Well, I’m at the end of a journey that began 10 long years ago. A simple dream of getting an MBA from a prestigious b-school…..the one thing that would excuse me from all bad exam related performances. And the one thing that remained a steady lighthouse guiding me to shore, and now I’ve reached. Now what? And in a few days from now, I will be graduating…my first convocation. I’m looking forward to throwing those pointy hats into the air. Ladies and gentlemen, doubters and villains, admirers and crushes…the boy is now a man!
And behind these ten years lies a path strewn with madness and points of near insanity because I felt the world was getting away from me and it all seemed hopeless. On that path lie the prayers of a mother who believed in her stubborn boy and a father whose support in more ways than one has made the path ahead stronger. And the friends who have held up this warrior in the best of times and madness. And now, it’s happening. And I wonder…now what? We’re done with the MBA…exams and all, the whole jazz. Where to from here?
I’ve got a good job, as a marketing manager. I could say I want to perform well at work and gain promotions quick, and go up the corporate ladder, but then that’s natural to any MBA. It’s almost like saying, I wish to breathe well. Many people are hinting at marriage, and bets have been placed. To cut a long story short, I’m going to be richer by about 1000 bucks by the end of the year, and would be getting a treat in the Taj. Dear friends of mine, many have lost to me in this regard. But in all seriousness, now what?
I’m not in a band, so I have no Gold record to look forward to selling. I’ve barely begun my writing career. (PS: I am a guest blogger on ideabing.com…please visit the site) So what now? As much as I’d like to think I am the millionaire types, I know I’ll be happy pursuing the more artistic and intellectual things of life like music, travel,writing… but these are hobbies. So what do I focus on? I guess the next few months will reveal a path of action…. Until then I shall quote to self ‘Not all those who wander are lost’.
Things are getting pretty sentimental here at college. It seems just yesterday I was saying bye at the station to brothers in arms, and now once again, I’m at the same place….saying goodbye to new brothers in arms. The hell and heaven our batch has gone through has left all the survivors with a certain sense of admiration for one another. What strikes me the most is that this is the final leg of any formal education I might have. And songs like Papa Kehte hain…all make a lot of sense.Come Saturday, I am leaving what was my world and home for probably one of the greatest years of my life. And I complete my education with a feeble regret that I never managed to get a first rank, but then, I guess life has bigger things in store for me. And this bitter sweet symphony has me wanting to hang on to the safe world I had behind me, while I still want to march into this new world all guns blazing and a ‘Bring it on b*tch’ attitude.
I spent a lot of today listening to Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ song…. And Cameron Crowe is to be thanked for making this movie ‘Almost Famous’ which featured the song in a beautiful sequence. I still don’t understand the song, but something about it has me thankful about the past, the friends I have made and keeps me optimistic for the future. I especially love the part in the end of the sequence where the Protangonaist says ‘I want to go home’, to which Kate Hudson replies ‘You are Home’….and this song has that sort of feeling… a concoction that has your head feel you ought to be somewhere else, yet your head says you’re right where you need to be. Song is here…check it out.
Anyway, this is the last blog from the Room G1G at The Great Lakes Institute of Management. The room that was my Fortress of Solitude and was the ground for many a jam session with my band (now erstwhile band). The room that showed me I have inherited the ‘clean freak’ gene from my mom. The room where many an evening was spent reading endless case studies, cursing professors, talking past loves and losses with friends, arguing over the mundane and celebrating over the silliest of triumphs.
And I can’t help but cry, because this feels like a second life... Big Bad World, here comes the great one!
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@Emperor - Thanks!