The journey that was...

We came from all different backgrounds - Some of us ran engineering firms, some of us ran Flour Mills, some of us ran Project Management Consultancy, some of us were jewellers, some of us were Handicraft exporters, some of us made business out of Agriculture, some of us ran non profit organizations like a Trust, some of us were into Fashion design – so on and so forth. We all came from different parts of India and the world - Mumbai, Ludhiana, Calcutta, Meerut, Chhattisgarh, Nagpur, Kurukshetra, Chennai, Tirupati, Rajkot, Mysore, Germany etc. We spoke different languages, some of us spoke the same language differently, and some of us couldn't understand when the majority spoke in Hindi. Some of us were flashy in the way we dressed, some of us were sober. Some of us were neatly shaven and had our hair cleanly trimmed, some of us wore our tresses long.

But more important than what we wore, how we spoke, or how we carried ourselves, we all had something in common - we had a dream and a passion and an ambition to live our dream. Did not matter which path we chose to fulfill our dreams! Each one of us had a drive. Each of us had a story to tell. We had Vineet who started his journey with a 5000 rupee loaned from his dad and went on to become a successful retailer of garments. We had Surabhi who at the time when everyone was choosing the "science" stream for their career had the courage to choose fashion design and become successful designer. We had Jagadeesh who studied engineering, and quit his job to pursue agriculture and went on to do research and marketing of agricultural products. This list is long and much more interesting – I just put the names of the few students I have interacted a little closely. To my classmates – my apologies! We had students from family businesses who had stories to tell how their fathers toiled through it all and today manage firms that are internationally reputed. The most important responsibility the students now had was to manage and maintain the hard earned relationships and reputation that was already built up.

And through it all we had teachers who guided us to think - Think simply and think big! The knowledge and the commitment and the guiding hand of our teachers helped us walk towards our goals. More important than what they taught verbally in the classes, the hazaar personal and non personal experiences and the stories of the various entrepreneurs they shared with us, gave us ideals and role models to study, debate and follow.

How can I not mention the wonderful campus! I personally would love being in the campus. No matter what thoughts one would have, once you get into the gates of IIMB, you are greeted by the calm, serene surroundings that gradually settle your thoughts down. The beautiful trees, the long corridors, the high ceilings, and the deadly silence - how can anyone ever forget that ? Not to mention the hours of discussions spent sitting in the cafe coffee day or the java green or at one of random spacious staircases. In the silence and the discussions that broke the silence, was our creativity nourished.

Its not that everything went right all the year through - we had our share of issues and altercations and disagreements with the management. I am sure the ones who stayed at MDC would have many more stories to tell of the fights and the patch ups. But I am sure at the end of it - we can all say without a second thought and say this with pride that "I had the privilege of studying a course on entrepreneurship at IIMB and it will remain one of the most memorable experiences of my life"