4/10/2014

4/10/2014; 19:57:

It’s been really, really long, fuelled partly by the vacations, and partly by my
feeling a little off the weather, being disconnected from everything.

I could either write about all the days that have been missed or just pretend that they were uneventful which would not be very untrue.

Little before we left campus, for our term break which began on the 21st of September, i-Help (as well as Pragati, the PGP Social Committee) received an e-mail from the Director, asking us to go ahead and plan a series of events for the week of 2nd to 8th October. The week is being observed as a National Joy of Giving week, ‘Daan Utsav’ and this year, all top B-schools of the country have taken it upon themselves to join the ranks of those who are striving to make a difference. Our Director Sir very obviously wanted IIM-Indore to participate whole-heartedly in this magnanimous endeavour.

It was unanimously agreed upon that the PGP Social Committee’s contribution would be limited to the Indore Marathon that was organized on the 2nd of October- this is an annual event and was not being specially conducted for the ‘Daan Utsav’.
Each year, the Indore Marathon, organized by IIM-Indore picks up a social cause that we believe needs to be addressed. This year, it was a run for the benefit of the Homeless. A week-long, city-wide donation drive was carried out and everything was handed over to the needy, by our IIM-Indore volunteers. The event itself began with our volunteers preparing the set-up at Dusshera Maidan, on the night of 1st October, a few hours before the race was to begin. Registration counters for those who wished to register on-the-spot opened shop at 5 a.m. The 11 k.m. Run-for-A-Cause was flagged off at 7 a.m. It began at Dusshera Maidan and the finish line was the IIM-Indore Campus.
There was another version of the Marathon, the 3 k.m. Dream Run which began at 9 a.m., on campus. This was soon followed by the Prize Distribution and loads of appreciation poured in, for a good cause unites like no other.

i-Help’s first event began as per plan. After about 2 weeks of planning, picking up an association with Goonj , getting 92.7. BIG FM on board and getting a series of permissions from the A.D.M and S.D.M of the district, it was amazing to see everything that had hitherto been only talked of and imagined actually happening. All of the work had been put in by the rather enthusiastic 2014 Batch. A Nukkad Natak was performed on the streets of Indore, right in the heart of Chappan, Indore’s Khau Gali, on the 2nd of October. A strong appeal, asking people to come forward and support those wrecked by the Jammu & Kashmir Floods had an overwhelming effect and people contributed generously.
The 3rd of October saw a replication of the Nukkad Natak, accompanied by song as well as dance performances in the New Auditorium, as a run-up to the Foundation Day Celebration which began at 3:00 p.m. The 18th Foundation Day was made more auspicious by the fact that it was on the same day as Dusshera- the day that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. As everyone, faculty, staff and students proceeded to enjoy the Foundation Day Dinner, they gave generously for the cause, dropping their contributions into a strategically placed donation box.

At 11 p.m., Raavan was scheduled to burn. This event too saw a rendition of the Nukkad Natak which was well appreciated by the student community.

In between all this, Dandiya Night was held on campus, on the 29th of September. Dancing began at 9 p.m. and stretched well into the wee hours of the morning. As always, the evening began with Garba and ended with everyone swaying to the latest Bollywood numbers.

I’m scheduled to return to campus, by the Indore-Gandhinagar express which leaves here at 7:45 p.m., on the evening of 5th. I’m rather looking forward to going back and catching up with everything!