You can see the updates of the happenings at IMNU here
Institute of Management, Nirma University, Nirma University organised Prayojan, the Operations Conclave on 12th December, 2015. It was based on the theme "Make In India: Opportunities and Challenges" and was aimed at enlightening the students about the unexplored territories of Operations Management.
The inaugural session was addressed by Dr. Himanshu Trivedi, VP and Technical Plant Manager, Bosch Rexroth (India) Ltd., Ahmedabad. The theme of the first session was "Passion for Manufacturing Excellence- The Need for Make In India". He spoke about how the need of the hour is to increase the competence of graduating students, increase passion for organisational excellence and to develop overall spirit of the Make in India initiative across the nation thereby facilitating the vision of India becoming a developed nation in the coming years.The second session started with the speech of Mr. Dhruvil Sanghvi, CEO and Co-Founder, LogiNext, Mumbai. Mr. Sanghvi talked about how logistics in India can be taken to the next level. Mr. Manoj Karkhanis, Principal Consultant, Multiknack Consultancy Services, Mumbai was the speaker for the third session. He emphasised upon the importance of creating 'Quality Consciousness' by understanding the global expectations of quality and left the students with the the thought that building a Quality Culture was of utmost importance for the holistic development of the industry.
Rannbhoomi 2015
The IMNU Auditorium was pulsating with energy and exhilaration, with all students dressed in T-shirts of their sections' colors and waving posters and banners. It was the day when finally after weeks of preparation and competing against each other, one section will bask in the ultimate glory -The Rannbhoomi trophy. Rannbhoomi, the flagship event of Niche-The marketing club of IMNU, was once again organized with the same enthusiasm and spirit, it is famous for. The interclass competition was no less than a journey in itself, a journey that proved to be a platform for all the first year classes to come up and showcase their core competence and much important their unity.
Five teams namely Airavats, Barbarians, Crusaders, Dronas hard for the title and the RannBhoomi Trophy. With their feisty presentations and performances, the teams battled to claim the top spot as their supporters rocked the auditorium with their adrenaline-fuelled cheering. Each of the five sections of MBA First Year (Full-Time and Family Business Course) batch left no stone unturned to market their section as the best. All the sections had to brand themselves, to be judged as the best class based on their class names, logos, t-shirt designs, music and dance performances, and all other strategies they could use to represent their class as the best in the event. Each team came up with innovative marketing ideas and promotional strategies to outshine the other.
What started with an online voting round in between the classes, which saw the Shehzaade win, continued with incessant attacks on each other other via memes and trolls. The walls of IMNU, SAC area and even the menu of the Honest canteen saw posters and banners attached to it. The teams came up to dance, sing and also created some social awareness. Loaded with all these pre-events, came the final Day of Judgement, where the teams set fire to the stage with their mesmerizing performance one after the other. The brilliant performance by the students made the task of the judges utterly difficult.
MBA FB aka Shehzaade were declared winners of Rannbhoomi-2015. While Section C aka Cusaders were awarded Best T-shirt award. However, there are few competitions in life where no one actually loses and Rannbhoomi was one such event. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the journey that Ranbhoomi was and many a bonds were strengthened during this process.
Sports Committee
It is said that "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". This is one thing which we the Sportzzz Comm believe in from the core of our heart. Sportzzz Comm formerly known as Sports Committee is one of the oldest committees present here at IMNU.
You may not have played or participated in any sport in your previous schools, but this would not be the same story here. We have a plethora of sporting events played around the year. The various sporting events organized by Sportzzz Comm at IMNU include:
1. Ice Breaking - As the name suggests, it is a friendly sports tournament/interaction between seniors and juniors comprising mainly of Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis and Throw ball
2. SlamDunk - An inter section Basketball tournament
3. Parakram - A national Inter B-School sporting tournament involving almost all major sports
4. Cric8 - An inter section Cricket tournament
5. Smashes - An inter section girls Badminton tournament
Then we have NCL, the biggest and the most famous sporting tournament at IMNU. The "Nirma Champions League" or NCL is a celebration of the spirit of IMNU to its core. The much awaited sports mega event happens once every year and sets the campus buzzing with activity. Anywhere you see- the cricket ground, the basketball, volleyball & tennis courts, the table tennis room or the classrooms- you find IMNU shivering with sports fever.
So,
Let the blood rush through your veins...
Let your heart skip a beat...
Let your body reach new limits...
Let the moment take over your mind...
Let your soul cry out loud...
Let rest of the world fade out...
Let the SPORTZZZ take over...
Then we have NCL, the biggest and the most famous sporting tournament at IMNU. The "Nirma Champions League" or NCL is a celebration of the spirit of IMNU to its core. The much awaited sports mega event happens once every year and sets the campus buzzing with activity. Anywhere you see- the cricket ground, the basketball, volleyball & tennis courts, the table tennis room or the classrooms- you find IMNU shivering with sports fever.
So,
Let the blood rush through your veins...
Let your heart skip a beat...
Let your body reach new limits...
Let the moment take over your mind...
Let your soul cry out loud...
Let rest of the world fade out...
