VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur Concludes Its B-School Fest Purvodaya 2022 On A High Note

The Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur, conducted its annual business school fest, Purvodaya 2022 from the 4th of February 2022 to the 6th of February 2022. Some of the best corporate leaders graced the platform and delivered speeches that encouraged the audience during the event. Prof. V. K. Tewari, Director of IIT Kharagpur, and Prof. V.N. Achutha Naikan, Dean of VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur, inaugurated the fest. Mr. Sanjiv Bajaj presented the inaugural keynote, Joint Chairman and MD, Bajaj Capital, who enlightened the aspiring managers with his pragmatic views, and Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS Delhi, who encouraged the audience to break down silos and challenge the established paradigms. These proceedings laid the foundation for the events that were to follow.

The afternoon of the 4th of February was filled with a lineup of keynote addresses as part of Samvaad, presented by notable personalities such as Dr. Meeran Borwankar, Retd. IPS and Advocate, Mr. Kaushik Mitra, VP and CFO of Pepsico India, and Mr. Pravir Kumar, CEO of Reliance Jio. The rich expertise presented in the speeches enthralled the audience. The guests shared their personal experiences and situations where they challenged conventions and built a sustainable future, inspiring future leaders to do the same.

The theme of the Leadership Summit, 2022, one of the main events of Purvodaya 2022 held on the second day of the fest, was "Leading Paradigm Shifts: Achieving Breakthroughs in a disRUPTed (Rapid, Unpredictable, Paradoxical, Tangled) World." Mr. Amitabh Panda, MD, Tata NYK Pte. Ltd., Mr. Gaurav Sabharwal, CEO, Kantar Public, Mr. Prasun Kumar, CMO, Justdial, Ms. Reena Evans, Director of Ops, Swiggy, Ms. Sanchita Mustauphy, CRO, Tata Capital, and Mr. Roopank Chaudhary, Partner, and CCO, Aon India attended the summit. Mr. Roopank Chaudhury moderated the panel discussion in an enticing manner, where he broke down the session into a few areas of interest. The panel was a fantastic confluence of new ideas and various viewpoints gleaned from decades of business experience. The aspiring leaders gained invaluable insights and business understanding that will impact their future perspectives.

The third and final day of Purvodaya, 2022, commenced with Reminiscence, during which VGSoM graduates rewound time and recalled beloved memories and anecdotes from their MBA lives. Mr. Debdip Basu, Mr. Kalyanakrishnan Parameswaran, Mr. Kesavan Hariharasubramanian, Mr. Pritpal Singh Kohli, Mr. Rajarshi Sengupta, and Mr. Rony Das from the 2004 batch attended the event. Mr. Glen Savio Palmer from the 2017 batch moderated the enthralling alumni panel.

Purvodaya '22 also witnessed fierce competition among students from some of the top B-schools in the country, who competed to demonstrate their proficiency in finance, marketing, supply chain management, consulting, analytics, and social entrepreneurship. Clubs and committees at VGSoM put on thrilling events that put their finest selves to the test. Events such as the Marketing and Advertising Club's 'Leader's Challenge,' the Consulting Club's 'Sumantran' and 'Guesstimates', Finterest's 'Mulyankan', the Entrepreneurship Cell's 'Vichaar' and 'Srijan', and many more provided students with unique opportunities to demonstrate their mettle in diverse management domains. To encourage students to develop their creative side, the photography club, Flash, organized 'Veloce' and 'Phoson,' while the CSR club, Saamanjasya, organized 'Aalekh,' an article writing competition centered on social concerns. Competitions such as 'Modus Operandi' by ScOpe (the Supply Chain and Operations club) and 'Synergy' by Drishtee Capital (the Investment club), Parishram by Saamanjasya assessed participants' skills in formulating innovative solutions to real-life problems in the domains of Supply Chain, investments, and social issues. The Entrepreneurship Cell's 'Srijan' and 'Vichaar', as well as the Quiz Club's 'Quizzard', grabbed the participants' attention.

The fest accomplished more than it set out to do. With thought-provoking keynote speeches, an intensive panel discussion, energizing alumni engagement, and exciting competitions, the three-day event challenged students to question the established paradigms and achieve substantial change.