’s still great, but that’s a cost you have to bear when you’re an author everybody looks up to.

 

Here are a few details about the book:

Title: The bestseller she wrote.

Author: Ravi Subramaniyan

Paperback: 392 pages

MRP: INR 295/-.

Publisher: Westland (19 October 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9385152386

ISBN-13: 978-9385152382

Back cover:

Paperback king, Aditya Kapoor’s life is straight out of a modern man’s fantasy. His literary stardom is perfectly balanced by a loving wife and a spectacular career. With everything he touches turning to gold, Aditya is on a winning streak.

Shreya Kaushik is a student with a heart full of ambition. Young, beautiful, and reckless, Shreya speaks her mind and obsessively chases after what she wants. And what she wants is to be a bestselling author.

What happens when their worlds collide? Is it possible to love two people at the same time? Can real ambition come in the way of blind passion? Can trust once broken, be regained?

Master storyteller Ravi Subramanian, delves into the glitzy world of bestsellers and uncovers a risky dalliance between a superstar novelist and his alluring protégé.

The Bestseller She Wrote is a combustible cocktail of love, betrayal and redemption.

 

Review:

The back cover blurb does intrigue one to read the book, I’ve got to give it to the author for that. The story begins with Aditya, who is married man with a son, is a successful author and a successful banker. He goes to IIM Bangalore to deliver a talk where he meets Shreya, and thus begins a story, at first with an argument which later turns Shreya into a big fan of Aditya.

Ravi has tried to be a lot different from his style, especially in the first half with all the love bits. But he very much compensates for it in the next half with the signature thrilling style and twists and turns that will not let you put the book down.

If I go too much into the story, I might give away some spoilers which I don’t want to. So I’ll say this, if you’re a fan of Ravi’s work or want a light read for the weekend, this book is definitely a good pick. But I’d rather you not have too many expectations from it. Normally this book would be a 3.5/5 for me, but having read other books by Ravi, I’d give this a 3/5.

 

I’m pretty sure that most of you already know where to buy this book. In case you don’t, here you go: Amazon.

You can also know more about the book and the author through these links:

Ravi Subramanian’s Website: www.Authorravis.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorravisubramanian
Twitter: @subramanianravi
Instagram: Ravi Subramanian on Instagram
Blog: www.Authorravi.com
Video 1: https://youtu.be/w2MiP8D6Bbw
Video 2: https://youtu.be/WS-jPOiqYhU

 

I am reviewing â€˜The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Tagged: blogadda, Books, Indian books, Ravi Subramaniyan, The bestseller she wrote

Making travel easier, the stayzilla way.

Disclaimer: This is a review post based on personal experiences.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”

This quote by Saint Augustine is probably the best inspiration one can get to start travelling. I’m not much of a traveler, but I still love it when I get the opportunity to leave everything behind and experience the unexplored. And as I once said it in one of my previous posts, it isn’t only about travelling, you also should know what the attractions in the city you’re in are and most importantly, you need a place where you can crash in and give a perfect finishing touch to your travel experience. A good hotel stay is one of the most important and an often overlooked aspect of any holiday.

So what do you do to manage these hotel troubles? Reach the place and then look for one, or book one in advance and then reach the place? In any of the cases, there’s always a chance of ending up with a disaster. And while there are many solutions coming up every day in this ever-changing world of technology, we’re bound to like the ones that offer us the most options in the simplest ways possible.

Which brings me to StayZilla!

I came to know about StayZilla through the amazing BNLF program by Indiblogger, and haven’t been able to stop myself from appreciating them ever since. Stayzilla is essentially a one stop solution for all your stay needs. May you be a traveler who’d like the comforts and services of a multi star hotel or someone who loves the feeling of being at home, or you’re not a traveler but would like to help one by renting your place, StayZilla has got it covered for you.

What I liked the most about the app was the peppy interface, which is something many apps have tried recently, but very few manage to get it right.

