The classroom memory that I would like to share is from a session in the subject, “Self and Leadership Communication”. This course is taught by Prof. Sanjeeb Kakoty. Apart from being a teacher, he is a phenomenal writer and has also made a few documentary films. As evident from the name of the subject, this is not considered to be a ‘core’ course by many and there wouldn’t have been many enrolments if this was an elective. I am really glad that this is a mandatory course for all the students.
This particular memory is from the day when the professor told us that today he wouldn’t be teaching anything and asked us to come to the stage and share any story from our lives. The students, who were used to the rigor and heavy workload, became surprised and did not understand what was going on. He then went and sat at the back and asked us to volunteer one by one.
After a lot of hesitation, one student came to the stage and shared a story about his attachment with his pet dog. This created a comfort zone for the class and then people started coming up without any hesitation. The experiences that were told by my classmates were some of the most inspiring and emotional ones I ever came across.
A friend of mine shared the story of how he saved a girl from some drunk people in Goa. I never knew that I would hear an entire Bollywood story though someone’s experience. One student told about the harassment he went through in his previous college because of the faculty there. This really showed the struggle people went through to reach the stage they are currently in. Another student shared how he lost someone very close to him and how that changed his life completely. Almost half the class were in tears after listening to such deep stories. To lighten the mood, a student shared her story of how and why she threw put a cat in a gunny bad and threw it from 3rd floor during her childhood. Luckily, nothing happened to the cat at that time. There were also a few students who shared some stories that they were hiding within themselves and wanted to let it out.
These experiences, from my fellow mates, made me realise that there is so much more to learn from people. Its not just the teacher or the book that can impart education to us. The biggest learning that I took from that session was to not take the things and people around me for granted. Presence of even the smallest of the things are really important in anyone’s life.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
I would like to work for UltraTech Cement. Prior to joining IIM Shillong, I worked at UltraTech Cement for 20 months. I was fortunate to having seen three plants of the company in such a short duration. The experience that I gained during my work at the company was really enriching and satisfying. Not only did this help me in building my professional acumen, but it also helped in developing my personality. I really enjoyed the work culture that was present in the company. Moreover, the five values of ABG that I adopted during my work did not just help me during my work at the company, but even after that. I believe that this kind of overall development would have been difficult to get elsewhere. I want to further grow myself and take up the challenging roles that the company offers, thus UltraTech Cement is the company that I would like to re-join after my MBA. This choice, of joining UltraTech, is not just from the ABG companies, but from all the companies that are present in the country.
Abhishek Soni
PGP 2nd Year
IIM Shillong