Let the SPORTZZZ take over...
https://imnublog.wordpress.com/committees/sportzcomm/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGge6h5CvXA&feature=youtu.be
Mr. Yatish Mehrishi
(Class of 1996-1998)
Chief Revenue Officer , Radio Mirchi
The first step is the most difficult, because it involves making a commitment to oneself, to a new path, way of being, or new thinking patterns. The first step gives us the direction and the path we need to take. The first few steps you take on any journey won't get you where you want to go, but without those first steps and the many more that follow, you would always be standing right where you are, looking towards the future and wondering, what it would really be like to see your world the way you always dream't it could be. My life is also marked with the First Steps, which are close to my heart and have defined and impacted my life so far. My First Step My moving to the hostel for my Graduation into a new world as it beckoned me with open arms, I was totally fuzzy/dreamy thinking I would be able to do things on my own, without any restriction and parent's control, but it was a different world, compared to when I was under the aegis of my parents, the comfort was gone. The hostel life taught me a lot, it gave me the confidence to speak up and be self-reliant. I could express much better and by the time I came out of the hostel, I had transformed from a boy to a more matured person with lot of self-belief. I got an insight into the varied cultures from my mates from around the country, which now helps me as I travel for work to different parts of the country.
The second First step is a memorable one when I took my first job with PEPSI- my first step into corporate life. From being the senior most in college, with all the exuberance of youth, the feeling of you can take on the world, a bit of rebel, I suddenly got into a life where you are the junior most- just a little speck trying to prove your mettle. It changed my life forever. Pepsi taught me a lot of things, the sales training of being at the warehouse at seven in the morning, day in day out, going on sales route trucks with the salesman to various outlets during the hot summer of Ahmedabad, made me realize and understand that the corporate life is not going to be a plush office job and it's going to be a tough ride ahead. This job gave me an opportunity to meet & interact with a GM of five star hotel and a roadside tapri run by an uneducated person (though he had one of the best business minds) on the same day. It was seriously a tough job and then the My Second First Step competition with Coke has been legendary. Learnt a lot - never say die attitude, passion and aggression and surely never underestimate your competition. Lot of humility too came in as I started to learn the nuances of corporate life. The way I started dressing, my communication, my interactions with people from across different verticals, a complete transformation of me as a person had eventually taken place.
My Third First Step:The other most important First step that I took was when I decided to get married. I took this step the day I felt I could take care of another person for life. It's the most difficult partnership in life but once you get it right, it changes the meaning of life. A spouse is the most important person in your life. I led a carefree life before marriage, the house was not a home, it was in true sense a bachelor's pad, everything which belonged to only me, was suddenly being shared, the bed, the cupboard, the television time, I got to sacrifice a lot, may be it was not sacrifice, it was sharing, but the love I got from my spouse for all the sharing is much more, A life partner helps you balance life and relieves your stress at work once you are back home, you can share all things with her. This step has taught me the joy of sharing and it gives you lots of happiness in life. The first step marks a decision, a new direction; it declares that we will go forward despite our fears or self-doubts. One of the greatest lessons in life is the one you learn about moving forward and taking steps to reach your goals. Life rewards those who are willing to be involved in it and take chances. your chance and take those first few steps, because a better life is just waiting for YOU. So, putting your mind into action, your heart in gear and opening up to share your gifts with others, while mustering the courage to face the unknown is what's needed the most. Then, taking the next step becomes easier. Eventually when the many steps have been taken, it will seem effortless when you look back. So, go ahead, allow yourself to move forward. It's time to take that first step NOW!
"Lot of humility too came in as I started to learn the nuances of corporate life."
Mr. Rajesh K. Kishanpuriya
Class of 1998-2000
Founder and CEO, Ideazfirst Marketing Services (P) Ltd
"Entrepreneurs are those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage." - Niccolo Machiavelli.
I am an entrepreneur and founder of Ideazfirst, a marketing services company which is a living example of how obstacles can be turned into opportunities. With an annual turnover of close to 70 lakhs Ideazfirst is the only end to end marketing solutions company in Kolkata that caters to small and medium enterprises and offers them customized solution. At a time when most of my peers have moved out of Kolkata, thinking it offers them no career prospects, my then 20-year old self had the grit to stick on and make a mark for myself by setting up my own firm in the year 2003. The year was 2000. Brimming with ideas after I had finished schooling at Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, I had started a portal called Indianmbas.com, with my heart set on entrepreneurship. My peers were either opting for high paid jobs in cities other than Kolkata or moving out of the country for good. I, owing to family constraints had no choice but to stay on in Kolkata, so I kept a firm head on my shoulders. Instead of getting disappointed, I opted to stay in my hometown and gain some work experience. In the year 2000, I joined Emami Ltd and closely worked with Shri R. S. Goenka, as Executive Assistant to the Joint Chairman. Two years into the job I realized that there was no marketing services outfit in the city that could give custom made marketing or event management solutions to small and medium enterprises in the city. I can recall - "Either there were people who charged a bomb which small businesses could not afford, or the ones that came cheap offered shoddy work.". Having spotted a business opportunity, I decided to take the plunge as an entrepreneur in 2003 armed with a seed capital of Rs 1 lakh out of my personal savings and set up a proprietary firm called Ideazfirst . In order to save costs I made the most of my family owned property in North Kolkata that is till date used as my office space. From merely one client in Ginni Systems Ltd- a retail data mapping software firm, Ideazfirst now caters to 150 odd clients across sectors ranging from real estate, beauty and healthcare, financial services and even hospitals. More than 50 per cent of my revenues come from event management services. With merely seven full time employees Ideazfirst provides end to end marketing solutions to my clients. This includes everything from brand design, advertising across various media, digital marketing, talent management services and even celebrity management. The challenges of running a Kolkata based business are many. To address some I would say - "For one, the lack of professionalism is a fact that one has to live with in Kolkata. Most of the times the people who we get to speak to at Kolkata are branch office managers and they need to take an approval from their head office for everything. These head offices are more often located in Mumbai or Delhi, and the people in Kolkata could not care less!". And that's not all. It is difficult to get experienced professionals or even vendors who provide the latest state of the art equipments on short notice. In order to combat with such