Campus Splash- IIM RANCHI

Most of us would have seen Lagos in movies, but trust me Lagos is much more different and interesting than how it is picturized in movies and what the world usually thinks about the place. I can say that surely because I got to spend my summer this year there and that ended up being the most memorable experience of my life. This was my first trip out of India. During this internship I got to learn a lot and I got to meet some of the happiest people in the world. The locals are really warm and friendly. It may be too hard to believe because whenever we hear Nigeria, we can only think about Boko Haram. But Lagos, where I spent my summer, is beautiful. No doubt that the place is quite poor but there are two kinds of people: extremely rich and extremely poor. But even the people who are not that rich are always happy and cheerful all the time. They enjoy their life with whatever money they have.

Though it was my first experience in a corporate environment, as I am a fresher, I think Tolaram Group is one of those companies with the best culture. The very second day we had a party at Hard Rock Café. It was just a warm-up session so that everybody gets to know their mentors. They were the coolest people I have ever met.

The next day our work began. The best part which I liked about my work was the freedom I had with my project. I had to develop a marketing campaign for comedy show. The project was divided into two parts: First, to enable maximum participation from the consumers, and second, to shortlist the top 10 videos which consisted of the voting phase. For the first part, I analysed the Facebook and Twitter pages of all the comparable brands in the FMCG sector and observed what kind of content is engaging the audience the most. I then created the content for “Minimie Comedy Bank” (Minimie is brand of Tolaram Group) with the help of the agency. I was continuously working with the agency and that was the fun part because I never thought I can be so creative. I also got hands-on experience on a typical advertising agency job. To maximise the awareness about the campaign, we also carried out some university activations. We got around 400 videos for the competition.

Then I had to shortlist the videos. My mentor, his boss, two people from the agency, and I used to sit together and look at the videos. That was the funniest part as the videos were hilarious. That nation is full of immense talent. At last we came up with top 10 videos. Here the next part of my project started. I calculated the reach of the campaign till that point on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, University Activation, Promo Update (a famous blog in Nigeria where there are updates about some products’ offers) and BBM.

The maximum reach we received was through Facebook. Thus we decided to go for the voting campaign only on Facebook. There were updates on all the channels but the result had to be announced on the basis of the likes and shares of each video. Each of the top 10 candidates was called to the office of Tolaram and I shot all of their introductory videos where they had to request the audience to like and share their videos. I assure that they are the funniest people I have ever met.

I felt like a celebrity whenever I was with Nigerians. They treat you like you are from a different world. During the first part of the project I had to go to different stores explaining to people about the campaign. Once I was outside walking on the street and suddenly two ladies in a parlour far away started shouting “OIBO”. As soon as I went to them, they all stood up and arranged a seat for me to sit. They were so happy. The manager with me explained to me that they become very happy and excited whenever they meet a foreigner. They left all of their work and started listening to my explanation about the campaign. They seemed to be quite interested in what I had to say. Suddenly a lady on the road far away started shouting “OIBO” and came running towards me and started dancing. Now when I say this, one may think “is she crazy or what?” But it’s not like that. Here hunger and poverty never come in the way of happiness. She was so happy to see me- she kept on saying “I have never hugged a white person” and hugged me twice. When I was leaving, she came to drop me to my car, opened the door, made me sit and kept on saying “BYE” until I was out of sight. I will always regret that I didn’t click a picture with her but however I will never forget the people.

Well I was talking about the second part of my project. To motivate the audience to vote, we held a prediction game where the people whose guesses will be right about the winner get a VIP ticket to the Goalfest. After 2 months, my project came to an end. To get new ideas about the next season of Comedy Bank, I carried out market research and went to universities so that I could directly talk to people and get to know what they expect from us and what all changes we can incorporate in the next season. The best part is: I created the content, I shot the videos, I did the market research, I suggested ideas, and all those were implemented and I got to see the results myself. I never thought my first experience in a corporate environment, and that too in a nation I am rarely familiar with, will be so much fun and interesting.

I am back in IIM Ranchi, but I miss Lagos each day - the apartment I lived in, the fellow interns, my mentor, the locals, especially my maid (I still remember the cake which she made for me as a surprise), some of the best people of that company (it is a long list) and especially the back-to-back late night parties. I love dancing and I think I have never danced as much as I did in Lagos my whole life.

In retrospect also, I cannot imagine that my summer internship at CEAT Tyres would be this life changing. It started out with the email with my project title. My fellow interns got projects in CRM, Supply Chain, etc. I was also expecting some run-of- the-mill project like that. My project title had the word “IPL” in it. And common knowledge suggests that IPL happens in the months of April and May. CEAT sponsors the strategic time-out. I connected the dots. A kickass internship in marketing which involved cricket. Perfect. My joy was unbound.

As a fresher, this was my first corporate experience. I was equal amounts of anxious and excited. On our first day, we were standing in Worli, looking around, searching for RPG House. The thing about RPG House is that you can mistake it for a hotel or a museum, anything but an office. RPG Group takes its art very seriously and the building is a testament to that. Enter the building and you will find yourself surrounded by art everywhere. I cannot imagine how many man-hours would have gone into decorating this building the way it is.

