It’s always the journey, it will always be.
From a guy who had four failed attempts at Civil Services Examination to his name and five break years to deal with, landing a GMC internship at Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is a dream that has come true. I have two institutions that I owe this to. First, my alma matter, XLRI Jamshedpur for admitting me in their prestigious school and then Mahindra & Mahindra itself for providing me an opportunity to be in their leadership development program.
Being technically a fresher, I was really excited to begin my formal work journey with such a reputed organization. I knew that the exposure and the learning which this internship brings to me would be huge in paving my path for the future. Thus, with curious eyes, I boarded my flight to the city of dreams, Mumbai, for attending the induction process chalked out at Mahindra & Mahindra’s Worli office.
2
nd April. I sat in the media room looking at all the goodies on the table including the one that caught my attention the most - my first business card was there. Neatly stacked and polished, they were kept with my name adorned over them; it was a moment that I will never forget.
The session began with 35 GMC interns from the top B-schools across the country, deserving and capable in their very own way, listening to the senior most leaders from various verticals across M&M. They spoke about their rich experience at the vertical and with the organization, as well as patiently addressing the numerous queries that the students had for them.
The zeal and the passion which they demonstrated through their talks made me understand how deeply they were connected with the organization, and thus leaving me with awe and inspiration for the coming days of my internship here. The talks by Mr. Hemant Luthra and Dr. Pawan Goenka stood out for me the most and inspired me to remain unfretted & rational when treading through the difficult territories.
The interaction with Mr. Mahindra himself was a surreal experience for me as we all sat gasping at the man’s persona and charm with which he spoke to all of us. The discussion ranged from models of leadership to the basic purpose of an individual and on the whole, we took home many insights on life and our way forward in the future.
Post the induction process, we were introduced to design thinking through a one-day workshop, where we engaged in diverse activities to arrive at alternate pathways and solutions. Insighting and ideation in problem solving were given a whole new meaning through the workshop and the innovative methods of learnings that were used in it, thereby giving us a good boost to begin with and a signal to think innovatively by challenging the existing convention and boundary and concurring perfectly with the RISE philosophy that M&M embodies.
In between the rich learning process through the induction, I was also introduced by my friends to the amazing Khaugali. The food there was an apt ending for many of us to what we call a perfect day. There were never-ending conversations within us about how our B-schools differed and how they were totally similar, and at the close of all this, I had to bid adieu to Mumbai as I moved to Mahindra Research Valley (MRV), Chennai to begin the project assigned to me.
Designed by the famous architect Charles Correa, MRV Chennai is a place worth to be in. With state-of-the-art facilities and an architecture way ahead of its time, I find myself truly lucky to have started working at this beauty of a place.
Now, with the project deliverables in place and a timetable set, I begin my journey at M&M with same curious eyes and a strong passion to succeed.
Wish me luck :)