Time to Bid GoodBye...

It is a known and much regretted fact that all good things come to an end. From another view, it could be said that where one adventure ends, another begins.If I am talking about concluding adventures in the month of March, then yes (you guessed right) I am talking about UDGAM - Farewell'13 .

PGP 2011-13 with their titles given by PGP 2012-14

Mr.Udgam'13 Somyakanta Nanda and Ms. Udgam'13 Sushuma Namasani

My first reaction ( and I can speak, rather write for most of our batch) about the farewell was "so, soon ! Where have all the days gone?". It seemed like day before yesterday when we were giving our introductions at 3 am all the while facing a formidable class-room full of unfamiliar students, facing our first exams at an IIM ( gulp!) and went out to explore the malls of Raipur.I remember how, the first few days, we were dreading to even talk to the seniors, and how we were full of awe of them.Then we ran to them for advice on subjects, advice on summers, advice on resume and other things under the sun (ahem!). The seniors are your first impression of the campus, not the professors, not the buildings.They represent the walking and talking culture of the campus. We automatically look up to them for everything from the dress code to the advice on choosing streams. 

 As the days went by, there were (perma)thaws in the form of interaction during Freshers party,discussion with seniors in the clubs and committees, on special days with festivities like independence day, republic day etc. Seniors were always there, in the background, ready to help us, guide us if needed. They inspired us, spoke about building and sustaining the culture here, and motivated us.There are some big shoes to fill, indeed.

And on one fine day, we were suddenly bidding farewell to our seniors.There were the usual on-the-surface things like fabulous food, entertainment, fun and frolic. But there was also this undercurrent sense of finality, this sense that the time had come. Yes, the time has come. 

Adieu dear seniors !!

Contributed by: Pavitra Subramaniam , PGP2012-14, she can be reached at pgp12018.hymavathi@iimraipur.ac.in

Euphoria in Raipur !!!

Three days of back to back competitions and nonstop action at our cultural fest ‘Equinox’ finally ended with the performance by Euphoria on 19^th of February. What more could we ask for other than the “Father of Indian Pop” performing for IIM Raipur.

Euphorians Rocking in Raipur

 The night began with their blockbuster composition ‘Dhoom Pichak Dhoom’. It got people up and moving within minutes. As the show started Dr. Palash saw the reporters covering the front rows in the audience and told them “Can the media people please let the students come in front?”.Watching him perform and taking pictures 2 feet away from him was simply awesome. What followed was a list of his hit songs such as ‘Gully’, ‘Maeri’, ‘Mehfuz’, ’Rok Sako To Rok Lo’,’Ab na Ja’. He further added charm with his witty comments and interactions with the audience. Not even for a moment did he let the energy levels down. The energy of the band was infectious. Towards the end he actually changed the concert into a party by singing some of the all time bollywood hits. Indeed a special treat to the ears.

                   

Dr. Palash and his band have a great stage presence. They seemed to be chilled out and down to earth guys. You could tell that they were very appreciative of their fans and everything they have been given. I’ll admit that I and my friends weren’t the biggest Euphoria fans before the concert but after the night, we certainly are.

Dr. Palash with the students of IIM Raipur

Contributed By: Naveli Singh, PGP 2012-14. She can be reached at pgp12083.naveli@iimraipur.ac.in 

IIM Raipur's Equinox'13 - Day 3

The third and final day of Equinox 2013, the annual fest of IIM Raipur, was set by Panel discussions and Case Study competitions. Finalists from prominent B-Schools all over the country matched their wits against one another in this fest. The teams were evaluated based on their innovative solutions to the cases and their ability to convince the panel on the feasibility of the solution.

Winning team of Arthsankalp,event by the Finatix club 

The day started with “Arthsankalp” a Panel discussion on Indian Economic Policies. The finalists from IIFT Delhi, SIMSREE and IIM Raipur discussed on the Macroeconomic Analysis of the recent reforms introduced in energy, financial and retail sectors in India. The event was judged by Prof. Pradyumna Dash of IIM Raipur and Mr. Amit Shrivastav, the Vice Chairman of CAPS Commerce academy. Sanket Sakpal and Akhil Aggarwal of IIFT Delhi were awarded the first place along with a Rs 25,000/- monetary prize.

Winning team of the event Xploryze while presenting the case.
Event by the OPEP club

The OPEP Club of IIM Raipur held a case study competition “Xploryze” as a platform for the budding managers to showcase their business acumen, apply their classroom knowledge and practical experience. A total of 98 teams registered for the event and 5 teams were shortlisted for campus round based on their submitted analysis in the first round. The final five teams included NMIMS mumbai, KJ Somaya Mumbai, NMIMS Hyderabad & two teams from IIM Raipur. The final round was judged by Mr. Priyank Singhania, Director, Avinash Group & Venkat Vijay, Professor, IIM Raipur. Vigneswar Murugan and Namrata Sharma of IIM Raipur stood first and won the prize of Rs 15,000/- and  Rohit Shaw and Tirthankar Behera of NMIMS Mumbai were the runner-ups and were awarded a prize money of Rs 10,000/-.

