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In Gratitude to IMDR: Ekta Gupta

A Journey Remembered Batch- 1998-2000

To begin with Dr Shejwalkar’s credo on the first floor wall at IMDR, near the entrance:
“Ask not what the Institute did for you; ask what you did for the Institute.”

It’s stayed with me as a lasting source of motivation.

Life was really just beginning during those early evolved—from vada pav, poha, and custard desserts
days—placement brochure presentations at five to methi roti, Naturals ice cream, pizzas, burgers, and
major finance institutions in corporate South Mumbai kucchi dabeli from nearby stalls. Niranjan’s thali,
gave us purpose, but the soul of the experience was RT, Upali, Vaishali—those delicacies were topped
elsewhere. Conversations flowed at the tapri, the off by sweet treats now gone. A single mithai piece
benches of the then-small kiosk canteen, on the from the corner shop could light up our evenings—
stairs near DM1, and beyond. We puzzled over before our flat went utterly haywire.
lectures, ideas, and plans—sometimes just trying to Books from the library began to lose ground to
escape overthinking. Odd get-togethers at the centre dense cyclostyled readings and endless photocopies.
of campus gave us something grounding, something Traditional CVs gave way to blue-paper versions,
shared. circulated the usual way. Overhead projector

Lunches from Abhi’s, Sowmya’s, or Deva’s tiffin transparencies soon vanished, replaced by LCD
boxes were like time capsules—delightfully spoilt presentations, and colour printouts became the only
youth from Pune, unlike many of us. We wandered acceptable substitute for handwritten assignments.
in and out of campus at all hours. Our cravings

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