A roller-coaster-ride of a life


It has been a long time since I've written my last post. Life had been one hell of a ride - these past few months, literally and figuratively.
The first of the several good things started to happen to me this January, when the results of the CAT (for admissions into IIMs) were announced on the 11th . Strangely enough, I got a score of 90.95 percentile; meaning I was better than about 91% of the people who took the test this year. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that about 91% of the people were too over-prepared or too under-prepared than I was. This is particularly true as my preparation (if at all you can call it that) is almost non-existent, what with the depression (due to job loss) and the feeling of failure I was experiencing in the few months leading to the exam. I guess most of the other test takers got carried away by the simplicity of the exam paper and attempted more questions than they could risk- the result being they lost marks in negative score for all the wrong answers. But whatever be the reason, I got a better score than I deserved, far better than the 80.95 percentile I scored last year (when I had taken the test with a lot more preparation and coaching).

The second great thing was the period between January and March - it was during this time that I got interview calls for two pretty good IIMs (Kozhikode and Indore), besides the 6 new ones- and I was given nothing to do at work. This free time came in quite handy to catch up with all the news and business affairs. I was in such a state of denial and disbelief at my test result that I thought it wouldn't be worth the money and effort to join a coaching institute to prepare for the WAT/PI- the second stage of the selection process. In retrospect, the best thing I did during this time was getting involved in stocks and investments, slowly but regularly. The next best thing was reading a couple of newspapers and a magazine almost everyday. This may sound weird, but this reading gave me all the info I needed to pull a convincing bluff- not once but twice.

Now came the toughest part of my journey this year. The workload increased all of a sudden, the boss became so damn demanding and ruthless, study and preparation trickled down to near-zero and worst of all, I still had the IIM Indore interview to attend. There were times in April when I wished, prayed, implored and begged God to get me out of this job. Working late-night shifts and getting insomniac out of fear and pressure became as common as the heat in Indian summers. But fortunately, I managed to survive through all these with the strong support of my parents and friends. A great, big 'Thanks' to all of them for keeping me sane.

Finally came May, and with it brought the best of my times- I got admission offers from two of the best B-schools in the country (ranking in the top 5,6)- in the first ten days of the month. As if for a farewell sacrifice, the boss forced me to slog off for another week before giving up on me. In fact, I am only too glad to part with this job and a hefty 100,000 bucks separation penalty. No regrets! By the middle of the month, my only worry was choosing the better of the two offers and after much discussion and deliberation, I decided to go to IIM K- cost, infrastructure, diversity and culture being better there.

Now, everything seems to be falling in the right place. People who have long forgotten me and my parents started calling up and wishing as soon as they knew of my admissions. And there is a total U-turn in my boss' attitude and behaviour- he started treating me much better than the vermin-like treatment of the past few months. Wonder if these are just independent coincidences.

Though all this might seem like my achievement, I must confess that my part has just been that of physical presence. Almost all of this happiness and success is due to a greater power which led me through all the right doors at the right time. Any little remaining credit is due to my parents and friends who have shaped me the way I am now – and this had taken place not in a day or two, but over the past 4-5 years, to say the least.

One of the most important lessons I learnt: It doesn't matter how much you earn, how luxurious you live or how great your work is; what matters is the friends you have made along your life and the time and love you give to the people around you.
As Paulo Coelho said, "...the journey is as important, if not more, than the destination..."

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