My life, like everyone’s has been a roller coaster of positive and negative vicissitudes. From a young
age, I had a dream to become a fighter pilot. During my high school, I got an opportunity to write the
National Defence Academy Examination. I cleared it in first attempt. Following it was the SSB which
is considered the toughest personality test in the world. I fought through all hardships and cleared
that too in first attempt and also the PABT (test for pilots by the Indian Air Force). But the medical
examination declared me unfit for being a pilot. I accepted my fate and decided to channel my skills
into engineering. There was a lot of pressure from my parents to take up B.Com as my graduate
degree as my brother and cousins were all commerce graduates. It took some effort but eventually, I
convinced them and took admission at UIET, Panjab University. I broadened my horizon by working
on technical projects such as designing a wireless control switch. I joined UIET's Brand Promotion
Committee and acknowledging my hard work, I was soon promoted to the post of convener of the
committee and led a team of 45 members during my tenure. I brought about changes to not just
report the PR activities but also organise and take initiatives to build the brand of my institute. The
work required most of my time coming back late at night from the college became normal. It was
hard to strike the work-life balance but my family and friends supported me. When I see the fruits of
my efforts after these years, it gives me a sense of satisfaction. Up till my final year, I was well
targeted on pursuing an MBA to further gain necessary knowledge and skills in the field of
management. In order to get a better grasp on these subjects, I interacted with a faculty member at
the local MBA institute, University Business School, Panjab University, who guided me with the
basics of management subjects. I waited for my CAT results and was admitted to the premium
league of institutes, the IIMs. My peers and family had concerns about taking admission in a third
generation IIM. But I fought through all doubts to pursue my decision. IIM Bodh Gaya was a budding
institute then, but has grown into an institute worthy of the IIM Tag. Here I faced the cultural
exposure. The batch was evenly distributed among all states in India. I worked on my social skills and
made friends with all my batch mates. Until now, my story has been a short one but I will face all the
challenges that I get and try, try till I succeed.
#iimbg #ABGLP #woo
