Newbies to IIMB

 

A month here and we belong,

The race of alphabets already gone,

The rains, the green, the stone walls,

It’s only B where we belong.

 

This journey is one of long paths, u- turns and serendipity. It is my journey to IIMB. I moved out of my lovely city, Halflings, the land of hobbits in middle Earth. There were meadows of support and jungles of confusion. The death eaters of GD and mock interviews all around. I fought and was hurt; stood up again to suffer and questioned my abilities at the ghostly hours of night.

As this self-proclaimed hero charts her path through the jungles and mountains of Caradhras, she realises that what she is conquering is not the mountain, but her own fears.

It is at the juncture of interview seat at Rivendell (Taj Hotel, Delhi for this hobbit) that one faces and fights the Balrog of Morgoth on the Bridge of seat de interview. The sacred fire of self-esteem is not enough and one is dragged down to the infinite pit.

What happens in the pit is the talk of myths and legends. Each bearer of the ring of self- love bears the burden but shares with none. The fairy of confident white clouds turns black, 2 AM being the time of her attack.

Days pass as the bearer goes on, growing suspicion in mind as the carries on. But lo and behold, the day arrives, he gets to the place of Bangaloria pride. As he enters the palace, there is no change is suspicions. But now that one is Bangalorian, why bother with the judgement of Balrog.

Years later, the hobbit’s tale is still in his heart. Life moves on and adventures are galore. But this is the tale that gave him all. The Bangalorian paradise is now home. If not in geography, the in mind. 😊

Akanksha Dewaker, PGP1

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Hope and Despair

 

I dreamed a dream set in the backdrop of reality

I told myself not to trust the broken symphony

There were things that were meant for me

There were stories which could be recited only by me

 

The fallacies have me the way I am now

I wanted to feel it differently; painless and slow

You are my light bearer in this gloomy night

Under these countless stars and white moonlight

 

I try to gaze towards the end of the creek

But my vision is bleak, and my heart is weak

I am succumbing to the fear of losing you

But, I know our paths are always meant to skew

 

I’ll let you go today, hoping to meet you halfway

So, adieu fellow traveler, we shall meet again in time,

When the moon starts to shine, and the sun starts to bow

Under that twilight; my love for you, I shall show

Arijit Manna, PGP1

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The Musings of the Stone Walls |Life at IIM Bangalore

The 100-acre lush green campus in the garden city of Bengaluru houses one of the premier business schools in the country. Apart from its academic and research prowess, the all-stone architecture of IIM Bangalore is a treat to the eyes of anyone who has ever come across it. The fact that the cult hit movie 3 Idiots was shot on this very campus is a testimony of its beauty. Also, the MDC area has some of the most exquisite birds for any avid birdwatchers’ delight.

This must seem different from the perspective one might have about IIMB. Students queuing up at the library, silent hostel blocks, maggus all around, this is what might come to your mind. And you won’t be the lone one expecting this, for people who make it to this campus are the ones who have been academically strong throughout and have aced the ever-competitive CAT. But there is a lot more here than the obvious. Even the stone walls have their own stories to share!

IIMB is known to admit students with diversity across batches for its various programs viz. Post Graduate (PGP), Executive (EPGP) and Doctoral (FPM). In addition to this, the academic curriculum here is quite balanced thus providing a student the right environment to learn and excel. The fact that it offers electives in the first year of PGP shows the intent of the curriculum makers- to provide every student the opportunity to learn of his own. There are a lot of other academic opportunities here, but this article intends to show the other perspective, which is many times not seen by the outside world.

The campus is full of life throughout the year, thanks to the string of fests starting with Eximius, national entrepreneurship summit in August & Vista, annual business summit in September and Unmaad, the cult fest in February. During the rest of the year, there are numerous other fests and events happening to suit everyone’s taste and liking. These events see a lot of participation not only from the IIMB students but also from students across the globe. In addition, IIMB is a regular participator in Sangram and Sangharsh, annual inter IIM sports fests. All in all, the students get ample opportunities to get their minds running outside the classrooms too and their hands dirty in the field.

