Symphony 02 2015 Symphony SYMPHONY2015 03 2 0 1 5

From the Director’s Desk 04 IIM Shillong - The Seventh Heaven 28 Book Rules of the Game From the Faculty Advisor 05 Yet She is Being Killled Sumit Chowdhury 59 From the Editorial Team 06 Chirag Tekriwal 30 A tale of two Revolutionaries The Name is Right, Centre-Right Navneet Kumar 61 The Symphonies of Insurgency Debarun Majumdar 31 The Truth of our Existence Fear Sumon Chaudhuri 08 The Inevitable Shillonging ! Parsita Kundu 64 Karma Economy Karanvir Gupta 33 Art Window 66 Ramanathan K 11 A Student’s Musings on Shillong Sports Persons Lost in Transition Varsha Poddar 34 Sujoy De 67 Bharati Das 13 When IIM Shillong Comes Together 36 Relevance of Greek Literature in the The Un t Face Of Democracy HR – In-House Money Monger but Space Age (Mohammed Fahd) 68 Mohit Kumar 14 Outsourced Expert I’m Not an Atheist Scotland of the East 19 Eashwar Rajan 38 Pratik Chakrabarti 70 Tainted Textiles Revelolution by Rhetoric The Space An unexpected Journey Bhagyashree Dhawan 18 Agnitra Ghosh 40 Rupam Thakar 73 Fear You May Judge An Event But IIM Shillong Golf Cup Season 7 75 Kasturi Guha Thakurta 20 Judging a Person Is a Crime EmergE 2014 78 Leaders are a dying breed Gaurav Jain & Nishesh Bhasin 45 Podium 80 or are they ? Freud and his psychoanalytic approach Tedx 2014 82 Peeush Goel 21 Nandita Choudhury 47 Committees 83 A Pair of Chairs All the stage’s the world Clubs 88 Siddharth Chaudhary 22 Garima Kumar 50 Students’ Achievements 94 Interview All it takes is a click 52 Faculty Speaks 96 Mr. M. Ravichandran 23 Brokers and Insurance Sector in India Alumni Speak 97 A Continuation: Working in Start-Ups and Shubhabh Rustagi 54 Batch Picture PGP 2013-15 98 Mba’ing in IIM Shillong The Entropic World Order Siddharth Chaudhary 26 Shubhang Srivastava 56 Symphony 04 2015

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

Dear Readers,

With enormous pride, I introduce to you the sixth edition of Symphony, the annual magazine of IIM Shillong. The magazine aims at striking a harmonious chord with the readers and the North- Eastern region of this great nation. IIM Shillong has progressed immensely during these six years, bringing various laurels in both the academic and co-curricular elds and earning accolades from every quarter.

It is indeed heartening to see that the students leave no stone unturned in ful lling every initiative they undertake and are constantly endeavouring to the best of their abilities to achieve our vision of becoming an internationally recognized management institute with a global outlook while remaining grounded in Indian values.

The sixth edition of Symphony is built around the theme ‘Revolutions’ and strives to drive home the inalienable fact that progress in any aspect, be it for an individual or a corporate entity or even a nation, can only be achieved if we are prepared to embrace the radical and the unknown. Often, precursors to revolutions are viewed not in a good light, but looking closer one would see that the people who are unwilling to give up the present condition, however bad it may be for the vast majority of the remaining, are the ones who are most reluctantto usher change. The various articles and poems in this magazine touch upon this point and endeavour to showcase the need of looking forward and not being afraid of letting go of the present and past, however glorious they might be, in search of a better tomorrow.

Before concluding, I take this opportunity to congratulate ‘Team Symphony’ on conceptualizing and developing this edition of the magazine. I am sure that the students of IIM Shillong will always be able to carve out a niche for themselves, wherever they are in the world, not only as managers, but also as leaders.

Prof. Amitabha De Director IIM Shillong Symphony 2015 05

MESSAGE FROM THE FACULTY ADVISOR

The world of business wasn’t always as liberal as it is today. The modern world of business began only when a radical and profound change occurred in the economic relationships and technological conditions.This radical change was referred to as the industrial revolution. It could’ve easily been given some other name, but it was called a revolution. The reason for this apt naming was that those drastic changes in the economic and technological scenario, prevalent at that time, helped industrialists break the shackles of prohibition and take their business to soaring heights and unprecedented levels of success. What we can infer from this short trip down the memory lane is the fact that breaking established structure can, at times, not only be a good thing, but also be extremely necessary. Our students have always been able to draw inspiration from signi cant things that a ect our day to day lives and hence, the signi cance of revolution in our lives has been showcased in the current edition of Symphony.

I must congratulate and thank the dynamic team of Symphony for their vigour, perseverance and devotion in giving their best to shape the present edition. Without their relentless and sincere e orts for over last eight months, it would not have been possible to bring Symphony to its readers in its current form. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors for their active associationand valuable contributions.

I am con dent that this year’s presentation will succeed inprovoking your thoughts and taking you to another level of percipience as you read along through this beautiful compilation.

Happy reading!

