Once a Hosteller

Last couple of days, we welcomed this year’s 1st batch of 40-odd management trainees. Witnessing raring to go limbs, dreamy eyes, sometimes in awe, sometimes under pressure, I am reminded of my hostel days.

All who have lived in a hostel, especially engineering, where you spend 3/4 years, will agree that the hostel’s a great teacher. So much so that our entire organizational fabric at OfBusiness is designed after it.

My hostel journey in engineering was split in 2 parts. The 1st year was spent with all freshmen so that we could settle in well, away from home. And then the senior year students come in, meet us, evaluate us, like us, and we miraculously find ourselves (usually) in the senior hostel that likes us the most, even though there was a draw of lots. Same with us here, we’d go to the schools and land up with our leaders of tomorrow through senior-led campus intelligence and day-zero interviews, which is also nothing but a draw of lots. This aftermost trainees would have spent a couple of years with friends of their ilk.

Then, when we were in a senior hostel, we used to have the “orientation period” where we learnt the legacy of the hotel, the greatness of our seniors, and survive through other fun and frolic. Inevitably this period used to end with life-lasting camaraderie. Our batch of MTs are going through the “induction period” with similar objectives and ending.

After that, we used to split by curriculars but unite over co-curricular and extra-curriculars. Curriculars was being good at acads, co-curriculars was for the department, and extra-curricular in non-academic activities. At OfBusiness, too, while we strive to do our best in our day jobs, many excel at co-curriculars (training, being part of committees, special projects for the company) and extra-curriculars (event management, recruitment).

As I think back, being in a hostel was our first induction to building an everlasting institution. Our tribute to hostel life can be well seen from the two slogans that are a part of our daily life at OfBusiness. ABC – Standing for altruism, brotherhood, and camaraderie, borrowed straight from hostel life. And “Once an OFBian, forever one”: borrowed from the lines on the entry to my hostel, “Once a Nehruite, always a Nehruite”; you could pass out from campus or be in it, but you are always “in” Nehru, it meant. Much like every ex- and current- OFBian.

Read more from CEO speaks Column:-
– Profitability by Morals
– A little bit of sale(s) (Memories from my early sales team addresses at OfBusiness)