The orientation program for the batch of 2014-15 at IIM Ranchi this year comprised of several engaging outbound activities, along with the ritual orientation practices such as student induction, student council introduction etc.
The seniors voluntarily arranged and conducted a plethora of group activities to welcome their juniors. The outbound activities provided an amazing opportunity for the students of first year to become well-acquainted with their fellow batch mates and learn some key management skills in the process. At the same time, the outbound activities fuelled the much-needed “Senior-Junior” batch interaction.
The juniors were divided into groups, with each group choosing a
“war cry” and a belligerent name for themselves as a team. The juniors exuded amazing energy by frequently stressing their vocal cords with constant high-pitched utterance of their team’s war cry. The outbound got underway with the legacy
“Banana Dance” which celebrates the spirit of unity that makes IIM Ranchi student community such a closely-knit unit. The stage was ideally set for the group activities to commence.
Each outbound activity was well-chosen to inculcate the spirit of teamwork in all the freshers and make them aware of team synergy, groupthink and group dynamics. How to achieve together in teams is a part and parcel of the learning process in every B-school. Teamwork was the key underlying theme of all the outbound activities. Freshers competed whole heartedly in activities such as
Three-Leg Race,
Tug-of-War and
Chinese whispers to name a few. These activities saw students strategizing and distributing work amongst themselves in teams, breaking down silos and communicating actively with each other, in pursuit of triumph. Time management skill was also a key takeaway for freshers because certain tasks had to be accomplished within a stipulated time.
The outbound activities were organized over the weekend, i.e. Saturday and Sunday mornings at Khlegaon, within the hostel promises of IIM Ranchi. The juniors turned up in huge numbers on day two as well and participated with full zest and vigor. The activities certainly served their purpose of uniting all the
new and fresh bananas as they intermittently danced to the tune of the popular banana song at IIM Ranchi.
The end of the outbound saga was simply unforeseen bliss for the freshers. So as to wet the freshers with some colored water and give them respite from the afternoon’s heat, a specific place was intentionally chosen for the batch photo. Freshers were taken to that site and once the photo was clicked, the watery welcome was due. Drenched in colored water, freshers went all ecstatic and euphoric and acknowledged the efforts of their seniors for giving them such a warm welcome to the institute. Overwhelmed, the enthusiastic juniors cheered heartily for their enterprising seniors for organizing such a lovely outbound session which certainly left the juniors spellbound towards the end.
The author, Richa Mukhi is a student at IIM Ranchi, batch 2014-15.