‘We Will Miss IIM-Lko’s Night Mess, Campus’

LUCKNOW: Their mood was ecstatic, spirits high. Dressed in formals, they were standing in queues to receive their convocation robes, smiling and crying at the same time.
“It’s good to say adieu and take charge of a decent job but sad to be leaving even though with fond memories. It has been a splendid journey at IIM. Academics, extra curricular activities, hanging out—we did everything,’’ said Deepti Singh, the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow passout.
Next time they visit their alma mater, they would probably hit Guptaji’s first. “Guptaji, our canteen, has been the hotspot of gossips, eating, drinking. We had all the fun in between classes, thanks to Guptaji the perfect place for our entertainment and refreshment,’’ said Deepak Sharma.
The iconic place for Udit Varshney at IIM-L are statues of Medusa and Gandhi. “The lush green and beautiful campus never made us homesick. The last few days comprised partying all night and creating golden moments with our buddies,’’ said Udit.
Cigarette talks post lunch at Guptaji will be most memorable for Pranay Soni and Aditya Singh too.
“Ah! What a place to relax and shed the load. For once, we are happy to have got rid of studies. But again we will miss our hostel 13 terrace for all the fun we had there,’’ said the duo.
The convocation was also a special moment for parents of graduating students. “It makes us proud. After all, hard work done by children has reaped fruits. Our efforts and sacrifices have finally paid off,’’ said Vibha Nadkarni, who had come for the event all the way from Pune.
To build up the moment, IIM-L authorities had put an online timer 100 days back. “The timer was a countdown reminding us that we now have 99…98…65..43..29..16..00 days left at the IIM,’’ said Nidhi Mehta.
The lifeline for Akshay Nayar, Vishnu Khandelwal and Vishal Raju was the night mess. “We were hungriest at 2 am. We used to walk up to the night mess and get brilliant food to quell the hunger pangs,’’ said the three IIM grads.
It’s the IIM-L sign board at the entrance that makes everyone go all nostalgic. “Standing near the board gave us goose bumps especially in the last months. I almost saw it for a fraction of seconds every time I entered the campus. It gives that strange feeling that no more will we see our campus. In other words, we are now more responsible,’’ said Jharna Lashkar.
To seal their happy moments, students wrote testimonials for each other which will be preserved in a book titled ‘IIM prints’, a copy of which will be given to every student.