I have a dream…

IIM Calcutta –

Where hundreds come with towering dreams.
To set the path for the world to follow.
Where hundreds come with burning ideas.
To shape the destiny and life of tomorrow.

Where vision takes shape of a proud nation.
Of growth, opportunities and aspirations.
Where leaders are groomed with unmatched skill.
To command respect and execute will.

Where the best enter and excel for sure.
On a tenacious, resolute and focused note.
Where creativity thrives and innovation wins.
Experience proves its potential zing.

With nature working for long through silence.
And humans showing the road to summit.
We know how precious our days have been,
At IIMC, the temple of zenith.

A day in the life of a PGPEXian…

7:45AM: Alarm goes off and I hit the snooze button to negotiate with my conscience, 15 minutes of extra sleep.

8:15 AM: With bleary red eyes I take a long walk to the class, thinking about the ways to withstand the 7 and half hours of grueling lecture.

8:30 AM – 1:30 PM: The day starts with Corporate Finance, moves on to “International Economics” and ends with “Managing World Class Operations”. I got cold-called today during the Finance class and had to appear for a surprise quiz in economics. The threat of cold calls and the unanticipated barrage of quizzes motivate me to work hard and prepare for the unknown. However, the resident dismay and pain on my classmates’ faces proves that I am not the only one who botched up.

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM: A long walk to the mess and back to the class on time before the afternoon session begins.

2:15 PM – 5:30 PM: Two back to back case discussions on Marketing.  In these case discussions, holding on to a viewpoint is a challenge as the professors try to trap us from all directions, thereby prodding us to gain a more holistic understanding. Prof Mishra typically starts cold-calling to ignite the discussion. However intimidating a cold-call is, it ensures full participation and stirs an intellectually stimulating discourse. Three hours of discussion and debate have left me fatigued and mentally exhausted.

5:45 PM – 6:30 PM: An invigorating game of tennis with my classmate prepares me for the long night ahead. Either it is a badminton game with a Professor or a game of basketball with the PGP folks, this time is well spent networking with the residents of the other side of the lakes.

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM: Spent time reading newspapers and met with the “Event Management” team to discuss about the arrangement of the impending “Term end party”.

8:30 PM– 9:00 PM: Half an hour of relaxing dinner, with dinner table gossips.

9:00 PM – 10:00 PM: Every Saturday we have “Consulting Club” meeting. Today we discussed some traditional market entry cases and brain-teasers. Mr. Gupta, one of our batch-mates, gave an exhilarating talk on “BSNL’s launch of 3G plan in India”.

10:00 PM– 1:00 AM: Study with my cohort members to prepare for Monday’s strategy case and presentation. Cohort members from diverse background provide unique perspective to the cases which aids in complete understanding. Imagine a case being unraveled from the perspective of a Nuclear Scientist, defense personnel, shipping captain and an IT professional. It truly adds variety.

1:00 – 1:30 AM: Shots of coffee to keep me awake for another 3 hours.

1:30 – 2:45 AM: Prepare for Monday’s lecture as the spectre of an unanticipated quiz always looms large. I get ready for bed and take some much needed rest to endure another grueling week as a PGPEX student at IIM Calcutta.

If you are wondering whether I survived a year at IIMC, rest assured as I am currently basking in the corporate world. As I look back I realize that the combination of academic excellence and rigour proved the ideal training ground for me to take on the world. Thank you IIMC!