IIM Raipur conducts first edition of Fin-TALK: The Guest Lecture Series

Finatix, the Finance Club of IIM Raipur invited Mr. Gurumoorthy Mahalingam, Executive Board Member, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for their Guest Lecture Series, Fin-TALK. Mr. Mahalingam is also a member of the Board of Governors of National Institute of Securities Market (NISM). The subject of discourse was “Role of Regulator in the Changing Financial Landscape”.  The talk was Finatix’s  Guest Lecture Series. This series aims to complement students’ academic knowledge with practitioners’ perspective.

Mr. Mahalingam spoke on subjects like Bank Finance vs Bond Finance, Risk Aversion, Convertibility of Currencies, Inflation and Conventional and  Unconventional Monetary and Fiscal Policies. Comparing the global and Indian economical scenario, he explained about the impact of interest rates and government policies on the GDP of any country. 

He stressed the necessity of due diligence during bank selection. He said that the factors like safety, returns and liquidity of the bank should be considered before putting trust in a bank. Mr. Mahalingam also explained about the consequences of various business and entrepreneurship decisions, especially with context to regulatory bodies.

Prof. Dhananjay Bapat, Chairman, Student Affairs Committee, IIM Raipur thanked Mr. Mahalingam for providing this learning opportunity to the students and enlightening them about the various facets of the financial landscape in India. 

Students of IIM Raipur share their perspective on Union Budget 2018

The Budget introduced by FM minister is pro-business as well as pro-farmer.The increase in minimum support price for kharif crops by 1.5 times will help increase the farmer's income. 

20% Custom duties on the mobile phone will boost domestic manufacturing while the lesser tax rate of 25 % for companies with turnover up to Rs 250 crore will help the small scale and medium scale industries.Infrastructure outlay of Rs 6 lakh crore will cause growth in the economy and generate more business.More announcements could have been made but the government is more focused on maintaining the fiscal deficit to 3.3% which will help the indian economy in the long run.'

Kunal Rawat

PGP 2017-19

IIM Raipur

Major Increase in infrastructure spending especially on developing roads and railway networks is in line with the fast track approval of infrastructure projects throughout the last year and will significantly improve major connectivity issues across the country.

Dipesh Madaan

PGP 2017-19

IIM Raipur

It’s a Pro farmer and Pro-Poor Budget. The 150 % increase in MSP and increased expenditure on food processing sector is a much-needed relief for the farmers and the ailing agriculture sector. 

Anurag Mittal

PGP 2017-19

IIM Raipur

The income tax slabs remain unchanged this year which is a little disappointing for the salaried class. It would have also helped the government to widen the tax base by encouraging people to file their tax returns.

Anirudh Sinha

PGP 2017-19

IIM Raipur

The FM has eyed the 2019 elections with this budget showing little concern about the fiscal deficit and increasing spending on food and agriculture sector and infrastructure projects.

Pooja Soni

PGP 2017-19 

IIM Raipur

What it takes to be a Great College

What is one thing that all great colleges have in common? If you think it is the ROI for joining that college or the salary offered, then you may be mistaken. A great college is defined by the culture and the sense of belongingness that its alums have towards the college. All the other factors are the outcome of long-term benefits of it, at some level or the other. Therefore, it is paramount to have a Strong Alumni network in any institute.
We, IIM Raipur’s community are the young toddlers in this sphere of colleges. It becomes an onus on us as community members to build a goodwill and lasting culture of the institute by engaging with the alumni network of our college. We do have alumni meets and city visits, however, calendar events are not enough to motivate and inculcate a culture of helping (giving & seeking), which leads a sense of contribution (forgiver) & indebted (for seeker) towards the community as whole. Both will be more connected with each other and it will also bring the sentiment in the seeker to help someone else and so on and so forth, this is how a culture is built.
We hence would like to bring this thought to action via the resourcefulness of Apps/social media platforms, where you can connect with your peers, faculty members, and the alums to seek help and help others. By taking such steps, we can contribute towards building a strong culture. When great things around us happen online, why not create a community that thrives on mutual admiration and education, be online.
It is time we get the butterfly effect rolling in favor of our community. The IIM Raipur backyard for innovation and excellence.

Author :

Shashank Patekar

Class of PGP 17-19

IIM Raipur

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official view.

The Adventures of the Youth Delegation Programme

The Department of Youth Affairs in India gives a golden opportunity to the Indian youth to go and visit different countries in Asia-Pacific regions and explore their culture. As a part of this program, students visit different cities and cultural places in the country and try to learn their culture and exchange ideas and values which will be beneficial to both the countries. I too got an opportunity to be part of this program and be privy to this enriching experience.

On 9^th June we started from Delhi airport to Hong-Kong. The first thing we saw being in Hong-Kong Airport is the scenic beauty, surrounded by beautiful mountains and seashore. We spent some quality time exploring this beautiful place and started for Beijing. We reached Beijing in the afternoon where we had a warm welcome by Chinese youth.

