The 4P’s

Any marketing student would understand what these stand for. But I choose to re-define these 4P’s- PLACECOM, PLACEMENTS, PACKAGE and PARTICIPATION (that is, Class Participation). These 4Ps are the most spoken about on Kampus since the past 2 months. Philosophy is not a genre that I usually write. But the recent turn of events that have occurred here have made me contemplate…made me realize the harsh truths of life… This piece is probably the result of the intellectual session that we had with our Director yesterday.

The first month here had left me awestruck-the serenity on Kampus, the intellectual treasure here everything was so different from the usual hustle and bustle in the life of a Mumbaikar. Month 1 at IIM K was filled with the zeal to succeed, the enthusiasm to excel, and of course the frenzy of Roobaroo. But slowly as time passed reality started sinking in. I soon realized that studying in an IIM is much more than just the pride associated with it. The pride of making it here lasts for just a few days… In no time, you need to pull up your socks and run the race again…the race to excel…the race to outperform your best friends…the race to make yourself visible in a crowd of 365 students.

In no time, life at IIM became as monotonous as my undergraduate college. Rushing through breakfast, 5 hours of class where I found it extremely difficult to cope up with the C.A.s, C.F.A.s, Economics and B.Com. Graduates. The 4 years that I had spent in Engineering began to haunt me again and I began to wonder whether I was really meant to be here. The feeling of inferiority escalated with every passing quiz, every passing lecture and finally the disastrous mid-term. Every second person was discussing about their grades, class median, course topper, lowest class score and finally-PLACEMENTS, PACKAGES. 

Everyday these discussions continued-while having coffee in class breaks or during lunch breaks in the mess. The atmosphere on Kampus changed from the care-free attitude of PGP17 to the sudden seriousness, the pressure, the anxiety and the anxiousness of what the future has in store for us. As goes the saying, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’, I too found myself staying up till late trying to fit into my mind the formulae of Statics, the demand and supply curves of Economics, the concepts of Accounting which I never seemed to get right and worse- the anxiety of Placements. I forgot what I used to tell my friends back in college when they used envy the salary students at an IIM get-‘I am not going to IIM for Placements or Packages. I am going because I want to be proud of the IIM tag which will remain with me forever. I wish to experience the intellectual excellence at an IIM ’.

I distinctly remember my first interaction with the Placement committee. They had asked a question-‘How many of you have come here to get a good Placement?’ All hands in the packed auditorium went up except probably 1-Mine. Obviously this was followed with surprised glances by the students and of course the Placement committee. But I didn’t care. Why should I when my ambition was just the IIM tag? When I was proud just to be here? When I knew that a bright future awaits me? So why then did I suddenly start running the rat race, start worrying about Placements and salaries? Why then did I stop enjoying the knowledge that I was gaining from the course? Why was I so focused on getting a good grade that I closed my mind to the intellectual excellence here?

8 years ago, I had won an Inter-School Elocution Competition-‘Does Success or Failure in an Examination really matter?’ I distinctly remember the last few lines of my speech:‘ Failure is an opportunity to start once again. Failure dosen’t mean that you should give up. It does mean that you must try harder. Success or Failure in an examination hardly matters. ’ A deafening applause had followed. Why then, 8 years later, was I afraid of failure? Why was I so disheartened if everybody in my class outperformed me?

But when you stay in a hostel, it’s your friends who become your family. You go to them with the smallest of your problems. You no longer feel skeptical to pour out your feelings to them. And they go out of their way to help you, to be with you in your worst times, to motivate you whenever you are feeling low and to help you regain confidence in yourself. Thankfully, I did not take much time to find such friends. It was then no longer difficult to cope up with the curriculum, to face problems as they came, to overcome them and succeed. I then realized how wonderful life at IIM can be.

Placements no longer haunt me. Salaries are no longer a motivation to join a company. Though it may seem quite philosophical, I agree with what our Director said yesterday -‘All of you have something unique within you. If only you could realize what it was…you will find the right organization for yourself.’