Foundation day is an important day in the life of an institution. This is the reflection of vision, mission, and values which founders manifest not only in the physical being but also in its functioning. IIFT Kolkata celebrated its Foundation Day on the 16^th of July.  It has been 8 years since it came into existence.

An institution gets old with every year but this institution is getting younger with every passing year as it has made its presence felt across the length and breadth of the country and its students are keeping it young & energetic with their achievements. The recent example is of Jitin Bhasin, (alumnus, Batch 2008) Program Head Relationship Management – Indusland Bank, who bagged the prestigious Economic Times Young Leader Award, 2014 edition.

The event was organized by IMF, the student body of IIFT. Along with them, Koshish, the CSR club of our institute, organized a Blood Donation Camp, which has become a tradition on Foundation Day. Students were equally participative and donated in huge numbers. IIFT as an institute, values the importance of students being connected to social causes which has resulted in introducing a course where students are expected to work with an NGO for three weeks during their stay.

The Centre Head, Dr. K. Rangarajan was the Chief Guest. Programme Directors Dr. J.K. Seal of MBA 2013-15 Batch and Dr. Saswati Tripathi of MBA 2014-16 Batch were present along with other distinguished faculties. Saurabh Vyas, a student of the 2013-15 Batch was the anchor for the event.

The event started with the lightening of the lamp by the Centre Head, Dr. Rangarajan who welcomed the new batch in their first celebration of Foundation Day of IIFT Kolkata. He expressed his joy as he recalled how this institute has progressed by leaps and bounds. He also got nostalgic while recalling the early years for the institute.  He acknowledged the contribution of the faculty, administrative department and the support staff for their contribution in building this institute. At the same time he congratulated everyone for being successful in upholding the values of this institution. He emphasized that as students being essence of the institution, the whole responsibility lies with them in strengthening this institution.       

The Programme Directors shared their experiences and memories they have with the institution. Dr. Saswati Tripathi advised the new batch to keep up the attitude of learning to gain as much as possible from this institute. She asked the students to keep up the legacy of seniors and motivated us to cross the boundaries that are still untouched.

Through the entire event, Saurabh spell bounded the audience with his magical use of Hindi language and poetry. He was appreciated by all for his proficiency at the language. He deployed poetry to introduce every guest which made the atmosphere more serene.        

As every beginning has an end, our function also ended on a good note where we made a promise to ourselves and to the institution to keep its values intact and to meet once again next year to celebrate this auspicious day.   

The first day of my internship, I woke up quite early (not because it was my first day, but because of the time difference), got ready and left for office. There I had my first embarrassing moment: I fell down in the tram, not being used to the turns and breaks of the tram. Finally, I got down at the right stop but still I was lost! Then came my first shot at conversing with foreign strangers for asking the route. After first few attempts I realized I was in a majorly French speaking country where people write R but pronounce it as ‘Kh’, meaning they write something and speak something else. I managed to learn the odd pronunciation and finally reached my destination that was my second home for the next two months – International Trade Centre (Joint agency of WTO and UN, Geneva).

As a part of my internship at Intracen, I attended a training at the WTO and hence got a chance to listen to and interact with some of the eminent personalities and speakers at the organization. They had the knack of making people develop interest in the subject even if someone didn’t have it in the first place! And one thing worth mentioning is that the interiors at WTO are just mind blowing! I remember one of my friends quoting that it might have been an art gallery before because of the huge murals and paintings inside in addition to the great architecture. But later on, I realized that these paintings and sculptures are gifts from governments of different nations, and they were a common fixture in almost every UN organization I visited during my stay, including the Palais des Nations (United Nations). A very famous gift by the Indian Government was the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, standing outside the Palais building.

Among the learnings from this internship, one thing stands out: relationship building. My whole internship experience is memorable not because of the place or organization but only because of the friends I made! Each day I used to meet someone new - from a different culture, a different place. And everyone had a unique story to tell, a unique aim, a unique perspective towards life and unique tastes. Trying to converse with them through actions, learning few greetings in their language, and then telling them about our Indian culture, our strengths was altogether a very interesting experience that I would never forget! If not anything else but one thing most of them knew about India was the ‘Taj Mahal’!

