On a typical day in Bangalore as the rain lashed against my window, I decided to forego my customary tea in the rain ritual and shut myself to the outside world to have any semblance of passing in my last exam of engineering. Just when I thought I had a grip on the first page of the book my Blackberry blinked and so did I. It was a mail from IMI telling me I was selected a day before I was to go house hunting near my future office. Since I wasn’t exactly elated to be a techie needless to say I was ecstatic. It doesn’t need to be mentioned that studies went out of the window and into the rain after reading the mail. Ironically the subject was Management.
Cut to first day in college, I am back to my sleeping best as the orientation process goes around me. Suddenly I wake up, someone is telling us what all can lead to F grade, lot of scenarios are discussed which scare me initially but then seniors are kind enough to tell us that it requires hard work to get ‘F’, I relax since I was never the hard working type.
Next day is our first lecture in MBA and as luck would have it I reach at 8.32 am for a 8.30 am lecture, now for an engineering student I am way before time, but this ain’t engineering lad is what the professor’s glare seems to be telling me. I am told in no uncertain terms that 8.30 am means 8.30 am. First lesson learnt “don’t be late” MBA 101.
As I close my eyes I remember the scene from the Hindi movie ZNMD- “tumhari zindagi badalne wali hai” except Katrina Kaif isn’t around, I am no Hrithik Roshan and surely as hell this isn’t scuba diving. The days that follow are a nightmare lots of lectures and then some more, committees/clubs etc. I remember thinking out loud that getting into IMI seems to be the easier job. I almost start to feel that I wasn’t meant for this but then the dust settles as everyone adapt themselves to this new journey and go about their job.
One year has passed and as we stand at the threshold of what will finally become of us, the undying spirit of college returns with the ice finally broken, that elusive exuberance makes its appearance, that laughter of camaraderie found only in the corridors of college I so dearly love is back and dare I say I have started loving my life again, though I must admit I could use a few free extra hours but then you can’t do much about that bloody 24 hours a day policy.
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