Coming to IIM-K with great trepidation, the institute was an enigma for me. Countless stories and anecdotes from friends and acquaintances painted a picture of a place so beautiful, yet exhausting; so collaborative yet competitive. On reaching the Kampus, I could subdue all the canned thoughts and buck fever, for the Kampus is exceedingly great for its zealous surfeit of wisdom and beyond. The very first ground rule in IIM-K is that everything is K and K is everything, right from the Kampus to Konquest to Konsult. The lush greenery of Kampus spreads over 100 acres on two hillocks, and we live literally among the clouds.
Every day we are used to waking up to these views...
So do the luxurious hostel rooms which are no less than any resort and the ever-awesome climate let us get absorbed in thought!
The 'SWOT analysis of MBA' t-shirts of seniors jotted down the basic idea of our forthcoming life at K and thereafter. Once in Kampus, everything starts changing - our ideology, sleep cycle (or the lack of thereof) and everything we have stood for in life. We realize that our entire notion about cohortians is at stake, on knowing the diversity of the batch. Moreover, as a rule of thumb, we start giving attention to details and 'deadlines are sacrosanct' will be the mantra for the next two years of life and more.
As Alvin Toffler once said,
"The illiterate of this century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn."
This is how a person evolves in IIM-K and we, the Komrades, justify our vision of 'Globalizing Indian thought' in even the Lilliputian aspects. We behold the sense of belonging as one big family and treat and respect everyone equally. The fact that we never lock our room and call the staff as 'chetans' & 'chechis' substantiate the level of trust and respect we possess for each and every person in the family.
The one blatant truth is that the Kampus never sleeps. We can see people sitting or wandering, alone or in groups, even in the wee hours zestfully. The professors are the ablest giants of their area and dedicate their time and effort in rendering us the surefire path to our goals. Besides the normal 9.15 to 5.15 lectures, they facilitate enormous interaction sessions, film screening and a diverse set of pedagogies. The politeness of these professors ignoring their veritable excellence in academic and social activities, inculcate the virtue of being humble in life.
Another unique thing about Kampus is the nomenclature of the hostels, where the hostels are named after different ragas of the Indian classical music like Jog, Neelambari etc. We can resonate to the vibes these hostels, the Arjuna path and everything gives. Even an awfully lazy guy will leave the Kampus attaining well-nigh all lessons of life. Our entire thought process evolves and we start thinking beyond, rather than spanning around the placements and bank loans.
Even though it has been just the 10th day of my stint at Kampus, it feels like I have been here for ages and can sense the change or self-actualisation happening. Life at IIM-K is nothing but an occult journey to self-growth.
Yes, God's own Kampus it is!
PC: PGP 22 Students