Amidst the chaos surrounding outside and pumping from inside, finally with all the will, I chose to be a part of IIM Raipur. With thousands of thoughts running in the mind, I entered into the place of learning which started teaching me from the very first minute I came in. Everything was so perfectly organised to welcome us into the world of surprises. Needless to mention, it was an enthralling experience from the day one.
Initially, the good pay package and a well-established brand name are what attracted the students of IIM Sambalpur to the BPCL summer internship program. I got excited to look for what BPCL can offer me in terms of experiential learning. The company provided the role of a Third Party Business Consultant in its core function of Petrol and Diesel Retail. Our topic was “BPCL Retail Outlet Customer Satisfaction & Brand Evaluation”.
It was 15th of April 2018 when I found myself on the floor of a 4-lakh square feet warehouse with my helmet on and ready to coast through a humongous mezzanine (as they call it in industry parlance) to kick off my internship experience. I wondered ‘Did I take a wise decision to go for my MBA, let alone this internship?’ The forklift honked as if saying a loud ‘NO’. But that was to alarm me that I had stepped out of the designated walkway. Indeed, I had. I had stepped out of my comfortable campus life to take a glimpse of what actually goes on in the real world. Such a cliché! With this discomfort and nervousness, I started my GEMBA walk, a practice as simple as it can get yet as rare and unseen as occasions wherein our study groups indeed have worthy discussions on intended agendas! One of the many practices brought into the industry by the Japanese, this walk actually gave me the flavour of what lies ahead for me.
In everyone’s life, there comes a span of time which becomes the most instrumental in shaping his/her career. Last 10 months were the same to me. Involved in it were my desperate efforts to land the dream institute of every CAT aspirant – an IIM. And here I am today, sitting in IIM-Raipur, writing about how and why I chose this place as an entrance to the corporate world.
“I am a proud student of Indian Institute of Management, Raipur”
It was 9:30:00 when he entered the classroom. The first thing that he did was lock the door behind him, giving us our first and possibly the most important lesson – punctuality. Nobody was allowed inside the class after 9:30:00. It was clear. Citing shlokas from the Bhagwat Geeta, Professor P.R.S. Sharma introduced himself in the most uncanny fashion imaginable. A bit surprised at this, but still very excited, the 60 odd students greeted their guru as he cut the red ribbons to their 2-year journey at the Indian Institute Of Management, Raipur.
I peer through the window at the pitch-black night. It has started to drizzle, and the city far away has retired for the day. The clock strikes 12 and the campus begins its hustle. I smile to myself, overcome with nostalgia, looking at the new batch, running up and down the stairs, for the hunt has begun. It’s now or never, when it comes to those three letters – POR.
I was happy and on cloud 9, getting calls from multiple new IIMs, however, this is was where it all started! It was just the beginning of a whole new era. Gathering information, insights of the IIM’s about their culture, working mechanism, events held, student exchange programs and obviously campus life was needed. After writing down all the pros and cons, I finally chose IIM Raipur.