problems, I work with multiple outsourced teams that can also help me keep a tab on my own costs. For an event I need to manage in the city I can get an on demand team of 10-15. If it's a day long event the payment may vary from Rs 500-2000, or if these teams have to be retained for a month, for a larger event spanning a number of days, the payment to each team member may be Rs 10,000 for the month. In order to tackle the vendor problem, I have tried and tested various service providers and now work with 500 vendors across the city, with 10-15 in each category. "I need to keep that extra buffer, since it is possible that more than 3-4 vendors may back out in my time of need." My business thrives on innovation and providing custom made solutions for every client. In recent times Ideazfirst bagged a project from a local TV channel named Star Jalsha and cashed on an upcoming wedding in a daily soap. We had a fleet of 100 yellow cabs decked up just like they do up a groom's car and handing out pamphlets on the channel like the hand out invitations in a marriage. The TV wedding thus raked in more TRPs than expected. Similarly for some city based L'Oreal salons, we set up a system of non competing barter that in turn increased the footfalls in the salon in the festival months. With my feet planted firmly in Kolkata I had no reason to complain as business At a time when most of my peers have moved out of Kolkata, thinking it offers them no career prospects, my then 20-year old self had the grit to stick on and make a mark for myself by setting up my own firm in the year 2003. It is growing at a rate of 25 per cent per annum. In fact I have ambitious plans drawn up for the future. Over the next financial year Ideazfirst is planning to ramp up on a large scale by opening their own offices in Tier I cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and appointing franchises in 40 tier II cities across the country. Talks are also on for a round of VC funding that will further empower the company. I would say, despite being in city that "people love to hate" , I envision that Kolkata based Ideazfirst will become a 100 crore company over the next -five to six years. Because of confidence in me, it does not seem impossible!
Rohit Swarup
Batch: 1996-1998
Director at Xplora Design Skool
I belonged to the first batch on IMNU, when it was known as NIM. From the day of joining NIM to being here, the journey has been quite amazing. I have seen the transition on NIM from sitting on school like benches in the 1st year and then to an ultra modern class room in second year. I was always late for class and was constantly reprimanded for the same. I still remember few of the professors words, which I can relate to in my corporate life-"Price is a brahmastra"- Nirmal Gupta Sir, "Learn business from streets: - Ram Kumar Sir, Crisp insights by PK Sinha Sir, casual meeting with O K Gupta Sir...the list is endless. At the inception of NIM we didn't have much of sports as IMNU has today, but, personally I have always been associated with sports, compeering events, reading, graphic designing - few of which I have kept alive. I don't miss anything about Nirma, because those are wonderful memories of wonderful times, alive even after all these years... My transition from being a B-school student to being a corporate, I would compare it with this quote "One who must fly one day must first learn to stand and walk" - standing, walking and flying have many things in common, yet many different. B-School life helped greatly in my journey through corporate life. The theory and concepts I learnt at school had direct application to the world of business - of course with a lot of common sense. The current education system does not allow one to seamlessly move from academics to job/profession, but, that's not for one to blame. The major motivating factor for me to enter this line of work came in the couple of years after completing MBA. It was by chance, that I was doing things with friends in a domain that I understood had great potential, was fun. The main motivating factor was: "we were making a difference to everything around - life of people, society, nation and we could see that happening in front of our eyes - that's quite motivating." NIM had set the tone for business within me. Be it professors, culture, education, friends, summer internship at Forbes...everything. In fact I met my partner Tinu (Xplora Design Skool) at NIM, where we were class mates. I believe, I had traits of entrepreneurship since childhood. My father is a textile technologist who was the first in family to get into business. There are some things I picked up from him, but I did not get into his business.
"We walk this earth only once; let's leave our foot prints on newer lands, for the generations to come"
In my journey, I have seen a lot of business setbacks and a lot of success. Hard work, grace of God, regular interaction with my professors, constant innovation & differentiation both disruptive and value addition, and, desire to excel have made me what I am today. If I were to sum up it was my "Academic bent of mind with passionate hard work." I have consulted, taught, and wrote cases at NID, MICA & IIM A; received Shiksha Bharti Puraskar 2009; "Indian Leadership Award for Educational Excellence 2010". "We walk this earth only once; let's leave our foot prints on newer lands, for the generations to come" Ayn Rand's Fountain Head & Atlas Shrugged set the tone during my engineering days after which I enriched myself with reading; became sensitive to appreciate nature and God. Throughout my life I have received great help from family and friends. "I'd say if there's any big problem I have had all my life...it's money. It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true." - Walt Disney. Currently I am the Chairman: Innovation & Research Foundation: Design & Innovation consulting, programs & workshops for Corporate & Colleges. I am also a partner of Xplora Design Skool- "India's premier vocational multimedia & animation education company spread across 125+ campuses in 22 states of India. And it gives me great happiness to say -"We have trained and placed over 60000+ students in the last 14 years approximately." If I were to talk about the current scenario of this industry- Vocational industry is down in a big way since last 3 years - new things have to be thought for survival, however in future, newer understanding would create higher growth prospects than those experienced being at the peak. Example: Employment scope and employability is becoming a big concern for engineers and raising their salary bar has been a challenge. Such sector specific specialized opportunities are increasing. General ones are dying. Thus one will have to be a super specialist or a niche player. For Futurz xplored I would say School Education is exploding. And it has already been rated by experts as a sweet spot to be in. And in case of Innovation & Research Foundation: Change Management, Innovation & Design Thinking is the future. This too is an interesting domain with great potential in developing nations. The scenario is changing but we have never thought of competition- even today we don't think of competition or how easy or tough the market is, we look at only one thing- can we create different product/offerings, or, do things differently or can we create a blue ocean in our sector, and we try to seek the tools to do so, yes, it takes time and efforts but it gets us going. On a parting note all I would like to tell the budding managers that- "There is Nothing like hard work, follow your heart", "Innovate" AND, "Work is not only the turn-over; the turn-over can be ordered and brought about by sheer labour. The term 'work' connotes something deep, more subtle and divine. The creative urge that is behind every active intellect, which ultimately fulfils itself in the creation of things and beings, that subtle spiritual strength is called "karma"; all else is mere sweat and toil, dust and blood, heaving and sobbing, smiling and singing, hoarding and wasting." - The Holy Geeta.
