We call ourselves the Fort Balicha. Situated right in the midst of Aravali hills, in the royal Rajputana state of Mewar, the land of ‘
Balidaan, Shaurya and Veergati’ as put by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the mid-15
th century, the halls and corridors of our majestic campus are the true epitomai of the same. We have the largest of all IIM campuses @300 acres of land, with 5+ lakes and planned residential housing for 5000 occupants. The Institute aims to be in world’s top 100 BSchool by 2030, and we shall be participating in FT BSchool rankings from 2020. We also have a proposed chair for Accreditation from AACSB to be set up in the latter half of our current academic session, and we shall be only the 2nd IIM in India (
link) joining the likes of IIM Calcutta & ISB Hyderabad, to get this accreditation.
Not all this, though would be possible without the able support of the students who build this institution. I am sure; you would have heard of many stories of my batchmates, the campus, the academic rigor and so on and so forth.
I shall take this opportunity to write about the campus, and the beautifully captivating features it has to offer in the hustle of BSchool, one that serenades us within the maddening schedule of endless classes, study group meeting, case discussions, corporate competitions, external speakers, workshops, projects, student body meetings, placement committee work, and of course the examinations. In trademark IIM style, we reluctantly leave for our rooms to sleep at about 4.The campus has a dam built right across the student hostels to hold the riverine that flows below, and it has a planned marquee lake to be filled by the end of this year which would be a scenic leisure spot in itself.
The Auditorium space- Plaza has external façade resembling that of royal architecture of Udaipur district, We have stepwell (
Baori) formation for staircases, and naked stone walls for exteriors that help keep the rooms cool in summers, and hot in winters. The stone cladding and the exterior facing implies that hostels look in a perpetual mode of construction, which is quite a site to see. All royal ancient structures in Udaipur (Shikarbadi for example) have their interiors designed in a similar manner.
Being an IIM, all this significantly stamps the architecture of Rajasthan Heritage on a global footprint. We had Ar. BV (Balkrishan) Doshi as lead architect for this campus. He is 2018 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The 90-year-old architect and educator are the first Indian to be conferred this honor. In his quote “This reaffirms my belief that, ‘life celebrates when lifestyle and architecture fuse.’ He worked closely with Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier — the master of modernism — in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad in the 1950s. “I owe this prestigious prize to my guru, Le Corbusier; His teachings led me to question identity and compelled me to discover new regionally adopted contemporary expression for a sustainable, holistic habitat.” He belongs to the same school of the architectural think tank as that of Louis Khan- The famous architect of IIM A building at Vastrapur, Ahmedabad. His focus on minimalistic artificial landscapes, and extensive use of stone facing in our Academic block, with empty walls above plinth level, as the signature style of finishing.
The student clusters are presently divided into clusters 6 to 11, with Forts and Palaces, donning the high masts of student residences. We have House of Ranthambore, House of Chittorgarh, House of Jaisalmer, House of Mehrangarh, House of Kumbhalgarh, and House of Amer vying for bragging rights and cluster championships throughout the year (Harry Potter, anyone?).
In a message to all our Alumni I would like to misquote JK Rowling :- “Whether you come back for Flashback or for the Campus Engagement, Balicha will always be there to welcome you home.” ― Prof Janat Shah (:P Kidding! He didn’t quote these lines, but his beliefs are same)
Which AB Group Company I would like to Work for? Why?
A: - I wish to work for the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, Grasim Industries. It is a leading global player in Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF), the largest chemicals (chlor-alkalis), largest cement producer and diversified financial services (NBFC, Asset Management, and Life Insurance) player in India. As an a-priori on company policies, the backward integration has helped reduce the complexity and length of the supply/processing chain for Grasim over last decade, which is a commendable effort, inspirational in its own manner for many young graduates like myself, who see themselves working in this B2B market for effective supply chain enhancements.
After my Graduation from National Institute of Technology Jaipur, I successfully qualified for Gate’15 and joined Kribhco. I have 20 months of Work Experience as Maintenance (Civil & Purchase) engineer in Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited, an erstwhile Public Sector manufacturer, with Nation’s Single largest production facility at Hazira, producing more than 23LMTPA of Urea. Thus, I believe I have a right alignment to work in a more diversified, yet integral part of job role that would come my way through this opportunity. I do believe that Industry Knowledge in this sector would be an added bonus and this is ably complemented by my inclination towards active learning, and gaining most out of the opportunities that I had as value additions during my two years of Post Grad MBA stint at IIM Udaipur, one of the country’s leading B-School.
Name: Shreyash Gupta Class of 2019 (PGP2)
Credentials: Student Representative, Corporate Relations Cell IIM Udaipur
MBA IIM Udaipur, B.Tech NIT Jaipur, 23 Months of WorkEx in Public Sector Fertiliser Mfg
Email Id: shreyash.gupta.2017@iimu.ac.in