A Journey Called Life #SITM

All in all life goes on. A few things stay with you forever but those minute little details of life which change leave an inedible mark on your life. Coming to SITM was one such event, a culmination of a year of hard work which finally paid rich dividends. SITM, the college which I longed to get into was finally going to welcome me.

The journey began with a trip from my home state Goa where I had spent the last 21 years of my life enjoying every moment of it and living my life to the fullest. My first full time stay away from home, away from parents and most importantly away from my state of Goa, a place I can truly call mine. All in all I thought I had seen it all as far as natural beauty is concerned but I was proved wrong as soon as I reached Symbiosis Lavale campus. I was finally a part of the Symbiosis family. I look back at this day, last year (i.e. June 2nd 2013) as the biggest turning point in my life and one where my life has taken the biggest turn for my good.

Symbiosis truly encompasses the feeling of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – Whole World is One Family‎”…There are people who come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, ages, sizes and these  are the same people whom you ll meet may be only if you travel the entire nation...May be an admission to Symbiosis will be a cheaper and somewhat a better option here then going on a India Darshan, at least I will have a degree to show off at the end of it all…It’s like having a complete meal...The entire India united at a place...I have never visited North India and for that matter even East India but no-one stopping me for making friends with the people from these places…

Life at MBA, specially the first year could be as tough as it can get. The 1st semester obviously...The number 13 has its own significance, unfortunate for some but imagine having to study 13 subjects in 1 semester... Are you seriously kidding me, and to top it all that was not it...Simply mugging a Kotler would get you anywhere, but what was the basis on which these thesis stood that mattered...We needed to apply it as well at some odd places…I guess it can get much more taxing for the teachers, as to how on earth make engineers understand the psychology of consumer behavior or managerial perspective...Ever tried explaining a 4year old kid how certain a car works? Tough to do so… It’s indeed more like learning to ride a bicycle; you learn it not through the theory but only by trying to ride it… And its only bruises that teach you how to ride it...

Experiences do take you forward in a great way... The nature around you does the healing effect and as they say “Wakt jakhmo ko bhar hi deta hai”. The motto here is Slog and slog till you succeed...May be not in literal terms but in the broad sense of the term...There are some times, when you feel like giving it up and looking for better prospects but that's what cowards and its the brave people who truly stand out in such times of adversity...

Celebrating festivals has always been an integral part at SITM…Almost all festivals are celebrated with equal joy and fanfare and to top it all, the mess serves good food on these days...Strangely yes, they do...Often makes me wonder where do these cooks go on other days or are they hired only to cook for some special occasions like these...There are endless activities, that happen on campus...These provide a change from the routine life of studies and college...Weekends are mostly spent in the city, either shopping or on munching some good food, as a respite from the mess food...Never had I imagined that I ll have to travel 20km in search of good food...I guess we seriously do deserve to get something better than what we are presently getting but here is another important management lesson that they are teaching us...Learning to adjust in the adversity of life...

The challenges that college throws at you does make you a much stronger individual in due course…A new learning experience with new people in a new environment...I guess too many new things out there…Balancing the personal and professional MBA life is difficult and will always be…There could be odd times that you may not find time for your own self and get lost in the rat race...Once in a while, it is always that we stop, take a pause and see where we are actually heading towards… It’s a true test of a person’s character… As they say it, MBA prepares you for the drill that you have to face in future…

SITM never sleeps and the journey surely is going to take new turns (hopefully for good) and leave me memories for a lifetime. The career will be truly defined during the course of this one year and may be rightly take me to the place where I truly belong…This on the eve of having completed a year at SITM and now I truly feel it is my home away from home...This is what truly sums it up as the boy who was in his home town since birth, has been to his hometown just once in the last 1 year...

Quote-Unquote

If you’re interested in ‘balancing’ work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable.