Halfway through the gutter and the galaxy!

Nine months of struggle, innumerable hours of labour and some frustrated screams later, I am finally through- no, I did not give birth to my first baby, I just managed to survive my first year of MBA!

It seems only yesterday when I walked into the serene campus of Symbiosis nested in the peaceful infotech park of Hinjewadi- wide eyed and full of hope of eventually realizing my MBA dream. Armed with the experience of being a seasoned hostelite, I was quite sure of myself- no farewells, no tearful goodbyes and definitely no overdose of parental affect(ta)tion. In spite of being an only child, my parents were sensible enough and loved me enough to let go (well, they did it when I was 18)…

The next nine months was a saga of sacrifices, new discoveries, new information in the name of “knowledge” and new people.

I gave up Mumbai, I gave up my freedom, I gave up memories and yeah, I gave up a comfortable job and a comforting relationship. I learnt new things: may be not things that I had expected to learn, but either way it turned out to be a learning experience in a “learning institute”. No, I am not talking about the 30-odd subjects spread over two semesters (some of which I may have learn again in the 3rd sem, thanks to my special “aptitude” for them- they call it backlog, I call it revision…). Rather, it was learning in terms of the more important tools of survival: CCP, pfaffing, fudging data, impressive jargon, making 11th hour colourful appealing ppts to make up for the lack of content, and ahem, wearing a saree ( though not very successfully)!

Right from Milaap, to Arambh, to Freshers, to Summer Placements, to RMS, to Neev, to Final Placements of seniors, to admissions for juniors coupled with the nasty surprises of FCQs and the final academic rigour of the last couple of months, we were stretched till we were on the verge of giving up. But each time we were pleasantly surprised at our capacity to rise like a phoenix, hand in hand. The past few months have given me the opportunity to come across some awesome people who accept me as I am, who patiently sit through my cribbing sessions, who tell me wonderful stories explaining those intricate concepts written in those text books and notes, who tolerate me day in and day out and yet not get tired of me (or so they say)… it has given me the opportunity to be a part of a family, a home and a feeling of belonging!

But the most important take away for me in the past year has been my involvement in the Corporate Communications committee. When I joined SCMHRD I thought I wanted a career in management, but now that I am half way through it, I realize that management can only give me a job, but it can never give me the satisfaction that I derive from writing. MBA may facilitate a cushy comfortable lifestyle, but not a fulfilling career that writing does.