Sometimes it’s the journey itself, which plays a very crucial role to achieve our desired destiny. In our case, Airavat - the elephant, was our chariot for the battle. Our hunger was satiated with a heavy dinner but a different hunger, that of glory, left our stomachs rumbling. For me, it was the first Sangram but for some of my teammates, it was their second and more importantly the last. The journey to Bangalore was filled with fun talks and songs along the way. While some chose to put on their headphones and lose themselves to a world of music (or motivational talk), some played antakshari, some chose to discuss their strategies for the game, while others decided to catch up on some beauty sleep.
For B-school students, sleep starts with daybreak. And to our dismay, we reached very early even though we tried all possible ways to delay the inevitable. We were stopped at the giant gates of IIM-B for formality purposes (supposedly) and we tried to reach out to some of the organisers, but unfortunately we didn’t get an answer. Somehow we managed to persuade the security in-charge and moved into the campus. Though in all fairness, IIM - Bangalore played an excellent host, with their delicious food, excellent sports facilities and most importantly the students. The pleasant weather and soothing climate of Bangalore just added further relaxation to our stay. Having said that, ‘relaxation time’ was next to nothing in the high intensity of the games and supporters.
Now came the time to perform and show the true aggression on the field. Not only the players but also the spectators had to come all pumped up for the matches. The first event was the Badminton match between IIM-T and IIM-K. They had come prepared with trumpets (resembling the Vuvuzelas from 2010 WC) and we had our high pitched screams. Despite the loud noise of the trumpets and incessant sledging, the players put their best foot forward and both teams showcased their utmost talents in order to snatch victory, the first blood went to IIMK! They earned the respect of opponents, customary to a good game. Meanwhile, there were many games which were going on and some were yet to be scheduled sometime later in the night.
In the evening, there was a cultural event organised by the host IIM-B which included the lighting of lamps by the Sports secretaries of respective institutes and a music band performance. It was a heartwarming show and Sangram 2016 was officially declared open with the trophy reflecting in the eyes of the participants. I was eagerly waiting for the football match between IIM-B and IIM-T as that was touted as a high adrenaline game with both fielding strong teams. The match lived up to its billing and it brought thrills to even the football non-enthusiasts. The first win for the institute is always very encouraging and motivates other teams to give their best for their game. I could see the pride in our team and our captain’s eyes.
The next two days were very tiring and enjoyable at the same time. It was a tremendous show displayed by our Volleyball team in the match with IIM-K with a formidable performance by our Sledgecom even at 2 in the night! The invention rate of profanity was at an all-time high with adrenaline running at its peak! It is imperative to mention the Cricket match between T and K, as our team was dominating from the very beginning but it was tables turned during the Basketball game. We put up a good fight, but our team was put together from scratch and they deserve credit for showing up for the rigorous practice sessions. However, the women team outshone in Table tennis and the Pool men’s team were just amazing.
With barely any facilities for practice, the Trichy Pool team defeated the host team and set an example to perform with no excuses. The finals of Hockey and Football were the most talked matches in this Sangram and the Trichy teams were in full flow. We defeated IIM-K in football finals and IIM-B in Hockey to grab two Golds. Off the ground there too there was an intense match going on between the supporters of Trichy and Kozhikode. Sledgecom again put their best foot forward to give back to the equally vocal Kozhikode contingent. As the day dawned on the tournament, it was IIMB that emerged overall champs. Kozhikode really had to fight till the last scratch to finish second. IIMT ended third with our heads held high with a much-improved performance from the previous editions. For IIMV, they had their first taste of Sangram and I’m sure they will turn up much stronger next year.
Sangram, the battle between the IIMs of South, lived up to this catchphrase, “Play Fierce” in every possible way. There was great glory in the victories, there were heartbreaks in the losses and injuries & struggles along the way. But in the end, the newly forged camaraderie, and the experiences along the way, were much more precious and worth treasuring. We all parted on a note that we all will meet again, better, faster and stronger!
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About the Author:
Bijay Krishna Nandi is an Electrical Engineer and is currently pursuing MBA from Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli, Batch of PGP 2016-18. Prior to this, he worked in the steel sector for 4 years. He is not only a sports guy and basketball enthusiast but also has a keen interest in all sorts of adventure. In addition to that, he is a big time foodie and plans of majoring in Operations Management.
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