Day 1 @ IIMA!

Well, finally I am here @ IIMA Campus.. Its been quite a journey (Nope,
not the getting admission here part but the actual travel from Bangalore to
Ahmedabad…J travelled about 34 hours by train from Bangalore and what a
journey it was!). I cant remember when was the last time I took a long distance
train but in retrospect this seemed like a pretty good decision. It gave me all
the time in the world to read a book, ponder over things and wonder over how
Indians live/behave…I tell you, no place better than a train to have that
analysis done..:)

First impression of the city was actually pretty sober..:) Nothing
great or nothing spectacular (but what can I say? I travelled at 8AM and that
too for what looked like few kms)… It looked like any other city to me except
that its going to be my home for the next 1 year (atleast?!?)
After heavy negotiations with my porter and then with my Auto
driver I ended up in IIMA. Reaching the campus was kind of an overwhelming
feeling. The journey was indeed long, eventful, exciting with many twists and turns
(nope this time not the train journey, but the actual journey of getting
admitted here..:D). And I hope the future will be few notches above of what it
was before. There are so possibilities and so many opportunities (or so I presume!)
that right now I have no clue where I would be 1 year down the line.

At the reception, I got the keys to my dorm room. The room
unfortunately happens to be on the top most floor! As soon as I enter the room,
I could feel hot air blowing on my face and had to just run out to the safety
of the outside cool air. At 8 in the morning if the situation is going to be
like this, I can imagine how it would be the rest of the day. Also, imagine the
next three months when the peak summer hits Ahmedabad! The only solace was the
AC in the room but then I think I will have to start borrowing money from
friends and relatives to pay its bill…:)

Apart from the heat, today has been great so far - meeting my
batch mates and getting to know them. Quite a few of the people I met today are
already Entrepreneurs or are kind of stalwarts from different industries. So
the interaction has been great and it kind of makes me feel excited to be here,
to be part of this group and to hopefully survive together for the next year.:P
My registration eventually happened around 5:15 PM without much hassles.
After getting my internet setup I went for a jog and got lost in the main
campus. Couldn’t believe the faculty quarters was that huge or for that matter
had so many twists and turns..(maybe they have tried to simulate the life in this
campus :))

After a good dinner with some of newly formed friends we went on a
long walk again. Exploring the place took its times as we were more talking
than walking.:) Found the gym, sports complex and the jogging tracks. Most of
us showed interest but lets see how many actually find time for these things.
Because when it comes to sacrificing something to manage time, these are the activities
first in the list to be scratched..:)
Anyway for now some of us plan to run at 6:30 in the morning, lets
see how it goes..:)

There is an unofficial kick-off party on Saturday evening (day
after tomorrow) arranged by my enthusiastic batch mates, but the official one
is on Sunday evening (arranged by PGPX - was supposed to be on Monday but maybe
they thought why waste a day, so they pulled it to Sunday..:)). Looking
forward to both these events..

I am happy so far and I hope I remain so for the next year..

Cheers,
Dilip

PS: I thought my blog has been dead for the last few months and
would be so for the next year. Though there have been quite a few
trips/activities/events there has been not much time/mood to update the blog.
So thought was losing my interest in blogging. But after coming here I hope to
keep it alive throughout the coming year. Hopefully it will become a small
chronicle of my journey here. I am not sure how many posts (it will be more
like twitter updates I think) will actually come out of this resolution, but
then one never knows..:)

Relief? Or Ecstasy?

There are certain things that are best learnt during childhood and swimming is one of them. Most people who know swimming say it’s so easy, all you have to do is just float! But that’s easier said than done when you have lived most part of your life fearing deep waters and avoided them like its been shark infected. Suddenly you are told to deep dive into it and tame it, love it, float on it, and relax like there is no worry in this world. How do you undergo this transformation? Again the same ‘people’ ask you get into the water, get wet and start learning.. There is no other way… As I found out its easier said than done..

