ZEITGEIST ’05 October 28, 2005, IMT Campus, Mouza Dorli, Nagpur

The Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur, recently concluded its first ever national event. Titled ‘Zeitgeist’, meaning the spirit of the times, the two day event was a fun filled one, with an exciting mix of cultural and business-academic related activities. The theme to this year’s event was ‘The Significance of the Bottom of the Pyramid’, inspired from the much acclaimed book by Dr. C.K. Prahlad ‘Fortune at the Bottom of Pyramid’. The individual at the bottom of pyramid being the latest challenge for capitalism, Prahlad advocates the birth of a new thought, the birth of Inclusive Capitalism ; and keeping in mind the spirit of our times, IMT-Nagpur launched an endeavor to understand the significance of Bottom of Pyramid (BoP) for Corporate India.

The BoP theme ran through all the activities and competitions that were held during the course of the event.
Everything from the ‘Biz Quiz’ – a business quiz competition, compered by the dashing Parnab Mukherjee, to the ‘Venture Capitalist Plan’ and the ‘Paper Writing Competiton’ – events where students of various b-schools presented business plans and papers to be evaluated and judged by eminent members of the corporate as well as academic fraternity was about how to get to that elusive fortune at the bottom of the pyramid. There were numerous Seminars and Thought Symposiums, as well as lectures by eminent faculty from b schools from all over the country, about various issues in keeping with the theme (BoP). Thought provoking sessions attended by luminaries like Cyrus Gonda (Vice – Principal, National Institute of Event Management and member, BMA ) Mr. C.K. Taneja, Dr. B.S. Sahai, (Director, IMT Ghaziabad), among others, and conducted by the zippy Parnab Mukherjee made for inspired discussions and deliberations about the topics.

Apart from academics, activities like the ‘Haat’ provided the perfect platform for students of business management to put into practice whatever they had learnt in class thus far. The haat consisted of a real marketplace set up on the IMT campus itself, and people from the neighboring villages of Katol, Mouza Dorli, and Kalmeshwar were the customers. Teams were given the challenge of marketing and selling their wares (supplied by the organizers) to the villagers – the individuals at the bottom of the pyramid. Mitali Bhattacharya, Shradda Jalan, and Saurabh Singh – all students of IMT Nagpur – took away the honors (marketshare and sales, to use business jargon), despite stiff competition from students from FMS Delhi, SCMHRD Pune, NIAM Jaipur, ICFAI Jaipur , IMT Ghaziabad and other schools.

The highlights of the days, however, were the cultural event and the Channel [V] nite. Channel [V] VJ Sarah – Jane, and Channel [V] Super Singer Ravinder Upadhyay entertained and enthralled the audience with their melodious voice, and endless enthusiasm. Sponsored by TVS Tyres, ICICI bank, Provogue and Coca Cola, the cultural event showcased the talents of students from all over the country. Dance, drama, music and mimicry were the order of the day, with Ankit Malhotra from (IMT Nagpur), Shikha Nigam (ICFAI Jaipur), and many others, stealing the show, the spectators` hearts and most of the prizes (sponsored by Eagle Shoes). All in all, Zeitgeist `05 was a smashing success.