TEMPORARY RESPITE AFTER THE DISASTER

The mid-terms are over. The result turned out to be a complete disaster, especially the economics paper. The only reason why I don’t feel the effect is because I was used to single digit scores during my undergraduate career. But, one thing I have noted....while in IIT days I used to be so sad and dejected after a disastrous exam, I feel no despair in ISB. Thats... I feel is the impact of age and the realisation of long term futility of grades. A long line of assignments are pending for the weekend. No way am I going to touch them today. Tonight belongs to the party hosted by the Spouses Association of ISB. And I have reasonable evidence that the spouses are great cooks. So a great evening is in the cards.
As I look back, I realize that I am more than one month old in ISB. Close to ten percent of the ISB life comes to an end. Life has witnessed such a big change in this month. Meeting so many people...….transitioning back to lecture theatres….learning from the great dons….writing exams…..realizing the value of time.
At the same time…missing those great friends who were such an integral part of my life, just a few months back….missing the exotic views of the lovely ships….missing all the travel which I was so much used to……..missing the free time I used to enjoy during my job.
No regrets however…Nothing in a free lunch and to get something, one has to sacrifice something else. What is important is to make the best use of the stay in ISB. One of my priorities in ISB is to develop the ability to apply the theoretical concepts to the real life scenario. How can the concepts that looked so elegant to listen in the classroom going to help me when I come back to work life again? One good way, I feel, is to ask oneself “Could have I applied this theory which I learnt today to solve the case which I faced a year back while I was in the workplace. How differently would I have dealt with the situation, had I known this theory then?”
I am trying hard with this formula, and I hope that time will help me to learn better. Now that I have mentioned the word “time”, I realize that it is time to appreciate and admire the talent of the spouses who have tried so hard to arrange this party for all of us.