I have recently started a new teaching assignment, with the Institute of Product Leadership. I am teaching Digital Marketing to students in the first year of their Full Time MBA Course in Applied Data Science and Technology Management.
The classes are conducted in the campus of MITADT at Loni, Pune. MIT is a well know engineering college. I am familiar with and have visited their campus at Kothrud in South West Pune during my time studying at the Government College of Engineering (COEP), Pune. But this was a new campus for me. In fact, it was the first time I was visiting Loni, about 15 kms to the East of Pune, on the road to Solapur.
I was staying at a hotel in Mundhwa, or Koregaon Park Annexe. This is right in the heart of the city. And it had its advantage in that there were good street food options a couple of minutes walk from the hotel. I did not want to travel to Pune and not try the local street food and was delighted that I could indulge in this conveniently.
The commute to Loni took around 40 minutes one way. The campus is a pleasant one. Not very large, but with imposing buildings, dominated by the towering World Peace Dome. As with most educational campuses, it had well maintained lawns and numerous trees. The classrooms on the other hand, though, were relatively small and very school-like in its feel. Having said that, it did have its benefits of being more intimate, leading to a greater degree of interactivity than in larger rooms.
One of the enjoyable moments for me occurred while I was taking a post-lunch stroll in the campus. The Mula-Mutha river forms the northern boundary of the campus, while immediately outside the main entrance to the South runs the main Mumbai – Solapur railway line. One frequently hears the passage of trains anywhere in the campus. This reminded me of my own engineering college, which, though located nearly twenty kilometres to the West in the heart of Pune city, had the exact same geographical layout, bordered by the river to the North and the railway line to the South.
I enjoyed teaching the course and look forward to subsequent visits.
Sanjay Varma 