Life at IBS-B

Like I mentioned in my last post a lot of my upcoming posts will be about IBSB. This one was an essay I wrote for my college magazine last year. 

Six months since the beginning of my MBA in IBS Bangalore, one thing I’ve understood is that MBA life is a plethora of competitions and events galore. IBSB is surely the place where all the action lies.

May was when, it all started with the adventure trip outing to Somanahalli near Kanakapura, Bangalore. The essence of the outing was not the adventure quotient alone, but the fact that strangers from different parts of the country after having come under a single roof brought out the best synergy possible by displaying a beautiful sense of amalgamation. The so-often preached topics of teamwork and synergies were very practically brought about this single occasion.

Being part of the volunteer group in the placement cell also meant a wonderful opportunity to be a part of an audience that witnessed the interactive session on the topic “India-Net Gainer in the present global upheavals”.

End of June and it was time to officially inaugurate the class of 2010. The stage was all set for the performers from each class to enthrall the audience with their superlative cultural talent. So much so, that made people like me who consider self to be the ‘PAPPU’s-who-can’t-dance’ types to come out and shed their inhibitions to perform on the big stage. Every person would in some or the other ways contribute to showcase the talents of their respective classes at their best.

July brought along Manthan’08 the annual intra-collegiate business fest which tests the acumen of the class of 2010. As the best manager, I had the honor of leading a team of 12 dynamic members to adeptly handle the verticals of Finance, Marketing, HR, Operations, IT and business quiz. The way the event was handled by seniors was nothing less than commendable. The two day event succeeded in simulating the stress involved in running a business and the repercussions of the decisions we made. I still remember the overnight assignment when I as best manager became totally blank and couldn’t do any justice to the assignment assigned. One valuable lesson I learnt the hard way with this event is to never give up.

Phase-1 of Coliseum’08 aimed to bring out the sporting prowess amongst the students saw a never before participation. Cricket, TT, Carrom, Chess, Badminton were some of the games in which there was more than a healthy competition among the participants. The event was vastly successful in showcasing the culture in IBSB which has no discrimination between seniors and juniors.

Fresher’s party in August is one event about which I hold back fond memories. The event which was an all students affair was a light but an entertaining one. Just like a psychedelic FLOYD song, the pace picked up from light to frantic, with a beautiful ambience the resort boasted off. The month of our independence also brought our own indigenous event ‘PEACE WALK’ to light. The whole process from initially conceptualizing to finally executing the plan was simply flabbergasting. I guess it’s a fair deal when you learn management on the job when you’ve had to miss classes preaching management mantras owing to other priorities.

IBSB also makes it a point that students get 360 degree learning by sending its students to various competitions held by other B Schools. One such event I got to be a part of, was the ‘AIMA national level paper presentation’ competition which not only gave me the honest feedback of where I was headed but also a perspective towards the larger things we tend to miss so often while paying attention to the specifics.

As a tradition, all such events are organized by seniors who take the lead role to transition juniors smoothly to similar roles for them to run the show the coming year.

All these are just some of the events that I’ve had a chance or wanted to get myself directly involved with. Many more events like Kurukshetra’08, SAP seminar, festivals like ‘Onam’ and ‘Ganesha’ also happened in IBSB during this period. But I wouldn’t be making any justice to the magnitude of events if I write about them here, since the events in IBSB are just unimaginable. 

I would like to sign-off by reminding one and all about IBSB’s very own annual inter collegiate fest Tarkash’08 that is on the cards in the coming months, and me having lots to write about.

Wishing loads of luck!

~Sanjay