On day two, we left to explore the Great Wall of China, Juyung Pass. It was a great experience to visit the place and see the wonder of how they maintained that wall in a great condition. After this visit, we all went to Embassy of India, Beijing where officials welcomed us with a great speech. On this occasion, we got an opportunity to have a discussion with officials and interacted with them on various issues.

After that, we went to China Youth Center for international exchange where we learned different Chinese cultural things including Calligraphy and Taijiquan.

After this, we left for Heifei by flight and checked in at Hongrui Jinling Hotel. On the third day, we visited the Hui Park at 9:30 in the morning where we explored the various cities’ important attractions explained by sculptures in the garden. Also, we got a chance to attend the Huangmei Opera singing.

After that, we visited Anhui Museum of Historical Notables. Here we saw how their culture evolved and who were the famous personalities made China develop in various aspects. We also visited the Binhu Wetland Forest Park.

On day four we visited SUNWIN UAV and IFLYTEK technology innovation industry and got to learn how within short time duration the industry leaders of this company achieved massive growth. A visit to Qingwang Technology Park further enhanced our understanding of technology for growth aspect of Chinese industries.

13^th June morning started with a visit to University of Science and Technology of China. Here we communicated with students and visited various labs and explored the environment of the campus. After this visit, we started for Shanghai by flight and arrived at Shanghai City Hotel.

On day six, we left to visit different cultural places. At first, we visited an old age home where we interacted with old people and got to know how their daily activities are performed. Next, we visited a cultural center where they welcomed us with an Indian song. Here they encourage people to follow cultural things like dance and other activities. Not only this, but they also have fitness gym to encourage elderly people to remain fit.

We then visited waste management system governed by a private company. We explored and learned how they function and how they are able to help nature by doing waste management of various electronic stuff.

On the seventh day, we visited Deep sea lab in Tongji. After this visit, we went to Oriental Pearl Tower of Shanghai and went up to 230 meters. Here we had great opportunity to look at the city from heights. After this visit, we went to do the street shopping to buy various souvenirs and see various cultural stuff.

On day eight, we visited Shanghai Youth Centre in the morning and found out how students of age 10-16 are taught. They are taught to handle various machines including 3-D printing. Not only this, but they are given counseling about how to avoid drug intake. Following that, we visited SSRS physics lab we got to know the various radiations and how they use this for different medical and technical studies. Medicine museum visit after this was a great attraction of our visits. Here they explained to us how they evolved in the medical field and how they are still learning from the old ancient practices. After this visit, we left for India with the great experience of this youth delegation.

It was a great opportunity given by Youth Ministry of India to explore and learn the foreign culture. The most important thing that I learned on this trip was the importance given to cleanliness by the general public of China. The transportation system and rules and regulations imposed by government are respected by all people and all follow it rigorously. Because of this quality, it is easy for the government to implement new policies.

Also, the infrastructural growth of China is marvelous and everywhere we can see tall buildings properly maintained. Also, the ancient culture of China is respected a lot and they modernize their things by taking into account their old cultures. Because of this unique thing they have developed a lot with the essence of having cultural touch.

We, the youth, should be open-minded and ready to accept good ideas. We should not only learn new things but also should be on the front line to implement the philosophies and concepts for the betterment of the society. Students and young generation are the biggest asset of the country. So we should feel responsible for the growth of our country and take initiation to make our country grow.

Author :

Sonali Phapale

Class of PGP 16-18

IIM Raipur

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official view.

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IIM Raipur Successfully conducts second edition of PRAYAAS

IIM Raipur successfully organized the second edition of its flagship Marathon event Prayaas 2.0 on 19^th November 2017. The event kicked off from the environs of Marine Drive, Telibandha with more than 2500 registered runners .The theme for the run this year was ‘Beti Bachao,Beti Padhao’ with the objective to create awareness regarding the importance of equal rights and opportunities for the girl child.

Bus arrangements were made to pick up participants from all points of the city to ensure the adherence to the schedule.Kits including t-shirts and caps were distributed to the registered participants.Ambulance, health check, route markers and volunteers were all in place apart from water and glucose before the start of the event and spot registrations continued smoothly at the multiple registration points.

The chief guests included popular Bollywood actress Mugdha Godse, widely known for her role in the National award winning movie Fashion,ace archers Rahul Banerjee ,Commonwealth gold medalist (2010) and his sister Dola Banerjee, the second woman archer to be honored with the Arjuna award and Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIM Raipur. The chief guests were felicitated at 6.30 am after which the flagship 11 km run was flagged off amidst a thunderous applause. Twenty minutes later, the 5 km run was also flagged off,an unprecedented number of 1900 registered participants ran in this group. This was followed by a special Divyang run conducted this year in 2 categories-one for the visually challenged and the second for other specially abled category ,both of which saw enthusiastic participation and appreciation from the crowd and chief guests.

Mr. Pintu Kumar Yadav walked away with the first prize for men in the 11km event whileMs. Chandravati Raswade won the women’s event. Both won cash prizes worth INR 50,000 as well as goodies worth INR 5000. 5 km event winners were Mr.Babkutudu and MsBhuneshwari Nishad for men and women respectively walking away with prizes of INR 10,000 and goodies worth INR 5000 each. Mr. Balram Singh was declared the winner in the Special Divyang run while Mr. Tikeshwar was declared the winner in the visually challenged category.Prizes were also given to the top 6 finishers (men and women) in the 11 km event, runners up in the 5km event and top 6 finishers in the Divyang run event for total prize money of INR 2.5 lakhs apart from goodies.