Tapas Kumar Giri Associate Professor IIM Shillong Symphony 06 2015

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD Dear Readers story’ this time and instead we present to you an With the sixth edition of Symphony, we present to eclectic blend of issues and topics that caught the you our endeavour at taking stock of the academic fancy of the students of our institute and made them year that swept by us. Snippets of the days that ponder. The article ‘Revolution by Rhetoric’ brings to were spent in pursuit of goals and of the days that you a tribute to some of the great speeches of our celebrated their achievement, of days that tested times, speeches that changed the course of history. and changed us, of the mundane days, and most Yet other articles explore the relevance of Greek importantly, of the days that made us pause, think, literature in current times, throw light on Freud and express and take action are held in these pages. his theories, take a look at what it could mean to live in a ‘Karma Economy’, opine on various functions of We’ve done away with the idea of having a ‘cover management – such as HR, form personal memoirs Symphony 2015 07 of working in start-ups and living the ‘MBA life’. Also edition of  agship events – Golf Cup, Khlur-thma, included in verse from the students are re ections EmergE, Podium and Tedx IIM Shillong have been on Shillong and the girl child. We hope that the covered and so have the student achievements. We variety we could not have included in a cover tag also bring you word from a couple of our faculty line has been included between these covers. members and from some of our alumni members. And as is wont from an annual magazine, one With this, we leave it to our readers to cherish the can get a full picture of the institute’s interest year gone by and wish them luck with the years to groups, committees, activities and events from come. the concluding pages of the magazine. The 2014

Regards Team Symphony Symphony 08 2015

THE SYMPHONIES OF INSURGENCY By Sumon Chaudhuri Symphony 2015 09

There is not a soul on God’s green earth that would It instilled in people the sense of urgency to do dare to claim that he has not listened to any form of something for the greater good of the country. Even music. In fact, many of us consider music to be the if one possessed the slightest bit of a nity towards friend who tells us a soothing story when we need it poetry or music, that person could identify himself the most. It understands what we are going through as a citizen of India and envision a future in which without us having to explain it. It is always there, by his countrymen would no longer remain enslaved. our side, like brothers in arms, ready to go to war, Bengal produced ve poets of considerable ability even if that war is something as simple as a maths who could sing and were capable of setting the test. tune to the words they had written. These ve poet- composers were Rabindranath Tagore, Rajanikanta Over the years, music has played a pivotal role in Sen, Dwijendra Lal Roy, Atul Prasad Sen and Kazi igniting, as well as intensifying, the re that burned Nazrul Islam. Political songs were only a small within the revolutionaries who fought for the fraction of their creative output. In these songs, freedom of their motherlands. It gave them the a person’s motherland is given the esteem of courage to visualise a future when they would no divinity and it would be expected that men would longer be oppressed. It helped them resolve their do anything in order to preserve its dignity. When di erences and amalgamate themselves into an we listen to these very songs today, we may nd it unstoppable force. Most importantly, it gave them di cult to comprehend its context. However, we the will to keep ghting when all hope would be lost. could de nitely picture the warriors of yesteryears The freedom songs sung during the American civil ghting for our freedom. It is these songs that rights movement were aptly described by Martin help keep alive the memories of the martyrs who Luther King, Jr., as “The soul of the movement”. sacri ced everything so that we can enjoy privileges Throughout the course of this movement, a hymn, like freedom and democracy, which we have so popularised during the labour struggles of the easily taken for granted. 1940s, became the tune that was sung by everyone and was heard by everyone. That song was titled Music has thus proven time and again that it is “We Shall Overcome” and it is still considered to one of the greatest tools that can be used to unite be a tune that personi es determination, courage people towards a common goal. And one does not and perseverance. To the oppressed African- have to travel far back in time to search for instances Americans, songs were more than just a couple of where it has done so. Elton John’s rendition of Eric words clubbed with a melody. They were used as Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven”, moved people and gave weapons. Student activists used to propagate their them that little push, so that they would become ideas among the masses with the help of traditional proactive and contribute towards the betterment of church music. They added a whole new dimension those who had su ered in Japan’s tsunami tragedy. to the customary songs by showcasing the history Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World”, tells people of their su erings and arming the freedom ghters about the unrest in today’s world, highlighting with the vigour to lay their lives on the line and ght instances such as the turmoil in Burundi. Another for what they believed was necessary. Songs also such famous example, was the USA for Africa played a critical role in sustaining morale for those initiative, orchestrated primarily by Lionel Ritchie. who were serving time in the county jails. It helped Several renowned pop artists collaborated to make them feel optimistic and gave them a sense of an album that would generate funds for the famine reassurance that their sacri ce would not be in vain. in Ethiopia. The song “We are the World” sold for more than 20 million copies, which showed everyone that Much like in America, music played an integral despite all the cynicism and pessimism in the world, part in India’s ght for sovereignty as well. Music if someone takes a step forward to show some and poetry acted as mediums of knowledge for altruism, people will follow suit. the people. It helped them understand the value of independence, thereby motivating them to We often notice that the world around us is changing ght for the same as well. During those days of drastically. When we ask ourselves the question as subordination, Indian government o cials felt as to how and why these changes take place, we are though they were bound by shackles of captivity confronted by one all-encompassing answer – Us. It and music helped them get temporary respite from is the people who kindle the  ame of revolution and their regular trials and tribulations. It helped shape pass on that torch from one generation to the next. the mentality of numerous people during that time. This brings us to the next question as to why people Symphony 10 2015

we would come up with responses like logic and that can devour everything and leave nothing but rationality, but very rarely does a man nd it logical ruins in its wake. to sacri ce oneself for others. The answer that we The beauty of music is that it is timelessly enthralling, are looking for lies in one essential trait that human yet dynamic and ever-changing. Its purpose keeps beings possess, a characteristic that separates the, varying with the people who create it and the from inanimate objects. That trait is emotion, and society that it is cultured in. Its creators may choose nothing fuels human beings to carry out impactful to use it as a device that can motivate and unite, actions more than sheer emotion. Music has fuelled or as a provision for entertainment that becomes such emotions since its very inception and will the basis of their livelihoods. Either way, music will continue to do so long after we’re gone. Just like always be something that reaches out to everyone it can add a touch of excitement to our feelings of and that all can relate to. ecstasy, it can also fuel our rage and turn it into a re Symphony 2015 1111 KARMA

