My Study Circle in
IIM-A
- by Vinamra Srivastava *
You know what one of the best
things about this place is? Well, yeah, the professors are great, so is the
infrastructure... but what truly amazes me are the people here!!! Yep, me
talking about my batch mates. With the entire batch being divided into four
sections, you really don't get to know everyone closely.
The people you interact with the most are your study group mates, your dorm
mates and your section mates. In the first term, the study groups were formed by
the PGP office. However, in further terms, one is free to choose the group one
wanted to be part of. My group initially was a five member group including me,
and in the second term, another guy joined us.
Let me start with the lady first.
She also happens to be the CR of our class. A commerce graduate from Chennai.
Worked for a couple of years before coming here. One of the few girls (or
perhaps the only one) in the country to have converted all six IIMs' calls. A
very confident and no-nonsense girl, who is never afraid to speak her mind.
Being the CR is not an easy job and she has handled the post extremely well so
far. A very caring person at heart and a great pal to hang around with, she is a
great team player, always willing to shoulder responsibilities. In fact, she
sorts of binds our group together when we at times get relaxed, and brings us
back on track.
Next is a guy from IIIT
Hyderabad. A 99.99 percentile with a keen knack in finance. I-Banks are where he
belongs to and am so glad that's where he is heading for for his summers. A
topper during his earlier years, he is one scholar with a high ambition and is
certainly a person to go to when all the finance and accounts jargon goes above
your head. A person who is always enthusiastic to discuss and debate about any
topic under the sun and is also candid enough to accept views contrary to his.
Then comes this musical bond from
IIT Kharagpur. An exceptional piano / guitar player, he sure set the stage alive
by his performances during the T-Nites. And had he not been at WIMWI, I am sure
some rock band or the other would have welcomed him with open arms. With his
boyish charms and cool persona, he sure is one fun guy to hang out with. One of
the toppers of the ABM course, but a very down to earth personality, he sure
does rock. Someone you are always at ease with.
This other guy is one of those
different and controversial persons you at times meet. A mechenical engineer, he
is the senior-most person in the group with a 4-odd years experience at a huge
automobile company. And the insight he brings into discussions because of this
experience is immense. I said controversial as lots of his ideas and analysis
are out-of-the-box and revolutionary that often create a stir and sound weird
but are often very insightful. I am amazed by his GK, right from Metallica to
Russian Revolution and none of us could match the number of hours he spends with
books in the first term, he hardly slept, I guess.
Last, but certainly not the
least, is this don from IIT Delhi. He joined our group in the second term, and
oh boy, were we lucky or what!!! With an enriching work experience in an
infrastructure major, he is in the race to be one of the I-Schools at WIMWI
(that's what the toppers are called here, Industry Scholars).
But the best thing is that he is not at all the mugging kinds. He is sleeping
every time you call him and still ends up getting A's in every subject. A very
caring person at heart, a jolly self at parties and a good sportsman (I could
hardly pick his service in TT the first time I played him), he sure is one of
the most talented persons I have met. And yeah, he is good at report writing,
getting A in WAC is no kid's play. A great team player, compromising and
understanding.
We all have a great time whenever
we have group meets. I agree, we often do actual constructive work for less than
30-40% of the time and the rest of the time is spent in discussing and chatting
about anything under the sun, right from who our first crushes were to whether
Bombay is better or Delhi!!! But that's the whole fun. That's what keeps us
going as a group. That's what ensures we all are at complete ease with each
other, and consequently, not only do well as a study group, but also make pals
for a lifetime.
It's a super experience to spend
so much time with such an awesome bunch of people. They all are so diverse, so
talented, so intelligent, so assiduous, yet so caring, so much fun, helpful and
down to earth. Every single moment I spend with them is a time for immense
learning for me. There's always something new to learn and enjoy being in such
great company, and that's what makes WIMWI so very special!
