Ranbhoomi Recollections -Shobhit Pareek

I remember the last 5th of November like it was yesterday. It was like Diwali this year, a celebration had begun, a celebration called Ranbhoomi. Ranbhoomi needs no introduction. It is the hugest, most prestigious, most wanted Cricket trophy in MDI. And more often than not, it’s more than Cricket that we have on the field in this night Cricket tournament.
When you take steps towards the Imperium Greens and see the dew clad green grass standing out with lights all across the ground in the otherwise dark night, you get a sensation which is hard to articulate. Let’s say you feel like being on a stage, ready to perform with the whole of MDI watching you.
Every cheer for every run and every battering for every miss gets your pulse running. It is a kind of feeling that we have almost forgotten being at a B-School. And doubt me not, it is fun unleashed. With some teams just there for fun sake hoping “shayad hum jeet jaye” and some just there to show off like “hamare paas attached bathroom hain”, the others still have a hunger for victory, to grab hold of the Ranbhoomi rolling trophy (or maybe have an upper hand in the friendly banter before and after the matches).
Ranbhoomi is the time of the year when nights at MDI are not spent at dome, not sleeping or in front of laptops, but playing for or cheering your team. And the fun doesn’t end there. It carries on to the post-match illustrations of accomplishments in the batch e-mails and reviews of the same.
I had heard a saying somewhere which is entirely true for Ranbhoomi. “Say what you will about ravages of sports in this corporate age where overpaid athletes expect prima donna treatment, but there is still something so unifying about sporting in its purest forms when players and teams rise above themselves and touch greatness, and in doing so, unite and showcase the true character that lies underneath.”
The last edition of Ranbhoomi saw some record breaking performances, cheering, hollering, constant “wordplay”, adrenaline pumping rivalries amongst intense controversies, nail biting finishes and scores of celebrations. This year, it’s going to even more riveting and enthralling. Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. So, will you be there?

-Shobhit Pareek
PGPM 2009
Ranbhoomi 2009 Champions