There have been some incidents worth writing about since my last post. I finally bid adieu to the college and the hostel taking forward some unforgettable memories. Was very eagerly looking forward to spend some quality time at home ‘gorging’ on some delicacies. My parents were ready with a nice 1-kg cake that said ‘Welcome home Tatai and Congratulations!’. The relaxed atmosphere was disturbed the very next day due a very careless act of mine. I had somehow misplaced a bag containing my important documents during travelling. Tension filled the air, but then I somehow tried to recollect everything, made a few phone calls and was thinking about the steps required to be taken now. Dad and I left for the station to lodge an official complaint and my friends back in Bhubaneswar were helping out in every way possible. On the way back from the station, I got a phone call from a person who said that he had my bag and he took it by mistake. He said he was in a big group and thought that they had left behind this piece of luggage. He was supposed to pass over Visakhapatnam and I told him that I would collect it from him. I was finally relieved when I finally got the bag with all documents in order. Yes, I know it was very stupid of me to be so absent-minded and careless, but then mistakes happen and most importantly they teach you not to repeat it. The support lent by my family is worth mentioning and they were very stable through the whole ordeal. Running around everywhere – that was how the first day at home was spent. Had only one day in between as we were supposed to leave for Chennai on 25th April. Ran some errands and sold some old books, apart from packing my luggage. The draft with the amount confirming the admission in IIM Calcutta was also sent.
The journey was quite comfortable on AC Chair Car and I spent most of the time watching movies and playing games on my laptop. Before coming here, I thought that I would be brushing up some mathematics which would be required to pass the Qualifying Mathematics exam that I would be having at IIMC. Started jogging daily here after inaugurating my brand new tennis shoes and was looking up the math book that I brought along with me. Though I admit the affair with the math was short-lived and terminated abruptly. Most of time, I watch episodes of Prison Break and Heroes and catch up with the Sensex and the no. of confirmed ‘Swine Flu’ cases all over the world. One fine evening, I wake up from my afternoon siesta and see that I’ve got a few missed calls from a Bangalore no. Just as I was to brush them off as some useless telemarketing calls, I saw a couple of messages which asked me to call IIM Bangalore admission office immediately. I was excited as the only reason I could think of was that the waitlist must have moved and I was to be offered a seat there. My prediction turned out to be true and I was elated. So, with that my GD/PI conversion ratio moves up to 50% and my IIM calls conversion ratio to 100% ! My reaction was of disbelief earlier because my name did not even figure in the first waitlist of IIMB. The lady over the phone said that I was waitlisted at no.12 and they are offering admission to waitlisted people up to no.20 as quite a few people had overlapping converts from IIM-Ahmedabad. I had almost prepared myself mentally to be a part of IIMC and now this sweet little surprise from B. Though not much of a difference between B and C, but nevertheless general perception ranks B above C. Finally made up my mind that I would like to do my MBA from the 2nd ranked institution in the country and not the 3rd.
Looking forward to catch up with some friends here in Chennai, but the heat is a strong deterrent in stepping out of the house. Speaking of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders have managed to disappoint me in every way possible and their performance has been below par in all aspects of the game. However, Hyderabad, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chennai and Punjab are providing the entertainment and Chennai seems to be in good touch.
Signing off for now … Gracias!
