The year 2020 has brought plenty of excitement for me. My efforts over the past year had culminated in my admission to the coveted Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB). But, as the days spilt over to weeks and advanced into months, the writing was on the wall. The Covid-19 pandemic had thrown every plan into disarray.
However, the champion that it is, IIMB stepped up at this time of crisis. Taking stock of the situation, the school made an unprecedented decision — Online Inauguration of the EPGP one-year MBA course. Every aspect of the programme — right from the inauguration on May 6, to ongoing classes — was seamlessly coordinated, making us feel like we have been transported to the campus and are in the thick of things. Such engaging interactions and perspectives have imbued in us a sense of positivity and a realisation that distance never comes in the way of enlightenment.
Interaction with peers
The Institute’s technical team, administrative office, and learned professors have been extremely receptive of our concerns. They have taken extra efforts to ensure that no student is left out in this fast-paced course. The peer learning in this online mode may be a challenge, but we have been evolving and catching up fast.
While we cannot wait to be on the lush green campus of IIMB physically, the journey so far has been enthralling. The technicalities of Zoom and e-books have not taken out the human touch but rather smoothened the digital experience. The motto of the school: “Let our study be enlightening” is never more apt than now.
(A civil engineer by profession, Debashis has worked for over seven years in the rural cooperative sector. His profile in The West Bengal State Co-operative Marketing Federation Ltd gave him a unique opportunity to work closely with agricultural cooperatives, farmers associations and self-help groups. Debashis has been actively involved in providing technical consultancy to these segments for the betterment of Indian agriculture and its most critical stakeholders — the farmers.)