It is the 22nd of March, 2006. Having treated myself to a well deserved feast ordered from the local restaurant, I am now sitting in my depressingly sultry bedroom. There is no electricity, the phone line is down and it is only a matter of time before the charge on my cellphone gives out.
Cut off from the outside world, I hark back to 24 hours earlier.
It was 12.45 PM on the 21st, and we were putting the final touches to the organizing of our annual SFMC symposium, MAT[H]RIX 2006. At that moment, I could not have imagined that 24 hours hence, I would be sitting in an airless room, doing absolutely nothing...
Things were going on perfectly more or less, considering that only some minor preparatory JHOLS had occurred. I was breathing very easy, especially if you take into account the fact that the world's ("world" here, means the community of VESIT, my seniors, pals and immediate family) collective eyes were focused on my slender frame, waiting for me to prove my worth as a GS. The symposium was supposed to be the culmination of the yearlong activities of the society, a society for which (I modestly admit, based on unabashed reviews from near and dear ones) I had worked tirelessly with the council, and in doing so, had whittled my once wellbuilt frame to a framework of bones. [Justifiably so, for organizing is not my forte.]
And then, the sky fell down...
We realised that the banner we had ordered to be made, would not arrive soon enough, and I had to break open the locker[whose key I had irresponsibly lost] to access the previous banner. AND the mike wasnt working.
As if that wasnt enough, a miscommunication had led to two hundred and fifty dusty, ragged SFMC members crowding the entrance to the venue [the auditorium] before things could be readied and the audience ushered in.
I have never really found myself to be in a pressure situation. All I have done is read accounts of it. In novels,etc. "All the things they teach you, Be calm, breathe easy, etc...all these instructions fly out of your head...Your brain seems to be in limbo, just accepting information without processing it." This was a line I'd read in some novel.
Well, I happen to think this is crap. This WAS a pressure situation. I was IN it. And i must say i handled it pretty well. 5 council members were Gheraaoing me, screaming information at the top of their voices, To complicate matters, the ongoing sound testing and "Hello - Hello"s, with the racket of an overeager audience at the doors, made decision-making pretty difficult.
I actually remember feeling short of breath. Things were falling apart. Aparna BS was nowhere to be seen. The lights were becoming overbright.
I took a deep breath, and dissociated myself from the hubbub. A shrug of the shoulders helped things along. Then I began dealing with things one at a time, according to a priority which had automatically formed in my mind. 2 people were sent to find the technician and have the mike fixed.4 were posted on each door to take care of the burgeoning crowd. Things started to look better. To tell the truth, the sight of the members being systematically let in was a sight for sore eyes. But one thing I learnt was, management is a mind game.
The start of the symposium was thankfully uneventful, owing to a great TE and notably SE council.[Discussion about them in a later post] Marked only by a lot of running about to arrange the freely given folders and CD pouches in their proper place. Some hiccoughs were caused by a delay in the arrival of the food during the first break. The canteen guy kept underestimating the sheer stress that 250 hungry and bored audience members can put on a canteen's food production speed. He kept refilling each basket of food late, so that pileups at the food counter became common.
In between food breaks, I got a breather and started to think.
This was realistically the first event that I had managed independently. As such, Aparna was present, but I could detect a hint of restraint. Maybe I am mistaken, but if such restraint on her part ever existed, it was well made, because I finally got a taste of how it was REALLY done, about the liters of sweat that went into an event. For some reason, I also relished the feeling of being the cynosure, of being asked for details, etc. The feeling that if I suddenly absented myself from the proceedings, the whole event would come crashing down on its knees.
The voice of a fellow council member jolted me back to reality. Easy, Vishy, I reminded myself. The event is not yet over. But who says power is NOT seductive....
I later chanced upon the SFMC diary that I had maintained, in which, the night before, I had made an intricate schedule of jobs along with people responsible. I am glad to say that I did not write down a word during the entire symposium. I even referred to it only once or twice. Astonishing, especially when you take into account the fact that I have this obsession with writing things down. And THAT reinforces my belief that management is a mind game....
With the reality of affairs evident during the first lunch break, we made things a little more organized during the second break. This time, problem areas were identified and we learnt from our mistakes.
With the end of the symposium in sight, I should have felt depressed, but the truth is I was still in High-Adrenaline mode. No time to feel That feeling of emptiness or That feeling of nostalgia etc etc....Sometimes the movies and books hype it up.
The last of the members dispersed with a full stomach as well as bag full of goodies. And finally we council members sat down for our dinner.
And then it struck me...
The symposium was over. The one event which defined the society was over. And with it, my role for the Society was almost finished for the Semester.
Almost Finished...
Where had the sem gone? I wondered, in a quiet moment of reflection. It was as if last week ,that I got the message on my cellphone, "you have been selected as the General Secretary..."
It was like 4 days ago, that I had felt the insecurities that are part and parcel of any responsibility...it was yesterday that I heaved a sigh of relief that Stock Market had gone well...WHEN did it all happen?
Then I realised that maybe this was what they meant...maybe this was what the 20-something ex-students meant when they told us, with a faraway, moist look in their eyes, "Time flew when we had fun..."
