As crowds change from generation to generation,

So does the mentality.

For better or for worse,

There is, and there must always be changes.

And life will always go on…

But in the end, it’s about you.

No two share the same fate…

So, why the pressure to conform?

Why the need to follow the herd?

Courageous are those who stand their grounds…

For in the end…It won’t matter whether you fit-in.

However, what will matter is…

Whether you have been satisfied with who you were; are, and who you strived to be.

Engulfed by the fresh air from an altitude like this, one tends to think clearly… and so has been the case with me. Lately, I have been reflecting a lot about various things. Things that did not occur to me earlier, things that have been around yet never caught my attention. The reason they never caught my attention was because they were never relevant until now when they have been pointed out. It has been three months into my journey at SIBM Pune and it has been a journey that has taught me heaps.

The struggle is more internal, it is more of an experience that is unlike any other. I would compare it to the transformation a butterfly goes through when breaking free from the cocoon – but that would be too dramatic, at least for now, because I’m not sure about what more transformations this place has to offer. Yet, I can say I am no longer the person I entered. Of course, my ideals, values, and morals remain – but what’s changed is the extent to which my approach, my experiences and my perceptions have been stretched, molded and tested. And why would anyone expect any less? Meeting hundreds of new people, attending numerous guest lectures and diverse sessions, if I didn’t change, it would be a pity.

I recently returned from a program called “Moral Re-Armament. and before I left, I thought, if one doesn’t have their morals in place by now, they a never will. But the program was nothing like it sounds. It was more about self-discovery, and that’s where these reflective thoughts have been pouring in from! Reflection is a wonderful thing as I’ve come to know it. Not only does it facilitate a realization of learning but pushes me to incorporate my learnings into my daily life.

I remember attending a guest lecture by Mr. Radhakrishnan Pillai, the author of the Chanakya series, and what he said was so profound – not rare, but profound. It struck a chord with me there and then, yet with the busy schedule of the day – days became weeks and weeks became months and I never went back to that thought even though it had a lot to offer. Now that I have started reflecting, I want to reflect on what he said and how I could incorporate his advice. It is not every day that a successful person walks up on stage in front of me and talks to me about a life I wish to lead. It is not every day that people become inspirations, and when it does happen, it is a pity to let it go.

Every step at SIBM contains an opportunity, it really is up to me to utilize it wisely. It’s easy to be lost in the volumes of it, and hence I find it easier to have goals and intentions so that I choose my opportunities wisely. What really matters is where I strive to be, because that is the determination to find the right opportunities for myself. In fact, where I strive to be, also sets an intention which attracts the right opportunities for me. But of course, being rigid does not help – because opportunities will not always tell you their path. It’s all about trusting, shaping and willingness to be shaped by the opportunities taken. Though it is too early for me to say this, I know I will leave a different person than who I entered and that is the beauty of change…

– Sudha Wadhwani, MBA 1