The excitement of starting my virtual life at FMS BHU Varanasi -By Joydeep Paul

I still remember the day I received an email regarding my induction program at FMS BHU, Varanasi. It was overwhelming to see the words, “IM-BHU welcomes you to the induction programme for the batch of 2020-22, commencing from 25th Aug, 10 AM”. It was attached with a Google Meet link, indicating that the entire program will be conducted virtually. 

The day I waited for the most finally came. Even though it was raining outside, a sudden pour of excitement drowned me with happiness once I opened the link. In spite of being surrounded in the ambiance of a lockdown, I felt a moment of ‘unlock’ within myself, as I was about to begin my new life at FMS BHU with a simple push of a button. 

The ‘new-normal’ induction event

As soon as I opened the Google Meet link, some new faces popped up, especially of students with whom I would be spending my life at FMS BHU. In order to save myself from any embarrassments, I quickly adjusted my hair and turned off my speaker to seem more presentable. 

The event finally began with FMS BHU’s Dean extending a virtual welcome to all of us present. The entire event was moderated by one of our professors, who later on introduced us to our first guest for the day. It was Indusind Bank’s Vice President, who spoke about the importance of an MBA degree, and what we should look forward to under this program. 

This was followed by a panel of guests who increased our excitement towards starting our life at FMS BHU. The guests included Federal Bank’s CFO and Executive Director, and a Marketing Strategist from IBM. All of the guests were well-versed on educating the new batch about the different fields they came from, and what advice they had for us if we were interested in walking along a similar career path. 

The program finally came to an end with a short cultural event put up by our seniors, who successfully managed to perform everything live from their laptop screens. The program was quite colourful in introducing us to our new life at FMS BHU, with several adjustments made to adapt to the new normal. 

Building bonds with peers and professors

It is definitely a huge task for peers and professors to socialise over an online platform like Google Meets, but with a few ice-breaker games, we quickly became comfortable with one another. One of the most memorable games we played was ‘First Impressions’. 

The interesting part was that such games involved our professors as well, which helped us get acquainted with them. We were hesitant at first but mustered up the courage to talk about our professors. To our surprise, they appreciated our first impressions of them! Such an interactive session was successful in drawing a smile on the faces of everyone who attended. 

Another way we built bonds with our batchmates was through group assignments. Right after the induction program ended, we were added to our respective WhatsApp class groups to help us get adjusted to our new life at FMS BHU. One of these groups included a link to a quiz competition and mentioned that participation was mandatory. The twist was that in order to participate, we had to make groups of 5. 

Initially, I felt anxious to approach my batchmates and build a team. But once the hard part was over, we participated in the quiz and thoroughly enjoyed it together. Such activity was not only educational in nature, but pushed us to go beyond our comfort zone and team up with people we have never met before. It taught me how to effectively build a team, and not be hesitant when it comes to choosing members. The lessons I learnt from this group task will definitely help me during my life at FMS BHU!