Our group induction was scheduled for the day and we interacted with the senior leadership from across the group companies. The next day we met the functional heads from CEAT who explained the tyre industry, the CEAT business and other market trends. On day three, we were sent to the RO on a market visit and had to meet with dealers and distributors. The RSM gave us such an enthralling presentation on tyres (the Mechie in me was awake the whole time) that post it, I called my dad to ask which tyres we have at home. I have been checking out tyres on the roads ever since. Most of my conversations with cabbies and auto-rickshaw drivers in Mumbai used to be regarding which tyres they use and why, and were spent trying to convince them to buy CEAT if they did not already.

On day four, we were sent to CEAT’s Halol plant to understand the manufacturing process. We think of tyres as mundane products, but this state-of- the-art plant changed that perception. The kind of research, technology and engineering which goes into making a tyre will surprise you. Enjoyed some Gujarati food in the evening and came back to Mumbai the next day. This brought an end to a week-long induction program.

Work began. My mentor and buddy briefed me about my project and told me that he might give me another project, “CEAT Cricket Awards”. THINGS JUST GOT BETTER. My mentor is one of the most energetic and detail-oriented person I have met. My desk was right beside his. I could see, observe, learn and work. Also, he is the most chilled out mentor ever. Our conversations involved travel, cricket, food, party places in Mumbai, etc.

During my internship, I got to manage some digital and mobile properties of CEAT along with my brand manager. I engaged with 13 different vendors and digital agencies. I also got the opportunity to remotely conduct a pilot event for CEAT. My suggestions were implemented real-time, every day. I had carried the seminal works of Mr. Philip Kotler, but never opened it. My work was yin to the yang that is taught to us in class.

I had never watched a cricket match in the stadium in my life. I got to watch the MI vs RCB home game at Wankhede. Ardent follower of MI and saw them winning. Great feeling. Planning for CEAT Cricket Awards began in the first half of May. My manager walked up to me one day, and told me that there was going to be a photoshoot with Sunil Gavaskar and Huma Qureshi. SUNIL GAVASKAR and HUMA QURESHI. HUMA QURESHI. We people at IIM Ranchi have a special proximity and connection with Wasseypur and ergo, Huma Qureshi. I am not going to tell you my experience of the photo shoot. I will not be able to.

In the run-up to the awards ceremony there was a lot of work to be done. Cricketers, celebrities and VIPs to be handled. I was involved in tasks as elementary as the design and printing of invitation cards, to the handling of journalists and PR for the event and social media promotion.

On the day of the event, we had performances from Shibani Dandekar, Atul Khatri (from East India Comedy), and, Huma Qureshi. I also got a chance to meet legendary cricketers like Bishen Singh Bedi, Ian Bishop, Matthew Hayden, Dilip Vengsarkar, etc. Also, in attendance were current team India stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane. There were players I grew up watching, there were players I root for, and then, there was Harsha Bhogle. The event was a grand success, and with that my projects were complete.

In my internship, I was involved with tasks from the ideation to implementation; starting right at the grass root level. I got hands-on experience on digital marketing, event marketing, and social media marketing. It was a wonderful learning experience. I also learnt that the on-field work can be very different from what we learn in class, but nevertheless managers are managers because they can adapt to situations well.

As for the learnings on the personal front, Mumbai never ceased to amaze me. Parties had a new meaning and were now preparty-party- postposty-afterparty. This one evening, a couple of friends and I crashed the stock market at The Bar Stock Exchange, Oshiwara. Joey’s pizza is heaven in your mouth. The fan frenzy at Wankhede is not just hype. And the 5-second ephemeral glimpse of the yellow Lamborghini on my way to work is unforgettable.

IIM Ranchi welcomed the new batch of 2016-18 on 18 June. They were addressed by the Director of IIM Ranchi, Dr. Anindya Sen and by Prof. Amarendu Nandy. Prof. Amarendu Nandy described the journey of IIM Ranchi so far. The speech instilled the students with the confidence that they have entered one of the best B-schools in India. On the first day of the induction programme, the batch participated in the 24 hour Film Making Competition. This gave a perfect start to their journey. After the competition, the sports events were waiting for the students. Games like Chinese Whispers, Three-Legged Race, Tug-of-War, and Dodge Ball gave them a chance to show their team and leadership skills.

IIM Ranchi also celebrated the International Yoga Day in Clubhouse, Ranchi. It was a refreshing and an enlightening experience for the new batch. Just three days old in their avatar of an MBA student, and the neonates were handed their first ‘Management Challenge’.  Students divided into eight teams were handed over a task to showcase a management concept. Apart from this a special team from among the eight teams was formed to display the culture and heritage of our state, Jharkhand. A twenty four hour effort culminated into a fabulous exhibition of management practices and theories in the form of kiosks and skits. The efforts were clearly visible in captivating displays and detailed descriptions. The faculty members, who were there to judge the event, were also mesmerized with this superb display and appreciated the students for such a fabulous show. The students displayed their work and interacted with the faculty members and the newly-promoted seniors. Soon all the jargons of the ‘MBA World’ could be heard in each corner of the hall. This well-earned success called for celebration and what better way can there be than to sit in a group of hundred and play drums in perfect sync and rhythm, technically called a ‘Drum Circle’. This event was facilitated by Taal Inc who are best described by their tagline, “Come. Drum. Be One.’ The hall was soon in unison with the rhythmic thumping sounds from the drums and the evening slowly descended into a peaceful endnote.