Let’s say that you want to travel to Mumbai and need a perfect place to stay. All you need to do is to download the StayZilla App from here (Stayzilla on Google Play | Stayzilla on the App Store), choose what you want to do (Host or guest), enter the basic details and your location and voila… you have a plethora of options on your screen. And there are pictures and reviews to make your job easier too!

There is a chat option too, so if you’re facing any trouble, the customer care is right there; no need to dial any numbers and wait in queues.

Although there were a few things that I didn’t like, for instance, no clear option to go back and change my preference as a Host or a Guest once I logged in, no clear help available in the app apart from the customer care chat option and the absence of a make suggestion option, I believe that what is a good product without a scope of improvement. So let this blog post serve as a suggestive one too, rather than just being an appreciative account :)

To bring this to an end, let me show you this video:

Oh, and for all my readers who are already cursing me for not posting for so long, kindly bear with me for one more week. There’s a lot in store for the month of November :D

So stay happy, keep travelling, and use stayzilla.

Tagged: indiblogger, stay, Stayzilla, travel

Solving the Food Fix.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the ban on our very own Maggi noodles. Being the farsighted guy that I am, I’ve always had this habit of buying and storing stuff on the weekends. Now imagine this, you go for a movie late at night and come out of the theatre at 12, your stomach is craving for dinner more than Ronaldo for a penalty, you walk back home proudly knowing that you have a pack of Maggi waiting to be cooked at home. And only when you open the box you realize your favorite lifesaving noodles are gone. What do you do? It was the kind of hour when no shops in the vicinity would be open, and even my neighbor, who I’m pretty sure is a werewolf, is asleep!

The question I just left you with above is what you call, my friend, a Food-Fix. I moved to Pune 2 years back. We were 3 flat-mates, and owing to our amazing non-cooking skills and awe-inspiring laziness, not having a proper kitchen in our flat seemed an amazing idea back then. “We have so many places right outside the apartment, we’ll never have a problem eating out” was like a war-cry for us, repeating it every day. But little did we know that we’ll be facing so many of such ‘Food-fixes’ in the coming years. I’ve faced such situations many times, and I also remember sneaking into my flat-mates room and stealing a pack of cookies. But I was done with these things, (Also, my flatmate was out of cookies). So in this Maggi fiasco, I didn’t want to be the one to suffer.

So what did I do? I found out everything edible I had in my room and made my own recipe. I had an apple, two pouches of ketchup and two eggs. So I made an omelet. The only problem is that I didn’t know how to make an omelet, so what started off on the journey to become an omelet ended up being a beaten-down-poached-egg-with-a-little-shell-still-there. Since I managed to make something worth being waxed in madam Tussaud’s out of the two eggs that I could have just boiled, I had no option but to eat the sad and lonely apple and cry myself to sleep. And just so you know, apple with ketchup is not a good idea.

But that incident warned me for life. So the next morning I clicked on a link one of my friends had sent to me on WhatsApp. It was a referral link to the TinyOwl app. To be honest, I was not very hopeful, my past experiences with food ordering apps weren’t falling in the definition of pleasant, but as they say, a hungry man will do anything, and that includes installing an app. But here comes the big surprise, as soon as I opened the app, it felt like I was falling in love all over again. The interface, the smoothness, the easy to understand steps… everything made me want to order even more. And I did. Not only was my first order free, it was delivered on time without a single interaction with the customer care, which is a big deal. And I remember, I was so happy with the app that I put up a review on the playstore right away.

As you can see, I was a little too happy with the experience. I put this review up a few months back and since then I’ve placed over 30 orders from Tinyowl. I’ve been using online food ordering apps for quite some time now, and as I said in my review, nothing comes even close.

