Week 17 - Parties, & T-Nite Buzz

Week 17! Mondays after a home visit always feel a little different. You are relaxed, yet nostalgic.

This week had a strange schedule. The first half was loaded with three morning classes and then the oddly timed MC (Management Communication) class at 7:15 PM. The second half of the week was almost blank, except for a one-on-one session with a career coach who had come from an external agency hired by IIM-A.

And if you get a long weekend at IIM-A, you only do two things: either plan a quick home trip or plan a party. Since most of us had already gone home last week, the dorm turned into party central. We had two birthday parties in my dorm itself, and a dinner planned on Sunday to celebrate a close friend’s birthday.

But before all this, came 15th August. Independence Day celebrations on campus. After years, I celebrated it the traditional way: waking up early, wearing a kurta, attending the flag hoisting, and then having breakfast with patriotic songs playing in the background. Independence Day holiday feels different when you celebrate it the right way.

Later that afternoon, I had my two-hour session with the coach. Honestly, it went way beyond expectations. So many insights, roadmaps, and reflections drawn from small details about my personality. At one point, it almost felt like he was reading my mind. I walked out with perspectives about myself that I had never thought of before.

Friday night was the first party in Dorm 38. It was a Bollywood-themed birthday. Some people dressed up as characters, but I was too lazy to put in that kind of effort. Saturday was another surprise birthday party for a close friend. We had decorated the place with balloons, electric candles, and even made a short video for her. The night ended the way long weekends at IIM-A should: sitting in a room, singing Emraan Hashmi songs at the top of our voices, and laughing about our miserable academic life.

In the same party, serious discussions about the T-Nite started. For context, T-Nite is the cultural Olympics of IIM-A where all 7 sections (5 PGP and 2 PGPX) compete over multiple events across three days. After throwing around a lot of ideas for our section name, which had to incorporate alphabets “B” and “X” since we are Section B of PGPX, we finalised on my suggestion: B Xponential (Beˣ). With the campus buzzing with excitement of T-Nitstarting on 22nd August, it seems we are going to have an action packed week.

Sunday evening, we went out for a fancy dinner at Rangeen. The highlight (or maybe lowlight) was the Pineapple Mac and Cheese pasta. Most of us found it disastrous, but two friends loved it so much, it seemed like they had found their new favourite dish. Well, IIM-A does have a lot of diversity.

The week ended perfectly. Four of us playing box cricket in the common area of my floor. If you grew up playing gully cricket, you know this, no matter how old you get, underarm cricket will always take you back to childhood. And it gets even better when you manage to leave your friends baffled with your magical spin.