Explaining the concept of placement, Anurag Vohra, placement representative, IIM Calcutta, says: ``The `placement process' as such is very long-drawn and includes pre-placement talks, submission of bio-data, etc. All this typically starts off in October. However, Placement Week--the time when all companies come down to the campus for recruitment will start on February 13. This is scheduled to continue till February 20.''

Vohra states: ``Till the last week of January, more than 100 companies had confirmed participation.'' Commenting on the negative side of placement, Vohra says: ``There are many companies who have frozen recruitment this year.''

But that does notdampen the spirit of the institution. Says Vohra: ``IIM Calcutta is still top of the mind as far as campuses are concerned.''Among the big names doing the rounds at IIM Calcutta are McKinsey & Co., Boston Consultancy Group, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Mitchelle Madison Group and I2 Technologies.

Which are the most popular streams this year? Vohra says that Finance, Marketing and Systems are among the hot disciplines for the IIM-C students. He adds: ``Since there is no concept of specialisation in a particular field, we don't have any figures indicating which one is more popular than the other.'' Also because, as always, a person may apply for different functional areas in different companies, the popularity of the three streams is by and large equal.'' However, Operations and HR Operations are streams where the number of interested students is relatively fewer in number.

Comparing the trend with previous years, Vohra says: ``As far as the trend of jobs is considered, Information Technology is definitely up;Finance and Marketing are constant.'' He explains: ``That the number of expected Finance jobs has remained constant is an encouraging sign, considering the fact that three of the major recruiters of the past in this sector -- Citibank, ANZ and Bank of America -- have backed out.

How much of an increase is expected in individual salary packages? Replies Vohra: ``Salaries are definitely expected to be higher than last year. The highest salary on offer is $105,000 (Rs 44 lakh approximately), while the lowest is Rs 1.4 lakh. The average salary can be known only after the placements are over.'' However, Vohra adds that though average salaries are expected to go up in all streams, the increase is not likely to be phenomenal.

But nothing can be said with finality until the placements are actually over. So, wait on for two more weeks to arrive at the exact figures.