XLRI Garden of Business and Human Resources

December is a month when the XLRI Jamshedpur campus provides a floral feast to its inhabitants and visitors. This video is a tribute to all those whose work, skills, patience and green fingers gift us this serene delight every year...

WINK Anthology (Vol 1)

Contributed by Gurdit Singh Sachdeva (PM&IR 2009-11)

A few months ago, I was hit by a crazy idea. “XLRI should have a Writers’ Club. I should create one.” But like all of my other great ideas (“I ought to take over and rule the world”, for example), the idea simmered in my head for a while, not knowing how to manifest itself into action.

Then, a close friend of mine who is a complete Looney Toon (I think this has become the criteria for becoming a close friend of mine) one day, completely out of the blue, without any provocation of any kind, says to me, “Dude, let’s start a blogging club!”

I sputtered and choked for a while (ok, not really), and I said to him, “Well, wow! I’ve been thinking of the same thing, kinda…been thinking about making a Writers’ Club”. And so, we started. Or rather, he started. I, being I, kept saying, “Hold it, take it easy, let’s think things over…let’s plan it out.” And he, being he, said, “Shut up, idiot, and let’s get it done. What name can you think of?”

And that’s how Writers Inkorporated (WINK) came to be—a name derived from an idea another close friend (who is definitely a Looney Toon, if ever there was one!) once had for his website. The first step was to get some credible people involved, because well…you know…we’re both cartoons. We needed people to take us seriously. So we went and spoke to a couple of professors.

They were really supportive. The first one said he’s been waiting for students to start such “hobby clubs” in XLRI for a long time. Both the profs promised to support us with publicity and contributions and for judging contests and the like. With their blessings, we sent a spreadsheet to gauge interest in the batch. Out of 120 students, more than 50 applied. We called a meeting to give a short presentation. A grand total of 20 (:P) students attended that one, but more people contributed later through email. So we decided to just limit ourselves to mails.

After some time, we had an idea—let’s get people to send us their creative writing and compile it in an e-zine and send it to everyone. And then, we indulged in some wishful thinking (“Dude, if it’s really good, we can get it published! We have quite a few XLers as published authors…they can definitely help us out!”). And thus, the seeds for the WINK Anthology were sowed. It took about a month to get contributions. We didn’t really shortlist the best, choosing instead to publish everything we got. But we did decide not to publish more than 2 entries per author.

And then started the horror known simply as Term IV and Term V. What we had expected to be considerably “light” terms were anything but. And even in these terms, a couple more entries trickled in and some older entries got updated and replaced. Finally, Term VI came around. I wiped my white board clean, made a new to-do list, and wrote “WINK” all over it, leaving no space for anything else on the whole board. And then, we completed it, formatted and all, by December 15.

You can get yourself a copy from Scribd, or just download it from my site..

Gratitude and Congratulations to Varun (Mangoman), Prof Madhukar Shukla and Prof Uday Damodaran. And also, of course, to every single person who contributed with his/her writing or in any other way to support WINK. Cheers. Here’s to a successful Vol 2!

Alumni Homecoming 2010

The word homecoming world-over signifies a tradition of welcoming back the alumni to their Alma matter to celebrate the spirit of conviviality and to connect with batch-mates, juniors, seniors as well as on-campus students. At XLRI the event - typically a two day affair organised by the alumni body of XLRI in association with the Jamshedpur chapter of the country wide alumni committee - is a concoction of sports and games, speeches, musical performances, and formal dinners.

XLRI homecoming holds special significance owing partly to the long tradition of hosting batches after batches, on campus, since 1960 and partly to the overwhelming participation from world over. The prominent attendees from last year itself include Mr. B. Muthuraman, MD, Tata Steel, Mr. Kalyan Ganguly, MD, United Breweries Ltd., Mr. Bushen Raina, Chairman, JUSCO and Mr. Rana Sinha, MD, Telcon all from the Business Management program.

Scheduled this year between the 20th and 21st of November, the homecoming is expected to play host to close to two hundred alumni. The event will kick off with an inauguration ceremony involving a presentation by Fr E. Abraham Director, XLRI and an address by the National President of alumni association Mr. Bushen Raina welcoming the Alumni back on campus.

The two days that follow are packed with activities to keep the alumni engaged. These include the prestigious JRD Oath taking, the alumni award ceremony, formal dinners and community lunches. In addition to these more traditional events there are several activities aimed at increasing the level of interaction and association the alumni will want to feel on coming back to campus. The Nukkad-Natak – a street play performed by a contingent from the seniors and juniors batches - reflecting the XLRI value system and an evening of rock and country folk music by the Shiva band – being brought in especially from Kolkata - is sure to touch a chord and make the event an unforgettable one.

Diwali @ XL

Contributed by Chhavi Bindal, BM 2010-12.

