My first Open Session taught me how to think with the bigger picture in mind
Being a student of Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts before shifting to SCMC, I was used to a very different environment, with lesser rules and regulations. I found the first week of my new college to be testing, in terms of punctuality and conduct. I resented the rules at first, finding them unnecessary. However, the answers to all my queries and concerns regarding how the college functioned were to be addressed in an Open House Session with the Director, Professor Anupam Siddhartha.
So far, almost everyone in the batch had been slightly wary of approaching him. He seemed quite a strict person and the last thing we wanted to do was get in his bad books. As the session began, Prof. Siddhartha started a two-way dialogue. He explained that the Open House was informal by nature, and that we were free to bring up any concerns that we might have regarding the working of the institution and its rules.
After an initial period of hesitation, my batch mates began voicing their queries. The Director seemed to have faced these questions several times, and answered all of them efficiently and eloquently. A hint of a smile giving his amusement away, he broke down his thought-process behind the high level of discipline expected at SCMC.
I too voiced my opinion regarding the method of displaying the students’ attendance and was politely explained that the method followed at the college was less prone to discrepancies and more affordable. Rather than forcing students to comply, the man actually offered an explanation to any of the rules we had an issue with. In fact, in the future sessions, Prof. Siddhartha actually sat down and individually explained all of the 100 rules in the Aide Memoire.
My first Open House taught me how to think with the bigger picture in mind. The issues that we had with some of the rules seemed so petty, compared to the larger lessons of punctuality and professionalism that are essential in this overly competitive work environment. It also taught me not to fear the Director but to look at him as an example of what my future boss would possibly be like.
Article by: Rohan Das (Batch of 2019)
Photograph by: Bharat Madan (Batch of 2019)
