4th June -
The first day on the hill-top campus covered with lush green trees and plants and rain pouring down every alternate hour to my amazement. All students assembled outside the auditorium to receive their identity cards, bags and college caps. After the induction ceremony, we went to have our lunch, which was more than satisfactory than my previous experience in B.Tech College. What awaited us after that was the Ice breaking session; groups of 22 members each were divided in the alphabetical order. I remember waiting in X201 anxiously for our lovely mentor on the 3rd row, the 1st seat from the right. And 2 minutes later, there she was with chart papers and sketch pens in her hand. At that moment, we all realized this class would be something special.
The first question she wanted to know was the head count of Engineers in the class and the result, unsurprisingly, was a lot. We did have few B.Com and B.Sc graduates along with an exception of a CA who certainly turned many heads, including our mentor’s. Without wasting more time, we were told about the first activity, speed dating, in which we had to introduce our self to the person opposite in the queue. 30 seconds were given to share our hobbies and interests and know more about the other person. It continues till a person interacts with every other member. For the second activity, charades, we were divided in a group of four. The aim was to communicate a sentence, without much deviation, specifically through hand movements from the 1st person to the last one.
My group was given “Eating paani puri without sev”. Girls kicked off the exercise smoothly until the task was handed to the boys. Being from North India, Paani puri is commonly known as Gol gappe. I thought breaking this word into “Gol” plus “gappe” was a sensible idea. I mean who wouldn’t get “gol” when I move my hands in a clockwise motion. Well, sometimes things aren’t as simple as you predict. After taking 3 more minutes of trying, I finally drew the shape a circle on the board and at last we finally managed “Eating Gol gappe” which was a big relief.
Our 3rd and final activity of the day was to prepare a marketing strategy for any product or service and present it to the whole class in an informative manner and the winner will be handed a gift. Form of communication could range from dancing to singing or even dramatics. Our creative juices were flowing and the consensus was to market a dating service app named S.I.B.M (Saathi Idhar Bhi Milega). We prepared a small skit to outline the need of this app in today’s day and age. One by one brilliant and innovative ideas were being presented. Some were hilarious while others were informative. And there we were eagerly waiting to present our small piece. From the moment we stepped on to the stage, we made everyone laugh.
Our plot was to portray the social pressure on one person to get a date for a fresher’s night when his close friend is spoilt for choices simply by using this app. So the second guy introduces this amazing app to the concerned person and within a day his fortunes change. And yes, this was the winning act. At the end we got an assignment as a group to present a drama on city, Delhi. Quite a first day in S.I.B.M.(Symbiosis Institute of Business Management).
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail limited is the company in Aditya Birla Group which I would want to work in because the quantity and quality in competition not only from retail stores but also fromwell-establishedd e-commerce will provide a great learning platform for me. Given my past experience in an e-commerce and having the working knowledge of different supply chains and marketing channels, I believe I can provide a valuable output to the company in terms of innovative ideas and new customer acquisitions.
- Lalit Negi
Marketing, SIBM Pune