The most challenging and fun part of my stay was to remember the names of all the people I met (I am sure I still can’t pronounce few) in their own languages and pronunciations. I stayed in an international hostel with 80 other students belonging to 54 different nationalities. It’s an amazing feeling to have friends from so many different countries and be in constant touch with them. I hope I get a chance to visit all of them in Egypt, Sweden, Dominican Republic, Canada, China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Spain, Germany, and the list goes on. Also I will love to be a host to them in my country. We had fun on various events that were conducted by the hostel. At one of the events, we had to prepare a dish from our own country, and we got a chance to taste other countries’ delicacies!!

Time just flew by without me realizing the pace of it; sometimes so engrossed in office work that I wouldn’t realize it was late evening. Amidst all of this we used to visit different places in Switzerland and nearby countries. Lausanne was the first city in Switzerland I visited and I instantly fell in love with it. The beautiful blue lake in front of the snow clad mountains in the misty and slightly chilled air - the image is still inked in my mind! We visited Bruges, Belgium where we went on a bike (bicycle) ride to a beach for a total of 50 km. Traveling to Europe and not taking a bike ride is like visiting Mumbai and not experiencing the local trains, for bike ride is the most common form of travelling in Europe. Visiting Amsterdam which is known as the ‘city of bikes’ was also a great experience! Here, pedestrians cannot walk in the bike lane or else bikers will just take you down!

Sometimes, travelling alone is a bliss, remembering one such day when I explored the beautiful city of Geneva alone. I had the famous Swiss ice-creams and chocolates all day long, sat beside the famous landmark of Geneva, Jet d’Eau and felt the fresh air around. It was a calm and serene ambience where people did not bother each other; they were free, independent and happy! And walking at night on streets couldn’t have been more fun and safer! From mountains to lakes, rivers to valleys, courtyards to vineyards, I saw a lot in those two months but still a lot remains to be seen!

By Nitika Gupta

     

The Park Plaza Hotel, 12th July 2014: It was an evening filled with nostalgia and bonhomie as we gathered for the annual IIFT Kolkata Alumni Chapter Meet. The event kicked off with Mrs. Amita Khurana assuming her responsibilities as the Chapter Head accompanied by Mr. Kushal Roy, previous year Chapter Head. The evening was hosted by the Alumni Coordinator, Dr. Meenakshi Deshpande and the Alumni Committee, and started with Dr. K. Rangarajan, Centre Head-IIFT Kolkata, welcoming the alumni from various batches of IIFT. He stressed upon the importance of the alumni networking with the current crop of students and inspiring them towards success.

He was followed by Mr. Kushal Roy expressing his joy at interacting with the alumni of IIFT. Mrs. Khurana expressed her excitement of undertaking the mantle of Chapter Head and networking with batch-mates, and fellow IIFTians at the workplace. The luminaries were followed by an engaging fun game from the students of MBA (IB) batch of 2014-16. The game was followed by solo and group vocal performances from the alumni. 

The alumni accompanied by the faculty members then interacted with each other while refreshments were served. Students got an opportunity to interact with the alumni and drew upon past experiences and memories. As the evening progressed, Mrs. Khurana undertook the task of initiating connections between the alumni of different batches. The evening ended with sumptuous meal and light-hearted banter. Nostalgic conversations graced every table.

The evening ended with both students and alumni taking to singing their heart out. We stood witness to some of the hidden gems from the stable of IIFT. It was a mesmerizing experience deeply entrenched with the sense of belonging that our alumni felt for their Alma Mater.

By  Daksh Shah & Supratik Chakraborty

Dr. Gregory House. That was my aim for as long as I remember from his brilliance to his smirks- I was enamored and infatuated! I was determined to be a doctor with the panache of Dr. House and the humanity of Dr. Wilson. My path was set… Until, I decided to do an MBA to gain insights to revolutionize the Indian health system. And stepping into Stryker office on the 1^st day of internship, I felt as bewildered and as intimidated as Mike Ross (Suits) felt on his first day at Pearson Hardman!!!

Being from the medical background and having an ambition in the medical field, I was determined to intern at an organization which was a giant in the medical field. When Stryker India Pvt Ltd presented me with an opportunity to work with them, I had no qualms that this would be an amazing learning experience.

