The thing is – love just happens. It just does. You can’t quite explain it and specially love at first sight. Love at first sight is what brings you into someone’s life, and you into theirs. For me this love at first sight happened by chance while driving back home when I lost my way which one can very easily in Gurgaon. It is then that I came across the blue neon symbol of MDI in all its glory atop the picturesque residential building of the campus when viewed from outside at night. And in that instant, gut emotion you get when you see it for the first time, that can be ever so telling as to where your relationship with it will take off. This love at first sight was so strong that despite converting some of the best B-schools including XLRI, I decided to come here trusting and banking on the power of that love at first sight.
Cut to present day, as I sit in my hostel room writing this, slightly more than a month at the campus, my relationship and bond has been evolving. Like any other relationship one needs to put in time and effort from one’s side. Each day is a new learning, be it the good or bad days. But one thing is certain, there is never a dull moment in this relationship.
As the handbook of this relationship suggested, it provides just the right environment to step away from the mundane world to quietly imbibe, peacefully introspect and ultimately learn, it is living up to each of the above mentioned words. Apart from the regular infrastructure that one finds in all good B-schools, it is a lush green campus with red brick stone buildings, vast open lawns (hell we have our own golf course !!) and endless number of dogs on campus which are such a huge stressbuster, it provides the perfect environment, cut off from the hustle and bustle of the city life outside specially being in the heart of Gurgaon. And my god, one needs to see the campus in all its glory specially after a rainy day.
Coming to the imbibe aspect, within a short span of time, I have seen a monumental change in myself. I have started to understand the importance of time much more, learning to prioritise commitments and meeting challenging deadlines. These are not habits one can build in a short span of time and these are virtues that can take one a long way in life if imbibed well enough which this relationship is teaching me so well.
This relationship has also helped me understand myself better. It has made me introspect on my strengths and shortcomings and provides me opportunities to play to my strengths and work on my shortcomings. It promises to throw me out of my comfort zone each time I try to become complacent, thus keeping me on my toes all the time.
But the most important part of this relationship, one which ensures maximum compatibility is the constant learning. And mind you learning not just about the subjects alone but knowledge about different cultures, backgrounds and people. Apart from the highly qualified professors who are like the relationship counsellors to guide us on the right path, one gets to learn from the various other peers who have their own love hate relationship saga with this institute. You don’t go through the traditional boring system of education of rote learning but you are thrown real life situations (case studies) which forces you to place yourself in other person’s shoes and think from their point of view as well hence developing empathy in all.
But as I mentioned before, there a lot of other fun moments and a whole of celebrations at various stages of this relationship. Every festival is celebrated with full fun and frolic and everyone gets an opportunity to showcase and pursue their passions. And we are always open to people from the outside world to join us in these celebrations. We believe in the purpose of spreading joy.
To sum it up, this is a lifelong bond that has been built and I would carry its badge of honour with me throughout. I would in fact urge all to come and be small yet significant part of our lives and experience this love on your own as there isn’t a better feeling than the feeling of being in love. This is a love story that will definitely have a happily ever after.
Which ABG Company?
Brands have always fascinated me. They are like central nervous system depressants which affect your rationality. How one manages these brands in order to obtain sustainable competitive advantage is very important and this is exactly what brand management is all about. I would like to work for Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited as it has some of the top brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England, Pantaloons etc. with which I associate myself as well by being a regular customer. Plus, with the disruption in the e-commerce sector, retail sector needs to rethink strategies and would provide some great challenging problems to solve which I would love to handle.