Posts tagged ‘Alumni’
Atonement
I was travelling across the misty fields of water lotuses wandering with random thoughts that have been an inner world to a chaotic self, how else I would have taken my life just one year back. Amused, dazed, phlegmatic of almost everything, in a world which was an illusion for close to 21 years
and then one Friday night, changed everything.
Teleporting myself (read, every Spartan) to 24th February 2011, I had worries of a gaped career, a halted future and an equally vocal excitement. If that morning someone would have asked how do I feel, I would have surely said “exhausted”. With the dipping sun, the mist in my life settled.. My boat of a solitary traveler shored into a new land. A land where the first step seemed a million milestones far, where looking at a stranger with a hope of security defined insignificance. A place of knowledge or another animal farm right out from the unspoken words of Orwell’s novel. A place that the dictionary of intellectualism calls “the B School (read: my B School, Great Lakes)”
As I reached far across my hometown leaving a handful of folks who cared, for an education which promised to change me into anything but ordinary. for better or for worse is a question in a limbo, that night I lay watching the ceiling of my hostel room for as many number of hours as I can’t count. Time seemed endless; life seemed empty, like a washed slate awaiting scribbles…
“Hey Hi, which room are you??”
That’s how a sunny warm morning started, My first friend.. My neighbor..
Never had been room numbers as significant as the first few days of a hostel life. with time the jig started. The fight…of assignments, pre-reads, marks, friendship, groups, partying, late nights, emotions and the entire of everything that one wants to experience on a road to freedom for the last time in his life. 100 days, 300 hours of sleep, 500 assignments, tests, grades, competitions; suddenly the meaning of life went simpler. No more moments were the memories of a happening past, no more they were of coping up, they were of survival and right in the middle of everything the animal farm nurtured itself into utopia. A utopia I call my second home; this very world, changed. Anything outside the four walls was a simile to an alien land and right here, within the constructs of marketing strategies and financial ratios did I find comfort.
My comfort of great friendship, my comfort of support, of securities; my comfort of achievements, of goals I would have never dared dreaming, my comfort of care, of affection, my comfort of a second family where dreams were cherished, madness was rejoiced, anger was beheld and a comfort where all illusions broke loose.
No, Life did not stop being what it used to be, it had all its share, betrayal, unfaithful friendships, sadness, tears. Like everybody’s from distress to glory this college life had all of it. But in all those mishaps did it teach how to glow from your vanishing remains. After a bitter discourse under a blanket of cold winter night did one of them spoke something which I would carry a long, long way
“A million year old friendship need not be one for the rest of your life, if aint realized, if aint respected, if aint deserved”
Another evening, another sky full of a silver moon, an amphitheater running amok with prospective mentors, CEOs, entrepreneurs. Emphatic it would sound, but never one would find a story from rags to riches so close to see. Never one would see so many unemployed turning millionaires over night. Never one would feel the angst, agony, passion, fight and glory unless one gets to be a part of it.
“Right in the middle of desert, one finds an oasis… The traveler is just a passing moment… That which realizes the glory of it is the desert” – Rumi
Today, after exactly one year I feel, I’ve grown a million years, wised a million times, and redefined my understanding of how far can I pull myself before to call it quits. For good or for bad, would tell the test of time. But this animal farm has rebelled and morphed into its ‘genuinity’ which was somewhere lost midst the long blinding beliefs. Amazingly the difference is only self-realized.
The multitude of future citizens (read: mamalas and many more to join) of this very utopia each of us would know that the boundaries of dreams and capabilities are woven beneath the blanket of doubt, the one who rises above the cover to a boundless sky, capability as a word seizes to define the final limit rather re-defines as a synonym to milestone.
“Remember, the beauty of intellect is never observed but only realized – Bus. Rev.”
~
Debashree (Spartan)
P.s. The L’Attitude 2012 blog site ‘http://lattitude1305-2012.blogspot.in/‘
Photography by Shiva, Suvasree, Joseph, Nilotpal and Dagar.
Workshop by IIMC Alumni Chennai Chapter & Career Guidance Sessions (Part 2, The Case presentations)
And the battle begins,
Be it the warriors of Athens or the board rooms of conglomerates, the possession of the top is an infectious disease. The viral has well spread to the four best teams (New Wave, Challengers, Just in Case and Lemon Aid) presenting their analysis and market propositions for Nimbooz.
The stage is set, the panel is ready and the game is on.
Sonali from Team New Wave quotes with their exemplary presentation stating their high points as
“Team New Wave presented an in-depth analysis of “Lemon-Aid Strategy” case, it equally made recommendations that revolved around bringing new variants of Nimbooz (spice and Masala variants), involving health specialists as brand advocates to boost overall sales.”
