XLRI interview experience 2nd March 2009

When i was preparing for interviews i found the huge repository of B-School interview experiences on the net really useful. Maybe some of you would find this one too...
XAT percentile:99.26
VA:96 QA:97 DM&LR:98 DM:Decision Making
My profile
Profession: Production and Industrial Engineer,NIT Allahabad
Work Experience: 8 months, Bajaj Auto Ltd.,Supply Chain Management
The interview took place at St.Xaviers,Mumbai at around 4:30pm. I was one of the last few candidates for the day.Three professors were there...I would name them P1,P2 and P3 for the sake of convinience...
G : May i come in sir...
P1: yes yes, Gaurang Plz do...oh by the way how tall are you?(i am really really tall...so was expecting this one)
I sign the sheet lying there...and hand my folder to P3...
G: Sir i am 1.94 mts tall...(wanted to sound like an engineer...back fired :( )
P3( scary person):In feets son...
G: 6ft 3 inches sir
P1:So do you play Basket-ball?
G: No sir I play cricket...
P1:If you were to tell a youngster, two things you ve learnt from the sport,what would they be?
G: To never quit and Team-work...
P1:Justify
G:Sir in the 1989, Sialkot test Sachin Tendulkar got hit by a Waqar Younis snorter on the nose.With blood flowing out of his nose he was asked by the team doctor to leave the feild.But he precisely said "mei khelega" and ended up standing alone and preventing an Indian defeat.In the post match confrence he said"it dint feel very nice but i wanted to thrash this bowler."So if a 16 year old boy can do it then...(P1 interrupts)...seems satisfied
P1: How team-work?I feel it is a very individual sport...
G: Sir i used to field as a boundary rider for my team....now with those long legs if you can save a few boundaries...then that can be the difference between winning and losing a crunch game...The idea is to identify the skill sets which various individuals bring to the team and use them effectively,this can be the difference between a winning and a losing combination...
P1: You know so much about cricket...then why not become a cricket analyst...Why PM&IR?
G: Sir india is the second largest HR in the world...with people moving across geographies and with new technologies emerging across sectors i see a lot of scope...
P1:Ok suppose i am a common man...Market me a Bajaj bike....
G:Lets talk about the commuter segment here...Bajaj has models like XCD 125cc.135cc and Platina 125 in this segment...As a common you must be looking for mileage in a bike and XCD 125 cc gives the best mileage amongst all other bikes in its segment...Sir we are also the world leaders in twin spark technology,which helps us achieve almost zero incomplete combustion of fuel(and with no-one saying anything i went a statement too far)...
Sir,Bajaj is the best technology company in terms of motorbikes....(i thought i would get away with it and was about to do some damage control when the inevitable happened...)
P3 (sacary person) kicks in: Oh ya! really!Is it the best technology company?
G (holy s**t):Sir,It's an opinion...(every-body starts laughing)
P3(mellows for the first time): That's a better answer!
G:(I just smile...)
P1: So what do you think is the difference between indian and american bikes in terms of safety?
G: Sir bikes are inherenetly unsafe...(the moment i say this everybody is all smiles)
P1:What is the death rate due to accidents on indian roads?
G:(I did not see that one coming)I dont know sir!
P1:You manufacture bikes and you dont know this?...(almost urging me to blurt out an answer...)
G:Sir,I dont think i would like to take a guess on that one...
PI passes onto P2
P2 in the was in the meantime going through my folder...
P2:I see you have read economics as a subject in class 12th...I would like to ask a few questions on the same?
G:Fine sir...(managed a smile...though on the inside...i knew this was the lull before the storm)
P2:Which major economic theory has been disproved in the present economic scenario?
G:Sir,In the World Economic Forum meet one of the major things that was discussed was the tendency of capital markets to self correct themselves...it's not there
P2:(Nodded his head)
G:The theory was given by Adam Smith...(Father of Capitalism...)
P2:(Again nods his head)What was the name of that theory...?
G:Sir, I would like to take just a moment to recall a little...after 2 secs come up with i dont remember sir...
P2:The invisible hand...
G:(I just nod)
P2:You say capital markets dont self correct themselves...but i see stock markets obeying this law?
G:Sir i would like to disagree a little...
P2:(Nods his head)
G:I have read about Paul Krugman, He is a noted economist he said "We created financial structures which were so far removed from reality"...that he termed it as off-shore capitalism...
Every one nods...
I was about to carry on when he passes it on to P3 saying would you like to ask anything?
P3:No...that ll be all...Thank you Gaurang...
P1:All the best Gaurang!!!
G:Thank you sir...
P3 hands over my folder to me...i leave...
It lasted about 20 minutes and it was a roller coaster...

After the excruciating wait of about 20 days...results were out and guess what...I will be studying Management at XLRI,Jamshedpur...