Public Works

Work on the IIT section of the Vikroli Jogeshwari link road has been on at full throttle the past few months. Any public infrastructure project in this region has taken thrice the sanctioned schedule time but right from the outset the Gandhinagar - Y Point stretch has been different.

The moment the Gurudwara was moved the intent to get stuff moving was apparent. And within 4 months, I am happy to say that I have travelled on the newly laid lanes on either side of the old road. (A guiding map can be seen here.) However the way the lanes are laid out is inefficient, atleast to a passerby. The new lanes are completely disjoint from the old ones and (in places) at a different elevation too. From Gandhinagar to YP, there is a huge chasm between lanes flowing in the same direction. As a result the roads have taken up a greater area than the area usable to traffic. However I am positive that the planners had an excellent reason to design it such.

But to be frank, I have felt (and been telling it to anyone who lent me an ear) that the traffic scene had shown a significant improvement since the same time last year even before the new lanes were opened. Frankly, the situation (beyond YP) on the downhill was never really too bad. It was the other lane that posed an uphill task. The reasons were clear to see:
1. Bad state of roads leading to slowing down of traffic.
2. Frequent breakdown of heavy vehicles that found it hard to negotiate the stall-start-move a couple of feet-stall routine on that stretch.
3. A signal at YP that was adhered too 30 secs. too late, coupled with
4. traffic streaming in from the Maddu Mess lane leading to general indiscipline.

In the last year, they managed to (howsoever temporarily) fix the roads.
But the turning point was the closing of traffic from inside IIT-thru YP-towards Andheri and in parallel preventing the traffic from maddu lane to move towards Gandhinagar. With 1 fixed and 3 & 4 eliminated, things in the past few months were genuinely good. If I experienced traffic on the uphill (near Suncity / Vodafone), I routinely bet with myself that a tempo or larger vehicle would have broken down right in the middle of the lane somewhere ahead - which it what it almost always used to be.

Point being that I am genuinely satisfied with the BMC, MMRDA on these fronts - [1. Improving existing road conditions; 2. Getting 2 new lanes up and running] - and would like to pause to applaud them.

However, in the last few weeks I noticed a really disturbing trend. Since vehicles exiting IIT through YP can't take an immediate right towards Andheri, they move a hundred feet left and take a U-turn in front of Phule Nagar (BEST bus stop). A passenger vehicle exiting IIT is likely to be in the left-most lane. Hence the U is neither quick nor clean. An Alto can cause significant disruption in both directions.
Similarly, the exit of the Maddu mess lane into the Gandhinagar direction is blocked using simple concrete bricks. Persistent nudging at them by Bikes and Autos creates a breach. All it takes is 4 bikers to wiggle through over and around the bricks, and before your eyes the break is big enough for a rickshaw to pass. Santros, Boleros and tempos follow within minutes.

Its really disheartening to see people (either campusities or visitors), and I can cite a few other examples of we behaving such. How hard is it to realise that there was a reason the police didn't want you to go towards Andheri after exiting IIT through YP. Ditto for those wanting to go from Powai market towards Gandhinagar?

How does the Police (given the weak dividers that fall apart in 15 nudges and the unruly traffic) maintain any flow on the road?! If at the end of the day people in Powai (both IIT campusities or those living near the Market) are experiencing incessant honking, layers of dust and smoke it is likely to be thanks to someone they know, rather than the government.

I will try and get some pics. or maps to make the point more visual. Also, the condition of the roads will only be tested in the monsoons. On that front the MMRDA isn't off the hook yet. There is a lot the government can do, but the locals too need to stand up and act sensibly.
In the mean time, this article compares Indian Urban Roads (in New Delhi) to London and Tokyo.

Fundae!

Well with the CAT results, I am surprisingly being sought out to dish out CAT Fundae. I happened to write a couple of articles for a web portal - Test Funda.

The articles can be found:
1. 10 months to CAT ’09
2. Verbal Ability

If you happen to reach the end of the articles, do let me know how you find them.

