All That You Can't Leave Behind

As I watched the staff members play their usual game of gully cricket in the large open space that is the sports ground of IIM Bangalore, I witnessed my last sunset from this campus as a student. A pleasant breeze blew across the corridor, and it sort of dawned on me that this campus is indeed beautiful. 21 months passed by so fast, I never really had the time to settle down for a while, or to think anything, apart from the stuff that absolutely had to be done at that point of time. In a way I feel it is also a microcosm for life – all your life you whizz around doing stuff that absolutely needs to be done, and by the time you sit back to see how it is like when you are not running, your time has run out.

With less than 24 hours to stay at IIMB, a seemingly-more-picturesque-than-ever campus and more-silent-than-ever corridors, I thought about the few things that I think I will miss the most after I leave this place.

1. The sounds of the night – (not of my cheap wingmates) – the wind, (sometimes) the rain, the howling dogs, the ambulance siren, the road somewhere afar…
2. The silence – as I stare out on the never changing piece of land that is the IIMB main ground
3. The wind that blows across the corridor towards the far end of L Top
4. L -12. It was not exactly the best of outings, but what the heck!
5. The lush foliage beyond the library, especially during rainy season
6. The Narnia-like feeling the moment you take a left turn on Banerghatta Road and enter campus
7. The lonely light at the top of the water tank
8. Free access to Wall Street Journal, The Economist and more!
9. The library – too bad I never used it much!
10. The L^2 parties, block parties and whatever-random-reason parties
11. The desserts and starters at Barbeque Nation (esp the gulab jamun!) on those umpteen treats
12. Bangalore weather (although, of late, it hasn’t exactly been anything worth writing home about)
13. Sec B Bracket Bhasad!
14. I guess it is only fair that a bit of academics is included in this list – to that end, I will miss the classes I enjoyed the most – Prof Shayamal Roy’s Macroeconomic lectures, peppered with his unmatchable dry wit
15. Ranga’s subtle, Srini’s ironic and Vaidya’s absolutely brutal sense of humour
16. The night-outs, and the Cheese Maggie and double coffee at 3 o’ clock in the night
17. One last fling with proper inter-college level hockey. Don’t suppose I will get to pick up the stick again :(
18. Probably one last fling with movie making too.
19. Vista and all the work and crazy hours that went into it
20. An amazingly talented set of peers. I would say that while quite a few at IIT were exceptionally brilliant, those at IIM are more well-rounded personalities. These are people that would make it big in the near future – people you would want to keep in touch, at least professionally.

Strangely enough, I never liked this place while I was a denizen around here, and I would much rather be off. I would still be off, but I guess my usual troubles with letting go take centerstage from here. So long, and on for another leg of the journey of life. Of the Book of Life, academic edition, chapter three ends today.