there's a gate you have to cross to enter our campus. weighted at one hand, and gated at the other, its a simple barrier, much like a railway crossing in india. its a barrier that plays an immensely important role in the lives of our students. as most will tell you, it is tough as it is to get in, but just try getting out! and what most don't realize till long after they've gone, the physical barrier is the easy part, what this place does to your mind and your heart - that you can never escape from! as the eagles sang - "you can step out any time you like, but you can never leave..."
its april in india, here comes the sun, and here goes another batch of students. it's the sixth batch for shobhana and i and it never gets easier. its that quarter and that time of the academic year when life reasserts its fundamental right to be impermanent. and when it dawns upon the second year students that this time they will not be returning, first they get really excited ("freedom at last!"), and then when the heart begins its songs of leaving and longing ("all these friends we have made, when will we meet them again"), every moment gets precious, everything slows down. it's contagious, this sadness. being human is not always fun :-)
it's funny how the academic seasons reverse nature's cycle. when its spring and nature is about to bloom, we shed our students and when its fall and nature is shedding, we bring them in. its april in india, another batch of MBAs is leaping over the gates here in ettimadai (in a manner of speaking!) and i was reflecting on how much love our students have given us and how much they have taught us. the emotions run the entire gamut from immense frustration (try getting them to read academic papers!) to outright awe (the work they do deliver sometimes when they put their minds to it, and the incandescent ease with which they can celebrate life otherwise - just watch them sing and dance!)
there is much we have learnt about life from our students - among the students we have had have been the most creative, or the most compassionate, the most generous, or even the most mature people we have known. there are those who are whizzes with computers, with powerpoints, photoshop, or videos - and almost all graduate as masters in the business of last minute assignments! every batch also has its share of brilliant mimics - nothing you do escapes their attention - and it can be quite a learning experience seeing yourself from the students eyes!
i'm not saying that our students are perfect - in fact they are very human! yet, through their ups and downs, the pushes and the pulls, there is much the students teach us and most of all what each batch leaves behind in our hearts is the sweetness, beauty & joy of being young, foolish, and easily able to love :-) this love sears everyone who has taught them. indeed, few who have come to teach the asb students at ettimadai leave unchanged - their love softens us all :-)
its april in india, end quarter at asb, and hectic was a mild word for that last week or two. in the midst of the last lectures, full day presentations ("marketing research" anyone!), all those last minute submissions, and exam preparations - we also squeezed in multiple colloquia (parthasarthy n.s. the energetic and pony-tailed co-founder and joint ceo of mindtree, hema hattangady a dear friend, a great inspiration and md of conzerv-schneider, and gurcharan das, former md of p&g, india and current management guru). add to that placements, a cultural evening, a farewell party, a blood donation drive, and a cricket tourney! all this, and then the private world of the students parting, packing, & leaving - you get the picture. quite a time but somehow the hearts accommodated, the brains woke up, time stretched, and the students sailed thru these multiple waters :-)
these are the possibilities of youth. they can work thru the nights, multiply tasked, insanely focussed and energy unflagging. they can also sleep through earthquakes (and certainly all our lectures!) with equal elan. this weeks poem is a song penned by bob dylan but immortalized by joan baez - their gift to the spirit and idealism of the youth who brought the US back from the brink in the sixties, and our tribute to the students of asb - the past, the current, and those yet to come!
Forever Young
May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
bob dylan
its 11 am on a monday morning. this email is being written in the midst of many goodbyes, and the usual crises - minor and major! this moment is both a tear and a smile. there are many among those who graduate who we may not get a chance to meet again. and yet no batch really leaves. there are indelible memories and a deep warmth and laughter they leave behind - and along with the sadness of parting, i can feel already the laughter bubbling deep within :-)
heres to that which is young, "foolish", and loving in all of us - may it stay ever young!
much love,
d&s
No comments:
Post a Comment