The 19th Vichar Vinimay was scheduled at 2.00 pm today (17.12.2015). Our esteemed guests Ms. Kiran Sethi (Founder & Director) - Riverside School and Ms. Neena Mehta shared their insights on the subject of Design Thinking.
Santa Claus is a Business Graduate.
- A very interesting theory by one of our students. Please do read.
Link:
https://imnublog.wordpress.com/2015/12/25/santa-claus-is-a-business-graduate/
Get Set Go: The entrepreneurship workshop organized by Swayam Club
An entrepreneurship workshop, 'Get Set Go', was organized by Swayam Club - The Entrepreneurship Club on 20th December, 2015. A total of 60 students participated in this workshop.
The speaker at the workshop was Mr. Ankit Machhar, a leading professional at 'I-Create'. The institute is proud to further mention that Mr. Machhar is an alumnus. This was the trademark 'I-Create' workshop. The main purpose of conducting this event was to bring together students who aspire to be entrepreneurs and provide them expert guidance. They were given a good platform to present their ideas and were helped in structuring the whole ideation process. Participants were introduced to the 'javelin model', which is an internationally renowned practice of identifying feasibility of a business plan. At the end of the day, the feedback received was very positive and students were left craving for more. Apart from the MBA pursuers, students from ITNU, ILNU and BBA-MBA integrated program also participated in this workshop.
Enjoy some wonderfully captured moments of the event!
5th Annual Quality Conference on "Transformation through Quality Management "
The 5th Annual Quality Conference jointly organized by ASQ LMC Ahmedabad and Institute of Management, Nirma University commenced at 9 am on November 28, 2015. The theme for the conference this year was "Transformation through Quality Management".
While delivering the welcome address, Dr Himanshu Trivedi, Chair ASQ Ahmedabad LMC mentioned that Quality is undergoing transformation and leading role of Quality is now played by top management themselves. If India needs to be transformed to developed country, we will have to develop deeper understanding of Quality; and Institutes and Industries can play vital role in this movement.
The session was further addressed by the Guest of Honor Mr. James Ciby, Director ASQ India. He elaborated about ASQ India and its wide network of 75000 organization members. With a mission of driving quality knowledge across educational institutions ASQ is connected to almost 40 universities across the country.
The session was further carried by Mr. Kishore Purswani, Executive Director, Corporate Monitoring, BHEL. He talked about the transformations that has taken place in the country in the past 10 years. The brands that existed 20 years ago are no longer seen today as due to better productivity new products have captured the market.
The Chief Guest of the session Mr. FR Singhvi, Joint Managing Director, Sansera Engineering talked about "Transforming India through Quality Leadership." He emphasized that transformation can only take place when all the root cause of change is identified and the root cause of transformation is "We" the people itself. We need to regulate ourselves first and be a good citizen before thinking of any change. Unless we change it is difficult to transform. Integrity, honesty, humility and courage are some qualities that a leader should possess to bring about any change. Dr. GArimella, Director IMNU addressed the audience and shared importance of Quality. Also present in this function was Shree K K Patel, VP Nirma University who praised the efforts of ASQ for spreading the Q message.
The next session was addressed by Mr. Kevin Noakes, Vice President Quality assurance & Product Reliability, Schindler India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Noakes said that one cannot be a global leader without innovation. He explained how Schindler India has brought technology into their system which has made their processes more efficient and productive.
Dr. Manu Vora, Chairman & President,Business Excellence Inc., USA joined the session through Google Hangout. Dr. Manu said that focus of Indian Organizations is on compliance. The real focus should move from compliance to excellence. He talked about Leadership, Zero Defects and organization culture. He also talked about change management and said that we should first determine the need for change, plan for it, implement it and then sustain it.
Post lunch there were 7 technical sessions which ran parallel in which 32 case studies were presented by 23 leading organizations
The valedictory session was addressed by Mr Darshak Vasavada, CEO Stamp- Computers, Bangalore.
Why, How and Which Business School? Making the Right Choice
A two year MBA or PGDM programme from a good business school can be set you off by about Rs.12-15 lakhs if you consider the tuition fee and other living expenses for two years. In addition, if you are earning an average of Rs.4 lakhs per annum in your current job, you will forego another Rs.8 lakhs during the two years of study and sometimes even a promotion to the next level as well. In essence, you will be paying approximately Rs. 20-25 lakhs for a two year management programme which is a substantial amount and, therefore, choosing a B-School or a programme that suits your requirement is essential. Moreover, the current uncertainty in the job market and the relevance of MBA in boosting students' career opportunities being questioned, it is all the more important for you to make the right choice. However, this is easier said than done. With every B-School claiming that they have world class faculty and infrastructure and 100% placement record, MBA aspirants are getting confused and making wrong choices.
