IIM Shillong: Made Of Love And Dreams

A perfect blend of contemplative learning and soulful gratification is what IIM Shillong offers to its participants.  Small yet sweet, infrastructurally less rugged yet unabridged, wintry and damp yet warm.  The campus makes it much easier to survive the rigour of a B-School.  And what else can a management aspirant aspire for…

Located in hilly contours of State of Meghalaya, in the heart of its capital Shillong, blanketed by heavenly clouds, soothed by the tranquilising breeze, inhabited by startling talents from all around the country and counselled by affectionate and proficient faculty, IIM Shillong campus is no less than a paradise.

Having lived in sprawling campuses earlier during bachelors, the students here in IIM Shillong got the opportunity to nurture the beauty of a small and congenial ecosystem.  Currently, we are sheltered in a temporary campus at Mayurbhanj complex (the erstwhile summer palace of Mayurbhanj kings) in Shillong.  Every campus is beautiful in its own aspects.  There will always be highlights and challenges of every campus. IIM Shillong is no exception as well. But what I personally feel is that, the merits of our current temporary campus outmanoeuvre the challenges.

Yes, the current IIM Shillong campus might be missing the architecturally alluring infrastructure, sizeable and accoutred lecture halls, engaging cafeterias, whopping playgrounds, multi-storey library and luxurious auditorium, but as it is said, campuses are made of love and dreams, not mere brick and mortar, IIM Shillong resonates that belief.  I might not be wrong making a claim that the kind of rapport, harmony and self-belongingness that the participants of IIM Shillong feel are far considerable than others residing in any other campus in the country.

A small campus provides plethora of opportunities for interpersonal interactions, where birthdays and placement jubilation are celebrated collectively in ‘quad’ (a space enclosed by hostels in its vicinity), where every participant not only knows the name of every other, but the tastes and preferences as well, where biological families are not being missed, where banter and love co-exists. Peer to peer learning is meaningless in huge campuses, where isolations and groupism evolve gradually.  Our cute temporary campus dashes these barriers and allows holistic sharing of knowledge and support.  It’s comparatively easy to socialise in IIM Shillong as the lecture halls, administrative blocks and other amenities are pretty close and one meets and greets the other on the way. This strengthens the bond among the participants, unlike in the huge campuses where isolations prevail.  IIM Shillong promotes a sense of collectivism which is the genesis of our core values.

The sound of wooden flooring of the admin building and auditorium along with the regal sound of Teak and Mahagony hardwood doors excites the sense of regional affinity and kinship.  Bamboo is the boon companion in north-east, so is in IIM Shillong.  It roofs and screens the path uphill to admin and auditorium, making one feel period piece.  Some small glasshouses house some beautiful plants as there is scarcity of sunlight, are roofed by bamboo thatch roofs, giving antique look.  One gets the view of divine hills and customary lifestyles of the surrounding inhabitants.  The sunset and sunrise sometimes make the clouds blush which every photographer in the campus is keen to capture.  The rolling and undulated paths make the life in campus more adventurous and keep out the monotony of regular studies and activities.  Everyone just walks over the paths after meals to ponder over and inhale fresh soothing air.  The best part in IIM Shillong is that the stress level induced due to the rigour of B-School is mitigated by the calm and pacifying breeze.  Otherwise, the hot and humid climate elsewhere would have appended the stresses among the students.  One gets some strain and anxiety, he gets out and mother nature just embraces him and relaxes him, leaving joyful smiles on everyone’s faces.

There is one common mess, where food and laughter are shared among each other.  The junior and senior batches both queue up in together light heartedly and share jokes and jests with one another.  The sole night canteen acts like the night’s confluence which facilitates late night discussions.  The air of the campus is filled with joy and laughter charged by students here.  The campus is lush green shadowed with pine trees.  The green lawns serve as resting place especially in winters when sunlight becomes a treasure, laying over cozy grass, contemplating about future and fearing the time when we will leave this beautiful campus one day.  The sound of tree leaves when the breeze blows conciliates the ears.

IIM Shillong stands by sustainable development, as it is being persistently observed and gazed by nature.  So, it becomes our moral obligation as well to satisfy our conscience by standing to the principal of sustainability and be an able child of mother nature.  Green is our colour and all the buildings are painted in the very same colour to give the innate feeling of responsibility and sustainability.  The moment we try to overexploit the nature for shoddy profits, the memories and commendations of our campus and Shillong will haunt and curse us.

Most importantly, we are having a multipurpose basketball court, which is not only for basketball, but football and cricket enthusiasts also reap its services.  The short formats of both games have its own intensity and emotion.  We have Bamboo premier league for football and Kopda cup for cricket.  The joy of a game is not infused by the playground, but the players and the cheerful audience, and we are not deprived of any of them.  This takes the fun level to another high.

Located in the heart of the city makes life much easier as access to some good markets is easy and one can easily walk the way down to them.  Sometimes, random strolling of the Nonghthymai streets (the location of our campus in Shillong) gives more time to realise the broader purpose of life when one witnesses the peaceful, free of rush and content lives of the residents here.  There are some mesmerising trekking and voyaging sites nearby, settled in lap of mother nature.  The travel here is another enriching experience which may require a separate dedicated article to it.

In a nutshell, all the requisites that one should possess for being an efficient manager, is facilitated by this beautiful campus in one way or the other.  The campus has its own importance in shaping the outlook and mental attitudes of its inhabitants.  The learning and introspective thinking go hand in hand which promotes as sense of social and environmental responsibility among the budding and zealous participants, so that when one goes out in the corporate, he contributes in reconditioning of the societies and people’s lives through businesses.

Hope the new campus as well holds on to the legacy built by our temporary campus and perfuses further the happiness in the hearts of the forthcoming batches.

Aditya Birla Group

Among the several businesses of Aditya Birla Group, I would love to work in Fashion and Retail business as a career in sales and marketing fascinates me and some very popular retail brands in the very business will give me an ample opportunity to bring out the whimsical and yet adept marketeer within me.  The fashion industry is very challenging as it changes very frequently, so updating not only according to fashion and trends, but to constantly evolving sales and distribution channels will keep me on my toes and keep me enticed to bring something new to the table.  Moreover, working with designers, branding teams and sales teams will help me evolve as a sales marketing admirer.

Agum Singh Miglani

PGP 2nd Year

IIM Shillong