Interview

I was interviewed by Vaish and here is how it went.

So....here we are, to interview our verrry own Shtudd boy... Mr.Kadalai Gopal...oops..I'm sorry ....Abhishek Gopal... :D...Well, it's going to be tough, but I want honest long answers and juicy answers Mr. Gopal!!! So here goes...

Right, I am all set !

1. Let's begin with your talent, your greatesht talent.....putting Kadalai....now don't deny it!!! It's a fact that you were king of kadalai at one point of time! Not anymore though. So Tell us about your ability, in detail?

You flatter me with such titles and compliments, I must say! There is no ability as such, it is just a way of life :) I am not denying anything, but at the same time, I am not accepting it as well. And it definitely is not my greatest talent, not something I would put on my CV ever. Let us just say that I like talking a lot, and more often than not, it has meant that people around me assumed that I was putting "kadalai" when all I was trying to do was probably make decent conversation about the weather and seeing whether the other person would draw diagrams on my record for me :) Imaginations can run wild, I say !

2. Interesting, but a lot of details are missing! ;-) I heard about a certain incident that happened while you were in SVCE, with a certain "Anjali Sharma"... what exactly happened!!?

Ahhh!! You are well informed, I must say ! It happened years ago and frankly, it was nothing but a prank played by a few friends. They pretended to be someone named Anjali Sharma, and later told me it was a prank. Quite funny, in retrospect.

3. Fascinating,I'm sure there are other such interesting episodes which we will discover soon, but lets talk a little about academics, shall we. Your blog boasts about it and we all know that you are currently pursuing an MBA at IIM-Ahmedabad. You were all set to do an MS if I am right, but you suddenly tripped and landed here. I know for a fact that you never stepped into any coaching centre before you wrote CAT. So tell us the whole story, right from you deciding to do your MS to you landing up in an MBA at the most prestigious institution in India, if not the world.

Its no story, it kind of just happened I guess, one of those things that you can't explain. Yes, an MS is what I had in mind, but a combination of personal reasons plus other stuff regarding the university where I got financial aid compelled me to do an MBA. I don't regret it actually, its been a fun two years and I have certainly learnt a lot here at Ahmedabad. Yes, I did not go to a coaching center simply because it was not pre-planned. And I am decent at Math and English and just went into the exam hall with the intention of giving it my best shot. It cost me 1100 bucks, after all to write the CAT. I had no intention of marking random answers. One thing led to another after that and I found myself with interview calls from the IIM's. I went to the interviews with the same mindset and made it to IIM A. The rest, as they say, is history.

4. Oooohh.....somebody's a brain boy...but oh....don't hate me for this next question! What is your advice to our regular humankind who are attempting CAT next November?

Advice !! Absolutely nothing. Just keep cool, give it an honest attempt and if its meant to be, it will happen !

5. Ok!!!! That was refreshing....So...heading to our next question...What has been the most embarassing moment in your life ever? How did you tackle it?

That's a good question, but unfortunately, I don't have a great memory and I don't know of too many 'really' embarassing things that has happened to me. The incident mentioned in question 2 is one for sure. Others being when I got sent out of class for sleeping and banged my head against the half open door twice. I usually laugh at myself and thereby the situation really doesn't become that embarassing.

6.Hmmmm...Nice.... Tell us a bit about your School and your school life?

School life was spent at Vana Vani inside IIT Madras. Amazing place, lush green everywhere, amazing teachers, friendly students and superb atmosphere. I spent twelve years there and enjoyed every bit of it. I still go back to school when I get time and try and keep in touch with a few of my teachers and classmates as well. School was to me, a home away from home and I enjoyed to serenity of the place as well. I would recommend Vana Vani to anyone simply because of the location and the kind of students who go there.

7.Thats great, though it was a long time ago! You seem ancient all of a sudden. You're what? 22? My.....that's old :P....But no..actually, where do you see yourself settling down in the future? India or Abroad? and wherever you choose, what is the reason?

Sigh ! I do feel old. Yeah, been over five years since I left school. And honestly, I don't know the answer to your question myself. It looks as if it will be India. I want to remain in India simply because it is an amazing place to live. I love the chaos and the lifestyle here. I still have a few months to decide though.

8. Super.... you're a true Indian, heart and soul!!! Okk... I'm boring you....and I'm also getting bored....so last question.....What is the one thing you will do anything in the world for to achieve/do/get......and why?

Strange as it may sound, I don't have those extreme desires at all. All my ambitions have been within normal limits of achievability and I have never really wanted anything very badly. Most things in this world are achievable if you put your heart and soul into it, and if you don't get it even after the effort, maybe it was never yours in the first place.

That was amazing.... Thank you so much Mr.Gopal, for your time and energy! I'm impressed by your answers and most definitely entertained! :D Wish you all the luck and good fortune in the future!


Thank you very much! It was a pleasure talking to you!

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Interview rules:

1. Leave me a comment saying "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and may offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them questions.

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Cheers