A city tour challenge was held on 22nd June where the students had to decode the clues for 6 places in Ranchi and click a picture with their team as creative as possible. The team with the most creative pictures was declared the winner.

Then was the time for cultural events. Students were divided into 4 teams- Dance, Drama, Music and Creativity. The efforts put into it by the students were commendable. Practicing till 4 am in the morning, discussing some creative ideas, trying their best to bag the best team award were some totally new experiences for the new batch. The creativity shown by the students was at its peak and incomparable. They proved that whether it be dance, drama, music or creativity- students of IIM Ranchi are nowhere behind. The students also took the pledge of being the students of IIM Ranchi.

“I REPRESENT THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT RANCHI IN ALL MY DEALINGS AND TRANSACTIONS AND WILL THROUGH MY ACTIONS, ENRICH THE LEGACY OF THIS GREAT INSTITUTION”

IIM Ranchi has grown leaps and bounds since its inception. We have learnt to leverage our strengths, and also to make the best of our limitations, while constantly improving them. Though the institute is only five years old, the speed with which it is growing is commendable The word “new” makes people sceptical whether to join a new IIM or not but after coming here, students have experienced transformational changes in their lives. Being part of an upcoming IIM has made the students work harder so as to bring the standards of both the institute and the students at par with the best business schools across the world. This is the speciality of the students of IIM Ranchi. We may not have our own campus right now, but these things have never stopped us from tapping our true potential. IIM Ranchi has excelled in so many international as well as national level competitions like Mahindra War Room, Axis Moves, Deloitte Maverick, etc. IIM Ranchi has sworn that  it will not stop at any cost and that it will reach the heights that it has aimed for.

IIM Ranchi has its own creative Grayscale Team comprising of innovative and talented people. They capture and create great videos and picture, but the exposure was confined to the boundaries of the institute. The students then thought –“Why not show it to the outside world what actually IIM Ranchi is?”

And as the motto of IIM Ranchi says –”Working to bring change towards success, not only for one’s self, but also for the community”, they started working on it.

What better way to show the culture of IIM Ranchi to the outside world than capturing the culture and aura of the place in a video. A lot of effort has been put in by each and every member of the institute in making this video. We want to convey the message that being a part of any initiative is amazing and if situations are difficult, it only makes it more enjoyable.

In any journey, it is important to pause, reflect, and carry out a reality check to understand where you are and to have clarity on where you are headed. It is equally important to let in the outside world and share and exchange your values and culture.

IIM Ranchi, once again, reinforced its status as one of the best B-Schools in the country with the successful completion of the Final Placement process for the batch of 2014-16. This was the 5th year for its flagship PGDM programme and the 3rd year for a one-of-its-kind PGDHRM programme. A total of 171 offers were made on campus by the regular as well as the 35 new recruiters who visited IIMR this year. The number of PPOs and PPIs went up by 40%, indicating an exemplary performance by the students during their summer internships.

 The average CTC for the PGDM batch stood at 15.14 LPA, an increase of 13% y-o-y with over 12% of the batch receiving offers greater than 20 LPA. For the PGDHRM 2014-16 batch the average CTC stood at 13.49 LPA and the highest CTC being 20.2 LPA.

 Sales & Marketing emerged as the most preferred domain for the PGDM students contributing 37% of total offers made. Profiles in Digital Marketing, International Marketing, E- Commerce, Brand Management etc. were offered by HT Media, DS Group, Berger Paints, Videocon, MTR foods etc. The highest international offer of 55.23 LPA was offered in this domain.

 About 11% of the batch opted for Finance roles like Investment Banking, Equity Research, Corporate Finance, Treasury, Asset Management etc. The highest Domestic offer of 25.5 LPA was offered in this domain and the average compensation of the top 20% of the offers in this domain stood at 22.8 LPA. ICICI Bank, CRISIL, Thomson Reuters, Yes Bank, JPMC just to name a few that offered the said roles.

 Consulting was a preferred domain too for the students of IIM Ranchi. The median CTC of the roles offered in this domain was 14 LPA with the average of the top 20% of the offers being above 21 LPA. Deloitte, E&Y, Cognizant Business Consulting, Redseer Consulting, Gallup and Accenture were some of the companies who offered their coveted profiles on campus.

 General Management and Operations domain saw Leadership roles being offered in New Business initiatives, Group Strategy, Product Innovation, Supply Chain, Procurement Consulting and Warehouse Management by organisations like JSPL, L&T, Idea Cellular, Apollo Munich, mjunction, Apollo Munich Insurance, Cummins, Tata Steel and the Future Group.

 A good number of students opted for roles like Business Solutions Enabler, Data Analyst, Account Management etc. in the IT and Analytics space offered by organisations like Google, Cognizant, Wipro, L&T Infotech etc. The median CTC for this domain stood at 14.37LPA.

IIM Ranchi has completed yet another season of successful Summer Placements and reinforced its status as one of the top B-Schools in the country, with all students of the 2015-17 Batch securing paid internships. A total of 82 firms visited the campus, making 180 offers to 167 students

PGDM 2015-17

A total of 71 firms recruited from the PGDM batch of 2015-17. The average two-month stipend rose significantly to INR 72,000, a 24.4% increase over last year. The same for the top 25% of the students was INR 140,000. The industry reposed its faith in the institute as there were 38 first-time recruiters on campus. Two students received international internship opportunities.