ECONOMYBy Ramanathan K SymphonySymphony 12 20152015

Karma in Sanskrit literally means to act. Citing the will be the next big potato chips  avor. One could Oxford Dictionary’s de nition, Karma means “sum say that the prize money could be the motivation of person’s actions in one of his successive states here to participate in such an event but there are of existence, viewed as deciding his fate for the equally good number of examples where there is next.” Karma basically works on Newton’s third law absolutely no reward. One example can be where that every action produces an equal and opposite Delhi Tra c police uses their Facebook page to invite reaction. It is believed that every single thought crowd-clicked photos to identify and prosecute or action of ours will create an equal and opposite o ending vehicles. Seeing the success, Mumbai and e ect at some other point in time. Pune police departments have implemented this. Another example is of the voting system in reality With that being said, one can of late observe that shows which asks the audience to vote for their so many people are doing numerous things for favourite contestants whom we would not have free without expecting anything in reward. Be it known personally. But still we vote, shelling out a contributing to Wikipedia or writing an answer few bucks, just because we believed that he/she in Quora or helping the projects shared with the deserved it. People are more than willing to work world via Git Hub, people have started sharing their even for free to put forward their ideas and thoughts knowledge with the world for free which a few to the world without any incentive. decades ago would have costa lot of money. For any question that you Google, a person sitting in another Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the survival part of the world would have written an answer for of the ttest might not hold true for the bigger that expecting nothing in return. Why are people brained humans anymore. People have evolved who are getting nothing out of this answering our and as a result society has evolved. Kickstarter, a problems? Where does this motivation come from? famous global crowd funding platform based in The answer to this gradual shift could be karma, and United States has received over $1billion in pledges progressively we could be moving towards what we from more than 5 million donors to bring in 135,000 can call the ‘Karma Economy’. creative projects to life. One such person who bene ted from this was Amanda Palmer, who once Barter system of exchange is a very old method of was working as living statue, got $1.2 million dollars exchange that dates back to 6000 BC and was in via this crowd funding site to start her new album use before money was invented. In this, goods and and kick start her music career (Do watch her TED services are directly exchanged for other goods Talk!). Examples will only keep coming as we move and services without any medium of exchange. more and more towards this Karma economy. The person willing to exchange goods or services expects something immediately in return. At People are willing to help and work for others for around 1000 BC, we slowly started moving from free. According to the Karma theory they might barter system to a monetary system. Now we are reap bene ts, in due course of time but most of gradually, yet silently, shifting to another system them might not even care about getting their due where people do work without expecting anything bene ts as that was not the intention behind their in return even at a later date. This is not to say that act. The pure love for it makes them pursue what we will completely move away from the monetary they believe in. If not this, then how could we have system but just to emphasise the growth of Karma got all the product reviews which people write on economy. online shopping sites? It is not just the physical self anymore. The self has expanded and the seven Being from a marketing background, I can nd this billion odd people waiting in their respective trend spreading like re here. Crowd sourcing is the Maslow’s hierarchy pyramid levels have just sensed buzzword today and it is generally de ned as using a good grip of their next higher level and are on the inputs of those people external to the organisation verge of climbing to the next level. to complete tasks that once were assigned to internal employees. Apart from opening new doors to a lot Welcome to the world of Karma Economy. of fresh, new ideas, it also develops a sense of co- creation with customers. The famous example that I could recall is the Lay’s ‘Do us a Flavor’ where the company invited ideas from customers as to what SymphonySymphony 20152015 13 Lost In Transition By Bharati Das There once lived a lonely child, With eyes as big as clouds and cheeks just as mild He’d sit at the corner seat of the trailing bus and wonder where he’d go, For he had no place to drive, and a boundless world to know. He’d observe the world with his wide eyes and curious mind, Trying to pick up the things where others have left them behind Once I went up to him and asked: “What would you do if you could change the world?” He gently lifted up his head and replied: “Nothing much but perhaps the swirl The people here spend their years trying to get back their youth, They keep making boxes and they’ll end up in one too, if they could.” Awed by his negativity and mostly by his disappointment, I started wondering if this is what we call ‘achievement’. People kill each other, and the rest of them sell their souls, Children race like rats, and are broken into tiny molds. Who said they have to be perfect, or that they can’t go and play outside? Because every time they cry, I die a little inside. Innocence is last and lost, shattered and broken We are lost in translation, lost in transition. We try to be who we are not, Devils we have awoken, for we forgot To switch on our souls and turn o our worries, And we are left with a few ‘thank you’s and ‘sorries’. Perhaps we are like that lonely child, Always questioning things and nding some place to hide. So let’s not be skeptical with our future anymore, Give wings to the children and let them soar. For they are our future and they have every right to dream, To be whoever they want to be, whatever it may seem. And last but not the least, let’s change our own perception For it is not them, but us who are lost in transition.

