A forty-five-minute ride from the SB Road Campus is a one to cherish. From one iconic building to another. From a palace of resilience to a hilltop of new hope. Guess what binds them together, the philosophy of-
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakkam”.
Awe, the only word that could define my expression when I first entered the campus, for the first time, for the GD-PI-WAT session. All I could think of was: “Boss you’ve got to make it to this place”. Cut to three months in future: Mounting the winding roads to the hilltop, which remind me of Darjeeling yet again, the first thing on touch down: “I made it to SIBM”!
Quite literally in the lap of mother nature, the campus welcomes monsoon-like no other place. Cool & gentle monsoon breeze, picturesque sunsets, verdant surroundings behold the 1500 odd residents who call this place their home. Here’s a glimpse into my experience:
Top of the world
A gorgeous view of a lake amidst lush green wildlings. Early Sunday morning all you can hear here is wind whispering and the sound of two gushing waterfalls. Yes it’s the “Aqua-point”. The paved circular tarmac, reminds you of where you are, and where you want to be: “At the top”. A glance from this place while rushing to the class, reminds us of the plethora of opportunities around us. It gives us that extra bit of push (pun not intended) to go and get it!
Where Football wins every night
No matter which side scores. No matter which side wins. FIFA WC wins here every night. Beware of the cheers, because “MNC” is here!
2am Maggie Check! Late night latte Check! A bustling place Check! And it goes on and on. This venue a 3 hour frolic reinvigorates the tired souls of SIBM for the next battle to come. At the Mid-Night Canteen, you easily lose the track of time because here each night is a festival & each moment is full of life.
Not just a roof over head
Peddling uphill, panting and catching breath all you see around is people shuttling in and out. This is not just roof over our head, it’s a home away from home, it’s: “The hostels”. All luggage parked and set for two years to come. We are ready to jostle and to give our best. And we don’t realize when we start saying “ghar ja raha hoon”. It’s neither about the amenities around nor about the coziness of the rooms. It’s about the feeling of something that belongs to me. A place where I will cry and laugh, where I will celebrate success and learn from failures. A place where I where will spend two memorable years of my life and this place will still amaze me. I guess this is indeed a place we call home.
Best for the Last:
No write-up on SIBM is complete without the penning down the time spent at “The Amphi”. A serene place which gives you the “me time” you crave for, in this hectic schedule of the future corporate leaders. At the Amphitheatre all you want is time. Time to detox. And yet more time to just be there and watch the one of the greatest show the nature puts on: “The famous Sunset of SIBM”. The sheer specter of colors leaves you speechless. All you want here is hot coffee and your favorite sound track (though the wind renders the last one redundant). The distant hills make it even more poetic, if this place does not make you one.
Such is the hilltop. I can go on & on and I can never express it in words. I guess this is beauty of the symbiotic relation between us and this place where we grow, fall, rise, slip, mount, yet keep going on. The positive vibes around us transforms us to different personalities. Personalities ready to make a difference in the world. Personalities ready to leave an imprint on the world, an imprint SIBM left on us.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
Being given a chance to join The Aditya Birla Group (ABG) is in itself a once in life time opportunity and I would be humbled to be a member of one of World’s most trusted brands. Having been given an opportunity I would to love to join Hindalco or UltraTech Cement. Apart from being the top two performers in the ABG, these two are indeed global pioneers in their fields, hence I would love to be a part of such great organizations.
However one brand under the ABG umbrella that stands out for me is the “Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprise Pte. Ltd.” (SSOE), the trading solutions arm of ABG. The sector of logistics, warehousing and shipping fascinates me and I see myself working in this sector in the future. Being the third largest contributor in the ABG (in terms of revenue), SSOE is one of the oldest subsidiaries of ABG and I would love to be associated with such a dynamic organization.
The added edge of being able to work in diverse locations across the globe, with diverse products and commodities such as petro-chemicals, tea, coal, fertilizer to name a few, is something I would love to experience.
Abhinav Agrawal
Operations, SIBM Pune