IIM-A’s aesthetics- An out(inner)side view

The number 1 B school in India , in Asia, providing one of the toughest MBA programs in the world and every year shortlisting around 200 peoples from 2 lacs recipients. This is Indian Institute of Management –Ahmedabad.
The stark and majestic buildings in brick have simple forms and bold openings, creating monumental spaces with minimal decor. Powerful beams of light and strong shadows create a dramatic and serene ambience that has inspired generations of students to achieve excellence while retaining humility. It hosts one of the largest management libraries in the world extending over 5 floors.
This is but a short summary of what engorges and sculpts our nation by providing a few but foremost and front running Entrepreneurs.
Well let me tell you something more about it and its milieu. It’s a 108 acre lush green stretched and very well designed area. Opposite to it is PRL (Physical Research Laboratory) ,leading science facility for ISRO. ATIRA, which in earlier times was considered as the revolutionizing step in Ahmedabad Cloth industry lies facing it. Then there is one Blind Man’s Association Institute opp. to it. In short it itself defines a landmark in the city and it would not be wrong in captioning it the lifeline of the whole area.

Now IIMA renders itself a host to MBA aspirants from all over the country and comprise of !% of the most elite from among the country. The other day I decided to tour the area of IIMA. As I have a love for cycles, I got onto mine and had a really good experience. Now, what I saw outside the heavily guarded gates of the campus under the orange misty street lights and really ordered garden was that it didn’t seem to me that the place was special at all. For a moment I wondered whether is it really entitled to the covetive prize of best B school. As in there was no sense of sophistication one would think or vision. There are tea stalls outside, Sandwich and Bun thela’s with a heavy roadside traffic.
Yes, it feels like any other place.
But one thing that’s different is the people that make the party there and their peculiar aura. Definitely you wouldn’t see a businessman driving a semi-automatic Camry or Mercedes E class drive up to have a cutting tea at the thela.
One thing I must tell, the food there although not certified hygienic, is very famous. You have an array of Chinese food caravans with names like- ‘China King’, ‘Habits..’, ‘Masti’, China hut, etc. All preparing delicious and quite cheap Chinese food. Then there are thela’s giving out Maska buns. One of them prepares buns with several spices and types. It in itself is a specialty. Then there is omlets and Maggi which draw enough crowd in regular days such that there are queues. Well I will describe a few striking snaps I observed. I saw 5-6 hunks in black jackets and goggles with guitars in their hands sitting outside, doing their regular practice on songs. Then a group of youngsters were casually sitting on the footpaths and discussing various topics like companies, their mergers, Films and names of their future MNC’s. But most of all, there were many pretty girls (one of the plus points I thought for boys to come) and I really mean it. I guess that’s why the annual placements would go up by leaps and bounds or that’s why many people come in the morning to walk in the vicinity.
As I sat near one stall and relished a bun and elaichi tea, I heard a conversation among two guys. One bald with rimless specs and Louis Philippe shirt and the other French beard and thick black rim specs and a denim jacket. They were talking about classes. The one with jacket asked the other to give some material he required in the next lecture. The other replied in affirmation and asked him to come early at around 3.30 A.M !! Man don’t they have to sleep at that time. Although here in my college too we learn to stay awake at nights and sleep in daytime but attending classes at 3-30 A.M? Are we out of our minds ??

Well then I left them all to their errand and devoured my favourite manchow soup and dry Manchurian at one of the Chinese stalls. At last I left the place at 10 pm having a glance at the artistic Louis Kahn plaza.
To think and analyze about my experience I realized that the actual institute I saw was not the actual institute. The softer power actually makes up the place and gets a credit. The pool of intellectuals a college comprises of determines its place among all. In short the Maharaja Tea stall or China Hut do not hamper the name or the status of the place but infact vivifies and livens the whole place. A visitor shall not reagard this above description as short comings of the place but in fact they are points which favor its Status as Pride of the City . This is what I concluded by a short visit.