EPGP first reunion! 18th Dec 2010
The event started out with Dr Pankaj Chandra speaking about the genesis of the programme and his thoughts on how it has evolved. This was followed up with L Prasad, the EPGP chairperson, giving his views on the programme and requesting that the batches help mould the programme when the first three year programme review comes up. The faculty present also gave us their views and as usual Professor Krishnanurthy had the audience in splits with his witty remarks. This was followed by the senior batch members sharing their thoughts on how the one year that they spent at this programme had shaped their outlook. The frank and disarming manner in which the seniors spoke helped break the formality of the atmosphere. Our batch consists of folks with top notch intellectual skills, and it takes considerable effort and dedication to be among the best in the class The top 5 of our batch academically (Vikas, Vishnu, Anirban, Nitin, Ankur) were recognized by the chairperson and it was great to see Nitin go up to receive his prize accompanied by his wife and son.
The rest of the evening flew by in a fun filled blur. During the break the senior and junior batches mingled discussing the one topic that all MBA students talk about most of the time – Jobs and salaries. It was a great time to renew and form new connects. The venue of MDC woods formed a scenic backdrop and soon it was time for the one and only ‘Bopps’ to start the fun voting event that he had come up with. ‘Bops’ is a very cool and no nonsense chap (though for the un- initiated, he can be very intimidating- he must be the only person in IIMB to have his entire name displayed in capital letters!) He set up a multiple round voting contest in which the audience voted for a few selected nominees in various categories. The categories varied from the best ‘Dostana couple’ to the ‘coolest’ person in the batch. The loud cheer as each nominee’s photo came up on screen was as much fun to hear as was the sight of slightly embarrassed nominees’ reacting to the cheers.
The evening drew to a close with a relaxing dinner. The short time left to us before we graduate, brought a subtle poignancy to the atmosphere. Most of us would soon be dispersed across the world and few of us could say with certainty as to where the turbulent currents of life would take us. However the tradition that we started that day would sure be the nucleus that would help us keep alive the connect and the bonds with the institute and with each other.
Term VI – Paradigm Shift
The electives and placements posed a significant trade-off in Term-VI, and priorities shifted quite visibly towards the latter. The placement committee, the placement policy document, associated processes, career counselling sessions, email invitations, cold calls etc were the terms bandied about within the class. It helped that some of the professors offering electives were open to formulating the evaluation criteria based on the class’ opinion – and it so happened that few of our batchmates had only one end-term examination, while majority of the people had multiple project submissions. So that gave us some breathing space in terms of getting things going on the placement front.
Preparations are also on for the inaugural EPGP reunion in mid-December, which is primarily being driven by the IIM-B alumni association (IIMBAA). The alumni office also arranged for a photo session (which for once, didn’t require a pinstripe suiting up) for the annual yearbook that would feature all the graduates of 2011 from IIM-B.
The much awaited director’s merit list (top 5 students from the first three core terms) was also announced, which carries a scholarship amount of Rs.5 Lakhs. Kudos to the deserving winners, who showed tremendous focus and enterprise in coming up trumps. The class is counting on a few parties from these hotshots over the next couple of months.
The academics committee, in response to fervent calls to get more electives offered, went into an overdrive. Now, the number of electives on offer for Term-VII has been quite mind-boggling and one has to make a conscious choice of balancing the final project (Comprehensive project-CP), the placements, exams and project submissions. There is a heavy overdose of finance courses on offer in Term-VII, and this sure would send some shivers down the spine of “finaphobics”.
The placement brochure was finally out and is being sent out to various firms, over email and regular post. The early signs of placement have been very encouraging, thanks to the students as well as faculty pulling their weight in making a collective effort to improve upon last year’s placements. Meanwhile, the official word on last year’s placements are out and could be found at
Term-V – The Beginning
With an option to choose between 4-6 electives (credit courses) from a list of 13 for Term-V, one was spoilt for choice to say the least. Students could also take up non-credit courses which will also require the mandatory attendance, exams, assignments etc and even grades; the difference being that the non-credit grades will appear in the final grade sheet but wont be factored for arriving at the CGPA. The non-credit option helps students to take as many electives as they want, given the constraint on maximum of 18 credit electives one can take.
Another notable feature is the option of auditing courses (except for visiting faculty in most cases) offered by various professors, who offer a course only when there are minimum of 10 takers. Unfortunately there were few courses where we couldnt muster the required number and hopefully these would be offered again in one of the remaining terms.
There was a mad-cap rush to identify our faculty guide for the Comprehensive Project (CP) and submit a signed project proposal to EPGP office before the fixed deadline. Inspite of a divided house, we saw the inception of “Preferred” group formation this term, given the fact that the entire 65 weren’t going to take the same set of courses.
