On 11th June 2015, NITIE’s admission office released 4th list of cleared students for PGDIM batch 2015-17. Boom!! I got the last seat … sheer luck I guess. That feeling was just splendid when I got a call from my friend who is studying in IIM Lucknow that Bhai! Ho gea tera. Time was 4:20 PM and I was working on my new project. After that call I started calling my closed ones. I can still feel that moment because when you’re a supply chain and operations enthusiast and you get admission to best B-school in that domain then nothing else can explain your happiness. NITIE is best among all B-schools let it be IIM A, B, C or any else when it comes to supply chain and operations. Big question, Why MBA? was answered and that too in style. Oh my God! How would that be to go to classes again, meeting new people, living in Mumbai, doing new assignments, late night chats, parties and lot of college fun.
I called my boss personally and told him everything. He was glad yet befuddled likewise when did all this happen. He asked me to show him my offer letter. DGM of my department was 1992 batch pass out of NITIE. So he started sharing his views with me and general knowledge about current batch size and alumni base. So I resigned on 11th June at 5:50 PM and started planning for getting money. I saved nothing in three years because of my education loan, but my friends were like don’t worry dude! Sab ho jayega..Kab pay krni hai fee? These awesome people arranged 4.5 lacs in just 12 hours for me and I paid my fee for 1st year course at NITIE. My friends never let me feel tensed in moments like these and this is what I feel proud of. Induction programme was from 15th June and classes from 22nd June. I took flight from New Delhi and reached Mumbai. First hostel was Gilbreth Hall and classes in Syndicate 2. In induction programme, I met professors and became acquainted with different opportunities I would get in NITIE in coming two years.
NITIE’s campus is such a beauty that you’ll get enamoured at first sight. Boys hostel with 16 floors (tallest building in Powai, Mumbai), beautiful pond we feel proud of, lot of trees like green shady sheet shielding entire campus from pollution and dumb commotion of city, 96 steps to reach classes, trek feel to reach admission block, serene view of Powai Lake and lot more. What else do you want from any campus? Just beautiful!
NITIE has trimester system and divided into modules. For a first week, it was about introduction mostly. Two Sardars in class, one from Amritsar (Me) and one from Dehradun. Few friends left Government jobs to do MBA and some left IIMs to join NITIE. The Class was like Mini India having students from every nook and corner of India. North, South, East, and West were ready to make something big in NITIE. This is the thing that I adore in B-schools. You get the opportunity to connect with individuals more experienced than you and with freshers too. In short, I was ready to start a new chapter of my life with new friends and whole new thinking.
First module was great, I had lot of fun with my friends in classes, did assignments in groups, visited new places in Mumbai. I scored just 7.83 in first module and frankly speaking that was very low. Though it doesn’t matter when you’re learning things practically and loving it. Best part of the first module was committee selection. We have committees, interest groups, forums, communities etc. to engage students at every level of interest they’re indulged in. In committee selection, students have to fill the priority forms and they get calls for the interview process. This process is so rigrous that you’ll get feeling of proper corporate culture. Behaviorial check, acumen, extracurricular angle, interactive behavior, attitude and lot more is on radar and selectors have eyes on you 24X7 amid entire process. I applied for Prerana Management Group (PMG), Cultural Committee and Coordination Committee along with Chain to Excellence (C2X) interest group.
PMG works under Umbrella of AVARTAN (NITIE’s B-School Festival) along with other committees. PMG has a lot of contacts in industry, colleges, sponsors due to its rich legacy since 1995. Lot of events are conducted by PMG and details can be checked at Avartan Community
Cutural Committee as name suggests takes care of all events, festivals, celebrations in NITIE. I have always been a strong participant in cultural events, so applying for this committee was obvious.
Coordination Committee is like bank for all the other committees. They deal with batch fund and activities. CV verification and other legal aspects of MBA tenure are with this committee.
C2X is about interest so I applied for that by default.