(Photos by Ayush Shukla, PM&IR 2010-12)

There are just some of those occasions when no matter where you are you miss your family. Diwali, the beautiful festival of lights and hope, is definitely one of these. The very thought of being away from home on this day would bring feelings of despair. But ask an XLer and you will surely be hit with a different viewpoint.

The B school rigor doesn’t permit you to be home for Diwali but the beautiful XL culture ensures you make it a grand day in your calendar. So let’s begin with how it all started. The day started with people waking up early in their hostels (and this does include boys hostel :P) and gearing up for the celebrations. People put in hours to make their own little efforts which included internal room decorations, beautiful rangoli designs, lightning. The hostels transcended from mere buildings, they shimmered and glittered in the spirit of the festival.

As the sun dawned the actual efforts being made since morning started taking shape. Lighting illuminated the entire campus - trees, bushes , buildings. There were diyas and candles on every road, every path. The regional association in charge of the arrangements (COWBAXI) did a fabulous job, the members ran the entire day to make sure everything was in place. Evening saw everyone volunteering and lighting innumerable candles and diyas across the entire campus :). Then the celebrations began; everyone gathered for the traditional puja and recited the prayers. After the puja ceremony we all moved to the lawns where special arrangements were made by the faculty members. On our way to the lawn we could see the splendid amount of effort put in to ensure every nook and corner of the campus was brightly lit up. We met our excellent faculty at the lawns and were overwhelmed by their hospitality. There were stalls for everything right from snacks to main course to desserts and everything was a pure delicacy. It was a blend of cultures in the most delicious manner; there were idlis, dhoklas, cholle puri, jalebi, rabri and other mouth watering items. There was a crackers bursting session which saw participation from several students and faculty members. The entire XL family was in one place filling the ambience with extreme warmth and togetherness.

This was followed by a small cultural night put together by the students in our favourite JLT arena. The setting was exquisitely traditional – khatiya, badam milk and an excellent show. There were numerous games and stunning performances by the students. There was a stupendous display of fireworks; the sky was brightly lit in red, blue, green, golden and other wonderful shades.

The day made us fall in love with XL all over again, with the spirit of XL culture, the invaluable bonding and togetherness. It was an experience that goes into the diary of each one of us amongst the most cherished times and like all such experiences you just have to be there to feel it.

A Post about SIP

Contributed by Himanshu Kapila, PM&IR 2010-12

The preparations for S.I.P had started long back with seniors helping us out by giving us gyan on Company, GD, Interview and subjects that could be asked in interview. This was a huge contributor to our success in S.I.P. Our professors also guided us till the last moment.

On the day before the process started, XLRI campus was buzzing with excitement and lot of nervous people were wandering here and there in expectation of the Slot 0 companies’ shortlists. A huge roar went up as one after one the shortlists were put on the notice board of TFEMR hostel and a series of phone calls, hugs and congratulations started. But we were put-off to bed by our seniors as the D-Day arrived and the process had to start early morning. Seniors made sure that we were awake and ready for the process on time. For the first time in my stay at XLRI, XL hostels were full with life so early. People helping each other to get ready, newspaper sites being opened to have a quick glance at current affairs, notes being picked up for just in case preparation. For the next 3 days the same process was carried on and we had to go for GD, team tasks and Interview processes. One thing that was outstanding was the support we got from our seniors. They made sure that we ate at right time and every company detail was made available to the interviewees in advance. They were with us till the time we entered the interview room. “XL culture”rocks.

At the end of the third day, the time came when the results of Slot 0 and Slot 1 companies were declared. With every announcement a loud cheer erupted and when all the results were declared we realized we have been the part of something amazing. In most places people would have started celebrating but we as a batch decided to celebrate only when all would be placed and that moment was not far as in next 36 hours all XLers had once again achieved XLence. That moment when the announcement happened that "Batch of 2010-12" is placed, a huge roar went up and both batches were hugging each other. After that the official announcement of offers were made by Placecomm and the roar was deafening. Then celebrations commenced on the hallowed JLT grounds. Well won't say anything else coz this is XL culture and I don’t want to spoil the surprise for those who would be a part of this soon. You have to be in the moment to feel the experience. Hope we would also be able to continue the tradition.

SIP 2010-12...Done and Dusted. :)

There are 3 words that are guaranteed to wreak havoc in the hearts and minds of every first-year student at XLRI – Summer Internship Process. From before the second term begins, the preparations begin. It takes a certain amount of mental fortitude to go through the gruelling 5-day (and in the past couple of years, more than 5 days) process, being woken up as early as 4 am on some days, and having to stay awake until 3 am on some nights. There’s a lot at stake not only for the juniors, but also for the seniors. We talk about “XL Culture”, and in my opinion, this manifests itself best in the form of the support seniors give to the juniors before and during the process, and the obvious pride and joy we feel when the process is done.