The IIM A PI

Unlike the other 6 calls that are scheduled in Bombay, my WIMWI Personal Interview doesn't give you that choice. Its held in Ahmedabad itself. My date with the interview panel was on 14th February at 1:45 pm. However the panel seemed in no mood to spread the love.

I flew to Ahmedabad on the morning of the interview itself. (In retrospect, a bad idea since I was counting on airlines to deliver on time.) Many people in my panel had reached the night before. Ahmedabad also gives you campus accommodation at a reasonable price, something I didn't known off! I was on the same flight as Ameya Muley (CSE BTech 05) and Glenn (who was with me at IIM K). As a result the rickshaw fare was split 3 ways :D Yay!!

14th Morning was (apparently) the first slot for IIM A calls this year. So the essay / no-essay mystery wasn't resolved until we actually reached the campus and spoke to people in the morning slot. The waiting area too was definitely better. We reached around 10 am, giving us ample time to kill and ample cookies to eat. The interviews of people in the morning slot were a mixed bag - which told me that second guessing the panel was an utter waste of time. However given the number of people (from IITB / CSE) that I knew, it turned out to be a good killer of time.

Our proceedings began with an on-time attendance at 1:45, in which we were slotted in 3 panels of 9 each. I was the 8th fellow in the 3rd panel which meant that their love would test my patience. However, we were called in a room and asked to write on Whether Nehru's temples of learning should remain elitist? 10 minutes is definitely less for the essay and most of us barely finished it. I wrote a few lines about why IITs/IIMs were set up and how elitism is a natural outcome of the engendering factors. We left our grade card copies behind along with the essay. This round was done with by 2:15 pm and I settled in for a long wait. The coffee, cookies and chatter helped a great deal.

Finally at around 5:20pm I was called in. While I was pretty relaxed all afternoon, I got a bit nervous just before entering the room. I handed over my file to one of them (L) , while the other (R) had had a good look at my courses and began spreading the love.

L: So tell me something about yourself?
M: blah fart blah fart fart!
L: But everything that you said is already here (in the form). Tell me something more.
M: some more blah. (In retrospect, should have capitalized on this)!

R: So I see you have taken a course in Convex Optimization?
M: Yes
R: Can you tell me what a convex function is?
M: (excited at knowing what the exact answer was, started blurting out inexact terminology...) the graph of f(x) at a midpoint of x and y is lower than midpoint of the function values.
R: (with a wtf???!! on his face) Can you be more clear?
M: The value a function takes at the midpoint of x and y is less than the average value of f(x) and f(y).
R: (Goes to the board and draws a sinusoidal wave) f(0) = f(2pi) = 1. f(pi) = -1.
M: blah blah blah ..
R: (hurling mental expletives my way) Wait take a paper and let me know once and for the last time.
M: (finally clearing up the air) For 0 <= m <= 1, f(mx + (1- m)y) <= mf(x) + (1-m)f(y). R: So what do you know abt the derivatives of f(x)? M: 2nd derivative is +ve R: and first? M: +ve .. no wait .. can be -ve R: So is it -ve? Take a katori.
M: sorry -- It can be +ve and -ve but it is an increasing function.
R: Increasing??
M: Non-decreasing (pulling at my split hair!!)
R: ok.. so what is a convex Set?
M: If X, Y \in S then mX + (1-m)Y \in S, for 0<=m<=1.
R: So you call such a combination of X and Y as,
M: Convex Combination
R: What would you call it if you removed the bounds on l?
M: Linear combination
R: What is a Linear Transform?
M: told
R: What is an Affine Transform?
M: said something which was eerily similar to Linear Transform
R: Isn't it the same as Lin. T?
M: (mumbles) I am not sure what an Affine Transform is.
R: (fuming) and you say that degree project is in Optimization.
M: (It wasn't) No sir, its in Theory (and explained the confusion)

