After the last trip to IMI Delhi, let’s now make the trip towards the south of India. In the southern fringe of Karnataka, T. A. Pai Management School (TAPMI) has a campus which provides opportunities to explore many things. This top MBA school spread over 40 acres is located in the lush green environment which is just 10 minutes drive from the university town of Manipal.

According to the students, every moment is filled with some or the other activity and there are events for everyone, be it students or professors. “There are enough things to occupy oneself with at TAPMI that even 24-hour day seems insufficient,” said Anisha Gopal, a student of this prestigious MBA School. Group activities hold a very important aspect of TAPMI as the classes are divided into groups in the very beginning of the session.

All in a day’s work

The classes start at 9 am in TAPMI. The students get up at 7.30 am to grab breakfast in the mess or wake up at 8.30 am to just reach the class on time. But since punctuality is not compromised in this MBA school, the students have to reach class by 9, no matter what. “Professors are in the classrooms 5 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. Entering the class late is a strict no no!” said Ameya Manel, a student of TAPMI.

After the 70 minute classes with 10 minutes break it’s finally lunch time where students chalk out plan for the rest of the day. “Afternoon classes commence at 2:30 pm and continue till 5:00 pm in the evening after which students are expected to engage themselves in small groups and do assignments given in the class. The group usually has a faculty advisor who guides the students in their work,” said Appachoo, another student.

Evenings can be spent by students the way they want. Sports lover or health conscious ones generally hit the gym or go for a game of cricket, table tennis, carom and badminton. Others just discuss various issues over a cup of tea or coffee in the cafeteria with their peers.

“There is a lot of discussion over dinner. This is the time when everyone is most relaxed. I take my own time, until the SMS on my mobile reads that we must quickly complete the presentation,” said Manel while talking about the post dinner activities in TAPMI. In the mean time the various committee members of TAPMI discuss the events and rush hostel by 1 am till its time for the hostel gates to close. “All these events are wholly organized and managed by students themselves, each member having to play a particular role. It is usual to have committee meetings sometimes on a daily basis,” Manel mentioned.

Hangout zones of TAPMI

Apart from being in the hostel and classrooms students need a space of their own where they can unwind themselves and catch-up with some leisure moments. The hangout zones are christened by the students themselves. According to Anisha Gopal, another student of the MBA School, TAPMI Greens is the coolest hangout zone. “TAPMI Greens, which is the lawn between the Academic Block and the Knowledge Centre is where team/committee/group meeting happen, friends unwind, birthdays are celebrated and one spends those rare introspective moments in solitude,” Gopal described.

Another hot spot of the MBA School campus is TAPMI Well. The students cautioned not to get confused with a water well! “The name is due to the well like shape with steps where you can actually sit. It is a place where you find a lot of the junta sitting and sipping their cup of tea or filter coffee,” Rahul Koshy George, another student elucidated. “Then there is the ‘T-square’ (short for TAPMI –square) which is an open square block in the center of the Academic block and is a venue for quite a few events,” Gopal said.

Apart from these main hangout zones, there are some favorite spots outside the campus also. “Outside TAPMI Campus, there is an abundance of hangout places in and around Manipal, discovered by and dear to the batches who have spent some part of their TAPMI life in the old campus,” Gopal said. The play ground, gym and Gopi Anna’s canteen also account for important hangout zones of the students in TAPMI.

Hostel Life

According to the students, the infrastructure of the hostels is what makes their lives comfortable in the campus. In the first year, the students stay in twin sharing rooms and later in the second year, they enjoy their freedom in the individual rooms along with attached bathroom. “The student always has a comfortable personalized space to return to after the tiring day at college. The rooms are provided with all basic amenities like furniture, etc. LAN connection along with internet access is available in each room,” said Prateek Swarup of TAPMI. “All hostel blocks have been designed such that they enjoy direct sunlight for at least half of the day,” emphasized Manan Bhati of TAPMI.

The hostel can also boast of various amenities provided to the students to make their hectic lifestyle easier. “Every floor has a common room and one TV room which are rarely used considering the busyness at TAPMI. There are adequate provisions for laundry and lift for those tired feet. In the second year itself, guest rooms are available for visiting family members,” mentioned Gopal. “All the desired facilities like regular cleaning by a dedicated workforce, first-aid and network printers, etc. are available to ensure the comfort and well-being of resident students,” Bhati added.

George feels that it is the bond between the seniors and the juniors that make the stay in TAPMI so comfortable. “Your seniors become your friends, agony uncle/aunt and your personal mentors. All of this bond building happens mostly at the hostel,” he said.

Events to Look Forward

The best event of TAPMI as voted by the TAPMIans is Episode. “It is a weeklong intra collegiate cultural fest held within two weeks of joining of the new batch and is aimed at increasing the interaction within the batch and between their seniors,” explained Gopal. “It is an event which brings the juniors and seniors together in five teams, all competing to win EPISODE across a plethora of events,” Rohit Shanbhag, another student of the MBA School said.

Brandscan is a market research fair conducted by TAPMI students wherein they carry out research work for projects given by companies across sectors targeting the diverse consumer profile of the residents of Manipal.

Atharva is the intercollegiate fest organized by the MBA School. “Students across MBA Schools visit our campus and participate in numerous events and competitions like Business Plan presentations, Finance games, Young Business Leader, etc.” mentioned Vivek Didwania, a second year PGP (Finance) student.

Apart from these main events, the various committees of the MBA School organizes many other events throughout the year such as “Goonj (inter section music competition), Speed (inter section sports competition), Dioysnia (inter section Drama competition).  The other days in our calendar is booked by the various committees at TAPMI organizing Sur (musical night), Chuppa Rustum (fun-filled musical event), Defi (B-Plan competition), Advantage (Ad-making competition), dance workshops, Go Green drives,” listed Gopal.

For the TAPMI aspirants

“The only prior preparation that an aspirant needs to take prior to joining TAPMI is being prepared for two years of break neck pace where fun and learning integrate seamlessly,” said Shubhayu Roy, another TAPMI student. “The culture at TAPMI ensures that an individual is honed across various parameters and enables him to become street smart besides being the master of the boardroom. The campus offers the right mix that ‘Satisfies All the Senses” emphasized Didwania.