This year’s SIP was particularly sweet. As Venky (Placecomm Secy) put it, “We put in 4.5 months of work exclusively into your SIP, and it’s sweet that the entire process was done in just 4.5 days”. These 4.5 days, though, has taught me a lot of things:

• It’s in every XLer’s DNA to be as supportive as possible to those being placed.
• Every year, the seniors are worried about how their juniors will handle the pressure and the stress, and every year, the junior batch outshines its senior batch, proving they’re strong, proving they have the mettle and more.
• All the hard work you put into the SIP, whether as a member of any of the placement support teams, or just as a senior helping out a junior, it all feels sweet and satisfying when you see 240 smiles.
• No matter what, XLers stick together. It was great to see the juniors helping each other out with preparations, forcing each other to eat properly (!), celebrating each other’s successes and just generally being perfect batchmates.

People surprise you. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That phrase is particularly apt for the batch of 2010-12. Congratulations on a truly awesome SIP! Now’s the time to celebrate, because come April, it’ll be the time to put your heads down, work hard and grab as many PPOs/PPIs as you can.

Before I end this post, I’d like to link to a post written by one of my seniors during our SIP. It makes for great reading.

http://lifeatxl.blogspot.com/2009/11/summer-internship-process-coming-full.html

Cheers!

XL Utsav 2010

The faculty, staff and students of XLRI are all set to revive an old and extremely important part of XL culture -- The XL Utsav. The event, a cultural extravaganza set to last from morning to night on Oct 2, will feature sports and games that pitch the faculty and staff against the students on a level playing field.

After lunch, some fun events are scheduled. Food stalls offering delicacies from all corners of India will be put up by the various regional committees. The day is set to culminate in a grand cultural night. Lots to look forward to!

Keep checking back for more updates.

Here are some memories of XL Ustav from the past:

http://lifeatxl.blogspot.com/2007/08/xl-utsav-family-festival-aug-11-12.html

http://xlcampus.blogspot.com/2004/10/xl-utsav-2004-celebrations-abound.html

Alumni Homecoming 2010

The students of the batches of 2011 and 2012 are all set to welcome the XL alumni for this year's Alumni Homecoming, scheduled to be held during the weekend of 20-21 November, 2010.

This little note is to politely remind you of our XL family get-together that strengthens our XL bonds and fosters camaraderie amongst us. The institute is happy to invite you for all the events that are being organized in connection with the Homecoming 2010.

Please grace the occasion with your presence. For further details, please check out the Alumni Portal at:

http://alumni.xlri.ac.in/homecoming2010/

For those of you who have not registered yourself in the Alumni Portal (http://alumni.xlri.ac.in/) please do so at the earliest. Ms. Padmini Singh from the Alumni office will assist you in registering your name. Her contact details are:

Email: alumni@xlri.ac.in

Mobile: 9955132937/9135358468.

All of us at XL Look forward to having you amongst us during 20-21 November, 2010! :)

Salsa Workshop

Written by Urshila Ghag, PMIR 2010-12.

Dracula (Dramatics and Cultural Association) at XLRI organized a Salsa workshop which was conducted by DNAdanceworks. DNA, short for ‘Dorothy and Amit’ worked their magic, along with Rubin and Jon, on XLers at midnight on 9th and 10th August. DNAdanceworks is a Kolkata based company who played the dance wizards for two nights transforming XLers into graceful, glamorous salsa dancers.

Dorothy and Amit have 14 years of experience in teaching various Latin American dances and are also well versed in jazz, hiphop, b-boying and have choreographed for many movies. For two days, everyone learnt salsa moves such as the open break, the comb, the cross body lean and a variety of what came to be called ‘sexy moves’ and heedless of time, everyone danced and twirled into the wee hours of the morning.

With over 60 couples registered, anticipation and excitement ran high. On the second day there was social dancing where the girls went around the room, switching partners. With the spirit of salsa touching everyone present, the scene sizzled with joy, exhilaration and togetherness, another unique example encapsulating what XL culture is all about.

Life at XLRI: Observations, impressions and more….

Here in XL, no two days are same. Each day bring something new to add to yourself, each class shakes up a belief somewhere. Aha-moments et al . What makes the experience amazing is the excellent camaraderie among 600 people strong student body on campus.

Here are two new experiences for you, which capture these emotional upheavals(Please note that I used “experience” very deliberately as XL experiences can’t really be read or narrated;  you gotta just “live” them to understand them!):

http://whatitees.com/2010/07/15/the-mba-pictionary/

http://nikunjverma.com/2010/08/09/synergy-and-collaboration-this-is-what-a-bschool-should-look-like/

Heil XL!