Various dignitaries graced the occasion including Mayor Shri Pramod Dubey; Shri Om Prakash Choudhary,Collector & DM;Shrimati Ramshila Sahu,Minister for Women and Child Welfare and Shri Sanjay Alung, IAS officer.

The event also saw several Cultural performances including dance performance by Columbia Global School, Zumba performances and Folk dance performance.This was followed by enlightening speeches of the dignitaries.The center of attraction, Bollywood star Mugdha Godse was very happy to be a part of IIM Raipur’s Prayaas 2.0 marathon. After the prize distribution, the Director of IIM Raipur, Profesor Bharat Bhaskar congratulated the team for pulling out a successful run. He emphasized on taking more effective steps towards betterment of the girls. The guests were pleased to see the crowd turning up in huge number. They appreciated all the team members, volunteers and participants for making the marathon a grand success. The entire amount raised from this marathon shall be used for supporting the PG Umathe Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School to support them in fulfilling the objective of educating the girl child. The marathon concluded with a message ,”Winning is only half of it, having fun is the other half.”

IIM Raipur celebrates Chhatisgarh Foundation Day

November 1^st, 2000 witnessed the birth of Chhattisgarh, the 26^th state of India which was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. Chhattisgarh, a resource-rich state is also known for its achievers who have excelled in various fields. From freedom fighters to sports personalities, artists to business tycoons, Chhattisgarh has been a birth place for a plethora of talents. To celebrate the success of these talents and to spread awareness about social issues prevailing in the nation, Prayaas – the marathon team of Indian Institute of Management Raipur celebrated Chhattisgarh Foundation Day on 01-11-2017 in their campus.

The event started with a prayer song. The event witnessed dignitaries from all walks of life who have made tremendous achievements in their fields. Their commitment to the work and stupendous contributions have added pride to the state of Chhattisgarh. The event was graced by Dr. Sanjay Alung, Director Social Welfare Department, Govt. of Chhattisgarh,Mr Sharad Jha, General Manager of NABARD,Mrs Sadhana Sharma - Women Achiever, India 2016,Mr Pramod Sahu – Painter and Sand Artist, Mr Satish Bhuwalke & Sachin Bhuwalke – Founders of Bunch of Fools and Mr Priyank Patel – Founder of Teafe Nukkad.

The event was centered around the theme 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' which is also the theme of Prayaas - a marathon of national significance organized by IIM Raipur which will be conducted in the heart of Raipur on Sunday, 19th November 2017. The guests addressed the gathering and shared their success stories.

Dr. Sanjay Alung explained about the accessibility of education and the inclusion of society among all the various levels which have to be critically analyzed for the better well-being of the nation. ‘Sex ratio can be handled only when inclusiveness has been taken up by everyone as a citizen of this nation’.

Mr.Sharad Jha spoke about the grave issues faced by women in India while also highlighting the importance of educating a girl child, women rights in India and women empowerment.

Mr.Priyank Patel inspired everyone by sharing his experiences about the Nukkad Cafe where he asserted that it is Asia's first cafe to be open for transgenders as part of its workforce and also mentioned ‘Compassion is the way forward’ for the betterment of humanity.

Today’s modern India offers a lot of opportunities to women. This is one side of progressing India where on the other side if one looks at gender decline in the sex ratio, the dark side of Indian society comes in front which was spoken in detail by the dignitaries present in the hall.

The event concluded by distributing mementos to the dignitaries.

This celebration of the incredible spirit of our Chhattisgarh Achievers was a huge success and an inspiring event for everyone present.

How millennials are influencing the marketing norms

Ever thought why there is suddenly so much craze for chatbots and Artificial Intelligence? 

Why did facebook come up with facebook live?

Why are all the companies in the world spending so much money on analytics and digital marketing?

The new age companies are now more focused than ever before to reach out to the social animals, chat junkies and the gadget gizmos who are more popularly known as the Millennials.

The Millennial generation is also transforming the way in which companies market their products both online and offline in order to stay relevant.The generation of people now 18-34 years old engage with brands far more extensively and personally than older generations. They expect the brands to behave the same way as they do.

They are driving a transformation of consumer marketing across four elements:

reach, relevance, relation and referral:

§  Reach -- Millennials engage much more extensively with brands through social media and mobile devices than older generations. Millennials check prices, look up product information or search for promotions on their mobile devices while in a store.

§  Relevance -- Millennials say they are most influenced by family, friends, and strangers. They are also twice as likely as Gen-Xers (ages 35-49) to say that they are influenced by celebrities and four times more likely than boomers.

§  Relation -- Nearly twice as many Millennials as boomers cite "availability 24-7" as the most important thing that brands can do to engage them.

§  Referral – Millennials believe in the concept of referrals and influencers play a big role in their decisions to purchase any product.