Sales & Marketing was the most preferred domain among the students, with HT Media, Snapdeal, Berger Paints, Volvo Eicher and Tupperware featuring as prominent recruiters.

ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, RPG Enterprises, Aviva and Aditya Birla Online Fashion offered their much sought-after Finance profiles.

Strategy and Consulting also witnessed strong participation, from the likes of Deloitte, Ernst & Young, RPG, Polaris India and Bosch. PwC Management Consulting offered its coveted Strategy & Operations profile for the first time to IIM Ranchi students.

Samsung R&D, Google, Microsoft, Wipro and ICICI Bank offered IT and Analytics profiles.

General Management and Operations profiles were offered by heavyweights like ITC, Tata Steel, JSPL and Metro Cash & Carry.

 PGDHRM 2015-17

A total of 29 firms offered Summer Internship opportunities to 48 students of the PGDHRM 2015-17 Batch. The two-month average stipend witnessed a whopping 30.5% increase as compared to last year and stood at an impressive INR 73,200. The top 25% of the students received an average stipend of INR 130,000.

The profiles offered include HR Generalist, Compensation & Benefits, Industrial Relations, Talent Management, Organisational Development and the much sought after HR Analytics. As a first, Honeywell offered its prestigious HR Leadership program to IIM Ranchi students.

IIM Ranchi held its 5th Convocation on Tuesday, 29th March, 2016 at Cockerel Auditorium, Dipatoli Cantonment, Ranchi. Post Graduate Diplomas were conferred on159 students from the graduating batch of 2014-16 from the two programmes:

Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) = 122 students

Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management (PGDHRM) = 37 students

Commencing the convocation ceremony, Prof. Anindya Sen, Director-in-charge, congratulated all the students who were graduating. Elaborating on IIM Ranchi’s teaching methodology and the initiatives taken by the institute on student development such as Leadership Talk Series Aarohan, its association with GIAN, a global initiative of academic network tapping the scientific pool has led to the holistic development of students associated.

The ceremony started with the academic procession followed by invocation. Prof. Anindya Sen, Director In-charge welcomed Shri R. Gopalakrishnan, Former Director, TATA Sons Limited, the Chief Guest of the Ceremony, Chairman, Board of Governors, Faculty Members and the guests.

Chief Guest, presented the Gold & Silver medals, Certificate of Merit and Book Prizes to the students for their academic excellence, Best Summer Internship project and to the Best Outgoing Student and other prize-winners.

The recipients of the awards are:

Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM)  (2014-16 batch)

First Position (Recipient of Gold Medal, Certificate of Merit & Book Prize): Mr. Avneet Pal Singh. His name has been included in the honour roll of the institute for the year 2016.

Second Position (Recipient of Silver Medal, Certificate of Merit & Book Prize): Jointly shared by Mr. Nagineni Amaresh Krishna and Mr. Piyush Jain. Their names have been included in the honour roll of the institute for the year 2016.

Best Outgoing Student (Recipient of Gold Medal, Certificate of Merit & Book Prize): Mr. Piyush Jain

Following Five students have been awarded the certificate of merit and book prizes for the Best Summer Internship Project in different areas.

Area : Name of the Student

Accounting & Finance : Mr. Karthik B

Information Systems: Ms. Barde Shraddha Naresh

Marketing Management (jointly shared by):  Mr. Manjeet Kumar & Ms. Namita Niranjan Kapaley

Operations Management: Ms. Rini Joseph

Strategic Management : Mr. Shahzeb Feroz

For winning the Best SIP Project in the Strategic Management area, Mr. Shahzeb Feroz also gets “Prof. Ashish Hajela Memorial Award” that has been instituted from this year in memory of late faculty “Prof. Asish Hajela” who expired on 30 December 2014.

Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management (PGDHRM)  (2014-16 batch)

First Position (Recipient of Gold Medal, Certificate of Merit & Book Prize): Ms. Nandiraju V. S.  Her name has been included in the institute’s Honour roll for the year 2016.

Second Position (Recipient of Silver Medal, Certificate of Merit & Book Prize): Ms. Megha Deb

Best Outgoing Student (Recipient of Gold Medal, Certificate of Merit & Book Prize): Ms. Chakshu kalra

Ms. Jyoti Khatri was awarded the certificate of merit and book prize for the Best Summer Internship Project in the HR area from the programme.

Chief Guest Shri R. Gopalakrishnan, during his address at the convocation, mesmerized the audience with his motivational statement.  All graduating students heard him in rapt attention as he encouraged them with his speech saying “Before becoming a successful leader, it is essential to be a great subordinate”.

Chairman, Board of Governors also addressed everyone. He talked about three things that are essentially important to focus upon. Firstly, living in the times of technology mediated disruptive business models one needs to understand that the models are sustainable only till the time the next killer app is not available. Secondly, one should be aware of the planet one is living on. He talked about the importance of inclusive growth and how it is necessary to share success with larger community. Thirdly, the whole environment must be kept in mind while making any decision.

Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, the 9th Indian Institute of Management, is committed to attaining thought leadership through erudite fusion of eastern wisdom and the western processes for knowledge creation. It was inaugurated on 6 July 2010 with the thought of reviving the aura and exclusivity of classroom-teaching in an era ruled by the advent of technology in education as well.

"Axis Bank has kicked off their flagship b-school event Axis Moves at IIM Ranchi on 27th of February 2016. There was participation from 16 premier b-schools in India. Out of the 16 schools, IIM Ranchi stood out as the one with the highest participation in their online event. The kick-off was very successful with spirits running high amongst the students who were raring to go ahead with the competition."

The eminent economist, Prof Jean Drèze, visited IIM Ranchi to deliver a lecture on the topic "Social Policy in Comparative Perspective" in context of his research area i.e. Developmental Economics.

Prof. Drèze, a Belgium-born Indian economist, studied Mathematical Economics at the University of Essex and did his Ph.D. at the Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi. He has taught at the London School of Economics and the Delhi School of Economics. He is currently a Visiting Professor at Ranchi University. He has made wide-ranging contributions to development economics and public policy, with special reference to India. His research interests include rural development, social inequality, elementary education, child nutrition, health care and food security. He has co-authored several books with Nobel Laureate in economics Prof. Amartya Sen (most notably on famine and hunger); with Prof. Nicholas Stern, (on policy reforms when market prices are distorted), and with Nobel Laureate in economics Prof. Angus Deaton (on nutrition). Prof. Drèze has been an influential figure in public policy-making in India. A former member of the National Advisory Council (NAC), Prof. Drèze had conceptualized and drafted the first version of the NREGA and the original, 2011 version of the National Food Security Act.  

It was an enlightening session for the students to know about the critical condition of India in comparison to other countries and also to know where India stands.

Our director Dr. Anindya Sen, teaching staff and students gave a very warm welcome to Prof. Drèze. Dr. Anindya Sen in his welcome speech gave a platform to start the event – “Efficiency and Equity Issue”.

Prof. Drèze started by saying that management is not just for business but is also important for implementing social programs and bringing a great change in the society. He said that in India there is a lot of resistance to the idea of implementing active social policies which is wrong. Because whatever we have is because of others. He gave the students as an example that they are studying in the prestigious B-school not only because of their efforts but also because of their parents’ and teachers’ efforts. Thus we have the responsibility towards those who are left behind.

He quoted numerical figures to analyse how the current social scenario is in comparison to the earlier one in India with respect to other countries. Earlier the government expenditure for health, education and social security was quite less but has now increased a lot over the years.

He talked about Universal Health Care (UHC) under which if a person is ill, he will be provided medical facilities free of cost. It is present in some countries like Canada, Japan and also in developing countries like Mexico, Brazil, etc. “But India is still very far from that”, quoted Prof. Drèze. He also told students about the concept of “externality”- one throwing garbage will also affect the health of other people. To get rid of that, we need to have garbage collection system and public intervention.

32% of total health expenditure in India is public expenditure which is quite less in comparison to other countries( even lesser than Sub-Saharan Africa). He also said that though India’s GDP per capita is three times that of Nepal still India does worse in terms of social indicators.

Some states in India do not perform well in terms of public health indicators like Bihar and Jharkhand, but Bihar is one of the fastest moving states and is improving quite fast. He quoted “Where there is action, there are results”. There is no way that India can’t achieve that level that it deserves.

He also talked about the mid-day meal program; providing students a meal which tastes just like it is made in their homes may encourage them to come to schools daily and socialize among themselves, but will have no significant nutritional impact. So we need to provide them with better quality meals.

The second day of Radix, IIM Ranchi’s Management Conclave started off with much enthusiasm and positivity at Radisson Blu, Ranchi. The title sponsor of the event was Vee Nee Corporation, an offshore web development company offering a great variety of professional web development services and our radio partner was 92.7 big fm. The theme of this year’s Radix is ‘From Ideas to Implementation’.

After a prayer song, Dr. Rohit Kumar, Professor- Strategic Management, IIM Ranchi and the eminent speakers gave a perfect beginning to the event by lighting the lamp.

The highlight of the day was an awesome personality who surprised the audience with his excellent humour, his deep intelligence and a plethora of his skills all at the same time. Dr. Sarandeep Singh, Leadership and Start up Consultant, is an MBA from Stanford University and then completed his Ph. D. in Decision Analysis and Risk Analysis from Stanford itself. He has over 18 years of industry experience in firms such as Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and Franklin Covey. He got every student discuss his/her one great idea that will change the whole world with one of their friends to suggest ways to get that idea executed. He told about the 3 principles which govern 90% of decisions of our life- fear, envy and greed whereas those few people who actually succeed in their life are actually governed by courage, focus on their own life and consistency. He encouraged the audience not to concentrate on “WHY AND DON’T” but on “WHY NOT”. The secret success is hidden in the “WHY NOT”. His speech got a perfect ending with his one sentence “LOSE FASTER TO WIN FASTER”. This was followed by a huge and a long round of applause.

