Serving for ISB

Table Tennis was my world. Since 1998 it has been the most significant aspect of my life until a stupendous incident occurred. I received a confirmation letter from one of India’s premier educational institutes, the Indian School of Business (ISB). Mr. Kannan’s confirmation letter has provided a base for my tremendous transition from being an international Table Tennis athlete to a focused MBA grad.

I realised that learning management as a science, in one of the best B-schools in the world, was something I would definitely need in order to progress in my professional life. The realisation occurred precisely two years ago when I started getting involved in the family business even while playing table tennis; my basic profession dove-tailing smoothly with my new found passion. The experience allowed me to broaden my horizons and gave me the opportunity to interact with people outside my sphere of operation, but, I needed more.

After the small entrepreneurial stint, I was sure about my career switch. I needed to be amongst the scintillating and amidst the crème de la crème of future business head honchos. 14th April was the day I entered ISB with high expectations and dreams. The school and its people have met with my expectations bang on. Setting up the stage for interaction, the alums and the current students had organised a spectacular set of events to break the ice. The fresh start was not that fresh after all, since there were a few alumni meets, chapter events, webinars, trips etc organised earlier on. These helped me create a rapport with everyone and helped me sail smoothly through the orientation period even before the academic year started.

One of the major factors which influenced me to opt for ISB is its people. It provides constant learning all through the year. Learning in and outside the classroom was pretty much prevalent in ISB. Everyone has a great profile added to their vibrant personality. They are appealing, but they also pose as competition, healthy competition.  I felt like I was in a magical land of achievers.

The O-week, as it is called, is and will remain one of the best experiences in my life. It was an eye opener which showed the vast pool of talent around me. I have also noticed that in spite of their gravity; everyone is fun-loving and a joy to be with.  By virtue of being a sportsperson, I was a disciplined person with fixed sleeping schedules and now, I know how the night sky looks like and all about alluring sunrises. It did not feel strange, maybe because I was busy jamming with my fellow mates till the wee hours. This in turn has helped me build friendships even before the professors started piling their list of to-reads.

Teaching is an art which is rarely mastered by experts. Professor Sarang Deo and Professor Mudit Kapoor are two of our immediate favourites who have mastered it. The kind of relationship we share with them is remarkable. I bet this is the only B-school where I could play squash and poker with my professor and then sit in front of him in the lecture theatre the immediate next day! Speaking of professors and academics, our schedule was tight up to a point where our brain had to work 4x times with pre and post reads. It almost seemed impossible until we got used to it and once we got the hang of it, the “mid-term storm” had hit us. Profiles mattered right until we got our marks. Then, the competition just kicked in.

Now that the first term has almost come to an end, I can see the transition that has finally taken place. The conversations and “gyan” sessions by our alumni have finally started to make sense. The competition and the people, the world class environment and the professors all play a part in grooming me into a “player” a.k.a. a manager (as the professors emphasise from time to time ) who would play and win under all odds and in any circumstance and in any group by giving the best yield in a given task.

Competition in ISB is very different from any other place. Even though people are constantly competing with each other, everyone excels. No one wants to stand alone; they will ensure everyone stands upright and no one runs ahead as everyone knows going along is the true “mantra.” This is what I take from ISB along with its collaborative culture.

The friends I made, the people I met, the professors etc are all going to stay with me. In the end, human relationships matter to me the most. Now, I look forward to the last 51 weeks which I hope passes by as slowly as possible so that we would be able to savour and cherish every moment to the fullest in the hallowed environment. Time flies and we have to make the most of it!

- Aniket Koparkar 2013