Bharati Das 2014PGP059 SymphonySymphony 14 20152015

single person. This unfortunately should not be the case in a democracy. While the nation is in dire need of politicians bearing THE UNFIT intellect, sound education and incorruptible integrity, people are failing to elect them. While this certainly calls for awakening on the part of the FACE OF voters, they too are not to be blamed completely. There have been instances in history when educated people have been trusted and brought to power DEMOCRACY but they have failed to perform. We are talking By Mohit Kumar about the likes of Mr. Kalmadi, an alumnus ofthe

The political scenario in India is changing and reputed Fergusson college, Pune and ex-service apparently it seems to be getting better. With man of Indian Airforce, now notorious for the CWG improving lifestyle, growing expectations a changing scam; Mr. Ashok Chavan, holding a Masters in geo-political scenario, depletion of resources and a Management and accused of the Adarsh scam; Mr. desperate need for good governance, we need more A. Raja, a Bachelors of Science and Bachelor of Law of educated and responsible politicians like Naveen and a prime accused in the 2G scam and others like Jindal, Nandan Nilekani and Arvind Kejriwal. them. These personalities have not only attained These people not only created a trust de cit between educational excellence envied by many but have the educated politicians and the voters but also also proved their mettle with other achievements. decimated the political name of the Indian National To the consternation of many, these candidates lost Congress party to such an extent that people like their seats in the recent parliamentary elections. Nandan Nilkani, Sachin Pilot were disfavoured on account of their association with these politicians. The list does not end with the above mentioned names. Many of the candidates from the recently This background brings us to evaluate a deeper launched Aam Aadmi Party had distinguished question: Is India even t to be a democracy? pro les such as Adarsh Shastri, the grandson of At a juncture when leaders are not acting responsibly former Indian Prime Minister Late Lal Bahadur and people are not trusting responsible leaders, Shastri who quit his plum corporate job as sales how is democracy even sustainable? What will be head at Apple to join the party; Ajit Joy, a retired IPS the future of a country where people vote not to o cer with an LLM degree from Harvard university; elect but to evict? Should we really continue with a Mr. Anoop Nautiyal, Former COO for 108 Emergency democratic system? Service, Uttarakhand and an alumnus of SRCC, Delhi University and NIFT, New Delhi and so on. But they Well, we do not have many choices for ourselves. were overpowered by the sa ron wave led by a Amongst the once available, it is the best. The SymphonySymphony 20152015 15 populace certainly does not want autocracies or So we need to possess a sense of trust. Though theocracies. We do crave for democracy, only in a we have fallen, though we have been cheated, we better form. So let us examine where the fault lies in need to trust and choose the leaders we desire. The our democratic institution. purpose of a democracy is to get the country run by the most capable people. We need not trust what In my view, the problem lies in the distrust people the media says. We need not trust what the party have for themselves. They are afraid of further speakers say. We just need to trust what we believe jeopardizing the state the country is in and so ourselves. they take a conservative approach in choosing an experienced party over new political leaders. What In the stinking political war, political speakers will they fail to understand is that democracy is all about point out minuscule issues like moving to a new the power the people possess. A nation’s political government  at, the media will highlight faked rage

state is determined only through the actions of its shown by the public but it is up to us to judge the people. veracity of the content circulated. Ours is a democratic setup but consider what The times are not the same as earlier. We are no happened during the Arab spring in the Middle East. longer a closed economy. We need people who It is hard to believe that a country would go down understand the dynamics of the new world order. without the consent of its populace. It is a di erent We need people who are from amongst us. We matter that some economies had gone wrong but need a leader who ghts against plutocracy, who in those cases, the people of the country were to is incorruptible, patriotic, empathetic and dares to blame. They acted too capitalistic, displayed corrupt come out openly in public to meet his or her people virtues and as a result faced the consequences. If we despite the risks involved. We need leaders who are willing to pay bribes, we should not demander do not practice cheap politics or spend millions in addiction of corruption from any Political or marketing themselves when there are thousands administrative crisis. If we favor our near and dear dying due to hunger. We need someone who ones, we cannot blame others of nepotism. understands various political ideologies and is capable of integrating them under various scenarios. We need someone who is not necessarily based out of a Gandhian state but understands Gandhian ideologies. Time has given us a chance. Maybe there will be another one coming. But it will not happen over and over again endlessly. The sooner this realization dawns upon the people, the better would be the chances of a stable and prosperous future. Symphony 16 2015

