Is Dumbledore dead?

Ok, a lot of websites talk about this and let me pitch in my views on this:

1) I feel Snape is surely a good guy. No need to point out the evidence. Only a dumb idiot would miss the fact that in every book she tries to make him the bad guy and finally he turns out inculpable. Moreover, plenty of evidence in book six to suggest that he is indeed a good guy, such as "Dont call me a coward" scene, Dumbledore pleading Snape to "do the job" when he says "Snape, please"....come on, a man like Dumbledore would never plead for his life, and if he was not pleading for his life, then it was something more and if it is really something more then Snape is a good guy.

2) Secondly, JK has supposedly informed her fans that Dumbledore is defly dead (in an interview as an answer to Salman Rushdie). Here I have a new angle,

Consider this:

IF you are JKR, and you are asked :

"Is Dumbledore dead?"

You can say:

1) No. He is not dead.
--> And therefore give away a lot, and a lot of readers, though happy, would feel "what nonsense, why did she reveal the suspense"

2) No Comments.

--> In which case it become obvious without you telling....that Dumbly is not dead.

3) Yes he is dead.

--> The safest route. You have to stick on to what you have thus far said so that people shut up and stop asking more questions. Tomorrow, even if you wake him up from the dead, nobody is going to complain. And on top of it, as far as Book 6 is concerned he is dead. So he is dead. Full Stop. So JKR is not really lying anything.

Considering the three options, JKR has only used the best viable option, and I still tend to think Dumbly is not dead :)....I will give a 80:20 chance for his survival (or rather some sort of a comeback). A 100:0 chance for snape being the good guy. And if it really turns out Dumbly is dead, he sure has done a lot more (perhaps kicked out a few more horcruxes, taken care of a couple-a death eaters etc, without informing Harry, and also has arranged for a lot of other things which may unravel later) than what has been mentioned thus far.

Eagerly awaiting book 7 with Rs.1000 and for movie 5 with Rs. 100 in my hand :)

My IIM B interview experience

Reached B'lore in the morning of March 6. The push for a better infrastructure in the city seems to have made a leeeetle impact. Roads seemed to have become a bit better than the last time I was in B'lore.

Anyways, let me come to the point.

My interview was at 2.30. GD started with a case study. I was 5th in the group of 8 (1 guy did not turn up).

GD was a very simple topic. I started to speak and on the whole I think I did quite well. Easily among the top three performers and arguably the top performer. But I guess GD does not matter much.

Then the PI starts

2 profs took the interview. One person a very cordial smiling face. Let me call him P1. Second prof a bit of a serious type and "Cut the bullshit" look. Let me call him P2.

I go inside

P2: Let me see your certificates

P1: So Bala. Tell me about yourself. Not the usual stuff. We have read your SOP and all...but tell me something more about you as a person
Me : Usual start....then blah blah about my strengths. Told him about my nature and stuff. And then went on to hobbies....blah blah more...

P1: So you are a creative person. What have you done that makes you think you are creative...

Me: Sir, I blog. I write short stories, they have come in oracle magazine, and famous websites...blah blah.....
Also I make advertisement and posters for the Ora Vol Club and Emp. Club at oracle (wanted to take and show him the posters I had done from my file, but he said "thats ok...we believe you")
Also in my own team I have done this and I have done that blah blah blah...

P1: Hmm...so are you a deviant?
Me: <>Hmm, sir, are you asking in a positive sense or a negative sense?
P1: I dont know. You tell me.
Me: If I take it in the postive sense then yes. I am not someone normal. I have certain abilities that make me special. I am creative. blah blah..more nonsense...
P1: So , you dont follow rules and ethics?
Me: No sir, if I take "deviant" to mean someone who does not follow ethics then I am not a deviant. I follow ethics.
P1 : So , tell me 2 people from India who are creative.

Me : Thyagaraja swamigal in carnatic music is a creative genius...he has done this he has done that blah blah
P1: Is he one of the trinity?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Ok enough. Tell me someone who is alive.



Me: Infy Narayanamoorthy

P2: Ok tell me what he did that makes you think he is creative.
Me: Outsourcing. Pre 1991 Economic reform era. He was a person who spotted opportunity where there was none...blah blah
P2: Was it just him or his team?
Me: It was also Nandan Nilekani and others in his team
P2: Who else were there?
Me : I am not sure of the names of the others. But there was a team.
P2: So is Narayanamoorthy creative or his team?
Me: The team.
P2: Ok, so tell me, is being creative being innovative?

Me: ...sir could you repeat that?

P2: If I say that I am creative, am I also innovative.
Me: Yes.
P2: So if I just sit and think about atoms and me flying amidst them , and doing arbit things, am I innovative?
Me: Sir, no. Just thinking about it is not enough. One should put his ideas into action, only then he becomes innovative.

P2: Ok, now to the GD. You were suggesting that the person use a AC Taxi, and reimburse the fair for non AC right?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Now you are oracle sales head. Larry asks you to go to Argentina...
..............
..........

lots of stories. And then he gives me an ethical vs. unethical drama...

Me: I chose to stick on to ethics at the cost of losing my money.

P2: So you will lose so much money from your pocket?
Me: Given all the conditions I would.
P2: Ok, then next larry asks you to repeat that excercise.....
Me: Oops. That puts me in a tricky situation indeed.

.....they decided to move on...

P1: Who are Oracle's competitors and what is oracles most serious threat today....
Me: I wanted to take the ERP story....started off with acquisitions, SAP .....
P2 cut me
P2: Is ERP oracle's primary business?
Me: No sir it is Databases.
P2: Then tell me about the competitors of Oracle DB
Me: Sir they are, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Teradata, MySQL

P2: Tell me about MySQL
Me: Sir it is a freeware
P2: Freeware?
Me: It is an open source Software
P2: Is open source same as freeware.
Me: No sir. Open source is not same as freeware. But My SQL is a open source available for free download on the internet (I think I went wrong here...not sure if it is a free download)


P2: Compare My SQL and Oracle
Me: Gen fundas....basically more robust...blah blah
P2: Yahoo.com uses MySQL. Why?
Me: some more fundas....Gave some large customers who use oracle

P2 was not satisfied and he said...
P2: Dont tell me why Oracle is good. Tell me how yahoo manages with MySQL
Me: Some fundas...such as Yahoo may have a lot of servers to handle the number of requests...

P2 went on to the next qn.

P2: So why MBA
Me: The usual fundas.
P2: Hey come on, why not a neurosurgeon. You can be a neuro surgeon and have all the things you just said.
Me: Sir, not in my interest....blah blah...
P2: Why here?
Me: Esteemed faculty, peer group...student exchange blah blah...
P2: Boss. You are not coming here to look at our old faces are you? There is something in you that motivates you to come here. What is that.
Me: Down the lane I want to be a business leader in the IT Space and I think IIM B is the right platform to get there.
P2: That is what I wanted to know. That will be all. Thanks for your time.


Me walked out...not knowing how it went...

Guess I will know soon....

Keeping fingers crossed for now...

yo
cb