If everything in the world was right, I would have come home from college today. But everything in the world is not right and I have been home for ten days now. I joined SIBM Pune a month late on the day of what I hear is apparently the most happening party of the decade. But before I could figure out the place and its people I was smacked in the face with a flurry of lectures, sessions, assignments and the dreaded summer placement. Then that week changed everything. Oddly enough in a room full of 200 extremely stressed people, I found my circle that I want to keep close to me always. In the weeks that followed, fell in love with this beautiful place and the to-die-for-sunsets will get their special folder on my phone. I read somewhere that if you watch the sunset every day it just becomes 6 pm, but here, no matter how many times you’ve seen it if you’re crossing Amphi or aqua point or helipad you will stop and stare or take a picture. Because you know there will be a time when sunset would mean just 6 pm but not here. I will miss everything, the double-digit AQI, the cotton candy, the breathtaking colors the sky was painted in, the sunlight streaming through the trees, the sun rays hitting the fountain and the Saraswati statue appearing as a silhouette behind the setting sun, the city lights from AH1 with the red glow of the Symbiosis logo on it which everyone at some point has Instagrammed as “The lights will guide you home”.

Did I cover everything?

SIBM Pune has not only made me leave my comfort zone, but it has also kicked me out of my zone and I’m proud to say that I have landed on my feet. I think here we were put through some of the toughest and most stressful situations and we managed to come out mostly unscathed on the other side. The people I was lucky enough to meet have taught me a lot and given me so many happy memories to look back upon. Some are who I’d like to call ‘constants’, they have been there for me in all difficult situations always offering a patient ear to my rantings and sound advice when I ask for it, sometimes even when I didn’t, especially when I didn’t. But all of you, in some capacity, have been extremely crucial in my journey at SIBM and helped me grow into the person I am today. The batch of 2020 started this journey on the 4th of June, 2018. The year started off slow, with everyone getting the hang of each other’s names and figuring out how to live together. College did its part with different activities and parties. Then suddenly the pace picked up and before we could memorize the mess routine, our schedule was thrown completely out of whack. Soon the people who would never miss the evening tea now barely had time for two proper meals. Stuck in formals running across campus, cramming in the library, attending guest lectures and finally the week that every MBA student dreads and craves for in equal measure – Summers. After this week, everything was easy. The assignments, the deadlines, the midterms, and finals all seemed to go in their own flow and we were always waiting for the next Saturday. Everything would be fine if we get to the parties on Saturday, the whole week can be dealt with if we get our Saturday night party and Sunday morning paratha. We got a little taste of how much we have fallen in love with this place when we started our summer internships. Half the batch freezing in AC offices trying to hunt their boss to figure out what to do and the other half was out in the sweltering heat convincing distributors why their life is incomplete without this particular bar of soap. On returning we set into the groove of busy weekdays and fun weekends with a dash of corporate competitions and the occasional PPO/PPI news thrown in the mix. After that, it was mostly a repetition of patterns from the placement week prep to the fateful day when you finally get an offer to the endless partying.

Sorry, scratch that.

The batch of 2020 is a historical batch. The first batch ever to become MBA graduates without a final exam. Never have we wished so badly for an exam to happen just so we can go back to college one more time. We didn’t get our week of parties, farewells, management day and the never-ending series of One Last Times. Leaving SIBM Pune without any closure was extremely difficult and not going to lie, I cried the entire way to the airport. I am so grateful to this place for giving me so many great people and beautiful memories to cherish for a lifetime. The batch of 2020 didn’t get to say any of their goodbyes. So we wait. We wait when the world sets itself right and we can come back to our ‘castle on the hill’ and take back our promised week of parties. We wait to bid a proper farewell to SIBM Pune and this beautiful chapter of our lives. Until then we shall wait for the Saturday night parties.

Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost(on).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Ahana Batabyal 
MBA Regular Batch of 2020
Will do anything for coffee, stationery, paints and go back to SIBM Pune one more time.