imt g alumni - sampark_volume5_issue3

1|Page Sampark Volume 5 Issue 3


Contents

I. From The Chairperson’s Desk..……………………….……………………………………….…………3

II. Homecoming……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

III. 3rd Mahendra Nath Memorial Lecture……………………………………………………………….5

IV. 84 Helping Hands……….…………………………………………………………………………………………..6

V. Amphi Night……………………………………………………………………………………………….……………..7

VI. Campus Buzz

a. War of Words………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………..8

b. Onam……………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………….9

VII. Q & Alumnus…………………………………………………………………………………………………….....….10

VIII. Campus Shots……………………………………………….…………………………….………………………….11

IX. Suggestions and Feedback……………………………………………………..………………….………..12


From The Chairperson’s Desk

While talking about IMT, we all often use a phrase, “it moulds

itself with changing times”. And IMT has proved that not once, but

many times over its last thirty one glorious years. Time has come to

stand by that phrase again.

Let me introduce myself as your new touch point with your alma-

mater. I joined this great institution in 2001 as a member of

Information Management faculty. I left in 2008, but the

gravitational pull of IMT is so great that I had to come back in three

years’ time. I sincerely think that all of you must also be feeling

that gravitational pull inside you somewhere. Let me appeal to you

to kindly respond to that urge and come back to your institution.

We are trying to do many new things at IMT, and are constantly

trying to take it to an even better position, and this is impossible to

achieve unless you come back home. It is your institution, and you

must ‘be the change you want to see’.

Let me seek your suggestions and guidance to take this

relationship forward and make the best of it in the coming months.

I will wait for a helping hand of yours.

Dr. Nilanjan Chattopadhya

Chairperson

Alumni Relationship Committee


Homecoming

During my recent visit to India in

August, I experienced a heartfelt

moment that I will cherish for years to

come. I had the pleasure to walk the

campus grounds of IMT with my

wife, recalling some of the best times I

had there as a student. I graduated

from IMT in 1988 but unfortunately

have not had many opportunities to

revisit the campus until last month

after an almost fifteen year absence.

The warm welcome my wife and I

received was amazing and

unparalleled. Dr Seeta Gupta, Former

Chairperson Alumni Relationship

Committee, literally held our hands as we walked together, spending almost two hours graciously

introducing us to IMT’s faculty, staff, and students.

Dr Jayanthi Ranjan, Chairperson International Relations, with whom we made an instant connection,

was so excited to speak with us. From the librarian we learned that the IMT library can now boast of a

collection comprised of more than 45,000 books and journals from top rated business schools located

around the world. With an annual operating budget of approximately one crore, books, journals, or

other literary mediums can now be easily ordered at the request of any student or faculty member. I

remember my days at IMT where we used to fight over grabbing a copy of Economic Times!

The best and most memorable part of this awesome tour was our visit to the Alumni Relationship Office.

The small room was filled with upwards of ten freshmen, all of whom stood up as Dr Seeta Gupta, my

wife and I entered the room. Their expressions of greetings were filled with genuine respect, recognition

and affection. We were humbled by our reception, after having lived in United States for the last ten

years where such salutations are not easily forthcoming. This warm welcome caused me to reflect,

wishing I could go back in time and recreate the years working towards my MBA on the IMT campus. A

Campus today that is as warm, vibrant, and energized as I remember it to have been.

I sincerely hope a chapter of IMT Alumni Association can be established in the United States and equally

important, a Mentor-Mentee program can be created that will assist IMT Alumni, students and staff by

providing insights and lessons learned from past experiences while keeping members apprised on

recent trends in management. I look forward to contributing towards making these ambitious goals

become a reality.

With fond regards and the best to the students, faculty and staff of IMT,

Mukesh Garg, Class of 1988


3rd Mahendra Nath Memorial Lecture

IMT organized the 3rd Mahendra Nath Memorial

Lecture on the 98th birth anniversary of Late Shri

Mahendra Nath- the visionary behind IMT on 7th

September. Paying tribute to this great visionary, this

year's theme for the lecture "Building a Good

Institution" was something that Shri Mahendra Nath

firmly believed in, advocated and ultimately realized in

the form of IMT. And who could have voiced this belief

better than the educational planner and administrator,

Dr. Ashok Chandra himself, the Principal Advisor at

International Management Institute. Dr. Chandra has also been the Special Secretary (Education) at

Ministry of HRD, Government of India, and Director at Institute of Applied Manpower Research.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Chandra said, "I am

honoured to be present on this auspicious day that

commemorates one of the builders of modern India. I

say this not as a custom but because my association with

this institution dates back a very long time when I was

taken on the board of this institution in the mid-eighties

".

Sharing his views on the topic, Dr. Chandra said that

quality faculty is the most important resource an

institution can have, high quality student body is the second and a good infrastructure is another asset.

“For me personally, a good institution would have an educational philosophy that, apart from imparting

domain-knowledge and related skills to students, emphasizes on pedagogical approaches that focus

more on learning rather than instruction; and originality of thinking and critically examining prevailing

concepts rather than mere conformance to existing notions and approaches.” He concluded by saying

that there are no startling revelations, no magic, no secret recipes to building good institutions. If there is

any magic at all it is in actual application.

Dr. Bibek Banerjee, the director, gave the Mahendra

Nath Scholarship Award of Rs.1 Lakh each to six

students. He shared with us how his secondary

knowledge about Shri Mahendra Nath inspires him

especially to bring simplicity and common sense to the

education system. Dr. Banerjee also said that he firmly

believes in Shri Nath’s views on the practical

implementation of the theories studied, and hence

would make his best efforts to carry this torch forward.


84 Helping Hands

Ties that bind.

’84 Helping Hands was a testimony to that. An

initiative of the Class of 1984, ’84 Helping Hands was

a platform to encourage meritorious children of the

class four workers of IMT Ghaziabad through

scholarships. In an event hosted by IMT Ghaziabad

on the afternoon of September 17, 2011, 5 such

deserving students were awarded scholarships in the

presence of the chief guest Dr. Bibek Banerjee,

Director, IMT Ghaziabad, faculty members, staff and

Alumni from the Class of 1984.

The initiative took root during the 1984 batch Reunion held in 2009 in IMT Ghaziabad. Overtime, the

idea grew and eventually resulted in the formation of a trust to mobilize funds for the scholarships.

Contributions poured in from all quarters as the entire batch responded enthusiastically to the venture,

including alumni settled overseas.

The session started with a welcome note by Dr. Bibek

Banerjee, who lauded the initiative calling it a pioneering

effort by the alumni to support those that constitute the

backbone of the Institute, but are barely visible or

appreciated. Mr. Aseem Arora then took the podium and

shared his thoughts on the venture. Mr. Suresh Kumar,

one of the drivers of ’84 Helping Hands, then spoke on

how the initiative took shape, and encouraged the

students selected for scholarships to constantly strive to

excel. Mr. Rakesh Suri also shared his views. The

afternoon showed the extent of connectedness our alumni

still feel for the Institute. It promised that excellence will be rewarded always in ways unanticipated. It

was a reminder that helping hands are just a call away.

We thank the trustees, Mr. Aseem Arora, Mr. Sushil

Baweja, Mr. Rakesh Suri, Mr. Suresh Kumar and Lt. Ms.

Madhulika Masi, for facilitating the initiative. We are

very grateful to Mr. Aseem Arora, Mr. Sushil Baweja

and especially Mr. Suresh Kumar and Mr. Mushtaq,

who traveled all the way from Chennai and Hyderabad

respectively to come down to campus for the event. We

hope this effort is the first of many that bring our

alumni and the Institute closer.


Amphi Night

The Summer Placement week for students of

PGDM 2011-13 started on the 26th of September.

The students were quite worried about preparation

for the week, in the days prior to it. Since there is

no better person to help address their queries than

somebody who has been in the same shoes, the

Alumni Relationship Committee organised an

informal interactive session between some of our

recent alumni and the students of first year. The

'Amphi Night' was held on the 21st of September at

our Amphitheatre.

Alumni who came down to campus for the event were -

Mr. Varun Malhotra of the 2007 batch, working with Goldratt Consulting.

Mr. Abhishek Agarwal of the 2008 batch, working with IBM.

Mr. Vikas Pamnani of the 2009 batch, working with Ernst & Young.

Mr. Alekhya Chakrabarty of the 2010 batch, working with Make My Trip.

The students' response to this event was

overwhelmingly positive. This was one of the few

events where the students got a chance to interact

directly with our alumni and not just through

ALCOM. The alumni shared their experiences about

the Summer Placement Process and also shared tips

on how to crack the GD and Personal Interview

rounds. Mr. Alekhya Chakrabarty later forwarded a

few blog links for students who had taken Marketing

as their major specialization. These were shared with

all the sections, and students greatly benefited from

the same.

Alum Quotes

I missed out on all the IIMs because of my verbal score (91%ile).Within few months of

joining IMT, I realized all that happens, happens for good. IMT has taught me how to

handle various assignments, projects, extra-curricular activities and much more in a

real-time live scenario, which is the primary reason for me taking an edge over many of

the IIM guys in my organization. I have learnt a lot from the faculty, staff and or

director Dr. B.S.Sahay and will remain indebted to all always. Lastly, wishing all the

teachers a very happy Teacher's Day. IMT rocks!!

-Vishesh Chadha (Batch of 2009)


CAMPUS BUZZ

War of words

Cultural Committee of IMT Ghaziabad hosted War of Words – an erudite literary event on September 2-

3, 2011.

