Students can visit the stalls to inquire about the cut offs, placements, faculty, fees etc at various B-schools. Speakers and faculty members from the institutes conduct presentations on different areas of management such as finance, marketing, human resources, and other topics such as emerging trends in the corporate world, life at a B school, life in the corporate world, entrepreneurship and GD-PI criteria.
aWhite Knighta, the flagship event of the fest is a social business plan competition based on the theme of agriculture. aLock, STOCK & Barrela, an online stock trading game organized in coordination with www.khelostocks.com will run for two weeks and has seen participation from more than 800 students.
Other events include aBeat the Marketa, an online business simulation game developed and organized in partnership with Gold Simulations; aLabyrintha, the online treasure hunt; aPWC a Consulentia, aCognizant a C-Strata, and various cultural events. The fest will conclude with 'Pro-Show', a performance by a rock/pop band.
Other events include aBeat the Marketa, an online business simulation game developed and organized in partnership with Gold Simulations; aLabyrintha, the online treasure hunt; aPWC a Consulentia, aCognizant a C-Strata, and various cultural events. The fest will conclude with 'Pro-Show', a performance by a rock/pop band.
For more information, please visit http://iimkbackwaters.com
The theme for Nirvaan 09 is aClean Goes Greena with a special emphasis on clean technology. Abhiyan is providing a platform for start-ups to showcase themselves and secure funding. All participating entries will get an opportunity to connect with IIM-L Advisory Board based on their merit and nature of business. All finalists of the Start-up showcase event will qualify to participate in Start-up Exhibition. Exhibition provides start-ups an in-campus promotion stall.
The event would be conducted in two stages:
Stage 1: Submission of Executive Summary & Team Registration
Stage 2: Presentations
The event would be conducted in two stages:
Stage 1: Submission of Executive Summary & Team Registration
Stage 2: Presentations
Following speakers and judges will participate in Nirvaan 09:
1. Yashish Dahiya, CEO, PolicyBazaar
2. Avaneesh Nirjar, Chief Operating Officer, PolicyBazaar
3. Pankaj Agarwal, Founder, SRMCEM
4. Rahul Patwardhan, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, IndiaCo
5. Arun Chandrachud, President a Advisory Group, IndiaCo
6. Sarbvir Singh, Managing Director, Capital18
7. Krishna Kumar, Group Editor, DARE
8. Prof Abhishek Nirjar, IIM Lucknow
9. Prof Mohammad Akbar, IIM Lucknow
10. Prof Sushil Kumar, IIM Lucknow
11. Rashmi Bansal, Founder-Editor of Youth Magazine JAM and author of aStay Hungry Stay Foolisha
12. Gaurav Saraf, Director, Epiphany Ventures
13. Ashutosh Pandey, Head- Carbon Advisory Business, Emergent Ventures
14. Vinaya Bansal, Head - CDM Business Development, Emergent Ventures
15. Shradha Sharma, Founder, YourStory.in
Students of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) as part of their two year MBA course experience three internships in the development sector. The first of these is conducted after the first trimester of studies and takes place in a village. Amit Goel, a first year student at the institute spent his first internship in Dandkala a a border village in Rajasthan. He recounts the unique experience that the 50 day internship stint at the village was for him and the deep impact that work in the village left on his perspective as a future entrant in the development sector.
I was born and brought up in Delhi and barring two short visits to villages as part of preliminary orientation programmes conducted by IRMA, had never visited a village. I had also never visited Rajasthan in the past and hence was suitably excited about this visit to the state. Our bus crossed the city of Bikaner, drove towards the village and we were catapulted into an entirely different world. Dandkala is a multi caste village with Rajputs, Jaats and Nai staying in different hamlets of the village which is situated 50 kilometres from Indiaas western border. Pakistan refugees who settled on this side of the border after the 1971 Indo-Pak war started Dandkala in this desert district.
The village topography consists of undulating plains blended with shifting sand hills, the slopes of which are lightly furrowed by the windas action. There are no rivulets or streams and the panorama it presents is that of an expanse of sand intermittently broken by sand features and a few habitations. The literacy level in the village is very low at around 40 percent. In the beginning of 2008, primary school had been upgraded from class five to class eight. The school was established in the year 1992. The inhabitants build their own houses using locally available materials like grass, wood, shrubs, mud bricks that are unfired and plastered with a mixture of mud and cow dung.
The climate and the terrain make it one of the most inhospitable areas in the world. The temperature in the area varies widely. It may come down to the level of 5AC during night time in the winter season and go up as high as 45 - 48AC during the summer. However it is the people - The Pak Visthapits, who provide an all pervading aura of uniqueness to this village.
I was quite shocked on discovering that the village had no electricity, roads, muddy water and toilets. The first thought which crossed my mind after I had recovered from this jolt was: the next 50 days would be challenging. I thanked the Almighty for leading me to such a village; a near replica of the village which I had dreamt of on so many occasions. Life would undoubtedly be tough. However, it would also be full of opportunities for me to display potential that I knew I possessed in abundance. On completion of my fieldwork and by virtue of my small but sincere and dedicated efforts, I wished to leave the village as a better place to inhabit. I also desired that my association with the host organization and village continue even after the conclusion of this assignment.
I learnt basic activities such as cooking and washing clothes. I realised the importance of resources like water. The ability to work in an organization, manage time and money, observe and then analyze, look into the root cause of a problem by imagining oneself to be in the other personas place and devise practical solutions were all skills that I imbibed in the environs of this village. Most importantly, I learnt that with power comes responsibility and so words must truly be chosen carefully.