We worked like heaven, but we also had fun. Period.
Cut off from the outside world, I hark back to 24 hours earlier.
It was 12.45 PM on the 21st, and we were putting the final touches to the organizing of our annual SFMC symposium, MAT[H]RIX 2006. At that moment, I could not have imagined that 24 hours hence, I would be sitting in an airless room, doing absolutely nothing...
Things were going on perfectly more or less, considering that only some minor preparatory JHOLS had occurred. I was breathing very easy, especially if you take into account the fact that the world's ("world" here, means the community of VESIT, my seniors, pals and immediate family) collective eyes were focused on my slender frame, waiting for me to prove my worth as a GS. The symposium was supposed to be the culmination of the yearlong activities of the society, a society for which (I modestly admit, based on unabashed reviews from near and dear ones) I had worked tirelessly with the council, and in doing so, had whittled my once wellbuilt frame to a framework of bones. [Justifiably so, for organizing is not my forte.]
And then, the sky fell down...
We realised that the banner we had ordered to be made, would not arrive soon enough, and I had to break open the locker[whose key I had irresponsibly lost] to access the previous banner. AND the mike wasnt working.
As if that wasnt enough, a miscommunication had led to two hundred and fifty dusty, ragged SFMC members crowding the entrance to the venue [the auditorium] before things could be readied and the audience ushered in.
I have never really found myself to be in a pressure situation. All I have done is read accounts of it. In novels,etc. "All the things they teach you, Be calm, breathe easy, etc...all these instructions fly out of your head...Your brain seems to be in limbo, just accepting information without processing it." This was a line I'd read in some novel.
Well, I happen to think this is crap. This WAS a pressure situation. I was IN it. And i must say i handled it pretty well. 5 council members were Gheraaoing me, screaming information at the top of their voices, To complicate matters, the ongoing sound testing and "Hello - Hello"s, with the racket of an overeager audience at the doors, made decision-making pretty difficult.
I actually remember feeling short of breath. Things were falling apart. Aparna BS was nowhere to be seen. The lights were becoming overbright.
I took a deep breath, and dissociated myself from the hubbub. A shrug of the shoulders helped things along. Then I began dealing with things one at a time, according to a priority which had automatically formed in my mind. 2 people were sent to find the technician and have the mike fixed.4 were posted on each door to take care of the burgeoning crowd. Things started to look better. To tell the truth, the sight of the members being systematically let in was a sight for sore eyes. But one thing I learnt was, management is a mind game.
The start of the symposium was thankfully uneventful, owing to a great TE and notably SE council.[Discussion about them in a later post] Marked only by a lot of running about to arrange the freely given folders and CD pouches in their proper place. Some hiccoughs were caused by a delay in the arrival of the food during the first break. The canteen guy kept underestimating the sheer stress that 250 hungry and bored audience members can put on a canteen's food production speed. He kept refilling each basket of food late, so that pileups at the food counter became common.
In between food breaks, I got a breather and started to think.
This was realistically the first event that I had managed independently. As such, Aparna was present, but I could detect a hint of restraint. Maybe I am mistaken, but if such restraint on her part ever existed, it was well made, because I finally got a taste of how it was REALLY done, about the liters of sweat that went into an event. For some reason, I also relished the feeling of being the cynosure, of being asked for details, etc. The feeling that if I suddenly absented myself from the proceedings, the whole event would come crashing down on its knees.
The voice of a fellow council member jolted me back to reality. Easy, Vishy, I reminded myself. The event is not yet over. But who says power is NOT seductive....
I later chanced upon the SFMC diary that I had maintained, in which, the night before, I had made an intricate schedule of jobs along with people responsible. I am glad to say that I did not write down a word during the entire symposium. I even referred to it only once or twice. Astonishing, especially when you take into account the fact that I have this obsession with writing things down. And THAT reinforces my belief that management is a mind game....
With the reality of affairs evident during the first lunch break, we made things a little more organized during the second break. This time, problem areas were identified and we learnt from our mistakes.
With the end of the symposium in sight, I should have felt depressed, but the truth is I was still in High-Adrenaline mode. No time to feel That feeling of emptiness or That feeling of nostalgia etc etc....Sometimes the movies and books hype it up.
The last of the members dispersed with a full stomach as well as bag full of goodies. And finally we council members sat down for our dinner.
And then it struck me...
The symposium was over. The one event which defined the society was over. And with it, my role for the Society was almost finished for the Semester.
Almost Finished...
Where had the sem gone? I wondered, in a quiet moment of reflection. It was as if last week ,that I got the message on my cellphone, "you have been selected as the General Secretary..."
It was like 4 days ago, that I had felt the insecurities that are part and parcel of any responsibility...it was yesterday that I heaved a sigh of relief that Stock Market had gone well...WHEN did it all happen?
Then I realised that maybe this was what they meant...maybe this was what the 20-something ex-students meant when they told us, with a faraway, moist look in their eyes, "Time flew when we had fun..."
We worked like heaven, but we also had fun. Period.
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