An experience of a Life Time

“A shy, twenty three year old male, a fresh MBA and a lecturer in a women’s MBA college with an experience of three months!!”—this is how I’d have been introduced two year back. As a student, I’d have hardly interacted with my female classmates, but as luck would have it for me, my first job came in the form of lectureship in a women’s college whereby most of the students were just six-month to one-year older to me!

And then one day, as a class teacher of the junior batch, I had to lead some sixty odd girls for an industrial visit! Although, it was a typical industrial visit that is generally held by all MBA colleges, what made it unique was the formation of people. I had to lead sixty students and I was accompanied by a fellow-lady lecturer who was also just twenty five year old. So, in short, it was a big responsibility on my young shoulders to ensure the girls reach back home safe.

Our college was located in the smallest and remote district of Gujarat-AMRELI. Our visit included going to Zydus Phrama, Ahmedabad and from there we had to go to visit a Coca-Cola plant at Goblej [Dist. Kheda]. Amongst some very tough constraints, the most difficult one I had to face was that the college management did not allow the night stay at all! So, the plan was like this: we’d leave from Amreli by 12.00 am and would try to reach Zydus by early morning-Ahmedabad was nearly 300 km from Amreli. There, we’d spend the time upto 12.00 pm and then after taking the lunch, we’d go to Coca-Cola, which was just 50 km from Ahmedabad. And we’d leave from there around 7.00 Pm in evening and would be back in Amreli by 12.00 am on the next day! It was really an ambitious plan for sure.

Our journey started on a brilliant node-with all the girls chanting “Durga Mat Ki Jay!”. Being only the male member in the bus, I was supposed to sit along with driver! The college management did not want me to step in the main cabin of the bus. I did the same. I was very much conscious of those few hours- from 12.00 am to 6 am as we were on a lonely highway and if anything went wrong, the responsibility would directly fall on my shoulders!

The girls were enjoying though, dancing, singing, and playing games and so on. Many of them continually talked to their parents from mobile phone, as the mobiles were not allowed in the girls’ hostel of the campus.

We took a break around 3.00 am on highway. Everyone took her own time to come to bus-some went for refreshments/tea, some found STD booth so they called up their parents as if talking on the mobile were not enough. We started back our journey by 3.45 almost. One girl became unconscious too! But, it was just the stress and she was ok within a few minutes, but it did increase my BP “once again”. The CR of the class was a powerful girl and she took the responsibility of counting the number of girls in the bus—I wasn’t able to do it as I was not allowed to go in the main cabin of the bus!

We safely landed at Zydus and things were waiting to happen here! As we reach Zydus, my fellow-colleague lecturer started feeling bad-her health was not OK. So, she left for doing the rest! And as she was not to return for next three hours, now I had to lead the girls through the plants of Zydus. Of course, the company was very courteous so one of their officers was continuously accompanying us. As we went through the plant, the scientists of the R&D had a “strange-cum-jealous” look towards me [at least that’s what I perceive!] as they would have wondered if I were one more “Kanuda!!” And, I was feeling pretty fatigue too due to the tough journey and mental stress. But, somehow, I managed to survive by taking a paracetamol pill!

We reached Coca-Cola plant by 4.00 PM. After the good visit to plant, we were offered refreshments and “UNLIMITED” access to all the soft-drink brands [By Coke only, of course!] by them! And, oh my god! I was astonished to see a few of my students to have drunk three bottles [each of 500 ml] within one hour or even less as if they were drinking the soft drinks for the last time in life or as if it were a completely a new drink they have never tested before!

As we finished refreshment by 6.00 PM almost, now it was time to move back to Amreli which was some seven hours away from the plant. The girls, not all, only a few of them “DARED”[Because I had created an impression of a tough teacher] to demand that they would like to go to Amdavad to visit a multiplex theater for fun! My college rules didn’t allow this as it was purely an academic visit. Well, my answer was obviously NO!! and we started our journey back to Amreli. Even my fellow colleague, accompanying us, had a soft corner for girls as she also told me if it could be possible to bring the students to Amdavad.

And here it was Amreli!!! WE WERE BACK HOME AT 12.00 AM NEXT DAY, JUST WITHIN 24 HOURS. !!! I HAD COMPLETED A MISSION OF A LIFE TIME!!!