Life at TISS: Reflections

My laptop is down. It seems to have caught a cold. It refuses to come on. The battery is fully charged, I checked, but it still doesn't come on. In the foothills of the BARC hills where I spend most of my day it rains incessantly, much to our delight and disappointment. Delight because the TISS campus and the surroundings have turned resplendent in green so peculiar of the monsoons. And disappointment because our underwear doesn't dry. If the humble loincloth can take two days to dry under a fan, one can imagine the state of our clothes. The laundry service on campus is kind enough to wash a bucket full of clothes for a sum of Rs. 20 per bucket but the damn sun doesn't appear. It is on a paid leave that we at the HR Department don't approve of.



From the highest floor of the library building #LifeAtTiss #BombayRains

A photo posted by Rushikesh Kulkarni (@rushikeshgk) on

This is a interesting phase in my life. I am being reflective about it because it is part of our syllabus to be reflective. Management learning hinges upon reflection, it seems. I like this idea of learning. Primarily because it involves a lot of writing. But now, that brings me back to my laptop which has been snoozing ever since I got here. I miss it at times but mostly I get by pounding away on the durable Dell Keyboard attached to a powerful Ubuntu system located in the Cyber Library. It feels like a cyber cafe in here without the dreaded timer or the restrictions. With access to a multitude of journals and virtually all access to everything, this is like home for me. I have managed to meet deadlines and send out a blog or two from here. Besides it gives me the feeling of working in an office with a swivel chair and noisy colleagues. There's a water cooler at the end of the corridor to make water coolerly-conversations.

Best view canteen. Finding five minutes of solace before rushing back to class. #lifeattiss #bombayrains

A photo posted by Rushikesh Kulkarni (@rushikeshgk) on

There is a lot that goes in here but mostly it revolves around learning. I have also been eating regular meals at the DH. DH stands for Dining Hall, the communal space that serves good nutritious food not always tasty but it is nice to share meals with your friends from class. It is amazing what all good company can get you by. There are monkeys and dogs and cats and my favorite - birds on campus. The red vented, red whiskered and the white cheeked bulbul keep flitting about the main academic block. The oriental magpie keeps posing but alas, my Moto G is unable to capture its beauty. There are the sunbirds who flit about in the morning light and then there are the munias, the drongo and the kites. The parakeets fly back home in the evening while I keep my eyes open for the elusive kingfisher. Maybe it resides closer to the Vashi creek, not far from here. And then there is the cheap chai and lemon tea in the DM canteen that overlooks a canopy of trees. I relish my time here when I am with friends or by myself.

I have also been deputed to visit a refinery in Mahul, which of all things aside, gives me an opportunity to see a part of Bombay that I wouldn't have visited. They even serve great food and decent chai, all for free of cost. But the best part is coming back to campus and listening to some stimulating discussions in the classroom and outside, while taking long walks through the campus through the sepia toned deonar farm road, avoiding the dogshit that all foreign bred dogs leave behind on their morning walks. And then there is the rain. On campus, you hear the rain first before you feel it on your skin. Thanks to the canopy, you don't get drenched immediately in the Mawsynram of Bombay.

Back on campus to see this view #lifeattiss

A photo posted by Rushikesh Kulkarni (@rushikeshgk) on

A lot of folks, since I got here have asked me about my plans for Breakfree. I miss being on the road, I do. But this phase is only temporary and sooner or later I will be heading out with my trusted backpack. Into the wild. And when I do, you will hear from me. Until then, I must get back to the classroom and learn, unlearn and reflect.

P.S: If you use Instagram, #LifeAtTiss is the hashtag that I use to document my journey here.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Lovely post. Comes directly from the heart. Good luck to you and Breakfree. Xx

P.S. Superb shots
Great post Rushi. Keep them coming. Cheers
Anonymous said…
You have a true gift in your writing and the pictures are fantastic. Thank you for sharing
Thanks for dropping by @anon :)

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