The finale of the Annual Business Cultural fest of IIM Raipur is set to rock the city with the performance of “Euphoria”, one of the top bands of India, at Police grounds at 7 PM.

Euphoria

IIM Raipur's Equinox'13 - Day 2

Case study competitions in Finance, Marketing and B-Plan competition set the day 2 for the Equinox ’13, IIM Raipur’s Annual Fest. Finalists from prominent B-Schools all over the country matched their wits against one another in this fest. The teams were evaluated based on their innovative solutions to the cases and their ability to convince the panel on the feasibility of the solution.

First event of the day was “Vardhushik” a pitch book competition to test the participants’ prowess in devising strategies on finance with respect to mergers and acquisitions. The judges of the event were Mr.Amit Shrivastava of Caps academy commerce and Venkat Vijay, faculty of IIM Raipur. The judges gave a deep insight into various methods of valuation and necessary precautions to be taken in due course. The runner up of the event was a team comprising Ellina, Swaminathan from NMIMS whose proposal dealt with the financial scenario in the television sector. The winners was team “Birbulz” comprising Akhil and Sanket from IIFT who focused on the financial scenario in the FMCG sector.

Winners of the B-Plan event

winners of viriddhi
 (event by Consultancy and entrepreneurship club of IIM RP)

The B-Plan event “Udyam” and an on the field event “VRIDDHI” were organized by the consultancy and entrepreneurship club. The B-Plans were from various domains such as telecommunications, health care, food services and online trading. The judges were Mr.Pratik Singhi, CEO, Lakshya Consultancy and an angle investor, Mr. Manjusha Pariyal from ANM consultancy and Mr.Manoj Agarwal, Founder and CEO of Fast Clean. The runner up of the event was Team “Ozone” from NIITE. Then winner of the event was team “Prana” from BIM Tirichy. In on the field event “Viriddhi”, the participants were given an initial amount of Rs.500 and given a day time to multiply their money in the city. A team from SIBM Pune “The Aces” amassed a whopping sum of Rs.6620 in a single day and emerged as a clear winner of the event.

Winners of Case files
Event by the Manthra (Marketing club)

Participants presenting their case study

The marketing event “Case files” was about identifying the means to revive the spirits of the nation’s youth to join “Indian Army”. The Judges of the event were Mr.Amitabh Pande, Vice-President of Marketing, Chhatishgarh region, Ultratech Cement and LLt.Colonel Jagdish Singh Virdhi. The event saw immense display of patriotism and vibrant emotions amongst participants. The runners up was team “WwW” from IIM Raipur and the Winners was team “Birbulz” from IIFT.

The day gave us lots of learnings and exposure just as it promised, and we are looking forward for the more action packed day 3 of Equinox, tomorrow.

IIM Raipur's Equinox'13 – Begins with a Bang

IIM Raipur’s Annual Fest, Equinox’13 kicked off on 17^th Feb ’13 with X-Quiz-It, the flagship business quiz event of IIM Raipur. The prelim rounds for this event were conducted in two stages – online prelims on Dare2compete.com and an on-campus prelim round conducted on 17^th Feb ‘13. There were almost 600 participants who took part in the online prelim round, out of which top three teams qualified to the finals, and three teams were selected for the finals from the on-campus prelim round which witnessed a participation of more than 50 teams. The quizmaster, Mr. Kedar Sastry of Dare2compete.com, is an erstwhile quizmaster who has conducted various quizzing events in major B-schools across the country.

Quiz on-campus prelims with Quiz master Mr. Kedar Sastry

Quiz finalists

 The six finalists were from IIFT Delhi, SIBM Pune, SIIB Pune, LNMIIT Jaipur and two teams from IIM Raipur. It was an engrossing contest among the teams on stage and finally, a team from IIM Raipur comprising of Arjun & Srinath won the quiz and secured a prize of 25000 INR. The runner-up was a one-man team, comprising of Dheeraj from LNMIIT, Jaipur and he won a prize of 10000 INR. It was an enthralling experience for students from various colleges who actively cheered the finalists, and enjoyed the quiz thoroughly.

Mantrana from Enspirit’13, the flagship annual entrepreneurship event witnessed a talk on the theme “Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Challenges in India” by speakers from the industry. Mr. Manish Agrawal, Director - Operations, Pilania Industries, emphasized on importance of the experience one gets on working in a start-up. He encouraged the future entrepreneurs to look for untapped markets. He told how the skills of people needed change from generalized to specialized as business grows.

Esteemed panelists launching Strive 4.0 (Operations magazine) 

Mr. Pratik Singhi,  CEO, Lakshya Consulting took the stage next. He focused on the significance of passion for one’s work and for fulfilling the needs and wants of the customers. He said that an entrepreneur should be ready to sustain himself/herself without profits. He laid more importance on the execution of the idea than the idea itself. He said, ”A mediocre idea executed perfectly is better than a perfect idea executed in a mediocre manner”.

