On 15th August 2013,IIM Raipur performed its fourth Pratigya, the oath taking ceremony, for
the students of 4th PGP batch and the 2nd FPM batch. The
event was centered around instilling a sense of necessity for good work ethics in managers-to-be with the hope of making them socially responsible citizens of our country. The intent was to give birth to a new
generation of managers trained in the art of living with
civic sense. This oath taking ceremony serves as a mean to nurture the
sense of inclusiveness in ourselves, keeping our spirits alive as we grow into full-fledged contributors to our society, in general ranging from self growth to inclusive growth during later part of
our life.
The
event began with an introductory speech by the members of 'Kartavya', the
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) club of IIM Raipur. Being the organizers of the event, their speech sensitized us, the audience, towards the contemporary issues which stymied the nation’s progress. Needless to say, at the end we were left inspired to strive for economic as well as social development as both are
essential for the overall growth of our country. Being the future managers, we should not forget about the welfare of the underdeveloped section of our society, while fulfilling our commitments to the corporate world. We were also made aware of the importance of good values and ethics in
decision making.
Inclusive growth was a term much talked about in this event. The term's projection during the ceremony was completely different from what we had come across as students or non-managerial employees. We came to understand it as a virtue that needs to be nurtured early on. Future managers are the people who will be important and in influential positions in our society, and as future managers we need to be aware of what changes we can bring about. This event was exactly what was required to trigger our thought process in that direction.
The speech was
followed by the ‘diya’ lighting ceremony performed by all 130 of us. In the presence of our seniors, who surely were feeling nostalgic about their ceremony a year ago, we arrived at the central hall. We stood around a beautiful rangoli in a circle, where a few lit candles provided to some of us were passed on to the others after lighting our respective 'diyas'. We cheered for some as they enlightened a part of the colorful creation and applauded for others. After each of us had lit a diya, we stood around in a circle again to pledge our commitment towards our society to the best of our abilities.
This was the first occasion that brought us to the realization of our responsibilities to the society as a whole but more importantly to ourselves. This realization seemed to seep into the air; the diyas radiating a comfortingly powerful aura affecting all of us with its golden hue. Surely, a better timing to commit to the moment could not have been imagined for such an important occasion.
We never felt so motivated for something that would happen in the future. The central hall echoed the 'responsibilities' and 'honours' that we spoke of, replacing the usual void with our conviction. At that moment they ceased to be just words- they characterized what all of us would stand for when our time comes.
Contributed by : Devasheesh Nautiyal and Chanyo Y.L.; PGP 2013-15.