You need to, therefore, be sure about the right programme to join which will give your career a boost for which you need to be clear about why you want to do an MBA and what your expectations from the programme are. I will be discussing these aspects in the remaining part of this article which I hope will guide you in your decision process.
1. To earn more money or get a good profile job: This is certainly good reason to join a good MBA programme. But you should not be carried away by the talk of the so-called 'return on investment' and 'payback period'. Business schools that have long legacy, proven track record of providing quality education (which includes recognition by UGC or AICTE and accredited by NAAC, NBA and other national and international reputed accreditation agencies), curriculum aligned to the contemporary needs of the industry, trusted and respected by corporate recruiters and located in places which enable a high level of institute-industry interaction should be your first choice.
2. To prepare for a career in a particular functional area or sector: You should not expect that all prestigious and top ranking B-Schools have expertise in all areas of management. Hence, you should also look for those schools and, not necessarily top ranking schools, which have expert faculty in the area you wish to specialize. Proximity to certain types of industries provide opportunities for faculty members to carry out research, consultancy and training activities which in turn help them to gain expertise in certain sectors and areas.
3. To join a good but affordable programme: Not everyone can afford or willing to pay high tuition fees even though they may get admission to top B-Schools. This should not deter you from pursuing a good programme. There are many good schools in the next tier which provide "value for money" by provide quality education at affordable cost.
4. To be an entrepreneur: Most schools prepare students for careers in corporate sectors. If you wish to be an entrepreneur, then you may need to look for schools whose curricula have high degree of focus on entrepreneurship, have very active entrepreneurship cells or incubators and favourable environment which nurture entrepreneurship.
5. Use MBA to move into a different profile: You need to realise that except for some programmes which may help you switch to a different profile, by and large, an MBA is essentially a career accelerator which can pitch you to a higher position in your current career in a relatively shorter time. You need to have more realistic expectations from an MBA programme and should not hope to leverage it to shift to a different career or catapult you to senior positions quickly.
6. Other reasons: Other reasons for choosing a programme include gaining international experience through internships, foreign immersion programme, dual degree programmes, etc. Some schools have excellent tie-ups with reputed foreign universities which provide excellent opportunities for international exposure. If you plan to join a doctoral programme to earn a Ph.D or go abroad for work, then you should certainly look for reputed universities which offer MBA degree or PGDM from a management institute recognized by AIU.
To summarize, you should have a clear set of objectives, do your own research and don't forget to remember the old adage, "look before you leap", before you make the final call.
Authored by Mr. Somayajulu Garimella, Ph.D. , Director & Dean, Institute of Management, Nirma University
Perspective|Richter10
Whole of IMNU was abuzz with energy and palpable excitement as the Cultural Committee of IMNU inaugurated its national level event Richter Perspective 10 on 4th December, 2015 which went on to conclude on 6th December 2015. The inaugural session was headed by the eminent surgeon Dr. Vikram I Shah, chairperson of the Shalby Hospitals. Dr.Shah, who delivered an enlightening speech and advised the students to always follow their heart and pursue a career in what they love as opposed to a career which brings in only money and no satisfaction.
Teams from various B-Schools all over the country like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Indore, IIT Kharagpur, MICA, IRMA, PUMBA joined the college to add on to the excitement.
Following the inaugural session, the first event of the day was Media Intelligence 360 Degrees conducted by the Media Committee. Simultaneously, another event Rush was conducted by the students of IMNU, which tested the puzzles and riddles solving ability of the competitors and their target hunting instincts. Markenova, organized by Niche-The Marketing Club of IMNU, was called 'Kiosk-AThon'. Many more events were scheduled which included Euphoria conducted by Fiesta, Rangmach by Chehre, the dramatics club, Cerca Trova and Pratiti by Sumantra and Pratikriti respectively.
The second day was started by Rasprava, organised by Imprintz-The HR Club of IMNU. Other events lined up for the day was Lynx III by Optimus- The Operations Club, Bollywood Mashup, Quotient F by Finesse - The Finance Club, Excavate by Clique, The IT Club.
These events were followed by Footloose by Fiesta.
The event concluded on the third day with series of competition like Biz - Zine by Club Expressions, Start Up in 1M by Swayam Club, Prayaas - The Big Social Idea Contest by Rotaract Club of IMNU.
The Perspective Richter10 ended with a bang on Sunday night with a mind-bowing performance by Arun Kamath and band. "Musical Night - Arun Kamath Live in Concert" was organized by the The Cultural Committee, Institute of Management Nirma University. It's not every day that a rock star graces a B-School with his presence and hence the event proved to be a very delightful change from the other ones more focused on academics. Arun Kamath performed with great versatility, an assortment of songs of various genres. He was very high on energy and could manage the commendable task of increasing the temperament of the entire crowd. The crowd simply loved his covers of "Pichhle Saat Dinno Mein", "Bang Bang" and "Paradise". The Coldplay song particularly received an overwhelming response. All in all, it was an excellent end to an already awesome fest.
E - Insights by Swayam
E - Insights is a series of talk shows with leading entrepreneurs of the industry. The event is presented by Swayam, The Entrepreneurship Club, especially for the 'futurepreneurs' of Nirma University. The second chapter of E - Insights took place at 4pm on Thursday, 10th December 2015, with an eminent guests Esha Shah and Rohan Bhatt, founders of the much-famed Facebook page, 'Foodoholics in Ahmedabad'.
Esha Shah was a powerhouse, as she charged on one question after the other. The vivacious woman started talking about her life and how she broke the stereotypes, and took up a career in HR training. She trained at Future Group and later started freelancing. Their love for food enabled the dynamic duo to establish the Facebook page, and their undying passion and energy pushed the followers from 25 to 250 to 33,000 today!