Dandkala is a major centre for the income generating activity of the URMUL Trust - an NGO operating in the village. Women here are renowned for the exquisite embroidery that they practise. The earnings from this activity form a major source of income for the families where women do Kashida embroidery. Income from this has proved to be an alternate and regular source of income for the artisans of Dandkala. Women can, on an average, earn the sizable amount of Rs 2,000 per month. It increases the self-confidence of the women, providing them with an opportunity of becoming primary bread winners and hence dictate terms.
The villagers were friendly and helpful, not wary of us. Interestingly, they evidenced a very good understanding of caste and class issues and, mainly due to ideological leanings, exhibited a significant level of political consciousness in terms of party politics. They did emphasize on the skills needed for managing the environment and earning a living. They also elaborated on talks of marriage, children, and their socialization within a community of relationships.
A major component of my stay at the village was listening to the villagers through the day, observing and interacting with poor families. This involved getting to know their life experiences, learning from and helping them and also encouraging them to voice their ideas of well-being and ill-being. Prior to this experience, I knew nothing about what it is like to be poor. After seeing the poverty of Dandkala, I have learnt to be grateful for what I have.
There are close to no private toilets in Dandkala. All villagers (including women) go to the open fields for washing purposes. Only two affluent families enjoyed the provision of private toilets. Within one week of my stay, I made up my mind that the family which hosted me must have a proper toilet. I motivated the family to construct a toilet and with me providing financial assurance, the toilet got constructed within the next week. I provided all the technical expertise needed for constructing a toilet. It was a wonderfully satisfying experience for me.
I can never forget the hospitality which I received from the villagers of Dandkala, particularly from the family which hosted me. Inspite of the family members being under a huge financial debt, they still took care of both of us as if we were their own children. They do not eat rice and vegetables because of the high prices of these items but they cooked delicious pulav and prepared vegetables everyday to make sure that we got proper food. Words cannot describe their love for us. I still remember how our host got worried when we told them that we wanted to go in the Rajput Hamlet for a transect walk (information gathering exercise).
There was no electricity in the village despite it being an electrified village in government records. I felt strongly against this anomaly, involved the community in writing the application for village electrification and motivated them to talk to the local MLA - Mr. Devi Singh Bhati. These were some of my most exciting experiences in Dandkal. The effort put in by the villagers gave immediate returns and within twelve days of submitting the application, the electricity meters got installed in the houses of all those families who had submitted the file earlier. This collective action convinced me that villagers required facilitators and not sympathizers.
My theme paper of aEmbroidery Marketinga helped me immensely to understand the dynamics of marketing in a rural area such as Dandkala. It was an eye opener to see a reputed clothing product such as Fab India being produced here. I had never imagined that such expensive and high quality kurtas could be produced in a village. I sold kurtas in the exhibition (organised by URMUL) at Delhi Haat in Delhi and this immensely boosted my confidence as I practically interacted with the customers. The most important lesson which I learned was the importance of learning to manage and work with limited resources
In hindsight, I feel that constructing a toilet in the house of the family that hosted me and working for village electrification were some of the most memorable activities that we undertook during my stay at the village. The acts of planting trees (55 saplings) and creating awareness about vasectomy in the village are other experiences which I can never forget. These experiences have now become vivid memories which I am sure will remain guiding lights through my life, at all times.
I learned quite a lot during my stay in Dandkala. The first hand experience of the intricacies of rural village life helped me to understand some issues related to development that simply cannot be taught in a textbook, but instead need to be experienced. The experiences I underwent throughout this period, no matter how subtle they were have enriched me as a person and will remain with me for rest of my life. I learnt how a village exists as an aggregation of castes and communities. Development certainly is a long road but, in a world where most paths wash out long before reaching anywhere, it is certainly a road well worth extending and maintaining.
The panelists included:
1) Mr Surendra Mandhane - Retired ACP, Navi Mumbai.
2) Dr Aakash Akinwar a St. George Hospital (C.S.T), who also witnessed the Mumbai terror attack
3) Mr Rana Uday Kumar Singh a GM (Operations), Watchguard Security Services
4) Mr Harish Iyer a Creative professional at Shobiz, and a Social Activist
5) Mr Sonal Dabral - Bates 141, Executive Creative Director, Asia Pacific, and Chairman, India
1) Mr Surendra Mandhane - Retired ACP, Navi Mumbai.
2) Dr Aakash Akinwar a St. George Hospital (C.S.T), who also witnessed the Mumbai terror attack
3) Mr Rana Uday Kumar Singh a GM (Operations), Watchguard Security Services
4) Mr Harish Iyer a Creative professional at Shobiz, and a Social Activist
5) Mr Sonal Dabral - Bates 141, Executive Creative Director, Asia Pacific, and Chairman, India
6) Ms Rashmi Dhanwani - Ex Journalist & Social Activist a International NGO, Breakthrough.
Mr Rana Uday Kumar Singh, talked about the absence of proactive security measures and how much things need to change; stressing the need for an independent training agency to handle terror attacks. Mr. Singh recommended that a basic security module, be made part of the curriculum at the school and college levels. Mr Harish Iyer, a creative professional at Shobiz and an activist, discussed the impact of the new media. George Koshy, brought in the aCitizena angle, which was the highlight of the discussion. Asking members of the audience, aWho failed you?a he spoke of citizens as part of the entire link, when the usual suspects were mentioned a politicians, intelligence, and the entire government system. Harish brought the evening to a conclusion, by stressing the importance of doing small deeds.
