Often, we are simply too afraid to find out who we really are. But not always are we scared. At times, we merely go through life thinking we are something that we are not. And then we take that identity that we have generated for ourselves, for our actual soul. And this is a huge task to take this journey of finding ourselves: not to be misled by what seems to be our personality on the exterior, but to go deeper and find out who we really are. And one of the best places to start this journey is through education and hence college.
Often, we are simply too afraid to find out who we really are. But not always are we scared. At times, we merely go through life thinking we are something that we are not. And then we take that identity that we have generated for ourselves, for our actual soul. And this is a huge task to take this journey of finding ourselves: not to be misled by what seems to be our personality on the exterior, but to go deeper and find out who we really are. And one of the best places to start this journey is through education. Hence, college.
The campus of IIM Calcutta, or ‘Joka’ as we fondly call it, is beautiful in its own way. Well, to set the record straight, despite being the biggest campus among the Holy Trinity in terms of area, it certainly is not as well-maintained as the other two. Though that in no way means it is any less beautiful, after all it is the campus of The Seven Lakes, the lakes which were envisaged to symbolize ‘cauldrons of knowledge’. The lakes, like almost all other significant structures on campus, have a great deal of history behind them. The Seven Lakes symbolize seven of the most legendary professors of the institute. Myth has it, whenever the lakes overflow, the placements skyrocket for that year. Besides, the campus is essentially a bird sanctuary, and provides ample opportunities for budding ornithologists, or photographers,(or perhaps even mere admirers of natural beauty) to sight birds of different species. And to add to that, one gets to see some rarely sighted animals such as the Monitor Lizard(whom we affectionately call ‘Monty’), swans, and ducks.
It was 11 at night. I could see rain drops striking hard on the window pane and wondered if I should cancel my plan of going to Bishu Da- the favorite hangout ‘restaurant’ for XLers at night.
I forcefully opened my eyes to switch off the alarm. The digital clock in my mobile struck 8:52 am. I had overslept and now had to make it to a 9 am lecture, and rather quickly. Then began that listless (no breakfast, no water) race against time. You then curse the random lottery that gave you the room farthest from the learning centre classrooms.
“The long run puts the tiger in the cat” - Bill Squires
After making a stupendous run through a rigorous selection process, June mein hum Joka aye. As is always the case, this wasn’t the end. After a week, life at IIMC had gone into full swing. As has been aptly said, IIMC fondly called Joka, is not just a place – it’s an experience. There was a scurry by Jokars to have a piece of this ‘pie’. People were running all over the campus, buoyant with the ‘Joka spirit’.
Amidst all this, Armageddon – The Adventure Club of IIM Calcutta conducted its Induction Run. It is conducted every year for the first year students as a preliminary round of its selection process. And run here we did. After a day of hectic 'activities', Fachaas turned up in drones to participate in this refreshing, albeit challenging event. We chose to run the day, after the day had run on us.
Even though the rain god had tried to play spoilsport, Armageddon team had come fully ready. The event started without any glitches. Team Armageddon constantly kept the runners motivated and also energized by providing glucose water at different points throughout the track. Tim Noakes has aptly said “Body argues that there is no reason to continue. The only recourse is to call on the spirit, which fortunately functions independent of spirit”. This was pretty evident during the run. Participants pushed their limit, displaying tenacity in strength and fortitude in spirit.
After everyone had done the requisite rounds, there was a flurry of chatter among participants. Few participants had stuck together as a band and made the rounds, each being there in others time of distress. This was felicitous of the Joka tribe and its culture.
After resting the aching muscles, it was time for the ceremonial group pic. Everyone cluttered together, with beaming faces; forgetting the recent adversity. While a few held the Induction run banner, quite a few others held out their fingers signaling victory, thumbs up. It was time to disperse and indulge in other experiences. A gem of an experience had been added to the jar of life.
Often, we are simply too afraid to find out who we really are. But not always are we scared. At times, we merely go through life thinking we are something that we are not. And then we take that identity that we have generated for ourselves, for our actual soul. And this is a huge task to take this journey of finding ourselves: not to be misled by what seems to be our personality on the exterior, but to go deeper and find out who we really are. And one of the best places to start this journey is through education and hence college.
Often, we are simply too afraid to find out who we really are. But not always are we scared. At times, we merely go through life thinking we are something that we are not. And then we take that identity that we have generated for ourselves, for our actual soul. And this is a huge task to take this journey of finding ourselves: not to be misled by what seems to be our personality on the exterior, but to go deeper and find out who we really are. And one of the best places to start this journey is through education. Hence, college.
The campus of IIM Calcutta, or ‘Joka’ as we fondly call it, is beautiful in its own way. Well, to set the record straight, despite being the biggest campus among the Holy Trinity in terms of area, it certainly is not as well-maintained as the other two. Though that in no way means it is any less beautiful, after all it is the campus of The Seven Lakes, the lakes which were envisaged to symbolize ‘cauldrons of knowledge’. The lakes, like almost all other significant structures on campus, have a great deal of history behind them. The Seven Lakes symbolize seven of the most legendary professors of the institute. Myth has it, whenever the lakes overflow, the placements skyrocket for that year. Besides, the campus is essentially a bird sanctuary, and provides ample opportunities for budding ornithologists, or photographers,(or perhaps even mere admirers of natural beauty) to sight birds of different species. And to add to that, one gets to see some rarely sighted animals such as the Monitor Lizard(whom we affectionately call ‘Monty’), swans, and ducks.
It was 11 at night. I could see rain drops striking hard on the window pane and wondered if I should cancel my plan of going to Bishu Da- the favorite hangout ‘restaurant’ for XLers at night.
I forcefully opened my eyes to switch off the alarm. The digital clock in my mobile struck 8:52 am. I had overslept and now had to make it to a 9 am lecture, and rather quickly. Then began that listless (no breakfast, no water) race against time. You then curse the random lottery that gave you the room farthest from the learning centre classrooms.
“The long run puts the tiger in the cat” - Bill Squires
After making a stupendous run through a rigorous selection process, June mein hum Joka aye. As is always the case, this wasn’t the end. After a week, life at IIMC had gone into full swing. As has been aptly said, IIMC fondly called Joka, is not just a place – it’s an experience. There was a scurry by Jokars to have a piece of this ‘pie’. People were running all over the campus, buoyant with the ‘Joka spirit’.
Amidst all this, Armageddon – The Adventure Club of IIM Calcutta conducted its Induction Run. It is conducted every year for the first year students as a preliminary round of its selection process. And run here we did. After a day of hectic 'activities', Fachaas turned up in drones to participate in this refreshing, albeit challenging event. We chose to run the day, after the day had run on us.
Even though the rain god had tried to play spoilsport, Armageddon team had come fully ready. The event started without any glitches. Team Armageddon constantly kept the runners motivated and also energized by providing glucose water at different points throughout the track. Tim Noakes has aptly said “Body argues that there is no reason to continue. The only recourse is to call on the spirit, which fortunately functions independent of spirit”. This was pretty evident during the run. Participants pushed their limit, displaying tenacity in strength and fortitude in spirit.
After everyone had done the requisite rounds, there was a flurry of chatter among participants. Few participants had stuck together as a band and made the rounds, each being there in others time of distress. This was felicitous of the Joka tribe and its culture.
After resting the aching muscles, it was time for the ceremonial group pic. Everyone cluttered together, with beaming faces; forgetting the recent adversity. While a few held the Induction run banner, quite a few others held out their fingers signaling victory, thumbs up. It was time to disperse and indulge in other experiences. A gem of an experience had been added to the jar of life.
