ELYSIUM

  After boarding the bus on the day of the interview, I was a mixture of nerves and anticipation. All my fellow interviewees seemed smart, knowledgeable and filled with purpose. They were all among the best in India from their SNAP Percentile. I questioned whether I would fit in among these bunch. As the bus rolled on I caught my first glimpse of the campus. The board “Symbiosis” greeted me from the Hilltop and the vehicle started its winding ascent to the top. Getting off, the first thing I noticed was the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom and Learning, Ma Saraswati. Turning the other way, I got a glimpse of a breath-taking view and a waft of cool air. The goose bumps began as I realised that I was already in love.

The trepidation gave way to excitement. I could see myself studying here, a place which worshipped education and yet made us feel one with the gorgeous planet. I wouldn’t be cooped up in a little room unlike so many other colleges and my learning would be wholesome. The seniors who were oh so friendly had a calming influence on me. A few minutes later and I was coming out of the Interview Room with a big smile on my face. I knew then that I would be studying under Symbiosis International University for the next couple of years.

Waving a wistful goodbye, I went back to my hometown Kolkata and twiddled my thumbs and waited for the fateful day. Lo behold, in a few days’ time I had that coveted offer letter I wanted. While I did get offers from other B Schools in Pune, in my mind there was only one choice. Amongst congratulatory messages for getting to do my MBA in Symbiosis, I knew that I couldn’t wait to be back.

Now atop the hill, meeting my peers and teachers was a wonderful experience. The sheer variation of people in my batch is astounding. We not only have batch mates from every corner of the country, but we also have people from outside India. Adding to that is the fact that they are from vastly different backgrounds and various degrees of work experience. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship course too is something very rarely seen and it is heartening to see so many batch mates with great ambitions in mind. Most of the faculty have great industry experience from the top companies in various sectors of India. When so much of knowledge from so many different perspectives are housed in a campus which on any given day can pass as a hill station, it becomes a melting pot of knowledge and ideas in the lap of nature the likes of which I haven’t seen before.

I write this now from my balcony of the new hostel as I hear the light drizzle adding to the beauty of this place I now call home. Looking back on the last three weeks or so gives me great pleasure. Coming from a business family, my college life was spent mostly between work and classes. In these few weeks, I have done things I’ve never done before. I performed in a skit on stage as part of a group which we managed to win and along with winning, we managed to give a hard hitting social message about Organ Donation. I danced on stage with a few others. From someone, who is generally not very comfortable on stage, it is a big step forward. I have managed to play football (my first love) almost every day on an exquisite field that we have on campus. I have been a part of yoga activities which help me keep a healthy body and mind. I have met and made friends from various walks of life with whom I have had various enriching discussions. In between all this I’ve had tests and presentations and I’ve learnt a lot from my teachers both inside and outside class. I can almost feel myself growing as a person with these various experiences and I can’t wait for more. I sign off this blog with a content smile on my face. There were many colleges I could have gone to but I’m here now and I can safely say that “joining SIBM, Pune was The Right Decision”.