Mr Rana Uday Kumar Singh, talked about the absence of proactive security measures and how much things need to change; stressing the need for an independent training agency to handle terror attacks. Mr. Singh recommended that a basic security module, be made part of the curriculum at the school and college levels. Mr Harish Iyer, a creative professional at Shobiz and an activist, discussed the impact of the new media. George Koshy, brought in the aCitizena angle, which was the highlight of the discussion. Asking members of the audience, aWho failed you?a he spoke of citizens as part of the entire link, when the usual suspects were mentioned a politicians, intelligence, and the entire government system. Harish brought the evening to a conclusion, by stressing the importance of doing small deeds.
Move over B-school Dean interviews and opinion columns, because the PaGaLGuY B-school Backpacker is on the loose! Making a pilgrimage to B-schools across the country is his mission, and in this mission he shall not falter. The B-school Backpacker will travel to b-schools, write about their campus cultures, lingo, quirks and pass on freshly brewed flavor from India's MBA campuses for your reading pleasure. (Tip: If you wish to invite the B-school Backpacker to your b-school, mail him at editor pagalguy com.)
The second stop in the Backpacker's itinerary is the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay. (His first stop was GIM, Goa) Read on!
The well maintained and tree lined road which greeted me at the main entrance of IIT Bombay (IIT-B) was a far cry from the road which led to the institute. The latter is partly under construction and the dust in the air is perceptible when one travels on it. Nikhil Kedia, a first year student at the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (SJMSoM) of IIT-B met me at the entrance and proceeded to guide me around the campus. I asked him, aAre these coconut trees that we see on either side of the road?a aWell, I donat really know. You see, we have so many trees here,a was his simple response. And I could see that he wasnat exaggerating. As we discussed later; a resident of the campus at IIT a B can well be forgiven for thinking that he or she is not in Bombay at all. The clean, green campus with its fresh air and quiet environs does not quite appear to be located in a bustling and bursting at the seams metropolis.
As we made our way to SJMSoM (known as SoM within the IIT campus) I understood the reason behind IIT a Bas smoke and noise free surroundings. As is the case with all IITs, students at the institute may not own motorcycles and usually move around on bicycles. . Further, buses ply every 15 minutes from hostel 13, which is the last hostel in the campus right to the main entrance to the IIT campus. These buses which are of a distinctive red colour are called atumtumsa by campus residents. Vehicles are only permitted for staff and visitors to the institute. Autos are available within the campus.
The SoM building soon appears and stands out in its appearance. Students are dispersed in the vicinity of the building and I am told later that today is the commencement of a new term for first year students at SJMSoM. The first year batch at SoM has been divided into two sections with one section having four hours of classes in the morning and the other attending classes from two in the afternoon to six in the evening. The batch timings are reversed every term. The second year batch is currently busy with tests as well as placement related activities.
I met a group of first year students and we decided to grab a bite at the Nescafe joint and talk about life at the B-school. As I munch on a Maggi bonda (a vada stuffed with Maggi) which Iam told is a specialty of this eatery also known as coffee shack, a student of the morning batch joined us. He was feeling a bit unwell and after the first hour or so, had decided to attend the afternoon session of classes. The others at the table immediately pounced on him to grill him about the morning session. Why so? Itas the first day of the term: students have to submit an HR assignment (for which most of them have been up till 4 AM) and are also required to read a hundred odd pages before attending the class of a senior professor who has not taught them earlier. Naturally, they were curious about how strict and observant the professor was. Notes were exchanged, ideas discussed and a strategy for the afternoon classes came to be. aThe coffee shack incidentally is the only savior between classes as it helps us to stay awake. And on Sunday, the day it is shut, it is quite difficult to stay awake,a quips Parasuram NA, a first year student at the B-school here.
Students at SJMSoM often fall prey to a aTim Luck Lucka a generic slang for the play of a prank. If a laptop or a mail account is left unguarded then an alert afrienda may choose to send out a mail from the concerned personas account to the entire SoM batch. The friend basically lets loose his or her creativity for the person in question. This essentially translates to crazy, wacky mails which have rants about subjects ranging from placements to the fairer sex. Even as we discussed this, Parasuram remembered that another person at the table, Kunal Deep, had had a aTim Luck Lucka played on him some time back. Kunal smiled sheepishly and didnat really know where to look. On probing he said rather vaguely what the prank was about. Needless to say his batch mates ensured that the mail was discussed earnestly with appropriate attention given to detail. aTim Luck Lucks come back to haunt you. You send one out and you can be assured that another will go out in your name, soona, dryly remarks a student at the table.
aSoM rocks!a is a phrase which is brandished often by students of the institute whenever a competition is won or an MBA student performs well in an event. The phrase stems from an actual rock like entity which is present in the SoM foyer. The SoM Well is an open space which is often used for lunches and events at fests such as theatre competitions.
As far as the fairer sex is concerned, seven may be a lucky number for many but certainly not at SJMSoM. The batch strength at SoM has increased from 53 to 73 to 86, for the current first years. However, the number of women has remained at seven through these batches. A possible reason for this may be importance attached by the institute to work-experience; a mere five students out of 86 are freshers, with all five being male. aEngineering college was far better in this regard. For that matter, even government colleges have a stronger female presence!a says a student on being asked to compare the gender ratios in engineering college and B-school. Another muses: aThis is akin to staying in a desert in a local (SoM) as well as global (IIT) scenario.a Interestingly enough, the hostel in which post graduate male students stay is named aQueen of the campusa.
