Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In all 1,439 students of Indian Institute of Management Indore graduated in 21st and 22nd convocations, which were held together as one event virtually on Sunday. Of the total, 741 students were from 2020 batch and 698 students from 2021 batch.
IIM Indore had to club two convocations as 21st ceremony could not be held due to Covid pandemic. This year, the institute had to hold the event in virtual mode due to Covid-19 situation. The chief guest at the function was Nestle India chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan who delivered the convocation address.
Narayanan shared with students his mantra of 6Cs - character, confidence, courage, competence, curiosity and contentment; which helped him in his journey so far.
“Character is a unison of purpose, values, behaviour and outcomes. When your purpose in life translates into trustworthy, positive and empathetic behaviour, it creates an impact. It is important that you do not lose sight of the individual you are and recognize the strength you have in yourself, for that will make you an outstanding person,” he said.
Speaking further, he said confidence is an important measure to succeed in life. “As you stand amidst the pandemic and look beyond the opportunities where you can show your excellence as a professional, this confidence will help you achieve your dream’, he advised.
As for competence, he said it is marriage between education and skills that demonstrability makes things happen at the workplace. “Do not forget that even if you are in top leadership position, people measure you depending on your competence you have demonstrated in the recent past. It is more important than bluster,” he remarked.
He advised participants to be courageous and find innovative and unique ways to do things the right way.
“Be curious. The person who can make a mark is not just competent but also curious to know more and more about the field they are working in.”
He advised the participants to be compassionate. “Marry the competence with compassion and you will become an inspiring leader. Human emotions and human spirit make you move ahead. Learn to be content. When you have done your best, and you achieve something, be grateful for it,” he concluded.
Earlier, IIM Indore Board of Governors chairman Deepak Satwalekar in his address advised students to look at every crisis as an opportunity, not as a profiteer, but to serve. “Do not sit and complain about reduced opportunities, but make the best of what you can and demonstrate your capability to the fullest’, he said.
“Do not sit and complain about the reduced opportunities but make the best of what you can,” he said. There is no operational manual for what is happening now, and everyone is trying new approaches, hoping something would work. How quickly you can adjust, adapt and be agile; determines how well you do, he added.
He said experiences gained by interacting with people outside the classrooms - the experiences of collaboration and partnership, challenging and supporting, being compassionate and empathetic - will act as the guidepost to help navigate through the journey of life.
In his address, IIM Indore director Prof Himanshu Rai shared milestones achieved by IIM Indore in the last two years. He said institute now has collaborations with over 40 foreign educational institutions for student and faculty exchange, and research.
He also said that the number of articles published in the top journals by March 2020 had increased by 25% as compared to the previous academic year.
Encouraging participants to remain optimistic he said, “We as humans, are full of experiences and moments. We learn through the moments we live in. When things don't go quite as planned, like the previous two years, how you handle the disappointments and challenges that you face now and in the coming years, both personally and professionally, will determine the experience that you have and the memory you walk away with.”
The awards for scholastic performance, industry scholarships and NBFA scholarships for both the academic years were also announced virtually on this occasion.
