This is the second in the yearly review series. You can read last year’s essay here.
Getting people together to do anything is quite hard at this stage. I realized that time and again. As the first year at IIMA drew close, we took group photos to mark the last day of PGP1 (the first year of the two-year MBA program). We were heading to various firms for our internships, and we would meet only after two months. It was one of the most beautiful days of my time at IIMA.
My friends and I went to Pune shortly before heading to Chennai for my internship. NH7 Weekender was lovely. As luck would have it, I met my first-year roommate from IITK and a few more people I met in college. I sang along to Prateek Kuhad, listened to some comedian tell lame jokes about Ritviz, and ate a lot of non-vegetarian food. The trip’s highlight was perhaps the return train journey, where I wrote formulae in Excel to keep score of a card game we played. To top it all – my best friend kept swearing by accident in front of a kid whose mother clearly wished to throw us out of the moving train.
I showed up in a suit and tie on my first day of internship. That’s when I learned that the Weather app is useful and that I should have talked to other people about the dress code before showing up to work. I also learned in Chennai that the world still runs on cash, and cab drivers can refuse to pick you up no matter which fancy app you use. Apart from occasional hiccups, I had a lovely time in Chennai. When I was not working or writing something, I went on long walks along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), dancing to various songs.
I was overjoyed when I received my first-ever salary. It does not make much sense if you think about it. I have been working towards it for quite some time, and I knew my employer would pay me on time. And yet, when the bank system messaged me about it, I lost my sleep. I bought some (I strictly mean a very few) stocks just to see how the graph would look over time. Spoiler: It looks beautiful, with a few ups and many downs. I would not say it was my best purchase ever, but I can now say I own stocks and sound very MBA-like.
I did a bunch of things this year; most notably, I came to Vienna for my dual degree. That has been my dream ever since I joined IIMA. When I finally got the opportunity, the paperwork seemed very daunting, but we managed to get through it. I wrote about it in length here. That article does not go into every little experience I had; trust me, I had a tough time. Most people thought I had given up on Exchange, including my friends who kept asking me, “kab nikal raha hai tu?” “When are you leaving?!”
In all honesty, I gave up all hope and was about to resume my classes at IIMA. Then one day, the authorities said they approved my application and that I could come to Vienna. Of course, I was overjoyed. I joined my classes a few weeks late, but the university and the Professors were kind enough to let me attend the first few weeks of classes online. They did not have to do it. But they did, and I am grateful.
Did you know I have a constitutional right to consume non-distilled alcoholic liquor? I did not know that either until this year. I am only half-serious, of course. Look at the following clause from the Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Pretty cool, isn’t it?
A bunch of kids mistook me for a South Korean citizen. My identity did not matter much a few years ago. Still, I am starting to feel otherwise, primarily due to the pandemic and subsequent racism against people from the Northeast. To be clear, I am very proud of my identity – an Indian citizen who calls Tripura his home. I wish to educate more people about my state and the Northeast region. Practically, it would be impossible to convince or inform everyone about the Northeast. Still, I shall at least try to tell those I come across.
As I reflect on another year, it seems even crazier. I am typing these words in Vienna, 6000 km away from home. But what do I call my home? I wish I had a clear answer to that. I was talking to a few Indian friends a few nights ago, and they asked me about my hometown. I told them I was born in a remote village, showed them the sub-divisional hospital on Google Earth, and told them a story.
Mom delivered me somewhere in the middle of the road on a vegetable cart before they ever got her to the hospital. We did not have suitable transport connectivity back then. While things have improved significantly now, the healthcare situation in Tripura is very questionable. I’m told they cut the umbilical cord in the middle of the road, aided by the mustard oil they borrowed from some lady returning from the market.
Of course, they did not use surgical blades; they used sharp bamboo skin or something. It’s funny thinking about it 23 years later, but things could have gone very wrong, LOL. “You’re born on a thela gaadi” is a running joke in the family. Thela gaadi loosely translates to vegetable cart, but back home, it is mainly used for carrying rice sacks or firewood. But I was sunkissed as soon as I surfaced on Earth; that’s so cool xD.
I had not told the story to anyone before, but my friends found it fascinating, so I thought I’ll share it.
Forward looking statements
2022 was like any other year, in all honesty. I spent most of my time in academics (like every other year since I started school). But I also learned a lot of things, managed to do something that I only dreamt of, and when all doors seemed to be closing, things worked out in my favor. I do not expect things to get easier from here. But, as I am growing up, my experiences – both good and bad, instill a sense of confidence in me. No matter how bad things go, a few things actually work out in the end. And that is all I wish for – for things to work out in a few crucial cases.
I do not have any resolutions for the new year. My life seems stable – I am happy to have a supportive family, a close-knit circle of friends, and a few degrees to validate my claims – that I know a few things. I hope my first-ever corporate internship will not be my last dance in the corporate sector. I will hopefully work at an organization in 2023. As for my dreams, I would keep dreaming for as long as life allows me. After all, what are we without dreams to look forward to? Lastly, I hope to be kind to everyone I come across, treating everyone fairly and with dignity.
Happy New Year to you and your family. Thank you so much for reading till the end. May the year 2023 be a prosperous year for you, and if things do not work out, I hope you will be kind to yourself. I hope you get a lot of rice this year. Have a great year!
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