So, how different is the experience of a B-school with only science/engineering graduates from college for students here? aWell, assignments need to be acopied intelligentlya. Simply copying from the internet or a colleagueas work is easily detected. Everything gets scrutinized because of the batch strength,a explains a student. Another says, aThere is more holistic learning here with fewer hours being spent in class but with students still being very involved with academic work.a
I rounded up the afternoon with lunch at the mess where the post graduate students at IIT-B usually have their meals. As we tucked into the food, Nikhil Kedia remarked with a twinkle in his eye, aSo, you can understand that we tend to feel drowsy through afternoon classes.a I definitely could! Anyhow, we finished lunch after which the first year students scurried off to their rooms to get ready for their first few classes of the new term. I, meanwhile, walked around till I hailed an empty auto and then proceeded to return to the grime and hustle of the world that lies outside IIT-B.
So, the PaGaLGuY.com B-School Backpacker has made his second stop! If you wish to invite him to your campus please feel free to shoot a mail to editor pagalguy com.
The second stop in the Backpacker's itinerary is the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay. (His first stop was GIM, Goa) Read on!
The well maintained and tree lined road which greeted me at the main entrance of IIT Bombay (IIT-B) was a far cry from the road which led to the institute. The latter is partly under construction and the dust in the air is perceptible when one travels on it. Nikhil Kedia, a first year student at the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (SJMSoM) of IIT-B met me at the entrance and proceeded to guide me around the campus. I asked him, aAre these coconut trees that we see on either side of the road?a aWell, I donat really know. You see, we have so many trees here,a was his simple response. And I could see that he wasnat exaggerating. As we discussed later; a resident of the campus at IIT a B can well be forgiven for thinking that he or she is not in Bombay at all. The clean, green campus with its fresh air and quiet environs does not quite appear to be located in a bustling and bursting at the seams metropolis.
As we made our way to SJMSoM (known as SoM within the IIT campus) I understood the reason behind IIT a Bas smoke and noise free surroundings. As is the case with all IITs, students at the institute may not own motorcycles and usually move around on bicycles. . Further, buses ply every 15 minutes from hostel 13, which is the last hostel in the campus right to the main entrance to the IIT campus. These buses which are of a distinctive red colour are called atumtumsa by campus residents. Vehicles are only permitted for staff and visitors to the institute. Autos are available within the campus. The SoM building soon appears and stands out in its appearance. Students are dispersed in the vicinity of the building and I am told later that today is the commencement of a new term for first year students at SJMSoM. The first year batch at SoM has been divided into two sections with one section having four hours of classes in the morning and the other attending classes from two in the afternoon to six in the evening. The batch timings are reversed every term. The second year batch is currently busy with tests as well as placement related activities.
I met a group of first year students and we decided to grab a bite at the Nescafe joint and talk about life at the B-school. As I munch on a Maggi bonda (a vada stuffed with Maggi) which Iam told is a specialty of this eatery also known as coffee shack, a student of the morning batch joined us. He was feeling a bit unwell and after the first hour or so, had decided to attend the afternoon session of classes. The others at the table immediately pounced on him to grill him about the morning session. Why so? Itas the first day of the term: students have to submit an HR assignment (for which most of them have been up till 4 AM) and are also required to read a hundred odd pages before attending the class of a senior professor who has not taught them earlier. Naturally, they were curious about how strict and observant the professor was. Notes were exchanged, ideas discussed and a strategy for the afternoon classes came to be. aThe coffee shack incidentally is the only savior between classes as it helps us to stay awake. And on Sunday, the day it is shut, it is quite difficult to stay awake,a quips Parasuram NA, a first year student at the B-school here.
Students at SJMSoM often fall prey to a aTim Luck Lucka a generic slang for the play of a prank. If a laptop or a mail account is left unguarded then an alert afrienda may choose to send out a mail from the concerned personas account to the entire SoM batch. The friend basically lets loose his or her creativity for the person in question. This essentially translates to crazy, wacky mails which have rants about subjects ranging from placements to the fairer sex. Even as we discussed this, Parasuram remembered that another person at the table, Kunal Deep, had had a aTim Luck Lucka played on him some time back. Kunal smiled sheepishly and didnat really know where to look. On probing he said rather vaguely what the prank was about. Needless to say his batch mates ensured that the mail was discussed earnestly with appropriate attention given to detail. aTim Luck Lucks come back to haunt you. You send one out and you can be assured that another will go out in your name, soona, dryly remarks a student at the table.
aSoM rocks!a is a phrase which is brandished often by students of the institute whenever a competition is won or an MBA student performs well in an event. The phrase stems from an actual rock like entity which is present in the SoM foyer. The SoM Well is an open space which is often used for lunches and events at fests such as theatre competitions. As far as the fairer sex is concerned, seven may be a lucky number for many but certainly not at SJMSoM. The batch strength at SoM has increased from 53 to 73 to 86, for the current first years. However, the number of women has remained at seven through these batches. A possible reason for this may be importance attached by the institute to work-experience; a mere five students out of 86 are freshers, with all five being male. aEngineering college was far better in this regard. For that matter, even government colleges have a stronger female presence!a says a student on being asked to compare the gender ratios in engineering college and B-school. Another muses: aThis is akin to staying in a desert in a local (SoM) as well as global (IIT) scenario.a Interestingly enough, the hostel in which post graduate male students stay is named aQueen of the campusa.
So, how different is the experience of a B-school with only science/engineering graduates from college for students here? aWell, assignments need to be acopied intelligentlya. Simply copying from the internet or a colleagueas work is easily detected. Everything gets scrutinized because of the batch strength,a explains a student. Another says, aThere is more holistic learning here with fewer hours being spent in class but with students still being very involved with academic work.a
I rounded up the afternoon with lunch at the mess where the post graduate students at IIT-B usually have their meals. As we tucked into the food, Nikhil Kedia remarked with a twinkle in his eye, aSo, you can understand that we tend to feel drowsy through afternoon classes.a I definitely could! Anyhow, we finished lunch after which the first year students scurried off to their rooms to get ready for their first few classes of the new term. I, meanwhile, walked around till I hailed an empty auto and then proceeded to return to the grime and hustle of the world that lies outside IIT-B.
