Category: Induction 2012

Surrounded by gaunt oak and pine which embellished the mountains, engulfing us on all four sides, at the onset of the most pious river as its sparkling water scurried through myriad colored stones, on verdant grassland meanderings which no man made carpet could have come close to, inhaled air so pure, cool devoid of any other element, forget about toxics, were we. Were we in Heaven?

The same feeling reverberated in our minds when we (IIM Kashipur students) went on a team building exercise to a place 6 kms. from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The occasion too could not have been better, marking the end of induction of our new batch. After taking a feel of “what it takes to be(survive) in IIM” 5 day induction program, the excursion not only acted as an ice breaker but also offered bonding opportunities for both PGP’13 and PGP’14 students.

 The daily routine in an IIM is exhausting. Intense debates on virtually any issue, intense case discussions, race to make best projects, assignment (unsolvable) completion, possibility of a surprise  quiz, plethora of co curricular activities , intensely fought sport games etc. can be exhausting. On top of this the expectation and desire for excellence and the competitive spirit, which by default are an integral part of IIM Kashipur life can lead to tired and jaded feeling to anyone. But we are fortunate to be in an IIM which lays at the crossroads of several tourism spots. Be it a 30 km drive to Jim Corbett or 80 km ride to nainital, the weekends in IIM Kashipur comes as a fresh breath of air. Rishikesh trip was no different. The beautiful morning offered an ideal start for mountain trekking. After a light breakfast the students undertook river-crossing training followed by rock climbing session. The training immediately came into use when due to heavy outpour the river started overflowing. Stranded on the wrong side students bravely crossed the water flowing at a high speed. The heavy rains finally stopped and paved way for a balmy evening where we undertook excursions to two waterfalls. The mesmerizing scenic beauty struck everyone and detached every bit of tired ness. As the sun faded away behind the clouds we knew it was time to move ahead and conclude this journey. Everyone enjoyed this short but eventful trip where they felt how hard work and fun is part of nature and how it became the culture of IIM Kashipur.

Cheerful students shared their experience among themselves as they gear up to leave the enchanting place. Everyone was excited for the next few years they are going to spend at IIM Kashipur. “Where knowledge is not restricted to only class room discussion but exploring and learning is not a part of curriculum but a way of living.”

“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going” is the philosophy deeply ingrained with the brand IIM. The very onset of the two-year long gruelling process begins with the Induction Program. Five day Induction Program designed by Team INSITE (an initiative of MPRC, IIM Kashipur) was majorly responsible for initiation of transformation of a careless, sleep-loving normal guy to an effervescent and responsible budding manager. With numerous sessions conducted by various active committees and clubs of IIM Kashipur along with the academic rigour, a newbie finds himself taken aback in the beginning itself. Gradually as reality bites deeper it grows into you and you start respecting your decision even more to choose to be a part of the IIM Kashipur fraternity.

The day long gruelling process started from 5 AM and continued till 2 AM, which was followed by assignment completion to be submitted the next day. This process marked the beginning of the journey to become a successful manager for PGP’14 batch of IIM Kashipur. Strangely though, this was as fun as it was hectic. What made this process interesting was that the sessions were not just limited to academia but also gave importance to team building and personality development activities. Morning clubs & YOGA session in a B-school was a great source of learning. Yoga session explained how very small thing in life make big differences if one is punctual. In the afternoon sessions, students were exposed to real-life challenges and were given an opportunity to “do and learn”. For e.g., to give the students a feel of sales and marketing, students were assigned a task to sell 2 kg mangoes at the highest possible price in the Kashipur market. Other activities included quizzes and team-building sessions. The evening time was no less tiring for the students, as they were kept busy preparing for group assignments, ADMad competition, skits and presentations. The idea was to give the students a glimpse of the next two years but in a fun-filled manner.

The five day induction program concluded with a surprise trip to Rishikesh organized by Team INSITE. The aim of this outing was to facilitate interaction between PGP’13 & PGP’14 batch. The trip was a fun filled experience with activities such as trekking, rock climbing, rappelling and was enjoyed by all.

With these five days of hard work and fun, team INSITE successfully achieved their intent of providing students a feel of “life at IIM Kashipur”.

Two minutes into the Ethics session by Wing Commander Anupama Monga and the students were awestruck. Hers was a true inspirational story and her bravery was well known in Air Force circles. Ms. Monga was part of the first batch that revolted against discrimination against women in the Air Force. She is now holder of the post of Wing Commander and is the Training and Security officer. The students of Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur felt lucky and honoured to have her as a special guest of honour for the inaugural ceremony for the second batch of PGP students.

Ms. Monga’s association with IIMs goes back a long way to when she was a part of the prestigious PGPx programme at IIM Lucknow. She reminisced about her college days and mentioned to the students how hard the transition from a full time job to being a MBA student was. She also quoted from experience that the IIM brand value carried a lot of respect and advised them to make use of the tremendous opportunity that lay ahead of them.

The purpose of Ms. Monga’s talk was Work Ethics. Ethics being a sensitive topic, sensitive handling is of prime importance. Quoting examples from her own work place, Ms. Monga said there were no hard and fast rules for handling ethical situations. It was always a decision between what was correct and what was right. Rules of organizations can be bent in exceptional circumstances but only through the proper channels and after thorough evaluation by the higher authorities. She also mentioned that in the air force, the worker to manager ratio is quite high and that ethical dilemmas in such places can be quite challenging. She advised the students to follow their heart in such matters and take decisions wisely.

The session concluded with Ms. Monga talking about facing adversities in life at various stages. She mentioned that at some stage of life or the other, one will have to face being the odd one out. One must not run away from this additional responsibility but have the courage to face it and come out of it wiser.

The students of IIM Kashipur were very thankful to Ms. Monga for taking time off her busy schedule and enlightening them with her insightful views on Work ethics and culture. It was truly a well spent time in getting to know the little known nuances of the corporate work culture.