I woke up a little early that day keeping in mind that I have to present myself better in the class of Business Communication. I took a little extra effort that day to get ready. I trimmed my beard neatly, wore a nice crisp shirt and styled my hair to look a part of the professional crowd that would be expected of a future business manager. I reached my class earlier than many and sat in anticipation of what would be expected in this class.
He entered the class. The mastermind behind the flagship event of NITIE, ‘MahaMandi’, seemed to have stumbled in the wrong class. Wearing a ‘MahaMandi’ marketing t-shirt over his formal shirt and trousers with a typical
Gandhi Topi on his head, his attire screamed ‘loud’. He had a huge bag with him and some unusual props. Unusual because there was a miniature skeleton lying on top of his table. He removed is footwear and greeted us all “Good Morning, Class”.
“I am Professor N Sivakumar and I will be taking the class of Business Communication in this semester for your section”, he said. That pretty much wiped all of my doubts of sitting in the wrong classroom. “How many of you know Pink Floyd?” he asked. Most raised their hands, but very few kept those up when we were asked if we have heard the song ‘We don’t need no education’. He asked a person to play the song then and there over a microphone. As the song started, our professor started swaying to the music and started clapping. People were joining in and I just sat there confused about what is happening although I was enjoying. I thought this was his technique of making us comfortable in the class since we are a generation who like to party. He asked us, “What did you understand from the lyrics?”. Many answered their versions.
He said that the song was about the restricting and controlling education system that was practised in 1979 in US, where a free thought process was stripped from curriculum which basically made it lose all humanistic expression. He said that today you are here in one of the most prestigious business school of the country but you may end up as ‘just another brick in the wall’. He inspired us to be ourselves, to conquer our own dreams and most of all to be free.
He took a prop in his hand and asked a person, ‘Sell this’. It was a prop where a rolling body goes up the opposite direction of the slope which looks like it ‘defied’ physics. Many tried to sell it by trying to explain its physics and how it would be useful in educating their children. He took the prop in his hand and said, ‘One of the most important things in a business is the ability to sell. And it can only be achieved through effective communication. It could be in your mother tongue but it should be effective. Every manager should know how to sell and that is what I will teach.’
I was not sure of what will be expected of us in the further classes and which quirky tricks will follow, but one thing was pretty clear that with his weird attire, his unexpected ways of teaching and freedom to express, ‘Professor Mandi’ had sold his business communication class very well.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
I have always been a fashion savvy person. I keep myself updated with the latest trends and I have a keen eye for choosing the appropriate garment. Although this quality is a far cry from what is expected of a manager while doing his job, I would really want to work in my interested field indulging in things that I love. And hence I would very much like to work for Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited. My knowledge will help me in proposing new insights to the Company about the products.