IIM Bodh Gaya welcomed its incoming batches of MBA VIII and Ph.D. III by organizing a grand Orientation Programme from 5th July to 7th July, 2022. The programme was attended by all the new students along with the esteemed guests, faculty members, and the existing students.
This year, the institute has inducted 285 students in the MBA Programme, out of which 60 are female students. With 146 students with work-experience in the batch, the average work experience of the batch is 30 months. The batch comprises of students from multiple disciplines like Engineering, Science, Commerce, Humanities, Management, Language, Law, Dentistry, Fashion Designing, and Pharmacy. This year, 9 new Ph.D. scholars, including four female scholars, have been admitted to the institute in the areas of Operations Management, Economics, Finance, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, Strategy, Marketing, and IT. It is a matter of great pride for the institution to have such an academically diverse batch of students and always a boon when the diverse mindsets contribute to the classroom discussions and activities and grow together.
The ceremony commenced with Vedic Chanting and a Bharatnatyam recital of Ganesh Vandana by the students. It was followed by the lighting of the lamp. Dr. Prabhat Ranjan, Chairperson, Admissions Committee, presented the profiles of the new batches of students. Prof. Md. Laeequddin, Chairperson, Ph.D., took the stage to talk about the Ph.D. programme while Prof. Archana Patro, Chairperson, PGP, introduced the MBA programme and described the course curriculum and structure. The event was taken forward by Prof. Vinita Sahay, Director, IIM Bodh Gaya, who welcomed the new batch and wished them good luck for an exciting and enriching journey with the Institute. She guided the students through the core ideas and principles of the institute and emphasized that the vision of the institute is to make future mindful and socially responsible business leaders. The opportunity was also used to introduce the new students to the experienced faculty members of the institute.
The orientation saw many eminent speakers conducting informative and impactful sessions for the students. The first session of Day 1 was delivered by Mr. Abhik Chatterjee, MD & Partner, BCG, who talked about the importance of team work. Mr. Pratyay Amrit, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Govt. of Bihar, said that, “Some are born leaders, some invite these qualities. For some, they don’t make it to that class, but they are brilliant followers and if you are happy with that, so be it.” Mr. Shashank Kumar, Co-Founder & Ceo, DeHaat, underlined the importance of job creation for a developing country like India. Mr. Atul Singh, Founder, CEO & Chief Editor, Fair Observer, also joined the programme online and talked about freedom of ideas, creativity and innovation. Mr. Sudhakaran Srambikal, CEO & Co-Founder, QuGates Technology, talked about the links between intelligence, consciousness, and enlightening leadership. Mr. Sajjad Ahmed, Senior Director (HR), Capgemini, Mr. Supratik Bhattacharyya, Senior VP and Chief Talent Officer, RPG Group, and Ms. Megha Kapil, Director Talent Acquisition, PwC, were the other eminent guests who addressed the new batch and discussed various aspects of business and management. The first day concluded with an engaging cultural event called Novicia, organized by the Cultural Committee of IIM Bodh Gaya. The event provided an opportunity to both our existing and new groups of students to showcase their talents in dancing, poetry recitation and singing.
The second day of the orientation programme hosted Sister BK Shivani, who is the recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honour for women in India and has been appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador by the World Psychiatrist Association. She talked about the importance of meditation and went on to say that, “Meditation helps you to think right about the things that happen in a day and also realign your mindset for the day ahead”. The second speaker of the day, Mr. Shashi Sinha, Chief Business Officer of Media and Advertising, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd., emphasized the importance of growth-mindset and how problems can be solved through conscious efforts and a strong intent to perpetuate. He was followed by Ms. Rashi Khanna, Founder and Hon. Chair, Ra by Rashi Foundation, who held an informative session with the students on entrepreneurial ventures and encouraged them to be empathetic. Mr. Dipak Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Dept. of Education, Government of Bihar, graced the occasion and held an interactive session on the differences between public and private organizations and how one can be more success-oriented. He said, “You are at a significant milestone in your life. Everyone has a different career trajectory; there is no solid tip that will work for all. You’ll have to use your logic and conclude what path is suited for you to follow. Devise your own acronym for success”. Mr. Pradipta Kumar Sahoo, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of International Business, Mother Dairy, highlighted the importance of resourcefulness and awareness of the external environment in carrying out successful business ventures. Mr. Madan Mohan Pandey, Managing Director & CEO, Zuari Farm Hub Ltd., Mr. Navneet Nilendra, Faculty, Art of Living, and Mr. Vivek Jain, Co-Founder, Hiretale, were the other speakers who addressed the new batch of students on the second day of the Orientation Programme.
The third day of the Orientation Programme will be graced by Mr. Amit Sukhija, CEO, ZestIot, Mr. Krishnamurthy Shankar, Executive Vice President and Group Head of Human Resource Development, Infosys, Lieutenant General PS Minhas, Commandant, Officer’s Training Academy, Gaya, Mr. Vinay Ranjan, Director – Personnel, Eastern Coalfields Ltd., and Ms. Harpreet Kaur, SSP, Gaya. The third day will also include a session on Case Study Methodology by Prof Krishanu Rakshit, Associate Professor, ICN Business School, France. This would be followed by introduction sessions of the various committees and clubs of IIM Bodh Gaya by their respective Chairpersons.
As an extension to the Orientation Programme for MBA BATCH VIII and Ph.D. Batch III, IIM Bodh Gaya conducted many outbound activities in collaboration with OTA Gaya from 8th – 10th July 2022.
OTA Gaya graciously hosted the new batches of MBA students of IIM Bodh Gaya and hence commenced a mutually beneficial outreach programme between the two prestigious institutes of Bihar state. This collaborative academic journey will provide an impetus to the synergy between military minds and civil academia.
Experienced trainers conducted the outbound activities, and officers of OTA Gaya oversaw the proceedings. These activities were targeted to enhance skills such as self-awareness, creativity, leadership, team building, planning, and strategizing. All these activities were ice-breakers and helped the new batch in interacting with their batch mates. Above all, the fun activities were a learning experience for the new students of IIM Bodh Gaya.
The students also got to visit the Mahabodhi Temple as a part of the outbound programme.
