MY FIRST DAY @IIMS.
Achieving success is difficult ,but living up to the achievement is more challenging. This realisation came to me when I dug into the profile of the PGP2010 batch of IIM Shillong after getting the admission confirmation .There were branch toppers, trained singers, people having accomplishments in national level sporting events and of course the most formidable lot, people with substantial work experience from reputed firms across the country. At that point it was clear to me that life from now on wouldn’t be a smooth sail. Let us fast forward to the D day.
After a four hour ride from Guwahati through the mist and curves of the comely hills ,I finally reached Shillong on the first of july. After some shopping at police bazaar ,I reached the IIM campus late in the evening. My first encounter was with a group of seniors playing basketball . I got out of the car and thought of approaching them to get the directions to the hostel. On second thoughts , I went up to the security guard at the gate and found the way to old boys hostel. The explanation to this behaviour still evades me,may be I wasn't out of my shell yet. As ,I reached hostel I met Manav Jain, the hostel committee member in charge of room allocation. As I entered the hostel, the first room that I saw was B-9 which was locked. "Oh I will get another room ",I thought. I picked up my slip and B-9 it was. Room allocation rules were fixed and nothing could be done ,but problems weren’t over for me. My prospective roommate wasn’t available. Disappointed I went back for dinner with my father. We had delicious Chinese food at a posh restaurant named La Gallerie located in the heart of the city.I was greedily devoured chicken hakka noodles putting the tiredness of the day on a back burner.
Though I couldn’t stop myself from sharing the happenings of the night of first july, my first day at IIM Shillong actually began on the 2nd of july which was the day of registration. The ceremonies started of with an inspiring speech by the director of the institute. Beginning ,with the importance and hopes attached to this new IIM situated in this beautiful part of the country he urged us to live up to the expectations of the institute. Quite lucidly he briefed us about the core principles around which IIM Shillong hopes to build itself. He specifically highlighted certain points where this institute differentiates itself from the older established IIMs. His encouraging words of growth and progress were meant to ignite in us the zeal to work towards building a professionally enriching caree. The chairman of PGP carried the discussion on a more serious note stressing on the importance of professional conduct and an inquisitive bent of mind. Learning transcends beyond the pages of books and confines of classroom. A good manager not only learns to do business but also to be upfront and proactive. With all this inspiring words our spirits were elevated. After brief introductions of all staff members we started off with our registration process which occupied most of the day. Bored and tired of waiting since my turn hadn’t come I along with a friend set out to explore the campus. We were impressed by the well maintained campus and lush green view all around.To top it the sight of clouds hanging over the mountains was breath taking. Ohh , pardon my forgetfulness, but I must mention that by this time I had met my room mate and shifted all my luggage into my new room. After the registration process I interacted with many seniors. A few interesting things that I remember include “learn from peers”, ”numbers will be your lifeline”, ”be professional, you aren’t a student” and “MBA is about 3Gs “.Even papa after interacting with some of the faculty members reiterated the rigors of MBA. That night we had a dinner party for the new participants and their parents. It was an awesome evening, where young men and women dressed in their prim business suits ,putting up their most decorous manner got a chance to share their experiences. After a fulfilling dinner party and loads of Kodak moments ,it was time for father to leave . There were a few other hugs and farewells.
That was a long night on my first day. After such a eventful day we were again called by seniors at night for an informal interaction. However the seniors made sure that the introductions were more a exploration of our personality than our professional competencies. During this session I realised how diverse my batch was ,in terms of student background. After a two hour long rendezvous with seniors that unravelled some very fascinating incidents in senior batches we retired dead tired to our hostels. As our eye lids drooped I am sure each of my fellow participants would be contemplating “will such a night ever come again at IIM shillong”.