All being said, all of this is a small portion of the life of an IIMBian. It’s an experience to live through and work hard for. The diverse set of batchmates one gets here, bring in a lot of experience with them which makes MBA different from the typical educational programs. The opportunity to learn from the best in the business and apply them in industry leading organisations during the summer internships and after final placements is unbelievable, to say the least. So, put out your best foot and make it to the ‘Place to B’!

Apurv Siya, PGP2

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ज़रूरी ये नहीं कि आप वहाँ कितने ज़रूरी हैं

 

ज़रूरी ये नहीं कि आप वहाँ कितने ज़रूरी हैं,

ज़रूरी ये है कि आप ग़ैरज़रूरी न हो जाएं

 

ज़रुरत वक़्त की है तो ज़रा सा फासला रक्खें,

दुआ-सलाम कर लेना, मज़बूरी न हो जाए

 

ठिकाने होश है रक्खा तो फिर इश्क़ क्या किया

हाँ चाहत ये आपकी, फितूरी न हो जाए

 

दरिया उनके ख्यालों का, कि जिनमें डूबे जाते हो

ख्याल उनका ही हर पल, दस्तूरी न हो जाए

 

तमाम और मसले हैं, जैसे दो जून कि रोटी

कहीं ये इश्क़ ही मेहनत, यहीं, मज़दूरी न हो जा

जो कभी हो न सके, क्या कभी होता नहीं?

 

जो कभी हो न सके, क्या कभी होता नहीं?

क्या बंद मुट्ठी से कभी कुछ रेत सा खोता नहीं?

आप समझे यूँ ही है, पर इस बात में कुछ बात है

आगे आगे देखिये, ये तो बस शुरुआत है

 

इक सफ़र है ज़िन्दगी कुछ मोड़ भी तो आयेंगे

था पास जिनको सोच रक्खा, वो दूर भी तो जायेंगे

प्यार क्या सच में है कुछ या दिल की बस खुराफात है?

आगे आगे देखिये ये तो बस शुरुआत है

 

पाया कुछ है या कि इस पाने में सब है खो दिया?

क्या कभी होकर अकेला कोसा खुद को, रो दिया?

है दफ्न कोने में कहीं या जिंदा अभी  जज़्बात हैं?

आगे आगे देखिये ये तो बस शुरुआत है

 

भीड़ हैं हम सब, हमारी क्या अलग पहचान है?

सिक्के कुछ खनके तो यहाँ बिक रहा इंसान है

राह चलते देखिये भी,  जग के क्या हालात हैं

आगे आगे देखिये ये तो बस शुरुआत है

Nikhil Vaibhav, PGP1

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A corrupt politician is more dangerous than a corrupt businessman”

 

While a politician and a business man both have businesses to do, but a business man deals with profits in terms of money; a politician deals with profits of the lives of people, the basic reason for the existence of all business, all money! Thus, when a business man goes corrupt it is some (the quantity may be quite a large “sum” at times) money that the economy loses. But when a politician goes corrupt he compromises qualities of lives of people, human beings who select the politician with a hope very contrary to what they get.

Commenting on the topic would not be much beyond this but to delve deeper into the reasons as to why any of them get corrupt is more complex than the time provided can cover.

A business man always has one core motive i.e. to make profit from whatever goods or services or both he/she is dealing with. But when businesses become large and complex the impact of any profit or loss gets distributed among all stakeholders and employees. Sometimes the profits remain illusions to the stakeholders while become reality for only the corrupt businessman among them, because the business man in large organizations goes corrupt only when his/her individual profit is at stake against a loss (equal or magnified) for all other stakeholders in the business. The effects may be limited as to only the employees as in case of Satyam scam or maybe as big to impact economies of nations altogether like Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya among many other NPAs and bad loans from banks.

If we investigate the more dangerous part now, i.e. the corrupt politician, I would like to highlight the scams which India has faced in last few decades, like spectrum scam, fodder scam, housing scams etc., all at hands of politicians. The affected party is mostly the poor and middle class of the society. The one who has no direct investment in the scams but only hopes of a better life. They end up being exploited and in most cases incapable of recovering their losses. The permanent damage to lives and economies, let alone the loss of trust in democracy, is what makes a corrupt politician far more dangerous than a corrupt businessman.

Bhagyashree Pani, PGP1