SCOTLAND OF THE EAST Symphony 2015 17 Symphony 18 2015 Tainted

Textiles By Bhagyashree Dhawan

It’s been almost two years since the Rana Plaza hazardous. Women are also subject to sexual building collapse in Bangladesh killed more than harassment. The workers are mostly women who 1,000 factory workers. The tragedy of the disaster live in a patriarchal society and have low skill and is not that a building fell down. It is that thousands little education. Do they have a choice? I think not. of people died when the management and the Bangladeshi Government does not enforce strong workers knew something was wrong. EU measures over factory deaths as that would hurt their country’s economy and millions would Bangladesh has notoriously bad working conditions, lose jobs. Yet several measures were taken after sustained by low wages, lack of unions, corruption people from all around the world raised their voices. and poor labour laws. The wages are so low that Most retailers rejected the Bangladesh Factory they cannot even cover the basic necessities. Global Safety Accord. Some thought it wasn’t nancially fashion demands producing clothes extremely fast feasible and others didn’t want to be vulnerable to at very low costs. lawsuits. Some thought That just the Bangladeshi Rana Plaza was owned by a member of the ruling Government was at fault. political party who used to run a drug and extortion Garments are marked up almost sixty percent for business. The upper four  oors were built without the consumer to buy and the brands we are talking a permit and yet no action was taken by the about have turnovers in billions of dollars. Can authorities. The factory owners had ve garment these brands not a ord the cost of worker safety? factories and insisted the factories work in spite of There is such lack of accountability when it comes the evacuation orders. to the garment industry that it is shocking. There Who is at fault? Is it the owner of Rana Plaza or the are brands who uplift the communities who work factory owners? Is it the workers themselves? Or is for them. Brands like The Body Shop, Fabindia it the Bangladeshi Government for its slack labour empower backward communities by giving them laws? It can be the brands too, who have absolutely adequate share of the income from the consumers. no oversight of the various tiers of the supply chain. There has to be a redistribution of the pie by giving The economy of Bangladesh is what it is today only more share to the labours to ensure their safety. because of the garment industry. The workers are Bangladeshi government has to make its labour forced to work for long hours and are subjected to laws stronger. They have to allow labour unions to harsh punishment if they commit a mistake. Work form. International monitoring bodies who have conditions are unsafe, cramped and extremely their members as the richest countries of the world Symphony 2015 19 should step in. The power is in the hands of the rich and it is they who have to think beyond themselves. Fashion Revolution Day was born to catalyse change in the industry and it was led by campaigners, press, academicians and industry leaders. It brought to public attention the weakest cog in the garment supply chain. It showed the public that a change is possible and that the current business models have to change. It celebrated fashion as a positive in uence and it aimed at educating the consumer about who made their clothes to build human relationships with them. It is high time that we stop letting brands overpower us and we as consumers become aware of what goes on behind the scenes to be a part of the change that is urgently required. Symphony 20 2015

FEARBy Kasturi Guha Thakurta

“Tell your heart that the fear of suff ering is worse than inevitable part of mortals. So why fear death when the suff ering itself. And no heart has ever suff ered when it we know there is nothing we can change about it. goes in search of its dream” - Paulo Coelho Instead we should live as if there is no tomorrow. Death will part us from our lives, but till then we are It sucks our blood, it drains us, it reduces us to a the master of it. skeleton and we lay still; oblivious to its e ects. When we are about to take a plunge into our dreams, I have never been able to explain why we fear God. it comes back, haunting us with an uneasy sense of Religious preachers put fear inside us, making us foreboding. No, it’s not an evil spirit, but one that is believe that good deeds will lead us to a beautiful its equivalent….it’s called fear. afterlife, to heaven; and evil deeds will land us in hell. If we harm anybody, god will harm us. They We spend half of our lives fearing- fear of losing our make god look like a monster who is deliberately loved ones, fear of failing, fear of competing, fear of looking for ways to punish us. I say, god is not there death, and quite surprisingly fear of God. We don’t to punish us or to throw us in hell. god is there to realize but fear acts as the biggest impediment forgive, to love, to protect and to show us the path. of life, pulling us down when we are on the verge Always do good deeds, not to go to heaven but only of winning. It destroys the austerity of life with its because it’s good. Never do evil deeds, not because baleful motives. The conceited fear and the sagacious you fear hell, but only because it’s bad. life are constantly at battle with each other. But the moment we let fear overcome our strong will, Life We retract our steps fearing a facade of failure. accepts defeat and fear overshadows it. We may Everybody fears but few know how to conquer it. eventually not realize how fear a ects our life but We forget that our strong will is there to support in the long run, we realize that most of our failures us, like a veritable swarm of army against a hollow have been ominously guided by fear. fear. From now on, we won’t let fear overpower our will. Instead, determination will become an We fear of dying without realizing that we die indispensable part of our life, surmounting fear. a thousand deaths before the actual one in the process of fearing it. Death is a universal truth. It’s an Symphony 2015 21

Leaders are a dying breed … or are they By Peeush Goel

I came across the above statement in an article and So now we have a person who is not a leader it provoked the writer and philosopher in me. The anymore because of changing times. Does this mean remark is so bold and strong that it prompts one that the term “leader” itself has lost its meaning? to stop for a moment and ponder on his/her own Do we need to rede ne the word to make it more skills as a leader. On conducting a successful market suited to present times? People today are striving to research, I found that immediately after hearing this become leaders as per the old de nition. Does it not line, most MBA graduates start thinking whether seem similar to the concept of marketing myopia? this line is applicable to them or not. This re ects We seem to be only concerned about becoming a upon the insecurities that MBA graduates have in leader, when the term itself has changed in meaning. today’s world and they begin to think whether the We need to change the meaning of the word leader MBA degree is helping them become a leader or just and then we would be in a better position to answer a manager. the question posed by this topic. But what came to my mind immediately after reading This piece of writing was not intended to give a this statement was if it was truly so? Are leaders particular answer to the stated question but raise actually a dying breed? I think not. Rather what is further questions in the thinking minds of great becoming obsolete is the very meaning of the term people to come up with a new variable de nition “leader” in today’s times. Let’s take the leaders from of leader as per the changing times and coming earlier times (when leaders were a growing breed) up with this new de nition will de nitely give us a and put them in today’s scenario. Would they have better insight as to how a group of people just can been able to lead this new generation of people lead e ectively in order to become a true leader. who are more aware about their surroundings, the world and themselves? I do not think so. As a consequence, what could happen is that it would completely shatter our belief that the person was a leader in the true sense. For example, the Ford Model T was successful in those times but would not be so in today’s world; similar conclusions can be drawn for a leader as well. Symphony 22 2015 A Pair of

