Yes, it was such a freak coincidence that I had to note it down on my blog!
Feb 21, 2008, the first of our mid-term examinations and in the true IIMA tradition, an open-book examination. The professors here have a lot of faith in students' creativity especially when the latter do not know the answers. The open books therefore are a way to contain that overflowing creativity.
So there I was sitting nonchalantly, determined to survive the examination's assault, when the question papers were handed out to us. The first thing that hit me - no business cases - which is a good thing usually, except this time when four questions required us to refer to four business cases in our classroom study material, also known as the 'case-mat'.
It is then that it dawned upon me that I in my esteemed wisdom had completely ignored this eventuality, and had come to the exam hall sans the study material. Within no time, the hands went cold, the forehead inundated with sweat beads, and the heart racing so fast as if it would rather get out of my chest and be some place else where life was less cruel.
Now a reasonably hard-working student would not have got so worked up as a reasonably hard-working student would have cared to study those cases, or at least paid attention when they were being discussed in class. But, as it happens, God has gifted me with almost every good quality in this world except the gift of "reasonable hard-work".
So in some sort of desperation, and perhaps driven by my undying spirit of optimism that help would arrive from somewhere, I turned around to my friend, Rohin Thampi, and in a tone with so much melancholy that it would have made tragedy king, Dilip Kumar look like the comedian, Johnny Lever, I mentioned my plight.
Rohin, on his part, gave me a smile which I thought was totally uncalled for, especially when my future was in doldrums. I had just begun to muster enough anger within myself to give him a piece of my mind when, lo and behold, he took out an extra case-mat from his bag and handed it to me.
I gawked at him. Words did not come to me and had it not been for the pressure of examination which had long since started, I would have probably stood up and delivered an emotional speech filled with gratitude and other such assorted emotions.
Imagine 280 students, spread over 9 classrooms, and one of them happened to have an extra case-mat borrowed from a senior, and he happened to sit in my classroom right behind me. Heck, if he was sitting anywhere else even in the same classroom, I would not have survived!
And what in the world was he doing with two case-mats when one itself is a huge burden on mankind? It so happened that on the previous day, he could not find his case-mat, so he presumed that he had lost it and, therefore, borrowed a copy from one of our seniors. As (my) luck would have it, just as he was entering the exam hall this day, one of his friends who happened to have his book, ran up to him and returned his book; thus leaving him with two copies.
Who said miracles don't happen? :) God does exist and (S)he likes me. Thank you, God! :D
ps: The previous day, my fortune in Orkut had said - "Good luck would come to you soon." Ha ha.
Feb 21, 2008, the first of our mid-term examinations and in the true IIMA tradition, an open-book examination. The professors here have a lot of faith in students' creativity especially when the latter do not know the answers. The open books therefore are a way to contain that overflowing creativity.
So there I was sitting nonchalantly, determined to survive the examination's assault, when the question papers were handed out to us. The first thing that hit me - no business cases - which is a good thing usually, except this time when four questions required us to refer to four business cases in our classroom study material, also known as the 'case-mat'.
It is then that it dawned upon me that I in my esteemed wisdom had completely ignored this eventuality, and had come to the exam hall sans the study material. Within no time, the hands went cold, the forehead inundated with sweat beads, and the heart racing so fast as if it would rather get out of my chest and be some place else where life was less cruel.
Now a reasonably hard-working student would not have got so worked up as a reasonably hard-working student would have cared to study those cases, or at least paid attention when they were being discussed in class. But, as it happens, God has gifted me with almost every good quality in this world except the gift of "reasonable hard-work".
So in some sort of desperation, and perhaps driven by my undying spirit of optimism that help would arrive from somewhere, I turned around to my friend, Rohin Thampi, and in a tone with so much melancholy that it would have made tragedy king, Dilip Kumar look like the comedian, Johnny Lever, I mentioned my plight.
Rohin, on his part, gave me a smile which I thought was totally uncalled for, especially when my future was in doldrums. I had just begun to muster enough anger within myself to give him a piece of my mind when, lo and behold, he took out an extra case-mat from his bag and handed it to me.
I gawked at him. Words did not come to me and had it not been for the pressure of examination which had long since started, I would have probably stood up and delivered an emotional speech filled with gratitude and other such assorted emotions.
Imagine 280 students, spread over 9 classrooms, and one of them happened to have an extra case-mat borrowed from a senior, and he happened to sit in my classroom right behind me. Heck, if he was sitting anywhere else even in the same classroom, I would not have survived!
And what in the world was he doing with two case-mats when one itself is a huge burden on mankind? It so happened that on the previous day, he could not find his case-mat, so he presumed that he had lost it and, therefore, borrowed a copy from one of our seniors. As (my) luck would have it, just as he was entering the exam hall this day, one of his friends who happened to have his book, ran up to him and returned his book; thus leaving him with two copies.
Who said miracles don't happen? :) God does exist and (S)he likes me. Thank you, God! :D
ps: The previous day, my fortune in Orkut had said - "Good luck would come to you soon." Ha ha.