The first day at Stryker marked my first day ever in a corporate world. I was thankful for the induction process that made me feel a bit more comfortable in the MNC culture! It was during the induction that I realized that an outsider’s perspective about a company is quite different than an insider’s perspective. From the perspective of all the directors and heads of department, all the metaphorical gears of the organization started being visible to me. The basics of the Research and Development, Logistics, Sales and Distribution, Services and Product details of various verticals were explained and frankly, it all felt like a revelation!

After meeting all the hot-shots and feeling infinitely more precious about myself, I finally met my mentor who was to be my life-line for the 8 weeks to come. My projects revolved around market research for a new product launch (details are classified!!).

I had always wondered what people do in office all day! Day 1 of working on my project and I knew what “people did in office all day”. The secondary research was tedious, not to mention incredibly boring. The questionnaire preparation, in the following weeks, was even worse because it make me regret not paying attention in my Business Research Methods and Market Research classes! And the worst part was that I thought that this would be the most difficult part of internship. Post the disaster of questionnaire preparation, I had to out on the (mine)-field for administering the questionnaire. I am sure I spent infinitely more time in doctors’ waiting rooms than I did speaking to them!

I feel that travelling to metropolitan cities would have been better for me, comfort-wise (I know, very selfish of me) but most of my travelling with restricted to Delhi, NCR, Jaipur, Ludhiana and Chandigarh. It was harsh on me (I know I am spoilt. Please do not judge me!!) (Oh! The irony!). I actually wanted to give a standing ovation to all the sales personnel during that phase! I think I expected my internship to get better and easier if I worked hard in the beginning but it turned out to be the same lie that my parents told me about the importance of board exams!

Needless to say, I hardly slept in the final presentation week!

But I had expected the long hours and the tedious work. What came as a surprise to me was the fun aspect of the internship. The grueling internship presented an opportunity where co- interns became friends and mentors became supporters! The most fun part of the day was always the intern’ cafeteria breakfast of bread- omlette and mango shake…. I am still carrying the resultant weight gain!!! (sigh..)

And of course, we never complained about the technically “free” lunches at the office! Accidently, the dinners were expensive at the hostel (co-incidence much!!!).

As a part of CSR activities, the interns had to organize the Indoor Sports Tournament for the entire office. From sending mailers to scheduling to prize distribution- we were the bosses! Unfortunately, I missed the main event days due to the above mentioned field visits (grrr…). I think that would my biggest disappointment in my internship as all the interns present had the opportunity to interact with people from “not- my” departments!

The best part of my internship is the relationship that I developed with my mentor. I was terrified of him at first but slowly and with a lot of errors on my part (it is an old story, I know!), my mentor became my advisor and a person whom I can call and bug all day!

On the very last day of my internship, I was relieved when my presentation to the leadership team was done and dusted and I got my cheque (very cheap, I know!)! But what struck me at that moment was that there was a possibility that I would never come back to that office! It was in that moment that I realized how much of a home that office had become to me and that the thought of not going through the “2- hour long each way” journeys every day, was actually unthinkable and had actually become alien in a matter of 8 weeks!

But here I am now… Back to my college and back to the rigors of the classes and responsibilities and hopefully, back to all of this a little wiser. I was always under the impression that internship was meant to learn the practical implementation and implication of our theoretical class-room knowledge. Turns out, an internship does much more than that!! My internship reaffirmed my goals, gave me a direction and destination for them and definitely, taught me the importance of networking in all of this process!!

By Dr. Meenakshi Deshpande

With a wonderful journey of two years coming to a glorious end for our seniors, it was time for us to bid adieu to them. B School life would have been a heady mix of various challenges that they finally overcame to reach this day. As they step out of college, their minds would be clouded by apprehensions and wariness about the corporate world and at the same time enthusiasm as to what life holds in store for them.

