Gaurav Gupta

Satish K Sehgal Doctoral Student Award for excellence in scholarship and organizational citizenship

IIM Calcutta is not an institution but an experience in itself. Honestly, I wasn't very keen to join the doctoral programme initially, especially due to the sheer magnitude of devotion required for a doctoral programme. I had been working happily in the largest IT services firm in India for around 3 years. But then, the opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the country and the temptation of student life again drove my decision to join IIM Calcutta.

While I was here, I was guided and mentored by the best, not just faculties but also the best of people. Although I did fumble initially, I found a very effective support system in my teachers and friends here. They inspired me to excel in every aspect of my life during those days. I was always encouraged to choose my work-life balance independently. This independence was a major contributor to the various awards and recognitions that were bestowed upon me for scholarship and also helped develop my identity as an independent researcher. Beyond that, it also allowed me to simultaneously lead various co-curricular activities like TEDx, Nostalgia, etc and also actively serve in the Student Council in my role as a Fellow Programme Representative. All of these opportunities helped me grow as an individual and develop my improved self. I sincerely believe that this nurturing environment combined with my persistence are major determinants for my SKS Award this year.

Two words, sincerity and perseverance, sum up my advice to my friends, colleagues, and peers. It is through honest and persistent devotion to work, that one can aim to excel not just here but even long after in the greater play of life. In this journey of self-discovery during a Doctoral Programme, both challenges and opportunities help shape one's trajectory. Life as a doctoral student presents a diverse set of opportunities, which often present themselves as challenges. It is through sheer determination, does one unmask them and discover their true nature. And friends, faculties, and administration provide all the support needed to help one grow in this dynamic environment. Now, when I am preparing for a new life at NEOMA Business School in Paris, I cannot thank all of them enough. I hope to keep learning from my times here at IIM Calcutta for the rest of my life.

Vaishnavi T

Best Publication Award winner

I am currently working as an Education Consultant with the leading analytics firm, SAS India. During my stay at IIMC, I got an opportunity to participate in several activities and hold a good number of positions to serve the student community (Mess representative for three consecutive years, Volleyball vice-captain). The exposure I gained through all these activities groomed me to be the person I am today. IIMC gives us all a perfect platform to hone our leadership skills, boost our motivation levels, and develop self-awareness. Right usage of the available resources can lead us to the path of success. I believe my key to success is my approach towards life - maintaining a fine balance between personal and professional lives. As they say, a healthy mind brings out the best in a person!

Milan Kumar

Best Publication Award winner

I have thoroughly enjoyed my PhD journey at IIM Calcutta. I worked on the topic of “Supply Chain Risk” under the guidance of Prof. Balram Avittathur and Prof. Preetam Basu.

Research is a very critical part of knowledge generation. The second essay of the thesis was titled “Pricing and sourcing strategies for competing retailers in supply chains under disruption risk.” The paper went through around 30 iterations based on the numerous discussions with my guides. The process of discussion was highly engaging and democratic. There were instances of disagreement and resulted in additional analysis and exploration of possible dimensions. The final output presented in a paper is only 60-70% of the analysis that was performed and best suited for narrating the story that we wanted to present. The paper was submitted in a reputed peer reviewed journal and went through two rounds of review. The process of peer review is essential for validation of our work for a wider audience.

The paper was finally accepted at the journal and was awarded as one of the best papers among the publications of graduating doctoral students. The paper has generated around 20 citations in last one year.

Anish R Patil

MBA Topper – 54th MBA Batch

My two years at IIM Calcutta were extremely fruitful in terms of the learning experience, knowledge I gained here and the friends I made. The exemplary faculty at IIM C made sure that every course was rigorous and interesting and that helped me enjoy the academic journey here. I am fortunate to have received extensive support from my professors and friends, who were not only instrumental in helping me succeed in my academic endeavors, but also helped me learn life lessons and evolve as an individual. I am thankful to my seniors, batch mates and alumni who have been truly inspirational and have motivated me to push my limits. IIM Calcutta offers immense opportunities for one to succeed both professionally and personally. I strongly believe that spending one's 2 years at IIM C in the pursuit of productive goals can yield amazing results. I am excited to be a part of the IIM C alumni network and I hope to do justice to the brand and reputation our alumni have earned over the years.

Rajesh Ranjan

MBA Executive Topper - 12th Batch MBA Executive

A year at IIM Calcutta was one of the best years of life which has exposed me to the best of knowledge and has also given me opportunity to interact and live with best brains in campus. One of the most important drivers of this interesting journey was faculty who has not only made every session rigorous and interesting but has shaped the thinking altogether. I am amazed by the support that faculty provides even beyond classroom which made learning an interesting experience.

