Pratigya-The Oath taking Ceremony Of IIM Raipur

On 15th August 2013,IIM Raipur performed its fourth Pratigya, the oath taking ceremony, for the students of 4^th PGP batch and the 2^nd 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.

A (non violent) explosion of colors at IIM Raipur on Gandhi Jayanti....

Creativity and subtlety has no bounds; it just needs a medium to express itself. The students of IIM Raipur proved the truth in this saying on the morning of Gandhi Jayanti, when over 60 of them participated in the finger painting and sketching competition organized by Kartavya.

The event aimed at portrayal of CSR related themes by participants through finger paintings or sketches, while having fun at the same time. The paintings and sketches would be displayed around the campus to help create awareness about the issues. Needless to say, the event was a rip-roaring success with some beautiful pieces of art being created and everyone having a great time.

Students rose up early in the morning and turned up in droves to promote a good cause. All the colors of the rainbow were seen in the amazing finger paintings created by the students. More importantly, each and every painting carried a message which was conveyed brilliantly through the colors. Some students focused on global warming, others on population explosion; some thought that water crisis was most important, while others promoted the go-green initiative. Some students highlighted burning human trafficking. No matter what the topic was, the students participated enthusiastically and ensured that their art create awareness about the issue.

The pencil sketches were no less brilliant; these artists didn’t even need colors to convey the meaning behind the sketch, the sketch spoke for itself.  Some students adopted face painting as a medium to express their sensitivity.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Through their sensitivity towards social and environmental issues, students showed the life of b-school student is not just restricted to business.

All in all, it was a day to remember for everyone.

Contributed By: Neha Khapre, PGP 2012-14, she can be reached at pgp12084.neha@iimraipur.ac.in

A day with Angels on Earth - Experience of an IIM Raipur student

Gleaming eyes, captivating innocent smiles and warm hugs of the tiny tots imprisoned us, the moment we stepped into the realms of SOS Children camp. Being ideally located amidst the lush green environment of Raipur with sparkling clean premises makes the SOS Children camp a paradise on earth, a paradise in which the purest of the hearts resides. A very wise person once said that children are the greatest teachers, and one can learn a lot from them. We the members of "Kartavya" discovered the truth in those words, here in SOS Village on our visit during the occasion of Eid. Their courage and attitude towards life is something that all of us should emulate, the sacred grounds of SOS held a lot in store for us than what we anticipated.

The activities began by segregating the kids into three categories. The first group consisted of nursery and 1^st standard kids, and the activities planned for them were rhymes reciting, singing and drawing. Being flocked by little toddlers was a unique thrill, which made us oblige to any command of theirs readily, such as carrying them piggy backs and giving them pony rides etc., they clung on to us happily and wanted to be carried around everywhere. Listening to the little ones recite rhymes in their mesmerising voices made us wonder if we had discovered the sweetest of music in god’s creation. The decibels in the room rocketed sky high when the kids started singing movie songs and it got even higher when we danced to their tunes. The last activity was drawing, in which the little fingers wrapped around crayons and worked furiously on the charts for nearly 1.30 hours. The kids made us literally speechless by producing quality art in place of scribbles which we actually expected.

            The other two groups consisted of students from middle school and high school, and they were subjected to intense quizzing sessions of varying difficulty levels. The energy and enthusiasm of the children as they participated in the activities was truly inspiring. The children entertained us with special dance performances and Antakshari. Be it in the quiz competitions, the dancing and singing competitions, the puzzles or the drawing competitions - these kids excelled at everything. We felt very honoured and privileged to spend time with them and hear what they had to say. It was an incredible experience for all of us, and a rare chance to relive our childhood. The memories of this day will remain fresh and will be a one that we will cherish all through our lives.

IIM Raipur students take oath for ethical conduct and CSR initiatives

Life is something to be cherished with memories, sprinkled with joy and happiness. Unfortunately the key to this joy is something that remains a mystery for many. For joy is not attained by fulfilling one’s own desires, rather it is harvested in the pain of toiling to make others life comfortable. Connecting with people, empathizing and understanding their needs and serving as a tool in upbringing their life, leaves a person with content and deep satisfaction that could be obtained by no other means. Being the reason behind smiles of the unprivileged is the best form of worship as it makes a person realize the purpose of life.

                Having spoken of the joy in living a life with civic responsibilities, it’s high time to introspect where we stand in this regard.  Why start CSR in IIM Raipur when the domain of servicing the unprivileged is dominated by numerous NGOs and clubs? What contribution IIM Raipur is capable of making in the lives of the people we speak of? The students of IIM Raipur inherit the significant power of determining the course of the nation, a nation that is not governed by mere knowledge and skill, but by heart and soul. This makes the knowledge of our society a vital one to be ingrained by the graduates of this institution. IIM Raipur closes gap through the CSR club by giving birth to a new generation of managers trained in managerial skills and art of living with civic sense. Speaking of our contribution to the society, it is the intention that matters more than size and scale, just like the squirrel that helped Rama in laying bridge to lanka, by rolling over the mud and carrying the sand. CSR would serve as a mean to nurture the sense of social responsibility in the students and keep their spirits alive till they grow into full fledged players in philanthropy during later part of their life.

