Where should I start? I still remember my first day at IIM Indore. The campus is built in the middle of the industrial area Pithampur. The first thing one notices while entering IIM Indore is the huge gates. While entering it gives you the feeling of like entering a palace. You could feel you belong to one of the prime institutes of India. The rest includes classy hostels, cool professors, greeneries, birds and list goes on and on.
One of the things which I found was unique about IIMI Campus was the weekend movie shows at new auditorium. The place is the best way to spend some time with your friends, enjoy a nice Bollywood movie for free with popcorns and cold drinks. With the hush and rush of the weekday's classes, this is the best way to get refreshed. There is a different kind of joy in watching a movie with the whole batch. There are not enough words to describe the happiness in enjoying a movie after a long day with your friends and pals and that also in free. This is one thing we all are definitely going to miss.
IIM Indore is a student-run campus and ventures like Adda, Aladdin etc. are student-run ventures which provides a break from boring mess food. In fact these are the places where brilliant ideas get generated. A beloved place for students to hang out and discuss daily classes and assignments gives a never forgetting memory which would be with us forever. You would mainly find half of the batch either sitting around Adda or the night mess around 12-1 am. You would wonder whether the day has just started here.
The sports complex is best in the category provided by any other IIMs with swimming pool and gyms with full-time instructors. If in case students get time from the busy schedule of classes and assignments, they could redirect themselves to play sports and do something about their fitness.
All these things can be imitated but one thing which cannot be is the people around here. The staff, professor, security guards, mess workers, room cleaners, students, shopkeepers these all are part of a family. I have been here for a year and I can tell I never felt I am far away from home. This has become my second home now and this is what makes it unique and I bet nobody can beat that
A memorable classroom experience in my B-school
It was our third term and we had to attend a course on design thinking. It was a 2-credit workshop course so all we thought was it was going to be another boring set of lectures from a visiting faculty, so we decided to get it over with. But before joining the first class we were asked by our instructor to prepare a copy using A4 size papers and decorate it with whatever means we have. We thought it would be a submission, but it was fun thing to do. The next day when we were in class it was nice to see the creativeness of other students.
The classes started with the instructor introducing herself and usual presentations about the course and what we were going to learn throughout the 10 sessions. But then suddenly she asked us to close our eyes for a while and then draw a sketch of the person sitting beside us. We got confused earlier that whether it’s a joke or what but after she insisted we get along with it. I tried my best to draw my friend’s ugly face as beautiful as I can but I am not a magician. In return, my friend left no tables unturned in making me look as ugly as he can.
Then the instructor brought some sheet of papers, sketch pens, fevicol etc and asked us to design a wallet for our friend. The idea was to ask the requirements of our friend which he/she needs in the wallet and then design. As soon as she rang the bell we were all like running around to get the best stuff from the art and craft inventory. Then after collecting the required equipment, we had a discussion with our “client” to understand his/her requirements. Then with another ring of the bell, we started designing. We had to take our creativity to its extreme and make a wallet which is not a normal one. So I decided to make a smart-wallet which can make you pick or make calls and text apart from keeping money in it. All because my friend was a tech savvy. In return, My friend prepared a designer wallet with Manchester United logo along with space for keeping cigars.
They were asked to prepare a chart for the mess food problems and we had to conduct a survey. The survey included asking mess workers and other students. To work in the group was really fun with the addition of music in between it never felt like a usual class to me that day
Introducing - some of my crazy batchmates
Here I would like to introduce 4 of my crazy batchmates.
a. Nitish Rokade aka Rokada-de is the first friend I made at IIM Indore. We met at the initial batch meets. Having work exp of more than 3 years, it was difficult to adjust amongst a batch of including younger batchmates. Once we met we instantly recognized that we were the odd main out there and thus the friendship continues. The guy is a weirdo. He would study as little as I do, would party as hard as I do but would always score high marks and secure good ranks. A brilliant guy who has deep knowledge about his subjects but a humble one too.
b. Deepesh is another friend of mine. This guy is younger to me. When I completed my engineering, this guy was appearing for his 12th boards. This guy is all about whining. Deepesh somehow finds an objection with each and everything. He has got his own mysterious ways. He would always ask me to accompany him to a restaurant and then he himself would start abusing the quality of food and the restaurant.
c. I met Aditya through Nitish. You can call him the living encyclopedia. The guy literally has a photographic memory and can remember any kind of numbers. This is one of the cool things about IIMs that you get a chance to meet such personality. He is near about my age but sometimes he acts as if he is in mid 30s. He is a shy guy but brilliant in studies. A pessimist who could sometimes push you to the limit but a guy you can always count on. He has been my source for notes whenever I missed the class as this guy holds the record for 100% since the first session of our MBA at IIMI.
d. Our own, authenticated an original Bengali Babu, Arijit. This guy is like a brother from another mother to me. He thinks in the same way as I do. He is a control freak. I mean he can’t rest if the things are not going according to his plan. Always enthusiastic about things and we both always had a common thing apart from other that we like, football. All tries to be a self-proclaimed leader, but people rarely listen to him. Always like to say things at your face and clear out the things there and itself.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
I would like to work for ABFRL. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) is one of the largest branded clothing players with 5 brands clocking >INR10bn sales each. In 2014, ABFRL acquired Pantaloons to get a foothold in the women’s wear segment. Commendably, within 2 years, it turned around the acquisition’s ailing operations, proving its expertise in managing branded garments. ABFRL has now ventured into fast fashion via Forever 21and innerwear under the Van Heusen brand thereby now housing full bouquet of segments in the apparel category. Anchored by these potent growth boosters, we estimate ABFRL to post sales and EBITDA CAGR of 16.4% and 29.2%, respectively, over FY16-19 and 24.1% RoE by FY19. Myself being a fashion and marketing enthusiast, I believe I could add value to the firm and could learn a lot in return.
-Sushant Prabhakar