So, the PaGaLGuY.com B-School Backpacker has made his second stop! If you wish to invite him to your campus please feel free to shoot a mail to editor pagalguy com.
As a run up to the International Management Conference, NICOM 2009, a pre-conference workshop will be held for the participants on January 7, 2009. The two workshops will include sessions on aInfluence without Authoritya by Prof Allen Cohen who is the Edward A Madden Distinguished Professor of Global Leadership, Babson College, USA and a workshop on aStress Managementa by Dr DM Pestonjee, Ex-Professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
The stress management session will cover topics such as understanding the stress process and will get the participants acquainted with medicational and meditational interventions for stress management. They will also learn about aStress Audita and focusing on organizational role stress. This session assumes much importance as stress has become an inseparable part of modern life-both inside and outside the organizations.
The stress management session will cover topics such as understanding the stress process and will get the participants acquainted with medicational and meditational interventions for stress management. They will also learn about aStress Audita and focusing on organizational role stress. This session assumes much importance as stress has become an inseparable part of modern life-both inside and outside the organizations.
Influencing positive change in organizations is an increasing challenge for leaders. The importance of influence over colleagues, superiors, clients and partners can never be understated. Prof. Cohenas session on aInfluence without Authoritya will help answer questions like what makes influence difficult in the organizations you deal with. It will assist the participats to identify key stakeholders and their stakes, power.
Designed as a series of guest lectures and panel discussions, the Conference, through guest lectures, will address areas such as Economic Reforms, Micro Finance, Spirituality, Science and Technology, Rural Health, and Agriculture. The emphasis will be on identifying high priority areas that need immediate attention and the role of the youth in arriving at possible solutions to those problems. The role of NGOs will also feature among the issues addressed. The Panel Discussions will discuss issues pertaining to Internal Security, Rebalancing the gender ratio, Sustainable Development, and Issues in Governance.
The guest lecturers in campus will include Mr DR Kaarhikeyan, former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation and former Director-General of the National Human Rights Commission, Mr Subir Raha, former Chairman and Managing Director of ONGC Ltd., Mr P Venugopal, former Director of AIIMS, and Dr LK Maheswari, Vice Chancellor and Director of BITS, Pilani.
The guest lecturers in campus will include Mr DR Kaarhikeyan, former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation and former Director-General of the National Human Rights Commission, Mr Subir Raha, former Chairman and Managing Director of ONGC Ltd., Mr P Venugopal, former Director of AIIMS, and Dr LK Maheswari, Vice Chancellor and Director of BITS, Pilani.
Mr Bhardwaj, Resident-Director, informed the students of the changing family structures and hence the need for senior citizen homes. The students greeted the residents with roses and touched their feet to seek blessings. The students began the interaction with chanting of Vedic mantras and performed solo dance, group dances, and songs, reminding the residents of their own youth and time gone past. The residents seemed to enjoy singing, dancing, and interacting with young boys and girls. Later, the students and faculty accompanied the various residents to their rooms and had conversations with them.
Chief Guest, Cmde Rajiv Karsolia, Principal Director (Employment), Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India, inaugurated the programme by lighting the lamp along with Gp Capt Venkataramanan and the officials from IIM Lucknow. Programme directors, Prof NK Gupta and Prof SC Bansal welcomed the guests and participants on the occasion and shared the details of the programme and what went into customising a programme for a batch of defence officers with such varied experience within the armed forces. The Chief Guest for the function, Cmde Rajiv Karsolia congratulated the officers and hoped for a bright new and rewarding career ahead for them. IIM Lucknow's Noida Campus is conducting its second batch of GMP for Defence Officers from July, 2009.
GMP participant Col. Shekhawat who was also a part of the placement committee (Place Com) for the course, gave a brief on the placement situation. "Many good companies like Larsen & Toubro, Tech Mahindra, Arcil, IBM, etc have absorbed the participants, with many like Vodafone, Wipro yet to announce their selectionsa said Col. Shekhawat.
GMP participant Col. Shekhawat who was also a part of the placement committee (Place Com) for the course, gave a brief on the placement situation. "Many good companies like Larsen & Toubro, Tech Mahindra, Arcil, IBM, etc have absorbed the participants, with many like Vodafone, Wipro yet to announce their selectionsa said Col. Shekhawat.
It is unclear whether this availability of results was due to a silent launch on part of the IIMs or due to a testing exercise which is currently underway. We request users to make their enquiries with the IIMs before proceeding.
It may be recalled that Prof M Rammohan Rao had chaired the meeting of Satyam's Board of Directors that had approved the controversial Maytas infra deal.
In a letter to the ISB community, Rao explained the reasons for his decision: "Unfortunately, yesterday's shocking revelations, of which I had absolutely no prior knowledge, mean that we are far from seeing the end of the controversy surrounding Satyam Computers. My continued concern and preoccupation with the evolving situation are impacting my role as Dean of ISB at a critical time for the school. Given that my term with the ISB ends in a few months, I think this to be an appropriate time for me to step down."
The ISB Executive Board accepted Prof MR Rao's resignation with immediate effect. A Dean Search is already underway since Professor Rao's tenure was to conclude in June 2009, said the ISB spokesman. In the interim period, Deputy Dean Ajit Rangnekar, who has been with ISB since 2003 will hold charge as Dean.