                Quite a lot of people wish things were better than what they are now, the members of CSR at IIM Raipur are the ones who don’t limit themselves to just wishing, but also get into action to materialize dreams for the welfare of the society. They believe in being the change they want to be, and not mere bystanders with dreams. After having events like spending a day at SOS village and coordinating at Paralympics games previous year, CSR club started the activities for academic year 2012-13 by taking an oath to pursue their work in ethical manner and work for sustainable development of the society. The moment witnessed around 160 bright minds of the nation joining the inferno in their heart, to give raise to a fire storm that would sweep the nation and bring about the most wanted change towards the formation of an ideal society (nation). The oath taken is as below:

Volunteering at Chhattisgarh State Level Paralympics Athletics Championship, 2011

On the 7th November 2011, Chhattisgarh State Level Paralympics Athletics Championship, 2011 concluded at Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University campus, Raipur. In the event, physically impaired students from many of the districts of Chhattisgarh had participated. Kartavya, the CSR club at IIM Raipur felt its responsibility to volunteer at the venue and helped in the proceedings.The Club invited students from to work as volunteers and represent IIM Raipur at the event. Students helped the organizers in the prize distribution ceremony. This included writing names of participants and coaches on the certificates, classifying the certificates according to schools and districts, medals distribution etc. Some students interacted with the participants. This was a truly inspiring experience for the students. Some participants had come from remote villages of Chhattisgarh to participate in the games.
The vibrancy in the environment was truly amazing. Whenever a child’s name was declared as a winner, the joy on his or her face was undoubtedly clear. This really motivated the students and they enthusiastically helped the organizers. The Chief organizer appreciated the work of IIM Raipur students and admired them for helping in such a noble cause.”Handicapped is not the one who has physical impartibility but one who doesn’t have a passion in life”, was a learning lesson for the students of IIM Raipur.

IIM Raipur Students Lead by Example

The celebrations of the founder’s day of IIM Raipur started with Shramdaan, a volunteering program by Kartavya the social responsibility club. It was our way to thank Government Engineering College, which has generously shared its sprawling campus with IIM Raipur before it moves to its permanent location. The campus had large tracts of unused land and the need to use it constructively was long felt, it was on this occasion that the students pledged their time for leveling the ground so that it can be beautified for future purposes. Members of Kartavya mobilized the resources for the project and identified the areas that could be worked upon.  The students from both batches came in large number for the cause, what was surely an arduous task.

In true managerial sense teams were created with tasks and objectives defined which involved clearing out sections, creating layout for passages and marking areas for sports and recreation activities. Members of Kartavya Umesh Chopra, Abhas, Kirti Singhal provided the resources for the activities and also ensured that the efforts turn into a tangible output.

The end of 2 hours of labour by over 80 students resulted in clearing an area measuring over 200 meters wide and equally long.

In the next few days the place will see beautification carried out; the results of the same would be seen very soon.

Kudos to the volunteers!

Blood Donation Camp in Association with Indian Red Cross Society

Thursday, September 1,2011

Today IIM Raipur in association with Indian Red Cross Society organised blood donation camp in its campus. It was coordinated by the members of ‘Kartavya’ -The Corporate Social Responsibility club of IIM Raipur under supervision of Dr. D.V.Baghel of Indian Red Cross Society. The students of IIM Raipur enthusiastically participated in this event. About 80 students donated blood. 

                     The event started at 10 am. Dr. Baghel came with his team of 9 members from the Red Cross Society. They properly examined the health status of the participating students. On the basis of Hb%, Blood pressure of the students, the students were selected for donation of blood. Doctor and Red Cross members very much appreciated the effort of students and said that it feels proud watching students are coming forward and taking their social responsibility.

                    The students of IIM Raipur were enthusiastic and felt  proud in donating blood for a good cause. Many of them were first time blood donors. Joe and Vivek, 2^nd year students, felt delighted after their first blood donation and pledged to be regular donors. Girls of IIM Raipur also showed their keen interest in donating blood. Kiriti, Pooja, Aparna, Kanika and many more donated blood and helped in breaking the myth that girls are behind boys in donating blood. Many students who were afraid of blood donation come forward this good cause and actively participated in the event. Kudos to Kartavya members- Dutta, Varun, Abhas and Nadeer for organising such a good event in the college campus, we hope such events are organized regularly. The students felt satisfied after performing their social responsibility and were ready to do it again .