• Two Global Personalities, Sam Pitroda and Gurcharan Das, visit IIM Indore

• SIMC Pune, Bangalore ‘FOOTPRINTS’ are greener this year with the theme ‘Go Green!’

• THE AWE-SAMPARK 2009 at DoMS, IIT Madras

• Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida, witnesses Rajasthani Cultural Musical Evening

Two Global Personalities, Sam Pitroda and Gurcharan Das, visit IIM Indore

Sam Pitroda and Gurcharan Das gave an insightful lecture to the students of IIM Indore (IIM I) on Saturday, November 7, 2009.

Sam Pitroda, CEO, World-Tel Ltd., known by many as the man behind the Telecom revolution in India spoke to the gathering about his journey through life and how he redefined himself at various points of time. Born into a Gujarati family settled in Orissa in 1942, Sam’s life is extraordinary to say the least. From Orissa to Gujarat to Chicago to Delhi, his life is an epitome of experiment, risk and dedication. A very energetic individual, Pitroda, spoke of the days when some of his life’s biggest choices revolved around his decision and commitment to marry the girl of his life.

Pitroda completed his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago and soon after founded Wescom Switching which was later sold to Rockwell International, where Sam was appointed VP. He explained how in 1980 a chance visit to Delhi prompted him to ‘fix’ the Indian Telecom scenario. In 1984, armed with the support of the Indian Government, Sam set out to transform Indian Telecommunication. Working out of a Hotel in Delhi, he and his team were able to make significant achievements in a short span of three years. It was during this period that he shifted back to India with his wife. However soon after, the electoral loss of Rajiv Gandhi and subsequent politics forced Pitroda to go back to the US for a short span where he rebuilt his life.

On returning to India, Sam became an active member of The Knowledge Commission. He emphasized on the importance of Education for India and the need to invest in it heavily. Sam spoke at length about the changes which technology has brought about to the world and how it shall continue to do the same in the future. He also reiterated the necessity for the creation of a new model of Economic Development, to sustain the growing aspirations of the world’s population. On being questioned on the future of Communication in India, Pitroda said, “I believe Voice will be free in the future. The true future of Communication lies in Data and Applications”.

Gurcharan Das, Author, Columnist for Times of India and ex-CEO, P&G;, spoke to the audience about his recent book release ‘The Difficulty of Being Good’ (2009). He opened the talk by stating two qualities always seen in great managers: Determination and Humility. He explained that humility is required to be able to work for a company and not for personal reward and also to be able to work in a team. Das also pointed out that there is a thin line between self interest and selfishness. According to him, India has been able to grow at the second fastest pace worldwide despite its government which was morally flawed in various ways. It was after completing his book ‘India Unbound’ that he became highly depressed and turned to the Mahabharata which he felt contained the essence of ‘moral reasoning’

‘The Difficulty of Being Good’ speaks about a person’s search for Dharma, a word which has varying meanings to different individuals. Das took instances from the Mahabharata and explained the reason to be good. He spoke about status anxiety, “All of us want to be somebody. Our own self-esteem is held hostage by others”. He also spoke about the most destructive element of envy, “If my neighbor succeeds, I’ll decline”.

SIMC’s FOOTPRINTS are greener this year with the theme ‘Go Green!’

Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC), Bangalore and Pune has embarked on its annual series of media seminars, FOOTPRINTS ’09. As a day-long seminar comprising of talks, interactions and awards to young achievers, it is an enriching experience for all Media savvy people. From stimulating discussions on ‘The Green Battle’ and media related issues to interactive quizzes and contests with attractive prizes, FOOTPRINTS 09 is sure to quench the thirst of all the media aspirants and enthusiasts.

FOOTPRINTS is organized by the junior media trainees of SIMC who manage and conduct the event in 23 different cities across the country and at international cities like Dubai. The Indian media industry has evolved over the years and is rapidly expanding and innovating its ideas and ventures. FOOTPRINTS is an endeavor that allows students and aspiring media professionals to explore these opportunities.

For the last 10 years, FOOTPRINTS has proved to be a congregation of visionaries and distinguished faces in the media, as they deliberate over crucial and topical issues of concern and inquiry. It attracts hundreds of educated young youth from all across the nation.