Team Challengers showcasing an upbeat competition with a plethora of speculative questions and strong contenders, Nishtha Dewani, Amit Pal Singh Bagga, Rohit Aggarwal and Vivek Gupta presented a spectacular with a strategic sales pitch in Nimbooz at the fast food outlets where the cheesy flavour is counting on calories.
Their target point hits high node with their proposition of Nimbooz as a non-sugared version to target the health conscious and mocktail segment.
Not to far was the next high on energy team, Just in case with a case presentation done by Pratibha, Naman, Kashish and Divya showcasing a clear structure to a marketing strategy. well touted by the panel and well grilled by the audience ‘Just in case’ left no doubts about their presence and understanding of the case.
Naman from the team says it all by encapsulating the following lines
“We suggested keeping it simple, with only limited variations, as complexity may not gel well with the product. While continuing to target out-of-home consumption, we recommend focussing on the freshness of the product, and its refreshing effect. Health focus can be achieved by introducing Diet Nimbooz to bolster sales in the health-conscious segment. Also introducing a Rs. 5 Returnable Glass Bottle (RGB) would help capture the more price sensitive consumers. Since it’s a product consumed across age groups and geographical locations in India, the marketing communications should have a wider focus than just the youth.”
The last to mark the grand finale was Group Lemon Aid, giving a fair fight and enthusiastic approach to their strategy to introduce Nimbooz as a substitute to home made drink and mixers. Advaita, Sahil, Jaywardhan and Sourabh did present to be the true crusaders to mark the finish line. As quoted by the team members
“The presentation looks forward to the strategic path to make this brand into a mega brand. “
They say no show ends without a show stopper, today not one but we had 4 teams beckoning the exemplary show stoppers for the closure of the first session of IIM C workshop. Mr. Prateek Pota enveloped his suggestions and ideas marking the end of the lemon-aid case study presentation
The grand Finale gets done with the first prize bagged by team ‘just in case’ and second by ‘Challengers’. Truly speaking, nothing else can be better than a well deserved accolade.
And yes, whatta game it was!!
Workshop by IIMC Alumni Chennai Chapter & Career Guidance Sessions (Part 1)
“Once a sales man, always a sales man… its just that you graduate to selling your dreams”
– Ashok Jayaram
Certainly, “History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul”
With the best of IIM Calcutta Alumni in the walkways of Great Lakes institute of Management. This Saturday morning is a special retreat, with the trimmed black suits and formals bringing in the best of a B-School presentations, the director of PGPM Prof. T.N. Swaminathan opened the workshop by IIM C Alumni, Chennai chapter with a warm welcome extending his gratitude of behalf of Spartans and the college.
Mr. Ashok Jayaram, (CEO, Coaching foundation India) charted the workshop with a short crisp introductory speech, dotting the two major milestones in his sales life, of one bringing in the first sales pitch and second having a repeat customer as the primer in a sales marketer’s lifecycle. Closing up with a feeling of gratification to have received few of the best presentation from GLIM, he passed the baton of introduction to Mr. J. Krishnan.
Mr. J. Krishnan, who pioneered the chair of Chief executive officer, Deccan Chargers for the two years of its inception is an IIT Madras, IIM C Alumnus. Currently associated with UniMity Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Krishnan showed his pleasure to visit Great Lakes for the second year in concurrence.
Following the lead of luminaries, to join us were Mr. Jagannathan from Godrej, Mr. Prateek Pota, Executive Director – South, Pepsi. Mr. Mali Mahalingam, Partner, T.S. Mahalingam & Sons. Mr. B Ravindranath, Director, Kadamba Technologies Pvt. Ltd and Dr. P. V. R. Murthy CEO, Executive Search Consultants.
With dignitaries gracing the presentation, Mr. Prateek Pota took charge for the workshop briefly outlining the structure for Lemon Aid case study. The Ongoing IIM C workshop – Chennai Chapter in GLIM, the batch of Spartans are exuberated to be a part of the session marking the launch of career counseling session for fall of 2011.
Alumni – Bangalore and Mumbai Charters Meet
The Bangalore and Mumbai Charters of Great Lakes Alumni met on the 18th and 25th of September respectively. Both the meets, held in the respective cities were enthusiastically attended by Alumni and served as a forum to revisit the good old days. It was time for them bond all over again, exchange pleasantries, contacts and recollect all the wonderful moments that make college life so memorable and warm! Great Lakes band – The Straight Fs - performed in their signature fashion at Bangalore and it added to the prevailing joyful and nostalgic spirit.
Nothing better than pictures to capture moments for eternity!
