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Archives: July 2014

Jenny & Robert go India!

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During the exchange semester offered by our home university in Jönköping/Sweden we had Asia in mind from the start. It differs a lot from our home countries and has a great variety of cultural aspects to offer – and so, India here we come!

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And here we are: Jenny – German, 26 years old, studies International Management, most prejudice thought about India: That there would be cows everywhere! (And it is true!) – and Robert – Swedish, 31 years old and studies Logistics & Supply Chain Management, most prejudice thought about India: That all food would be made with Curry! (Not so true.J)

As a Western European citizen one may have a certain, prejudiced picture of India and to be honest, so did we before we came here. We imagined India as a country characterized by an unconceivable mass of people, unbearable noises and smells, poverty, the people´s strong commitment to religion, yoga, guru’s and, not to forget, the omnipresence of cows.

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Since early June we are enjoying our time at IIM Bangalore, but of course we flee the scene as often as we can to explore the country itself with its many different facets, with one clear lesson: Many things are similar, but also oh so different. For instance, the amount of people – you are never alone!; queues – there are none!; traffic rules – there are none except one: hoooonk!; food – spicy three times per day!; noise level – deafening!; waste attitude – throw it wherever!; cows – they are everywhere and you better move!; religion – shrines, temples, mosques and churches in every corner!; and rickshaw drivers – let’s call them opportunists, but other words come to mind J. Many of our expectations regarding India were true but we have also learned that the country consists of so much more. For instance, what we really like is the vibrant explosion of all colours one can imagine be it clothes, houses or on the markets.

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Unfortunately, time is passing by so quickly and our semester abroad is almost over. We will remember India for all the great and helpful people we have met, especially in school (At that point: thanks guys for everything!), for all the breath-taking places and nature we have seen as well as for the very diverse and good food. But, we will also remember the grievances we have seen outside campus and we truly hope that India can step up towards a brighter future for its people and the country. India is truly and absolutely incredible. There is a saying that goes: “There’s the world, and then there is India”. Our stay in India was definitely an experience we do not want to give away.

Record turnout at Vikasana’s Blood Donation drive

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Vikasana, the Social Service Club of the students of IIM Bangalore has been taking on initiatives to provide service to the needy and underprivileged sections of society. One such step was the blood donation camp which was held at EB Dining Hall on the 19th of July, 2014 at IIM Bangalore. The camp, held in association with Prayaas, the social service initiative of EPGP and Red Cross Society, saw a total turnout of 223 people willing to donate blood. It recorded a total of 173 successful blood donations, the highest ever in the history of Vikasana’s bi-annual blood donation camps.

Blood Donation

The camp started at 10:00 AM and extended till 5.00 PM. Professor Sourav Mukherji, the PGP Chairperson, was the first to arrive at the camp. This was followed by a stream of students, faculty and staff members. The camp also witnessed active participation from the EPGP, PGSEM and FPM programmes. After a basic checkup the donors were taken to a room where they each donated 450 ml of blood to save someone’s life.  Refreshments consisting of juice, fruits and biscuits were provided to the donors. Huge diversity was noticed among the donors. Some, who had been donating on a regular basis; while others who were first timers, got rid of their apprehensions. One commonality was the smile on everyone’s face after giving blood.

Blood Donation

This year, Vikasana also associated with the Student Alumni Committee by inviting Datri, an organization which works to create a database of Blood Stem Cell donor profiles, to be a part of the Blood Donation Camp.  Prof. Janaki Anant, a PGSM alumnus from IIMB and associated with Datri helped facilitate this event. More than 70 people registered as donors with Datri and we hope the number of registration increases as the awareness spreads.

The camp was a success thanks to the tireless efforts of Vikasana coordinators, Prayaas Coordinators, Red Cross Society, Datri and the Hostel Staff. The enthusiasm of donors was a key ingredient in enabling a smooth progress throughout the day. As the years go by, the turnout of donors and awareness of the camp increases. The next Blood Donation Camp will again be held in February where an even greater turnout is expected.

The money man at IIM Bangalore

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SMC’s Senior Correspondent Vidhi Bhardwaj reports the guest lecture delivered by former RBI Governer Mr. D Subbarao at IIMB

The former Governor of RBI, Mr. D Subbarao, addressed the students of IIM Bangalore on 9th July, 2014, where he spoke about the dilemmas in central banking and gave a perspective for the same from the angle of emerging markets. It included concerns like curbing the exchange rate volatility and striking the right balance between growth and inflation. He pointed out that communications by the RBI to the public play a huge role in setting positive or negative public sentiments which in turn impact the economy. Hence, during his tenure as the RBI Governor, Mr. Subbarao endeavored to demystify the RBI and enhance its transparency. In addition, he also gave few insights into the challenges faced by rural India and the obstacles encountered in addressing them.

The talk received an overwhelming response from both the students and the faculty and was followed by a plethora of questions by inquisitive minds of the institution. Mr. Subbarao left an inspirational message for the students saying, “Success is important, but values are more important”.