For almost three weeks while trying to learn I have taken in enough chlorine water to fill an overhead tank, my confidence has been beaten to the core, and it felt that somehow the forces around me were making sure I drown even with a learning board.

Believe me! Learning swimming does take a toll.. You see toddlers swimming in the pool and you cant even float it takes a toll. You cant breathe-in air and suddenly start looking at finding the ground/floor beneath you, it takes a toll. You start regretting so much that you start cursing yourself, for having taken this step, it takes a toll… Finally a time comes when you think of quitting and saying “Is it really important for me to learn this? Cant I live without it?” Its just a matter of time before one comes to such a state. In fact it took me about three weeks to reach there and was almost at the verge of quitting.

But I finally swam today.. :) More than anything else, it was relief…

I had thought of giving up so many times especially last week when I couldn’t even swim properly with a board. There was actually not much of progress and the motivation levels really dropped off. After a lot of thought of giving up I asked my trainer to come today morning.. The day started in a usual manner. Struggled with my techniques. Drank enough chlorine water and was getting tired very easily (which shouldn’t happen ideally if you breathe properly).

However, today for whatever reason we kept pushing and trying various things. Finally, I was able to manage my first proper swimming lap. I am far away from proclaiming that I know swimming but now the ‘belief’ is back and I know I can do this. I might not want to swim in the sea but swimming in a pool is a must have according to me (as of now..:)) and I see that I can reach that stage before the end of the month.

Maybe my case was a bit extreme or maybe people do learn it very easily but let me tell you, for me running the ultra-marathon was easier than learning to swim! The ‘belief’ was just wasn’t there.. And that ‘belief’ goes for a nose dive everytime there was a failed attempt. So it takes a herculean task to get into the swimming pool the next time. It’s all interconnected you see..

Like most things in life that makes you happy or the things that you actually want, this too is going through its cycle of ups and downs, and there were times when giving up was the easier option but finally I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it makes be relieved, happy and ecstatic at the same time..

Here’s to hoping my love affair continues with the wonderful water..

Happy Valentine’s day everyone!

Target!

During my first 10K run I was feeling exhausted by the time I finished 6K. At my first Half Marathon, I was feeling exhausted and tired by the time I reached 16K, during my first Full Marathon I was down and out by the time I reached 34Km and was not able to put one step forward after 42Km! The irony was when I tried my first Ultra marathon of 75Km, I hadn’t run beyond a Full Marathon until then, and was really not sure whether I could complete it. But when I ran the Ultra, I could easily make it until 60Km and then struggled to finish the rest of the 75KM! What does it tell us?

A lot of things in life is psychological and what one thinks is achievable or doable is mostly in the minds. Really, the importance of accessing and placing a target is of utmost importance. Since we all are prone to procrastination its very much necessary to have targets that push us to achieve more. Being safe, is no longer an option if we want to achieve anything beyond the norm.

Its even more important for people like me who cant work without a target and most often than not things anyway get done at the last moment. I have come to realize that the best way to overcome this is to divide the bigger goal into smaller goals with shorter durations. That way its not only continuously calibrated but also accessed.

Like a marathon, unless we try to do something more than the norm one will never know whether that’s even a possibility. Our realm of possibilities to a major extent is a figment of our imagination. And that’s what I have learned.

What if?

There are times when we ask ourselves the ever-lasting and unanswerable questions that start with ‘what if’? Times in life when you are in that contemplating mode and wonder how you would be and what you would be ‘if only ...’.

But is there any point to these questions? Should one be even entertaining such thoughts? The only positive/good thing that ‘can’ come out of it is to make sure the present and the future is not filled with instances that will rise to more ‘What if’ questions.. Though not many such instances in the past, I still have a few - enough to be vary of the next two months..

Every second we make a choice and that’s what makes our life.

The next couple of months will be a testament of things to come. Excitingly and happily looking forward to it like a child with a new toy everyday! And here I come..