It was but a moment ago
That we graduated from IIM Lucknow
Cheerful confidence and youthful glow
Did the campus to us bestow.
……
……
As we stepped to the world outside
With carefree gait though doubtful stride
The canvas of life embraced us in glee
For we were part of the IIM family.
These words of Mr T. S. Siva Shankar (Batch of 1991) truly describe the nostalgic feeling of the alumni who visited the campus for nostaLgia, 2011.
nostaLgia - IIM Lucknow's Annual Alumni reunion was held from 23
rd to 25
th December 2011.The event hosted the Class of 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006 on campus. The event was a resounding success with the presence of more than 150 alumni and their families.
IIML alumni have achieved unparalleled success in the some of the world’s most respected organisations displaying enthusiasm, commitment and ethos. Some of them have built on the knowledge acquired here to initiate their own ventures in the fields of education, market research, music, films and so on. nostaLgia gave them an opportunity to meet their batch mates, enjoy the lush green campus of IIM Lucknow and reconnect to this place which defines them in more than one way.
NostaLgia began with ‘The IIML Tour’, the tour around campus. It was a pleasant experience for them to see the changes that the campus had undergone since their times. This was followed by ‘High Tea’ where the alumni interacted with students from the current batch.
'Sepia-Tinted-Days', an event that captures the true spirit of nostaLgia, provided the perfect ambience with bonfire and some great music for the alumni to travel back in time through old photographs and memorable anecdotes. 'Back to the Classroom', by their favourite professor, where the Alumni experienced the feeling of being back in the very classrooms where they had spent 2 memorable years of their lives, ended up with a surprise quiz.
Alumni also participated in ‘IIML and the future’, a panel discussion on enhancing the Alumni-Institute relationship. The Panel consisted of representatives from the Alumni and the Faculty, who engaged in a brainstorming session on how our diverse alumni base can play a significant role in keeping the Institute abreast with the latest developments in the industry and academia.
‘nostaLgia Champions League’, a performance by 3.4 - IIM Lucknow's own music band, DJ Night and ‘Formal Lunch with Faculty’ were some of the other events arranged for the alumni. Various fun filled events were planned for the families of alumni too that included Winter Carnival, Nail Art Workshop and Theatre workshop.
The event concluded with the ‘Re-graduation Ceremony’. Dressed in the ceremonial black robes, Alumni celebrated their Graduation Day all over again and posed for the Batch Photograph with the same spirit and excitement when they had passed out.
Alumni recounted their days at IIML discussing about their classes, their professors, the pranks they had and how IIML contributed to their life. Some excerpts from the ‘Alum Wall’, the graffiti by Alumni, go thus.
“I'm already counting the days to Nostalgia 2016!” were the comments of Mr. Devraj Doss (Batch of 1996), Finance Director, at Diageo India. “It was fun to see my dad flying” were the comments of the young daughter of Mr. Lakshmi Narayan (LAN), alumnus of 1991 batch and currently Chief Endowment Officer at the
Azim Premji Foundation. “48 hours of golden haze and then you get to graduate again” were the comments of Mr. Ravi Shrivastava (Batch of 1996)
All in all, this year's edition of nostaLgia, proved to be a memorable trip down the memory lane for the alumni and their families, who left the Institute with smiles on their faces and a rekindled spirit of bonding and bonhomie in their hearts.
(Article and pictures contributed by The Alumni Committee of IIM Lucknow)
