Blogosphere has enlightened me regarding various MBA preparation/success stories over the past few months...though mine is not as successful as many others..but it has it's own twists and turns..the current workload doesn't allow me to write it all over again..so i will tag a old mail...from the days at infy...though it can never do full justice to all the emotional turmoil i have been thru...and the characters involved !!
still....2/19 gang..this one is for you....
Note:- Please read it from bottom..to up !!
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(Krish replies)
Hi friends,
It was really a very touchy mail from Lalit and again many congrats to him. I am really proud of you - especially after at the way you have struggled and have combated all odds.
Great show!!!!!! Finally all your hard work has paid off... as I look back I see that I had also started with a mission with you all but somehow in the middle I lost my way.
Now I have settled in Kolkata and can say that I am happy. But still it would be very unwise to say that I don’t feel any pain for not having continued with you till the end. Even then I don’t have much regrets now, though I know that all Abhi and Lalits encouraging words didn’t have any effect on me as I myself was not sure about what wanted to do with the project tensions gripping on me and I could never forsake the doubt about my abilities… (Now I don’t have much doubt you can say hmmm) Anyway this is life and I know that god has given me such wonderful friends through you.
Jindegi ke safar mai mujhe aur ek abhi ek lalit ek kuntal aur ek sandi nehi milenge….. Friends you are the best. One last thing please forgive me if I have hurt any one of you in any way in the past.
I have also learnt a lot of things from you guys. From abhi and lalit I have learnt perseverance and determination, Lalit’s never say die attitude, from Kuntal I have learnt how to be always happy and from Sandi I have learnt how to handle tensions and believe in oneself. Now I m in Kolkata and started to learn “tabla”. I think lalit you will remember that this was my passion from the day I entered into BBSR, and I just want to carry forward that passion and be successful in learning at least one thing in life with all hard work and determination that I have learnt from you………..
Thanks 2/19 for always being on my side.
Take care…and be sure that kris will always be on your side.
Kris.
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(Abhi replies-2)
Correctly said sandy….somehow I 4got to mention tht in the last mail…
Ur contribution 2 our success is no less…… I stil remember wen I used to wake up t 5:30 in the mrnin wen v were roomies…u sacrificed ur morning sleep 4 my studies…..
A BIG THANKU 2 U 2 toobloo!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember how u made sure tht u dint distrb me while I was studying in our room…..that really set the platform for sme serious study!!!!!!!!!!!
Also 1 mrnin wen I was studying u woke up and the 1st thing u said was “Yen Magaa” JJJJJ And although I was studying so seriously I burst in2 peels f laughter and u followed JJJJJ I also remember how u used to read go2 krish’s room 4 readin novels wen I went 2 sleep early…. These were some incidences wich r really close to my heart…………. And u rightly said each day was an experience in itself with all f us 2gether…….. Lookin t it this way… V started frm mysore as 2tal strangers…nobody knowin each other well..leave alone stayin 2gether….. But then it’s all destiny…..now the thing is tht v all r best 4 frens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All f us here miss u 2 sandy….especially wen v go2 Lingaraj lassi bar,those late night bike rides and gossip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also wen v had to make any crucial decision u were the 1 everybdy turned 2….rest f the gang wud agree wit me n this tht u were the most sensible amongst all f us!!!!!!!
Hope all f us get 2 meet each other later n in life wit our families ;-) tab ek duusre ki acche se lenge ;-)
Came back frm bhilai 2day mrnin….. Munched n Kdeb’s “meetha dosas” b4 comin to office… My bro has gone 2 pune n has joined dilip oke’s academy..hope he does well there… Wat’s up n ur side? Wats cookin these days? Chal then keep mailin…
Tk care Luv 2/19!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S :- I havnt read tht Quarter Life Crisis mail..is it there n ur bolg? If it is then I wil read it..otherwise u cn 4ward it 2 us….
