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Walking down towards the hostels
Had to search for a place to click without the local picnic'rs. IIM who? IIM a bit lost here. Summer of 86 - the best summer of my life... graduating from IIM-Joka (IIM-C)... the culmination of 2 years of
uninterrupted fatrugiri. Discovering oneself.
I visited again in 2007.
First time after graduating. Fully armed with an armour called "Dont expect too much.. its always a disappointment to go back to ones college" "anyways its been too long... dont be surprised if its changed too much".
When I entered I almost turned back...
I thought I had entered a picnic spot - maybe Botanical Gardens... it was Sunday. Around the lake were about a 1000 people.. OK well actually about 30 people .. in groups of 2 - 4 - sitting by the lake - reading the paper, drinking chai ... spending quality time with daughter... I was in for a shock... had never visualised IIM in this "setting". Anyways maybe during holidays thats what happens...
An odd one out was walking down in loose tee shirt, chappals and jhola .. but looking much too sophisticated to be a local bong ... he turned out to be a senior exec searching for the building in which the executive program
Freshly painted hostels at IIM
Why didnt they keep them so clean when we were living there> is held. Well it was nice to see a MBA type in the rustic family lakeside setting.
The hostels are exactly the same.. just got a fresh coat of paint on them... sparkling clean.. not the way they used to look when we lived in them.
The Common Room is hep...
got a mural with a girl in a bikini... hullo this is supposed to be Kolkata. And A snooker table... :-). The TV is shifted inside a separate room which has, wait ..., you wont believe... wall to wall carpeting.. and a Airconditioner!
Guys can watch their late night videos in peace now without getting dirty looks from the gals.
The lake has a
fancy BIG jetty... not the rickety one we used to have... a bit ugly... but a strong assertive visible jetty.
And the prime view... standing at the common room area and looking out to the lake...
guess what.... you WONT see the lake... just an ugly bicycle stand.. yes its true.
Sad but true. Gosh.. wasnt there some other place for the mess cooks andn waiters to park the bikes.. or for the students?
But the good news is that
...
THE TYRE IS STILL THERE! It looks bigger better bolder and older than before. It stands in all its glory or rather sits in all its glory... like an ancient banyan tree - unself-conscious of its age or its fame. As I ogle at it with disbelief and love. Passion. Its still here. How many of us Directors and CEOs are probably who we are today because of the influence of a TYRE in our life. In what ways it must have shaped the destinies of large corporates who's CEOs have sat, chatted, smoked, doped, kicked, and spoken to the TYRE. Long live the TYRE. Maybe its the cumulative effect of all these batches at IIM which have been fortunate to have experienced the TYRE... that we have the India Shining story.
The Library is so beautiful, so senti. I remembered the lemon teas... the view of the lake from the library... the view of the library from the lake... oooh... and the library has a better AC, new furniture... and the BEST SECTION OF JOURNALS IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD AND A DIGITAL LIBRARY TOO. I could scream with joy and pride. I felt like I was
sitting in some exotic univ in the US which has meticulously maintained its natural beauty and the view of the lake... its awesome.
A new Auditorium has been added. Pinkish in color to keep in synch with the rest of the buildings in an aesthetic way... and yet so unique, tasteful, and appropriate. Tall, graceful, proud... stands the audi. Loved it. Felt to proud.
A new Career Centre which handled Placements etc. Nice and neat, Professional. Could smell the money.
Mihir's is still there though there is no Mihir there. Mihir now apparently runs the catering facility within the executive devt centre. I did walk up the stairs ... hoping to not faint at the shock or the disappointment... but I almost fell off the joint becoz there were a 100 bengali ladies well.. actually 20-30 odd - all eating and ordering more food... I ran.
And now for the news you've been waiting for...
the HOWRAH bridge, where so many lonely souls have found their meaning in life ... and so many crowded souls have found solitude. IS JUST AS IT USED TO BE!!
The football ground is a mini lake. I didnt quite
get that.
Outside the campus is madness as usual. 12C yet survives. Buses still look feel and smell the same. Chotta tea joints still survive... but a large BSNL Tel Exchange building right next to the campus kind of felt like it shouldnt have been there. It looks too much like a city instead of a world away from the world.
All in all... I was in a trance... it was really worth visiting. Inspite of all my apprehensions.
The 2 best years of my life.
And it still looks the same out there. Love it.
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