To the Man who was always a perfectionist!
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life… To put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
When I had graduated I had no plans of doing masters. For two years I was footloose, travelling from Nasik to Delhi to Calcutta to Delhi and Himachal in-between. I was constantly trying to find an area of work which interested me. It is at this juncture that I got to know about IRMA. After a thorough research I took a decision to invest my two years in doing this course.
When I came here I already had something’s in my mind. I had to pursue my dream, no matter what happened and yet be responsible enough to take care of my family Somehow the sector vs non sector confusion was never in my mind. Probably my late father was an inspiration. He was from a very remote village in Himachal. The nearest school was 14 kms away and he used to walk every day to the school. It was in class 9 that he decided to move away from his village as my grandfather was against his education. He wanted to prove a point which he did by graduating from IIT Kharagpur ten years down the line His story always inspired me and that is why I am chasing a dream. If my father, inspite of being from poor family could dream of getting out of the village at tender age why can’t I choose a path which is less travelled After all he had provided me with every luxury which he could not get. Thanks for making me dream dad and thank you Maa for supporting my eccentricities.
It was after his sudden death that I got acquainted with the thought that we are food for worms. Life is a short journey and there are people who will meet on the way and then we will part. It is equally important for us to find relations in such people. After all it is these relations which provide us the impetus to continue with our struggle in life. It is very much possible that many people may not even be directly linked to us but still they touch our lives. Over the past two years my life has been touched by many such people. Be it the IRMA faculty, GESS workers, staff and participants from various batches of IRMA Thank you because YOU have touched me. After certain time I may not remember many names or even faces but the common thread called IRMA will keep us together.
Being Kachra Sec gave me insights into a concept called democracy. So far I had only experienced it being a silent member. Here I participated in it. I think it was a good exercise for me. The student committees are a good simulation tool of the big wild world out there. The most important learning was how important consensus is. Sometimes we get blinded by objectives and forget the very subjectivity which resides in human spaces. However there are people who in the garb of freedom do shirk responsibilities. I still don’t know how to work with the breed of activists who can only talk. There are many lessons to be learnt and probably I will be able to find some answers.
On the lighter side
• I had the privilege of officially sitting in back benches.
• I am yet to become a SUITABLE boy.
• Engineering was only a qualification and not education and I am yet again leaving one more campus with qualification but no education..
It is at IRMA that my desire to pursue my dreams got strengthened. After IRMA I will be involved in executing two dreams. HimVani is my dream of building an institution which promotes social entrepreneurship in Himachal. The other is a dream of another IRMAn. Community Friendly Movement (CFM) is an organisation which intends to bring the power of retail to support rural artisans. I will unabashedly continue to promote both the causes and many other such things which come my way at every forum where I get to place my signatures on. I will keep coming back to many of you for support. I hope I will not be disappointed. If at any point of time I can be of assistance to you call me I will be there.
Post IRMA we will all get involved in our own lives, managing jobs, families and expectations. I sincerely think that amongst us are the future leaders of our country. I will look forward to the day when I tell my children that these who’s & who’s of the country were once part of a batch called PRM 26 at the Institute of Rural Management Anand.
In the end I can only remember the lines which Steve Jobs once said. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
Your brother in arms
Varun
PS: Honeymooners are welcome to stay in Himachal. Stay will be facilitated provided I am extended an invitation.