The other speakers included Mr. Amit Choudhary, Senior Vice President- Corporate Finance, Snapdeal who spoke about raising the bar and beating the new benchmarks. He said, “A good idea is worth 10%, hard work and execution are the balance 90%.” His idea was “People First, Business Later. Business First, Function Later.” His amazing speech was followed by the speech of Mr. Vivek Mehta, Independent Consultant. He spoke about the reasons why idea fails: sometimes the timing is wrong, and maybe sometimes the management is wrong. He quoted Friendster for example which did not succeed as the timing was wrong whereas Facebook was a big hit as the timing was apt. He focused on the importance of an idea having a concrete plan and structure and creator of the idea having a positive attitude. He said, “One quality that breeds success is positive attitude, then even the smallest idea becomes implementable.”

The last and the youngest speaker of the business conclave of IIM Ranchi was Mr. Meesum Kazmi, Director, Analytics Advisory, PwC. He kicked off the post lunch session by demystifying the journey from strategy to execution. According to him, strategies fail due to lack of unrealistic goals or lack of focus and resources.

After these awe-inspiring speeches, a panel discussion among the speakers took place on the topic- “Baby Steps, Giant Leaps” moderated by Dr. Rohit Kumar. All the speakers conveyed their different thoughts about the topic in a very enthusiastic way to the students. Mr. Amit said that the decision to take either big steps or giant leaps depends on the situation. It is a function of age and the experience profile: at early age, there is no cost of failure. Mr. Sarandeep conveyed the idea that neither baby steps nor big leaps matter. He said, “If you have a great idea, sleep over it, ask how ready you are and look for opportunities to leverage it.” Whereas Mr. Meesum preferred baby steps over giant leaps as it happens a lot of times that one has great thoughts and great ideas but they are of no use if not put into action. “The decision depends on the life cycle of the industry you are in”, told Mr. Vivek.

It was an enthralling experience for the management students to learn face-to-face from these amazing industry stalwarts.

The panel discussion was followed by the celebration of Matra Bhasha Divas. The first year PGDM students of IIM Ranchi gave a presentation about their own Matra Bhasha. The importance of the beautiful languages of India- Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Punjabi and Telugu was conveyed by Sharmi, Sanjib, Jitin, Navneet and Yamini.

The second edition of Radix, IIM Ranchi’s Management Conclave started off with much enthusiasm and positivity at Radisson Blu, Ranchi. The title sponsor of the event was Vee Nee Corporation, an offshore web development company offering a great variety of professional web development services and our radio partner was 92.7 big fm.

The theme of this year’s Radix is ‘From Ideas to Implementation’.In today’s world of dynamic business paradigms, an idea is all it takes to change the present and create history. But an idea alone does not suffice. It requires proper nourishment from all stakeholders, it requires ‘implementation’. And most importantly, it needs that pivotal push, breaking inertia and the fear of uncertainty.

The event started with a prayer song and lighting of the lamp followed by a welcome speech by Area Director, Prof Dr. Gaurav Manohar Marathe. He gave a perfect start to the speeches by telling the audience about the importance of the event’s theme. According to him, the three crucial barriers to conversion of ideas to actions are barrier to buy in, barrier to break in and barrier to build in. This idea gave a platform to the speakers to guide the students of IIM Ranchi for whom execution of ideas effectively is extremely important.

It was followed by the inauguration of HR magazine of IIM Ranchi, HR NEETI,  an initiative of HR Club (HiRe) of the college. The theme of the magazine this year is “Big Data & HR Analytics”. A video was also shown conveying to the audience the endeavors of HR Club.

The first speaker was Mr. Awdhesh Krishna, MD & Global Head of HR- Wholesale Corporate, NOMURA. The keynote speaker of the event enlightened us by sharing his thoughts about how he perceives the VUCA world, a transformation from Volatility to Vision, Uncertainty to understanding, Complexity to clarity & Ambiguity to agility. The next speaker was Mr. Sandeep Chatterjee, Associate Director, KPMG. He told about how strategy should be linked with execution in order to make it work. There is nothing as a good or bad strategy as if it was a good strategy, it would have succeeded in the first place. He gave an advice to all the students not to look for roles which include only strategy making. “You are totally misguided if you say that I am the brain behind the strategy made and somebody else will execute it”, said Mr. Sandeep.  

After the speech, the students got to know about the 6 actions which need to be taken to convert ideas into reality by our next speaker, Mr. Amit Ranjan Dasgupta, GM, CET, SAIL. The six actions included believe in yourself, create your own personal board of supervisors, embrace risk as your own best friend, be extremely patient, learn how to sell your vision and be passionate with your pursuit. After a one hour lunch break, the last speaker of the day 1 of Radix event was Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Deputy General Manager, MECON. With a varied knowledge in multiple domains, Mr. Kumar holds more than two and a half decades of rich experience HR functions and IT services.  Talking about Zen mind, he laid emphasis on how there are multiple possibilities in a beginner’s mind as compared to an expert’s mind. He shared his industry knowledge and experience about various domains of the industry.

The CSR Club of IIM Ranchi, Samarpan  in collaboration with Sankriya, the Operations and General Management Club  successfully hosted Nirvaadh’16.

