The director Prof. Krishna Kumar, in his keynote address welcomed the guests and spoke about phenomenal improvements that have taken place in the institute over the last year. Commending the batch on their excellent placements, he said that they were a testimony to the industry’s belief in IIMK’s growing stature. The introduction of the doctoral programme this year is another step in the institute’s meteoric rise. The FPM course will go a long way in making IIMK a hub for quality research.

The occasion was also graced by the presence of the institute chairman, Dr. A C Muthiah who is also the chairman of SPIC. In his address, he congratulated all the graduating students and said that each one of them was extra-ordinary. While one machine, he said, can replace fifty ordinary men, no machine can replace an extra-ordinary man. With such talent around, he said, the increase in the number of foreign universities participating in the exchange program was unsurprising.

With the chairman voicing the words “By the authority given to me by the IIMK Society, I award you the PGDM and I charge that by thought, word, and deed, you prove yourself worthy of the award”, the batch of 2007 were officially declared post graduates in management

The event also saw the IIM-K Gold Medal for scholastic performance awarded to Dr. Jaidev Rajpal and the IIM-K Gold Medal for best all – round performance was jointly awarded to Gaurav Sharma and Firdaus Mantri.

Shri Hari Shankar Singhania, a Padma Bhushan awardee, addressed the graduating students and exhorted them to be the change agents of the society, stating that they have to go out and change the mindsets of the people and instill in them confidence to dream big. “Nobody gets a clean slate”, he said, asking the students not to wait for an optimum opportunity to leave their mark. Cautioning them to always stick to their values, he said that Integrity, including Intellectual Honesty was the key to reach the top. He concluded his address by praising the parents for the support that they had lent over the years and hoped that the efforts of the graduating batch were a source of pride for them.

After the ceremony, a visibly moved Jaidev thanked the faculty for their excellent guidance and motivation. Looking back on his two years here, he said, “We learn as much from our classmates as from the books”. Dr. Rajpal’s breadth of experience as a medical professional and civil servant secured him a higher designation than that offered by McKinsey & Co at other campuses.

The joint gold-medallist for all-round performance, Gaurav Sharma, said that it was hardly surprising that the excellent infrastructure and beautiful surroundings conspired to create an environment that was conducive for all-round development. In two years, he said, the institute had afforded him the opportunity to do a little of everything – sports, cultural activities and exchange programs with foreign universities.

Firdaus Mantri, who was also awarded the gold medal, said that he was just happy that his efforts were acknowledged. Firdaus, along with a few other students at IIMK, was part of a pioneering project on developing Calicut as the next IT destination of the country.