Bourbon, India’s first premium chocolate biscuit from Britannia had lost its charm, in the sixty years of its existence. The brand wanted to bring back the lost charm and connect with today’s millennial generation.

It announced the launch of a new smartphone called the Bon. The smartphone reportedly ran on Chocolatey 2.0 and had features like power pack, friend finder, auto charge, etc. User participation was boosted with the help of fun contests where the new Bon6 phone was up for grabs.

When the buzz was at its peak during the unboxing, the duo revealed it as the new Bourbon biscuit. Each of the features was also explained: Chocolaty 2.0 because the new Bourbon was ‘thoda aur chocolaty’, Friend Finder because sharing a Bourbon helps you find new friends instantly, Power Pack because it Is available in Hangout pack as well as in a Pocket pack, and more.

Hence going forward brands need to represent the voice of the millennials, speak in their language and also respond in the same manner.

Virtual shall become reality and reality will become virtual.

IIM Raipur explores ‘Infinite Dimensions’, hosts fourth edition of TEDx

From artists and authors to record holders and ideapreneurs, speakers from diverse walks of life graced the fourth edition of TEDx IIM Raipur.Drawing on the theme of ‘Infinite dimensions’, the speakers spoke about how all around us are infinite opportunities, ideas and challenges that need to be solved and brought to realization. The attendees witnessed the prolific speakers and thinkers talk about how they reshaped their own boundaries with their wisdom and experiences.

The event kicked off with a few mesmerizing performances by the students. The first speaker of the day, celebrated photographer and speaker Mr. Arvind Chenji gave a thought-provoking talk on the things he learned from his journey as a photographer. He also spoke about the next part of his journey, where he intends to meet and celebrate the lesser known but fabulous people of India. “When someone comes up with a novel or different idea, people laugh at that person, killing his or her morale. It is those who don’t let their morale die out who create wonders“, said Mr. Chenji.

The next speaker, author and life coach Mr. Achal Rangaswamy, gave a talk on the ‘Joy of Selling’. He gave the students valuable lessons on sales from his vast experience. ‘When you want to sell, don’t sell’ was his mantra that he shared with the audience. “Everyone sells. Politicians, lawyers, doctors – all of them sell. Yet, there is an unnecessary stigma associated with a sales guy, which needs to change” said Mr. Rangaswamy

Iconic international model and artist Ms. Ninja Singh, gave a talk on ‘Life with a purpose and the ultimate secret to success’. She spoke about how women are beaten down for being who they want to be and also described her venture which aims encouraging modeling among women irrespective of their skin colour. “Women need to start dreaming to come out of stereotypes. They need to be heard. No one is self-made, it has to be a collective effort", said Ms. Singh.

Noted actor and songwriter Mr. Zeeshan Ayyub also gave a motivating talk on the topic ‘The world is yours to explore’. He spoke about how failures are stepping stones to success and how satisfaction and contentment stop people from exploring their options.

Miss World Asia Ms. Koyal Rana, spoke on the topic ‘Impress yourself’. A well-known philanthropist, her talk focused on how to achieve internal happiness. “We tie our happiness to how many compliments, likes or followers we get. There are infinite such people and we would never be able to impress each one of them. The only true way of being happy is by impressing yourself", said the beauty pageant titleholder.

Renowned producer and director, Mr. Gajendra Singh, spoke on the topic ‘Be positive, think positive, live positive’. His talk focussed on the challenges he faced while conceptualizing and implementing his TV shows Antakshari and SaReGaMaPa and how keeping a positive attitude helped him achieve success.

Founder of the paperless postcards, Ms. Bistriti Poddar, spoke about how we need to give up things to achieve success. The ideapreneur and writer said “Do not be scared of giving up because the moment you break cliché, you are hoisted to achieve success”. She gave examples of how she gave up her comfort zone, fears and possessions in order to achieve success.

The last speaker of the day, bestseller author and songwriter, Mr. Divya Prakash Dubey, spoke on the topic ‘Why should you never write a book’. He urged the students to find a strong reason before attempting to write a book and change the world.

Every speaker left an impression on every mind present in the auditorium. It definitely gave them a food for thought. Perhaps it is time for all of us to explore the infinite dimensions surrounding us and surpass the boundaries that restrict us.

Keep Calm and Visit South Korea

Marcel Proust, the French novelist, observed that "the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new lands but in seeing with new eyes".I understood the significance of this statement as a member of the Youth delegation from IIM Raipur.

The delegation to South Korea was my first international experience and it couldn't have been better. Be it the arrangements regarding the journey or the stay, kudos to Indian Ministry as well as the South Korean Government. The entire 9-day programme gave us an opportunity to meet and interact with South Korean students, officials in the Ministry as well as South Korean families. The diversity of experience was enormous. Not just in South Korea, but also within the Indian delegation, students had come from diverse backgrounds which further enlivened the experience of being a part of the team.

My favourite part throughout the trip was 'stay with a Korean Family', as we got a chance to observe their lifestyle and way of living.We got a chance to grab bites of delicious South Korean home-made food and also share our own tastes from India. Besides, the organized and beautiful streets, their usage of high-end technologies motivated us to bring similar changes in our country. The people were quite friendly and had very calm demeanour. The beaches were serene and the pleasant weather complemented the feel.

