Dreams are realized :)

I do not want to lose the momentum that I have got after a long time. Also I’m not going to spend ages thinking about the topic. Actually that used to happen when I used to write selectively. But now that I have decided to write frequently, this should not be a problem. So here comes the next one. 

I want to talk about the phenomenal results that we’ve had at IMS this year. To begin with, here is the news. Neha has converted IIM-B and IIM-L. She was my student and it is so satisfying to know that one of your students has realised her dreams and got admission in one of the most prestigious and sought after B schools in India. Then there is Vidushi who has converted IIM-L and Saurav who has made it to XLRI. These two were in other batches so I don’t know them as such, but it still does feel good that we’ve had such good results. More than that, it is a reassurance that students from small towns too can make it. I never had a doubt about this; it’s for most of the aspirants here who are perpetually cynical and harbour such thoughts. So Kudos to IMS Siliguri and Kudos to Sumit!! :) 

I am reminded of something. I’ve seen the mad rush of people wanting a share of the limelight when the results are out. Everyone remotely associated with the candidate claims that he/she had a hand in contributing to the candidate’s success in one way or the other. Top on the list are the various coaching institutes that come out with data a propos their success rates, each vouching that it has had the BEST results. They were and are NUMERO UNO. Next are the neighbours and relatives who can’t stop talking about how they always knew that he/she had that spark and would definitely make a mark one day. Then friends! The list goes on... 

Now, I do not want to sound like any one of them ;) The reason why I want awareness about this is that it should help in changing the mindset of the people here – parents, teachers and aspirants alike. I always keep telling my students that it is a lot about the ATTITUDE. That’s the first thing they need to have – a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. It is, in fact, a pre-requisite. Students here, on the contrary, have various misconceptions.

• It is not possible for students from a small town like Siliguri to make it to IIMs. Forget about getting there it is not for us to think about it too
• We have never had IIM calls so far. If the previous batches have not been able to do it, then how can we? What is so special about us?
• The commerce students feel that CAT is not their cup of tea. It is a thing for the engineers only. We don’t stand a chance. The worst part here is that they are supported by their teachers. In fact I know of some colleges where the teachers tell the students that they will never be able to do it and hence drop it. How pathetic is that!

There has been a change in the last two years, no doubt. But that is just in a few students. I hope this changes. I do seriously hope that candidates realize that IIMs are within their reach but only if they have that ATTITUDE and that desperation. I hope this invigorates my current batch students and fills them with lots of positive energy :)

So dream on guys! It could just be you next year :)

Teaching

There could not have been a better topic to start my second innings of blogging with. Today, teaching is my passion. I totally love it. However this happened accidentally.

I was going through this phase of life wherein I was dissatisfied with my work. There were a lot of things that I did not like about it and was thus looking for a change. I wanted to get away from PR itself but did not know what to do next. A lot of people suggested I take CAT but I was skeptical. I was never inclined towards MBA from the very beginning. When we were in final year of college, my friend/roommate Nisha advised that I should give it a try. She said a lot of English Hons students too appeared for it. But I wasn’t in the least interested. But who knew that some years down the line, I would be so closely related to this industry.

Ok, so I was in a dilemma and did not know what I wanted to do. It was THE discussion regarding MBA, with my cousin Apurva in Green Park CCD that made me seriously ponder over it. I decided to take the plunge. I joined IMS in Delhi and started with the preparations. However I was still shuttling between office and studies, and that wasn’t easy. I was messing up both and so had to take a call. I chose to quit work and came home for preparations. Time was limited as there was barely a month and a half to go. But I decided to give it my best. I took a transfer to IMS Siliguri. I got a lot of help there, but that wasn’t enough. Maths was a serious problem. Not that I did not have the basics in place. But time was too short. Anyway, I appeared for the exams but did not get through. The reason being I only had the top ten B-schools in mind. After having a MA degree it would have been pointless to join a second-rung B-school.

It was sometime in February when all the results were out and I knew I had not made it anywhere. I wasn’t disappointed though. I remember having a discussion with Sumit, who is the centre manager at IMS Siliguri. I told him I wasn’t in the mood to get back to the corporate world. He then asked me why I was even appearing for those B-schools exams as that’s where I would have to get back to after an MBA. Anyway it was sometime then that I got a call from Sumit asking me to see him. I went one day, and he asked me, generally, what my plans for the future were. I told him I had not decided anything as yet. It was then that he asked me if I were interested in teaching English at IMS. Huh! That was like a bombshell being dropped. I laughed it off and told him I had not in my weirdest moments thought about taking up teaching. He suggested I give it a try. I was still apprehensive so he asked me to think over it.

