I was travelling alone from home (Bellary) to XLRI, Jamshedpur. Apparently that was new for ‘freshers’ who were generally dropped off by parents but then, I was always an independent child. There was anticipation and even an iota of neophobia. As I reached platform number 19 of the Howrah station, that neophobia seemed to melt a little. I saw another family which was going to XL to drop off a classmate. As I boarded the train, Steel Express, that neophobia was all but gone as I realised, where I go, I’ll never be far from an XLer. There were so many of my to-be batch-mates on that train. One family, on realising I was travelling alone talked to me through the journey to Jampot and I realised how big getting into XL was. And that, though we curse the location, the journey from Cal to Tata ensures we all travel together, wherever we go, whatever we do. And that is the first memory of XL that I shall carry with me... Of being close to friends even in a completely new city...
Monday, February 22, 2010
Things I'll take back from XL - 1
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Miles to go...
This post however finds its way out...
I was never the one who believed in sticking to culture and heritage. I, for one, always believe in the progressive stance and believe any progress needs sacrifices. I always resented the idea of a joint family. Today, I realise what those values and fun of the joint family meant. Till last year, XL was one huge family. The seniors, juniors and the Professors were members of that happy united family. Some Idiotic Process (SIP) axed away the bond between the siblings – the seniors and the juniors. The elders, well, I didn’t even realise when that bond was severed. This Diwali sealed it all. East is East, West is West and never shall the twain meet.
There was no welcoming to the houses. There were those ‘kutti idlis’ but that was not what pulled me last year. It was the joy of being invited. I went to have those ‘kutti idlis’ this year too but didn’t feel like having – and actually ended up having just a few forkful of noodles. There may have been the taste – after all, nothing ever changes in this sleepy town of Jamshedpur – including the tastes. But without the warmth of being served, the taste was actually not present. There was the customary Antakshari, good fun too. But when the company I cherish the most is absent – life truly is drab – what if it is Diwali. In this drab life, every sound of cracker is loud noise and every spark is a blinding flash.
I still believe I’ve a purpose to serve. The motivation might have been killed - quite cruelly - but I still believe someone somewhere might just need me. I hang on... I live on... The journey is not as pleasing as it used to be...
The woods are not lovely...
They are very dark – very deep...
But I’ve promises to keep...
and miles to go before I sleep!!!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Reflections - Part III (Term 3 @ XL)
Click to read Term 1 and Term 2
The third term, the end of the first year, the term where you suddenly realised you are alone in the college without the seniors to guide you at every step, where realise you will soon stop being a student and start being a manager, was, for me, a mixture of both achievements and failures, promises kept and vows broken.
The travel did not, at all, augur well for a good third term at XL... it was hectic from the start and running train experience was indeed a new one – though I must say, exhilarating one too.
If I thought, the term was more eventful at the beginning compared to the last term, the near-end events were beyond the usual definition of “eventful”. XLRI sure was a happening place!!!
It started with a lot of firsts for me – the first dance class, the first CV point, the first bunk and proxy and a few more... The first dance lesson (I guess it was Salsa) was something I would remember for more reasons than one. Then started the chain of events that reminded me of the classic line by William Davies’,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs...
Starting with the formation of Team Services – the vow taken to repay in kind all the help that we extracted out of the seniors – the vow taken not to rest till each one of them was placed – the vow taken to not complain of missed classes for something more important than any grade was at stake. And successful the vow was.
Simultaneous was the formation of the Maxi Admin Team for the Maxi Fair – by far the grandest event in XL in terms of student participation. Meetings through the night and door-to-door selling through the day. The whole junior batch prepared for keeping up a 30-yr old tradition of excellence. And successful the effort was.
No, it did not go by without a sad thought – I missed my first graduation ceremony– for the fiercest rivalry known to B-Schools in the India – the legendary XL-IIMC meet. I so wanted to be there but there were responsibilities – not just of the meet but also the vows taken. Forever shall I remain “unconvocated”.
The Valentine’s Day passed without a thought about it – it was the day of reckoning – it was Day ZERO. The scene wasn’t too good but did we say we were giving up!!! The fight would go on – right up to the last man standing. We were battling the worst nightmare of a B-Schooler – the worst crisis of the century – on and on it went – for a good long 74 days - and we would be victorious.
Unfortunately the battle was not the lone battle I was involved in – the academic battle was far from over!!! By no means was this an easy term. There was the “Research” and the “Operation” though hardly any “Production” – even Strategic reproduction was hampered due to the slower net speeds and the other battlefront engaged in a full scale war!!! As usual, before I knew what hit me, the End-Terms were overhead. Thanks to my group-mates, many of my projects were completed in time and that left me with the only worry of eliminating the ghosts of the exams – which I must say has never been my forte.
Learnings from the past term:
- The grass is greener on the other side but what is the other side!!!
- Naive ain’t useless – it is the only thing that works. Any other forecast will turn out to be too complicated for the uncomplicated market.
- If you can’t explain it, match it to some unknown factor. If you can’t match it, redefine it – all economic theories are based on this simple funda.
- What do managers do – Strategise – aka hold long closed door meetings – to decide crucial issues like whether the grass looks better dark green or light.
- What worked in 1950 works now!!! You can’t work it out??? Well.... you dint study in class 6th and 7th, why sob now...
- If you can’t do it, ask your virtual self to do it...
- And once again, never the least of all, friends are your biggest assets. Once a while they may promise you a toy and forget, once a while they may make you feel small enough to drown in little drops of water but more often than not, they will be the balancing figure to match-up your balance-sheets. No inequation with friends can be solved as their shadow price is simply infinity. Their importance is a exponentially increasing curve with alpha>1... To all ye friends...
Sunday, March 29, 2009
All's well that Ends Well...
- First and foremost, meeting the seniors day-in-day-out. I know most of them may not remember any of us, and that we tracked each one of them through their arduous journey is a fact that not many will know or acknowledge.
- Running behind one pparticularly sweet PCommer who kept forgetting things – most of aall, FOOD!!!
- Getting stares and requests from the people in process and more often than not, fullfilling them to my content.
- Calling up the FnB team at the most awkward of times to order for some really reallly awkward demands.
- Calling up one non-V-Group V anytime I couldn’t find anyone to do a job!!!
- Allotting companies and then realising the coordinator was not in town!!!
- Cribbing about not being studying and sc#$%ing up OR test coz all others were busy with studying and couldn’t be there in the process.
- Scolding and threaatening PCom with non-cooperation (or at least appear to) even when I cudn’t bring myself to, in anyway, endanger the process..
PP
Saturday, March 14, 2009
No, Not Yet...
Friday, December 26, 2008
XL Meri Jaan....
I was sitting on my computer, typing away words... Yes, thr was my bed with my favourite pillow near me... Thr was the clean green garden visible from my window. There was the hill reminding me of the picturesque hotels I have stayed on my travels. There was the relief of knowing there was a squash court nearby where I could pass time should I feel bored. And there was the joy of having mom’s hand-made food with lots of pure ghee and no aloo... But then, I missed home...
Call me mad but I’m in love with the hectic schedules... that waking up till 4 in the morning with nothing to do but talk about nothing at all. I hate the ISO:9001 food but I more than that I love cursing it and after all cursing, ultimately having the same cheese dosa every alternate day... I hate to live in that small room 311 but I love the neighbours and their neighbours and so on... I hate not being able to find time in the evening to have a game of badminton, but I love making plans with friends for it... I hate when friends talk of home but love it when I make them feel at home far away from home...
I’m home... But thanks to the two terms spent doing MBA, now I’m far away from my other home...