Hats-off to friendship!

Hi friends,

Through this post I would like to mention a few people who have made me what I am today – One of the few students to have entered IIM Lucknow! Yes, I have atlast secured an admission into one of the IIMs on my very first try. Before the main post, here are the details of the other 3 students to have got final calls from the IIMs from our college:

1) Mahima Vashisht – 99.98%ile – She had got calls from IIMB, L ,I and K and has managed to convert all 4 of them, obviously selecting IIM Bangalore! She is a true prodigy – She even got final calls from IIFT, XLRI and MDI. She also secured the 26th rank in the All-India test conducted by NMIMS. Hats off to her! Mahima, please do not forget us remaining fellas when you scale greater heights in IIMB!

2) Mayank (Also called MC or MMCA) – I don’t know his percentile, but he was the real dark-horse of all our selections – He converted the only IIM call he had – From IIM Calcutta. A very cheerful and good fella, I hope he does not forget what I told him when I had won some quiz and was partying at the khoka and he was feeling a bit dejected that all he does is play games: "Mayank, each one is good at something – You play games well while I quiz! We all have our own talents! One just needs to know what it is!"

3) Ankush – 99.90%ile I think – He got calls from all IIMs except IIM Bangalore. He too, like me, managed to convert only IIM Lucknow. Atleast, I have some company!

Wait-list candidates:

1) Puneet Babail – 99.89%ile – He got a call only from IIM Bangalore and is presently in Wait-list No. 57. I hope he converts it, though the chances are remote. He has already secured admission in MDI, so I feel it’s just a mere formality. In the initial race, he was the top-contender from our college, having missed the cut only due to English.

2) Ritesh Bhankar – Another dark-horse, he is in the waiting-list in IIM Indore.

Now, coming to the main part, here I would like to say thanks to a few people who have helped me achieve whatever I wanted to do, directly or indirectly. If I have missed any names, please excuse me for that. I am typing this at 5.45am on the morning of 28th April and have not yet slept… So forgive me if I miss any names:

1) To my parents and my grandma, who always wanted me to do GRE and go for MS, but were finally happy that I lived upto my decision. Special thanks to my dad to have helped me in my preparation for the GD and PI.

2) To Vidyasagar and Ujjal, whose discussions helped me see the world with a new-dimension; without their valuable view-points, I feel I could not have developed myself as to what I am now.

3) To Rajesh and Anuj, who always supported my decision to pursue MBA and encouraged me to do what wanted to always do. Thanks to them, I have become not only a better quizzer, but also a better human being. Special mention to Rajesh for waking me up many mornings for my classes – He really saved my detention!

4) To Kapil Bansal, my friend and project-partner, who tried to keep my spirits high, even though I was down on account of not having cleared IIM Calcutta. I know I have always forgotten you when I was not supposed to – I apologize for that! I hope you have a bright future in AMDOCS.

5) A special mention of Aakash Sharma – He really was my pillar and backbone as I now realize – Was my first friend in college. He was with me in many times when I was very frustrated with this college and in times when I just needed someone to tell me "Hey, you are not alone!" He was always ready to help me in my studies whenever possible, without any hesitation. I hope he has a wonderful future and yes – I promise to give you and your family a trip to Hamburg, Germany in accordance with the long-forgotten bet that I made with you, which I lost as usual! Lets make that a true family trip yaar!

6) To all my friends in Ec-1 who have always demanded all that non-existent parties and made me feel nervous about my results – Naveen anna, Chaturvedi, Nishanth, Aakash, Pappu, IP, Rakesh, Kapil, Lokesh, Piyush, Grewal, Akshay, Sukant.

7) To my teachers in TIME who taught me that nothing is tough for us and that CAT is just a child’s play for all those who are brave enough to think like children. Thanks for your constant encouragement to make us get that extra edge. Thanks to Kapil sir, Sushma madam, Adi sir, RKP and many other teachers – Thanks for making me what I am. It is rare that people can influence others within such a short span of time and that’s why – TIME is the best!

8) And the penultimate set, but not the least – To Snigdha didi, Shweta didi, Nirmal bhaiya, Jagan Srinivasan bhaiya and Karthik Narayan "the dude"– Thanks for all your valuable inputs and constant guidance! Special mention to Snigdha and Shweta didis, who took pains to write that long SMSes telling me not to become down and to lift myself up! It really helped me a lot! And also to Jagan bhaiya – I know that I have not been able to make it to IIM Calcutta, but I wish that you would be my life-long mentor. Thanks again for your inputs!

9) To all of my school friends who were in touch with me through Orkut and were constantly worried about my results – I know that I may have not entered the Big-3 IIMs, but hardwork and dedication pays and I know that IIM A or IIM L, only the best will survive and I really hope to! Special thanks to Anand – His home was the place where I first saw the results of the initial calls. Thanks for all your constant help and support. I will never forget you raa…

Ciao again...