Now that a fresh bunch, the XIMB batch 2014-2016 steps into the hallowed

portals of this institute, be ready to embrace the X! Yes. The letter X will
suddenly become the most important one of the alphabet. Everything
starting from the cafeteria (X-Caf) to sporting tournaments (X-Baddy et al)
will have the prefix X. When one is in the middle of a management course,
taking part in inter-school as well as corporate level competitions become
fashionable and the need of the hour and you will find half the teams
representing XIMB playing on this X-factor. It is up to you guys whether you
choose to keep the tradition or be fresh and innovative.

Writing this piece as a message from the outgoing batch to the incoming
batch is a great honor for me and it makes me extremely nostalgic. As I blow
the candles off one more year of my life I reminisce that two years back I
entered XIMB in style celebrating my birthday with a group of strangers who
bought me my first ice-cream cake at X-Caf. Those strangers were four of
the sweetest guys I had met and they were B-Blockers. Yes, another thing
that you must watch out for- The Block Pride. Each block has inevitably its
own idiosyncrasies and the students who get allocated rooms in the various
blocks just incredibly live up to the tradition that each one of these bastions.
Without generalizing too much, I would like to sum up these block
idiosyncrasies for you and then leave it up to you to decide whether you are a
part of the rich heritage of the block or an outlier.

A Block- The boys in this block are the extremely hard working guys, the ones
that will make up for the free-riders of all the project group. Needless to say-
they are the ones who will have the highest average grades. If they dont,
then you know not everyone gets what they deserve.

B Block- Everyone will agree when I say this will be the Bakar Block of the
lot. If you think boys dont gossip, then just step into this part of GR-1 and
you will see them discussing everything from girls to movies, but yes, mostly
discussing people, pulling each others legs. Learn from them how birthdays
are celebrated and how large groups can co-exist in harmony.



C Block- A few weeks into the course, you will have surely heard the word
Maxinations from your immediate seniors. Well C are the traditional
Maxinations champions. Youll find out how once you spend some time here.
Perhaps that C does stand for Champions.

D Block- Now. Now. Without any personal biases, this is the block that gets
most of the girls of the campus. The others may envy them, but the D Block
clan is proud of their achievements and they surely do keep a score! But
boys, a lucky entry into this block doesnt guarantee you louve- you have to
work towards it.

RMH & MTR Theres no doubt that this block houses the most sought after
species on campus. One may find boys lurking around, towards the end of
your two years, you might even earn yourself an entry into this hostel and
marvel at the spacious and clean rooms the girls have enjoyed. Cheers
Ladies!

Cenderet and GR2- These have been the party addas. The place where the
course barrier gets diluted and HRM, BM and RM together become XIMBians.

Oh, wait- did I tell you guys that you have to tell the auto drivers that you
want to go to Jabhier if youre returning after catching a movie at INOX or
eating delicacies at Sudupp Sadapp and Caf Italiano? There will be many
eateries that offer you a handsome XIMB discount of 10-20% on your food
bill. So dont forget to flash your ID cards. The annual handicrafts mela called
Toshali in December will become the hangout of XIMBians for the entire
period of 10 days when it is up and running. Do not miss it.

You probably pay over Rs 800 for every lecture that you attend here so figure
out the best use of that time. Being organized with your notes or having a
strategic friend who is good at it helps the night before the exams. Feel
proud that XIMB offers you a great campus life which many other top B-
Schools dont. Make the most of it. Have fun with your friends and learn from


your peers. I know when the average student profile of most B-Schools today
is 90% engineers and of them most computer science engineers, the diversity
isnt much but if you keep your eyes and ears open, youll surely find
differentiation points even among the most conventional of mixes.

Celebrating events will become a major part of your life. Be it birthdays, or
summer placements, the class toppers party or the last day of Xpressions
and Athlos. A lot of it will go into your mess or X-Caf account. I have
personally seen dues of Rs. 80,000 in a seniors mess account. I dont think
anyone can beat that. But yes, in all seriousness, do pay your bills in time if
you want to avoid fines. FINES! Yes you will hear that word at the drop of a
hat. Any damn committee will try to impose fines on you to prove their
mettle. Beware. You dont want to lose a nights dinner at Bling it On! to fines.

XIMB has a great library. Every term you will be asked to issue books. Some
of us will resolve to seriously read them this time around but you will find
that dust accumulates on them till the time it is returned back unused. Feel
happy that summers will be spent outside campus for most of you because
on hot Bhubaneswar days you would find yourselves head to the library, not
to read and study but to sit in a room that is air-conditioned. XIMB boasts of
a rich flora and fauna. The gardeners at XIMB toil during the flower season to
make it an absolute treat to look at. The insects during the monsoons irritate
the galls out of any person. There will be times when you would want to play
loud music and party. Within an hour you will receive nasty mails- from the
admin, the SEC, students who want to study and girls who want to sleep
peacefully asking you to keep it low, to put in subtly.

You will find that everything is not perfect. You might be disappointed with a
host of things like the thickness of the rotis prepared at the mess, the
projector at CR 56, the felines who sometimes wander in GR1 and more
importantly the learning and value additional at a B-School. But once you
stay away from XIMB, you will always want to come back. When you return to
XIMB after your 2-month summer internship you will feel nostalgia already.
XIMB is the amazing place it is because of its people. The fact that Sanjay
bhaina will remember everyone by their roll numbers in a matter of a few


days will always amaze me. Keep increasing the batch strength year after
year, and I wonder whether his abilities will be tarnished even one bit. There
have been staff and faculty members alike who have given 25 years to the
institute. In other words, they have been with XIMB since its inception. What
XIMB needs today is our support till the time we can find it in our interest or
pride to do so. As current students and alumni of XIMB we have a crucial role
to play. Take part in competitions and while you do so, keep the XIMB banner
flowing bright and high. And we shall try to perform well in our respective
organizations, thus once again keeping the XIMB name high. I will always
look for opportunities to come back to Bhubaneswar and contribute towards
the strengthening of brand XIMB in whichever way I can.

Lastly, I was actually intimidated before I entered XIMB. I was more nervous
and pressurized than excited. But the college and its students did make me
feel at ease. Make sure you find your own comfort zone. Be civil with the
entire batch but also know that everyone cannot be your friend. Everyone has
their own place in the college and make sure you respect that. Haughtiness
will not take you too far- neither in this college nor in the corporate world that
awaits you. Humility is an attribute that one would want to keep with oneself
no matter what one achieves in life. Wishing you the best from the entire
XIMB batch of 2014. Cheers!

Neha Mangal
Batch of 2012-14