After all the interviews and process, I got selected in PMG and that added new quills to my life. In Avartan 2015, I met lot of new people, big corporates (CXOs specially), actors and sportspersons, made new friends in all top B-schools (Top 35 in India), interacted with lot of sponsers, handled literary work for all editions of newletter & brochures, worked with 100+ new people I never knew and many more. After PMG, period was tense, ofcourse due to INTERNSHIP interviews. Like every other B-school, placement week is very important and every student tries his/her best to get placed in that week. I got placed in day zero that is a first day of placement week and a big sigh of relief. This was not as easy as I wrote in one line. From the very first week of joining, preparations got started. In three months I appeared for more than 15 group discussions, studied hell lot of news (I don’t like reading news much), knowledge of new sectors, e-commerce especially, mock interviews, CV preparation, lot gyan sessions, group study every other day, soft skills preparation etc. Frankly speaking, I cherished that phase may be because I got placed at day zero, but in one way or the other I learned lot of new things during that phase. Best thing I learned is PATIENCE. I’m very impatient (or was I guess) but after all those sessions and preparations along with PMG experience has made me feel that now I know how to be patient.
In second module, I scored 8.6 and secret for that is group study. Group is not like group of 5-6 people, it was group of more than 15 people. What I know is I was totally relaxed with that group of my friends ad we did great I guess. Room no. 1414 and 1209 in Taylor hall are renowned for those sessions. I was content with result and ready for next module. Best part of NITIE is one month winter off in December. I was in home after 4 days holiday at Goa with friends. December was magnificent at home. I joined college on 11th January 2016 for 3rd module.
Sorry! In all this I forgot to mention about my Bhangra! Everyone in NITIE knows who is a Bhangra Guy. Thanks to NITIE friends for loving my moves and bhangra. I participated in MahaMandi (famous marketing event among B-schools) and represented NITIE through bhangra. Met lot of Punjabi friends with similar interests and celebrated every festival with lot of awesome bhangra steps & beats. Participated in Godrej Loud and showed my enthusiasm to all through video. Bhangra Empire saw that video and texted me on Facebook & Twitter. What else can I ask for? This all happened because of NITIE and that too in very short span of period.
So coming back to 3rd module, It was too relaxed. Had lot of parties with seniors (placement party – Bombay Barbeque, official farewell – Megaragus, PMG farewell – Hard Rock Café, Punjabi Farewell – Tap and lot more). Hai Main Tan Marr Gayi!! .. I met Diljit Dosanjh at Partap’s The Dhaba. I was so excited after meeting him that I left my food in between. I follow him regularly, his style, turban colours, songs, movies and bhangra ofcourse. That day it was like …. THANK YOU MUMBAI!! Really I never thought that I would meet Diljit before release of AMBARSARIYA movie that too especially when shooting of movie is done in Amritsar (My home city). Whole module was like a thrill ride and ended well with pretty decent performance in exams (I’m not sure though :P).
On 4th April 2016 I will join RPG House (Mumbai) for induction programme and then move to Vadodara (Gujarat) for two months stint in operations at KEC International facility in Halol. Last one year was wonderful and mind boggling. The way I have advanced personally and professionaly is immense. I had lot of expectations from this journey and in return I got a lot more. But this all happened because of awesome people I met here in NITIE. PMG has really taught me a lot, my Punjabi seniors helped me to feel same here in Mumbai like I feel in Punjab everytime I come here, my classmates had great fun with me everytime I wanted to do something stupid, my group of 14-15 people who all are just DUDES in their own form which is not easy to define and we did hell lot of fun together.
This post is just to relive all those moments because when I’ll go back to campus after internship, our seniors will be gone and some void would be there. I wish they will get everything they want in their life.
And I’m looking forward to have more fun and new experience in 2nd year in NITIE. Till that time, Thank you NITIE! and Mumbai Meri Jaan!
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