When I was preparing for the MBA entrance exams, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies was right on top of my list – considering the mere attributes such as Placement Statistics, Strategic Location and the Return on Investment. However when I began my journey at this prestigious institute, these raw numbers began to fade and then there was a realization of things which were beyond my imagination in the first place, leaving me awestruck at every moment that followed. The institute has many aliases like The CEO Factory, The Red Building of Dreams and many others, warranting to the innumerable business leaders that it has produced across industries over its tenure of more than 50 years.
I began to blend into the historical culture of JB right from the Day 1 of Induction whose primary motive was to inculcate qualities such as discipline, humility and respect for others. The lack in infrastructure was adequately filled with the learning and experiences that this place has given. The institute gives primary importance to learning and hence has a possession of largest collection of books and business magazines in its library providing the much needed artillery for the students to tackle any business problem that exists. And then comes the most important aspect and that is – JB is all about people. When we have our distinct alumni such as Mr. Ajay Piramal, Mr. Harish Manwani, Mr. Uday Kotak, Mr. Mani Ratnam and Mr. Nitin Paranjpe and the likes visiting the campus for corporate guest lectures, “President of JSW” teaching financial management, “A Leading Investor” giving lessons about Indian Capital Market, “Guru of Marketing” elaborating on brands and the way to build them have made this journey all the more amazing.
Out of these many experiences that I had, the most striking one was when I got introduced to this real life super human, Prof. Boman Moradian a.k.a. the God of Operations. Ageing in his late seventies, the man possessed so much of passion that shamed even the brightest of minds sitting in that classroom. The discipline that he showed, starting the lecture at 7 AM every Friday and continuously teaching for 7 hours, was unparalleled. His take on business strategies and concepts was so intriguing that even a 7 hour lecture span would look too small. At the end of the day, many of us may or may not get into Operations but he has definitely shaped us to be better professionals and better human beings.
After the end of my first year I came to realise that “With so much on offer to each and every student of Bajaj, placement statistic is just an end product”.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
Aditya Birla Capital
Moving ahead in the second year, I would be specialising in Finance because of my inclination towards Banking and Financial Services Sector.
Coming with more than 3 years of banking (3 years at EXL Services for a US banking client, 2 months summer internship at Citibank) experience, I would like to work for Aditya Birla Capital as it presents plethora of opportunities in Asset Management, Private Equity, Corporate Finance, Wealth Management, and Financial Advisory Services etc. The group holds diverse set of products and services catering to the growing needs of Indian Investors and Corporates with a vision - “To be a leader and role model in a broad-based and integrated financial services business”.