On a heavenly night, we gathered to felicitate our seniors on the beautifully decorated rooftop of our college. The place was decked up in pretty lights all over and the occasion was such that even the skies cooperated and did not play spoilsport. The tiny IIFT badges that everybody had pinned onto their dresses conveyed the silent message- “Proud to be an IIFTian, now and forever”.  On this day, officially the last occasion on campus during their student life, various professors reminisced their experiences with the outgoing batch-in the B School tenure packed with assignments and cases, they too had their own moments to cherish and remember throughout their lives. Excitement was in the air, as the junior batch had chosen this occasion to felicitate our favourites among the senior batch, a difficult task considering the number of nominations we received. Ultimately, Haider Talat who was also the vice president of the student body, IMF along with Vartika Goel bagged the “Man of the year” and the “Woman of the year” awards. For always being a source of motivation and for guiding and mentoring us throughout, Mohit Kumar and Gaurav Bajaj won the “Kickass Club coordinator” and the “Best Mentor” awards respectively.  The student body also used this platform to felicitate each and every person who had contributed for the betterment of the batch. A very touching rendering of the song “Pal” by the juniors bought in a wave of nostalgia amongst our seniors.

Quite needless to say, what’s a farewell without some pictures!! Flashes seemed to light up the night as everybody posed endlessly for pictures, which are sure to end up as cover pictures and DP’s.  

Saying goodbye is always difficult but there could have been no better night to wish our seniors a bright and fun filled future!!

‘But monument themselves memorials need’: George Crabbe

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata was fortunate to have as a visitor Ms Birgit Dulski on Wednesday, 20^th November thanks to our faculty Dr P.K.Das. Ms Birgit is a senior researcher in sustainable building from the Nyenrode Center for Sustainability in the Netherlands. Since 2001 she has led various projects, initiatives and research surrounding the sustainable preservation of historic and characteristic buildings. She is also involved in other research projects of the Center for Sustainability and in architectural contests where sustainability plays an important role. She combines her position at Nyenrode with a career as senior consultant at the Dutch Institute for Building Biology and Ecology (NIBE).

She gave an interesting presentation on ‘Changing Conditions for Local Architectural Heritage Management’. The presentation started with the changing scenario of the Dutch construction sector due to the European debt crisis, as a result of which all stakeholders are looking at alternative and more effective business models in order to preserve heritage sites and their sustainable renovation. Ms Birgit with the help of her team has set up a ‘Network Sustainable Architectural Heritage Management for Governmental Bodies’  which has resulted in significant changes with both private players and the government coming forward. This also shows the importance of cultural entrepreneurship and is a good lesson for counterparts in India which has a rich history when it comes to monuments.

The presentation was followed by an extensive interactive session with the students with Ms Birgit obliging the students with convincing answers and sharing her views on how she looked at the management of Indian heritage sites. It was a pleasant experience for the students with insights on cultural entrepreneurship and lessons on management and research from an experienced professional from abroad.

Taj Bengal, Kolkata

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade has been a pioneer institute in the field of management education In India over the last fifty years. One reason for that has been successful national conclaves and symposia organized by the institute. After the hugely popular National Trade Symposium in 2012, IIFT Kolkata organized the National IT Conclave on 7th September, 2013 in association with the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council. The theme of the event was ‘Paradigm shift in the Global IT industry’ and eminent speakers ranging from government officials to honored academicians to senior corporate managers graced the occasion with their presence. The chief guest for the day was Dr. Chandan Chowdhury (MD India, Dassault Systemes).

The conclave was divided into four sessions, broadly - consulting, operations, e-commerce and HR apart from an inaugural session where the topic was introduced. Proceedings were started by the Centre Head – Dr. K. Rangarajan – who welcomed the guests and spoke about the growing importance of IT in today’s world while stressing on its importance to the MSME sector and subsequently India’s global growth. Dr. Chandan Chowdhury then spoke at length about the changing face of IT and its innovation driving capabilities. From the perspective of Dassault Systemes, he showcased how IT has transformed the workings and processes of sectors as diverse as automobile manufacturing, urban planning, life sciences and homeland security to name a few. The effect of advent of technologies like augmented reality, virtual modeling, fuzzy logic etc. in increasing profitability and efficiency by streamlining the prototype development processes was highlighted. Mr. Sanjeev Nandwani – Development Commissioner, FALTA SEZ, provided a government perspective. He gave an overview about the shift in IT from being a support industry initially to a solutions and consulting approach while underlining the fact that IT is today the prime employer –directly or indirectly in the urban sector while also being India’s biggest and most valued exports to the US/European markets. The session was rounded off by Mr. S. Radhakrishnan , CMD, Descon delivered a thought provoking speech on how the power sector was leveraging IT and also outlined the challenges faced by the IT industry going forward, such as employee attrition, business process transformation, how best to utilize and adapt to SMAC – Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud stacking technology.