The Shade of their Affection and Light of their Wisdom
But there is more to education at IIMB. It’s stupendous culture. The affection that we receive from professors, their friendliness, their going out of their way to help us and teach us, their sympathy, and their sensitivity, makes the place more like a community, imbuing us with a comforting feeling of being at home. It is so easy to walk to any professor’s office, and hold a discourse with him or take guidance about one’s career: irrespective of the fact whether the professor has taught us or not. They are infact happy that someone has approached them for help and offer more help than we actually ask for.
When for the first time I approached Prof S Raghunath to request him to be my project guide, not only did he willing agree, he also stopped me from committing myself to a wrong project which could undo me in my placement and career. Come to think of it, Prof Raghunath, had never taught us and had never seen my face before. But in the very first meeting, he not only asked me to changed the theme of my project, but also volunteered to connect me to the directors of some companies who would help me execute theproject. And he did!
Ofcourse we had Prof Roy taking classes after the term was over just to fulfill our request of learning more about Macroeconomics. Who can forget Prof J Ram taking 3 hour lecture on a Sunday to fulfill his commitment to the class, and then hosting a dinner in MDC at his own expense for the 70 of us. Prof Mahadevan arranging a trip for us to Toyota’s plant in Bangalore, Prof Seshadri’s willingness to battle with the management for not giving students grades lesser than “high B”, Prof Krishnamurthy’s gifting away of books and sweets to students (he offers cigarettes too, to those who smoke!), Prof Vaidya’s affectionate and witty demeanor, Prof’s Jose’s passion for protection of environment and common people’s interests, Prof Sastry’s devotion to upliftment of the poor, the ever smiling Prof Vasanthi and her spontaneity in indulging in little conversation by the corridor with students….these are glimpses of a consciously cultivated culture at IIMB. Admittedly, I’d not expected this when I joined IIMB. I was only expecting a great faculty, a lovely campus, and modern infrastructure to aid students in education.
But the culture of the institute has instilled and reinforced the virtues of goodness, humaneness, sensitivity, sacrifice, affection, selflessness and compassion in me. I shall not forget the last class taken by Prof Vaidyanathan (Corporate Finance), when he said that “always strive in life to share a portion of what you have with those who don’t have anything to live by. I donate a one third of my income with the have-nots of the society.” Prof Jha (Marketing) told us in his last class that “make yourself indispensable like a cardiologist. Make your life and profession to be of such priceless value.” Prof Mahadevan takes lectures on Gita painstakingly when he has no obligation from the institute to do so.
It is not just the education, but these human values of affection and compassion, humility and endeavour, that I shall carry more importantly than the lessons in Business Administration from this noble institute of ours.
Yogesh Kumar Singh
Student, IIMB EPGP 2010-11
Student Profile 2 – "Shruti Sharma"
I have always believed in my deep seated conviction – ‘You create & live your own reality’.
Well, it has been one long exciting journey ever since I graduated as an electrical engineer from my alma mater – Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology with one unequivocal aim of setting up my own enterprise. The belief was exceptionally strong, the route fairly ambiguous. During my final semester at Thapar, I successfully interviewed with Nestle India Pvt Ltd (one of the very few MNCs of yester years). But the very thought sticking to 9 to 6 time slot was not in the least enticing. I wanted to live my dream of setting up my very own enterprise quite contrary to my service background upbringing.
Life took a very interesting turn when I got betrothed to Vivek, an Army Officer, a man with bounding energy and an ever ready spirit of adventure. Soon we got married and we were blessed with two lovely daughters. During this period, while we shuttled between Pune, Mumbai (then Bombay) and Bangalore, I took an immense liking towards architectural art glass. The seed having been sown, I set my first backyard workshop in Chandigarh in the year 2000. Since then life has been much like a roller coaster ride with more highs and few lows. Three years later, I had setup my own manufacturing unit in Industrial Area, Mohali and registered under the banner ‘Marc’n Architectural Art Glass’. Four years thence, I also got a unique opportunity to play a lead role as a Director, Army Wives Welfare Organisation, an NGO, while my husband was in command of an engineer regiment. This provided me a unique opportunity to launch a very successful program christened ‘second income generation program’ to provide entrepreneurial vocational skills to the wives of soldiers.
It was around this time, I decided to embark on this prestigious ‘Executive Management Programme’ as a stepping stone to satiate my entrepreneurial spirit. Past six months have been rejuvenating and enlightening. The faculty at IIM, Bangalore, is one of the best that our country can offer. The peer group is engaging and revitalising. The curriculum is enticing and provides adequate flexibility to carve out your very own niche. I am presently working on my next enterprise and would want to immensely thank the think tank group here for guiding, goading and cajoling me on to newer and, I believe, a brighter tomorrow.