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(Sandi replies)
From: sandipan mitra [mailto:sandipan_mit@yahoo.co.in] Sent: Sunday, April 09, 2006 4:53 AMTo: Abhishek Singh; Sulalit Das; kris banCc: abhi_pesit@yahoo.com; Kuntal Deb; lalit_008@yahoo.com Subject: RE: **The shortest mail i'v ever sent**
hi!
really very well written! I hope this goes to your blog! I am so happy for both of you! It is very difficult situation which you have gone through! But ya, I just rememebered somethings! HAve you guys got a fwd or mail about quater life crisis? It is regarding the age 23-27! we feel very different, not at all enthusiastic about new people and all as we did in college days! So though the new world may be good, but you will always miss the old buddies! As i am doing! Somehow i can't keep a consistency with my roommates at all! I consider myself so lucky that i had gems like you in one of the most difficult phase of my life! Especially, when at times, you left me alone instead of just false consoling and times you were really cheering me up! Each day living with you guys was an experience in itself! I know that frndship do decrease over time, but i always want to be in close contact with all you four! And yes;) Even i would have been good, if i were there for the whole year in your hardwork! Lalit, put this in your blog! this mail is a treasure!
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(Abhi replies-1)
I m short f words now….i dnt think I cn praise this mail enuf !!!!!!!! This mail which must hav taken bhaina ages to compose tells the whole story…. As I was goin thru the mail and the incidents mentioned,those images flashed in front f me…this mail is 1 f the best I have ever read…HATS OFF DUDE!!!!!!! U mus hav taken lot f pain composing it….. And thanks 4 the sweet words bhaina....i jus hope I turn out 2 b tht strong as u have mentioned coz m gonna need tht strength later on in my life!!!!! Well I wont write much now… While reading each n every sentence in this mail I relive those days..thanx once again dude for this mail and as dude has written,without the support n help f Kdeb n kisan kumar, the success wudn’t hav tasted this sweet….. M gonna take the printout f this mail n read it over n over again n my journey to bhilai 2day!!!!!! Thanx once again bhaina for this very special mail!!!!!! Cheers bhailog……..
2/19 rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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********THIS IS MY ORIGINAL MAIL TO THE GANG *********
From: Sulalit Das
Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 3:38 PMTo: 'sandipan mitra'; Abhishek Singh; kris banCc: abhi_pesit@yahoo.com; Kuntal Deb; 'lalit_008@yahoo.com' Subject: RE: **The shortest mail i'v ever sent**
Hi Sandi,
Thanks once again...I know it sounds filmy (which we are), but the way life has been unfolding for me and abhishek since the past few months, the twists and turns, the anxiety and suspense can certainly give any bollywood blockbuster a run for it's money. Here's my two pence on our Coup'de maitre The script unfolds like this...
I. Time- (May/Jun 2005)
I and abhi start giving mock cats with SV..Results swing from very good to pathetic (bottom line...we do not have any consistency!!) Result:-Abhi decides to go for TIME tests rather than IMS which are a bit tougher.
II.Time- (July/August 2005)
Mock Cats going on well. Prep’ going just fine when Mr. T.K.Das decides to give us a visit and our world goes topsy-turvy. Result:-We have to leave our cosy flat @2/19 and the hunt for a new get-a-way starts.
III.Time-(Sept/Oct 2005)
Gang decides on a new flat which is safely hidden from the glaring eyes of fellow info scions at Gajapati Nagar. Result-The result here should better be left untold. The house unfortunately suffers from all kind of problems ranging from water to electricity to.....
IV.Time-(Nov/2005)
The going gets real tough and the tough get going, unfazed by the zillion problems that surround them(food, a leaking house, money crunches and the fear of being seen by some one **as we were down by jaundice**, me and abhi gear up for the D-Day. Result:- Me and Abhi bonded big time during this period of distress, ranging from our daily hidden get-aways to Dhabas during lunch to evening tea to counting 50 paisa coins to have a gulab jamun.
V.Time-(Nov 20th 2005 -Part 1)
THE D-DAY.We approach the D-Day with lots of tension, hidden fears and suppressed confidence. Day before CAT we watch Lakhsya to pep us up. Result: - The more we thought about the result, the more nervous we got, we had kept the stakes so high that the thought of failure used to send a chill down the spine.