While I write and reflect back at a year spent here, I find that Joka culture has become a way of life for me. I learned that at Joka we leave no one behind and I lived this culture with friends at IIM C where there are always helping hands whenever you need them. This culture motivates me to rise again and again despite failures. I believe this makes Joka tribe a special gang. This culture will be a part of my life always.

Such ecosystem really becomes a driving force to enable one to excel and that was what happened when I joined IIM C. There has been constant support from friends and faculty to enable me excel in academics. One thing that has helped me in getting the crown, is by giving each components of evaluation its due attention. Being motivated and pushing myself for each session and each component of subject has really paid off.

I am thankful to my faculty, batch mates and alumni who have been truly inspirational. This one year at Joka will stay with me and will keep on shaping my approach to life. I am happy to be a part of Joka tribe and excited to be a part of IIM C alumni.

TP Pratap

28th Batch alum at Reminiscence, 2018

Keep Calm & Put Tyre: #28thJokarforLife

And so it culminated. Reminiscence – aka The Grand Silver Jubilee Reunion of the 28th Batch on Joka campus in December 2018. More precisely, on December 22-23rd, our batch ascended (or descended) from various corners of the universe.

Statistically, 71 of our batch of 105+ attended this Reminiscence 2018. A high attendance by the batch, even though our class attendance while actually studying on campus may not have been as much. Indeed fortuitous that so many of us, who had meandered across campus in our relentless pursuit of education between 1991-1993 were fortunate to have divine circumstances conspiring and aiding us & we were able to collectively strike campus again (no pun intended).

If anybody had prophesied when I was a gawky PGP-1 during my campus days that I would be back on campus again 25 years later to commemorate our 25th Year Reunion, I would have just seen it as a pipedream and strictly not to be taken seriously. By any stretch of our collectively psychedelic imagination, this was not a milestone on our minds. It sure was not on my horizon.

Crunching the highlights of the chequered timeline of my Jokar life on the Post-Joka canvas would mean straddling across campus placement; the first day on the job; first year adapting to corporate life; the crests and troughs of a corporate career; the highs of ideating, growth hacking, fund raising & scaling a VC funded startup venture; the joys of marriage; parenting two children. Whew, all this has happened in the last 25 years.

Each of the 28th Jokars has chalked out a uniquely impeccable and wonderful life and career over the last 25 years as we grew and hopefully matured into better individuals contributing to society at large.

As I landed on campus on Friday 21st December with my family for Reminiscence, it all seems strange as though time has been standing still all these years. Memories rushing back. As I drive through the Main Gate past the Lakes, the old Acad Block, the Library, OH, WH to reach the new MDC Hall. It just seemed like we were back as students, having got the IIMC Selection Telegram (yes! that was the messaging mode then). Taking the Train from Bangalore to Madras and onwards by Coromandel Express to Calcutta.

The two days were pleasant & nostalgic times – with the capable bunch of students of the Alumni Cell helping with their patient hospitality as they shepherded us valiantly through the various events that had been ideated and executed. The Drama Club, Dance Club & Music Club performed admirably well in the midst of their regular classes to also make these days memorable. We were fortunately able to meet and interact with Prof Leena Chatterjee, who had initiated us into the hues and shades of the corporate world through her courses of Organizational Behaviour in our campus days. As she succinctly conveyed to us, we graduated only once in 1993, even though we may have passed out many times while on campus! We were indeed very pleased to meet Professor Leena Chatterjee, who is now on the Board of Governors and was also standing in for the Director as the newly appointed Director, Prof Anju Seth was away in the process of relocating from the US to Joka. Looking back through the rear view mirror, it was serendipity that our batch was on campus during some path breaking moments of India! We were on campus when the economic liberalization of the Indian economy was initiated in July 1991. We were on campus when the December 6th 1992 Babri Masjid took place. We were on campus when Chicago Bulls won the NBA in 1992 & 1993, with Michael Jordan rightfully setting up his creds for GOAT! Apart from various intellectually stimulating topics discussed, we also indulged on seriously existential matters like the causal factors for the novel changes in our alumni nomenclature from "IIMCian" to "Jokan" to ”JOKAR".

Additionally, the batch did get down to exploring ways to formally contribute and give back to the Institute – via our individual time, collective efforts, mentoring roles, campus presence and batch endowment. We do see this importantly as a small token of our sincere gratitude to the Alma Mater.

We are now geared to work ourselves towards the next 25 years for the Golden Jubilee! Que Sera Sera.