As always,
Shruti Sharma
Entrepreneur & Social Mentor
BE (Electrical), Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology
Presently at IIM, Bangalore ( EPGP 2010 – 2011 )
Highlight of the Korea visit -Trip to the DMZ
Our tour guide to the Demilitarized Zone told us a very interesting story of the contest between South and North Korea on who would have the bigger flagpole. Apparently in response to the 50m high flagpole setup by South Korea on its border, North Korea responded by setting up a 80m tall flagpole. South Korea then decided that this would not do and increased the height of its flagpole to 100m. North Korea had the last laugh though by setting up (possibly) the largest flagpole in the world at 160m. At this point, the guide said, S Korea decided it would not continue with this contest. I found this story highly amusing especially the spin that the guide put in the end on the S Korea decision, by claiming that it was a magnanimous and broad minded gesture on their part. It did serve as a memorable example of the sometimes ridiculous nature of competitive national rivalries and reminded me of similar sentiments expressed by my friend who had visited the Wagah border.Going to the DMZ dramatically brought home the point of the extremely short distance between Seoul and the border with North Korea. The guide casually mentioned that in case of a missile launch, the South Koreans would have only about 8 seconds of reaction time!
The Korean War formed the backdrop to any conversation that we had in the trip about Korea and its history. More than anything else, it has shaped and modulated opinion and policy making long after the end of hostilities. Almost all the speakers who spoke to us repeatedly emphasized the almost total devastation that Korea in general and Seoul in specific faced at the end of the Korean War. The widely pervasive negative perception that Korea have of Japan sometimes creates distortions in their historical narrative. Almost all speakers claimed that Japan at the end of the Second World War had far lesser devastation compared with Korea. As a person interested in history, I knew that this statement was simply not true. Having recently read “American Prometheus” the biography of Robert Oppenheimer (and also from other readings), I was aware of the terrible devastation brought about by the firebombing of the various Japanese cities. The almost universal ignorance of these facts by more than one presenter was for me a pointer of how the national narratives can sometimes distort the actual reality.
The 4 Km DMZ had a couple of farms within it and was said to have some extremely rare species of flora and fauna (I did see a few birds but unfortunately was not able to appreciate this aspect of the DMZ with my limited knowledge). I found it ironical that a zone dividing two nations can engender such a beautiful habitat. North Koreans had built a number of tunnels under the DMZ to use in case of a military invasion. Four such tunnels have been found and the South Koreans had created the infrastructure to enable visitors to see these tunnels. I went down tunnel number 3 and after a long time when I thought I had reached the tunnel, I was told that this was only the end of the access tunnel and that the actual tunnel starts from that point. There was a mineral water fountain at that point, and drinking and fortifying myself, I went on to explore the actual tunnel.
The tunnel was not very tall even taking into account the shorter height of the Korean people. It was even more difficult for me to traverse the tunnel stooping down. It was only the hard hat helmets, mandated to be worn by anyone entering the tunnel, which saved my head from cracking under the low roofed tunnel. The height and my lack of fitness combined to make it a very arduous trip to the end of the tunnel. There was no proverbial light at the end of the tunnel but rather a locked door! The trip back up the tunnel was extremely tough but I was glad that I had seen this rather exotic place that is in many ways a constant reminder of the dangerous neighbourhood.
The Study Tour to Korea
As part of the international immersion programme, the students of EPGP at IIM Bangalore toured to South Korea to study and witness in person the marvellous devices of growth that the country has made. The international immersion programme was designed by Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul, and the university’s Business school hosted the students during the tour.
Korea has made rapid strides in the world economy and has risen from the war period of 1950s afflicted by an abject per capita income to a state of affluence today. The technology encompasses every walk of life and the country is ever looking for new markets, new industries and newer capabilities to propel itself forward in the league of nations.
The intent of the study tour organised by IIMB and designed as part of the EPGP curriculum is to acquaint students with the developing economy and acquaint them with its culture, work ethos, education, industries, economic and business policies, which are instrumental in accelerated growth of the nation. Since the Korean companies like Samsung, LG, Hyundai make a prominent presence in India holding a large market share in their respective markets in India, it was all the more relevant to study the strategies of the companies and the economic policies of the Korean government which has jointly brought about this redoubtable ascendance. The students in the class learn how are companies grown and a tour like this is tailored to also impart to them the big picture of how an entire economy or nation is developed, grown and sustained.
