Well, before you know it, 4 terms are done and we are all halfway through the MBA program here at ISB. The core terms, or the first year of a normal 2 year MBA, are done and now its time for the 4 elective terms, where everyone picks subjects of their choice and specialises in one or more subjects. We had the mother of all term breaks this time, a whole 9 days long! However, true to form, it went by before you even realised it was there, and Term 5 begins tomorrow.

There were many things I wanted to blog about in these hols, but what with one thing and the other, it all got delayed, so I hope to get back to writing this term, and lets see how that goes 🙂

The term break as a whole was a great chance to unwind. I visited some places in Secundrabad for the first time as well as the Salarjung Museum which is a treat to visit. Besides the famous clock and the marble Rebecca, everything there is worth seeing at least once. The marble Rebecca is an amazing statue which leaves you wondering at the fine details etched into it.

Photo courtesy Salarjung Museum Website

The whole scope of the place and the different kinds of stuff Salarjung III collected in his lifetime is just mind boggling, especially if you factor in the number of countries he got everything from as well as the weight of some of those items. Ming pottery from China as well as customised crystal from Czechoslovakia were only among some of the things you see over there. There were delicate Japanese and Chinese porcelain, suits of Armour, swords with diamonds embedded on them, silk embroidered paintings and what not! The amazing part is that only a fraction of the whole collection is actually on display, with space being the limiting factor here.

With the elective terms coming up, we also have the exchange students coming in. The last 2-3 days had orientation as well as a city tour for the new students who have arrived on campus for the next two terms.

We went out on campus, which doesnt sound like much till you realise that the ISB campus is 260 acres, with only part of it developed and in regular use. There is a check dam which is a great spot with a couple of birds the only creatures around to break the silence. The rest of the area has never been cleared and has lots of peacocks frequently seen along the road and even in the Student Villages.
We took a couple of pics as well.

Thats Microsoft in the background…

The ‘Dam’ (Pic – Gaurav Goyal)

Bird drying its wings (Pic – Gaurav Goyal)

More Birds (Pic – Gaurav Goyal)

Some pics of the lawns and the main building:

The Atrium – Deserted in the break

Main Block at Night (Pic – Saikat Poddar)

Although I didnt capture any good pics on the walk, here are some old pics taken on campus 🙂

Peacocks taking a walk (Pic – Saikat Poddar)

Here’s Another One (Pic – Saikat Poddar)