After a hectic schedule of classes where each and
every neuron of the brain sits enchanted by the absolutely new world that the
professors introduce the students to, the students here drop their pens and
notebooks and take on to badminton, table tennis, volleyball and cricket.
The amount of dust that covers the air and the frequency with which the equipment is replaced shows the vigour with which students take onto the court. The
frenzy and cheerleading at inter-house cricket tournaments running till 4 am in
the morning is no less than those at IPL. And for some, the
ultimate aim is to perfect their game of table tennis. For those who are not
very keen on moving their feet there is carom as well. You will also find the
fitness freaks hitting the gym and sweating it out with a lot of ‘gyan’ on
staying fit.
Just
adjacent to the badminton court, gym and Table Tennis room is the cafeteria. It
is a regular ‘adda’ for long discussions and debates on things that matter and
things that don’t. ‘IIM Raipur ke mess ki maggi’ can be a separate campaign for
Maggi. On birthday nights, when the clock strikes 12, the ambience of the
entire cafeteria changes. The clean tables are no more clean and cold drinks
are not used for drinking. Not to forget the smearing of cake, eggs and
whatever is at arm’s length of anybody and everybody. The party doesn’t end
there; whoever comes in the way is not spared. There are days when the mess
food is just not enough to fill our appetites and for those days we get
Domino’s pizza and Hyderabadi biryani delivered.
The
classrooms are transformed into battlefields at night where everyone sits with
their laptops working in teams to give online quizzes and participating in
intra-college events. Swearing in despair and in triumph is what signifies the
intensity of that half an hour. But competition and participation isn’t
restricted to online version; the real fun is competing with the peers in the
events organised by various clubs. When the environment full of drama ends
everybody moves on to their regular work again. Yes our classrooms are
happening but more happening are the corridors during the festivals and their
celebrations. The creative team gathers and transforms the entire hall
overnight into any theme you want, the special feature being Rangoli.
Well this
summarizes one facet of our campus life and I can assure you that the other facet is
as interesting. The days of assignments and exams too, are full of energy.
Classrooms are buzzing with teams trying to make the best projects. Stakes are
high, tensions are at peak and everybody is working earnestly to just make sure
a smooth presentation ensues the following day. And exams mean group studies with frequent
visits to the cafeteria and sometimes also outsourcing the same to get the high
in demand coffee for the hour. No matter how much we think of ourselves to be
superhumans riding high on energies, the sun sets at around 5 in the morning
for some while for a few the night never ends.
With the batteries (almost) recharged, the day
starts at 8:30 in the morning with students running to classes. No matter at
what time you went to bed (or did not) the last night, the class presentations
and case studies will keep you wide awake…
Well this is all for now. This is just the trailer.
More stories behind the doors of IIM Raipur are yet to unfold… just for the
lucky insiders.
Contributed by: Pulak Jain, PGP2012-14. She
can be reached at pgp12113.pulak@iimraipur.ac.in.