Esha Shah talked about how they never earn a single paisa from their venture. "We maintain this page for the love of food," she said. "Any funding taken from restaurants would result in the loss of credibility; and that is the last thing we want of our followers!"
Talking about facing sexism, Shah believed the issue is overhyped. Her conviction was that if you're straightforward and know when to put your foot down, no one can exploit you.
She advised the futurepreneurs to have passion and conviction for their new ventures, especially when owning cafes. She feels that opening a venture for the money or for the 'cool' factor is a disaster-in-the-making.
She ended the session petitioning all students to join her for breaking the Guinness World Record of the World's Largest Potluck. The talk show created terrific energy in the minds of young students, and inspired them to develop their passion.
NICOM
2016 - The International Conference
The 19th Nirma International Conference on Management (NICOM), organized by the Institute of Management, Nirma University (IMNU), commenced at 10:45 am on 7th January, 2016. NICOM has been an annual event at IMNU providing a platform for an interactive discussion between academicians and industry veterans on a plethora of topics under a common theme. The conclave started with a welcome address by Dr. S. Garimella, Director, Institute of Management, Nirma University. Director General, Anup Singh then spoke of ambiguity and uncertainty in this day and age and provided with encouraging words to fight challenges in the face of the same.
The guest of honour Mr. Ramakant Jha addressed the audience by imparting knowledge on how the aspirations of society grow with corresponding growth in various fields. He also discussed about smart cities and the fuelling it provides in the overall development of the nation.
Dr. Ram Shankar Katharia, Minister of State for HRD, the chief guest for the day, then addressed the audience with thanks for the invitation and the chance to impart his wisdom to budding managers. He spoke of how Gujarat has shown commendable development in the past decade and extended the accreditation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The country has come a long way from the poverty and lack of education that it witnessed a few years back, although the issues still exist to quite an extent today.
The post lunch session began with Mr. Dipesh Shah, VP GIFT City and Mr. Shishir Rai, AVP, GIFT City, addressing the students on the topic of "Developing Smart City in India-Experience of GIFT City". Mr. Rai spoke about how building a smart city needs smart planning. What makes GIFT a smart city is its smart plan and structure. Mr. Shah first defined their concept of GIFT City as smart in terms of economy, mobility, financial services and IT. He went on to elaborate on the features of GIFT City which are many and varied- smart infrastructure, technologically driven, retail and entertainment hubs, fire safety, security, energy management. Mr. Shah ended the session by saying that any vision or concept requires hard work, dedication and perseverance.
The first plenary session of Day 2 was presided by Mr. Sanjay Kaul, IAS and Mr. Chirag Dhebar, General Manager & Competency Lead, TCS.
Mr. Sanjay Kaul talked about innovations and start-ups in India. He gave out a different perspective to the topic saying that entrepreneurs take up a business to earn profits whereas start-ups have the fundamental of trying out something new. As education grows, economy improves, and there is more disposable income, an increase in technology and connectivity; creates great opportunities for start-ups. Fast internet penetration in India has been an important source for the start-up culture. India is the fourth fastest growing start-up country in the world, with cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad being its fore-runners. Mr. Chirag Dhebar talked about Digitalization. He changed the words Digital India to Digit-All-India. He originated the digitization of all things in India, just like Aryabhatta created the number 0 and Bhrahmaputra explained the use of the same. Mr. Dhebar analogized the ancient digitization with the modern day digitalization. He asserted that Indians have not only the correct technology but also value the appropriation of its uses. Sir discussed about the contribution of MBA students to digital india through training and skill building projects. He concluded with the staunch belief that technology is the only choice for us to create a collected knowledge economy through digital India.
Day three of NICOM started with Mr. Hasmukh Patel (IPS) addressing the students on the topic of change management. He spoke about his experience in Bhavnagar where his first mission was to create respect for law through strict and impartial enforcement of law and responsive and accountable police administration. Sir spoke about how he started with implementing small but important steps such as instilling a sense of security, involving people in their own security etc. He also elaborated on their strategies such as behavioural change strategy and motivation strategy.
The second speaker of the day was Ms. Komal Shah from E-Spark, Viridian Ventures who spoke about accelerating entrepreneurs. Ms. Shah talked about a host of topics such as valuation versus value creation, differentiation versus me-too products, red ocean versus blue ocean and desperation versus creativity. She explained the concept of a red ocean, an intensely competitive market where a customers is pulled in many different direction by numerous companies/brands. In such a scenario, a start-up should ideally attempt to create a small niche out of the red ocean; create their own blue ocean where they are the market leaders.
The chief guest for the valedictorian session, Professor Ajit Prasad, Director, IIM-Lucknow, conducted the session on The Crisis in Global Strategy. He started the session by emphasizing on how the Indians are too obsessed with quantity nowadays, as opposed to quality. The difference between strategy and operations efficiency was discussed. Prof. Prasad mentioned that the managerial obsession with growth is hazardous to strategy and how positioning is as important a part as strategizing is. The guest of honour Mr. Sesadri Rajaram, Managing Director, Erhardt + Leimer then took over the stage to discuss about globalization and operational efficiency. He said that successful strategy goes hand in hand with sustainability. Compliance with physical and social environment is dire, and contribution from our side to the community should take place.
The Best Paper Awards were distributed by Prof. Nikunj Patel. The second prize went to Professors Sweety Shah, Amola Bhatt and Shahir Bhatt and the first prize went to Professors Ritesh Patel and Mitesh Patel for their contributions to the field of management.