We visited multiple cities in South Korea via bus and also got to experience the traditions at a South Korean village. Be it the joy of posing in native outfits or the awe of visiting High-tech Samsung Innovation Centre, South Korea had it all.

The Indian and South Korea governments are open to strengthening the Indo-South Korean relations beyond just diplomatic efforts. The two governments have taken sincere efforts in revitalizing the historical relationship through people-to-people contacts, which is an effective initiative. The complete programme was meticulously planned and seamlessly executed and the hospitality, friendly attitude and the affection shown to us throughout the 9-day trip will be etched in my mind for the rest of my life.

Author :

Monika Vasvani

Class of PGP 16-18

IIM Raipur

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official view.

Teachers’ Day Celebration at IIM Raipur marked by Panel Discussion on “Swach Bharat Abhiyaan”

IIM Raipur celebrated the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and Teachers’ Day. The event began with the auspicious lightning of lamp by Dr. B.S.Sahay, Director IIM Raipur, faculty members and the students. It was followed by a melodious Saraswati Vandana performed by PGP 1st year.

Dr. B. S. Sahay, on this very occasion, remembered his teachers and shared his experiences on how they contributed in shaping his life. He stressed upon the unique relationship between teachers and students, a symbiotic relationship with the teachers providing a broad picture and perspectives of the challenges and the students being a source of inspiration and further learning for the teachers. He highlighted the importance of values like commitment, hard work, honesty, sincerity & discipline. He also acknowledged the initiative of MHRD, Government of India of streamlining the Teachers’ Day celebration and amalgamating it with “Swacchhta Pakhwada”. He emphasized on the need of joining hands for a clean environment for nation building.

To mark the day, a panel discussion involving students was conducted, which provided enriching insights on “Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan- A Manager’s Perspective”. The panelists Jasojeet Mukherjee, Monika Vaswani, Tilak Kakkad and the moderator Aayush Singh presented their views with diverse themes such as structural reforms in waste management, open defecation, limitations of earlier programs and swach bharat cess. The progress made in cleanliness drive was talked upon by invoking the past values of Indian Culture. The panel also discussed the different campaigns and initiatives by the corporate world in order to inculcate a sense of hygiene and cleanliness. Also a very prominent point was made regarding the theme “managing dirt or being clean” and how we can break the social inertia and get cracking on the ground with whatever capacity we can.

Dr. PRS Sarma, Chairman, PGP, IIM Raipur paid reverence to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. He brought out the importance of teachers in Indian culture by citing various shlokas which emphasized the role of a teacher as someone who removes darkness from student’s life, guides them and imparts them the treasury of knowledge.Prof. Vinita Sahay, Chairman, International relations, IIM Raipur shared her experiences and enlightened the students with information about diverse Indian culture. She proudly gave an insight on management lessons from ancient Indian culture. Prof. Debaddata Pal cited the example of the great Mathematician Ramanujam and the pivotal role of teachers in catapulting the careers of students to new heights.

This was followed by a heartfelt speech by Avisha Munjal, a PGP 1 st year student. She highlighted the importance of teachers as the most influential personalities in anyone’s life. Sharing from her own experiences, she regarded teachers as the important pillars who educate the youth of the society who in turn become the leaders of the next generation of people. The speech was followed by cutting of a cake by Dr. B.S.Sahay and the students.The icing on the cake, was a powerful recitation of Shri Atal Bihari Vajapayee’s poem by Aayush Singh, a student of PGP 2 nd year. The celebration ended with a melodius song performance by students of PGP 1st year.

The Closing ceremony: Freedom Fortnight

IIM Raipur, IIT Bhillai and GEC, under the initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development, came together to celebrate Independence Day in a grand way which lasted a fortnight. The mega event, rightly christened as ‘Freedom Fortnight’ was celebrated from 9th to 23rd August, 2016 with the closing ceremony being celebrated on a cheerful note. The chief guest of the event was Hon’ble Governor of Chhattisgarh, Shri Balramji Dass Tandon. The event was also attended by Dr. B. S.Sahay, Director, IIM Raipur; Dr. A. K. Dubey, Principal,GEC; Dr. Amirtham Rajagopal, Associate Professor, IIT Bhillai and Dr. Atri Sengupta,Chairperson Student Affairs, IIM Raipur.

The Chief Guest of the event, the Governor, Shri Balramji Dass Tandon, expressed his delight on being a part of the closing ceremony of the Freedom Fortnight organized collectively by IIM Raipur, IIT Bhilai and GEC Raipur. He stressed upon the contributions being made by the youth and the government towards strengthening and expansion of our country. He praised the initiatives like Swachh Bharat and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao which are essential in the solidification of our society. He added that to serve the country we need not be a part of the armed forces. We can always serve the nation by doing what we do to the best of our capabilities. The thought process of every citizen working in different industries should be inclined towards making India a self-sufficient nation.

