FROM CAT TO CONVOCATION - A JOURNEY TO REMEMBER!!!

6^th April 2013, the day I have been waiting for, is just around the corner. What an amazing feeling it would be to be conferred with the Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM Indore! These two years had its share of ups and downs. But when I look back at them in totality, I am elated to see that the journey turned out to be much better than what I had expected when it all began. Philosophically speaking, things do fall in place in the end.

A few days back, I had the privilege of experiencing the convocation ceremony of one of my closest friends, at XLRI Jamshedpur. Incidentally, he was my study partner during the pre-CAT days and I spent most of the latter half of 2010 with him. I still vividly remember those days, trying to get more than the other in AIMCATs, solving quant sitting in the last row in class while the hapless Professor attempted to teach VLSI, exchanging notes and giving each other valuable advice to bell the CAT. So much that even God didn’t want any ego clashes to damage our friendship and so he gave us the same CAT percentile.

I remember my Facebook Status on 12^th Jan 2011: “99.52 it is :D :D”. What a proud moment it was, to me, and especially my family. But in the next few days, I realized that getting a good CAT percentile wasn’t enough. My less than spectacular academics and skewed sectional percentiles meant that I had only two calls – Indore and Shillong. Yes, there were the new IIMs too – Raipur, Trichy, Rohtak and also, FMS, SP Jain, MDI and IIFT, but those dream calls were missing from the list. Thankfully, I had secured a job at CISCO through campus placements so there was something to fall back on, if my MBA dream would fail.

According to me, the first half of 2011 was an amazing phase of my life– both personally and professionally. On the personal front, I enjoyed the 8^th Semester and the vacations after that, to the fullest and on the professional level, I managed to convert 7 out of the 9 MBA calls. But not everything was smooth. Not converting SPJIMR was a huge disappointment for me; because that was an institute I badly wanted, for two broad reasons – smaller batch size and proximity to home. I felt lost. I started doubting my abilities and felt that perhaps, I am not meant for MBA. But thankfully, all my negativities lasted only for a short time and my joy knew no bounds when I was selected for admission at IIM Indore. I was in Hyderabad when I got the news of my IIM Indore convert. I was on cloud nine. The hard work had finally paid off. And today two years down the line, I feel extremely lucky that choosing Indore over Cisco had proved to be a correct decision.

The sojourn began on 10^th July, 2011. The flight to Indore had got delayed by 3 hours, due to the incessant rains. And superstitious that I was back then, I concluded that this delay was a bad omen. I reached the campus around 9 that night. And what a sight that was! I feel that after Marine drive, Indore campus is the second most beautiful view in the world at night. I fell in love with the institute at first sight. From the cab, from a distance, I saw the dome shaped hostel and the magnificent gate guarding the campus, which looked similar to a fortress from outside. We were given a yellow envelope at the main entrance, post which we were guided to our respective rooms. Mine was ER3-304, an air conditioned room, which had the feel of a hotel room, certainly not a hostel room. I had heard a lot about “hostel life”, and was very excited to experience it. I wondered what surprises were in store for me!

The first few days went by in a flash. Hectic schedules - from assignments, to jogging and yoga, from orientation lectures to day-long induction program- meant that I hardly had time to sleep. To be honest, I felt scared to be in such a situation. But in retrospection, I feel that the “baptism” was one of the best memories on campus and it set the mood right. It made me realize that these two years would be fun, but at the same time, I would have to slog as well. And the same applies to life too. One would find oneself in the midst of challenging circumstances and in such situations, one has two choices – one, the person can crib and run away from the situation, and second, the person can adapt and evolve. I realized that I have to be in the second category, in order to make a mark here.

There are two words which one hears a lot during MBA – PORs and resume. (I would talk about resume later.) PORs stand for positions of responsibility which a student may take in various student run activities in campus. At IIM Indore, all such activities come under the purview of SAC which is the Student Activities Council, headed by the SAC coordinator. The main decision making unit of SAC is the SAC-Executive council (SACEC) which comprises the SAC coordinator and the Secretaries of the various committees like Academic Committee, Placement committee, Media committee and so on. In the second week of the first term at IIM Indore, we were given a briefing about the various committees, clubs and events and festivals. To get into any of the clubs/committees, one had to undergo a rigorous pre-process followed by elections. For the events and festivals, one had to undergo a rigorous pre-process and the team was selected by the seniors.

