A Year After a Year Ago !!!

Place - Leo Burnett, Mumbai

Date - 1st April, 2014

“You  are supposed to go down , ground floor . Take ur bag and stuff. You will be working in Orchard.”

A new day. A new place. A new beginning. And told to sit alone in different office , from the rest of the interns.

Normally , a time when I usually get a lot more nervous about how things are going to happen , visualize and run the tape at the back of the mind over and over again till things actually start happening.

But this time it was different . I remember Sonali asking me during the Sem 2 end days ,”U must be feeling somewhat nervous na... First job , New Place , Totally new work , New people .” And I spoke out “ Nopes.” N my mind spoke to me ,”Actually you expected yourself to be nervous , but you are not .” And I smiled . 

Time has changed , things have changed a lot since the evening of 31^st May, the time from when my life away from home began. Learnings , known and unknown , have been numerous .

I still remember those early days , right before joining SCMHRD . At a party with my elder cousins , who are the best mentors one could ever get , their advices are not always for the minor scheme of things or situation I am facing , but always speak about the bigger picture.So , one of my cousins, who is an MBA graduate himelf , told me , “ U know , in MBA ,focus is more on presentations and skills stuff . But what you want to do in life , be clear about it.  Know your passion . Getting a job about what you like is the best thing you can get , but rarely happens . People get jobs , earn a lot , but don’t enjoy it . If you can merge the two , you will enjoy it. Think wisely about it.” And more than the words , it was the tone of his advice which influenced me to think more about it .

In those days , after my admission to SCMHRD was confirmed , for the first time in my life , for the very first time , it was all so clear in my life , how I was about to go through these 2 years. What I wanted to learn primarily .. achieve... earn .

During the course,  a lot more things and discoveries happened along the way. I found my interests, I developed more likings , i found new paths, new thoughts , new people , new notions , new ways , etc.

If i go about mentioning even the most striking of all of them , it might require another 2-3 posts. To name a few I would list them in a systematic manner : 

1. People / Friends – MBA @SCMHRD offered to me , first time , a pool of so diverse people . Right from my roommates (A highly-energetic vastly multi-talented Punjabi bro and a To-be-CEO To-be-married lad.. )  , highly knowledgeable Nikhil & Bhaskar, Drummer Peyush , Ambitious girls(which are rare ) Sonali , Madhura and gang , Risk-taking Chandan ,  and many a more . There are things one could instantly connect with almost all of the batch . A lot to learn from each one of them.
2. Books – Got back to reading books during the sem 2. And days full of learnings . The best reads of my life have happened in these days . Jobs, Jony Ive, Abdul Kalam , Milkha Singh , Facebook Effect, etc.  MBA was driving me in something more meaningful and useful reads. 
3. Experiences – The ragging evenings , the Committee selection processes , The summer internship week , the sem 1 exams , etc. Each phase was more difficult and tougher than the previous one . And this has been the most priceless gift @SCMHRD .

There were a many firsts that I did while in SCMHRD . And the happiness and satisfaction with them is what I will carry with me after being done with SCMHRD .

Top of the mind recall would always lead me to my Wall painting experience twice . No one may even know this . First visit in campus on 1^st June , and I see Bob Marley painting on the wall near Juice bar. I listen to someone speaking in the distance, that students paint the wall during college fest. Mind speaks “ Damn , I want to do this . Surely atleast once in 2 years here.Want to do it for myself” . A few months later, Shapath committee approached me with some work , and turned out to be that they wanted me to paint Che Guevera on the wall . My first time. My love . On the wall . It can’t get any bigger than this. Both- the wall for me and the occasion. Now that was the first time , I was not nervous . Doing something which you haven’t done ever in life. Have not lifted a brush in last 2 years.  Havent drawn even on A4 size page in past year. And here stood a wall, the new canvas.

I knew I could do it . Do it without any fuss. No worries. No tensions. No expectations. Just the wait to go over there and start doing it till you see the final frame. The end result was a lot more to my liking.

I remember , Kakkar and Somani saying after it was done ,” Yaar,  I knew you will do it , but did not expect it to be so great.” And I smiled .
From time before and to this day, I firmly believe. that which is firmly wished for , dreamt of , always happen . Just be more passionate about the dream . Things do happen according to it.

                                                 

Street Dance Play -Now this is I would not have dreamt of even in my dreams. This one was for Prayatna . An experience for a cause in itself. Heavy stuff already for me. Plus a heavy and tough master – My brilliant Osmium brother – Kakkar. Nothing can ever beat that experience . The purpose. The practice sessions. The fun. The satisfaction. And the smile on the faces of the kids at the end of it. 

  

Flash Mob - Had watched many flash mobs on youtube till date. But then , not just to view one live , but to be a part of it . A rainy evening. 50-60 batchmates . Inviting seniors for Milaap. It just went on from being good to awesome.

IIT E-summit visit –This has to be one up right there . Brilliant two days of absorbing all what one can from the Industry movers themselves.  I found a dictionary where i could find new meanings of MBA terms . And the real ones. It was an eye-opener session. One where , it struck me , that MBA is going to be much more than just those 2 years at SCMHRD or in office ahead. The learnings of those 2 days , are much more valuable than those accounting for 23 years of my life . 

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Well , here I am writing this post in my 2^nd month of Internship.Chilled. Relaxed . Accustomed . Happy with the way things are going.  Engaged in a lot more things . Upbeat about the coming year. 1000 thoughts. 100s of activities to be done. 10s of subjects to be studied again. N 1 more year to conquer the degree of MBA.

But , its not the degree or the phase that is worrying me much now . It’s the purpose of life which has grabbed my attention in the past year or so. And keeps me pushing ,like it has been in the previous year.

To all the good and bad times, done and dusted with, and yet to come and to be greeted,  thank you for making me what I am today. Indebted to you all . Cheers and lets continue my journey.