Dr. B.S.Sahay, Director of IIM Raipur, applauded the efforts made by the faculty, administration and students of all the three institutes. He quoted the former president, Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, on the idea of how good thinking leads to positivity and progress and also appreciated the government’s initiatives such as Make in India, Skill India, Digital India and Clean India for nation building. He enthusiastically mentioned the fact that around 27 crore Indian students from all over the country sang the National Anthem at exactly 11 amduring the celebrations.

The vote of thanks was given by Dr. A.K. Dubey, Principal, GEC. He thanked the Honourable Governor for gracing the event. He also expressed his gratitude towards the heads, faculty and students of all the three institutions for participating and making the Freedom Fortnight a huge success.

Earlier in the day, the event started with an electrifying performance by the music band ofIIM Raipur which was followed by a thought provoking speech by Nishant Joshi, of IIM Raipur, on the meaning of Independence. The event witnessed a mesmerising dance performance by the students of IIT Bhilai. To stir the feeling of patriotism in each and every one present at the closing ceremony, there was a beautiful poetry recitation by Anuj Sabrawal, a PGP 1 st year student of IIM Raipur. It was followed by an inspiring play, Vijay, by the students of IIT Bhilai.

The Freedom Fortnight extravaganza was conducted from 9th to 23rd August, 2016 and it encompassed a gamut of activities organised over a fortnight. It started with a slogan writing competition on the 9 th of August in which Anuj Sabarwal of IIM Raipur bagged the 1 st prize. The debate competition held on 11 th August left everyone spellbound by the views presented by the paticipants among whom Nishant Joshi of IIM Raipur was adjudged the winner. This In addition to academic events, activities like tree plantation and cleanliness drive were also organised. These initiatives received huge participation from the excited students of all the three institutes. By means of these initiatives, students were able to spread awareness about nature and sanitation. A Freedom Run was also organised to commemorate and celebrate the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. On Independence Day, the three institutes hoisted the national flag and staged cultural performances. The students were very happy to participate in group dance competition, drama competition and poetry recitation. The scintillating band performance lifted the spirit of both students and faculty alike. In the second leg of Freedom Fortnight, events like rangoli competition, essay and poem writing competitions, Independence Day quiz and many more activities were organized.

Suyash Tiwari, a student of GEC Raipur, said "It has been a great experience to participate with the students of all the three institutes. Also, the honourable Governor's speech on the importance of our role as future technocrats was inspiring". Speaking on similar lines, Pawan Kumar, a student of IIT Bhilai, spoke about the great experience he had in participating in the various events especially the skit. He felt that The Freedom Fortnight for essential to bring the students of the three institutes together and in building unity and harmony among them. Sagar Kothari, a student of IIM Raipur looked visibly thrilled by the fortnight celebrations.When asked for his comments, he said that, “The events were very engaging and inspiring.There is a lot to learn about our country and events like these would go a long way in imprinting on our minds the history of our country and in acknowledging the sacrifices made by great freedom fighters.”

At the end of this fortnight celebrations the students and faculty of the three institutes appeared to be very exultant and were emerged in patriotic fervour. Such a celebration would surely leave behind a mark on their hearts for a very long time. The collaboration of the three institutes was a great success.

IIM Raipur had one of the Largest Contingent in the Indian Youth Delegation to China

17 students of IIM Raipur were part of the Indian Youth Delegation to China. The delegation visited major cities, cultural and historic centres of China from 17^th to 24^th June, 2016. The delegation was part of the annual initiative by Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs, Government of India to send 200 youths to China. The main purpose of the visit being to promote mutual understanding of values and culture among the youth and to develop better relations between India and Peoples Republic of China.

The delegation comprised of students from all over the country including from IIM Ahmedabad, Kozhikode and Trichy, with IIM Raipur having one of the largest representation among the selected delegation.

The students of IIM Raipur toured in two groups, with one group of eight visiting Beijing, the capital city of China; Xi’an, Nanjing and Shanghai. The other group of nine visited Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin and Guangzhou. The groups visited historical place like The Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City, The Terracotta Warrior Army and Dayan Pagoda; and educational places like Beijing Sports University, Urban planning museum and Chanba ecological district among many.

The tour focussed on showcasing the cultural as well as developmental growth of China. Through visit to various urban planning museum and ecological districts, the students were made aware about reason behind rapid infrastructural and commercial development. The students also visited universities to get a first-hand experience of the educational system and infrastructure in the country.
A special session on Belt and Road Initiative, popularly known as Silk Road initiative was also held, where it’s historical and commercial significance were explained. The presentation of traditional dance forms and cultural exchanges helped in better understanding of the Chinese culture. The students also experienced travel in Bullet train that is going to be implemented very soon in India.

Here are some of the students of IIM Raipur describing their experiences and learning from visit to China.

Aditya Pratap, PGP 2^nd Year, IIM Raipur 

 The trip was a very informative one for me with respect to learning how a nation has reached the peak of development without a common knowledge of English. The trip was a mix of appreciating the engineering and architectural development of traditional China by visiting to historical monuments, and that of modern urban planning and infrastructure in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an, which has been developed to cater logistics need in China as an inland port city. The important lesson to draw from China is that they have focussed on developing the facilities that directly affect their manufacturing and exports based economy, which is seamless road and rail infrastructure, dedicated large financial districts and faster decision making process. Our country being an agrarian economy needs to focus, with identical vigour, in agriculture technology development, complete support in supply chain from storage of produce to their selling and seamless logistics infrastructure. 

