IIM Shillong And A Litter Of Pups

It is the middle of a class, everyone is deep into the case study being discussed, and you suddenly hear a little pup crying at the top of its voice. The cries keep on growing louder, the professor stops mid-sentence and looks outside the window. It is a small litter of pups playing with each other. One of them feels left out and decides that all the classes should be apprised of the unfair treatment it has faced. Refreshed from this thirty second break, we get back to our daily routine.

Probably this litter of pups is what makes our campus unique, or maybe, it is the “kongs” (sisters), who help us keep our campus clean. It is one thing to ask someone to clean a room and then see it cleaned, while it is completely different to come back to a pleasant surprise with even the last crease from your bedsheet removed. I do have to agree that this surprise is not very pleasant the first time around.

I still remember when it happened for the first time with us. One week into the course, I asked my roommate to go ahead while I came to my room, 5 minutes after him. When I entered he was staring at the study-table. Anyone would actually, because we never knew that it was even remotely possible to clean that thing from the alien world. All our room had been cleaned and everything arranged. Since then we have grown to respect and revere our kongs.

There is a strong bond of trust among everyone in the campus. You will not find locks on our doors or cupboards. Everything is accessible to everyone.

IIM Shillong is not just a B-School, training managers in batches, like what the industrial era has taught us for our education system. It is a complete ecosystem and everyone who visits becomes part of our ever-growing family. Everyone here knows everyone. For us, roll numbers are only a method of record keeping for the computer systems and everyone is called by name, even by the professor. Our director can still recall everyone from the very first batch by name.

You always hear of the natural beauty that the campus of IIM Shillong resides in. Studying in the erstwhile summer palace of the Mayurbhanj Kingdom, yes, we do have the best of views around the year. But the campus is much more than that. My campus is unique with its own character. It not only teaches us to be the best and make a path of our own, but also to support others in making their mark. We do know how to make push the toughest of obstacles aside, but also to fit in the thinnest of crevices.

Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?

When asked about which company I want to work for in Aditya Birla Group, I had a quick and clean response - Grasim Industries Limited, India. Having grown learning about textiles and cloth fibre from my grandfather, who was a Bachelor of Engineer in Textiles Engineering, I have been interested in textiles since my childhood. With the ability of complete backward integration form a subsidiary on the Birla group itself, Birla Lao Pulp and Plantations Company Limited, Grasim industries will provide the perfect opportunity to learn about the textile industry. It will help me convert my interest into a career option.

  Gaurang Gupta PGP 2nd Year IIM Shillong