Soccer unites students for a ‘common goal’
The new batch of IIMLucknow has students from 29 states. As they all come from diverse backgrounds, to help them mingle with each other and develop a team spirit, a professor hit upon a unique plan to engage them in a football match that would help them shed their reservations.
And the endeavour bore fruit, as was evident from the match played on Wednesday. In the pursuit of bringing about interesting changes, the students from south India who are not very familiar with Hindi were encouraged to play Hindi commentators for the match. A Tamilian boy Krishna Kumar tickled the funny bones of all with his innovative literary skills in Hindi. According to him, “The match helped bridge the gap between me and my batch mates.”
Most importantly, the unity and integrity of the batch was the biggest take away, explained Professor Devashish Das Gupta who was the brain behind the match. “Football and many other sports have an ability to bring students close in a short span of time. It was a fun-filled event, bringing together the students from diverse backgrounds for a common goal,” he said.
The captain of the girls’ team, Dolika Garg said, “It was fun bringing girls to the ground, warming up and strengthening the bond. Most of us were playing football for the first time and that made it all the more memorable and enjoyable! The practice sessions helped me unwind and gave me a lot of enjoyment and a host of memories to cherish.”
The star of the batch, Pratik Pednekar, who was the boys’ football team captain, brought together the players, pulling them away from the library and hostel rooms every day to the football ground to practice. “Any quiz, assignment or project did not affect those hours of practice. It was a way to laugh, shout, express and feel freely,” said Laveena Saxena.
Class representative Rahul Kamath said, “It is more of a family than just a batch to me. With the rigorous schedule and expectations from us, the soccer practice was challenging but at the same time it will be etched in our memories forever.”
IIM-Lucknow has opened the door to a new world of opportunities for everyone here. “But for us, it has been more than that. It has created a family for us far from home. The love and affection that we have shared over these days has made us stronger and more determined to excel in every task we take up ,” said another student.
The students welcomed this refreshing change and came together to enjoy the day, share the joy and love of the section and most importantly, the unity and integrity of the batch.