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Now, the aim was to ensure that all fellow fachchas (only fellow batchmates are allowed to vote; not the seniors) have heard my pitch. This in turn implied that I had to go to each of the 23 dorms and catch hold of as many people as I could and pitch to them.
Since its practically impossible to find everyone in the dorm at the same time, I had to keep track who I have missed out and make repeat trips to those dorms. All this meant that every day, till the end of campaign time, I had to make multiple visits to all dorms to deliver my pitch. I had to compromise on my studies and group work and 24 hours started to seem less.

But this was not my story alone. Every candidate for every post had to undergo the same routine. Just imagine the plight of poor batchmates! They had to listen to the pitches of 25-odd candidates day-in and day-out and towards the end, it seemed that all that the people on campus were doing was either delivering pitches or listening to them! Some dorms even went a bit whacky as they put down 'pitching rules' on the dorm blackboards: 5 minutes or less, all votes guaranteed; 5-10 minutes, few less votes and so on! Ha Ha Ha... I can understand how tiring it was for them. I remember in the end how I would literary drag people out of their rooms to listen to the pitch.

Anyway, once the campaigning time was over, the last step before voting was the 'Soap Box'. It takes place in a classroom where every candidate appears before an audience (comprising of fachchas as well as tuchchas), delivers the pitch, and then answers sharp and probing questions thrown at him/her. The entire event is video-recorded and essentially measures how well the candidate is prepared for the post, and whether he/she can withstand pressure and maintain calm while answering challenging questions. The Soap Box is intended to help the voters make a much more informed decision. Mine went quite decent, I suppose, I was able to answer almost all questions thrown at me satisfactorily.

And finally, the D-Day arrived! Voting started in the evening. Turnout was nearly cent-percent and after 2-3 hours, counting began for each post. I remember how we all were gathered outside the classroom, chatting with each other, trying to quell our anxieties! After every 15-20 minutes, one result would be announced... cheers, jubilations, and of course, bumps would follow! And then it was the turn of Sports! My fellow candidate was a strong favourite, and deservedly so. He was one of the best sportsman on campus and had good experience in handling such posts in the past. But somehow I felt confident inside and waited with bated breath! 20 minutes of agonizing wait, and the results were finally out. I was beaten quite comfortably. It took time to sink in. I at least expected the margin of defeat to be very narrow. Alas, that was not to be.

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* Contributed by -
Vinamra Srivastava (Campus Associate),
PGP - 2,
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.