Once is happenstance, twice coincidence; three times- the enemy is afoot. Those lines quoted from Sir Conan Doyle's celebrated work comes to me today, as I sit down to unravel the mess that is in my mind. In fact if I may say, the collective minds of 84 other experienced professionals who have embarked a brave journey to rediscover themselves at the IIM-A.
Yesterday the hours of sleep for the cohort averaged from zero to three hours. There was no way we could have done this had it not been for the unquenchable thirst for enlightenment! As the day progressed with its twists turns tumbles- the curtains went up to reveal a eclectic collection of animals in this contemporary Panchatantra.
Dear reader of minds, I can vouch for the most of us, when we had set out in search of learning some six months back, we expected toil.And a-nose-to-the-grindstone schedule. Added to that, maybe, tomes of books and writings and erudite papers to go through and distill the knowledge of 50 years of management science. But for the love of god, we sure did not expect what we got into! Just the other day we were reflecting over our 10-minute-lunch, that all the experienced professionals from diverse areas of interest have been brought under this one umbrella, yet, every passing day drives home the point, how much more we never knew in the world outside.
In the words of one of my more philosophical colleague- if we could record every conversation, every discourse, every thought in this residence of learning- then we would possibly have a parallel world of it own. Given all the gazillion bits of information that are 3 lb brains are bombarded with every minute, it is wonder that we don't get information overload.
Hence the significance of the teachings of the Panchatantra. The symbolism, the almost allegorical quality of some of these lectures humble all of us. Leaves us breathless. Breathing in the rarefied atmosphere enclosed amidst these walls of the institute.
Yesterday the hours of sleep for the cohort averaged from zero to three hours. There was no way we could have done this had it not been for the unquenchable thirst for enlightenment! As the day progressed with its twists turns tumbles- the curtains went up to reveal a eclectic collection of animals in this contemporary Panchatantra.
Dear reader of minds, I can vouch for the most of us, when we had set out in search of learning some six months back, we expected toil.And a-nose-to-the-grindstone schedule. Added to that, maybe, tomes of books and writings and erudite papers to go through and distill the knowledge of 50 years of management science. But for the love of god, we sure did not expect what we got into! Just the other day we were reflecting over our 10-minute-lunch, that all the experienced professionals from diverse areas of interest have been brought under this one umbrella, yet, every passing day drives home the point, how much more we never knew in the world outside.
In the words of one of my more philosophical colleague- if we could record every conversation, every discourse, every thought in this residence of learning- then we would possibly have a parallel world of it own. Given all the gazillion bits of information that are 3 lb brains are bombarded with every minute, it is wonder that we don't get information overload.
Hence the significance of the teachings of the Panchatantra. The symbolism, the almost allegorical quality of some of these lectures humble all of us. Leaves us breathless. Breathing in the rarefied atmosphere enclosed amidst these walls of the institute.