“I am Ninad Bhangle, standing for Mediacom. I have come second in the pre-process. Please vote for me.” I remember these lines still. Campaigning is one of the most boring activities. But the secretary of the committee had told me the previous day that if I have to win the election, I would need to campaign hard. And so I did, for 5 hours at a stretch, going to everyone’s rooms, randomly catching hold of people in the mess and also on the staircase, just prior to elections. And it worked! I got 166 votes, and emerged as the second highest vote-getter in the Mediacom elections. Mission accomplished!! I was now a “Junior Member of the Media & Public Relations Committee”. But in my mind, I had bigger goals set for myself. I wanted to be the Secretary of the Committee. For a fresher with no leadership experience whatsoever, I was perhaps a bit too ambitious. But I liked being ambitious. I liked believing that I could touch the sky; I liked dreaming that I had the potential in me to be someone who people can look up to, someone who people would want to emulate.

In a B-school, the classes are driven primarily by case discussions. My interest in a particular class depended on the Professor taking the subject, and unfortunately, I had a sharp dislike for most of the professors I encountered in the first term. In addition to this, we were informed by our seniors that grades don’t matter if we aren’t in the top 10% of the batch. I was never a “ghissu” but these two reasons meant that I had no motivation whatsoever to run after grades. I was happy focussing on my Mediacom work instead, with the hope that I would impress the senior team and my colleagues enough to help me fulfill my dream. At the same time, I studied enough to ensure that I get a “B” in most of my subjects and I manage to stay in the top 35-40% of the batch.

At the end of the first year, every participant has to undergo a 2 month summer internship program. The placement process in an IIM is coordinated by the student-run Placement committee. The Summers process was to be held immediately post the first term exams. I do not remember the exact date but I guess it was around the 20^th of September. When you are in an IIM, it is easy to be complacent and delusional. You feel that since you are among the best in the country, it is very easy to get a good job in a top MNC. During summers, perhaps I fell into the trap too. I know that it wasn’t complacency per se, but I had certainly hadn’t put in my best efforts in the preparation process. And so I faltered! HUL, ITC, PepsiCo, M&M, J&J - the shortlists kept coming and I kept ruining opportunities. Being an introvert, I should have put in harder efforts in my GD preparation but I realized it too late.

In life, I had heard clichés like “The time isn’t right.” This was one of those phases of my life. I had never felt lonelier. And at times, I broke down. I cried, yet the pain couldn’t subside. My roommate tried to console me too, but all in vain. But as always, there is always a silver lining. And that silver lining was the sister I had made in campus. Talking with her, pouring my heart out gave me solace and it made me smile. And I moved on. In hindsight, I feel that it is this failure which made me stronger. It is this failure which never let me lose focus while preparing for the final placements. It is this failure which helped me emerge a winner, 15 months down the line.

Throughout the past two years, I might have cursed the PGP Office multiple times, but I couldn’t be more grateful that we were given a 5 day Diwali vacation in the last week of October. I badly needed that break, to once again be the person I had been, when I had first come into this institute. I needed to somehow forget the summers experience. Though I haven’t still been able to forget that experience or forgive myself for being naive and such an idiot back then, recounting that experience no longer gives me shudders. And in November 2011, a new Ninad was born.

One of the best initiatives at IIM Indore is its week-long Rural Immersion Program where students are divided into groups of ten and they work with the District governments of Madhya Pradesh. But for me, the best part was that we wouldn’t have any classes, quizzes or assignments to do for a week. Yes, there were geeks (I wouldn’t like to name anyone though) who carried their books and spirals to their RIP location in order to achieve a competitive advantage over the rest of the batch. But a majority of us – like me, used this opportunity to relax and have a bit of fun, and explore and appreciate the hinterlands of Madhya Pradesh.  RIP also introduced me to some amazing people, who later on went on to become some of my dearest friends on campus. In the one and a half year since RIP, we bonded so much that we were awarded the “Sukhi Parivaar” during our Farewell held in March 2013.

