What do we expect from our college education? Is it just a platform to get the lucrative corporate jobs that many aspire for? If so, then why not join a trusted placement agency; God knows there are enough of them in the country. Then, if not for placement, why are some colleges better than others? Why is there such a clamor for the IITs and IIMs, if the same courses are being taught at the myriad of educational institutions in the Country?
The answer to this lies in the quality of minds interacting with each other at the top colleges of the country. Students of IITs do not necessarily turn out to be leading engineers of the country and IIM graduates are not necessarily tailor-made to be high level managers. But the fact still remains that these people do turn out to valuable additions to the country, but not in one size fits all range of roles we associate them with. Some go out to be social leaders, some make their mark in politics, some start ventures that boost economy and employment while some others make their name in the field of arts. This is because the top colleges have within their walls some of the best minds of the country, who come from varied backgrounds. The quality interaction amongst them is what makes them quality additions to society, and that is why I wanted to join an IIM.
I always had a knack for the theatrical, having participated in plays and hosting events from a very young age. I used to imitate different relatives and did funny impressions of my school teachers in front of my extended family at gatherings, and was always the funny one in our group of friends, but that was all there was to it. Not paying much heed to that, and like every middle-class child in school I focused my energies on academics in pursuit of that elusive IIT seat, and even my extra-curricular activities were academically oriented, like Model United Nations and Quiz events. Not having fulfilled my dream of getting into IIT, I still got into a good engineering college, namely VSSUT, which one of the most prestigious institutions in Odisha. It was very clear to me early on that engineering is not my cup of tea, and I got heavily involved with the various clubs and committees. I was specially focused on the Dramatics society and my performances in humorous roles were very well appreciated by everyone. One of my performances as the modern Narad, who would say “Hardcore” instead of his usual remembrance of Lord Vishnu became one of the most popular roles ever, and the term ‘Hardcore” is now part of the college lingo at VSSUT. I started the Model United Nations society there, and it is something I will cherish throughout my life. So, come final year, I was vey clear about my strengths which lay in humor, public speaking and general knowledge. There were a lot of weaknesses, but that’s something for another time.
The guidance I received from all corners at that time was that my talents would make me a good fit for a management education and I should try for IIMs. I decided to postpone that option in favor of gaining a work experience, and so I joined Accenture Solutions in Bangalore in 2016. It was right about this time this time that Stand-up comedy had became a national favorite, and people began making careers in this new field. In Accenture, I was a part of a team of 300 people in my project, and being the fresher there, I was asked to perform something for the first team party. I did my first Stand-up performance there in 2016, and it was very well received. This spurred me on, and I would go on to perform in front of larger audiences during annual events for the 7000 people working in my location.
But I still hadn’t found the right niche, and I felt that I still had to grow professionally. So, I appeared for CAT in 2018, and was lucky to get a seat at prestigious IIM Kozhikode.Here at K, the people I interact with on a daily basis amaze me. Their intellect and knowledge easily rub off on you. We have excellent Professors who gaud us to read more, and no party with the students is bereft of some kind of woke discussions. I am constantly on the Internet learning new things, and this is just the right kind of peer pressure. Also, I got the chance to open for Kenny Sebastian and Kumar Varun, and hearing them talk about me was exhilarating.
And now that everything has shut down, I finally think I have found my niche. Combining general knowledge and humor, IN OTHER NEWS feels like something I should have got into beforehand. I still have lots of room to improve, but this feels as the start of something good.
Do I see myself doing this Full-time? Not at this time, I still want to cut it as a manager. But as far as hobbies and interests go, this one seems pretty great.
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By- Archit Panda - PGP23-IIM Kozhikode