Who am I ?

When I chose a course titled "Leadership Vision Meaning and Reality", I expected it to be 80% gaseous. I wasn't disappointed! The upside, however, was that I ended up buying a lot of books that I want to read but which I wouldn't otherwise have bought. Books like 'The Art of War', 'Things Fall Apart' and so on. In umpteen sessions of that course, the same questions emerged, 'Who Am I' being one of the most popular ones.

In that stream of thought, I wonder about myself. What makes me the way I am? Now that could be answered using as many words as there are water drops in Indian Ocean. Or hair in Laloo's ears. But I will venture forth and complete an unfinished task. The task of recounting some of my most memorable experiences at IIMA.

*Working late into the night, brain storming about some case. Especially the cases in Operations Management which required more brains to solve than it is physically possible to fit inside the human skull. We worked as group of five or six, and it was a team experience I can never forget in my life.

*The post-lunch blitzkreig. Announced in the form of a short quiz. Notice put up on the PGP notice board. I bet IIMA recruits some very fine people into its PGP office. People who are smart enough to fox 250+ bright minds of this country with as little as a 15 minute quiz. Frequently, the quiz notice came as a complete surprise. Sometimes the quiz itelf was a surprise, sometimes the subject of quiz was a surprise. Imagine waking up one fine morning and learning that you belong to the royal clan of Macau and you are heir to a few million dollars. Oops, I almost fainted at the thought. The quiz experience was similar.

*Strolling around in the campus, with something buzzing inside your head. It pacified all types of worries - acidity in stomach from overeating on a friends treat, crush on a batchmate that you insist is more than just a passing emotion, thoughts about career in a saabun-bechne wali company etc etc. On those walks, we discovered a shady lamp which switched off whenever a lady passed by it, the reclusive corner in the garden, queer things about faculty homes and their sleeping habits.

*Giving gifts. Now I love giving gifts. No. Actually I love seeing the expression in people's eyes when they get an unexpected gift. And it doesn't matter what you give. A swatch watch or a moco choco. The feeling of those trembling limbs when you show them the gift or the glitter in their eyes. I am convinced that these are worth much more than the bucks I spent on them.

*The various trips with our 'cool-gang'. I went to Diu, Kashid and finally Goa. All of these were immensely enriching experiences. Bonds were made or strengthened, water was splashed and some really beautiful photos were clicked.

*Sleeping in the MIPM class. It was in this class that I had my deepest sleep of the day.

*The placement process. For me personally, it has been a long and deep drawn process. I can look back at it with no regrets. And somehow I end up seeing a divine conspiracy. That remains to be seen though. Meanwhile, the IIMs are undergoing the 'cricket' phenomenon. The frenzy and unrealistic notions that are levied on our cricketing stars are also attached to IIMs. A friend almost gave me a ransom call, thinking since I am an IIMA alumnus, I must have landed a crore+ salary. When I told him the real figure, he offered 50% of his own salary to me!
Jokes apart, notions built around IIMs are seriously inflated. To quote the press release from IIMA, the average domestic salary was Rs 14 lac per annum. Period.

Sometimes I feel like an excited electron oscillating between various quantum levels. And Strato has often been at the receiving end of this almost-cosmic energy. Right now however is the time for me to relax. And for Strato to recuperate.

I recently bought my first pair of sunglasses. The last I bought cost me Rs 35, so it took me a lot of convincing to spend on a pair of Fasttracks. I had these on during the entire Goa trip, but luckily they are not from the Fall collection. So ladies around there weren't swooning and falling like they show in that ad. I am seedha sadha, sadhu sanyasi ki category ka ladka as you all must know by now.

Amongst other new things, I also drove a Honda Activa for the first time. With Strato sitting behind me, I was enjoying the ride as she almost screamed with fear everytime any vehicle with more than 2 wheels passed by. A recommended experience for everyone - in the driver's seat, to be sure.


Dekha ek khwab to yeh silsile hue
Door tak nigaah mein hain gul khile hue....