“Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step.”
-Harukami Murakami
While the world rolls over in their beds in the wee hours of the night, the bustling campus of SIBM Pune comes to life. The night canteen is full of hungry students who have skipped the last 2 meals just to meet deadlines, the library is full of pseudo-economists sharing their policies to reform the world order while turning the pink pages. For many more nights to come, groups will be formed, all to be broken and reformed again.
Classroom participation will become group discussions, group discussions will become debates, and debates will become achievements. What makes the campus of the lush green B-school tucked away on a hillock different than any other B-school?
One could argue about the sports facilities were excellent, or the student-driven culture at the heart of the college. Many would swear by the scenic beauty which mesmerizes everyone enough to take a handful of pictures. Yet, none of these come close to what is easily the most unique thing about the campus. The most unique thing at SIBM Pune is its people! While many B-schools in this country would proudly talk the profiles it attracts, SIBM Pune focuses on the people rather than the profiles. At SIBM Pune, we rightly believe in the quote, “It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
Like many of my batchmates, SIBM Pune is like a breath of fresh air in the wasteland of rat races for me. Diversity, both in culture and background, is ever-present. Students from Egypt, Ghana, Nepal and many other countries find a new home at the hilltop, while many viewpoints from backgrounds like pharmacy, law, biotechnology or even economics, converge into a fruitful class discussion. While past academic record is the most prominent criteria to admit students at most regular B-schools in the country, SIBM Pune not only focuses on this aspect but tries to delve deeper and find the students that will eventually go beyond the realm of classrooms and hone their talent in co-curricular and extracurricular fields.
We have friends, not acquaintances. We have teamwork, not PORs. We have humans, not only CVs. SIBM gives the opportunity to write again, but on a clean slate. It gives you a new life, a new home, and a new hope. Hope that good thing will come your way, hope that you will not only survive but be reborn. Reborn to make the most of the opportunities that come by, to conquer the world, to take baby steps in this walk called life. The most unique thing about SIBM Pune? It is its sheer humanity.
Its ability to give second chances to those who badly need them and to ensure that the MBA is not only a life-changing experience but a new life in itself. As a student with the not-so-great academic record, living the dream of having one more crack at not repeating mistakes, having the freedom to celebrate failure and overcome fear is the essence of the time you spend at SIBM Pune. Alas, my thoughts run away while I get a call from my council team to work on an event. One coffee later, I will be a much saner person. Sane enough to find the storm inside of me.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
With a sector growth that is enviable, Indian Retail and Fashion market is very attractive. Having worked on the customer-centric side of things in the past, I believe Aditya Birla Retail and Fashion Limited would be my favourite place to work at, out of all the great options. From serious business brands like Van Heusen to the casual wear brands like American Eagle, the retail and fashion wing of Aditya Birla group promises great brand management opportunities, something that I wish to take up in the future.
Akash Ahuja,
Marketing, SIBM Pune