On that Most-frequently-asked Question ❤️

On that Most-frequently-asked Question in Interviews

Republic Day Thoughts | 26th January 2025

In recent months, I was honoured to be part of a plethora of Panels that recruited Teachers / Professors for their respective Schools / Universities.

And one question that was frequently asked to each of the candidates during their interview was - 

What has been your contribution to your Institution in your capacity as a student / faculty member?

And this question, as we all know, is being repeatedly asked - by default - in most of the interviews – and for a reason though!

That means to say that, institutions today are not interested in your skill set or your range of academic achievements alone!

Although the candidate may have a high range of skill sets and intellectual prowess, if he/she isn’t service-oriented towards contributing to the cause of their host institution, then, chances are - their stint as a faculty member would also become purposeless for the institution’s advancement!

However, if the student had contributed to their Institution in whatever capacity that they possibly could, during their stint as a student, there’s a certain degree of conviction that they would sure contribute to the Institution that recruits them as a faculty member as well.

On the other hand, if the student had just ‘made use’ of the services of the school / institution to advance their own personal objectives, without caring to contribute to the progress of the Institution in any way, the management might presume/infer that, they have just enjoyed the bounty and the plenitude of the institution that hosted them, without bothering to contribute to their Institution in any way, whatsoever.

As the current Dean of International Programmes, every month we interview lots of students who apply to study abroad for their Internships or for their Semester Abroad / Semester Exchange Programmes.

In a two-tiered interview process, that usually includes the HoDs and the Principal in stages, the Dean and the Associate Dean of International Programmes pose this question to the student –

So what has been your contribution to your Institution so far? In what capacity have you contributed to your College? Do you have any authentic evidence to corroborate / substantiate  your claims?

That proves the decider and the clincher!

Well, quite recently, we had Ms. Chandrika Tandon, our illustrious alumna, who had contributed a huge sum of money towards the establishment of the Boyd-Tandon School of Business in Campus.

Chandrika Tandon is a ‘globally recognized business leader, Grammy-nominated artist, and humanitarian’, and she takes credit for being one of the very few Indians to have donated huge sums of money to the United States’.

The Boyd-Tandon School of Business was formally inaugurated by her on Tuesday, 21st January 2025 in the College Premises.

Interestingly, her famed sister Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PEPSICO, also happens to be an alumna of the Dept of Chemistry, MCC.

Getting into MCC was indeed a herculean task for Chandrika, since her parents had wanted to get her married when she turned 18.

However her grandfather’s suggestion that she join MCC, and her subsequent hunger strike to somehow make it to MCC by all means, made her join MCC for her Undergraduate Programme in Commerce. (1970 – 1973)

During her stint as a student, her contribution to her Institution was way beyond measure. She was not only part of the Cultural Team of the College Union Society, winning laurels for the College in many inter-collegiate events, but also contributed to the College as member of a host of Committees, including the Magazine Committee, in a very consistent manner.

This proved to be her tipping point to stardom as well – elevating human happiness through her talents and skills.

The New York Academy of Sciences, pays soulful encomiums to Chandrika on their official website –

Her passion for fostering emotional well-being is focused on emanating love, joy, and transcendence through her music and artistry. At the height of her business career, she reevaluated her life and definitions of success, reformulating her business life to intentionally include music, service, and meditation.

India Today too pays glowing tributes to her will and resolve to contribute to society - 

Chandrika Tandon's power isn't about wealth alone, which she has — and gives away — in plenty. It's in how she empowers people, both economically and emotionally, through her grants and songs.

And this is where, purposeful living comes to the fore.

Purposeful living happens when one starts to nurture the greater common good.

So what do we mean by the greater common good?

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has quite an interesting definition on the subject –

In any community, the common good consists of the facilities and interests that members have a special obligation to care about in virtue of the fact that they stand in a certain relationship with one another.

In a family, for instance, the family home is part of the common good because the familial bond requires members to take care of the home as part of a shared effort to care for one another’s interests in shelter and safety.

In a university, the climate of academic freedom on campus is part of the common good because the special relationship among members of the university community requires them to care for this climate as part of a shared effort to care for one another’s interests in teaching, learning and inquiring.

Suppose that a relationship consists of a set of requirements for how people who stand in the relationship should act towards one another—e.g., parents should feed their children, parents should clothe their children, children should defer to their parents’ judgment, etc.

On the occasion of our 76th Republic Day today, let us rededicate ourselves towards a purposeful life – a life that has the greater common good in mind, in our own little ways.

Yesterday, in my II MA Class, I was telling my students on how to rededicate themselves to the service of the Nation.

You and I can contribute to our Nation in our own sweet ways.

With our talents, skills, ideas, writing, blogging, vlogging, tree-planting, community practice, etc.

This makes our everyday life purpose-driven and rewarding as well.

Let me end this post with two powerful quotes from two powerful leaders of the 1960s.

John F Kennedy, during his inaugural, gave a memorable speech on 20th January 1961 that has now become quite axiomatic –

In his speech, Kennedy urges the people of his Nation to participate in public service and contribute to the greater public good, and highlighting the importance of civic action.

Says he, in his speech –

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”

The second quote to end this post, is again from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech titled, ‘Tryst with Destiny’ that he gave us on 14th August 1947, on the eve of Indian Independence.

Says Nehru –

At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.

A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.

It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.

The service of India means, the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and poverty and disease and inequality of opportunity.

The ambition of the greatest men of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye.

That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.

And so we have to labour and to work, and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams.

Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart.

Two power-phrases for take-aways today from these two leaders –

the greater public good by Kennedy.

the larger cause of humanity by Nehru.

Unto this end, let’s together resolve to strive!

Happy Republic Day!

Jai Hind!!