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A certain IRMA "ness"
An ex-IRMAn fondly ecalls the eye opening sessions at the institute

Preserving and furthering one’s identity is an age old obsession, something wired into our DNA perhaps. I pondered on this reality when someone posed this question to me recently: “How much of what you did or learn at IRMA is relevant for you now?” The query took me back to when I was doing my fieldwork in Kerala trying to understand the coconut economy of the state. That was the time a lot of changes were taking place around the world, some in the name of development. Attending classes on development created more confusion with regard to what I might be taking away from IRMA on graduating. I remember, back then, I had written an article for Network (January-March 2007 issue) in which I had mooted the idea of going beyond the self and developing a higher mode of realization. Turning the pages of the article flashes of memory started returning (you may read it at: https://goo.gl/DVyrzv).

Memories of the campus, the faces of my classmates and IRMA faculty and staff all started coming back in a flood of remembrance. My consciousness threw up images of TAU books, reflections of my Kerala fieldwork and, the greatest memory of all, getting up at midnight to check the entrance test results and waking up my mother to tell her that I was through...

And now, coming back to the original question of what I took away from IRMA. I guess my answer to this question will keep expanding with my experiences. As of now, here are a few things that I have taken with me from the ‘House that Kurien built’.

Legitimacy

IRMA has given me, and many others like me, a certain legitimacy. I say this with some sadness-mingled pride. Sadness because of the handful of top-notch institutions that one can count on one’s fingers in a country as gigantic as ours. Having worked with committed NGOs my association with IRMA seems to have validated my ideas, work, and potential. There is a sense of assuredness in all this, the institution being close to four decades old.

Engagement

One of the skills I learnt at IRMA was the art of ‘engaging’. Like my classmates I was deeply involved with issues by staying with them and understanding them. The challenges were not simply academic ones but ‘real life’ ones as well. Studying such a deep and heartfelt curriculum that IRMA offers put me into the loop of Think/Feel- Act-Reflect, for which I am ever grateful.

People

People happen to be the most defining aspect of an institution. IRMA’s unique ethos allows students to interact with people in a unique way while engaging with off-beat ideas at the same time. Steeped in such an atmosphere I learnt about team work, about putting the team ahead of individual interests. Being part of a large community comprising faculty, alumni, and one’s peers I know that I have a shoulder to lean on and that help – including sound advice – is ready at hand. All I have to do is reach out.

Memories

Memories... what would we do without them? It wouldn’t be stretching a point too far to state that human beings are a bundle of memories. The memories I collected during my two-year stint at IRMA – both good and bad – have made me the kind of person I am. Be it a brief exchange with an IRMA professor or life-changing experiences during a village field segment, my repository of memories is an educational tool that is hard to define in mere words. All I know is that they have prepared me well in terms of handling c h a l l e n g i n g situations in life.
Learning to learn
At the core of education is the art of “learning how to learn”. This is at complete variance with the concept of learning by rote or swotting facts and regurgitating them during exams. IRMA taught me how to face the challenges of life head on by introducing me to the curriculum segments like fieldwork and management traineeship reflecting real world situations.

Perspective
Last but not the least I shaped my perspective at IRMA. By ‘perspective’ I do not mean a vague and immeasurable concept but an  entity that has been endorsed and valued by the market (employers).

I wish to end by saying that every educational experience is transformational and IRMA was emotionally, socially, and cognitively transformative. In my years at IRMA I simply absorbed the air and breathed the air. It has kept me charged.

 Thank you IRMA for having given me knowledge and perspective!

By: Ashutosh Tosaria (PRM 27) Email: atosaria@gmail.com The author is Program Manager at Quest Alliance, Bangalore