Almost a transformation

Getting back to books and classes after a hiatus of 2 years was a different kind of feeling. It was as good as I thought it would be. Not everything can be thought of; few things turned out to be outstanding, something which was not exactly a transformation as it was supposed to be but close enough to alter the chemistry of grey cells. A course on Social Transformation in India wasn't something I was keen about when I incuriously glanced over it in the course curriculum. I vaguely remember the first lecture scheduled in evening someday. One thing was sure that the Prof wasn't boring, never knew he would turn out to be so influential and towering as he is physically. The lectures were on random topics which dealt with India, her history and all those social unevenness which we're well aware of but never felt it in our esteemed lives. The concealed sexism and racism in advertisements, the atrocities against women to keep her in control as prescibed by religious books, the history of Kashmir(which we all consider to be an integral part of India) were some of the disturbing facts that was well kept hidden in school textbooks. Above all, the Prof's cynic attitude towards MBA and capitalism was just the right dose for all those who thought they are elite. Nothing will change. Everyone including me will still run after fat pay-checks and capitalism as it suits our way of life. At least, I will see certain social issues in a new light. This too will fade with time, what doesn't?

The night goes on and on.....

The gruelling mid terms have just come and gone, and everyone went through a real hectic schedule.To top in midterms have gone out of my mind,coz everypaper had thrown out some surprises leading to mounting levels of despair and frustration.To give it a free ride is out of question,coz death would be the only result in this battlefield if one chooses to do that.

Now if I do feel and think that , midterms were just the end of it all, then i am terribly mistaken.A heap load of assignments and tasks are following this and i just scribbled down on the various tasks I have to do parallely every other day. And it somewhat looked like this

• MIS project (havent started and the deadlines are nearing and none in the group including me have an idea of what to do next.Have to do something soon)
• Arthanomics ( Have volunteered for this - have to build up the CV ;) and the tasks are just about begin)
• Konsult - Have to start working on the blog and as well as the tasks given.
• IBOK- have just started with that and if it should make some sense,I should slog to put in some sense to my work
• Summer preparation - The GDs and interviews are gonna begin and have to prepare for them as well
• Academics ( all the works related to academics-The alternate day MM case work does make this even more tighter,leave alone to keep up with daily studies)

If you do see the list,the acads are positioned well below it all.It does say everything- I have no time left in my life to just have a peep into the books to understand what the hell is going on in my class.Life is getting busier.24 hours just dont seem to be sufficient and dunno where the whole world is heading to.A collapse--naah,being an IIMite i can neva think of that.I am preparing my forces to combat these monsters and well god knows how successfull i would be in that battle.

Every morning i wake up just with a wish to do atleast half of these tasks i have planned and by the time my clock shows its 4 AM, i find that even half of them havent been touched.And when I pen down these words,my senses tell me...

• IBOk hasnt been touched today
• MIS project still remains virgin
• KONSULT hasnt been taken care of

Just done with MA and have to go for MM case discussion in a few minutes...and the night goes on and on...but my dil doesnt go mmm mmmm... In the hope that the next 24 hours shall give something to bring a smile on my face... Adios...Amigos...

Day one of Sleepless nezzzzzzzzzz!!!

Hmm..Finally the day had arrived to enter the most coveted place for a college passout/experienced bored up worker,which will throw open the road to riches(dowry also included).Yeah I meant a B-school and when 2Is and one M gather together-it has enuf in it to sparkle the eyes of an educated youngster in India.This was my first day in the so called "Gods own Kampus" and it was yeah,some day to remember,coz,it was the time,when i did realize fully that i need not test softwares anymore in my life.Had been doing that wretched job for sometime and had lost interest in life,when i got the ticket of K in black(Read it as CAT).

Had persuaded my dad a lot not to come,just to prove that I am an adult,but still he insisted so much to come along with me.So finally I gave way to his wishes,and we came to calicut after 3 years(I had done my engg in the same city).Calicut did not change much,except for the 2 malls which came up ,of late.

By mid-day we came to the gates of the great IIM K.Was happy to see that security did not question my integrity(Phew..i do look like a B School Grad).Went up the hill and got my room.Had earlier heard that some hostels are near the ladies hostel,and hence i was wondering(infact praying) whether i would get a room near theirs.But then the admin realised my appetite(during the interview I guess),and gave me a room overlooking the kitchen of the mess.

Yeah now was the time to explore the campus and chicks(I meant chicken in the mess :P ).Campus did blow me over and the greenary was just stupendous.The view of the western ghats was just mind blowing.I just take a moment to salute the guy who designed this wonderful piece of architecture on this rugged terrain(though breath taking).Then heard the news that, the contractor of the mess is the same guy who was the contractor for the mess in my engg college(Now that is what i call a disaster).And then the no. of chicks in the campus was really marvellous(I still have some fingers left).So both the chicken and the chicks dissapointed me.But i guess thats how it is in great institutes(not sure with the chicken part though).

