“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future” – Steve Jobs
On the morning of 27th March 2019, 76 odd folks, who came from various cities and towns of our diverse nation, joined IIM Bangalore’s one-year MBA program – Executive Postgraduate Program in Management (EPGP). Unknown to each other, only a couple of known faces and, in some cases just the names, the incoming class of EPGP 2019-20 batch enrolled for a year-long journey to rediscover, reinvent, reimagine and rebuild themselves.
Soon after the enrolment and inauguration events, the batch got a quick flavour of the first surprise of the MBA journey – the very next day, the batch was asked to assemble at 6 AM for a quick photoshoot in the lush green campus of IIMB, after which the EPGP Chairperson, Prof. R Narayanaswamy, conducted the orientation for the batch. This was followed by roller coaster sessions on case method, ethics, communication and alumni relations. The day was not over yet. Within an hour and a half, the batch was supposed to get ready to hop on buses to undertake a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience journey– Outbound Activity at Pegasus Institute, which is located about 60 km from the IIMB campus.
The EPGP batch of 2019-20 thought it was on its way to finally get a breather from the previous two super hectic days, but was unaware that, in the next couple of days, their mettle and patience were going to be tested. Imagine what can happen when you put 76 talented chefs in a closed kitchen: an exhilarating cauldron!
The outbound experience provided the batch an amazing opportunity to connect with one another, learn a few things about each individual and form new friendships. Two days off campus exposed everyone to various group activities be it crossing an obstacle track, singing old melodies in chorus around a bonfire or visually depicting one’s own interpretation of the batch. The outbound activities loosened a lot of inhibitions and made each member of the batch realise that EPGP 2019-20 was going to be his/her second family for the next one year.
It is challenging to summarise the learnings from the two-day experiential learning, but one thing is for sure, no one is now afraid of the future. The uncertainty of future is scary, but with the strength of 75 friends, I am looking forward to seeing how future will unfold in the next one year. It is not going to be easy – there will be sleepless nights, there will be 11th hour rushed submissions and there will be celebrations all-round the year – but at the end of it, the experience will be worthwhile, and that’s why we, the EPGP 2019-20 batch, are here at IIMB.
Cheers to experiencing surprises of life.
Mohit Roshan Srivastava is a current student of the EPGP 2019-20 batch at IIM Bangalore. He was previously working at Boston Consulting Group’s Center for Knowledge and Analytics India hub located in Gurugram, India, where he focused on developing BCG’s knowledge and research service offerings and capabilities on topics related to global energy sector including Oil and Gas, Power and Utilities, and Renewable energy sector. He is a Chemical Engineer by education with under-graduation from MNIT Jaipur and post-graduation from IIT Kharagpur. He is an avid reader of fiction works of Dan Brown and Robert Ludlum, and a hobbyist photographer.