D. Shivkumar is IIM Calcutta’s successful man of the year. He was one the prominent alumni at the ‘Batch of 84’s Alumni re-union and has now spoken at what is surely one the highlights of “Reverberations”, Intaglio’s guest speaker series. Shivkumar chose ‘Answers in an uncertain world’ Intalgio’s theme for this year and showed us what 25 years of experience gets you – sharp insight into the business world combined with an unmatched level of articulation. Uncertainly is not risk, Shivkumar said, and harped on the point that it is uncertainty that creates opportunities for growth.   As he addressed an enthralled and packed auditorium, members of audience left with one tangible takeaway – the state of the business world today, fraught as it is with uncertainties is a huge opportunity for future business leaders; its only disguising itself as a challenge.

JokaTimes talked to some students after the keynote speech and this is what they had to say:

“I think everyone thought it was a brilliant presentation, he definitely has stage presence and that made the address even better!” – Sriram, PGP2

“One of the key things was that he spoke from an industry perspective rather than just a Nokia perspective, and that was really good” – Anand, PGP2

A bus down memory lane

When D.Shivkumar got down from the bus outside IIM Calcutta’s main gate he achieved two things. First, he relived dusty memories of old times as a student at Joka when he would take the famous Calcutta buses with batchmates. Secondly, he made a point. In supporting Intaglio’s green theme this year, Shivkumar told us that it’s never too late to change our habits. Every little drop saved, every unit of electricity conserved and every mile walked makes a difference to our world. We at Intaglio thank Shivkumar by planting a sapling in his name. You too can support Intaglio in this initiative by taking a bus to come to SBI Quizzical, Intaglio’s flagship quiz event and plant a sapling to take another small step to protecting our planet. Large, policy level decisions at the global scale take remarkable tact and determination as the Copenhagen summit has shown. But following in Shivkumar’s footsteps requires only a bus ticket!

Click here for an interview with Mr. D.  Shivakumar

One step into the stadium and your mind was magically transported into a simpler time where sports and glory were all that mattered. Almost like in the days of childhood, where all one cared about was to be the fastest bowler, the dashing goal scorer; the best of the best whatever be the sport. Where victory meant glory, where sport was played for the love of sport, and not to impress the fair maiden.

This article showcases two instances of sporting excellence etched in my memory.

Rearguard Chivalry (Football)

The match against MDI was a must win game in order to advance to the finals. MDI being the local team (and the slightly more in-form team) kicked the game off on an attacking note. This note opened up what became a symphony of attacking football that would make IIM C’s exit only a matter of time. However, cometh the hour cometh the man – Captain Rakesh Pai beefed up the midfield and commanded a sterling performance from the defence. The defence resembled a scene from a war movie, braving attack after attack, determined to hold out till the very end.

Dusk brought with it the crescendo of a penalty shootout. 5 valiant men stepped up from each team. Seasoned penalty taker Akshat Patil (who put in a defensive masterclass) graciously let the juniors take centre-stage.  The determination to win shone bright, the calmness uncanny. The battle was won when goalkeeper Abhishek Singh saved a penalty and converted the final penalty to bring the MDI army to its knees.

Domination (Basketball)

If the previous one was a tale of determined defiance, the basketball campaign screamed of unabashed brilliance. Given that the team was not at full strength, the domination that it displayed was simply a joy to behold. In the words of the rambunctious rajah of the rebound – Anurag Nair –  “We were playing at a level higher than their reach. We shifted into a gear that they didn’t know of”. Needless to say, Nair individually scored higher than the total points that the opponents scored in every match. Ardent sledging was replaced by meek murmurs of consolation.

It was unfortunate that Badminton and athletics could not be accommodated into the schedule though.  However, the FMS test doesn’t fall shy of drawing the gambit for the upcoming ABCL meet. To our opponents : The die has been cast. The gauntlet has been thrown, you have been warned

*Joint Winners                                                                                                                                                                                    For JokaTimes,

Gregory Ipe

Updated Results  :

1)Mohit Bharti – 1st 800 m

2)Akshat A. Patil – 2nd Discus Throw, 3rd Shotput

3)Avantika Tomar – 2nd 400m

4)Nikhil Singh – 3rd Javelin Throw

5)Shashank Bajaj – 1st Online Gaming (Fifa’08)

6)Ankit Kapoor – 1st Online Gaming(AOE)

7)IIM Calcutta also swept the carrom (both Men’s and Women’s)  with Mohd. Kashif and Rohit Mehta winning their singles games easily. Bhavna Gaule played an epic game to win her maiden carrom crown.