The students derived valuable learning by the visits to the plants and sites of GM Daewoo, LG, Daewoo Shipping and Doosan Heavy Industries. They were also addressed by speakers from companies like LG, McKinsey & Company, Bain Consulting, Doosan Heavy Industries, and Korea Exchange Bank who offered keen insights into their respective sectors. The students admittedly found the pragmatic insights offered by speakers very useful which not only sharpened their learning gathered so far in the classes but also to be of use in future career roles. The lecture sessions were well augmented by lectures by professors of KAIST who variously spoke on sociology, economic policy, and culture to make the students understand Korean nation as a whole. This is particularly important because if technology and business policies pull a nation’s economy from the front, the social and cultural forces, and the individuals’ personal disposition moulded by these forces, push the nation from behind.
Summarily the students were offered a comprehensive view of the Korean economy and culture which has reinforced their classroom learning offered at IIMB. The Koreans were an excellent host, and the warmth, care, affection, wit and spontaneity they exhibited in making the students’ stay a memorable experience was immensely laudable. The students of IIMB and KAIST became friends by the end of the tour and new frontiers opened for students on either sides with this meeting and exchange of ideas.
IIMB strives to impart its students not only the pedagogical experience in the classroom but also wants to lead them into the world of reality where really the drivers of economy are fast at work, and where long-lasting strategic decisions are made amidst conflicting challenges and objectives.
Yogesh Kumar Singh
Student EPGP 2010-11, IIMB
Run from what’s comfortable.
Forget safety. Live where you fear to live.
Destroy your reputation. Be notorious.
I have tried prudent planning long enough.
From now on I’ll be mad!
~ Rumi ~
Student Profile 1 – "Bops/Bopi"
“Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change. Education is essential to change, for education creates both new wants and ability to satisfy them.”
I was with the Indian Navy for the last 21 years as a commissioned officer. The time I spent in the Navy was extremely fulfilling; having got an opportunity to work in many diverse kinds of roles. The Indian Navy is a true microcosm of India having people from all over the country and distinctions based on state, colour, creed , caste etc. never are significant.
The kind of roles that I played in the Navy ranged from training cadets to managing an unionized work force to designing warships. However the true essence of being in the Navy is to be at sea. The days spent at sea are what make the Naval experience so memorable. Sailing in the Malacca Straits (almost like an expressway in terms of traffic) , climbing up on the mast on a dark night to rectify a defect with the ship rolling and pitching, spending a day on US Naval tanker, trying to get the boat started and repeatedly failing are events which will always stay fresh in my mind.
However the most significant and life changing event in the Navy was meeting my would be wife in the salubrious climate of Lonavala. While I was posted there, Vijaya joined the unit (with a bit of an attitude) being from the first batch of women officers inducted into the Indian Armed Forces. But then a place like Lonavala does strange things to people, and today she is here with me as I embark on my second voyage.
Although the quality of life, the camaraderie, the security and the sense of belongingness were overpowering, I still decided to step out and try my hand at something different. I was partly pushed into this decision by my wife who having been in corporate world since the last four years thinks that one must experience both the worlds. Once the decision was taken, I thought it would be a good idea to get a better perspective of a business setup before making the shift. I believe a formal understanding of functions such as economics, finance etc will equip me to hit the ground running when I join an organization in the Civvy Street. What better way to do it than join a premier management institute like the Indian Institute of Management.
The five months so far in EPGP have been worth the time and the monetary investment. The two most amazing aspects of this phase have been the faculty and the diversity in the class. Such an enriching experience – one needs to experience it to believe it.
Regards,
NC Bopanna
Indian Navy ( Retd as Commander)
21 years work experience
BE (Electronics & Communication)
Presently at IIM B ( EPGP 2010 – 2011 )
Term III Updates
With just few more days to go for the end-term exams, we are busy winding up our term projects and doing the required paperwork for International Immersion (Term-IV). The two biggies for the III – term are Corporate Strategy (CS) and Strategic Marketing (SM) that required daily reading up of cases, associated reading material and the mandatory case presentations by select groups. “Cofin” (corporate finance – CF) laid the platform for us to dig our own graves in the way of the mid-term exam, wherein every wrong answer had a generous slashing of full one mark, unlike the usual norm of 1/4 or 1/2. The class did creditably, except for few of us who were truly dead and buried, thanks to the few deceptive MCQs.
