A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE
Do you know who Nirmal Sarkar is? If you’re a student at IIM Calcutta, chances are, you do. But even then, you would probably have seen him, but are not aware of his name. You probably know him as the dada at the OH Xerox shop. And he’s stayed at IIM Calcutta longer than most other people – almost 20 years now. He’s worked as a mess contractor, and now runs a Xerox shop inside the hostel – his entire day is spent in the midst of students hailing from one of India’s premium Management institutes. There are few who have observed the lives of these aspiring manager’s as closely as Nirmal Da has.
So ask him what he thinks of the students here – what he has seen over the last twenty years. His face will break into a smile first, and talk in an unmistakable Bengali accent. ‘Idhar ladka-ladki log bahut hard-work karta hai’. And then he’ll launch into a description of other Xerox shops he owns in other institutes and how the students here are different – for two years they live in a different world altogether. Whilst within the walls of the campus, they have nothing to do with the outside word; They talk studies day and night. They party too, but whilst they are here, they are mainly a part of this microcosm of achievers – and life in this microcosm continues unaffected come what may. Nirmal Da does not use the word microcosm, but that’s what he means. And when you interrupt him to question how life can continue unabated in this campus in the face of whatever might be happening in the outside world, he will be quick to interject – ‘Of course recession ne to sabko affect kiya hai – par yaha ka student log bahut capable hai – sab nikaal lega’ Well, it is obvious that he would be aware of the global crises and its intricacies. He’s in a management institute after all.
The Copier machine he uses is antique – by anyone’s standards. Every alternate day he takes out the cartridge and manually fills in the carbon black. A hazardous powder to be exposed to on a daily basis. But all the notes need to be xeroxed. Pages run into the thousands everyday. And he painstakingly sorts and staples every set. He grumbles about the fact that the new system of ‘smart exam papers’ wherein students have spaces to fill in the answers in the question papers itself makes the exam papers unavailable and he cannot update his collection of the previous year question papers anymore – its bad for his business, but he accepts the new pattern humbly, and is always on the lookout to find new methods to help the students prepare. It’s no wonder then, that come quizzes and exam week, his tiny room is teeming with students getting the latest notes by professors or their peers. The students trust him to such an extent that they ask him what to study. Nirmal Da can tell you the names of all the courses in all the terms. It would be difficult to find a student who can.
Nirmal Da is 63 now, though he barely looks a day over 50 – a fact he’s proud of. He’ll tell you it’s because of his skin – the taut skin he inherited from his mother that makes him look young. And that the energy and life in the students is infectious – it keeps him young and fresh. His son is now a computer professional working with an MNC in Delhi– a fact that makes his chest swell with pride. But he’ll continue his life here. ‘Idhar sab bahut pyaar se rehta hai’ he’ll suddenly add out of the blue. ‘Kabhi jhagda nahi karta.’ What Nirmal Da refers to, is the camaraderie on campus – the spirit of IIM Calcutta. And he’s a part of it too – the notes, the late-night assignments, the parties with their blaring music and the lakes. In fact, he’s in the thick of the comradeship, and revels in the spirit of bonhomie that is IIM Calcutta. And that’s what’s kept him here for these many years. And that’s what will keep him for many more years to come – so he can continue guiding the students of the next batches in their preparations.
Soumitra Singh
February 27th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Brilliant article. Nostalgia are there!
February 27th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Too much article. Great work.
February 27th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Amazing stuff. RESPECTS
February 28th, 2009 at 12:27 am
wow, how oracle-ic
the first post comes from the man Nirmal Da would remember with great fondness for the rest of his life
Natarajan Sankar aka Natty, the legend
February 28th, 2009 at 12:33 am
So true..very well written!
February 28th, 2009 at 5:02 am
very nice article, congrats!
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:00 am
Really nice article!
March 11th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Very well, Soumitra………
a very nice article.
April 7th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Great guy Nirmal Da!!
And yes very well written indeed.
Or should i say….Massive Respects are there for both of you