The event started on the 2nd with “Quizzinga”, a quiz on eclectic topics such as literature, movies,

music, business etc. It started with 18 teams in the preliminary rounds from which 6 teams made it to the

final round. Conducted in audio-visual format, questions ranged from topics like the origin of the

masala dosa to Garfield, Star Wars’ Princess Leia to Dan Brown. After intense competition, Kaustuba

K.V and Leo Thomas emerged as the winners by a handsome margin.

There were two events the next day. The first was

“TransNation”, a model UN with each team

comprising of two students representing a different

country. The topic for discussion and debate was “The

Financial Crisis”. Countries being represented

included Germany, China, USA and Greece. The entire

discussion was chaired by two faculty members, Prof

David Kaliz and Prof Ram Ritwik Sen. The teams

brought out several key points like the tradeoff

between growth and social welfare, austerities, high

interest rate and inflationary measures, merits of the

Eurozone and many more. The teams spoke from the point of view of the country they represented

keeping in mind its policies. The model UN was won by Kunal Arora and Jayanth S Prasad who were

representing Germany.

The evening was rounded off with “Zeroth Hour”, a

debate on the Jan Lokpal Bill. Each team had to present

their draft of the Bill which is evoking such strong

sentiments. Then merits and demerits of each were

debated upon. Arijit Ray and Abhishek Chatterjee were

adjudged the winners of Zeroth Hour.

With such an overwhelming response to War of Words

in terms of participation and quality of content, IMT

Ghaziabad students yet again proved why they are

among the best management brains in the country.


Connect your friends to the IMT Ghaziabad Facebook

group…

http://tinyurl.com/alcomgrp

Click on the link to Connect…

Onam

Onam, Kerala’s biggest festival, falls in the month

of Chingam (August-September) and is the

celebration of the return of the legendary King

Mahabali to see his people. Onam is a welcome

laid out to a great king, to assure him that his

people are happy and prosperous and wish him

well.

This year, the 25-strong Malayali population of

IMT laid out their own welcome to King Mahabali

right here. The celebration started early in the

morning with the pookalam (flower carpet) being

laid in the Academic Block. Presentations and

classes went on with our Malayalis wearing the

traditional, pristine white mundu. The

celebrations culminated in a grand 17-dish

Onasadya (Onam lunch), replete with banana

leaves and payasam.

http://tinyurl.com/alcomgrp


Q and Alumnus

Introduction:

Mr. Anurag Jain is an

alumnus of the 2006-2008

batch of PGDM HR. He

has a total work

experience of more than 6

years. Mr. Jain got placed

in Bank of America

through campus placements and has been

working there ever since. His areas of expertise

include Compensation & benefits design, HR

policies and procedures and Integration and

Harmonization activities. His hobbies and

interests include writing short stories and

travelling. He also has a keen interest in

entrepreneurship and intends to launch his own

start up in the next 5 years or so.

Interview:

Q. What were your most cherished moments at

IMT? What did you love the most in or about

IMT?

A. My most cherished memories at IMT would

be those of the conversations that we had in

the amphitheatre, walking over to Nescafe to

buy a coffee at 4 or 5 in the morning and long

walks around the campus during the night. We

were a notorious group of 12-15 friends. The

parties at IMT were a lot of fun too.

Q. Something you would have liked to change

about IMT?

A. I would like to see more flexibility in terms of

the course structure. This would include fewer

restrictions in the selection of electives and the

ability to switch courses.

Q. It is said that more than the MBA degree, it

is the course that creates an impact, so how

important has an MBA been for your career?

A. Academically, I have definitely learnt a lot

from this degree. Beyond academics, the

experience of group activities has also been

highly beneficial. I was the Coordinator of the

HRuday club and we organized various events

around the year. The learning that I gained from

this has been very valuable.

Q. Being from the newer generation, how do

you think has the scenario changed in the

corporate?

A. Till about 5 years back, HR was mainly

looked upon as an administrative job. It is now a

strategic partner in most organizations. Today,

awareness among people has increased. The

field of Human Resources has evolved a lot and

is more stimulating than it was previously.

Q. What was the most important goal for you

while pursuing an MBA?

A. The most important goal for me was to learn

as much as possible. I used to ask a lot of

questions in class, and tried to explore the

practical aspects of whatever I studied in theory.

Q. Any specific advice for the present

students?

A. The first year is very crucial. I would advise

students to make the most of it. You are only as

good as what you have gained during the past

two years of your life. Gain a lot of exposure

and look for opportunities to build your CV. I

also suggest students to carry a pen drive

around, at all times. You might come across

interesting information that you would want to

keep a copy of.


Campus Shots


.

Compiled By:

The Sampark Team

Alumni Relationship Committee

IMT Ghaziabad

For any Suggestions or Feedback

Please feel free to mail us at

[email protected]

Connect with us on Facebook

for all Alumni Updates

http://www.facebook.com/groups/106993959397101?ap=1

mailto:[email protected]

imt g alumni - sampark_volume5_issue3

Documents

imt library

campus grounds of imt

page sampark volume

gravitational pull of

best times

alumni relationship

faculty member

campus buzz