Chairs By Siddharth Chaudhary Once there was a chair People sitting did hurt a lot more Who went to a shop and asked for a spare The padding below too gave away & tore The shopkeeper asked with a naughty stare The back too wasn’t comforting like it used to be “Why? Do you want to make yourself a part of a pair?” The chair now had a dull look without any glee The chair blushed, his wood already red Alas, the master decided to send her away to the antique shop He realized that he was treading on a thin thread So the aging chair was sentenced to pick up and drop He replied with full conviction “It’s for my master” Unconcerned, ignorant she played along And decreed the shopkeeper to work a little faster Without her partner, life was nothing but a melancholic song Finally he found his pair Thus, she reached her new home Even without an introduction he began to care But as she entered the big dome, Together they went to the master’s bar She saw something that caught her attention Legs and hands bound together in a carrier’s car Her legs went numb due to a strange predilection “Both of them are made of teak wood” In the corner of the room she had seen a chair Said their master proudly with his head under a hood It glistened, it shone and it too, began to stare Night and day they stood together It looked so new yet it felt so dear Slowly a new relationship began to tether At last she realized who it was and shed a tear People came, people sat, people went The shine, comfort and the romance returned They were happy as long as in their relationship there was no The fire of love once again inside them burned dent The shopkeeper paired them & sold them together Then one day came a sad guy Post which they were a pair in every weather He didn’t say it but he did wish to die Nothing else did ever matter Oblivious to their happiness he broke one of them Since the former was always there with the latter. The other one too broke due to the loss of her gem Life was still there but she was not In the vicious circle of solitude she was caught The days still went by But there wasn’t a moment she didn’t cry The tears usually got lost in rum and whisky The days were now long and not so frisky Symphony 2015 2323 Interview I have no regrets for having joined the Insurance Industry and have been thoroughly enjoying the same. 2. In today’s world, IT is playing a major role in the growth of many industries. What are your views on the role of IT in the insurance industry in the near future in the Indian context? IT is a very important enabler for the insurance industry as well. While the advent of IT started very early on, I think we still have a long way to go before it is used in Insurance to the fullest extent. It can enhance various areas in an Insurance company’s operations such as Operations, Distribution Management, Claims, Underwriting and Analytics etc. In today’s day and age, IT cannot be seen at a standalone level and going forward has to form the backbone of each organization permeating the entire business process from end to end. With a strong IT backbone in place, Insurance professionals would be able to focus on their core business areas and not have to spend Mr. M. Ravichandran valuable time on background tasks that a good President- Insurance IT implementation can fully automate. TATA AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd. IT can also be e ectively used to monitor accumulations and thereby ensure that the 1. Tell us a bit about what prompted you to Insurers have adequate back to back protection. join the insurance industry. Digitization in Insurance like in most Industries would help in creating competitive advantage Like most insurers I must admit that I had no and help Insurers take science based decisions intention of joining the Insurance Industry rather than by gut/feel. and was keen to get into Banking. Whilst I was preparing to appear for the Bank’s entry level In a nutshell, an insurance company cannot o cer’s examination I was informed that the survive without a well thought out and high Insurance Industry’s entry level o cers exam is end IT platform. akin to that of Bank’s and it would be good to appear for this exam so that I get used to the exam pattern. 3. The penetration of health insurance in India is as low as 15%, which is quite low as As luck would have it the results of Insurance compared to developed countries. Do you exam came out rst and by the time the Bank think the tie-ups between healthcare centres exam results were announced I was into and insurance companies would improve this the third month of my 6 months training in percentage? Insurance. The fact that my father was working for an Insurance company also weighed on I think that people, especially those in the me and since I found the industry exciting I Metros and Tier II cities are awakening to the chose to stay in Insurance though a few of my very important need of having adequate colleagues had quit. medical insurance for their own selves and their Symphony 24 2015

families. Additionally state governments along the internet in their daily lives, this has become with insurance companies are embarking on an attractive medium through which rms can State sponsored Health Insurance schemes to advertise and distribute insurance products. provide basic health insurance facilities to our We are already witnessing a gradual change in large rural population. While there is still a long the buying habits of customers as they make way to go, the path ahead is clearly favourable use of the internet in the decision making and to health insurance services. Yes, tie ups product buying process. Insurance companies between large and medium size health care and are also e ectively using technology to meet diagnostic centres and insurance companies customer demands by integrating technology would de nitely help improve health insurance with the whole policy sales cycle. coverage to the extent of the patients they Of course the traditional channels would co- service. Having said that and given the rising exist with online channels and can ride the costs of medical services, it is also paramount to boom that increased awareness of Insurance educate the general populace of the extreme products brought about by online activity. criticality and necessity of having proper health Smart Insurers would invest in all channels insurance coverage. and would let the market forces determine Accreditations and standardization of the where the clients go. Having said this, for tari as far as possible for similar pattern of sophisticated products the traditional channels healthcare providers would simplify the entire would continue to remain relevant and in fact process. TPAs should increase their network grow stronger. to hospitals in all areas, which will lead to

