Here's to new beginnings

Pleased to share with the LinkedIn community that I’ve started on a One Year Full-Time MBA program at IIM Indore a couple of weeks back. This is the culmination of a long journey that started sometime during the COVID-imposed lockdown in April / May last year.

After having already completed a full-time postgraduate program from Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA) earlier, the decision to go back to school – more than a decade later – to pursue a second full-time PG program wasn’t an easy decision. There were challenges and hurdles all along the way, at every stage of the journey; however, I’m glad that by the sheer dint of continuous perseverance and a relentless spirit of resilience, I was able to overcome all the mental battles of doubt and uncertainty.

Planning for a full-time MBA program is a long-drawn multistage process that starts with: (i) preparing for the GMAT exam, (ii) a quiet and contemplative reflection of one’s unique journey to be able to best articulate the reason(s) and motivation for pursuing the MBA program, (iii) applying to Business schools, (iv) collaborating with mentors for providing a thoughtful recommendation reference, and finally (v) preparing for the admission interviews. Pleased that, at the end of it, I was in the position of strength to choose between multiple offers of admission from some of the best Business schools in India, and I chose IIM Indore over other two equally good schools.

I strongly believe that ongoing skill acquisition is critical to persistent professional relevance, and more so, in an increasingly intense VUCA-environment where the Indian (and global) economy emerges gradually from the ravages of the pandemic-induced setback. Investing in one’s renewed education and acquisition of new skills helps not only in recapitalizing one’s intellectual capital but also in adequately equipping one to manage emerging complexities more efficiently and effectively.

As the well-known British novelist, poet, playwright, and Nobel laureate Doris Lessing once said: “This is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way”.

As I embark on this new journey of an intensely rigorous One Year Full-Time MBA program, I would like to thank each of my colleagues, suppliers & vendors, and agency partners at all the organisations where I’ve worked: my perspectives and insights would have been much poorer had I not had the benefit of your association! A big thanks to all my supervisors and mentors for their trust in me and allowing me the freedom to execute some of the finest nationwide media activations and large-scale advertising campaigns that surpassed industry benchmarks of likeability, memorability, and virality.

Last but not the least, a special thanks to my family: my mother and my three elder sisters for their continued faith, belief, and love. After the passing away of my father five years ago, life hasn’t been that easy, but the love and support of my family has been the biggest source of strength and motivation. Thank you!

Looking forward to spending the next 11 months in the quiet and pristine 192 acres of Planet – I (the campus of IIM Indore) with a richly experienced, vastly diverse, and exceptionally talented cohort of the EPGP Class of 2023 at IIM Indore. Here’s to a year that’s full of learning, intellectually stimulating conversations, cross-pollination of ideas, collaboration, growth and transformation.