As the third batch of IIM Sirmaur gears up for the summer placements, the newly-inducted members of the Institute’s Media team pour their hearts out while looking back at their journey through the first three months at IIM Sirmaur.
Shrikanth K:
When I received the call from IIM Sirmaur, there were two prominent emotions that kept recurring: one was excitement – the excitement of studying in an IIM; and the other one was fear – fear of not being able to match up to the crème-de la-crème of our country. While the seniors and the administration ensured we had no difficulty coming on board, the professors made sure we were at the top of our game from Day 1. As I was coming after working for a while, it frankly took a couple of false starts to get going. But the syllabus is just like the spiked tail of the dragon, while the whole experience of MBA is like that of flying away dodging this scary fire-breathing flying dragon (Hungarian Horntail, if you may) and managing to steal away the golden egg from its nest. I am not quite sure if I did a great job flying in the first term, but surely both the dragon and I can go for a second round now.
Nitin Sankar:
Every campus, in each part of the world, would have such a place which would be the rendezvous for the most intimate and emotional moments to happen. Secluded from the rest of the campus, it would host the gossip of close friends, overnight parties and the intimate moments of couples. It would be the place where friends open up to one another, sharing their sorrows and deepest fears. And years later when they return to the college, other than their hostel rooms, it would be the place which would bring back the nostalgic memories. Here, at IIM Sirmaur, the Mechanical Workshop of the HIT campus is the favourite rendezvous for the students. In this short span after the inception of the institution, the Workshop has already been witness to the most intimate memories of 3 batches of students. It stands here waiting for those who passed out to return and to revive those memories by looking at it, and in anticipation of watching the future batches living out their most precious moments.
Akanksha Singh:
The first term was tough for me but nonetheless, every day at IIM Sirmaur was a roller coaster ride for the sheer thrill of it. Everything was new - a place which was going to be my home for the next two years, people from all over the country, courses which were about to be studied for the first time, new ideas, new opportunities to explore. It was crazy the way the entire campus was brimming with such euphoric energy on the very first day. And then the term started. As with all MBA colleges, we somewhere started getting lost amidst the classes, assignments, quizzes, presentations, guest lectures and the activities of the various clubs and committees. The deadlines kept us perpetually sleep-deprived but excited. And in the process, I found a set of beautiful souls. The people who helped in studies, supported each other and the ones who always had your back; the friends who became family. The people with whom days were spent working hard and nights were spent laughing at our inside jokes. Because of them, the first Term of my MBA was all the more fun and hopefully, the whole two years will lead to more memories.
Vaishnavi Deshpande:
I never imagined waking up to the sight of beautiful mountains decorated with a trail of clouds. All my life, I had only wondered about the beauty of nature. However, in the chaos of a metropolitan city, I wasn’t even lucky enough to see the stars in the night sky. Here at IIM Sirmaur, the ever-changing weather just left me spellbound. It was my first time away from home, but within the first few days, my homesickness took a backseat. Clear blue with snow-white clouds on some days, beautiful amber dusky on others, the sky was ever so different, just the way every day in college came with a new experience. As our term progressed, we saw Sirmaur change its colours. The days started getting shorter, rainy days transformed into cooler nights. One night when none of us slept owing to the completion of projects and presentations, we were accompanied by the fog, so much so that we could not see the buildings around us. Our term ended with our examinations and as we were leaving for our vacations, with the hope of passing with flying colours, we witnessed magnificent twin rainbows that left us all thinking what more is yet to unravel in this beautiful place.
Anirudha Yadav:
During Diwali vacation, we embarked on a trip to Kasol. The idea of writing this article for InsideIIM was at the back of my head the whole time. I started linking the Management 'Gyaan' we had learnt in the first term to come up with an impressive article. But, the trekking expedition to Kheer Ganga taught me that - “Amidst the race for the goal, enjoy the journey”. Clearly, the drive for writing a splendid article was biting into my ability to introspect and enjoy the process of writing the article. But, are we all not guilty of the same, even in our MBA education?
Thankfully, my friends in IIM Sirmaur made sure I enjoyed my journey here. So much so that we even started our own initiative from Room No.16, which is popularly known as ‘Dharamshala’ - a student-driven retail store to cater to the needs of the Institute. This entrepreneurial venture helped us apply our learnings in real-time. This mix of knowledge and enjoyment aided in making the journey much more interesting.
On reaching the summit of the trekking expedition and immersing ourselves into the holy hot spring, the realisation struck that - “The harder the struggle, the more glorious is the triumph”. I hope that would be the case for my journey at IIM Sirmaur as well.