" Commerce changes the fate and genius of nations " - Thomas Gray
If anything, reading the concept note, and making that revision for the umpteenth time, has ingrained this particular quote in my mind. For right reasons, I would have to say, because it is true to the hilt.
I call this phase of my life as Do Not Disturb. Why is it appropriate you ask? First thing, my demeanor itself, over the past few weeks, gives it away. There was perhaps a hint of conscious decision in the way I carried myself around people. Conscious, because, it makes it easier on me to work that way. Focused, and absolutely no frivolous tasks or banter. But everything has its own time and place. Precisely why I ended up free beyond college hours, most of the day. Life had not stopped, changed yes, but there was still time to indulge, as always. And that is what was my first takeaway from the experience.
Secondly, was what people around me complained about. Rightly So. It is never 'civil' of one to 'ignore' people. But, I was never the person to walk up to someone and stir a banter. I like that peace I have in some ways. Still somehow, the impression I sometimes leave is of being an extrovert. Perhaps, people whom I am close to would even classify me as a chatterbox of the avval kind. Its confusing to even me sometimes, and the best way is to leave it in those shades of grey. Considering all though, I felt bad of what was happening, but I still couldn't move away from that Do not disturb phase, much to my disappointment. Now that I am a few days into the aftermath, it is still not that easy to switch back to normalcy.
Bickering aside, what this self inflicted phase left me with, is my space, to work out what is helluva complicated in the environment that the college gives you and the hand that it deals you. Cakewalk, by no stretch of imagination, especially for someone like me who's, in most people's words, doing it for the first time, and with the scale that the event is supposed to touch, being a corporate affair. Adaptability, was the key for me. Picking up things on the fly, getting better with every task and just having that room in my brain to think things through and be a little creative, worked like a charm. I remember picking brains of anyone that I stumbled onto, and discussing nothing but the Trade Symposium. I am pretty sure that some of my friends and family from out of town, must have been thinking of an asylum for me soon ;)
Having said that, it is not a 2 man job. Never will be under the circumstances. It still boils down to all the support that you can garner. And I use 'support' very loosely here. It's more like all the leads. Delegation, is that one thing, you just cannot do without. Work remains though, your job doesn't end there. There is always something eating at you like follow ups, getting things done on time, coordinating etc. It is a fact, that among all people working diligently for the event, it was I who worked the least, especially when you put it in tangible terms. And the beauty is, it is by pure luck, or perhaps something that I must have done in my previous life, that I was allowed to do that, and pull off the event the way we did.
I have always believed that there is no one better to teach you humility than life itself. Forget everything that I have said until now, and imagine almost 120 people assisting you in a task that you have taken lead for, and to put things into perspective, that 120 is the whole college strength per se. Wonders can be achieved if only India, and the World in general, learns the strength of unity once again. Things like this, simply gives a big thumbs up to all that effort you end up putting in, and the feeling that lingers is a smile.
In the end though, it was an absolute delight for me to have been able to execute it the way it went. Ups and Downs, are a part and parcel of life, and there were a few even on the D day, that many who attended would also not see, but elaborating on them here is just not right. And if at this point, I or anyone claims that taking up the task was not selfish, well, keep an apple on that person's head, and aim for the head. It was almost impossible to execute the vision I had for the event, under the constraints that we worked, but the objectives were still met. The event went smooth, and life is mine again.
P.S. @120+ IIFTians: There's only one person I had thanked after the event. And that was our VP, not even my partner in crime. I regretted it almost instantly, because that's just undermining his effort. It was as much your event as it was mine. The event itself was an ode and a thank you. And things can only get bigger and better from hereon for the event.
Here's me passing the baton, almost theatrically ;)
Chapter Closed.
INNER PEACE !!
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