Session 1: Consulting

The session on Consulting was thought provoking as it gave a perspective on how India, a traditional IT hub can be a consulting destination. Mr. Samrat Sen, Director, Cognizant Business Consulting enlightened the audience on the current challenges and trends facing the consulting industry. Mr. Arijit Chakraborty, Director, PwC, began with a heartening topic: “The Decade That Belonged to India”. He mentioned the current progression of IT will lead to the future of “Ubiquitous Consulting: A concept where computers are made to appear anywhere and everywhere”. Mr. Kaustav Ghosh, Advisor, KPMG, provided an informative session and drove the point on thought leadership and how it can transform the IT landscape. After the engaging session, there was a Q&A round which provided a platform for students to interact with these stalwarts from the consulting industry.

Session 2: Manufacturing

The sector which forms the backbone of any economy, Manufacturing was the next topic of deliberation. Mr. Barun Lala, Director, HP mesmerized the audience with his knowledge and spoke on integration of IT across various other industries. He spoke on IT being underutilized in retail by quoting an example of Walmart where all items are RFID tagged. Mr. Akhil Agrawal, COO, Interglobe Technologies gave insightful examples to relate IT to manufacturing and services industry. He brought a new perspective by speaking on SMAC (Social, Mobility, Analytics, Cloud) enabling innovation in manufacturing. Mr. Dharmendra Kapoor, VP, HCL Technologies gave a brilliant example of thinking out of the box in the Indian context. He succinctly drove the need for differentiation in the manufacturing policy of companies. Mr. Kapoor’s quote “Put Technology to Lead Business Innovation” formed the essence of the session. Mr. P.K. Biswas, an industry veteran of 30 years and Chief (IT), NHPC spoke on his personal experience of how IT had transformed the power sector. He provided key insights on ground-level realities and opportunities in the IT sector. The session followed a deluge of questions from students which were answered wonderfully by all panelists.

Session 3: E-Commerce

Another major topic of discussion was E-Commerce, a sector which has seen powerful growth in the last few years and promises to be an exciting domain in the future. Given the rapidly increasing rates of internet penetration and a largely untapped rural population, E-Commerce holds a promising future in India. Speakers for the session represented prominent names from the industry. Mr. Amit Sharma from Amazon Web Services discussed how Cloud Computing and Big Data would change the future of this domain. Technologies like Hadoop hold the key to better tracking of customers. He also discussed the importance of Fraud Management in an effort to increase the trust level of buyers. Another important topic discussed in this session was the stark difference in advertising levels in Indian and international companies. While a global player like Amazon spends 3% of its revenues on advertising the corresponding figure for an Indian company like Flipkart is around 20%. Mr. Rishen Kumar Mukherjee, Consultant and advisor to select organizations including CESC brought about a different perspective to the discussion. He raised widely shared concerns about the lack of internet penetration, high cost of customer acquisition and the small e–tailing market. He also questioned the absence of big players from this segment given its supposed growing popularity. IIFT alumnus Mr. Soumya Upadhyay, CEO, Workshop9 discussed his plans to launch a virtual incubator for better collaboration with customers for E-Commerce companies.

Session 4: Human Resources

Last, but not the least was the session on Human Resources. Mr. Dependra Mathur, C&B Head, Infosys BPO, inspired the students to consider careers in HR, by bringing out the importance that an HR professional plays in IT and the role transformation from being a ‘people manager’ to a ‘change manager’. The relevance of the same was further developed by Mr. Rohit Kapoor, HR Head, Dassault Systemes in his impassionate speech that, while advocating technology, also reinforced the importance of a human touch. It certainly cleared many misconceptions that people may have held about HR professionals. Ms. Atreyi Banerjee of Tech Mahindra highlighted the challenges that IT faces in integrating itself with changing technology- in particular the blurring of lines between the workplace and personal life and the resulting flexibility an organization must incorporate to smoothly manage the transition. Mr. Ayan Pal of IBM finally concluded the session with an entertaining and interactive presentation that showcased how social platforms could be leveraged to formulate innovative HR policies that empowered employees to unlock their creativity and potential.