The legacy of i2i has grown in proportions over the years. i2i’08 and i2I’9 became platform for 7 finalists to launch their own firms successfully. i2i’10 has succeeded in raising the bar even further by going International for the first time and by offering intense competition and excitement.

The Jury panel consisted of Mr. Sanjoy Sanyal, New Ventures; Mr. Amit Anand, Venturegurus; Mr. Deepak Daftari, Founder Eshiksha.com; Mr. Anil Joshi, Mumbai Angel Network; Mr. Vasant Subramanyam,  President Tie Kolkata; Mr. Nirav Sanghavi, CEO & Founder Blogadda.com; Mr. Probir Gupta, Ex-Executive Director TIE Kolkata; Mr. Ashish Jain, Bharti Airtel Innovation Funds.

Judging the best amongst the 12 teams was a real challenge for all the jury members as they found all the plans to have good growth opportunities and market potential. At the end, however business plans presented by teams ‘Dare to Soar’ from SP Jain and FTN from IIM Calcutta were bagged the competition and were identified as fundable and VCs indicated their wish to follow up with them in the future

As we all know that Success is not necessarily defined by winning, so we wish Good luck to all the competitors and hopefully the rundown of advice from our Jury panellists and eminent industrialists proves beneficial to them in the long run and helps them in soaring great heights. We also hope that the next retreat will offer a similar rich feast of new and vibrant ideas.

A word of caution though. This time is to refine your basics. Do not enter new and unfamiliar terrains. You’d only end up with knowing a little about a lot of ‘somethings’ and may not be able to apply it in the twelfth hour. Identify your strengths. Polish them. Refine them. Shine them till they sparkle like diamonds and then reap the benefits on the D-day. The CAT tests you in all the areas. The good news is that you can still crack it even if you don’t know the difference between permutations and combinations. But be sure to crack the remaining topics. That should suffice.

Also, most questions in CAT are designed based on pure logic. You needn’t remember all the difficult formulae in the reference books of class 11^th & 12^th. Remember, there are two ways of solving a problem. One is by observation and a little calculation. The other is by, well, pure calculation. Read the question twice. Understand the logic. Think of it like a manager would, in a real life situation and go for the kill! These people don’t want accountants or mathematics experts. They want people with an analytical, clear and logical mind who can take decisions when the need arises.

The verbal section (one of my favourites and vice versaJ) can be mastered if you have developed a sound reading habit for a few years. Read the newspapers religiously, especially the ones like The Hindu, The Economic Times and Financial Express. Observe the styles of the authors. Notice the way sentences are constructed. Examine and take mental notes of the phrases you come across.

One of the most important things that can’t be ignored is that this is a Computer based test (CBT). Get used to sitting on the computer for 2.5 hours. We do not want red, watery eyes during the exam now, do we? Get accustomed to using the computer. No time should be lost trying to figure out the computer mannerisms on the D-day. Selecting the right radio button and calculating on a sheet of paper and shading the circles may seem not much different, but on the day of the exam, trust me, even a sneeze is enough to ruffle a few feathers. Get used to the atmosphere, the methodology of the exam.

To this end, attend the mock cats diligently. I know it is difficult getting out of bed on a lazy Sunday morning, but keep the end in sight. It is just a month more. Attempt as many mock CATs as possible. Understand the undercurrent of the questions. Analyze your answers. Examine where you went wrong. It is as important to analyze your answers as it is to write them. If you take the exam for 2.5 hrs, analyze it at least for 3-4 hours. Make a calculation of how much you score, where you could have scored. Cherry pick the questions that are walkovers. Every paper has them. Search for them. Do not leave them unattended.

That’s enough gyaan for now, I think. Wish you all the best for your final preparations. Amen!

For Jokatimes

Brijesh Unnithan

With the passage of time, superstitions have wormed their way into the life of Jokaites. One such story says that when the seven lakes overflow, there will be a bonanza where placements are concerned! Seven lakes overflowing is indeed an alluring sight, if anyone could be tempted to leave the hostels when the rain gods are crying. While that legendary sight has not materialised till now, there were reports that the lakes had indeed overflowed this year, generously worming their way up the paths to kiss the pavements of a thousand ‘blessings’, and in the process sending the gtalk status messages of the Jokaites into overloads of ecstasy, before snaking their way back to their murky layers. Is this reality, or merely the optimistic ramblings of an active imagination? Only time (and placements) will tell. Of course, since this is certainly not an everyday event, some students have taken it upon themselves to find even deeper meanings within this story. As Amit Sureka, a first year student, put it, if a downpour means good placements, then a drizzle certainly must portend good quiz marks! Unfortunately, he became very reticent when it came to revealing his own marks in those quizzes, so the veracity of that particular theory could not be satisfied.

