I couldn’t believe my ears. My teammate Archi had just called me to tell them we had made it to the National Finals of ACTapult. It had been a hard time recently. Life had been moving at 200 km/h. The dreaded first semester of B-school was at its peak. Placecomm sessions, classes, placement prep and all the jazz. I didn’t remember the last time I felt energised.
My roommate congratulates me. And the next day, I’m getting Congratulations from many people!
It was a good feeling being a national finalist so early into the semester. And I was seriously looking forward to the finals! It was such a proud moment for me.
We were the first 1st team to be called to a live final round and to a different city to compete. Though there would be many after us. We were the first. And I felt nervous yet happy.
Soon, we got a call from the ACT HR. The finals would be in Bangalore. And they were arranging the flight and travel. We would be staying at the Fairfield by Marriott and presenting at Shangri-La. Pretty swell stuff.
It was exciting but I soon got busy with the hustle and bustle of the first semester.
Soon the day arrived. We had a flight for 7:50 pm.
Taking a creaky auto from campus, the two teams from our campus made way to the airport. Amongst the chit-chat in the auto, I was discussing possibilities of what may be in store for us in the coming 2 days.
Soon, we reached the airport.
But life is like a Bhatura. It looks good and puffy. You look forward to eating it and get a mouthful of painful steam.
And this where things start getting crazy.
The flight has announced boarding. It’s time to move onto Bangalore. My phone rings, it’s a member of the PlaceComm calling me. Strange.
Why does PlaceComm care about me now?
“Hey Rishabh, there is an evaluative workshop tomorrow. It’s for Goldman Sachs.”
My heart sinks. I feel happy that I’m shortlisted for GS but I have to help my friend here. He shouldn’t have to do it alone. And in that second. A million thoughts crept into my mind.
“I’m on my way to the finals of ACTapult”
“Yes Rishabh, I understand but if you don’t attend this, you probably won't get to the further rounds of Goldman Sachs”
Yikes. I can’t possibly betray Archi now. He is the next thing to a real brother. And he wants to win this so badly. I really feel like an asshole right now.
“So my partner will have to attend the finals alone if I leave now. And then there is the flight..”
“Yes, I understand Rishabh. Please let me know what you will do”
In the background, we can hear the last and final boarding announcement going on.
My partner Archi is looking at me and telling me to start moving towards the flight. He is getting impatient and quite rightly so.
“Let me discuss with Archi, I will let you know in a bit”
So I tell my partner what has transpired with guilt. And without hestitation, he says “You gotta go for GS, that’s your dream role”
“I’ll handle it here. “
And there was no doubt in his eyes when he asked me to go.
Me leaving right now would mean that he would have to do the case on his own against the finest minds of other b-schools. Gotta admire the guy. But we knew it was for the best. And he wished me luck and boarded the plane.
WHAT ROTTEN LUCK.
And so he left for the flight. And I stayed back in the waiting lobby. Airline rules dictate that since I didn’t board the flight. I will have to wait in the waiting area till the flight successfully lands at Bangalore. And once it did, he texted me an hour later.
He tells me that the case will be released at 2pm tomorrow and he’ll have till 4am to finish the case.
My GS workshop begins at 10 AM tomorrow. And I’m not allowed a cell phone inside.
I literally can’t help him for 6 hours of the allotted 14 hours.
WHAT ROTTEN LUCK.
Archi had dropped a text and in the lunchtime I called. And I remember the conversation so clearly.
“This is your type of case bhai, all kinds of finances, numbers and investment etc.”
I felt heartbroken that he had to do it alone while I would be in the GS workshop. I left my thoughts behind and entered the GS workshop.
WHAT ROTTEN LUCK.
I get the last seat in the entire room. I’m not able to participate as people are out-shouting me. And the invigilator is only taking answers from the front row. I’m cursing my luck. There is no chance here. I wish I was doing the case.
I get out of the workshop and call Archi.
What he says heartens and disheartens me at the same time.
Statement #1 - Idea toh aaya hai. I can definitely pull something off.
Statement #2 – Abhi kaam shuru nahi kiya hai. Case repeatedly padh raha tha.
Statement #3 – XLRI ne khatam kar diya hai lagta hai.
I rush to my room. Pack my bag. And find the bus that will get me to Bangalore quickest. I will be there tomorrow for the final presentation.
I eat Chola Bhatura before getting on the bus and am in constant contact with Archi.
He has been struggling with a few slides which I start working on while I’m on the bus journey. Ironically, I haven’t seen the work by him yet and am frantically working on completing the slides he has sent to me. The bus starts moving.
So does the Chola Bhatura in my belly. I feel sick. But I’m fighting through that and making the slides. The connectivity is also deteriorating and at 3am. I am able to send Archi the slides I had to do. We are not able to call each other due to the connectivity.
The bus stops for a break. I vomit a lot. And at 4am, I get a text from Archi that he’s submitted the presentation. I fall asleep for the few hours that I am going to get.
I reach the hotel quite late. I arrive at the Fairfield to know that I’ve missed the bus taking us to the Shangri La where the presentation is going to be held.
WHAT ROTTEN LUCK.
Is it always going to be like this?
I take an Uber to the location. And I meet my teammate. And he explains his slides to me. Archi has done a stellar job. We have a chance to win.
It’s 1 hour left for us to prepare for the ppt. All the other teams have rehearsed it multiple times. This is the first time, we are even doing it together. The lots for the ppt are drawn.
We are the second team to present.
WHAT ROTTEN LUCK.
We quickly go through the presentation and we know that we’ll have to wing it. There isn’t enough time.
To be continued.
Rishabh Mehta is a student at IIM Kozhikode. He was AIR 2 in his CS exams. A commerce graduate, Rishabh is interning with E&Y.
He met his case partner due having sat beside him in the first class and they have been cracking cases since. They go by the moniker RishNRish and have won multiple cases together.