Guests sharing their entrepreneurial experiences with students

Ms. Deepanjali Rao, Founder, Deepositive Foundation, stressed that at the end of the day it is you on whom everything depends. She took entrepreneurship to test the boundaries of what she could take up. She said that the 2^nd year into a venture provides a reality check. Either the person becomes his/her idea or the victim of his/her idea. She laid importance on the fact that money alone should not be a driving force for a business.

Mr. Saumil Majumdar, Co-Founder, EduSports, gave his insights in the form of 10 things he wished someone told him before he started. He explained the vitality of asking Why Not? He further elaborated on the remaining things on his list which included Consumer Insight, Serendipity, Leverage, Commit, Stamina, Don’t Give up and It’s not about the money. He concluded by asking the participants to enjoy their entrepreneurship experience and gain the maximum out of it.

The session provided different perspectives and opened new dimensions for the participants.

Students sharing their business plans and clarifying
their doubts in entrepreneurship 

Another blockbuster event was Seeker, the online treasure hunt which was back with a bang in its second season this year. The participants were to proceed across each level by solving the clues given online. The 2 day online treasure hunt saw participation from various colleges across the globe like London Business School, University of Arkansas, University of Hensilki, Finland andIIM-A, to name a few. The event tested the persistence, knowledge and smartness of the participants who were busy flexing their grey cells to crack the clues. The winner was Umang Agarwal from IIM Raipur.

The exuberance of the first day of Equinox’13 could be felt in the IIM Raipur Campus where the students had enriching entrepreneurship sessions and engrossing quizzing sessions.

IIM Raipur ‘Equinox 2013’- 3 Days to go

It is time for an action packed week at IIM Raipur. The campus is buzzing with preparation of Equinox ’13 – IIM Raipur’s Annual Fest which will be held from 17^th Feb-19^th Feb ‘13. The preparation for the fest is in full swing with the students working day in and out to make Equinox’13 a memorable event. The coming week will see live music from famous bands and an array of exciting events on campus with participation from major B-schools across the country.

Last year, Indian Ocean enthralled the Raipur audience with their energetic performance. The stage is all set for this year’s rocking performances by a famous Indian band. 

The online prelims for the events like Arthsankalp, Cogitate, Xploryze and Case Files have concluded and the teams for campus round have been selected.

The On-site Prelims for X-Quiz-It, a flagship quizzing event, will be conducted on 17^th Feb ’13 at IIM Raipur Campus. The registration will start at 11 am for Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate students who did not participate in the online prelims. The final round will be conducted from 3-5 pm on 17^th Feb ’13. Prizes worth Rs. 35,000 are up for grabs.

The events lined up for three days will help students unleash their potential to the fullest. The Raipur audience can look forward to three vibrant and energy packed days with a mesmerizing show to conclude Equinox’13.

A Glimpse of EQUINOX 2012 when Indian Ocean enthralled IIM Raipur

Website: http://www.iimrp-equinox.com/

Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/IIMRaipurEquinox

"Welcome Back !!!" IIM Raipur's first alumni meet

Faculty, Alumni and the Alumni Committee

The First Alumni Meet of IIM Raipur took place on 4^th Feb 2013 at the IIM Raipur campus. The pioneer batch was welcomed in a traditional manner with tilak ceremony. The Meet was conducted in two phases: Alumni Interaction with the Current Batches and an open forum discussion with Faculty and Students to discuss the layout of the interaction platform between Alumni and College.

A first year student welcoming an alumnus with a Tilak 

The event started with a brief introduction of alumni followed by interaction of alumni with small groups of students. The alumni present for the event were from different domains and companies such as Pfizer, RBI, HT Media, Tata Motors, Berger Paints. The students had the opportunity to gain insights about the various sectors: Finance, Marketing, Supply chain, and Strategy.  

Alumni sharing their fond memories with the present batch

While the 2^nd year students were keen on knowing about the life in the corporate world and the integration of the skills learnt at the campus with the industry needs; the first year students cleared their doubts regarding the summer internships. Alumni shared experiences about their current job roles, summer internship and their campus life at IIM Raipur.

Lighting of inaugural lamp by the Director 

The next phase of the meet had an auspicious beginning by lighting of inaugural lamp by Prof. B.S.Sahay, Director, Indian Institute of Management Raipur. The alumni and audience were then apprised of IIM Raipur’s major achievements and milestones of last year. The Alumni committee of IIM Raipur took this platform to launch first look of Alumni website which was unveiled by Prof. B.S.Sahay followed by the launch of first Alumni Magazine – “Allumnati” containing the details of the developments that took place in the institute during last year. The website will not only assist Alumni to connect with their batchmates and the institute but will also provide opportunities for professional growth and social interaction.

Lighting of inaugural lamp by Alumni

A discussion then followed on process of development of a strong Alumni network and the role of Alumni in the process. A plethora of suggestions were put forward by the professors, alumni and students.

Before the closing of the event, each alumnus was presented a memento by Prof. B.S.Sahay as a memorabilia of the First IIM Raipur Alumni Meet.

Alumnus receiving memento from Prof.Vinita Sahay