Self-Belief and Humility: Revisiting IHMR after a decade

I am at IHMR, Jaipur. For the
first time, I am here to teach for the program that I passed out ten years ago.
This place has indeed played an important role in my life and career. It was
like a launching pad for me. The time I spent here transformed me from a
slightly arrogant listless person to a keen learner and a sensible youth.
Various faculties taught may things and different friends helped the process of
grooming. For a person coming from a small town of Gujarat, this was nothing
less than going abroad, especially when one has not even travelled out of state
or has not had any long train journey too till 25 years of age. There was no
one to speak to in one’s own mother tongue and, most of the fellow classmates
were younger by 3-5 years. All that added to isolation and arrogance. However,
the two years during 2001-03 involved lot of churning, destruction and
construction, learning and unlearning. And, there I was moving out of the
institute a better person in 2003.

Ten years and I am again here to
teach. One’s alma mater is a special place in one’s personal and professional
life. However, over a time, one’s perspective changes and with that come
changes in views and perception, and ability to critique. This institute, which
looked a stalwart and faculty which appeared world class then, start ‘normalizing’
after few years of passing out and being part of the ‘real-world’. A few more
years and one starts appreciating oneself more and tends to understand oneself
in context of being a professional and not only an alumnus. It is then that one
starts evaluating one’s alma mater critically. I too have lived these stages
over last ten years. The ego of a listless youth that melted away then, started
reappearing in a ‘professional’, which has developed sense and ability of
critiquing things, ideas and people. So, I was invited to teach at IHMR, I felt
sense of pride and also had flashes of how I have evolved and how IHMR has been
over last decade.

But, when I am sitting here in
library waiting for my class to start and writing this, my ego starts melting
again. These tall stone-made walls all over again remind me of my tiny-self, as
against the entirety. Of course, I have moved upwards and forwards over time,
have learned a lot and also have contributed a bit here and there. However,
this is the time to remind to remind myself of the fact that there were many
more and better people than me, both professionally and personally. They too have
learnt and contributed and have moved on too. While I was thinking of how
institute have changed and started critiquing how it could have had done it
better, the walls reappeared with it renewed teaching for me. It reminded me
that my ability to critique must not inculcate superiority in my
self-assessment. I was reminded of the fact that this ability is more like a
diagnostic ability; such competence is not unique to me and hundreds are diagnosing
such issues day in and day out. While I have moved on and moved up since the
day I left this place, there are many more that have moved farther and higher
than me.

This building, this premise and
its vibes are indeed special. It has instilled in me two important values that have
been helping my personal and professional betterment. These values are – self-belief
and humility. Both are equally important and crucial for overall betterment
process called life.  I am glad I visited
the institute again now. I seem to have regained both these values, something I
started to lose lately.