I came home and shared the news with a couple of close friends. They suggested I try it. I had nothing to lose after all. I wasn’t too keen on it but then the thought of coaching CAT aspirants sounded good. Only, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to. Having good command over English is one thing, teaching it in a class, that too CAT level, is quite another. But after some deliberation and discussion I decided to take the plunge. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today when I look back I feel glad I took that decision. I am totally into it now. Like I said, it has become a passion. It feels good to enrich and nurture minds. Moreover as they say, teaching is indeed a noble profession. Initially I used to be so overwhelmed by the respect I used to get from my students. In fact I was just not accustomed to it. I used to compare it with the corporate world all the time, where politics, abuses, manipulation and mind-games were an integral part of the job. Contrary to that, there was so much respect and courtesy here. There are many more things I like about teaching. More on that and about my students in the next post.

You make me proud brother

Ravi, my brother, has topped his college (Hansraj, my Alma Mater too :D) in Eco Hons, 1st year. He has scored 80% - now such high percentage in a subject like Economics was unheard of, at least during my time. The standard might have gone up, as the university topper has scored close to 90% but the fact that he comes from a Science background makes it all the more special. Moreover, there was a huge hullabaloo over his taking up this course. I was rebuked by my dad and many others for encouraging him to drop Science and take up B.A (Hons).

Dad always wanted me to take up Science, but I was not interested. So I took up Commerce in the eleventh grade. He was a little disappointed but there still was some hope. It was, however, all lost when I chose to graduate in Literature. He was unhappy with my decision but Ravi kind of made up for it when he decided to take up Science. Lost hope was rekindled and papa was very happy. But maybe destiny had something else in store for him. He did not make it to any of the good engineering colleges, missing some of them by just a whisker. He did not want to drop a year and said that he wanted to shift to Economics instead. Now, the course is good and has great career prospects. But I too wasn't very comfortable with the idea of him dropping Science. However I had to change my mind as he was determined and absolutely sure that he did not want to drop a year. Plus he had other valid points too. So after weighing all the pros and cons, I agreed. Dad was dead against it but I explained things to him. There was no point in forcing him to either take up a college he did not want or get him to drop a year. So he eventually enrolled in Economics. Dad of course wasn't happy and I had to hear a lot of times that it was not a right decision.

Right or wrong I still do not know. I don't know if he would have done better with Science. I only know that I had trust him and he did not let me down. I also know that you are sincere and hardworking and will do well in life. You make me proud brother. Keep rocking :)

Ravi (left) with his friend after receiving the awards on the Annual Day :)

Receiving the award :)

I LONG...

I long…
to know who I am,

what I am,

what stuff I'm made of.

I long…

to find,
to find,

find the meaning of it all.

I long…

to travel,

to explore,

to see the unseen.

I long…

to learn,

to learn,

and learn some more.

I long…

to sing in the forests,

to dance with the waves,

to walk by the moonlight.

I long…

to try

the things untried;

to spread my wings

and FLY.

I long…

to bring about much awaited, much needed CHANGE!  

I long...

to experience life,

to LIVE life!

P.S. This would have been abandoned in its initial stages had it not been for Munish. Apart from convincing me to go on, he even contributed to this. It might be an average piece of work but that's not the point. For me it is imperative that I reach a conclusion. This has been happening with so many other pieces. I begin writing on an enthusiastic note but lose the rhythm and the momentum soon. I owe this one to him totally.

Thank you pal! And keep encouraging me in the same fashion. At least 1 out of 5 would stand a chance ;)

Dreams!

Writing after quite sometime. Actually I have been writing but haven’t posted anything as most of it is incomplete, just random thoughts and views.

Nothing new has been happening lately. In fact it’s been almost the same routine for days, but no complaints. One good thing was that I did manage to read books and also watch a lot of movies last month. There were days when I watched four movies back to back. It was fun; an experience!

Anyway, the other day I asked my little sister who is in the sixth grade the same clichéd question all of us are asked over a dozen times in our childhood – What do you want to be when you grow up? Now seeing her sense of fashion and her interest for dance I was expecting something on those lines but her answer completely took me by surprise. She said nothing. On asking for an explanation she blurted out immediately, “Uffo, why do people keep asking this question. It really does not make any sense, does it? Di look at you. You are a grown-up but have you become something?”

She no doubt caught my off-guard with this statement, but true it was. Plus it came at a time most apt - when I am in a dilemma regarding my future. Yes I have been thinking about this for quite sometime now. I am confronted with choices but don’t know which one to pick, because I am so just uncertain about everything right now.

Chasing one’s dream is said to be very fulfilling. But I am unaware of what my dream really is. Follow your heart they say. But what does one do when one knows not what his/her heart wants.

And here I quote a few lines by a dear friend who completely relates to this feeling of mine:

What are my objectives? What am I supposed to make and ask of my life? What is that thing that I'm supposed to chase blindly, with all my strength, all my conviction, all my life, all my passion?