Interaction among students and industry honchos didn’t end after the sessions and continued with informal discussion. The National IT Conclave was a grand success and the presence of eminent personalities from the industry showcased the brand appeal enjoyed by IIFT in the corporate sector. The event was a great success both in terms of the quality of knowledge shared with the budding managers and in terms of the participation by dignitaries from the corporate sector. The conclave also bears testimony to the rising popularity of the institute and it bodes well for the students who will be joining different sectors of corporate India in the years to come.

‘Hey, I just donated blood for the first time in life’, squeaked the proud me, as I sipped on refreshments. While tweeting the same ,a nice feeling sank in of donating blood for a good cause which may safe a precious life someday and I smiled to myself.

Such noble opportunity came my way in the blood donation camp which was organized in IIFT, Kolkata by Koshish : The social club.  It was organized in coordination with Association of Voluntary Blood Donors West Bengal. This coincided with the golden year celebration of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade as well as marked the foundation day of its Kolkata Center , 16th July.

Blood donation drive was embarked with IIFT Professor Dr. R.P. Dutta as the first donor. 

Doctors did the preliminary tests and fit candidates were taken forward for donation. In case someone was identified as unfit doctors went ahead to give appropriate advice to him/her. Enthusiasm among the students continued as the donors poured in till the end of drive. Happy faces can be seen all around and such infectious optimism got extended to those who were initially apprehensive about donation. 

Around 60 people comprising of students from both the batches 2012-14 and 2013-15 as well as professors, administrative staff successfully donated blood with a promise of coming back again next year with the same zeal.

 “Blood Donation will cost you nothing but it will save a life!”
“Share a little, care a little – Donate Blood.”

Nostalgia was in the air as the alumni of IIFT assembled at Floatel on Strand Road, the Howrah bridge gleaming in the background, for the annual IIFT Kolkata Chapter Meet.

Anshul Khandelwal, the alumni coordinator, was the anchor of the evening and he kickstarted the function by inviting Mr. Kushal Roy, Head of Kolkata Chapter Meet. Mr. Roy welcomed the alumni and emphasized on the importance of such events. He also invited applications for "The Alumni Of The Year" award.

Dr. K. Rangarajan, Centre Head of IIFT Kolkata was invited to the podium to address the audience. His update on the new sprawling campus that is expected to be operational by October gripped the attention of the alumni. Mr. Rituraaj Juneja, an esteemed alumnus of IIFT also addressed the audience on how the network of alumni, students and the college can mutually benefit from each other. This was followed by a presentation by Anshul  about IIFT's road map for the next couple of years. He also gave updates about the the various alumni chapter meets held in different parts of the country and the ones scheduled for the rest of the year.

Amar Budati, a student of 2012-14 batch, enthralled the audience with a short quiz on Kolkata. It prompted several enthusiastic responses and set the mood for the evening.

As the night progressed, old memories were revived and business cards were exchanged. We departed with a vow to come back again next year with a bang!

-- By Kartik Puri, 2013-15

It happened one day…

I recently attended the graduation ceremony of my engineering college (a year too late perhaps, happened in full swing nonetheless). It was good to reconnect with old colleagues. The topics of our conversations ranged from reminiscence of the “good old days” to general curiosity about what the other person had made of their life.

Amidst all the catching up and laughter, I happened to bump into my project mate, a friend who I had spent most of my last semester with, designing (watching him design?) a fancy vehicle locking system. Ashwin squealed out “Sruti, you got everything that you had asked for!” Honestly, I was very confused. Until that day, there hadn’t passed a single day in my life when I hadn’t whined about how I never get what I want. He continued, “It was exactly a year ago that you told me you wanted to do your MBA and that sometime in life you would like to go to France, walk the streets of Paris, admire paintings in that museum- what was it? - Louvre? And oh yes! Eat their food, sip their wine. .6 months into a B-School and you have it all! Some luck woman!” It’s funny how it took a-year-late convocation to make me realize that the world wasn’t conspiring against me after all. While Ashwin, being the enthusiast that he is, chattered on, I took a minute to thank the universe (Rhonda Byrne claims gratitude is key in her latest- “Magic”).