Superstitions may come from the past, but even the future holds some very exciting prospects. Some people say that it’s possible, someday, when the rain gods are smiling (or crying, whichever you prefer), the seven lakes could in fact become one, and perhaps even take over the whole campus. This could well lead to the development of a new round of water sports, involving canoes, men, umpires, and hopefully cheerleaders cavorting in the glory of the rain! This could take inter hostel rivalry to a new level all together, perhaps culminating in the formation of a Joka Premier League! Necessity is, they say, the mother of invention. The mephitic after taste of the rains is an all too bitter reality that Jokaites live with, and it’s possible the necessity for clean air and civilized living conditions could drive some brilliant minds to come up with an antidote, one which would definitely be a hit in Jokaland. It’s not for nothing that students have come to dread the gurgling gutters, and the creatures of dark nature that populate it!

Not to end this piece on a dampener, it’s good to note that none of the parties this year have been hampered by showers of heaven, although it’s possible some students, mostly hailing from the male gender, would have enjoyed it more had it been so. But as they say in Jokaland, think of the lake as half full, not half empty!

For Jokatimes
Pratik Prakash

• Currently the Country Director of New Ventures, India – An inititiative of World Resources Institute that aims at targetting capital transfer to cleantech companies
• Founder, Regain Paradise (www.regainparadise.org) – A portal for studying, learning and facilitating cleantech investments in India.
• Founder & COO of Vubites.com – A technology platform for advertisers
• Founder, Aesthetic Technologies – An interactive media content development company which received venture capital funding from NIIT and ICICI Limited
• Worked with Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan (Founder-CEO, rediff.com)
• Worked with ITC Classic Finance Ltd. and ICICI Ltd
• Worked at SumTotal Systems – A global leader in Talent Management software
• Mentor to early stage entrepreneurs at the annual TiE-Indian School of Business Venture Capital Conference
• Last but not the least, an alum of IIM Calcutta, Batch of 1991

All that in just 18 years of industry exposure, Sanjoy is the perfect example of an enterprising and sucesful alumni who has used their potential to the fullest. So, what are you waiting for? Send your EOIs for the talk and group interaction now! Don’t miss this opportunity!

(Check the Club Board for more details)

Mayank Jain

This was followed by the Director’s address. He began by paying tribute to the freedom fighters and  martyrs had who had fought with unswerving conviction and great courage  for our freedom. He followed it up by explaining how  institutions like ours play a large a role in shaping the future of the nation, and detailed the steps that the institute has taken to further its pursuance of its vision and mission.

Our Dean, Prof. Saibal Chattopadhyay inspired the gathering with his moving speech, calling people to fight the problems that surround us today. “Come, let us work for a more balanced, equitable society. Let the fruits of development reach the deprived and the minorities. Come, let us unite in this mission” were his closing lines.

We also had motivating speeches by the PGP Chairman – Prof. Prashant Mishra, Student  Affairs Committee Chairman, Prof. Manish Thakur and the IIM C Employees Union President.

Finally the Student Council President, Mr. Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh gave a short address urging us to introspect on what we have given back to the country. “The government spends a colossal amount of money on education institutions like ours. This money has a huge opportunity cost – it could be spent on drought relief or rural health care- with immediate benefits, saving the lives of thousands. As students of a premier government institute, we need to justify this expenditure. How much have we given back? This is an opportunity for us to think, to introspect and make the choices that shall enable us to one day, on another Independence day decades hence, stand tall and hold our heads high, proud and content that we have done more than what was expected of us”

The speech was followed by performances by JBS-BaroC (The Music Band of IIM Calcutta), the Dramatics Cell and the Choreography club. JBS started their show with “Praan” – with lyrics from Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Gitanjali’. This was followed by ‘Yeh Jo Desh Hai Tera’ – from Swades. This song, with its powerful lyrics, and sung in Tejveer’s resounding voice, struck a chord with every person present in the auditorium. The final song performed was Vande Mataram – A mix of JBS’s self composition on Desh Raag, along with Rehman’s ‘Vande Mataram Revival’. The hair-raising performance was definitely one of JBS’s best.  Bhuvan Prasad Atluri (Violin), Paul Savio (Keyboard) and Sarang Shahane (Jal Tarang) deserve a special mention for their efforts.