R: So tell me whats NP?
M: (roll of eyes, mentally) told. Proof verification etc.
R: So can you check primes in polynomial time?
M: Yes
R: Are you sure?
M: I think so (but was mentally in unfamiliar territory)!
R: How?
M: not sure..
R: Can you check composites in poly time?
M: Yes. We can ...
R: So what is NP-hard?
M: I think, it is ...
R: No that is NP-complete.
M: Sir, to the best of my knowledge. NP is ..., NP-hard is .... and NP-complete is their intersection
R: ok. So are their problems which aren't solvable?
M: Yes
R: Like
M: PCP - Post's correspondence problem
R: What is it?
M: Explained what I remembered. I think it was correct.
R: Can you prove that PCP is not solvable.
M: Outside the scope of the syllabus :P
R: Any other problem?
M: umm..
R: Halting problem
M: Yes, the Halting Problem is ....
R: ok.
L: So what are your hobbies?
M: (They were listed in the form) Reiterated.
L: You cycle in Bombay?
M: Try to but have been from .. to .. in Himachal.
L: What do you read?
M: Named a few
L: Thats it? :-o
When Was the last novel that you read?
M: White Tiger, 2 weeks ago.
L: Before that?
M: Hungry tide, around Aug.
L: (complete smirk) Is that what your top-hobby is? Reading 1 novel in 6 months
M: shrug
L: so trekking would mean going to Matheran a couple of times!!
M: No sir. Did this did that..
L: hmmph!
R: So tell me why do you want to do an MBA?
M: Sir, in college I did th (cuts)
R: you know, we really hate this answer. This seems to be the stock answer they teach in classes or something. Do you have any idea what real life management is about or what you'll learn in classes?!! Its not the same as Event Management. If you want to organise Mood Indigo or Saraang, so join an Event Management company. (kya samaj ke kahaan kahaan se aa jaate hain!!) Any IIM call you attend, ye answer mat dena. Humein bol diya to thik hai (.. anyway shayad hi lenge)
M: Sir, that was only part of the reason. But I really want to learn, network and other default reasons.
R: (giveup)
L: (core dump)
L: So you seem to have taken a course with Management school. What was it about?
M: Game Theory to various sectors
L: What can you say about the Infrastructure industry in India.
M: (stumped!) Slowdown, demand bottoming out and chug chug .. stall
L: ok.. What was the major event wrt. Public Transport recently?
M: Railway Budget was presented yest. (13th Feb.)
L: How was this yr. different from others?
M: Interim. The details of the budget new schemes etc. can be changed by the next govt.
L: What new schemes?
M: New trains. New coach factory in Bihar.
L: What about Bombay? Anything for Bombay?
M: Not that I could catch
L: What about A'bad?
M: umm..
L: Anything that Bombay-Ahmedabad have in common in the budget?
M: umm..
L: Was initially Bom-Ahm and now might be extended to Pune
M: Sir, had I read about it, I would have recollected it by now. x-(
L: hmm... They plan to run the first bullet train from Bombay to Ahmedabad.

(look at each other) L: thats ok! Take a toffee and your file.

(as I rise)
R: So tell me, Do you celebrate Valentines' Day?
M: If I had a girl-friend, I definitely would.
L (to R): IIT-ian hai yaar.

All Laugh and curtains!!

It went on for about 20-22 minutes. In retrospect, that I got hassled up at the start was my undoing. Had I taken a short breath before each answer more of what I said would have made sense in much less time. The panel was much better. After a long day, I was just happy it was over.

