Hi there!
Some of you asked me recently why I didn't write a farewell note like a lot of other PGP2s when they left campus. Now that some time has elapsed since I left, I can shamelessly admit that besides laziness and impassiveness, it was also the fact that I didn't really know what advice or words of wisdom to give you.
I hope you understand that besides the cliched two cents of enjoying every moment at IIMB, avoiding RGgiri, taking placements/grades a little lightly, shunning the moh maya and finding true friendships yadda yadda yadda, I wasn't really sure what else I could tell you that ten others might not have already told you. So why am I writing this note to you now?
Well, first, you and I have interacted a fair amount at IIMB and I thought that I should take the time out to wish you all the best for your internship as you might be busy packing and preparing for it. If I haven't already told you this, let me say it, it is going to be one hell of a ride - you'll understand the phrase "work hard, party harder" in reality. You'll probably overreact when you mess up a formula on an excel or can't get the slide right even after 11 iterations or when your supervisor tells you to be more proactive or you forget to add the data source and your boss points it out. So yeah, I'm not sure me telling you to calm down is going to help, but do remember when you go through that, you aren't alone. I wish I could say a PPO doesn't matter, but who are we really kidding here? However, I am in no way suggesting that you have to sell your soul to the devil. :-) You'll figure it out, just like everyone does, in your own way.
So now that I'm done with the best wishes, I guess I ought to tell you a bit about IIMB too. I'm hoping you don't say "yeah, I knew that already" after reading this. Well, IIMB changes people - no surprises there, both for the good and bad - no surprises there either. Friends and family outside campus become outsiders, you learn to churn out deliverables on demand, you get victimized by groupism of many kinds and you gain as much confusion as clarity. So what? Well, what I want you to know is that life will come full circle at the end of it all. The relationships you break, the company you avoid and the friends and family you keep will be your choice. But there is a reality outside campus, and for the momentary happiness that lies inside the stone walls, do not sacrifice the world outside that has kept you going before you stepped into this plush, 100-acre haven, and that will keep you going once you leave it. It is indeed tempting to forget everything else when it's 10 PM and you have a submission at 12 and you're still 4 pages short of the minimum page limit for a report, or when a block party is happening and you just want to forget the stress of the day and you get a call from home, or when you're arguing in a project meeting at 3 AM and your childhood friend calls you for advice about life, or when you step into a 10 AM class at 10:02 and your mom is sending you silly forwarded messages on whatsapp. I hope you will live through these instances whole-heartedly and not shun them away. Life is made by these small things we ignore or take for granted - the big things will happen regardless.
Forgive me for saying this, but don't take courses just because your friends are taking them and it will be easier to form groups and study together - take them because they're interesting and you're paying a hell lot of money to just interact with the same 10 set of people on campus. I've taken chill courses that got me Cs, I've taken the so-called heavy courses that got me As and I've taken mediocre subjects just because I didn't get anything else that made me learn a whole lot. So, take your decisions yourself and thoda light lo. I won't tell you not to study all the time - if that's what keeps you ticking, hell, study day and night, if you want nothing else but to get that 3.9 or 4.0, then go for it. But, if you want to explore the nice restaurants in Bangalore or stay glued to GoT and House of Cards or check out the latest Avengers movie instead of mugging up the derivation of Black-Scholes, do that as well! I do not mean to preach, but it doesn't pay to be living someone else's life and dreams, especially when you're going to be paying hefty EMIs for the next few years.
So I guess I'm running out of unique wisdom to give you. Lastly, I just want to apologize if I ever hurt you in my capacity as a PR, friend or random stranger. I cannot say I didn't mean it, maybe I did :-), umm, okay, but seriously, it wasn't with any bad intention or malice. I do sincerely love world peace! I am offering my free time for advice, chit chat or chilling out not as a formality, so please do not treat it as such. I am a message, e-mail or phone call away for any of the aforementioned activities. (Else I wouldn't be writing this to you!) I am resisting the temptation to say keep in touch - que sera sera!
I hope you that you get discover all the wonderful things that life has to offer. All the very best!