"I would like to thank all of you for the support and encouragement you have given me while leading this prestigious institution during the last four and a half years. While my work here remains unfinished, I take great pride in the fact that we have established six research Centres of Excellence which are gaining world wide recognition. The Centre for Executive Education has been steadily growing in stature and the school is now financially sound. A significant achievement has been that we were able to put ISB on the global b-school map by attaining the FT-20 ranking," Prof Rao said in his exit statement.
"This is a difficult decision for me, given my commitment to ISB, its faculty, students, staff, alumni, research, and academic associates. But, it is precisely this commitment that has convinced me that this decision is in the best interest of ISB," he added. Prof Rao was appointed as the Dean of ISB in July 2004.
Appreciating Prof Rao's gesture to resign and recognising his contributions to ISB, Rajat Gupta, Chairman of ISB, assured the ISB community of the Board's full support in the seamless functioning of the ISB.
"We believe the ISB leadership is well-positioned to take us forward during this period of transition. My fellow Board members and I are fully committed to supporting Ajit and the ISB team in tackling any challenges that you may face. While we recognise this has been a distracting few weeks, I hope to receive your full support in moving ahead to achieve greater heights for ISB," said Gupta.
Following are the full texts of the letters sent by Prof Rao and ISB Chairman Rajat Gupta to the ISB community.
Full text of letter from Prof M Rammaohan Rao to the ISB Community
Dear all,
It is with deep regret, but with a sense of responsibility and duty towards ISB, that I have today stepped down from the position as Dean of ISB. The unforeseen developments of the past few weeks at Satyam have left me very concerned and preoccupied. Unfortunately, yesterday's shocking revelations, of which I had absolutely no prior knowledge, mean that we are far from seeing the end of the controversy surrounding Satyam Computers.
My continued concern and preoccupation with the evolving situation are impacting my role as Dean of ISB at a critical time for the school. Given that my term with the ISB anyway ends in a few months, I think that this is an appropriate time for me to step down.
This is a difficult decision for me, given my commitment to ISB, its faculty, students, staff, alumni, research and academic associates. But, it is precisely this commitment that has convinced me that this decision is in the best interest of ISB. Since the Dean Search Committee is close to selecting a new Dean to succeed me, I have requested the Board to appoint an interim Dean in the meantime so that I can be relieved of my responsibilities with immediate effect. I am sure ISB will be in good hands and make great strides going forward. I will, of course, be available to assist and guide ISB in any way necessary.
I would like to thank all of you for the support and encouragement you have given me while leading this prestigious institution during the last four and a half years. While my work here remains unfinished, I take great pride in the fact that we have made great strides in attracting high-quality faculty and students to the school. We have established six research Centers of Excellence which are gaining world wide recognition. The Center for Executive Education has been steadily growing in stature and the school is now financially sound. A significant achievement has been that we were able to put ISB on the global b-school map by attaining the FT-20 ranking.
Personally, my tenure at ISB as the Dean has been an exciting journey and a fulfilling experience which I will always cherish. ISB will forever remain close to my heart, and I am always available to build the ISB further.
My personal thanks to each of you, for your support to me as your Dean. I will be here and always available to all of you as you feel necessary.
My best wishes to all of you for a great future!
With best regards,
MR
Full text of ISB Chairman Rajat Gupta's message to the ISB Community
Dear all,
The ISB Executive Board has reluctantly accepted Professor MR Rao's resignation as Dean of ISB with immediate effect. The events of the past few weeks have been very distressing to all of us, and MR in particular. We respect him for taking this difficult decision in the best interest of ISB.
Dean Rao has made enormous contributions to ISB over the years and we will always be proud of achieving the Financial Times Top 20 ranking under his leadership. He has led ISB through a critical period in its history growing our faculty pool and our research base significantly. However, given his personal proximity to the unfortunate controversy at Satyam, he has taken the decision to step down as Dean to protect the reputation of ISB in yet another example of his selfless commitment to building some of India's leading management institutions like IIM Bangalore and ISB. The Board appreciates this gesture and will always value his contributions to ISB.
As you are all aware, we are in the middle of a Dean Search that will now be accelerated and, in the interim, Deputy Dean Ajit Rangnekar will hold charge as Dean of ISB. We believe the ISB leadership is well-positioned to take us forward during this period of transition. My fellow Board members and I are fully committed to supporting Ajit and the ISB team in tackling any challenges that you may face. While we recognise this has been a distracting few weeks, I hope to receive your full support in moving ahead to achieve greater heights for ISB. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly if you have any questions or concerns.
With warm regards,
Rajat Gupta
Chairman
ISB Executive Board
The campaign will throw light on the ill effects on smoking in public places and its harmful effects on society at large. The highlight of the campaign will be a ''MASK-A-THON'' on Jan 11, 2009. It will start from Cooperage Band Stand Garden near Oval Maidan at 08:30 am till Girgaum Chowpatty (appx. 5 KM distance).
The Director of the Institute, Dr.A.K Sengupta said aThe future managers need to be socially sensitive along with being successful in the corporate worlda.
For registration, contact [email protected]
The Director of the Institute, Dr.A.K Sengupta said aThe future managers need to be socially sensitive along with being successful in the corporate worlda.
For registration, contact [email protected]
The theme for the event is aStrategic Human Resource Management and Entrepreneurship in the Changing Business Scenarioa. The Conference will cover topics such as aManaging Corporate and Workforce Performancea, aTalent Acquisition and Managementa, aOrganizational Culture and Dynamics of Changea and aManagerial Creativity and Organizational Growtha among others.
Participants include Mr Aquil Busrai (Exec. Director HR, IBM India Ltd.), Dr Allan Cohen (Dean, Babson College, USA), Prof Pradip Khandwalla, (Former Director, IIM-A), Dr Mallika Sarabhai, (Member, Governing Council, Darpana Academy) and Dr CWJA Gray, Professor from the Open University, UK, among others.
