Ten years have passed since the first time I heard the song, “XL ki kudiya..”. I was in 12th at that time and my older brother was preparing for B-school entrance exams. In those days everything was offline, from filling the forms and getting your admit cards to appearing for the exams (what a period it was…Orkut was cool, Facebook was still new and Instagram was not even heard of!).
My brother had a lot of brochures of CAT and XAT that I loved going through. With eyes filled with admiration and wonder, I would turn page after page, looking at the smiling pictures of the Dean, professors, students, and the campus (XL, you beauty). But never in my wildest dreams, I had imagined that I will land at the same place after 10 years (abhi virtual landing ki hai… shayad September me, will land in flesh and blood).
But these 10 years minus the fun-filled 4 years of my bachelor's weren’t a smooth ride at all.
Life after college has been a turbulent ride for me. It has always been touch and go for me until February this year. From getting out in the last round of my dream company during campus placements in 2015 to missing getting admission into TISS Mumbai HRM&LR program by a few waiting slots (that too twice). From not being able to don the Armed Forces uniform due to medical reasons to having to decline admission in NITIE Mumbai and other top IIMs because of parents not keeping well. One after another, all these experiences pushed my confidence down in the gutters and made me think like my 'Tryst with Destiny' was written with a broken pen.
But still, there was this burning desire in me to prove my worth, not to others but to myself. So, I gathered all that I had left in me and sat for my third attempt of CAT and the second of XAT. In spite of last-minute changes in exam pattern, having the baggage of 5 years of work-ex, and minimal preparation, I scored 95 percentile which was less than my previous attempts but was good enough to fetch me calls from top-tier B schools. But destiny had other plans for me and I got a call from XLRI for their flagship one-year program! Simultaneously, I also got joining letters from one of the BIG FOUR companies. I chose the former, had one of the best interviews, and cracked it successfully. It was the happiest day for me in years but the happiness was short-lived again- I lost my father after few days, and was tested positive for COVID-19, all in a matter of few days. Though I have recovered from Covid but the void of losing a parent right before he could see me doing well in life will never be filled.
Today, I have joined one of the best B-schools in the world and look back at those years of struggle with a smile, knowing very well that everything that I have been through was needed for me to appreciate what I have now.
I wish everyone good luck in whatever they aspire for, provided they're completely honest to themselves and their goal. And even if you end up not getting there, I wish the journey turns out to be a memorable one. Life is, after all, an act of letting go, without giving in.
Plan B is not for Losers, Plan B is for keeping the Balance in Life (Courtesy - TVF Aspirants)
Cheers,
Prabhakar Singh
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/prabhakar-singh-381b4181/