The day went by meeting new pals and many did sound really interesting.Then came the day 1 of "SCHOOL".Had a big registration process and got to see the whole batch for the first time.A gud number of IITians,NITians,and other engineers and people from other backgrounds.We also had a doctor this time around.The pride of being into an IIM was just getting bigger with time.By the time i reached the front of the queue,it almost reached my mouth.But thanks to god,I managed to keep my mouth shut till the whole process was over.Once that was over,I got a slip to collect the books which I had to study for the term one.

I went upstairs to collect the books and saw that I had a huge lot to study.By the time i got them and came down,i saw my dad awaiting me.With a huge bunch of books in my two hands,I walked in front of him like Arnold in his Mr Universe competition.A proud son in front of a proud dad.
After the lunch,dad left for home,with wet eyes,filled with happiness,expectations,and all synonyms of that.But then, there was no time to chillax, as I had to finish the task given to me by Placecom(Placement comitee) as a part of grooming up.Since we were obedient fachhas,all promptly were present in the computer centre,cribbing about what would happen to all of us for the next 2 years.Some happily cribbed about the terrible hectic routine that one would be subjected to, in the next 2 years.Some who were sleeping for 20 hours a day for past 2 months,really found it difficult to get adjusted to this whole new leaf in their life.And the rest were checking out chicks :P (If one could find any).But then that ended the first day of sleepless ness at around 12,with lots more promises of keeping us awake till 3 in the morning,for the next 2 years.

“The first rock star of the academic year…”

If you thought that we’re referring to a fresher who’s made a mark for himself/herself among other batch mates, think again….
In what could be regarded as a sweeping psychological victory over the minds of students, our ever-so-popular QM prof (let’s call him ‘J’…I’m a bit skeptical about taking names) has carved a cult among students. The numbers are here for everyone to see. It doesn’t matter which sample of students (from sections B and D) you interact with; it doesn’t matter what confidence level you mark out for your hypothesis. J is a star. Period.
In a matter of a fortnight, he has gained unparalleled popularity among the students of B and D. His fame ain’t no normally distributed graph among a few students, it’s uniformly distributed among all student types – be it the bespectacled bozo who loves mathematics more than his imaginary girlfriend or be it the philosophical faffer or be it the sucker for spiritual semantics. Everyone’s invited for a good time with J! His phrases and idioms have become so popular, that you see his students taunting each other with classics like “There’s no truth, there’s only power”, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well” and the like…
His love for the abstract can only be matched by the ferocity with which he rips through the contents of the course. And yes, assignments! One can’t talk about J without talking about his legendary assignments and complex case-studies. We suspect he lifts straight from his PhD material and unleashes them on us! But alas, despite all his eccentricities, despite all the assignments, most of us would agree, that he’s quite a nice guy at the end of day….Long Live J!...that’s the way at IIMK‼

Initial Weeks @ IIMK

“If there is a heaven on earth, it is this.. it is this.. it is this….”

The first few moments, of that long winding pathway leading up the hill.. that hill obscured by clouds.. are framed in my mind forever. I’d seen a thousand photos before, but nothing could prepare me for the real deal. Its 5 AM and the bus from Bangalore tosses out a few crumpledsouls and their baggage at the place we now know as “Nee Che” (‘Down’ in Hindi). And we are lucky souls indeed, for with that vicarious stroke of serendipity the gods have consented that we may visit them for a while.

I’m always reminded of Mandrake’s Xanadu, with a John Denver track playing somewhere in my mind whenever I traverse up the hairpin bends and twisting roads hugging the hill, taking me to the summit. The ascent always plays out in slow-motion.. the cautious turns, the peeping around corners before traveling higher, and on the other side of the hills, the increasingly breathtaking view. It is as breathtaking the millionth time one sees it, as it was the first time that bedraggled troop made its way to the campus. And what a sight awaited us there. Mt. Olympus could not have been more beautiful! And yes, we felt like Gods.

Whoever thought of situating a post-modern architectural wonder in the middle of rolling hills covered with evergreen jungles was clearly a genius and one with a slanted sense of humour too. For what else can you call this hidden gem of a campus, which can make even hardened MBA prospects wax lyrical and bring out the muses a lot faster than one’s system can safely deal with, and which can turn even a cynic a believer.The IIMK campus is inspirational to say the least. In every nook and corner, in the perfect angles and contrasting curves of the buildings, the cobbled pathways and the sentinel watchtowers one finds inspiration. Gods do, after all, have an aesthetic sense.And as one looks deeper into the heart of IIMK, one finds substance to the outward beauty.

The 5th IIM to come up, IIMK hosts some of the most brilliant talent in India, both in terms of students and faculty. Constantly abuzz with activity, it beats with the throb of a heart wanting to achieve, with a hunger that it demands to be satiated, a dream that wants to come alive. It did not take me long to realize that it is this hunger and passion that is almost automatically imbibed in the community that works and lives here that makes this place so magical, a real treat to be in. The people is what makes Kozhikode so special (and sometimes, the otherway round too)

We live amongst the clouds, and thank our luck stars for being where we’ve always wanted to be, amongst those who inspire us and make us strive ahead and live. We live with gods. We are, IIM Kozhikode.

Courtesy - Rishi Tandon :)