Kushal M Shah
Class of 1999-2001 Director, Aon
My first step - well, it takes me back to 1999-2000 during my first year at Nirma. When I signed up for the PGDM program at Nirma, I was certain that my specialization in second year would be Finance. My exposure to the field of Finance was limited though. While I had studied accounting and economics during my undergraduate studies, I was not familiar with business finance and various streams within finance. It was a confused state of mind - investment banking was prestigious and meant more money but corporate finance was more popular with an assured job. Risk Management was nowhere on the scene - Indian corporate world was yet to adapt to scientific approaches of Risk Management. And that's where I found my interest.
My exposure to various streams within Finance during my first year of PGDM sparked my interest in the field of Risk Management - it was a field not explored by many in Indian scenario and there were no real experts or gurus to look forward to. While the western world was talking about Basel standards and capital adequacy, Indian corporates and banks were restricted to treasury risk management and plain vanilla derivatives in Foreign Exchange market. Stock exchanges in India were yet to launch derivative products on stocks and indices. My first step really came in during my summer internship in April 2000, when I selected a risk management project over a prestigious equity research project.
Family, friends and those I considered my career advisors were not happy and convincing them was not an easy task. Arguments were all against my philosophy and interest - but in the end it was my call. And that's when I decided to take that first step in the direction of my interest. There was no stopping me from that point - I was destined to be a risk management professional.
Today, after almost 14 years after I took that first step, when I look back at my career and my achievements as a Risk Management & Decision Science professional, when I talk to the same family, friends and career advisors, when I talk to my industry friends and peers, when I talk to my clients and my competitors, everything reminds me of that first step. If I had chosen a more prestigious assignment in equity research desk of the broking company instead of the back-office risk management function, I would have been a 3 Idiots MBA today.
My first step in the direction that I wanted to pursue, my core interest area - Risk Management, has over years helped me in gaining knowledge and skills in various subjects including Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research, Management Sciences, Behavioural Sciences and of course, Finance and Economics. It has helped me explore unchartered territories and go beyond my comfort zone every now and then. It has helped me look beyond the horizon and come up with original ideas that have been adapted by many of my peers, clients and competitors as successful industry practices today.
My professional journey for last 13 years has been a reflection of that first step - a very clear vision for my career goals and where I really want to see myself in future. During these 13 years, I have earned a name as an established risk management professional. My professional reputation is synonymous to the field of Risk Management and Decision Science. Some of my family members and my friends still wonder how a boy that almost flunked the Mathematics exam in 10th standard has made a successful career out of the subject. Today, I lead a large team in a company that is reputed as world's largest Risk Management Advisory firm. In last 13 years, I have worked on numerous projects for reputed banks, financial services firms and insurance companies across the globe and have advised a number of Fortune 500 companies on their Risk Management initiatives and strategies. When I look back at all these, I realize that none of this would have been possible without that first step.
Since that time when I took my first step, the world has changed a lot. Today, more opportunities are available for anyone who wants to make the most of them. We all are living two great Chinese curses - today, it is possible to get what we wish for and we are also living in exciting times. Exciting times also mean that we face tremendous competition at global level and we face many other challenges - it is not easy to excel or be successful. When we get what we wish for, we also need to be ready for it - we need to have right skills and knowledge to make the most out of the opportunity. In this time of high uncertainty and ever increasing risk, that first step matters more than ever before. If you show that courage to grab the opportunity and make the most out of it, if you demonstrate right skills and persistence to pursue your ambition, if you are ready to focus and excel in that one area of your choice - success will follow. For management graduates, opportunities are available in many contemporary fields that were not traditionally known. Today, one can become an investment banker for sports industry or a management consultant to Bollywood.
Today, more opportunities are available for management professionals to work in space organizations and aviation companies or in healthcare and tourism sectors. It is all about taking that risk - taking that first step. My sincere advice to the current students and fellow professionals is to courageously take that first step if you have not yet done so already - your first step may not bring you all the glory and success at first, but if you take that first step in the direction that you decide for yourself and continue to pursue your interest and your ambitions, you will always cherish the memories of your first step.
As Martin Luther King Jr. has rightly said: "Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase"!
Jaldeep Virani
Batch 2004-2006
Senior Manager-Metals
Tata International
As I sat down to respond to the interview for Kaizen Magazine while taking a late night flight from Mumbai to Kolkata on an old rickety Air India flight, it actually made me think and reflect upon my life so far. In the hustle and bustle of everyday corporate life, we almost forget to take a break and think of our lives, and I don't mean our family life, just our personal lives, but our individual life journey. So I would like to first of all thank Kaizen Committee for giving me an opportunity to reflect back on my life and remember my days at IMNU which I consider as the two best years of my life. I miss everything about life at
IMNU, my classmates, faculty, state of the art classrooms, auditorium, Talent Night, Richter, Placement week, conclaves, pre-placement visits, cultural programs, B- School competitions, Benches, Tapri ki chai, Midnight birthday bumps, LAN gaming, Bike trips to nearby restaurants/ theatres, Exam stress, sleepy lectures, and the list is endless.
I can with 100% confidence say that back then and till date, the course content and rigour is as good as some of the best B- Schools in the country. We were also fortunate to have some really good full time and part time faculty members who ensured that the students learned not just from lecture delivery but also from other means like case study preparations, winter projects and class discussions from peer to peer learning. I still miss some of those very interesting lectures in OB by Nina Ma'am, Prof. Anup Singh (Ex Director), Prof. Mallikarjun to name a few.
I strongly feel that in a B-School as much learning takes place outside classrooms as does inside. I think, MBA and ensuing corporate life is very unique in the sense it gives very limited importance to academics and theoretical knowledge. I think today organisations are looking at more rounded personalities who have good people skills and common sense or street smartness. I strongly recommend my friends pursuing their MBA right now to get involved in as many activities as possible.