Chinese youth are very hard working and with complete support of governmental infrastructure they are committed to their goal be it in academics, sports or music, from a very young age.

I would like to thank the Government of India for giving me the opportunity to explore China and present a clear picture of it.

Lakshmi Prasanna, PGP 2^nd Year, IIM Raipur

From the strangers with similar intentions to the friends with noticeable differences; from the  shining early mornings to the glittering late nights; from the 6AM Breakfasts to the 6PM Banquets; from India Gate to Great Wall of China - the overall Indian Youth Delegation to China program never failed to inspire me.

In 8 days we covered 4 important cities of China – Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing and Shanghai. Each and every city got its own beauty, advanced infrastructure and vivacious culture. The good people always bring out the good in people and may be this was the reason why I always felt good while interacting with them. The Universities (Beijing Sport University, International Law University), the Museums (Terracotta Warriors, Urban Planning Museum, Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall) and the Historical places (The Great Wall of China, Forbidden city, Dayan pagoda) left me with a lot of experiences and new thoughts.  The overall trip enhanced my perception towards sports and urban development. 

Finally, I want to say Xièxiè (thank you) to China for giving me a life time experience and thanks to IIM Raipur and Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports for providing me with such a great opportunity.

Isha Tayal, PGP 2nd Year, IIM Raipur

An Experience, never to be forgotten. The Indian Youth Exchange Program to China introduced me to a country which perhaps otherwise no planned trip could. The hospitality extended to the delegation by the Government of India and the Government of People's Republic of China was overwhelming.

The journey began with a send-off banquet hosted by Chinese embassy in New Delhi and a warm welcome by Indian embassy in Beijing, China. It was followed by an enriching exploration across four cities of Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin and Guangzhou. Each city had a unique feat to offer. From the Great Wall of China in Beijing, to the amazing Karst topography across Li river in Guilin, every place left us awestruck with its beauty, be it natural or magnificently man-made. Visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding that houses 80% of global giant panda population was a personal favourite. Interaction with students and professors in various universities, visits to factories and companies, innovation centre and incubators focused on multi-faceted approaches to learning and development.

The program offered an opportunity to explore the synergy between India and China which strengthens my belief on INCH TOWARDS MILES. Above all, the newly developed outlook and exposure through exchange of culture, ideas and values resulted in an overarching exchange experience and new lifelong friendships.

Shreya Agarwal, PGP 2^nd Year, IIM Raipur

 Youth delegate to China - an opportunity not to be missed. The purpose behind the visit to China is to understand the Chinese people, culture, tradition and art form, and strengthen friendly relationship with the neighbouring Country. This was aptly fulfilled by the delegation which comprised of young professionals, students, scholars, athletes, artists and representatives from civil society organizations and political parties. I am thankful to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and IIM Raipur for giving me this golden opportunity to represent my Nation.

The memorable 9 days trip to China started from the IGI Airport, New Delhi and spanned to Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin and Guangzhou. The lavish welcome dinner hosted by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, the stay and travel arrangements, places to visit and the helping nature of the Chinese student volunteers was highly appreciable. The main highlight of the trip was the Cruise on the Li River in Guilin which captured its magnificent beauty and picturesque view. The industrial visits ensured learning about the Startup Ecosystem in China and how we could implement those in our own Country. This short trip became an unforgettable journey with friends owing to the cuteness of Pandas, the fun in teaching Hindi phrases to Chinese volunteers, the hassles of bargaining in English on the streets of Guangzhou and learning the not so difficult Chinese Calligraphy.  

This trip gave me an opportunity to observe the Chinese people and culture very closely and I can surely say that they are very similar to my Motherland.  

 
Mohit Jethi, PGP 2^nd Year, IIM Raipur

 An unexpected opportunity to represent India as a delegate to China knocked my door (my mail box) when I received a mail form Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports about my selection. The “Wow” feeling was amplified upon realization that I was selected out of 1.3 billion people to represent India as a Youth delegate to China? The next big thing for me was, “It’s my first foreign trip, and it starts bang on from China and would cover 4 places there!”

The 200 membered delegation had a total of 17 representatives from IIM Raipur which accounted for 8.5%, that’s something to take a pride for the institute and its students. The visits were memorable, be it to the grand ‘Great Wall of China’, popular Panda base Chengdu, scenic Guilin –a prefecture level city or the bullet train ride from to Guangzhou covering approximately 500 km in 2 hours.

The overall experience was highly enriching and culturally stimulating as it provided deep insights about our Asian Counterpart. Also, this gave me an opportunity to build new relationship and friends.

This trip to China will be cherished throughout my life and will be very close to my heart forever. Whenever I recall this trip, I take pride in saying that’ I represented India as a Youth Delegate to China’.