Participants include Mr Aquil Busrai (Exec. Director HR, IBM India Ltd.), Dr Allan Cohen (Dean, Babson College, USA), Prof Pradip Khandwalla, (Former Director, IIM-A), Dr Mallika Sarabhai, (Member, Governing Council, Darpana Academy) and Dr CWJA Gray, Professor from the Open University, UK, among others.
Shantanu a final year student of IIT Bombay says that on the night before the test he attempted the CAT 2006 paper and checked the PG forum archives to see how he had scored. He saw that he would have scored 99.9 percentile and went to sleep at around 11 30 PM which was early considering that the usual time to sleep at IIT Bombay is 2 AM. He had a good nightas sleep, got up at 6 30 AM and reached his CAT center about 40 minutes before the paper. aFor breakfast, I made it a point to only have a big bar of Dairy Milk chocolate as I thought that anything else would make me sleepy,a he quips.
It was quite difficult for Nishant who is a fourth year student at IIT Delhi to squeeze out time for us. Since three in the afternoon he was fielding questions from the media with some people asking him for five minutes, others for ten and some more who wanted him to sit with a laptop while answering questions. aIn the week leading up to CAT I read through some questions I had marked in mock tests which I had solved earlier. On the day before CAT, I solved some DI caselets. I think a person should definitely solve some questions before the actual CAT as this helps to get into the exam mode. I didn't sleep well before the test and this quite normal for me as I never get sound sleep on the night before a competitive examination,a he explains. What did he have for breakfast on the day of CAT 2008? aWell, I stay in a hostel and so I didnat really have a choice.a What did he choose to wear as test attire? aI made it a point to look good as I was meeting some friends from school at the test center. And, I always want to look good.a
On a more serious note, what three aspects of their CAT preparation do these toppers think were crucial to them scoring 100 percentile? Shantanu had realized that his weakest area was English and before the test he had decided that he would devote disproportionate amount of time to English. Secondly, when he first saw the CAT 2008 paper he saw that questions were unequally distributed between English, Maths and DI and spent half of the paperas duration on the English section. The remaining time he spent equally on Maths and DI. Lastly, he slept very well before the paper and this he felt was very important. It was slightly different for Nishant. aIave been reading since childhood and this majorly helped in CAT preparation. The preparation that I underwent for IIT JEE ensured that my basics were in place. Further, I had a very good study group with which I prepared for CAT.a
As far as CAT coaching and balancing that with college work is concerned, Shantanu had enrolled for the TIME test series and would take his mock CATs very seriously. During the week he would be involved with college studies. Nishant had registered for classroom coaching and test series with Career Launcher and managed to strike a balance between CAT preparation and college studies.
On being asked whether he thought after CAT 2008 that he would be one of the toppers, Shantanu says, aUntil last week I had not checked anywhere to see how I had done in CAT 2008. On the basis of my attempts in CAT 2008 I knew that my score would be 180 plus or minus 30. The worst case scenario was a score of 140 and getting one or two IIM calls.a Why hadnat he checked his scores all this while? aI couldnat do so because of lack of time. I would check my scores after the mock CATs as they were preparation for CAT. On the basis of how the paper went for me I was sure that I would secure about 99 percentile,a he says simply. Nishant had checked his scores after CAT 2008 and coaching centersa predictions were in the range of his eventual score. He had been expecting a CAT percentile of about 99.9.
Nishant felt that a common mistake test takers made was to not keep the format of the paper in mind while they are attempting to solve it. He says, aI always focused on the fact that I had 150 minutes to solve the paper and that even if I attempted less number of questions it wouldnat really matter if I got them right. I was relying more on my exam temperament rather than knowledgea aItas very important for people to have an open mind while taking the CAT. A lot of test takers faced problems because they had not expected a higher number of questions in English as compared to Maths and DI,a adds Shantanu.
So, howas life now for these CAT 2008 toppers? Shantanuas already been brought down from cloud nine by college faculty who reminded him that he has a final semester project to submit. Nishant is not sure that if an IIM call were to be converted whether he would choose that over his job secured through campus placements. Theyare both obviously looking forward to the subsequent IIM GD-PIs.
Nishant signs off by saying, aI am probably one among ten-fifteen CAT 2008 toppers. They are probably many more people at IIT Delhi itself who could have scored 100 percentile if they had focused on CAT 2008. There are good people here with top JEE ranks who could have done as well as I did. I really do not think it to be an issue which deserves to be hyped in the way that it has been."
Call for Arms a The Battle of B-Schools is a three day event which will have ten management colleges competing for the title of aB-School of the Yeara. The event has already seen two online elimination rounds to choose the ten teams to represent their respective B-schools at the magnum opus. aWe have conducted one online round of CFA to specifically judge the participantsa outlook towards the real estate sector in India. We need to be sure that we have people giving us realistic ideas about how we can look at our expansion plansa, said Mr Amitesh of Sahara City Homes.
Dr TN Seshan, Former Chief Election Commissioner and Permanent Faculty at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai said that aIf India is able to sustain 7% in spite of a global meltdown; Montek has a major role to play. All that we have learnt in higher management is that we need to learn to live in times of change. What is important is to provide leadership. That is what we can imbibe from Montek. I hope you will take the full benefit of Montekas presencea.
Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission stressed that thrust should be given to infrastructure development to over come the current crisis. He said that the infrastructure development had gathered momentum, thanks to the Public - private partnership model put in place, especially for road development.