Adventure Trip by XLRI: a transformational experience…

 

You might or might not be aware that XLRI sends all its students(BM/PMIR/GMP) to a 3 day outdoor trip organized by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. To sample more such activities, you may click here.

Though this trip had “adventure” as the underlying theme, it actually transcends adventure in several counts. It is a fantastic team building and leadership exercise. It helps you understand your batchmates and create bonds with them. What more, it even leads you to discover unknown areas of your personalities. To say it all in one shot, I would say it helps you work on your Johari’s window:

 

So in the above picture, you would find that this trip will help you work on the areas mentioned above in the above picture. That is, you might be able to reduce the “Facade”, “Blind spot” and “Unknown” sections, while increasing your “Open Arena” sections.

Every year each of our batches in XLRI go to this “adventure” trip and come back from it with new insights, new strengths and many lifelong memories.

You can read some such experiences here:

Rohit VM's (GMP 10-11 batch) experience

Andrew Panton’s (XLRI visitor) experience

Ankit Chordia's (GMP 09-10 batch) experience

A trip through the rural India: Hats off to human ability to survive!

You might be aware that XLRI prides itself as one of the most socially focused bschools in India. Many of the faculty we have here are socially inclined and are actively working in the area of social and rural development.  See this recent news item second social entrepreneurship conference

Anyway, coming back to the topic. Half of our batch is just back from the two day village tour, cris-crossing the tough terrain of Jharkhand’s rural region. The experience we had was almost “soul changing”.  We went through a range of feelings. Here is my attempt to describe them in words:

How lucky we were, but still we complained endlessly: Think of yourself in this setting- Poles and wires but no electricity. No roads. Nearest market 30 kms away. Water drying up in wells and handpumps. No rains in sight. And if these development related mess was not enough, you have naxalite issues. So no venturing out after the sun sets - you may be caught between the armed forces and the naxalite faceoff.

And compare this to the constant gripe we had in our urban life style. A pothole, an hour power cut, noise pollution and what not.

This world is not short of heroes: Most of us mortals try to contribute in bits and pieces, once in a while. A donation to Greenpeace/CRY and donating old clothes, etc is where our efforts stop. And at the other end, there are the heroes. We observed the efforts of NGO activists whose efforts were not subdued by mountains of problems. No roads, inaccessible hilly areas, doubting villagers and tribal. They face it all and more. Routinely they have a brush with naxalites but they hit the roads the next day in the same undying spirit. As another example of a hero, we met a teacher who completed higher studies from a top college but went back to his village to teach people. And he did teach well- inspiring the kids to learn and become “big” people like us. But are we really “big” is the question pestering my mind right now.

So after all this description you must be beginning to grow emotional and even pitiful., Don’t be as now its the turn to become envious.

Circumstances lead to great solutions: You would think that words like Microfinance, balance sheet, PLR, risk appetite, 24/7 credit, penalty for absence, etc. would be Greek to people living in the remotest corners of rural landscape. I am sorry but I have a picture to change your egoistic thought:

This is a simple account of a group of 19 villagers. They pool their savings to form a fund and they can borrow from this pool when they need money. They meet every week and every person needs to contribute a savings of Rs 5 at minimum. This makes them save for the bad times. They issue passbooks and do basic security of money by keeping the key and the money box with their different people. This responsibility changes each week. They maintain detailed MoMs for each meeting(Satyam board needs to learn a thing or two) and every week discuss a problem and generally form a consensus about the solution(we MBA students need to learn lessons as in our meeting ”minutes are created but hours are lost”).

We will fight and trump the odds:  Its their in the spirits- Life is tough but we are tougher. Little kids marched on with perfect discipline, punctuality and great sincerity, flip flopping to their hostel rooms, classes and the play grounds. The behavior was exemplary- they played sports with competitiveness but still respected the rules and cared for their school chums. In our 2 day stay at the school(it was a boarding school) we never heard a loud noise, saw even a minor brawl or witnessed someone crying. And this when they were far away from their parents and mostly just got a plate of rice and a bowl of waterish dal. These pictures kind of sum the hopes and contentment these kids displayed:

 

I could have written a lot more but I think words are never going to be enough. Thank you XLRI, as the trip was an eye opener for all of us.  It has brought us closer to our other country brethrens and also at peace with our inner selves. We now much appreciate the human spirit to fight and survive, against all human created and natural odds. We are humbled and as surely our future decisions as the managers and corporate leaders will be much more inclusive and sensitive in light of this trip.

With this, I would leave you with some other pictures from our trip, which give you the flavor of how it was. All pictures are courtesy our ace photographer Naren and a junior photographer Junaid. Thanks you guys!

 

Unfolding of 2nd National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship @ XLRI

The following is a pictorial unfolding of the 2nd National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship @ XLRI (Jan 29-31, 2010)...

2nd National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship - slideshow



(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwFynZJ06N8