How I made it to IIM Ahmedabad

Not many people know about Tripura, one of the Seven Sisterly States of North Eastern India. But now, it is hogging the lime light because of various reasons. Special mention should be made of Sourabhee Deb Barma of Indian Idol 4 and Somdev Devvarman, the ace tennis star of India who created headlines by defeating Carlos Moya. Both of them brought Tripura to the limelight after the likes of S D Burman and R D Burman. There are many of them who have achieved great things but their great achievements are not getting noticed. Infact, more than knowing what they did, it is more important to know how they did it. People can draw inspiration from them to dream big and work hard; use them as radar to get steered in the right direction. As the people belonging to one of the most remote and neglected part of India, it must have been no cake walk for them to achieve what they have achieved. It must have been a rag to riches story, just like the story of the protagonist in the recently released Golden Globe Awards winner movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

I am a first year PGP1 student (batch 2008-10) pursuing MBA programme at IIM Ahmedabad, the best B-school in India and one of the very best in Asia Pacific. It was indeed a dream come true for me when I was selected for this programme. But before talking about this place, the road I traversed to get here is something I want to talk about.

It is said that all good things start from home. So let me also do the same. I belong to a family of four members – my parents, me and my younger brother. My family, especially my parents, is my biggest support system. It is very easy to become proud of the fact that you have done something which nobody from your community has ever done before. But my parents never allowed those feeling to come even near me. They always kept my feet on the ground. If anything is good in me, those are solely the efforts of my parents. So, a good support system is very necessary and I am blessed to be the son of my wonderful parents. Being someone from a middle class family, monetary constraint was always there. But my relatives (uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, etc) were always there for me and my family. We never had to ask for help. The help was always already there even before our request. Such was their support. Not to mention the constant guidance, love, care and support they were showering on me. I believe that the wonderful people I came across and befriended with in my short span on earth also helped me in becoming what I am. A good friends circle is always useful.

I studied from Class I to Class X in St. Paul’s School, A.D. Nagar, Agartala. I was the topper of the class from Class V to Class IX. But, unfortunately, I came second in the Class X ICSE board exam, the difference being 0.3%. My parents helped me a lot in my studies. I was very regular with my studies. Whatever was taught in class, I would revise it in the evening and if I had time, go through them as many times as possible. Sometimes I even forgot my meal when there was too much of a workload. But I rather say that skipping meals is not advisable. I really worked hard and put in my best of efforts. I must say that our teachers were very knowledgeable and helpful. I got lots of care, love and guidance from them. Being an amiable person, I made some very good friends. I am still in touch with some of them. Apart from studies, I was actively involved in sports, especially football and cricket. I regularly played for my class. I also took active participation in the cultural events, especially skits. One of my most memorable skit was when I imitated our Headmaster. Everybody loved it very much, especially our headmaster. From that day onwards, people actually started to call me the Headmaster. Debates and quizzes were also something that I was interested in and I took part in those events. I passed out in 2002 with a whole lot of wonderful memories to cherish for the rest of my life.

That same year I joined Hindi Higher Secondary School, situated at the heart of our beautiful city Agartala. Here also I continued my hard works. I guess I took the right decision in shifting from ICSE board to CBSE board as most of the competitive exams for getting admissions into colleges were based on the syllabus of CBSE. I passed out in 2004. I was the topper of the school in class XII board exams that year.

I wanted to be a doctor but I could not clear the AIIMS exam. I did not even apply for IIT exams, a decision which I guess was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Fortunately, I had appeared for AIEEE that year and I got through it comfortably. I got enrolled at NIT Jamshedpur in Electronics Engineering Department in 2004. I came across people from different places, different culture and got to know different languages. I managed to learn Assamese. The first year was quite hectic. But from second year onwards, there was not much pressure from academics point of view. So I thought of utilising my time in learning new things. I was always interested in computers, especially programming. I took this opportunity to learn many computer languages like C, C++, HTML, Java, Java Script and XML. I also learnt networking, setting up of a LAN, working on LINUX and management of different types of servers. It was here that I came to know what MBA was all about. I started gathering information about it and targeted CAT 2007. I started preparing for it from the second year. I read magazines, news articles, novels, and started building my vocabulary, reading speed and reading comprehension. In the third year, I joined CAREER LAUNCHER of Jamshedpur. I started following the course schedule religiously and was very regular with my time table. I followed a plan of dedicating at least 1-2 hours every day for my preparation.

Finally, the D-day came. I was quite satisfied with my effort, but still I thought that I could have done better. Nevertheless, when the results were announced, I saw that I got calls from all the IIMs. I was tagged as BLACKI. I was very happy, but at the same time, I knew that I was only half way through. So I started preparing for the GD/PI. I attended the sessions at CAREER LAUNCHER. I was confident that I will do well and my confidence and hard work paid off. One by one I attended all the IIM GD/PI and I did pretty well in them.

When the final results were announced, I saw that I converted all the calls. I was on top of the world. I finally accepted the call from IIM Ahmedabad and got enrolled in the institution in 2008. And now, after completing some seven months at IIM A, I can say that life here is very tough, tougher than what you can ever imagine. Time seems to fly by at jet speed. Night outs are quite common. We sleep for about 4-5 hrs at night and try to make up for that in the afternoon if our afternoon is free. I had a hard time adjusting to the rigorous work schedule. The competition is of the highest level. The professors are “God level” (A local jargon for extremely good). The administration is very strict and there is no room for error. But having said that, I must also say that the campus is very beautiful and has all the facilities that you can ask for – gymnasium, lawn, all the sporting facilities, auditorium, musical facilities. But the sad point is that you hardly have any time to enjoy it. It does make you toil very hard but the return that you get is something which makes the pain worth taking. After all, not everyone gets a chance to study in this “Mecca of Management”. Everything about this place is just perfect. I am happy and honoured to be part of such a great institution and hope that I can take away something good from this place. Hopefully, after passing out from here, I will be in a good position in life and I hope to contribute to the society – some duties and responsibilities.

If anyone amongst you is interested in pursuing MBA, I would like to advice them that be prepared to face the “music” and work hard, really hard. The real fun begins after you join the campus. Start preparing from now itself. Remember that hard work pays off in the long run. In case you need me, I am always there for help.

Best of luck!

SANDEEP JAMATIA

Secretary of Cultural and Social Activities

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

Dorm 16, Room 12

Vastrapur, Ahmedabad – 380 015

Direct: +91 79 6632 7612

Mobile: +91 9724058414