I can’t even begin to explain how/why IIFT has been right for me at so many levels, and the exchange program most definitely tops the list of reasons. When I learnt that I had been nominated to study at IESEG School of Management in Lille, it wasn’t just the fact that I was going to spend a trimester abroad, in “foreign land” that gave me the shivers; people go abroad all the time with their families these days. No, it was about the journey that awaited me, the adventure that I knew that I was going to embark upon with four other friends, some old, some new.


  It was the fashion capital indeed…

I remember when we landed at the Charles De Gaulle Airport of Paris, in time for new year celebrations. Just when the fact that we had reached started sinking in, few of us were shown out of the airport by a huge scary cop. Soon after, a cab ride to the hotel that cost us an equivalent of Rs 6000, did not help much either. My French, that I took so much pride in previously, failed me miserably at each and every step. It was definitely not a kickass start, so to speak. But as the night unfurled, things started looking up, more than looking up.

A walk on Champs Élysées (http://bit.ly/12hzOQj), the most commercial street of Paris, was definitely an eye-opener for a fashion lover like me. Hidden under layers of clothing and a thick black jacket and looking at French girls strutting about in their skirts and high-heeled boots, I felt like the quintessential monkey-capped bong. They were impervious to the 3 degree chill- I was going to follow suit very soon, I just didn’t know it that time. Marked by two significant monuments at its either ends, Champs Élysées was a vision to behold, the whole of it- beautiful people walking on a beautifully decorated street, obnoxiously priced and yet very charming pubs and restaurants, a jazzy ice skating ring, crêpe counters, a real-but-fake snowman, cuddly couples, stalls serving Vin Chaud (http://bit.ly/1bo3z8O) and Louis Vuitton.

As we reached the end of the street, in front of Place de la Concorde (http://bit.ly/11CcUrM), and looked to the right, there it was glimmering in full might, the Eiffel Tower. It was just as gorgeous as the world claims it to be. I was half expecting “Michel Adams presents FTV” to pop up mid air. Delighted with our discovery, we paced towards the Eiffel.

Walking along the Seine late at night was fun. Amidst the gaping-at-the-cars and the getting acclimatized to the grandeur of the buildings, the jokes and comments never stopped coming in. And that’s the best part about traveling with friends. No matter what the situation is, you’re bound to have a good laugh! That is really what makes the journey so memorable and worth it.

As we walked, we came across a hell lot of couples, smitten by each other, completely in love. Honestly, I don’t blame them. There was something about Paris; it was almost designed for love. I don’t know whether it was the weather, the open roads, the empty spaces, the imposing structures, the river, the perfectly arched bridges or the cliché associated with it but something about the city definitely screamed, “Love!” The silly-romantic-non-MBA girl in me kind of resolved to come back here with someone special someday (no offense to my lovely friends!).

After a never-ending walk, we finally reached our destination. The Eiffel didn’t look that perfect anymore. It was just a lot of metal and lights (it does look exceptional during the day, but that was something that I learnt at a much later stage of my visit). It was a wonder of the world nonetheless, so the photo clicking session began. Meanwhile, some Indians and Bangladeshis tried selling us Eiffel Tower key chains, offering us the best of deals. They even tried to please us with their Hindi. But I couldn’t care less. I was all about France and the French that time. The language, the clothes, the mannerisms, the crêpes- all of it. Crêpes! Now I could write a novel about the Nutella strawberry ones made in front of the Eiffel. They were most definitely the BEST that I’d had all across Europe! A soft but crispy crêpe smeared generously with the godly Nutella and add pieces of the sweetest, juiciest, reddest strawberries on earth and tadaaa! You have for yourself, what I’d like to call, “An experience divine”.

The following days we celebrated New Year’s, visited the Louvre, Sacré Cœur (http://bit.ly/12hB5a0) and Notre Dame (http://bit.ly/152Rpxr) and relived our childhood in Disneyland. Paris was my second favorite city in Europe (narrowly defeated by Rome). I can go on and on about each of these experiences, whether it is the evening mass at the Notre Dame or the Tower of Terror in Disneyland. But the fact is that I’d just end up boring you with a lot of details that might seem inconsequential to you, the way I bore some of my friends who missed exchange.
Because you’d never know with what passion and enthusiasm I’m writing this, because you never felt or experienced what I experienced. And hence I’m going to be limiting these blogs only to the fun and exciting parts…

 Next stop, Amsterdam!

By Sruti Chatterjee