Apart from learning, they also bring in an element of fun into your studies which you may not be able to get once you pass out. I can't imagine my life at Nirma without those millions of calls I would have made to various companies inviting them to campus or visiting companies like Infosys and Wipro as a part of Pre-placement Visits, marketing our college or even those late night Counter strike sessions or participating in Nirma champions League and playing football and cricket under lights. All these experiences are priceless and I am glad I made the most of it while I could.
If I were to describe my experience at IMNU, there is only one word which comes to my mind and that is "Blissful". I was also fortunate to have some of the greatest friends which thankfully even today are equally close. I had two years of work experience before MBA and I think that gave me the maturity to quickly settle into a corporate environment post MBA. Also being part of Placement & Hostel Committee at IMNU, being an organising committee member for various conclaves are almost "semi corporate roles" and are good learning grounds for budding managers like us. Working with Professors, Placement Officers, College Admin in a way trains you to take up more formal and structured corporate roles.
The life journey for me has been quite interesting, from a shy small town boy to a Mumbaikar working for the biggest and most revered corporate house of India, I can say that the journey has been most fulfilling. Honestly, as a school boy I had very modest dreams, confidence and aspirations. I think my career started shaping up once I came to Mumbai to do my engineering, this was the first time I was out of my comfort zone and the 4 years at Mumbai in one of the best engineering colleges really gave me lot of confidence and a desire to achieve more, go further.
However I passed out during the peak of "Dot Com" bubble burst and there were no jobs in the market. I was one of the lucky 20% in my batch to get decent job. So, I started my career as a Sales Executive for Medical Instrumentation Company. This Sales experience gave me tremendous confidence and that's when I decided to make a career in marketing. Once I joined IMNU, the exposure to various facets of management further gave me confidence to become a wholesome manager.
Today if I am a confident Manager, it is a product of accumulation of various life lessons and education I have had from time to time. So today I reflect back on my life with lot of contentment. When I was in IMNU, I was passionate about Automobiles (I still am), which led me to do my summer training with TATA Motors in 2005 and I was highly impressed with this Indian company fighting it out with many foreign players. I was also impressed with the TATA group, its rich heritage and value system.
Thus I decided to make it a point to join TATA Motors after my MBA. Luckily I made it through TATA Motors in the Pre Placement Interview process and I was extremely fortunate because on that day I was the only one to be selected out of the 19 MBA graduates from various colleges who had similarly done projects with TML. The 3 years at TML were a wonderful experience with a very steep learning curve. Here I was part of many interesting happenings in a brief span like inkling of TATA - Fiat JV, Operationalization of Ranjanga on plant for making TATA and Fiat cars and launch of Nano. How-ever, in my 4th year at TATA Motors, a wonderful opportunity called TATA Administrative Services came across and I was fortunate enough to make it into TAS as an In House candidate.
As a part of TAS, I have been experiencing the business diversity of the group and in a way have landed in the current sector by default rather than design. TAS has also given me a unique opportunity to get associated with projects of national importance.
I got a chance to work for the PM's Council on Skill Development as a special deputation. My objective right now is to get as much diverse experience as possible to constantly keep myself into the stretch zone. May be a few years later, I may return to my first love, TATA Motors.
In spite of all the hassles and tensions, one thing that all the managers are expected to do efficiently is- balancing work and life, Honestly, I have never faced a challenge to balance work and life in spite of living in Maximum city. May be I never had challenging bosses or enough work.
On a lighter note, I strongly believe it depends on each one of us how we manage our time at office and draw a line between personal and professional time. I don't think that one has to necessarily put in extra hours to "get noticed", after all it all depends on whether you are able to deliver on what you are supposed to. I think lot of us make a mistake of taking our jobs too seriously and in the process compromise on our personal lives. I always remind myself that my company has hundreds of managers but my family doesn't have that luxury. As regards to the economy, all in all, I think the budding managers at IMNU should be optimistic about the future of the country but at the same time prepare for a tough year ahead.
Lastly, I would like to tell the budding managers is not to get lost in the corporate life. Don't lose track of yourself in the business of everyday hectic life. Once you start working, take out time for yourself, socialise and go to gym. Unless you are at your best you would not be able to contribute to society, yourself, your family and your country.
The most important thing in life as you grow is to take care of your physical and mental wellbeing!
Lohri@IMNU "Longing for warmth in old-fashioned way by enjoying the heat of bonfire and eating Reoris and peanuts in icy winds" Lohri is the cultural celebration of the winter solstice, meant to be celebrated on the shortest day of the year. IMNU celebrated Lohri on the 13th of this month with a huge hoi polloi pouring in. The Lohri celebrations commenced with a religious stint - a bonfire setup. The amplifiers were also ready to play their part in the much awaited celebration. There was a different sense of festivities in the air as Makarsankarnti was also a sleep away. And as they put it - "The more the merrier!", Everyone gathered there swayed with full energy to the tunes of the bhangra-bollywood songs being played. The whole celebration was well planned out by the Cultural Committee of IMNU. And as it turned out, the celebration added another chapter in students' roller coaster like campus life journey.
Republic Day@IMNU-Ahmedabad The University celebrated the 67th Republic Day with flag hoisting and an inspiring talk by chief guest Shri. Sunil Parekh, President Gujarat, SPICMACAY.  Mr. Parekh hoisted the flag and delivered a speech about the strengths of our country and it's population. The celebration was the perfect start to a bright and patriotic day.