New batch of students brings in oodles of ardor and avidity at IIM Raipur

IIM Raipur welcomed its 7^th PGP batch and 5^th FPM batch with a four day orientation programme. As it is aptly said ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’, the new batch began with its journey with dreams and aspirations of becoming the corporate leaders.  With the learning and skills that they would acquire here at IIM Raipur, the students are sure that they will be able to shape their corporate careers and turn their dreams into realities. The students from the incoming batch of PGP 2016-18 are from diverse backgrounds ranging from engineering, commerce, management studies, medical and life sciences. The students have shown a lot of enthusiasm and a spirit of healthy competition and have soon adapted themselves for the next two years of extensive corporate grooming.

A few excerpts from the student speak –

Aditi Koomar- Bachelors in Dentistry, MCODS Manipal  After completing my Bachelors in Dentistry from one of the leading dental college of India, MCODS Manipal in 2013, I worked as a Probationary Officer with IDBI Bank for 7 months. The environment and work culture at the bank made me contemplate management studies. I decided to appear for the Common Admission Test in 2015 and got a call from IIM Raipur, which I promptly accepted. After arriving here, a fortnight was spent in the introductory classes and the Orientation Programme which gave us a flavor of the corporate life.  The daily schedule has been full of lectures, assignments and activities. The seniors have been very helpful and supportive, and have prepared us for an eventful two years at IIM Raipur.

Namrata – Bachelor of Commerce, SRCC After an eventful start of the PGP programme with the orientation ceremony and the preparatory classes, I had a great deal of learning from the various activities organized by the clubs of IIM Raipur -Mantra, Finatix, HRidhaan, Consulting and Entrepreneurship Club (CEC), Operations Club (OPEP), CUSP and Kartavya. International Yoga Day celebration has inculcated in us the need of healthy living and high thinking. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with many eminent people from the corporate world. The students got a chance to show their creativity and talent through the cultural activities. The teachings of the professors and dignitaries have instilled in the students a new force of confidence that they have entered one of the premier B-schools in India.

Prabhash Sharma- Civil Engineer,  NIT Surathkal There are moments when we have to make some of the most important decisions which can change the course of our lives. One of those moments for me was when I, having worked for a year with Tata Housing Bangalore, decided to pursue MBA at one of the most prestigious educational institutions of the nation “IIM RAIPUR”. The Preparatory Classes that made our knowledge base sound was followed by the four day Orientation Programme, where we got to meet some of the most influential leaders from the corporate world like Mr. Raj Raghavan from Amazon , Mr. Nikhil Sahni from Yes bank to name a few. The support of the seniors has been commendable and I’m thankful to them for introducing us to the unique IIM culture. Within such a short period, I have participated in numerous events such as IPL auction, Junkyard, Beer-game, toastmaster etc. I can see myself embarking on a steep learning curve and am very glad that I made the right decision by joining IIM Raipur.

Pratik Garg – B.Tech, Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee I have worked at ZS Associates as a Business Analyst before joining the PGP programme at IIM Raipur. Right from the day 1 at IIM Raipur, I have experienced a high level of innovative energy in the unique culture and business ecosystem at IIM Raipur. The batch profile at IIM Raipur is very diverse with students being not only engineers but also economics graduates and doctors. It helps in generating and exchanging more ideas and learning from varied perspectives. The curriculum at IIM Raipur is anchored in the fundamentals of general management, from finance and marketing to strategy and organizational behavior. During my stay at IIM Raipur I expect I would develop leadership skills across multiple dimensions to be able to deliver strategic, operational and organizational innovations in the corporate world as well as the society. Also, I’m particularly ecstatic about the Student Exchange Programme at IIM Raipur through which I can have direct exposure to foreign universities.

Sagar Kothari – Bachelor of Commerce,  St. Xavier’s College Kolkata After completion of my graduation in commerce, I cleared the CA Intermediate Level Exam conducted by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. I had the desire to pursue MBA since the final year of my college and the moment I received my convert mail for IIM Raipur, it was clear that this place was to be my destination for the next 2 years. The student exchange programme, constantly improving placement record and a relatively smaller batch size were some of the factors which helped me in making my choice. The journey so far has been an enthralling one with the co-operation and support extended by the seniors being commendable. We got the opportunity of interacting with the industry stalwarts from reputable companies who shared their experiences and provided tips and tricks about making the best of these 2 years at IIM Raipur.

Hershita Tigga- B.Com, SRCC Having completed my graduation from Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), New Delhi; I secured admission at IIM Raipur. Right from the registrations to the hostel room allotment, everything went on smoothly with the help and guidance from the seniors. The International Yoga Day function was a very wonderful experience and gave us a head start about the good days to come. We were also introduced to various clubs and committees through innovative games and events where we learnt a lot about team work, time management and also got to interact and know our batch mates better. Meanwhile, we were also interacting and learning a lot from our esteemed faculties in the preparatory classes, which were a great help and gave us a steady start to our student life here. The orientation programme gave us great insights of the various aspects and sectors of the market. Both the PGP batches, celebrated ‘EID’ here at IIM Raipur as one big family where we had a lot of fun and learnt about team building and event management.