by Palakh Jain, FPM 2013
One great thing about a career in academics – it helps me reflect often on my journey at IIM-A. While doing so, I realised that I had completely buried the memories of IIM-A during the non-academic stint. The mounting pressure of making a career decision, meeting the expectations of people when you are an IIM-A grad, struggling with work-life balance, stepping into a world beyond the red bricks are just a few examples or I must call them reasons for burying the memory deep down the memory lane in your mind.
As neuroplasticity suggests that one can rewire the brain, I think writing down your memories with vivid descriptions can be one such way! To my surprise, it is not tiring but refreshing to the core. My student from the first batch of the University of Delhi told me when I got admission into IIM-A – “You are going to study, and there is nothing more luxurious than to get to study again.” At last, I did realise the power of his words till I looked at my photo from IIM-A days, when I was on a stipend of less than INR 25,000/- per month versus my picture today with a full-fledged salary! Happiness is a small word to describe the difference. It is not the age but the luxury of studying that reflects on your face versus the other world of today.
In this article, I will reflect on the TOP 4 processes that have stayed with my way of living/working from the Life@IIM-A:
- Experiencing the High: As a marathon runner, one experiences a runner’s high while running; akin to that one experiences a high while going through the marathon of the brain, which one undergoes in the first year of IIM-A. Without realising, one gets so used to meeting deadlines (11:59:59) under constant pressure for a sustained amount of time in your daily routine at IIM-A.
- Deep Diving: In the process of creativity, there is diving deep to solve problems creatively. The numerous case studies that one has to solve in a limited span of time at IIM-A make your brain hard-wired to enjoy the pleasure of deep diving again and again! It’s a joy that WIMWIANs know and experience.
- Work hard, play harder: Well, this is my favourite one. Remember how much we used to work hard, and when it came to celebrations after the deadlines, well, nobody can beat us. We know not only to work but to play our hardest every single time. From dancing to night bike trips, the list is endless. To the extent that we get so used to loving to play hard, it becomes our second nature.
- The ‘Ahh’ Moment: Remember the “n” number of times you felt that Ahh moment when you made a CP! IIM-A teaches you to make reckless moves to experience that Ahh daily, not only on campus but later on too!
And finally, will end the article, the IIM-A style: laziness which creeps in after every single achievement/assignment. The same laziness makes you perfect enough to find shortcuts for complex tasks at hand and at the same time…
I do not know how many of you will agree on the above, but yes, we all will be on the same page when it comes to surviving the first year of IIM-A and celebrating that in our way(s)!
Dr Palakh Jain is FPM 2013. She is currently an Associate Professor at Bennett University and a Senior Visiting Fellow at PahleIndia Foundation.
