The roti we all eat and the ROTI we all need!

Got into IIM Bangalore!

Did a little dance .... stopped and smiled for a long time and then well .... danced a bit more!

The buildings and the architecture of the college impress you with the legacy and the traditions that would have passed the corridors year after year... time suddenly halts as you stand amidst the beautiful stone walls, and look at the light that just about peers through the green canopy in the covered spaces. The walls are adorned with pictures of students who just like you, would have once stood and admired the facade but are now part of the history that others will look on.

Just being here is an experience in itself and then suddenly you land up for the inauguration at the famous 'Chatur Ramalingam was here' auditorium. One of the alumni, Jay Doshi addressed the incoming batch and spoke about a concept that has resonated with me since that day. He said we need to understand ROTI -  Return on Time Invested - to make the most of our PGPEM program while keeping our sanity and focus. 

PGPEM is a different kind of MBA because we get to pursue our MBA over the weekends (Fridays, Saturdays and most Sundays) while continuing to work. This means your focus is already divided. What was just balancing work with personal time has now become "work - work travel - studies - MBA activities - events - personal time - family time...."

So ROTI makes sense - laser focus on what we feel will be a good return on our time invested. An elegant concept. 

The catch is what is a good ROTI for me? Where should I invest my time to get a good return? and what qualifies as a return for me? And what's the trade-off with my every decision? The answer should lie in our purpose should it not? Why did we choose to do this format of MBA? Why now? What do we want to get out of it? Is it getting great grades while spending quality time with family? Is it clinching a BD deal at work while networking at the B-school? Is it a degree but with a renewed perspective on business that I apply at work? 

Since the inauguration 7 weeks have passed - The sheer volume of information and things to do just hit you like Thor's hammer or Hulk's smash! ....We are even done with our midterm exams! and what I have realised is that no matter what we say we want our ROTI to be - we can only choose where we invest our time - the return may not always be in our control :)

And like Naina says to Bunny in 'Yeh Jawaani hai Diwani'  - "Jitna bhi try karo- life me kuch na kuch toh chootega hi. Toh jahan ho wahin ka mazaa lete hai" [ no matter how hard we try, we will miss something or other in life, so let's just enjoy where we are in the present ]

So I guess I am choosing to focus on the investment bit, each day at a time and let's see what happens! ... I will walk along the corridor to classroom N204 amidst the beautiful stone walls and..... well occasionally I will choose to invest my time to pause, for a moment, and look at the sunlight that just about smiles at me through the green canopy.