And Then I Woke Up In Hell - Kriti Bhargava's Take On IIM Lucknow

And then I turned to my all-time favourite solution- Library. The library in IIM L is as big as that in Hogwarts, it is still my favourite place. After a lot of reading and research, I came to the conclusions- I was homesick, inexperienced, and unable to adjust to the environment. For the first time, I could relate to Ron, how he must have felt every time he left burrow. But then, he managed pretty well; so did Ginny, George and Fred, they all left a big family but embraced their new home pretty quickly. Maybe Kriti should try the same.

Another research finding, you find the world exactly the way you perceive it. Maybe people weren’t that cold hearted. Maybe only I read them as rude. Maybe they too feel that I am resilient. After all, staying holed up in your room and watching Netflix entire day wasn’t exactly friendly either. As I reflect, only one word comes to my mind; “Sonder” -realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness. It’s almost the same as my first year at Hogwarts, it took a lot of time for me to become friends with Harry and Ron. At that time, a troll brought us together. Maybe here too, trolls and memes will connect me to the world.

Let’s look at the brighter side, the teachers here are less strict than Professor Snape or Professor McGonagall. And even QAM and FRA are easier than Transfiguration or Defense against Dark Arts. And demand curves and elasticity and stuff, it’s interesting. And thank god people here play football, I never really thought of quidditch as fun. Plus the charisma of football players… (wink emoji :p)

And here, despite finding the environment hostile, even Kriti can’t disagree, that she was well taken care of. Offo, I forgot again, I am Kriti! (followed by the eye rolling emoji of WhatsApp) Okay I will remember now. Let’s start again

I am Kriti. A 21-year-old fresher, who was lucky enough to be selected in IIM L, one of the best b-schools of the country. The people around are really knowledgeable, caring and helpful, but to see that side I have to reach out and extend the hand of friendship. The environment is really professional, and there is a lot to learn, especially in midst of a competitive environment. All I need to have is an open mind, and humility. The infrastructure, the mess, the hostels, everything is constructed to be extremely comfortable, even without magic. Well actually, there is magic, created by the people around, who work day and night to make this place a happy one. All I need to do is- open my thoughts and arms wide and embrace this place whole heartedly.

Often in life, we are tested by being thrown into uncomfortable new environment and hostile situations. We think it’s unfair, everyone around is hostile, the ground isn’t level playing. But we forget that we are blessed to be wherever we are. We fail to acknowledge the fact that we are lucky to be at a place, which is a dream for some. Human nature, never satisfied! (rolling eyes emoji again!)

There might be unfair situations, and unlucky phases too. There might be ups, and long phases of being down. Nonetheless, the battle is worth the fight. To become a butterfly, caterpillar has to break free of the cocoon. To move forward, we have to think beyond imperfections, focus on the positives. To live, we need to accept. To be happy, we need to embrace all that comes.

So I, Hermione Granger, oops, Kriti Bhargava, decide today to stop cribbing and start struggling; and eventually, win. I will not stop trying until IIM Lucknow becomes my home, away from home. True, there is no elf – made treacle tarts here, but we have doughnuts, and they work just fine! No Harry and Ron, but section F will become like my Gryffindor family soon.

A line just came to my mind – “Kisi ko mukammal jahan nai milta, kisi ko zameen, toh kisi ko asmaan nai milta”. Well, so not true. I have lived for long in the magical world already, it’s now time to enjoy the muggle world. Lucky to get the best of both worlds, isn’t it? With this thought, I smiled. Suddenly I was just Kriti, and happy to be so. And then, I woke up!