Samanvay 2013

Some experiences in life have an everlasting impression in our mind. This year’s Samanvay was one such experience which will be cherished by all of us for the years to come. Managing VUCA was the theme for the 7th edition of Samanvay where VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. DoMS was the most vibrant place in IIT Madras this October with the convergence of some of the top minds in B-school and the Industry taking on the challenges of the new VUCA world. The nerves were running high leading up to the event and the challenges equally big, but the hard work and dedication of all the co-ordinators with the support of the faculty took Samanvay to a whole different level this year.

Cyclothon and the Flash Mob

The event started on an exciting note with a barrage of enthusiastic students from all over the Institute taking part in the cyclothon on the evening of 17th October. Prof. T. T. Narendran flagged off the event which announced the commencement of the 7th edition of Samanvay. Refreshments awaited the participants at the finishing point and Certificates were given to the first 100. At around 8’o clock on the same day, the student fraternity of the Institute was in for a special surprise when a sudden flash mob appeared in front of the Himalaya mess. The flash mob was a perfect signal of the excitement and the pleasant surprise that were to be witnessed in the next three days of Samanvay.

Inauguration
On 18th October the moment that we were all eagerly waiting for and working towards arrived. Everyone gathered in the IC&SR auditorium of the Institute for the official inauguration of Samanvay. Mr Awdhesh Krishna, MD, Global HR head, Nomura Services India Ltd. Was the Chief Guest of the Inaugural function. The ceremony began with a prayer song followed by an opening address by our HOD Prof. G. Srinivasan about the department and his expectations from this edition of Samanvay. Mr Awdhesh Krishna delivered an inspiring speech on the theme of Samanvay, ‘Managing VUCA’. Though the concept of VUCA gives a negative feeling he urged the students to approach the VUCA world with a positive mind-set which would help them find the right opportunities out there. ‘Learning Agility’is the mantra that will take us to success in a VUCA world. He discussed the megatrends in the industry like changing face of technology and sustainability. He concluded the speech with his own quote that says, ‘What matters is not competence but Character, not success but Significance.

The Conclave
Individualism can only go so far. Real Excellence is beyond its reach, far beyond the horizon that only togetherness can unravel. On October 19, 2013, the students, alumni and faculty of DoMS, along with the corporate leaders, gathered together in a ‘Management Conclave’ to aggregate their distinctiveness, to exploit the pull of ideological differences and to experience the sheer brilliance of collective coherence. The Management conclave was a panel discussion on India’s Demographic Dividend – A boon or bane’ The panel members of the conclave included many of the industry stalwarts. We had Mr.CharathNarasimhan, CEO Indian Terrain, and also an IIT-M alumnus. Mr.P Suresh, Chief Operating Officer of Bhartiya International was another panel member. We also had Ms, VidyaMuralidhar, HR Manager at Ashok Leyland andProfessor V.R Muralidharan, Professor of Economic at the Department of Humanities and Sciences, IIT Madras. The Guest of Honour for the conclave was Mr. T.V Karthikeyan, CFO L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Limited. He also heads the F&A at L&T Ltd., ECC Division. The panel discussion was moderated by Mr.ArunSubramony, a Ph.D student at Department of Management Studies, an entrepreneur, and an MBA graduate from the Kellog School of Business. The panel discussion shed light on various aspects of the Indian economy that needs to be looked upon, if we are to take advantage of the current demographic dividend and make it count for the future. The speakers stressed on the importance of bringing about a good coverage of quality education across the country, to address the needs of employability and improved economy. They also spoke about the importance of setting up necessary infrastructure that would address the growing needs of our country. They also spoke about reforming the labour laws to favour the growth of business and address the employability and unemployment issues. The speakers also responded to the questions posed by the audience at the end of the discussion. The event concluded with a wonderful speech by Mr. T.V.Karthiekyan, the guest of honour for the day. Mr. T.V Karthikeyan, being a CFO of an infrastructure organisation, delved more into the need for sophisticated and world-class roads, bridges and transportation structure that would enable easy flow of trade, favouring the economy of the country.

Valedictory Function

As all good things must come to an end, the beautiful and pleasant evening of October 20, 2013, saw the curtains being drawn down on Samanvay 2013. The valedictory ceremony of the seventh edition of Samanvay was attended by the faculty, alumni and students of the Department of Management Studies. Mr Ambarish Das Gupta, Head of KPMG operations India, Mr Raman, KPMG India, Professor R. Nagarajan, Dean of International & Alumni Relations graced the occasion with their presence. Mr Ambarish Das Gupta delivered the keynote address. He spoke about the consulting industry and the qualities that are needed for a consultant and outlined the importance and contribution of the consulting industry in growing economies. Mr Ambarish Das Gupta captured the attention of the audience with his wit and humour. He also took questions from the audience. Finally the Vote of thanks delivered by Samanvay Core Coordinator Shine Nagpal brought us to the end of Samanvay 2013 with the hope of returning bigger and better next year.

Courtesy
DoMS Interface Committee
Class of 2015