Fare thee well... 2012-14

Here are a few of the farewell messages sent by the PGP 2012-14 Batch students... IIM Raipur will miss the energetic and helpful students who have helped to carry forward and add to the buzzing culture of the Institute. Their energy and enthusiasm add vividness and vivacity to the ever evolving IIM Raipur. 

"It has been such an enriching experience with you all, which witnessed a tremendous transformation of myself. I owe each and every one of you my heartfelt gratitude and thanks for all the help you have offered me in moulding myself to be a better person in my life." - Vijay Krishnan Ganesan PGP 2012 -1 4

"As this journey at IIM Raipur ends, a new one is about to begin. The relationships made here were the start of an adventure. We will meet at various junctures in various capacities, but I know the awesomeness will stay." - Kaveri Sapra PGP 2012-14

"I have thoroughly enjoyed interacting with you & am forever indebted for the shared experiences for the past 250 odd days....

Wish you the very best in your endeavors - journeys & targets..." - Nikhil Garge PGP 2012-14

"Had a wonderful time with you people. Got to learn a lot of things. Everyone has been patient enough to help me with my short comings and kind enough to forgive me. 

Everyone of us is wonderful in his/her own sweet way and I know we will be at the zenith of success and happiness always as we are now.Thanks for being such a wonderful family and I hope it stays the same always." - Siddhant Gupta PGP 2012-14

"The exciting two year journey has finally come to an end. Days have just passed like moments. I have enjoyed every minute of my stay here. It would not have been possible without all you awesome guys. Will miss each one of you.."- Monika Thalla PGP 2012 -14

"I thank you all for making me feel special during the last days of my stay here." - A. Sindhuja PGP 2012- 14

All the best to all of you! - IIM Raipur

International Women's Day : Inspire the change.

8^th March, It is her day. She is the beautiful damsel. She is the pretty, shy, coy girl-next-door. She is the corporate lady with a subdued smile.  She is the one who wears a cloak of exclusivity.  She is the perpetual chatterbox. She is the one who brims with innocence. She is the one with a flawless profile but without an iota of oomph. She is silent but resilient enough to break all stereotypes which restrain females.

You must have recognized her by now. She is your batch mate, your class mate, your team mate or may be your friend. Maybe, you might not have noticed her till now. Reason: She might not like the limelight of admiration or she does not mind being relegated to the sidelines. If you haven’t noticed the aura of her persona, today is the day to do so - the International Women’s Day.

She has stood by her decision to fulfill her ambition. But, believe me, life is not a cakewalk.  Defining ambition and progress may be an easy task but the journey to achieve them is not like a fairytale. Innumerable women just   like her are not able to fulfill their own expectations because they are held back by many institutional impediments: sexism, discrimination and lack of flexibility. More than these reasons the widely prevalent stereotypes in society instill in them a stigma of not being competent enough. Women’s voices are till date not equally heard in taking decisions which affect most of our lives. Although most of the women outsmart men in classrooms, when it comes to boardrooms only 4% of Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs.

Similar concerns were raised in the summit of 60 aspiring women Leaders from top 30 B Schools across India at “HCL Meets Emerging Women Leaders” .It was a platform for interaction with eminent woman leaders from the industry like Ms Indira Parikh, Ms Ester Martinez, Ms Madhavi Issar as well as global leaders like Mr. Naveen Narayanan , Mr. Krishnan Chatterjee, Mr. Abhishek Shankar and other distinguished ideapreneurs. The necessity for Indian women to rediscover, not reinvent, herself was stressed upon. Women need to shun the insecurities and fears and overcome their self-doubt. A belief was instilled in each of the 60 aspiring leaders that the whole world will stand with you, if you believe in yourself.

Presently, there is a wave of change. In spite of lesser number of women in leadership roles, there has been a 25% surge in the number of female billionaires in the Forbes’ annual list of billionaires. 

The International Women’s Day aims to inspire the change. So, the onus lies on you to spot that serene, svelte lady who has dared to dream for the heights of corporate ladder. She may not like your interference but comfort her, help her cut through layers of ambiguity and bias, mentor her insightfully. Talk to her, debate with her, learn from her, teach her even and evolve together.

“You are the hope for a more equal world. The world wants you to change it.”

Disclaimer: I am not a feminist but a believer of egalitarianism.

This article is written by Anuradha Srivastava of PGP 2013-15. She can be contacted at pgp13065.anuradha@iimraipur.ac.in

MUMBAI DABBAWALAS: Committed towards delivering customer satisfaction

Last Saturday, I was very excited to know that a guest lecture by Mumbai Dabbawalas was going to be held. I was eager to learn from their experiences and interesting management practices. I got this great opportunity to attend an invigorating and an entertaining talk from Mr. Subodh Sangle, Coordinator and speaker, Mumbai Dabbawala and Mr. Nitin Sawant, a simple and humble Mumbai Dabbawala.

An audio visual followed by a documentary on the lives of Mumbai Dabbawalas was a perfect start to the enriching session. A wide round of applause followed the entertaining entry of a Mumbai DABBAWALA, Mr. Nitin Sawant on a bicycle carrying dabbas with Mr. Subodh Sangle.

Mumbai Dabbawalas carry 125 years of legacy as they deliver 200,000 tiffin boxes containing freshly made food from customer’s home to their work place every day with complete perfection. They became world renowned as a six sigma organization, and were evaluated by Harvard University, USA. The visits by eminent personalities like Prince Charles and Sir Richard Branson were enough to explain the reliable business model of Mumbai Dabbawalas that most companies would like to emulate.  To get Six Sigma (3.4 defects to a million sample) with no fancy technology, is a remarkable achievement.

99.99% success rate ON TIME, EVERY TIME is simply unbelievable!!
In any supply chain, collection of objects is first and most important step. The 200,000 tiffin boxes offer a huge customer database and magnificent opportunity for advertising and product sampling. However, they are responsible enough not to disturb customers with frequent advertisements because the customer satisfaction is the core priority on their agenda. Customer is not the ‘Raja’; Customer is the ‘Maharaja’ is their simple advice to budding managers like me.

DABBAWALAS are mostly semi-literate people of Warkari sect (devotees of Lord Vitthal) from rural Maharashtra. They are also believed to be descendants of warriors of Shivaji’s Army. Their goal this time is to deliver the right dabbed at the right time. The three hours of commute to the office is the “war time”. They are highly motivated people who believe that work is worship and serving people is like serving God. Their humility is the most important personality trait to be admired. They always give the credit of their work to their families including their wives and children. They never eat before delivering their dabbas to the customers and always eat their lunch in groups with the fellow Dabbawalas irrespective of any situation.

The boxes are colour coded to ensure the code can be understood even by illiterate people and reliable delivery of dabbas can be ensured. Trust, teamwork, and implicit understanding among Mumbai DABBAWALAS reduce cycle time and enhance quality.

The fact that they have been able to deliver these dabbas at such a reasonable price (Rs 400- Rs 800), left us shocked. Another interesting fact which I came to know is that they are the only logistics company which does not consume any fuel. In the words of Mr. Subodh Sangle, the unstated mission statement driving Mumbai DABBAWALAS is “Customer should not remain hungry”. Every question raised during the session was well answered by Mr.Sangle and acknowledged with a DABBAWALA cap. I was fortunate to be graced by him for the same.

The biggest takeaway however was how total commitment can work wonders to achieve any goal, even with limited resources.

This article is written by Sumit Ranjan of PGP2013-15. He can be contacted at pgp13113.sumit@iimraipur.ac.in