Week-40 here refers to the week of January 19, 2026 to January 25, 2026. This week was shaped far more by what happened outside the classroom than within it. Although IIM Ahmedabad is known for its relentless academic rigor and rarely lets that intensity slip, this time felt like a deliberate departure from the norm. The usual pressure took a brief step back, making room for experiences that extended beyond classrooms and coursework. It was an unexpected shift, but a welcome one, offering a reminder that the IIM Ahmedabad journey is as much about the moments lived outside lectures as it is about those spent inside them.

Monday and Tuesday began on a rather iconic note, with both sections attending classes in the legendary CR-03 and CR-04 of the Old Campus at IIM Ahmedabad. For context, these classrooms sit right inside the hallowed Louis Kahn Plaza, and for additional context, they come with a healthy mix of falling masonry anxiety, twentieth-century ventilation, and bricks that have seen more history than most of us ever will.

The classes themselves were almost incidental; the real protagonist was the classroom. You could practically smell the nostalgia in the air: the kind soaked into wooden chairs that have supported generations of students who once sat exactly where we did, carrying the same wide-eyed dreams, ambitions, and quiet anxieties. Many of them went on to build remarkable lives with little more than grit, resilience, and the IIMA name backing them.

Sure, there were complaints about the lack of oxygen, the suspicious presence of mould, and the general feeling that the room might collapse if someone sneezed too hard. But those minor inconveniences faded quickly in the face of the legacy embedded into every brick and beam. Being there felt less like attending a class and more like borrowing a moment from history.

And what better way to wrap up sessions in such an iconic setting than with something equally legendary? Jalebi-fafda, of course. Because if you are going to soak in decades of aspiration and ambition, you might as well do it with sugar, gram flour, and absolute cultural correctness.

While much of this week’s memory is anchored in the classroom setting and the nostalgia it evokes, I also want to pause and make space to thank and wish well Professor Asha Kaul (LinkedIn), who retired on January 13, 2026, after spending more than a decade at the institute. Holding classes in CR-03 and CR-04 felt like a fitting and symbolic farewell to a professor who has given so much to IIM Ahmedabad and to generations of students. Those familiar classrooms, steeped in history and quiet reverence, provided the perfect backdrop to acknowledge her contributions, her presence, and the lasting impact she leaves behind on the institute and its community.

Wednesday came packaged as an industrial visit to Flipkart’s warehouse and fulfilment centre. What was initially pitched as a relaxed, almost picnic-like outing for a bunch of almost-30-year-old whatnots very quickly transformed into a masterclass in awe and uncontrolled perspiration.

The awe was inevitable. The sheer scale of operations, the meticulous structuring of space, and the clockwork precision with which millions of tiny decisions come together to ensure that an order reaches your doorstep exactly when promised was nothing short of mind-bending. Watching the choreography of human capital and technology working in tandem, every scan, sort, and movement optimized to the last second, gave a whole new meaning to the phrase last-mile delivery. It made you realise that the single click you make at the checkout page triggers an operation that resembles controlled chaos, executed with frightening efficiency.

Then came the perspiration. Just as we wrapped up, ready to return in comfort and air-conditioned bliss, the AC in our bus decided it had had enough of corporate life and resigned on the spot. What followed was a 50+ kilometre ride through peak Gujarati heat, inside what felt less like a bus and more like a sealed cylindrical furnace being heated uniformly from all sides. Sweat, silence, and mild existential dread filled the air as we collectively questioned our life choices.

Why do I mention this very specific incident? Because years from now, when someone asks me what I remember most vividly from my visit to Flipkart, the cutting-edge logistics, the operational brilliance, or the fulfillment algorithms, I already know my answer. And no amount of case studies will convince me otherwise.

The highlight of the week arrived on Saturday, when I found myself lining up for IIM Ahmedabad’s marathon. By every logical measure, a rookie runner like me should have signed up for the 5K, finished it in decent time, collected the medal, and gone home feeling accomplished. Instead, some unidentified bug, equal parts confidence, poor judgment, and misplaced optimism, made sure I registered for the 10K and actually showed up on race day.

This was my first-ever 10K at IIM Ahmedabad, and naturally, it came after a week in which I had managed exactly zero minutes of practice. Yet, every 2.5K I pushed through felt like a small personal victory. With each marker crossed, a part of my soul quietly celebrated the fact that perseverance and sheer stubbornness were carrying me farther than I thought possible. And then came the finish line. The moment I crossed the 10K mark, my soul was floating somewhere in a state of limitless joy, while my muscles staged a full-blown rebellion, complete with cramps, spasms, and a very loud protest against all my life choices.

Despite the cramps, spasms, and the not-so-gentle reminders from my muscles, the 10K marathon has firmly secured its place as one of my most cherished memories at IIM Ahmedabad. And as if the universe wanted to keep me grounded, the euphoria was immediately followed by a mad rush back to campus to make it just in time for the 08.45 AM class, because at IIM Ahmedabad, even personal triumphs politely step aside for punctuality.

On a close friend’s insistence, I should also add a small but apparently very important detail: I ran the 10K marathon after working on my assignments until 04.00 AM the previous night. Yes, this effectively translates to zero rest and zero sleep before the run. I am still unsure what exactly she hoped to achieve by making me publicly document this questionable life choice, but since it mattered greatly to her that this fact be recorded for posterity, here it is: now officially part of the blog and my ever-growing list of poor decisions at IIM Ahmedabad.

What was meant to become an even more cherished memory was the 21K cyclothon I had planned to attend with a dear friend. I had even extracted a solemn promise from her: one that involved waking up at an ungodly 05.00 AM, braving the chilly morning air, and travelling five kilometres in an autorickshaw, all in the name of fitness and adoration. Only upon reaching the venue did we realise the cruel twist in the tale: there were no bicycles to borrow or rent. None.

While lashing out at the organisers achieved absolutely nothing, the पुदीने की चाय we sipped on our way back to campus did manage to soften the blow of what had now become a spectacular waste of a perfectly good Sunday morning. I made my peace with the situation in the only way IIM Ahmedabad allows, by compensating for it later in the day by missing one scheduled class. After all, the institute makes it very clear that it does not discriminate between weekdays and weekends when it comes to academics, so a small act of rebellion felt oddly justified.

Sunday evening came with its own dose of delight, as a large part of the Placement Committee decided to wander through the narrow lanes of Old Ahmedabad for dinner at the famed Manek Chowk. While I still hold the opinion that Chandni Chowk offers a more rustic, nostalgic charm, and perhaps even better food, Manek Chowk more than held its own. The energy was infectious, the chaos was comforting in its own way, and the dinner itself was nothing short of mind-blowing, making it a fitting end to an already eventful weekend.

This week was a gentle reminder that life at IIM Ahmedabad extends far beyond classrooms, cases, and cold calls. It exists in shared meals, long walks across familiar corridors, spontaneous plans, and moments that make the exhaustion feel worth it. And yet, in true IIMA fashion, the institute also reminded us that the idea of a weekend is more of a philosophical concept than a practical one, especially when Sunday evenings come pre-booked with classes. Still, somewhere between the deadlines and the lectures, these pockets of life are what make the experience whole, memorable, and deeply human.