‘I assure you that you will go through hell, but then I also assure you that it will all be a lot of fun.’

It was in April 2009 that we stepped into Great Lakes Institute of Management and one of the first comments that we heard from our seniors was “I assure you that you will go through hell, but then I also assure you that it will all be a lot of fun”. Looking back today, I can say for sure that this one comment clearly sums up the journey that we have undertaken in this institution.

May 4, 2009 was our first official day in the campus (though practically speaking the very first assignment we got was 2 hours after we registered our names for the course which included close to a hundred pages of pre-read for the class to take place the next day!). The initial month at the campus was fabulous. It was royalty at its best with wonderful rooms, beaches to play on, volleyball in the evenings, parties and of course a lot of studies and assignments. To be very honest, the first term felt like ‘hell’ had broken loose and if that was not enough it was followed by terms 2 and 3 which seemed like the end of the world. To add to it we had our cultural festival taking place at the same time and a host of other festivals and events to be organized. It was with those sleepless nights and skipped meals that we could make it through the first five months.

What followed was the International Study Tour to Malaysia and Singapore, and those were the days that the group (and also the students who had gone back home for a vacation) enjoyed, and that too for the only reason that we were away from assignments for a week! Then came the fourth term and the world had changed, things had become much easier, assignments seemed much simpler, pre-reads were managed comfortably, events were conducted swiftly and suddenly we realized that the last  5 months in college had transformed us into individuals who could manage any kind of work load with ease. A lot of this success can be attributed to the fact that we had world class professors from both the industry as well as the renowned institutes all over the world to teach us at our campus. Their inputs and advice make us what we are today.

How could one forget the kind of Industry leaders we met and interacted in that one year? We had VIPs such as Mr. Ratan Tata (Chairman of the Tata Group), Mr. TN Seshan (Former Chief Election Commissioner), Mr. Adi Godrej (Chairman of Godrej Group), Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (CMD of Biocon), Mr. Jamshyd Godrej (Chairman and MD of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co), Mr. Rahul Bajaj (Chairman and MD of Bajaj Auto Ltd.), Mr. Madhur Bajaj (Director of Bajaj Auto Holdings Ltd.), Mr. A Mahendran (MD of Godrej Sara Lee), Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan (CEO of Rediff.com) and so many more business magnates visiting our institute. It is a rarity that people get to meet so many stalwarts within the span of a year, and we are lucky to have that!

Then came January 2010, and it was time for placements, there was euphoria on the first day when offers were pouring in from all quarters. The days that followed saw placement opportunities rolling in round the season. It was soon that we realized that we had started approaching the end of our course.

I have not elaborated on various fun aspects like the trips to Pondicherry, the opening of the new restaurant just next to our campus, the screening of IPL matches etc., though all had their own charm and were cherished to the core.

Finally looking back at that one year, it brings a deep nostalgic feeling. When we left the campus, we  felt we were handing over a legacy to the new batch. And when I did, I told them “I assure you that you will go through hell, but then I also assure you that it will all be a lot of fun”.

Syed Zoheb

PGPM Class of 2010

Account Manager at HCL America Inc, Greater Atlanta Area