Feeling “completely out of place” is not how anyone wants to enter a B-School campus. But, truth be told, that is exactly how I felt on entering the IIM Nagpur campus. The first few weeks felt like I had landed on another planet. It wasn’t the demanding schedule or the inferiority complex. It was something much deeper- a cultural shock. Having lived at home for 22 years and being brought up in a certain way, this was my first time truly away, and I hadn’t expected to feel so different.
Everyone around me seemed so confident, opinionated, and deeply conditioned by experiences I had never lived. It was overwhelming. And for someone like me who doesn't always sit on the extremes, it felt hard to breathe freely in conversations that often didn’t leave room for nuance. Amidst those conversations, I’d just sit there, trying to process, wondering quietly, “Where do I fit in all this?”. It wasn’t about not having a voice. It was about not knowing if there was space for it.
Sometimes I wondered if I’d ever find my people, my tribe. The ones I could just be myself with, no pretence, no awkward nods, no masking up of opinions. But I slowly learned that this discomfort was part of the journey. Because like the outside world, IIM Nagpur is an amalgamation of people who think differently, behave differently, and come from wildly different upbringings. And maybe that is exactly the point. You learn to listen, you learn to exist in spaces where you don’t align with everything said. You understand that disagreement need not mean disrespect. And eventually, you find your people. People who may not mirror you in your thoughts and your ideologies, but who make space for who you are. And you do the same for them.
IIM Nagpur doesn’t hand you your space, but it teaches you to carve it. You need time, patience, and a willingness to look at people beyond just the surface. And if you are lucky enough like me, you’ll not only find people with different world views from yours, but also the ones that share yours. The ones who laugh at the same weird things, who read between your silences, and most importantly, get the whole of you. With them, I don’t need to translate myself. We call ourselves The Trinity, and in that small triangle, I found my space.
IIM Nagpur became something much bigger than a campus. It became proof that wherever you go, you’ll always find people who challenge you, surprise you, and slowly, if you stay open, people who get you.
So if you’re starting, embrace the chaos. Keep your heart open. Don’t worry if you don’t click with everyone. You’re not supposed to. But give it time, and your Trinity will find you because IIMN is a small planet. One where, somehow, the right people always find their way to you.
Sahitya is a PGP1 student at IIM Nagpur and an executive member of Corporate Relations and Placement Committee. Despite being a finance enthusiast, he breaks all the boxes by actively excelling in academics and extracurricular activities. Decoding complexities, be it through puzzles or films, is how he relaxes.