When the wise men spoke

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SMC’s Special Correspondents Aman Goel & Padmavathi report the Panel Discussion on Budget 2014-15 at IIMB

Panel Discussion at IIMB

For the first time in 3 decades, a government was handed a clear mandate of ushering in economic recovery. A billion people eagerly watched as the Modi government presented its first Union Budget on 10th July. We at IIM Bangalore had the privilege of attending a panel discussion reviewing the budget within hours of its announcement.

Devoid of any loud or prescriptive rhetoric, the panel discussion was an objective and insightful take on one of the most awaited events of the year.

A packed auditorium greeted the expert panel consisting of Mr. S. Raghavan, Director, Larsen & Toubro Finance Limited; Mr. B.P. Rao, Founder & Senior Partner of B.P. Rao & Co., Chartered Accountants in Bangalore, Chennai and Mysore; Mr. V. Ramu Sharma, Chairman of Bangalore Commodities Ltd & Founder of Rasratha Securities; and Mr. V.K. Viswanathan, Chairman, Bosch Ltd. Our in house economic expert, Dr. Charan Singh, conducted the panel discussion.

Dr Charan Singh began by providing us with the backdrop to the budget and an overview of the Indian economic scenario.  He then proceeded to list the highlights of the budget and set the tone for the next hour of discussion, covering various aspects right from domestic and foreign industry, to taxation and stock markets.

The speakers detailed the various provisions of the budget pertaining to each area. Some measures were appreciated by all the panelists such as the focus on fiscal management through monitoring subsidies, plugging leakages in public distribution systems, increase in FDI cap in insurance and defense etc. The panelists also lauded the government for innovative schemes such as the setting up of 100 “Smart Cities”, the National Rural Internet and Technology Mission and the setting up of a 10,000 Cr innovation fund. IIM B entrepreneurs, are you listening?

However, there was a consensus that certain areas such as implementation of a sanitation program, schemes for aging people and a focus on strategic think tanks were all conspicuous in by their absence.

The overall sentiment was that, in the words of Dr. Charan Singh, “No evil was done”. While the budget contained tremendous scope for creation of employment, it did not distinguish itself as anything more than a continuation to the UPA’s interim budget. The panel was optimistic about a more substantial budget after the government completed a year in office.

The event concluded with an enthusiastic Q&A session with the students and the hope that this engaging and informative event would reach more students each year.

Clubbing over the weekend

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SMC’s Special Correspondents Harini Rao & Sheikh Farzyn report club selections at IIMB

Club Selections

Turn after turn they came as the rest watched in awe
The reps of clubs, chapters and student bodies went on and on
Presentation after presentation, and sleep was all but gone
The next three days might have been the busiest the PGP1’s had seen
The start to a numerous many more and yet they were all so keen
Interview after interview, Tasks after tasks they went on
The freshmen and seniors, worked like hard wired machines from dusk to dawn
The college saw anxiety, discussions, interactions and panic galore
And some called it a day mid way, said they could take it no more
Wednesday morning saw a sea of emotions, well that’s your call
Remember, if you aren’t a JC at one then you are actually a part of them all!

Starting last Friday, IIM B witnessed some high octane drama. Dance and drama, comedy and tragedy, action and emotion- the campus felt like the set of a Bollywood movie. At the end of it all, on Wednesday morning, most people had a happy ending and to those who didn’t, the PGP2s’ said, “Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!”
The club selection weekend was one crazy roller coaster ride. There were those who had done their research ages ago and were raring to go and then there were those who went around asking, “What will Anveshan make me do? Climb a tree?” You could see an interesting mix of characters on campus. Master jugglers who had applied for 10 clubs competed against focussed Arjunas who zeroed in on a single target. The Kurta clad boy who said he wanted to be a social entrepreneur in his afternoon Vikasana interview was seen in his leather jacket avatar telling Culcomers about his crazy party antics and ideas. And then there were those who just sat back and enjoyed all the drama, popcorn in hand.

If anyone thought getting into IIM B was the hardest thing he/she would do in his life, the selection weekend broke that notion. People sleep-walked and sleep-talked through their interviews. “Exclusivity clause” and “Priority List” were the watch words of the day. The same people who said they would love to have them in the club, asked the same candidates to move heaven and earth to prove themselves worthy. If the PGP1s had it tough, the PGP2s were fighting their own logistical nightmare trying to vacate their neighbours to use their rooms for interviews. Add to that nervous PGP1s calling them up at all hours of the day and night looking for advice, it was like they were fighting a blizzard.

A million tasks and a zillion trackers were flying all around the campus. The campus oozed creativity. On one hand, Unmaad posters came alive and some crazy events were conceptualized while on the other, some ran around trying to contact the who’s who of the corporate world and participated in GDs on Corporate Social Responsibility.

The best part of the weekend was getting to know everyone around you. People discovered that the geeky boy in class was a magician with the guitar and the pretty girl in their hostel wing was a finance whiz-kid. The diversity at B was never more evident than in these last three days.

A gazillion mugs of coffee, countless rounds of interviews and several sleepless nights later, the club selection results were finally announced. It was sheer joy for those who had made it, it was not ‘game over’ for the rest. Several people received personalized e-mails from clubs telling them not to despair over the rejection and encouraged them to try again. But come to think of it, it was difficult to figure what made the last few days so intense and memorable: the club selection process itself or the realisation that this is how life rolls at B?

Welcome to IIM Bangalore all over again!

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