Some things fall apart so that better things can fall into place. My life had finally begun to fall back into place. On one end, I made good friends during RIP, and on the other, my efforts as a Junior Mediacom member were appreciated and I had received the highest rating of 9.33/10. My batch-mates displayed faith in me during the elections, and I became a “Senior Member, Media & PR Committee” – just one step away from fulfilling my dream. The second term ended and with it, also 2011.

2012 began on a happy note. It was my Dad’s Birthday and I got the news that I was internally selected as the Secretary by my committee members. This was indeed the best news which I could have received. But being the Secretary meant additional responsibilities and accountability. The Media & PR Committee at IIM Indore acts as the interface between the institute and the media. We have to ensure that the smallest of happenings in the institute are published in the press – both local and online. Along with this, we do a number of bulk deals for students – visiting cards, newspapers/magazines, yearbook & also participate in various B-school surveys. We also mentor the incoming batch right from WAT/PI till the time they join the institute through our I-mentor program. Most of these activities take place in the 3^rd term which makes it a really time-constrained one. But thankfully, I had a great team and each one of them did their task well, which reduced my worries greatly. I handled the conceptualization and data collection of Yearbook for the batch of 2012. At the same time, I also handled the external coordination & timely delivery of visiting cards to my batch. It was strenuous work, especially the Yearbook, and I often spent restless nights wondering whether the final product would shape up to my expectations. I remember feeling a huge sigh of relief when I saw the soft copy of the yearbook in April. I also felt the immense satisfaction of spearheading such an important activity. All this was possible because of my team, who made sure that I didn’t have to worry about I-mentor and surveys and thus could give my heart and soul to Yearbook 2012.

Hyderabad holds a special place in my heart. As I had mentioned earlier, I was in Hyderabad when I had received the news of my Indore convert. And here I was, again travelling to the same city, for my internship. I was interning at Access Livelihoods Consulting (ALC) India, a niche consulting firm specializing in offering consulting services in the development sector. Yes, I wasn’t happy to be in ALC; because it was nowhere close to the firms I wanted to be, when I had joined IIM Indore. But at the same time, the project allotted to me was challenging which made the tenure a learning experience for me.

As a part of my project, I had to identify the gaps in the value chain of agricultural products. Based on that, I had to design a business model & service portfolio for Vegetables’ Farmer Producer Organization and develop a 5 year roadmap for the FPO. During the course of my internship, I had to travel to 3-4 districts of Andhra Pradesh, work at the grassroots and interact with various stakeholders to analyze the situation and identify the gaps in the same. It was tough, especially in the 40+ temperatures of Andhra Pradesh in April and May. The best part of the tenure was when the CEO himself applauded my efforts during the mid-term review on May 6, 2012 which motivated me to work harder for the remainder of the stay in the organization. During this phase, we also had to bid for our 4^th term electives and I had chosen Marketing and Strategy as my areas of specialization.

At the start of the second year, I had just one thought in mind “I don’t want to let anyone down again”. I realized that if I have to prove myself, if I have to fulfill the dreams which I had seen for myself, then I had to be more sincere than I was in the first year. And of course, I had to build my resume, so that I could match up to the CVs of all those who had interned with big organizations. I was asked this question by a couple of juniors “Does an internship in a smaller firm affect one’s chances in finals?” Though I answered the question in the negative, I too had the same fears when I started my second year. My strong PORs (Secretary, Mediacom & SAC-EC member) did manage to balance my CV a bit. And all that I required was some success in corporate events & a couple of Live projects. God was kind and I managed to bag 4 live projects – one in Business development, one in Branding, one in Social media marketing, and one in B2B marketing. Apart from the CV points, I was happier that I could apply the classroom principles in something constructive.