increased competition and more bargaining power for TPAs. 5. Mis-selling is still prevalent in the insurance industry in India. What steps should be taken In Developed countries Health Insurance to weed out this practice? goes beyond Indemnity based products and more and more people are opting for wellness While mis-selling is prevalent in the insurance products and it would be no di erent in India in industry for a long time now, it is mainly a few years from now. a by-product of in-ordinate sales pressure on the distributor as well as incorrect need analysis done for the prospective customers. 4. Witnessing the rapid rise of e-tailing in the The regulator (IRDA) has already laid down country, do you think more emphasis would be stringent processes (Policyholder Protection given on online channels to market insurance Committee) for weeding out instances of mis- in the near future? selling and redressal of customer grievances and complaints that are closely adhered to It has been proven time and time again in by insurance companies. Additionally, most various industries that in the long run an online companies already have their own internal business channel is inevitable. Many people processes to identify such cases where possible now swear by the ease of transacting online for and take action where needed. The next steps, all possible services including but not limited which many insurance companies have already to electronics, banking, books, groceries, started moving towards would be to re-educate garments and of course insurance as well. On the front line sales force (agents, brokers, sales line provides access to a vast majority of people managers etc.) on the discipline of right selling who are otherwise di cult to be touched for and the concept of “customer rst”. This would o ering products/services. further help in reducing mis-selling to a large With such a win-win emerging for both the extent. service provider and the end customer, it is but Some of the steps already taken by IRDA to a matter of time that online business makes curb mis-selling are: Strict Persistency norms its presence felt even in insurance and would for agents, guidelines for Distance marketing, coexist with the traditional distribution channels online grievance management Portal, such as Agency , Broking or Bancassurance. Regulations for Web Aggregators. As customers continue to integrate the use of Symphony 2015 25

This problem of mis-selling can only be up with best practices that are home grown eradicated by the combined e orts of Insurers, and which in turn could be exported to other Regulators, Intermediaries and Customers as countries. The Indian market is a unique market well. in many ways and the practices that one adopts should be suited to the Indian sensitivities. Having said this, with increased globalisation 6. What according to you is the future outlook there would be convergence of practices and of the insurance industry in India? balancing act would have to be carried out. The Insurance industry in India has undergone Though like many countries, India is a price transformational changes over the last 12 years. sensitive market. Indian tastes could be di erent The industry has witnessed phases of rapid as compared to other countries and thus you growth along with spans of growth moderation, would see many examples of products that have intensifying competition with both life and been launched keeping Indian sensitivities in general insurance segments and signi cant mind (for example Indian Veg food launched by expansion of the customer base. Changes in many fast food MN companies). the regulatory environment had path-breaking impact on the development of the industry. The strong fundamentals of the industry augur 8. What concluding advice would you give to well for a road map to be drawn for sustainable our readers? long-term growth. Changes in the external environment would continue to present growth My only advice to readers who I assume would be opportunities and insurance companies would young management students about to embark be better equipped to exploit them based on their journey in the professional world on market insights and internal capabilities would be to write your own story. It is very easy developed over the period of time. In order to to fall into the rat race of power, career, money deliver on the shareholders’ expectations, the and fame and try to reach dizzy heights in the companies will be driven to strike a balance shortest time possible. But it is just as important between growth, pro tability and risk as they to be clear about what you want in life and then go forward. This would entail marked changes in work hard and diligently towards it. During this the business strategy and operational decisions journey, you would meet many people and it is related to product design, pricing, channel imperative that you leave these people with a monitoring, and operational e ectiveness. sense of your worth. Do what is right and also do what gives you satisfaction. Hard work in the Micro Insurance has the potential to unlock long run would yield success and it is important India’s huge Insurance potential in the rural and that in the formative years you spend time in social sector. understanding the fundamentals of business and remain inquisitive throughout your work In a nutshell exciting times are in store career. for Insurance Industry and with increased awareness and right regulatory environment In conclusion, please remember that while fame Insurance penetration would increase in the and power are transitional, your good name is days to come. everlasting. All the best!

7. Most management practices have been formulated from a Western point of view. Do you nd it easier to adapt them to Indian contexts or come up with new culture-speci c practices? Can you cite any example? In my view it is good to look at best practices and localise them so that they become relevant. It would also be equally important to come Symphony 26 2015

A CONTINUATION: WORKING IN START-UPS AND MBA’ING IN IIM SHILLONG By Siddharth Chaudhary

