“It takes two to do the trust tango - the one who risks and the one who is trustworthy.”
Nine years ago, two teenagers trusted their instincts. They trusted their dreams, their hopes, and their aspirations. However hard the big, bad world tried pulling them down, their trust in themselves kept growing multifold. Those who envied them left no stone unturned to make the duo like them; men with no dreams, no aspirations and above all, men with no trust in themselves. But it was Sachin and Binny Bansal’s trust in their dreams that helped them tide over the initial hiccups of setting up Flipkart - a name every Indian household knows of now.
When IIm Bodh Gaya started its operations, the big guns of hate and envy got a new, juicy target to annihilate. However, little did these naysayers know that an IIM BGian already goes through a lot of stress and rigour and gets acclimatised to it here at IIM Bodh Gaya.These naysayers fail to understand that their trivial and petty attempts to pull us down are branded ‘juvenile’ at our dinner discussions and washed down with our plates. It is these petty attempts of trying to hog the limelight by questioning our class and stature that gives us hope; a hope that somewhere, someone out there is really concerned to provide us our laughter dose and to bust our stress by playing his childish and immature pranks.And thankfully, we have a plentiful of such ‘children’ around us.
It is these petty attempts of trying to hog the limelight by questioning our class and stature that gives us hope; a hope that somewhere, someone out there is really concerned to provide us our laughter dose and to bust our stress by playing his childish and immature pranks.And thankfully, we have a plentiful of such ‘children’ around us.
People may call IIM Bodh Gaya a ‘baby’ IIM but the fact remains - It is still an IIM. What some of our dissenters forget is that you do not mess with a lion even if it is a cub. We have been told that we lack a permanent campus and that we do not even have permanent faculty. What I opine is that it is perfectly alright not to have a permanent campus of yours and being taught by visiting faculty. It is perfectly okay because bricks and mortar do not forge an institution; it is we, the students and faculty that create our own , amazing world at IIM Bodh Gaya. Who, with a sane mind, would forego a chance of learning and competing with some of the brightest minds of the nation? Who, in his wildest of dreams, would ever imagine getting taught by the best statistic faculty and the best economist of this nation?And who would not want to be taught by those who shape destinies of 300 best minds of the nation at IIM Calcutta? Interestingly, our dissenters would never tell you this.
I am often asked - What is it that IIM Bodh Gaya has to offer to its students? More than the guaranteed lucrative job offers that an IIM BGiian is sure to get owing to the holistic and extensive regime he undergoes, we are provided with a chance; a chance to learn, grow and rediscover ourselves. The offerings are more than the PGP degree; we are offered the ‘best’ couple of years of their life.
When a baby is born, his parents do not abandon him thinking he might not make it big in his life. Rather, they nurture the infant and persevere to make their child a success story. And when this child of ours is an IIM, we as its parents are sure enough of its success. All we need are a couple of years and then the guns turned towards us will sing to our tune. Until then, I am happy to be ‘ashamed’ of being a proud student of IIM Bodh Gaya.
______________
About The Author:
Saksham Prashar is currently pursuing PGP from IIM Bodh Gaya. Previously, he completed B. Tech in EEE from KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. Saksham loves playing basketball and is a staunch supporter of San Antonio Spurs.