“The long run puts the tiger in the cat” - Bill Squires
After making a stupendous run through a rigorous selection process, June mein hum Joka aye. As is always the case, this wasn’t the end. After a week, life at IIMC had gone into full swing. As has been aptly said, IIMC fondly called Joka, is not just a place – it’s an experience. There was a scurry by Jokars to have a piece of this ‘pie’. People were running all over the campus, buoyant with the ‘Joka spirit’.
Amidst all this, Armageddon – The Adventure Club of IIM Calcutta conducted its Induction Run. It is conducted every year for the first year students as a preliminary round of its selection process. And run here we did. After a day of hectic 'activities', Fachaas turned up in drones to participate in this refreshing, albeit challenging event. We chose to run the day, after the day had run on us.
Even though the rain god had tried to play spoilsport, Armageddon team had come fully ready. The event started without any glitches. Team Armageddon constantly kept the runners motivated and also energized by providing glucose water at different points throughout the track. Tim Noakes has aptly said “Body argues that there is no reason to continue. The only recourse is to call on the spirit, which fortunately functions independent of spirit”. This was pretty evident during the run. Participants pushed their limit, displaying tenacity in strength and fortitude in spirit.
After everyone had done the requisite rounds, there was a flurry of chatter among participants. Few participants had stuck together as a band and made the rounds, each being there in others time of distress. This was felicitous of the Joka tribe and its culture.
After resting the aching muscles, it was time for the ceremonial group pic. Everyone cluttered together, with beaming faces; forgetting the recent adversity. While a few held the Induction run banner, quite a few others held out their fingers signaling victory, thumbs up. It was time to disperse and indulge in other experiences. A gem of an experience had been added to the jar of life.