“How did you prepare for SIBM?” “What is MBA all about?” “How’s your MBA life going?”

I was bombarded by all these questions when I went home this Diwali vacation. Many people around me wanted to know what MBA is all about, what I do daily, what subjects do I study and how’s life in Pune. So I thought it’s time I share my views about ‘The MBA Life’ because the way I see it, most students are unaware of what actually happens in a B-school. Even I was.

So the day starts at 8’o clock for most of us. We wake up, rush to make it on time. Breakfast is now a luxury that only a few of us get. I guess it’s been 4 weeks since I last had breakfast in our college mess. If you wonder why, that’s because – you are always on a run.

You reach class to start the most important and tiring part – attending lectures. Post that we go to the mess tired have a cup of tea/coffee enjoy the beautiful view and back to our room which is then followed by a lot of fun in the hostel and then dinner at the mess. 
We don’t sleep until 2 or 3 AM because that’s somehow has become a part of the routine. Sometimes you have deadlines, sometimes council work, sometimes you are binge-watching a series or sometimes you just want to hang out with your friends.

Now another one from the “most asked questions” bank – “how is the food there?” Well, it’s okay. Much better than I had imagined. We always have the option of the canteen and with Subway, Quick Wok and other such food stalls popping every month, we hardly care about the food in the rush and the mess. As we’re talking about food there are a lot of great eateries in Pune, too. There is K Factory, Origin Bistro, Effingutz, Cabaret, Burger Barn, Mughal Mahal, Marrakesh but let’s not get distracted.

Every Saturday the college is nearly empty because well it’s Saturday night! And on Sundays, we sleep. We sleep like a log the entire day. Also, we like to adhere to this ‘no breakfast on Sundays’ rule. Well, that’s solely because we feel too lazy to ditch the comfort of our beds.

Now let’s talk about the most important thing of the MBA life- the people around you. Your batch mates, roommates, faculty, guest speakers, canteen staff, Jeetu bhaiya and our laundry staff, but how can I forget our hostel and college guards who are there for us, who greet us every time with a smile and who tolerate our all nuances in the hostel.

It is something very different, this life. This bond, these relations, it’s something I have never felt before. It is the first time I am away from home and living in a hostel, too, so frankly, it’s a bit too overwhelming for me, at times.

But you feel like a family, if one gets sick, everybody comes to help that person. You just need to ask if there is anyone in the city and someone is ready to get you anything from the city. You eat with them, be around them 24×7, have fun with them, cry with them, see them cry with you, all this makes us feel a part of something big, a family. And of course, like each family, there are ups and downs but we always deal with them.

As we are on the page about family and bonding, did I tell you how, one day, some of us suddenly decided to miss the classes for the next day and instead drive to Lonavala at 4 AM to watch the mesmerizing sunrise? So, yes, you have moments like these and moments when you decide to watch the movie ‘Simran’ and regret it, but the good thing is in every such moment we are together so even if we are getting bored there are ten others who are getting bored with you, so you don’t feel too bad. 

Now ending it here, it hadn’t occurred to me until I started writing this, how amazing this journey turned out to be which I had started out all alone. After spending more than half a year here, I have realized that reaching our destination can be more exciting if we enjoy and accept every single moment as it comes.

It’s a long road but with friends around, it’s worth it.

– Gaurav Gyanchandani, MBA 1