The highlight of this term has been the numerous cases, most of them from the Harvard Case Repository, which brought forth hitherto unknown facts about firms such as Pepsi, Coke, Monster, Blockbuster, Aravind Eye Care, Honda, Microsoft et al. It gave us an insight into not just their marketing and business strategies, but also provided an overview of the industries they operated in, the competition that they had to ward off their origins etc. Corporate Governance and Ethics (CGE) featured some of the most interesting and original cases (written by Prof.Bala himself), a movie titled “Other People’s Money”, and couple of videos on ecological disasters. The discussions facilitated by the faculty post these presentations threw up ethical and corporate governance challenges and how the parties involved played their part….mostly in exacerbating the situation. Two of the contemporary (news airtime wise) corporate disasters – Satyam and Union Carbide – were widely discussed, along with a presentation on ethical dilemma faced by one of our classmates from Army who was a whistleblower on the corruption in Army’s procurement practices. Now we don’t take the board of governors for granted and are cognizant of few of the reasons for existence of laws such as the Companies Act.
Marketing and Strategy case presentations involved two groups presenting the same case, followed by a faculty driven discussion. It was quite interesting in situations where in the two groups contradicted each other on their final findings about the case. The Marketing term projects feature topics such as Yahoo’s mobile apps, Kerala-God’s own country, Brand repositioning of Maggi noodles, EPGP branding, Microfinance Industry etc. The class has been working on recommending strategies for firms spread across diverse industries and some of the firms we are working include Yahoo, Bharat Forge, Havells, and McMillan Publishing.
Over the last few weeks, the EPGP acads committee has been on an overdrive and has been meeting the various chairs and trying to get the best of the electives for our batch. Towards this end, professors offering electives have given 15-minute presentations about their course content, outline, pedagogy and evaluation mechanisms. Students have an option of sitting in on maximum of two sessions of any elective at the beginning of the term to decide to continue or to opt out.
On the extra-curricular front, none of our ambitious plans of contributing to the institute’s fraternity has materialized in this term. However, few of our classmates have been very regular to the weekly, purely voluntary, and pure non-credit course of Prof.Mahadevan’s take on “Bhagavad Gita” in a management context. One of our class mates, who has been a regular at these sessions, would be providing us his views on these sessions in the coming days.
The international immersion term in South Korea promises to be an exciting experience and the first official engagement towards the international immersion falls right in the middle of III term exams – the introductory session on “Industrial Context in South Korea” by Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan. The South Korea sojourn seems to be packed with a good amount of interaction with the Korean industry based on the itenary drawn up by our hosts – KAIST Business School.
The elections for various committees is around the corner and the nominations have been finalized for the same. The class representative would be lining up the nominees for online voting for various positions. Secondly, the Bangalore rains are adding to the charm of the verdant campus, and that should provide some succour to frayed nerves (on account of exam blues)
– Rajesh Kumar Gunasekaran
End of Term-II – Reflections
The detox process was activated just as we stepped out of the last of the exams for Term-II. The wellness committee, not the one to compromise on the well being of the tired souls, proposed a toast at Woodrose. Some of the junta couldn’t hold their horses (notwithstanding the sore knuckles from writing for 6 hours), so one group headed to GP impromptu and a few of us begged the Extreme Sports Bar to extend their happy hour by just few minutes to accommodate the desperate lot. It was sheer coincidence that Brazil was slated to play Chile in the pre-quarters later in the night, but for now we settled for Orange (Dutch) magic against the Mohawk-Slovaks. Later in the unearthly hours, we witnessed the Samba (Brazil) magic casting a spell over the Chileans that was made all the more better by bread omelettes and chai at the all night canteen in the campus. The Dress Circle of IIM-B is screening the knockout matches and it was a master stroke to catch the game with the PGP junta, on the big screen right outside the mess.
II-term really whizzed by, with most of the time being spent preparing for the individual/group term papers, group presentations and individual submissions. The well spaced out (5 exams in 3 days) end-term exams provided just a bit of leeway, compared to what hit us last term. We were told that our perspectives of worldly considerations would also change quite significantly around 5th term (for good reason), but going by the jargonization and conceptualization of discussions both inside and outside the classes, the change seems to be quite obvious already. There were lots of self-reflections on our part- some voluntary and few forced (were to be graded) on different subjects and life in general.
As of today, the hot plans being chalked out include regular gym workouts, EOD football endurance tests, cricket mind games on Saturday, Ping Pong battles to increase concentration powers, and Tennis for the uber cool ones. Just when the adrenaline was getting too much to handle, we got the due emails telling us to do what we “try” to do best – pre-read for III term courses beginning tomorrow (Strategic Marketing, Corp Finance, Corp Governance and Ethics, Corporate Strategy – Did I count right…those are just four courses and not five. Yupiee !!). But we have been forewarned that this term is going to be another sledgehammer.
- Rajesh Kumar Gunasekaran