The first day of the event consisted of speeches from some eminent speakers and an interactive session of the speakers with the students. The theme of the session was  ‘Sustainable Business Strategies.’ Sustainable business, or green business, is an enterprise that has minimal negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy. The event kicked off with the first speaker of the day, Mr B S Khanna, Managing Director of Medha, Jharkhand who spoke about the history of the while revolution, and the evolution of the milk cooperative Medha in Jharkhand – the story, challenges, opportunities and achievements. Other speakers for the day included Mr K Bhatia, the CMD of Bharat Wagon, Mr. Muthukumar IAS, Joint Secy., Dept of Industries and Mr. Franz Gastler, Executive Director and Co-Founder, YUWA. Mr. Gastler spoke of the history of YUWA, and NGO which works to empower girls in the remotest part of Jharkhand by education and football. His messages for the audience were interrupted by huge applause from all sections of the amazed crowd. This was followed by a Q and A session, where the audience posed questions to the speakers, and they replied with their years of industry and life experience. It was a hugely motivating session for our students to see such stalwarts answering their queries. The last speaker for the day was Commander Abhilash Tomy, Indian Naval Officer. He is the first Indian and second Asian man to circumnavigate to globe on sail. It was indeed inspiring for our students to learn first-hand the experiences of a man who has achieved the impossible. His videos, showing glimpses of his life and journey met with widespread amazement and applause from the audience. The first day closed with the distribution of mementoes by the President of the Student Council, IIM Ranchi, Mr. Saketh A.

The second day kicked off with the event of Funathon and Walkathon at Morabadi stadium on Sunday morning. It consisted of a 8 km running event called Funathon and a 5.5 km walking event by the name Walkathon.

IIM Ranchi successfully hosted the fourth edition of TEDx at Radisson Blu, Ranchi featuring a diverse line of speakers who have realised their vision in a variety of fields including social activism, entrepreneurship, sports, media, arts and public administration. The theme of the event was “Inside Out”.

TED is a non-profit organisation devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, and Design. It is a platform to bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. Ideas have endurance without death and spreading ideas is TED’s mission.

The event started with showcasing some videos of TED talks. Speakers shared stories resonating with their lives. The first speaker of the day was Dr. Vikram Patel, a renowned psychiatrist and listed amongst the world’s 100 most influential people by TIME magazine. He talked about why chronic medical conditions like diabetes, depression etc should be a concern for the Indian society. Taking a leaf from the story of his mother’s illness he went ahead stating that the society should move towards collaborative care and a team care model. According to him, the patient should be the centre of the model and should be surrounded by people-centre, specialists and case managers. Dr. Patel also serves on four committees under the Government of India including ‘The Mental Health Policy Group’ which drafted India’s first national mental health policy.

The second speaker, Mr.Sankalp Kohli is an acclaimed novelist and a story teller. Starting with the life story of Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, Mr. Kohli explained the importance of storytelling in our lives. Stories are present all around us and the best stories are those which unite facts with emotions. He ended his talk with a very persuasive quote “What is truer than the truth – a story”.

Hetal Dave, the only female sumo wrestler in India captivated the audience with her struggles as a kid and in the field of sumo wrestling, being a girl. Her experiences helped her in becoming stronger and through challenges she built the grit. Her interest in Sumo stems from judo which she has been practicing since the age of six. She has represented India in tournaments in Estonia, Poland, Finland and Taiwan and achieved the 5th rank in the women’s middleweight category at the 2009 World Games.

Subhash and Sanjeev, pioneers in experimental education at Auroville talked about the importance of education and how they are helping students develop themselves through learning. They talked about the success of their program which is widespread in Tamil Nadu. They plan to increase the coverage of their learnings methods all over the country. Through this they plan to build a very educated and robust society. Social visual programming and language and active learning environment will enable shifting focus from teaching to innovative practices of learning.

Arti Kumari, the next speaker described about her escape from child trafficking. She has transformed her life from a victim to a saviour. Awarded as Times Now Amazing Young Achievers Award 2014, she rallies forth spreading awareness through plays and nukkad natak. Her courage and spirit to fight all odds in her life was very inspiring and gratifying.

Parth Sarthi, leading activist in “Stop Acid Attacks movement” talked about how acid attack is a violence which not kills but disfigures for life. It leaves a scar forever in mind. He talked about his café Sheroes and how everyone should contribute in making the life of these victims normal. What started as a campaign has now grown into a full blown effort to help acid attack victims.

Ramanuj Mukherjee, co – founder of education start-up iPleaders talked about a quest for access to justice in India. Bringing out the legal challenges which we face on a daily basis, he talks about strengthening the judicial system. He has also founded CLAThacker.com in 2008 to make legal education and knowledge that helps.

Along with this we had performances showcasing the rich culture of Jharkhand. The event hosted performances by Troupe Warriors and Praveen Kakkar who made an incredible painting during the performance. He drew a lady Manjri who is a hardworking labour of Jharkhand showing the strength and inspiration that exists in a Jharkhand woman. A group from Shivangani Dance World, through a dance performance, showed the valour of Birsa Munda and his contribution to Jharkhand and India at large.

The 26th of January was celebrated with great pomp and show at IIM Ranchi. Students, teachers and staff all came together to recognize and pay homage to the day we brought true sovereignty to our great nation, bringing into force the Constitution of India. The celebrations kicked off with the hoisting of the tricolor by Dr. Pradeep Kr. Bala, the Dean (Academics) at IIM Ranchi. Dr. Bala then gave a rousing speech about this day, asking the question of whether we are truly a republic. He extolled everyone to take responsibility to make the country one for all classes, and not just the privileged. The questions asked by sir in his speech stirred all present. This was followed by a speech by Mr. J. Gabriel (Administrative Officer) at IIM Ranchi, wherein he inspired the students to take their country to better heights via their hard work, dedication and perspiration.