Many organizations test the B-school students through their case study competitions. These competitions are very important from a student’s perspective, because they enable one to think strategically beyond the curriculum and are an apt simulation of real-life challenges. Thus achieving success in such competitions gives one the confidence to excel in the corporate world as well. My team that comprised me and two of my dear friends reached the West Zone Finals of Maverick; a case study competition conducted by Deloitte US, in which more than 2000 teams had participated. I remember every moment of those amazing two days at Pune, where the regional finals were held. The whole experience was indeed mesmerizing. Interacting with Senior Partners, Managers and other senior employees of Deloitte and learning from them, listening to their advice and experiences was indeed something special. To and fro air tickets, stay at Lemon Tree, Lunch at Marriott – wow, that’s just too much pampering! And I feel indeed privileged that I would be joining Deloitte US – AERS Innovation as a Consultant a few months later in July 2013.

On one end, I was trying to build my resume through professional achievements. On the other hand, I had to be a good leader and mentor to the five juniors who had recently joined the Media Committee. When I was a Junior Mediacom member, I always felt that I wasn’t given autonomy and there was a hierarchical structure within the committee. I didn’t want that in my team, hence I tried to keep the atmosphere as informal as possible. Well, at times, this laissez faire approach meant that the juniors took me for granted, which then required me to take corrective action. At the end of my term, my successor told me, “I hope to achieve as much respect at the end of my tenure as Ninad”. This makes me very happy that I could be a decent leader that people could trust and look up to. Yes, there were things I could have done better; there were issues I could have handled better. But overall, I was pretty satisfied with my stint.

Steve Jobs used to say “Innovation is the difference between a leader and a follower.” I did just that, with VERITAS – the first of its kind Media and Journalism event at IIM Indore in August 2012. As a Junior Member of Media Committee, I thought that IIM Indore got frequent coverage in various local media houses however it did not achieve the same mileage in national media houses as well as in popular and relevant websites like Pagalguy.com. To correct that, I envisaged that we should conduct a Media & Journalism event and invite one such media personality to judge the event. We decided to go ahead with 2 rounds, considering the time constraints, the first being a written task exploring “photojournalism” and “editorial writing”. The shortlisted finalists would then face an intense battle of 3 rounds testing their general knowledge, live reporting, and debating skills and we managed to invite Ms. Lajwanti D’Souza, the Managing Editor of Pagalguy.com to be the esteemed judge for the event. The event was called VERITAS, meaning Truth to make it in sync with a journalist’s guiding principle of integrity and honesty. I hope that the further batches manage to make the event even bigger in the years to come, and eventually I hope to see it become a part of the management fest, Ahvan.

The fifth term would be remembered for two things – one the Himalayan trip and secondly, the preparation for the final countdown. At this moment, I would like to thank a friend of mine for being my study partner during the month of December which ensured that I wasn’t underprepared like I was during the summers. And the result – first shortlist, placed. Redemption! The feeling was overwhelming. I had managed to bury the past, finally. The entire second year, I had been tensed and apprehensive. Yes, I enjoyed a lot during parties and “Bakar sessions” but when I was alone in my room; I used to think “What if I fail again?” But not anymore! Life was blissful again.

The last month at IIM Indore was the busiest of my entire MBA. The days were spent playing badminton, hanging out with my friends, going out for dinners, chitchatting in night mess, random conversations in my room, going for walks around the serene campus etc. In short, I was enjoying and relishing every moment of my stay in the campus. And on 8^th March 2012, this amazing journey ended. Goodbyes are never easy, but it’s the hope of reunion which makes them bearable, they say. Fake optimism, I say! And that’s when I realized, my life would never be the same again.

Through this post, I have tried to pen down my journey from CAT to Convocation. There are some parts which I have omitted, especially the bonding with my friends, because some moments can just be felt; but cannot be written about. I end this post with a heartfelt thanks to all those who have stood by me during the past two and a half years and I hope that they would continue to be there beside me in the days to come. This post is a dedication to all those who have managed to touch my heart and enrich my life.........