This year so far eight from an entire series of twenty three have been successfully conducted across various cities. Some of the eminent personalities who came down to share their views and insights with the participants at Footprints this year are Uttarakhand’s Honorable Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Rahul Dev (CEO, CNEB channel), Annapurna Vancheshwaran (Director TERI), Vinay Tiwari (Managing Editor, CNN IBN), Karl Gomes (Creative Director, Rediffusion YR), Ashwini Singla (CEO, Genesis Burson-Marsteller), Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna (Environmentalist) and many other prominent names. With a mix of artists, environmentalists and media stalwarts, SIMC Footprints 09 is ‘the’ venue for all those who aspire to be media professionals.

With the Go Green theme, SIMC is trying to percolate environment consciousness in youth’s minds. To bridge the gap between communication and social responsibilities NGO communication exhibition is also conducted during the event, where NGOs from various sectors showcase their work. NGOs like Greenpeace, Happy Hands and the likes have participated in the events conducted so far.

Every year SIMC through Footprints honours Young Communicators, who have contributed to the field of media and communication in a significant manner at a relatively young age. Vrinda Batra, a 13 year old girl who has entered her name as one of the youngest novelist of India for her book ‘Wings, Water and Shadows’, Benny Dayal, famous for his hit numbers ‘taxi’ and ‘massakali’. From a chorus singer for the song Balleilakka in ‘Sivaji’, Benny is making a splash in Bollywood as well with his songs, ‘Pappu cant dance’, ‘Nazrein Milana’ and ‘Kaise Mujhe’. RJ Jia, from BIG 92.7 FM, who recently went on air for three days and three nights (non-stop) on her RJ marathon, RJ Abhish an evening drive time radio jockey for HIT 95 FM, also a professional stand-up comedian, are amongst some of the awardees this year.

THE AWE-SAMPARK 2009

Sampark-the first Business Conclave was organized by the Department of Management Studies (DoMS), IIT Madras . The theme for the event was ‘Innovation’ and the highlight of the event was the eminent speakers who came from diverse backgrounds but bonded by the common thread-‘Innovation’.

The session began with the keynote address by Naveen Kulkarni, Director (Business Development) – Philips Research Asia. He described how the anatomy of ‘entrepreneurship’ works with knowledge in the brain, passion in the heart and fire in the belly and then moved on to share what they do differently in Philips. The second speaker was Rajaram Venkataraman, Principal Innovation Architect – Infosys Technologies Ltd. He set the tempo for the day with his opening words- ‘Innovate or Die’. He started off with some startling statistics regarding the decline of some major companies which substantiated his earlier words. He then moved on to discuss more about ‘Process Innovation and the role of IT’.

The post lunch saw the most interactive session with the highly energetic CEO of Consim Info (BharatMatrimony Group), Murugavel Janakiraman. He emphasized on the importance of ‘incremental innovation’ for sustainable success in this competitive and demanding business scenario. He ended his speech with “Do not wait for any breakthrough idea for innovation. Your passion can create and drive innovation”. The stage was set for Dr Ravinder David Koilpillai who is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras to take the session forward. He spoke about ‘Technology Evolution and Innovation-A Telecom Perspective’. The session was followed by that of N.K Subramaniyam, Executive Director, Saksoft Limited. He introduced the topic ‘Business Intelligence and Innovation’.

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida witnesses Rajasthani Cultural Musical Evening

Jaipuriya Institute of Management, (JIM), Noida organized musical concert in association with SPIC MACAY, Rajasthani Folk by Ustaad Rahmat Khan Langa, on its Alumni Meet

JIM Noida conducted Alumni Meet program at its Noida campus on November 7, 2009. The theme of the event was ‘Past meets the future’ commenced with lightening the lamp by JD Singh, Director Jaipuria Institute of management, Noida. On this special day, A Rajasthani musical concert was organized in association with SPIC MACAY. The concert was honored by Rajasthani Folk Ustaad Rahmat Khan Langa, recipient of Rajiv Gandhi Award. The glittering musical evening was followed by Institute Alumni Meet. All students and their family participated in this unforgettable evening and were delighted to listen Ustaad Langa. The Alumni meet function also included cultural activities and debate between former and new students. The cultural musical program, where Ustaad Langa sang a song for welcoming audiences, was highly appreciated.