VI.Time-(Nov 20th 2005 -Part 2)
Paper - toughest ever. Performance-A little below standard from my side, and way way below standard from Abhi.I guess that says it all. Result:-Dreams shattered.Abhi decides to apply for any/every other college whose last date was left ranging from BIM to SIIB to... PS:- one thing needs to be specially mentioned here. The day we had CAT, after the paper I cried while talking to Mom. Even Abhi cried while talking to his mom, but we had to attend Kris’s b’day treat, and Abhi although he was at his lowest came along to the party. That, for me defined what kind of person Abhi is(and I can happily admit that I can never be as strong as him).
VII.Time-(Nov end/early Dec)
THE SEPARATION. The band of the musketeers had to be disbanded one day, but that day came a bit early. Gang decides to leave the flat as continuing there was becoming more and more unbearable, and KDeb and Krish find out a new flat at Sailashree Vihar. Result:- I decide to go to my Mausi's house at Rasulgarh(factors- Money, money and money).Money was never as important and never will be as it was during this period. PS: - another one of those events. Me and Abhi were so crunched for money that we decide to have a 15 rs Veg meal as we did not have the 25 rs required for the chicken meal( and boy chicken has never looked as good as it was looking that day, and will never look better)
VIII.Time (Dec/Jan)
Me and Abhi give all the other tests and rejoin office meanwhile. The most calm period of the entire script(barring the dealings and taunts that we had to face from our GPM’s etc). The results:- 1. CAT:- Abhi was already prepared for it and he was not exactly shattered after getting a low %ile.As far as I was concerned, I was hoping for 96+ and i got a 98 %ile, so in a way I was thrilled with the results. 2. JMET, NMAT:- I scrapped thru in both of them, while i feel these were the results that really shattered Abhi( his tension was at it's highest, and i felt this was the time when Abhi started losing his grip a bit) 3. SNAP (:-)) It's better if we call it Abhi's result as Abhi got a record 113 while i got 98 and SV was deep down somewhere in the 70's( that also I doubt :-) )
The GD/PI's:- The pendulum swings again and Abhi goes from down and out, to satisfied, to happy after he converts SPJain Dubai. I start to realize the flip side of applying to soooo maaaanyyy colleges when i had to attend 15 GD/PIs in the span of 40 days. The list of colleges where i decided not to go to attend GD/PIs due to clashes should give you a fair idea of the calls i had got:- IMT Ghaziabad, MICA, SCMHRD, TAPMI Abhi does not have to struggle to much as his SIBM is converted, while I go from euphoric to happy to satisfied to down and out While the results came.NMIMS where i had a field day and i had thought that i would convert that for sure let me down. PS:- The irony was , it was Abhi who had told me about the CAT results and it was Abhi only who told me about my rejection at NMIMS. I will never forget the day, when the results came out and i was in the train and was feeling so low and Abhi, Krish and Kuntal came down at night 10:30 to cheer me up.
That was the moment which signified life for me.Abhi had converted SIBM and he had now got everything from a point where he had nothing, and i had done just the reverse I had turned from a hero to zero!! Struggle. Struggle and struggle it was for me, more than 10,000 rail kms for me, and then, as they say!! IIT happened. I know, IIT Kgpur may not mean a very good B_Schools to many (one name worth mentioning here is SV), but for me, its life, it’s everything now. It IS the college which allows me breath freely now-a-days. IT IS MY CLIMAX !!
In the hindsight:- The above mail will never be able to capture, each and every moment that we have been living the past few months, but these months have been the most fruitful of days, where i have made a few friends, learnt a few things and most importantly grown up as a person. Lastly, since this mail is sounding more and more like a thanksgiving mail, i cannot signoff without thanking two more characters of the story Kuntal and Krish. Kuntal, who laughed and made us laugh thru all the tensions we had, who mended his policies to appease us as we had exams, who was a mere spectator in the entire story, who understood nothing of DI, or B school rankings, yet he was happy when we were happy and sad when we were sad. That is the spirit of Kuntal, who cannot the thanked enough for the kind of whims he had to face from us , ranging from being our media manager while we were in cognito in gajapati nagar, to taking print outs to a whole bundle of other things which he did for us. Krish has to be thanked for being the pure supporter that he is and for his belief in us.
I think i should end now, or even you guys will start getting bored.
This, Sandi was 2/19 over the past few months.
love 2/19, lalit
