Humans Of IIM-Indore

This might not be your typical IIM Indore success story.
I’m not going to sugar coat things and say that my time at IIM Indore has been all smiles and rainbows. I don’t think that would be possible for anyone at IIM to be honest. Personally, I’ve had my fair share of downs during my time here.

Don’t believe me?

Okay, let’s see, I struggled a lot in the first year of IPM. Being a small town boy from Shillong who landed up in a highly competitive environment, I was a bit intimated by all the braniacs around me and I got a few DCPs here and there. You could say I was pretty average academically.

Second and third year onwards I got the hang of things. I had slowly created for myself a small but extremely reliable circle of friends who helped me through every step of the way. I studied when I had to, played football here and there, some music and you could say that it was going pretty well. Right?

No.

First term of PGP-1 came as a massive slap to the face. The classes, the assignments, the pre-reads, the group meets, resume iterations, pre-processes, batch meets, summer placements, quizzes, exams, mock this, mock that, more batch meets…. You get the point right?

Anyway, throughout all this chaos, I did manage to get placed somehow in a Sales & Marketing Role for a firm. Is this a happy ending to one of the most hectic periods of my Life?

No.

Turns out the firm I was placed in cancelled the internship for unknown reasons in January and I had to sit through the whole process again. Fortunately I did manage to get placed. Again.

A happy ending this time?

Not really. COVID-19 happened.

Yes, yes…I know what you might be thinking. I’m being too pessimistic and this story seems so sad. But here’s the thing:

If you were to ask me: Would you want to go through all that again?

Absolutely.

All the obstacles and failures that I have experienced have made me what I am today. Without them I would still be that small town, timid, naïve kid from Shillong. Now I can walk with my chin up knowing that I am a more well-rounded, mature and wiser version of myself as compared to who I was in 2016.

And yes, it wasn’t always doom and gloom of course. The parties were always lit, evening football matches were my escape, music jam sessions were a lot of fun, and the unforgettable memories with friends both inside as well as outside the classroom were not too bad either.

And that’s what life is about isn’t it? A mix of both the good times and the bad times. The moments of pure joy and happiness as well as moments of fear and failure. And through my experiences at IIM Indore so far, I have learned that no matter what happens, with the support of your close mates and some self-belief, you can get through anything life throws at you.

~Arwanker Pyngrope
IPM 2016-21 Batch


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When I arrived at IIM Indore I remember being as nervous as I was excited. Leaving home for the first time to a city I hardly knew anything about, joining a program that was relatively new. I was terrified of not fitting in, of not being smart enough, and that I had made a huge mistake. Since I was from kerala and grew up mostly abroad everything about college felt like a major culture shock. Almost everyone spoke Hindi and the only Hindi I knew was “mujhe hindi nahi aata”, there were so many festivals that I had never heard about, most of the food was new to me too, I definitely wasn’t a fan of poha those first few years. Also I could hardly get any references that my friends made because I didn’t watch bollywood movies. To say that I felt like a fish out of water would be an understatement and I went from doubting whether I’d fit in to being sure that I would not. I was wrong of course, and made many many friends and it wasn’t because I managed to find people similar to me, I managed to find people who clicked and that was really all that mattered. And these friendships taught me so much, how to open a bottle with my teeth, very dark gaalis I will hopefully never repeat again in my life and I in turn taught or tried to teach my friends how not everyone in Saudi owns an oil well and that the Middle east is more than just Dubai.
I don’t remember what I expected college life to be like, but it’s safe to say that my experience was everything and more than what anyone could hope for. I have enough memories to last a lifetime. 5 years on, I like to think that my Hindi is pretty good, although I still don’t have a clue about why objects have genders and how it matters if I misgender a table. And I also explained a bollywood meme to a friend a few days ago, so perhaps my life has come full circle.

~ Nadha Neelambra
IPM 2015-20



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Following days of agonizing uncertainty and excruciating ambiguity, I felt an exceeding elation as I opened my student portal to the news that my waitlist has been cleared and that I will be going to India’s premium B-School. Driving through the campus gate for the first time, I instinctively knew that this was the place where I truly belong. I knew that this was the community that could cultivate me into a person that I wanted to become. The experiences during my three years at the institute have never failed to deliver on my expectations. Whether it be academics, sports, debating, music or anything else, IIMI has always had something for me.

Somewhere between an uncompromising academic rigour and a myriad of exquisite student-activities, I found a bunch of maniacs I call my friends. If there’s one thing that IIM Indore does better (at least at an undergrad level) than any other institute, is that it gives you the opportunity to meet people dedicated towards growth. I was lucky enough to meet similar people and they have always pushed me to become the best version of myself. Every aspect of my life today can be traced back to one or the other conversation I have had with someone from my IIMI family.

From a first-year student who slept for just eight hours in Atharv 2017 to a third-year graduate who, following countless hours of devout hard-work, is now looking forward to the next chapter in his life, IIMI has been nothing but kind to me. It has helped me grow from a reticent and reserved person to an exuberant, bold and confident individual who is not fazed by any challenge.

The only message I wish to give out to anyone (especially any IPMer) reading this is to be unequivocally proud of their fraternity and the opportunities that Planet-I brings to you. Work not just for yourself, but also for your friends, your batch, your program and your institute.

This has been a story that I will never forget and always tell.

- Deepanshu (IPM2017-22)

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