This was followed by a short cultural program, kicked off by Ms Ankita Thakur, a 2nd year PGDM student at the institute, whose melodious and heart-wrenching rendition of “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon” tugged at the heartstrings of one and all present. This was followed by Prof Manas performing a mellifluous performance of “Mera Mulk Mera Desh.” The celebration ended with a surprise, as Dr Bala surprised everyone with his unbelievable rendering of “Miley Sur Mera Tumhara.”

 But alongside all the fun and games, the students of IIM Ranchi did not forget their social responsibility. Samarpan, the Social Responsibility Club of IIM Ranchi, in association with RIMS and Life Savers Ranchi, a voluntary blood donors group, organized a blood donation camp on our Khelgaon premises. Students turned up in huge numbers, and the event was a success. The smile and joy of giving was evident on the faces of our donors. We hope that these traditions will continue, making our Republic Day not just a national holiday, but a day we look back upon as a day well and meaningfully spent.

Aiming towards a clean India is one of the best tributes that India can pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary in 2019; Shri Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi on 2nd October, 2014 keeping this thought in mind. New Delhi. To spread awareness about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a campaign was organised by IIM Ranchi in a village named Ganbari Dipatoli near Khelgaon More. The campaign was organised by Samarpan Club in association with Team Dramebazz to spread awareness for cleanliness in rural areas. The program started with Nukkad Natak on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan theme by Dramebazz followed by speech about the importance of cleanliness and distribution of brooms.

 In speech, the coordinators of samarpan club emphasis the movement of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan started by PM Narendra Modi. “We have to maintain cleanliness not only in our household but also in surrounding areas to promote health and fitness as many diseases are borne due to uncleanliness". The village people gathered to see the drama and the speech in large numbers.

IIM Ranchi hosted Mr. M K Verma, Regional Director, RBI Bihar& Jharkhand for a session on electronic banking awareness and training (eBAAT) cum financial awareness programme, an initiative of RBI. He was accompanied by Ms. Deepti Raj, DGM RBI Patna. RBI  has been  reaching  out to  the  masses and  educating  them about  the  recent changes in the banking space. The programme was an interaction with students on various facets of banking and financial planning with the aim of creating better financial awareness amongst them.

The topics of discussion included, role and functions of RBI, especially in the lives of common persons; RBI’s role in framing monetary policies and procedures; balancing between growth and inflation; foreign exchange management, banking functions, regulation of NBFCs; regulation of the payment systems in the country and the road to financial inclusion. A detailed discussion took place on alternate delivery channels of banking, viz., electronic banking, mobile banking, kinds of payment and settlement system. In his discourse Mr. Verma talked at length about cyber frauds and the precautions that need to be taken while doing online transactions

Mr. Verma also talked about the various aspects of RBI and how it serves the different  goals set  for  it including controlling  inflation,  providing a  platform  for economic  development  and improving the financial stability in the country. He emphasized the changes happening in the country and specifically in the banking space. He covered the emergence of payment banks and the issue of new banking licenses in detail.

There was also a discussion about the opportunities provided by the start-ups and how their scale of growth has been unprecedented.  In the  later  part of the speech,  he  highlighted the  importance   of   banks  in   ensuring   that   the   environment   was   conducive   for   fostering   of   the entrepreneurial spirit focusing on the start-up funding being carried out by commercial banks in India. He urged the young audience to strive to be a ‘job creator’ than just focusing on being a ‘job-seeker’.

IIM Ranchi successfully launched Aarohan, the Leadership Speak Series aimed at student interaction with stalwarts of their respective fields. The prime intent of the leadership speak series is to invite role models across various fields, to come and address the IIM Ranchi community, particularly the students. Through this the students gain the opportunity to interact with the best of minds from various fields. It would also promote intellectual growth and stimulation and facilitate the development of a more inclusive world-view.

The first lecture provided the students an opportunity to interact with Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, ADC, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command of Indian Army. Gen. Sahni is also an alumnus of National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery, to a self-propelled regiment.  On commissioning he was awarded ‘Sword of honour’ and ‘The President’s Gold Medal’ for standing first in this course. His career highlights include command of a self-Propelled Regiment in the desert sector, a Mountain Artillery Brigade in Counter Insurgency Sector in Northeast, an Independent Infantry Brigade in Jammu Kashmir and a Division as part of a Strike Corps, on the western borders.

The event started with the Director-in-charge, Prof. Anindya Sen, felicitating Lt. Gen Arun Kumar Sahni followed by the lighting of the lamp. The director addressed the gathering talking about Aarohan as a mode to promote intellectual growth and facilitate development. The topic of the talk was “Leadership in the Army Tenets for Wider Application” Speaker Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni, during his address, mesmerized the audience with his motivational statement. The audience heard him in rapt attention as he said “Leader is the one who knows the way goes the way and shows the way”. He further touched topics such as the need of mental resilience, military leadership and different types of training in the army. Students were able to learn about different models used in the army and 6 C’s of leadership.