The IIM K GD - PI

The IIM Kozhikode Group Discussions were the first to start. Apparently they hand out a number of calls and hence their rounds last a while. Mine was on the 12th of February in the afternoon. The venue for the IIM K calls is Dadar Catering College also known by some freakish long official name.
I had a quiz in the morning, which meant that I had to rush to Dadar thereafter. The cab was pricy and I ended up paying through my nose. The K call letter had a set of 4 questions to be answered. Due to quiz mugging I could only manage 2 until I landed inside a cab. I never appreciated the smoothness of the Eastern Express highway as much as ever before nor did I realize how much could be written in a minute of red signal stillness. I reached just in time for the attendance. They had 3 panels of about 9 each. I was the 4th in the panel 3. They started delta late and called our panel to a room.
We were to be watched over by 2 profs. P1 - wearing denims and sneakers, who did most of the talking and P2 - who seemed very observant. The GD topic was given on a paper and wanted us to discuss whether UGC should introduce Astrology as a subject in universities. I made half a dozen good points. The GD went on well with most points being covered. At the end of it I was satisfied :-) They asked us to leave our forms behind and step outside. So far so good.

The waiting area was a corridor with a single file of chairs. I felt stuffy and had a walk around the college. The interviews before mine were turning out to be a mixed bag of acads + workEx. I made a few conversations but largely kept to myself. Each of the first 3 guys took an average of 20-25 minutes.
I went in with my file and an unusual perkiness. They didn't ask for file and the other thing put them off!!

P1: How do you calculate the distance between 2 points?
S: In what dimensional space [...]
P1: Choose something
S: under root of square of blah blah
P1: So if I give you a distance matrix between 20 points can you determine their co-ordinates?
S: If there is a solution, there are infinite.
P1: many questions abt. the same thing. It seemed like a favorite questions with him. He had asked a few other people the same question. I don't know what he was trying to get to - but I seemed pretty confident that it was a simple question and not much could be different. Went over the basics of co-ordinate geometry, whether translation / rotation happens and how.

P1: Moving on. If I want to host a website how do I do it?
S: blah blah abt. buying webspace, setting up server etc.
Each time I didn't say something - he would prompt me for it and I would with time figure out what he wanted. I said everything (right and wrong) that I knew about hosting web pages, internet connectivity, DNS, Apache servers, IP addresses and allocations etc.

Having spoken about these main headings he abruptly said I could go. I was surprised since he hadn't had a look at my form while that was the only thing P2 did. P2 didn't say a single word. They didn't ask for my file - which I presumed was a routine. The overall experience lasted barely 10-12 minutes so I really don't know what to make of it. Either they have a strong reason to take me or they thought I was too arrogant and anyway wouldn't join and hence have a strong reason not to take me.

However I did meet a few people who I think am gonna be meeting often in the coming few weeks. The indepth knowledge of the procedures and technicalities that they have awed me. To sum up, it was a decent experience but not as much a preparation for IIM A as I had hoped. Thankfully, the return ride fare was shared !!

Debate!

Life is general has been good to me in the last few months. (I hope I don't have to regret it though .. )
NLS Quarters, Bro came, Mihir got married, Got placed, Dada got married a few times over :P and to top it off - CAT results (Here and others)!! Eventhough just before the results came out, I had realized that my performance was better than I earlier thought, the actual result was unexpected.
The past month (****!! Its a month already) has been a blur. It was heartening to know that so many people genuinely care about you and take efforts to wish you well. While a thank you is definitely called for (and procrastinated) this post isn't about that.
Its about:

BCG	IIMs
+ Great Job	+ Good Formal Education now
+ Firang MBA later	+ Relatively cheap (fees)
+ Job in otherwise bad times	+ Land a job when the good times return
- Have to continue education when times turn	- Lose out on Intl. exposure

I have left it at even keel at the moment though I have a few reasons on either side :D but (to the few people who read this) I want to hear from you - What according to you is the best course of action?!

9:00

6:59 by Shane Koyczan starts

I’ve been told
that people in the army
do more by 7:00 am than I do
in an entire day ...

While, 9:00 am isn't quite the same as 7, still when you are in time for a 8:30 class only to realise it got cancelled - a surge of happiness floods you that the entire day lies ahead of you. :-)

Until, you open e-mail, reader, blogs, and before you know it'll be lunch time!!