In his talk Dr Ahluwalia said "This year has been very different from a year where we focused on long-term issues, we had a wonderful 4-year growth path so far which got interrupted by the global crisis. Many things were going very well but many things were going wrong. . Prior to the global crisis, our record was a mixed bag and it is reflected in the international assessment of India and its prospects. In the 4 years up to the current year, we had an average growth rate of 8.8%. This transition from a low growth scenario when India grew at 3.5% in 70's, but the changes made in the 80s resulted in a 5.6% growth. In the early 90s, economic reforms raised the growth rate and this was followed by the East Asian crisis, which brought down the growth rate to 5.8% in the 90s. The global economy also turned downwards in the 90s.a
Dr Ahluwalia also spoke about the banking system today, which has a surplus liquidity, and the banks have parked about Rs 60,000 crore with the RBI under reverse repo. The RBI has sought to discourage this by reducing the reverse repo rate, effectively making it less attractive to the banks. He added that the government and RBI telling the banks to lend more. Government is also trying to create demand by stepping up investments in infrastructure.
Dr Ahluwalia said, the government is confident of achieving its target of 78,000mw of capacity in the 11th five-year plan. "While 61,000MW of capacity is virtually certain to be put up in the 11th plan period, we are pushing to get another 9,000mw capacity by that time. While 70,000mw is sure to be available 78,000mw is not impossibility."
Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission stressed that thrust should be given to infrastructure development to over come the current crisis. He said that the infrastructure development had gathered momentum, thanks to the Public - private partnership model put in place, especially for road development.
In his talk Dr Ahluwalia said "This year has been very different from a year where we focused on long-term issues, we had a wonderful 4-year growth path so far which got interrupted by the global crisis. Many things were going very well but many things were going wrong. . Prior to the global crisis, our record was a mixed bag and it is reflected in the international assessment of India and its prospects. In the 4 years up to the current year, we had an average growth rate of 8.8%. This transition from a low growth scenario when India grew at 3.5% in 70's, but the changes made in the 80s resulted in a 5.6% growth. In the early 90s, economic reforms raised the growth rate and this was followed by the East Asian crisis, which brought down the growth rate to 5.8% in the 90s. The global economy also turned downwards in the 90s.a
Dr Ahluwalia also spoke about the banking system today, which has a surplus liquidity, and the banks have parked about Rs 60,000 crore with the RBI under reverse repo. The RBI has sought to discourage this by reducing the reverse repo rate, effectively making it less attractive to the banks. He added that the government and RBI telling the banks to lend more. Government is also trying to create demand by stepping up investments in infrastructure.
Dr Ahluwalia said, the government is confident of achieving its target of 78,000mw of capacity in the 11th five-year plan. "While 61,000MW of capacity is virtually certain to be put up in the 11th plan period, we are pushing to get another 9,000mw capacity by that time. While 70,000mw is sure to be available 78,000mw is not impossibility."
Professor Raj Shirole of the faculty of Strategic Management in Kent Business School who is also Director MBA Programs and International Collaborations in the university and MDIas Professor (Dr.) Atmanand Dean, schools of Public Policy and Planning and Energy Management will work on implementation of the agreement.
The event will mark off an initiative taken by the students to take a leading role against fighting terrorism. aOn this day we will use different mediums, as talk shows, debates, discussion, skit and screening of films to understand the impact of terrorism. We shall also try to figure out solutions to this problem. This will be an initial endeavour on our part to fight terrorism. We are looking forward to more concrete actions in future,a says Susmita, the co-ordinator for the entire event.
Also, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication is organizing the annual gala inter collegiate meet aFest Oa Comma on Feb 6-8, 2009 where participants from Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations would come. Participants include Carson Dalton, Manoj Mathew , Josy Paul, Kunal Joshi and more.
Also, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication is organizing the annual gala inter collegiate meet aFest Oa Comma on Feb 6-8, 2009 where participants from Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations would come. Participants include Carson Dalton, Manoj Mathew , Josy Paul, Kunal Joshi and more.
Mr Daljit Mirchandani spoke about addressing the needs of the proverbial abottom of the pyramida in India. Mr Aquil Busrai commented upon connecting business and HR. Mr Srinivasan Iyer, CEO of MPower Business Facilitators emphasised on restructuring and expressed hope for India and Indian industry even in the current gloomy picture that global business presents in sectors like infrastructure, manufacturing and services. Prof Allan Cohen, former Harvard professor and co-founder of IIM-A spoke about leadership. According to him, Western philosophy and principles of management are relevant to Indian business conditions.
On the second day of the Conference, Dr Santrupt Misra, Director, Aditya Birla Management Corporation Ltd. appealed to the budding managers to think beyond a job and a monthly pay cheque to take a leap into the exciting and challenging world of entrepreneurship. Prof TV Rao, Chairman, T V Rao Learning Systems quoted findings from a 360A HR study and said that there were no difference between star performers and non star performers. Miss Hema Ravichandar, with experience with companies like Micobosch and Infosys, while speaking at the Nirma International Conference on Management said aHR has moved from ante room to board room. CEOs across industries turn to HR to make strategies'.
The morning session of the last day saw a panel discussion between Dr Jay Desai, Prof Pradip Khandwalla, former director, IIM A and Dr Mallika Sarabhai, member, governing council of Darpana Academy. The subject of discussion was aCreativity and Entrepreneurshipa. Dr Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman a NASSCOM, Global CEO - Zensar and Dr C Gray, Professor, Open University, UK, were the honorable guests present at the valedictory session. Dr Ganesh Natarajan told the audience about the Indian IT story and urged everyone to leverage the power of thinking among markets and customers. Dr C Gray addressed the audience on enterprise culture and policies in current entrepreneurial environment.