I was in another Food-Fix some time back. When I returned home with a friend at 11 only to find out all eating joints around my home closed. Being aware of my saucy apple and egg massacre, she was obviously in no mood of making me cook for her own good. And that’s when TinyOwl came to my rescue. Not only were there options available to order at midnight, there were discounts too! I’m not very proud of it that I still take all the credit for the late night Pav Bhaji she apparently loved, so thank you, TinyOwl!

This wasn’t an endorsement, but rather an experience and an account of how I’m loving not having a kitchen now! It fills me with pride when I see startups from our country doing this well and I’m sure that 5 years down the line, when people will talk about the game changers in the Indian startup culture, TinyOwl will be a front runner in the names.

And yes, if the tinyowl management is reading this, here’s my full review that I couldn’t post on the playstore.

Since June last year, I have placed over 150 online food orders. I have tried all the online stores and vendors out there and have tried all the apps. And let me tell you, none of them even comes close to what Tinyowl here has created.

This app is changing the online food ordering experience altogether and spoiling the customers at the same time, I mean I don’t see a reason why anyone would want to order through some other app after having the Tinyowl experience.

The referral programs lets you order your first meal almost for free and then there’s a plethora of offers to keep you going. Till now I haven’t received a single call from the customer care telling me that what I ordered isn’t available. The orders are delivered on time as well.

Coming to the app, the flow is crisp and the UI is the best in the segment. Even the app size isn’t too much for any phone to handle. And the best part is, no emails bothering you about your feedback or ratings or anything. Simply your invoice is what they mail you. Everything else is taken care of right from the app, which is great because it is the fastest way of reaching out if your food is late, which it mostly isn’t.

And now that the review is too long, I’ll end it by saying that you’re missing on a lot if you haven’t tried it yet. I just hope they make suggesting a restaurant easier in the next update, I got some of my favorites that aren’t there yet.

Happy meals :)

Damn, did I ramble on for too long again? I knew that was going to happen! Anyway, I’ll end this now, just make sure you have TinyOwl (Android and iOS) in your phone, so that you are never in a situation where you have to eat an apple with ketchup… ever…

Tagged: Food, Food Fix, Online Ordering, Tinyowl

The man who brought the nation together.

“Dream is not that which you see while sleeping it is something that does not let you sleep.” These are the words of one of the humblest, most intelligent and intellectual human beings I’ve ever met. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, the man who gave us the vision 2020, is not with us anymore, and to me, this news was a bigger shock than one can imagine.

It was around 10 PM yesterday (July 27th) when I switched on the television only to know that we lost one of the most amazing scientists our country has seen. For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was hard for me to accept the fact that someone I, in fact the whole world, admired so much is no more. Later that night, I was afraid to even look at my social media feeds, I was sure that they’ll be filled with people saying RIP and telling how much they’re going to miss him, and while some of them will be genuine, most will just be following this never ending social media fad of posting anything and everything that’s in the news. But more than my intolerance for things like these, it was the child in me who was afraid of even hearing these words again, that Dr. Kalam is no more.

I remember my first encounter with him, it was his book ‘Wings of Fire’, I was in class 10, and it was the first autobiography I ever read. As I was just 10 pages into the book, I could actually imagine all those things happening and Dr. Kalam actually narrating that to me. And why not, I had been a big admirer of him since I was 6 (but my knowledge about him was confined to the fact that he was a Bharat Ratna awardee who was able to make everyone understand what science is and give India an all new scientific outlook). Now that I was getting to know so many new things about him, I never wanted that book to end. But it did, and left an ever lasting impression in my mind. I used to keep the book with me whenever I traveled, it was always on the top of my favorites’ list, not to mention that I always mentioned it any of the conversations about books I had with anyone.

Him, A.R. Rahman, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar, these five people, in my opinion, are above likes and dislikes, good or bad, religious or any other communal boundaries. And I so badly wished that I get to meet them at any point in my life. Thanks to my Alma-mater, a part of that wish was almost realized when Dr. Kalam visited MNIT Jaipur. I couldn’t talk to him, but I got to see him from a few yards’ distance, and I still remember how ecstatic I had felt that day. His speech that primarily concentrated on how we can transform the world around us by transforming ourselves, is something that changed a part of me that day.