The dramatics cell performed a short play titled ‘Ali never cries’, that held the audience spell-bound for close to 45 minutes. Aayush Srivatsava conceptualized the storyline around last year’s Mumbai terrorist attacks. The main character Ali ,played by Naresh Krishnaswamy, took the audience deep inside the mind of a terrorist. A scene of Shalimar gardens in Kashmir with snow-fall was brilliantly set up. The Dram Cell, known for the perfection and quality of every play it performs, not only lived up to all the expectations, but also raised its reputation a notch higher. The enraptured crowd gave a standing ovation for this performance.

Finally, the choreography club performed a robust and energetic dance for ‘Vande Mataram’. That concluded the official Independence Day celebrations at IIM Calcutta.

But the questions raised, and the thoughts sown, will remain with us and fuel our actions for years to come.

For Jokatimes

Guhan M

-Richard.M.Nixon

Sport, spirit, slogans, support, victory, hard work, talent, skill, coordination, sweat, practice, stadium, jersey, equipment, teamwork, logistics, hospitality..! All come together and lay the stage for two of the best management schools in India to clash in the sports arena.  And what does the winner take away? An opportunity to ‘flaunt’ their supremacy over the other of course!

Welcome to Samhar’09!

Running for the third consecutive year, the sports meet between IIM Calcutta and IIM Bangalore spans two vigorous days, and is held alternatively in the two respective campuses. This year, Samhar ’09 will see sport enthusiasts from 16 events panting it out in IIM Calcutta. IIM Bangalore has won the Samhar crown for two years, but IIM Calcutta seems to be taking no chances this time.

The last few weeks at IIM Calcutta has seen the B-school students sweating it out on the fields – shouting, perspiring, jumping, screaming and playing their hearts out – all in a bid to win the Samhar title. Here is what some of the IIM Calcutta team captains have to say.

Athletics: After a dismal performance by girls last year, boys gave it away without even trying. Whoops! We have pledged for the spirit of Samhar, so no excuse would work this time around or alternatively men events should be scheduled ahead of women events. Lets hope Kolkata humidity gives our runners a home advantage.

Badminton: A thump for girls team as they squeezed in a point for us last time. They really came through for us. IIM Bangalore has a few strong players that could dampen our game. I wish that our strategy to win 3 out of 5 games works.

Basketball: Tigers ‘Boys’ are boasting for their better side this year. They’re relying upon home advantage after playing on a bizarre court last time in Bangalore. Girls have put in lot of effort. Their motto is ‘Never give up, never give in’.

Carrom: We had a close one last year and we lost. Our present Captain didn’t get a chance to be in the playing squad last year. And he is anxious as ever to play this time around and win for us.

Cricket: Like carrom, cricket was also a close encounter last year, but we eventually lost. A good pool of bowlers should help the team restrict the opponents to a minimal score. Lack of match practice and weather are going be major hurdles. The captain with god gifted talent, and a talkative vice captain are the biggest strengths of the team. The team wishes to play in Eden Gardens. Lets make it happen next time year!

Football: I have my bets on our football team this time. I have seen them playing and it looks like a good unit held together by the captain. All players seem to be swayed by international football and you will always spot them in jerseys of various football clubs. Above all, all smokers in the team have left smoking for a while so that the team doesn’t loose on stamina. Friends, please thump!

Hockey: We all should take some time out and watch their match as one doesn’t get a chance to visit a national stadium everyday. There are healthy signs as the captain is ensuring good strategic sessions for the training. When I asked him about the chances, he didn’t waste a moment to answer ‘Of course, we will win’.

Swimming: We did lose last year though the girls did us proud. This year, IIM B played damp squid by cancelling the girl’s event at the last moment. The men’s team is talented and it should prove to be an interesting battle.

Table Tennis: The team is lucky to have a very spiritual captain. I only came across words like spirit, motivation, enthusiasm and teamwork while talking to him. New talent is superb and again promises to be an engrossing event. It will be held in White Hostel Mess, and should be a crowd puller.

Throwball: Last year the team was spared for losing because of the misinterpretation of rules. Girls, you don’t have an option but to win. This is what your captain had to say ‘We will win or else I will break your legs’. Scary!

Though there is a lot of concern over the weather, the mood is positive. Both sides are waiting for the two days which will see the two sides clash in various sports arenas. With the IIM Calcutta home crowd ready to support its peers, the doors of sporting open today when the IIM Bangalore team arrives in Kolkata – and thus begins Samhar 09, a weekend promised to be filled with zeal, vigour, excitement, joy, bruises, cheers, and the spirit of excellence.

-  Mohit Handa and Soumitra Singh.

A 2nd year MBA student finds a magic lamp and makes 3 wishes…