It’s that time of the year- lawns re-laid, trees pruned and the campus is getting set for its most important annual event, the convocation. The makeover opens the floodgates of memory; people are thrown into the reminiscence mode. The campus we all love will soon be missed. The mess queues, the ever busy badminton courts, the ubiquitous, window-shattering party music will all soon be part of the past. I’m no exception to this ‘reliving memories’ phase and can’t help ruminating on my 2 years in ‘The Gateway of UP’- I didn’t know, until recently, Ghaziabad was called that!
Many a time, I have had the feeling that IMT is a microcosm of India itself- it boasts of some hard working, brilliant minds but there just isn’t enough support to help them bring the best out of them. But fighting against odds is what we, as Indians and IMTians, do best. IMTians learn more by themselves, at their own convenient time than what is taught in the classrooms. Discussions lead to better outcomes than guest lectures. At the end of the day, the system, the place, the environment and the people mould us and equip us to take the world on - a world which distinguishes individuals based on the attached ‘tags’ and not on what the individual stands for. IMT has been an excellent learning ground, and has done to me what a B-School is expected to do - make one fit enough to face the headwinds of the corporate world.
The Library is my favourite place in the campus. Its enormity, both in terms of dimensions and knowledge, is something I shall never forget. It is a constant reminder that there’s so much out there in the world which I do not know and all I can do is only strive to cover a little more distance. The view from the first floor makes one feel like the boss of IMT - the wide green ground with the ‘subjects’, in pairs or groups, wandering across- and gives one a sense of control. And yes, there is the lonely tree. She is the symbol of resilience. What if she is dead! She still weathers the scorching sun, the pouring skies, the bone chilling cold and what not! It’s a trait absolutely reflective of any IMTian; a trait that helps the IMTian rise above competition. The lonely tree is fittingly the de-facto IMT symbol. In fact, looked at from Nescafe (along with a few imaginary trims here and there), I find the lonely tree shaped like the trident of the IMT logo. What could have been a better representation of IMT right at the heart of the campus! She will keep reminding me of the wonderful days, excellent people, the tumultuous moods; the myriad of emotions that these 2 years have given me - she will remain my talisman of hope!