I personally haven’t seen anyone who’d say that he doesn’t like Dr. Kalam, or doesn’t respect him for what he did. And there’s a reason for that, in the 84 years that he spent with us mortals, he actually lived a life that was worth a thousand years. Apart from his unending achievements and an unprecedented scientific aptitude, he was a man with a superhuman endurance. He is probably the only person for whom being an ex-president of a country is just another small point in the bio, for many of the other things he did, including the conceptualization of mission 2020 and the Agni missile, were no less than miracles.

I had no intention of telling the world how much I’ll miss Him, or to add another RIP to a billion that are already there, but he was one of those people whom I can never forget in my life, whom I admired almost religiously, and probably that’s why it was important for me let it out.

I’m sure the heaven needed some good science teachers, and I’m sure Dr. Kalam will be happy getting to meet Dr. Sarabhai there. All I can say is, there are some things in life that we can’t change, but if we could learn and apply what he taught, even half of it, in our lives, and ignore all this politics and communal hatred that’s eating us away, we’ll be living in a much better world.

I’d end it with the words of Mary Elizabeth Frye, for nothing could fit this situation better.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

Tagged: Abdul Kalam, Agni, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, india, Science

Cherry’s first love with Dabur Baby oil!

You guessed it right, this is yet another post for my little nephew and my recent gift to him. :)

I was told that when I was a kid, I loved massages, erm… I mean, unlike most babies, I didn’t cry my lungs out when it was massage time. I used to smile instead! And it was kind of similar sight when I saw my nephew getting his first massage. Enjoying like he was born for it. So when blogadda came up with the activity #FirstLove with Dabur Massage oil with olive and almonds, I just had to sign up for it. I wanted my nephew to get what’s been trusted by so many for over years.

So let me tell you first about the awesomeness that this new avatar of Dabur oil is, all experienced real close. :D

“One of the most trusted brands in India – Dabur has launched a new massage oil for babies that is designed to give the most benefits to the delicate skin of babies. The good news is that it is free from harmful parabens and paraffins which are detrimental to a baby’s health. Dabur Baby Massage Oil is enriched with the natural goodness of olive and almond oil. This oil nourishes the baby’s skin and regular massage with this oil is known to help develop the baby’s muscle fast and enhances quicker bone formation. The Oil has also been dermatologically tested for skin safety.”

And unlike many products that mention something and give something else, ahm ahm, I found out that every word in the above lines is true to the fact.

Let me first show you some of the pics where my neighbour’s little kid enjoyed the pampering with Dabur Oil And following that is my own nephew.

Aren’t they looking happy? And well, just so you know, this massage has such a lasting effect on the kids that he is happy all the time. Look at him.

Well that’s partly because he enjoys bathing too, unlike me. :P

So how do I feel after doing this? Too good, I must say, after all I gave him something that will nourish him and help him grow into a smart and intelligent boy, kind of like his uncle. And that’s not it, this oil is actually better than anything else that we’d used for this purpose. It isn’t rough for his skin, he smiles even more now that he likes the light fragrance that is coming out of it and most of all, my sister likes it, and I guess a mother’s approval is the most important, isn’t it? So I’m happy that cherry is happy. And I want to thank Dabur and Blogadda for not only giving me this opportunity but giving me some extra bottles that I could gift to our neighbor too (Who, by the way, are also permanently switching to this oil now!)

This is it for now. In case you have a baby (Or planning to have one :P ), you know which is the best thing you can offer your child right after your love :)

I am writing about Dabur Baby Massage Oil with the goodness of olive and almond for the #FirstLove activity at BlogAdda.com.

Tagged: blogadda, Cherry, Dabur baby oil, kids