This transcript captures the remarkable 35-minute Personal Interview of Neelesh at IIM Lucknow. An OBC male candidate with a BA in Economics and CFA Level 2, Neelesh scored a 99.17 percentile despite facing immense personal hardships.

The Interview Dialogue

P1: You have completed CFA L2, why MBA then? You will get a very good job just with your CFA. Me: Answered.

P1: What are derivatives? Me: Derivatives are financial contracts which derive their value from some other asset which are called underlying.

P1: What kind of assets? Me: Stocks of companies, currencies, bonds, or any commodities.

P1: What is IRR? Me: It is Internal Rate of Return; it is used to equate some series of cash flows to the present value of an asset.

P1: What is yield? Me: It is related to the return of bonds, but I can't recall the exact definition at the time.

P1: Neelesh, why was your graduation in distance mode? Me: Because sir, I completed one graduation in Hindi literature previously.

P1: Why did you pursue two graduations? Me: Sir, in the first graduation I scored only 49% marks, so because of that I was ineligible for IIMs, so I completed another graduation.

P1: Why did you score so low marks? Me: Sir, I was district topper in 10th and 12th boards and wanted to prepare for JEE, but in 12th my father suffered from Bipolar Disorder Type 2. Because of that, I had to take all the financial burden of my family and started working in a local grocery shop as a helper, for which I got 5,000 rupees per month.

P1: So what were your learnings in those 3 years of your life? Me: Sir, I saw how the shopkeeper manages the relationships with consumers in the optimal way. Basically, in rural areas, business is mainly driven through relationships with consumers, and most of the consumers are daily wage laborers and farmers who don't have the money to buy groceries on time, so my shop owner sells them groceries on credit. How he managed that credit risk with relations was a learning for me.

P1: And what did you learn from your experience in that work? Me: Sir, I learnt how to manage time efficiently because I had to take my father to hospitals and manage my college with my job. I learnt how to prioritize things in life because at that time I got into depression seeing my friends going for UPSC preparation or joining Allahabad University. I knew the time I was losing was going to hurt me in the long term, but I prioritized my family over everything.

P1: Neelesh, tell me how many types of Gitas are there? Me: Sir, there are many types of Gita. Basically, Gitas are only two: first is the primary Gita and the other is the Uddhav Gita which was propounded by Lord Krishna to Shri Uddhava before Lord Krishna's ascendance to Golok. Others are interpretations of them, like the Aghori Gita.

P1: What is the main difference between Upanishads and Gita? Me: Sir, the basic difference is there are mentions of different gods and deities in Upanishads, while in Gita Lord Krishna said "sarva dharma parityajya ek mam sharanam gamah..." which means leaving all religions just surrender to me and I will give you salvation. Also, Upanishads mainly talk about Gyan Yoga, while in Geeta there is mention of three or four kinds of yogas.

P2: I have not met any person with so impressive a personality at the age of 21. But listen beta, I know no one can be happy of pain, but at least be happy of the lessons it taught you. Me: I think it was the biggest gift of God to me because during this period I entered into mysticism and yoga. I feel very happy because I have seen everyone just wandering in the veil of Maya without understanding the true reality.

P2: Is that view not fatalist? Me: No sir, basically in the yogic view, in every life the Atman learns some things, and after many lives when it learns everything, it will become one with Parmatmana.

P2: The field you are coming in is full of unethical practices. How will you manage that? Me: Sir, the answer is in Mahabharat. Lord Krishna told Pandavas that for a larger better cause, committing some unethical duties is not that bad. Take the case of Lord Yudhishthira; he uttered the name of an elephant as Ashvatthama on the call of Lord Krishna.

P2: What is that larger cause? Me: Sir, just come and visit Bundelkhand once. You would see poor and hungry faces and the harsh realities of migration. That is the bigger cause. What we need to do is utilize our factors of production in the most efficient way to free my people from that cruel cycle of poverty.

P2: What is the plan, Neelesh? Me: Sir, we have the cheapest labor and most fertile lands. We need to industrialize these places with agricultural-centric industries and increase capex, which would increase consumer disposable income and the marginal propensity to consume.