Education with a holistic perspective is concerned with the identification of a person's unique talent, allows a person to be exposed to a myriad of diverse opinions and polish one’s persona. Undeniably, the growing need for well -rounded individuals at the workplace cannot be stressed upon enough.
At SPJIMR, emphasis on holistic development and diversity form the core pillars of the education. From diversity in the classroom to innovative non-classroom initiatives, b-school talks to cultural events, the institute aims to integrate opportunities and ideas into the very curriculum. The guiding principles of Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan are ingrained in the curriculum and structure of PGDM course to successfully impart knowledge to its students. The emphasis is laid on formative instead of informative knowledge, aiming for the highest fulfilment one is capable of. Guest lectures like ‘Conversation with Amish Tripathi’, the bestselling fiction writer, to ‘A day in the life of a CEO’ with Neil George, CEO of Nivea India, to ‘DOCC hero’ Shaheen Mistri, Indian social activist and educator, offer students the opportunity to interact with some of the most distinguished people from different professions and backgrounds.
As a part of Management and Liberal Arts course, Amish Tripathi visited the campus. He attributed his journey from the portals of IIM Calcutta to the financial sector and then to the world of book publishing to an inner balance between the heart and the mind. “To be truly successful, you need your left and right brain working together to find a balance. When your mind and heart work together in sync, you will be successful and happy. Let your heart see the dream, but let the brain do the planning to reach there,” he said. These inspiring words are going to stay with me for a long time.
CEO of Nivea, Neil George advised the batch, "Only two things matter: Decision Making and Influencing". Wearing multiple hats of MD, Comic Author and Globe Trotter, he inspired us to not just focus on academics and competitions, but also to pursue their passions, while having fun along the journey. A new product challenge required the students to present their ideas in front of the man himself and win the privilege of shadowing the CEO for a day. The event gave me the platform to present my idea to him as well. My happy moment: I was the second runners up for the challenge. Words of appreciation from successful people often work more effectively to boost our morale and motivate us to work harder.
DOCC hero, Shaheen Mistri, founder of Teach for India and Akanksha Foundation, in her speech, warmed our hearts with her ‘good deeds’ stories and made us reflect how our everyday actions, howsoever small, can affect someone’s world. She sensitised the PGDM participants to the hardships of people from different walks of life and asked us to look deep within and select a cause close to our heart and contribute towards it.
These diverse range of talks are helping the candidates to imbibe various perspectives, reinforcing virtues of not only tolerating, accepting and accommodating diverse opinions and being respectful of others. When the gamut of activities and opportunities offered is so vast, holistic development doesn’t remain just the end. Rather, it becomes the means itself, a way of life at SPJIMR.
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About the Author:
Ayushi Gupta (PGDM 2017-19, Marketing)