Term 4 Chronicles Contd....

Chronicles continue…

The sensex crashed by a small matter of 700 points over the last week. A NASA satellite made some news. Nothing moves the air of stillness in the IIM-A campus though. The prospect of Navaratri, Garba, endless swirling dancers, backless cholis and ringing Gujarati dandiya raas songs is appetizing.

But like characters from another time, these things sound distant and other worldly. This afternoon, I sat through a session of “Strategies for Corporate Growth” without understanding a word. I am sure that some of the class did. The professor sketched away on the board fearlessly. Words and stratagems and theories died gloriously in the desert of ignorance and inertia... A lot of other folks seemed to be clued in on it. Come evening and as the birds flew home, our MCC class began.

Prof. Mehta donned a white lab coat, a probe and the rest of the class looked and behaved like laboratory mice in an experiment. 30 Mins into it, every brain in the room was scanned and locked into a series of random numbers. There was a discourse on reptilian, fish and mammalian brains. And a finger elongation exercise. I suppose there is some scientific background to it, but my brain and eyes strained to see any difference in the length of my index fingers. I am still hopeful of a Merlin inspired transformation and I keep my short and long fingers crossed.

There is our resident mess cat, she of the glorious furry mane, dense fur coat and enviable tiger-like stripes. Her kitten, who is a carbon copy of Ma, is unfortunately hurt. I felt rotten looking at the poor animal dragging her hind feet mewling away. God Help her.

And after 10 minutes spent on chasing the intellectually afflicted pigeons from my balcony , I stand and look into the darkness at the bright lights of the fire-in-their-bellies PGP students’ dorm , the air redolent of opportunities , construction ash and bird detritus. This is my life now.

THE MCC Chronicles – Life starts again in TERM 4 at IIM-A

Its September 23^rd, a post-monsoon day in the IIM-A campus. I went to my first MCC (Managing and Creating Creativity, AHEM!!!) class at 7:15 PM today.

But before I get into that, a little bit about the atmosphere. It’s been a lazy, languid opening to Term, 4 at PGPX. Life is moving at a slower pace, and even the dogs at the campus are taking it easy. Term 1 and Term 2, the professors kept us busy between classes, and the dogs did their job nipping at our ankles when on the move from class to room and back. Something gives me the feeling that its part of the bloody curriculum. Not too sure about the Monkeys because they have put on a disappearing act.

I had a long walk off the lower lawn of LKP at about 9:30 PM. The dew had begun to settle in, and the toads hadn’t begun their orchestra yet. The air is heavy, pregnant with a thousand ideas that could germinate from the freshly cut grass or die like yesterday’s noisy crickets. I spent about 15 minutes admiring a large fruit bat, which was hoarding a banana up the peepul tree near RJM. From the chomping sounds, here was a one character that was having a good time.

The sounds and smells of the campus after sunset are unique. I could kick myself for ignoring these sirens, on days and nights when I have been hunching over useless excel sheets and formulas that have without exception reminded me of my general ineptitude towards anything to do with numbers.

LKP is lit up as always, a majestic force of human endeavour forever reminding all the ants scurrying across its face that time is their enemy and anonymity like old age, beckons around the corner.

MCC class number 1 had its mix of sceptics and enthusiast. Prof. Mehta comes from a varied background. He has done a little bit of everything from medicine to space science to neuroscience. He managed to sneak in a MBA and PHD as a lark. An interesting man. A gangling character who promised the class that in between thinking outside the box, expanding the limits of imagination, students would need to attend to the small matter of having their brains scanned at the beginning and exchange a few hellos with the resident jungle leopards at the end of the course. I found it interesting. The best part of the course? It’s at 7:00 PM in the evening. After getting the Japanese S**-SL*** treatment in the first two terms, I was beginning to question my sanity. Well, we are restored now, and the stars and moons can traverse across the night sky in all their splendour again.

More thoughts after the brain probe tomorrow………..