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Life was settling down and taking shape at a cushy IT job at Infosys. But into years into the job, I went through a quarter life crisis. I did some quick soul-searching, and as is often the result, the option was MBA, I took the GMAT. A few applications,
recommendations, group discussions and interviews later, came my reckoning - admission at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.

I had arranged for a service apartment which I was to share with two fellow Bangaloreans, Ranjit and Chetan. We were lucky to find a great 'deal'. Brand new air-conditioned apartment with the smell of fresh paint. An elaborate session of ripping the plastic wrappers from the new mattresses was my ice-breaker with my room-mates! Ranjit worked for Infosys for a couple of years (what are the odds you won’t bump into an Infoscion) and Chetan was an acquaintance from R. V. College of Engineering. Small world! I was catching up with Chetan, the university tennis champ, after five years. I remember that his name was on the roll of honor in college, next to K. Anil (more popularly known as Anil Kumble!) He worked in the inventory planning division of 3M. Ranjit seemed more the solemn types.

Day 1: I woke up at 0645 Hr. and glanced through the agenda: -

0900-1000 : Welcome by Program Director - Dr. N. V. Rao
1030-1130 : Greetings from Executive Director - Prof. Sriram
1300-1600 : Registration Formalities - Administrative Block
1630-1830 : Ice-breaker at Green Meadows

The first day back in college after five years! The excitement in the hall with 162 aspirations was palpable. Dr. Rao welcomed us with some inspiring words. "You are here at the peak of your past and the foot-hills of your future," he said. I sat there pondering over the verity of the statement. He briefed us about the program changes. From this year, we had the cum-laude mode for recognizing academic excellence. We also now had an option to do double major by opting for 8 subjects per vertical! Just as I wondered whether this man would betray me the 'MBA gyaan', he popped into a lighter vein, and spoke of recognizing opportunities on time - "When Lakshmi comes to apply tilak on your forehead, don’t rush to wash your face!" No way will I forget this one.

This was followed by an address by the Executive Director, Prof. Sriram. His bearded countenance silenced the audience as if in reverence to a strict administrator. He started tough speak by quoting the popular Cortez story as a reminder of single-minded focus. Cortez had reached the shores of Mexico to fight Aztecs with his small army and instructed his men to burn the ships. This clear declaration of intent served his army as much as it served the natives. So when your back is against the wall, you stay to fight, and this alone can lead to your victory!

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* Contributed by -
Sriganesh Gopalakrishnan,
MBA Student,
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai.
Article posted on September 27, 2008.