I had worked with 2 start-ups namely ambitionme (i) The thinking cap is always on! : When you are and testfunda prior to joining IIM Shillong to pursue working for a start-up the possibility of the “Eureka” my MBA. Before joining, I came across a lot of people moment minus the embarrassing part is always on. who warned me about how di cult the transition Why? Because you tend to think everywhere and from work life to student life would be! After coming every time. There is so much to do every day that here though I am experiencing something that I had you are never out of work irrespective of where never thought of before. There are de nitely a few you physically are. After coming to IIM Shillong I (if not more) parallels between my lifestyles as a have realized that the same is also applicable here. start-up guy and as a B-Schooler. To mention a few: Lectures, club/committee work, competitions, Symphony 2015 27 gaming, rendezvous with friends - there is so much in IIM Shillong we had to learn a lot of things like to do and so much to think of prior to that! making & presenting Power Point presentations on the go. It is a true learning experience or to put it in (ii) De nitely a jack of all trades! Well almost all!: a better way, learning by experience! While working for ambitionme I was cold calling in the morning, writing articles and making info (v) Deadlines are sacrosanct!: This couldn’t have graphics in the afternoon, managing social media been emphasized better at either of the two places in the evening and taking interviews at night! In IIM concerned! Right from the rst day in IIM Shillong Shillong, what with club and committee selections, we were made to realize the importance of the intra hostel competitions and fests going on almost same as we embarked on our MBA journey. Similarly all the time and of course, academic lectures being at ambitionme & testfunda there were time slots for a daily a air, the ride seems even more topsy-turvy! everything and one had to nish all the work before the deadlines! (iii) Yes, I can  y!: Well when you are working for a start-up or doing an MBA, impossible is de nitely (vi) The Party is always on! : No matter how hard we a word not there in your dictionary. Things that used to work, chilling out and partying was never o appeared impossible yesterday soon convert to the schedule. At both my work places, “Work hard achievements! You nd better solutions than you and party harder” was the anthem followed and we ever did before in situations which are much more ensured this never went un-followed. With the kind demanding than you may have ever faced. Just to of weather Shillong o ers and the hip crowd in our give an idea, getting ready for a formal occasion in 5 Institute this habit of mine is bound to be ampli ed! minutes (which includes shaving) becomes a habit! In short you learn to  y like Superman without the fear of kryptonite! (iv) A separate training programme . blah!: As a boss in a start-up, one has to be a miser in terms of time and as an employee one has to optimize or perish. I remember my rst day in ambitionme where I was asked to make cold calls right from the beginning without any training. However my training was on the job and I was learning while working. Similarly Symphony 28 2015

IIM SHILLONG - THE SEVENTH HEAVEN Symphony 2015 29 Symphony 30 2015 Yet She Is BEING KILLED By Chirag Tekriwal

She is the creator, next to GOD She is the one to beget, To beget this world with God’s desire; Making it a thing of beauty Yet she is being killed Being killed for no reason

She is the one who gives birth, She is the one who su ers the nine pains, She is the one who suckles us; gives intimation of maturity, with ease, without complaining; Yet she is being killed Being killed for no reason

She is the one who teaches us to live life, She is the one who makes bon better, She is the one without whom life isn’t possible Yet she is being killed Being killed for no reason

Had she been given a chance, a chance to prove herself, Either being Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams Had she been given a chance, to become P.T. Usha, Sania Mirza Had she been given a chance, to become Indira Gandhi, Pratibha Patil, Rani Jhansi or Kiran Bedi She would bring laurels for this Nation, Help keep the name and fame of Mother Earth aloft So Why? Why? Why kill her?

Nurture her, nourish her and positively educate her!!! Symphony 2015 31

THE NAME IS RIGHT, CENTRE-RIGHT

By Debarun Majumdar

Economic reforms, by their mere de nition, imply ‘Minimum government, maximum governance’, the state giving way to the market, thus indicating Mr. Modi made this phrase his ‘takia-kalam’ in the a reconsideration of the government’s roles and summer of 2014 to take the simple yet complex responsibilities. Governments need to do less or message to the masses of India. For long the Indian step out of those are as where markets can deliver. masses have been fed left wing rhetoric by ‘pseudo’ Conversely, the state needs to do more and be pro- welfare governments at the centre and at the states. active in those areas where markets alone cannot Mr. Modi’s message was refreshingly new for the be relied upon. So, a lower quantity of government Indian electorate. should lead to a higher quality of governance. Symphony 32 2015

It is almost taboo in India’s mainstream thinking eradicating these ills from Indian society. Markets to carry the label of right-wing. It usually brings to can be a stronger force for more liberalism and mind images of religious fanatics who are out to tolerance in society than any political party or penalize minorities and advocate moral policing for movement can ever be. all and sundry. Now, to tell the truth, every label has So we come back to the fundamental question. Does its own fringe. The extreme right, usually identi ed the state have a role to play in this centre-right vision with some form of extreme cultural nationalism or of India? The answer would be a resounding YES. The brute majoritarian instincts, has been a destructive state has to don the hat of an umpire. It ought to be force in history. But then so has the loony left. Adolf an e ective regulator of market forces so that wild Hitler committed heinous crimes in the name of excesses of the kind which were committed in the right-wing politics, just as Joseph Stalin slaughtered global nancial sector before the onset of the global millions of innocent people and fellow countrymen nancial crisis of 2008 are avoided. In a developing under the guise of left wing politics. Fortunately, in economy like India the state must also play an active democracies like India, there is very little scope for role in nancing the creation of infrastructure of all either extreme to prosper – the loony fringe is also kinds; physical infrastructure like roads, ports and the neglected and isolated fringe. Pluralistic and irrigation; social infrastructure like education and diverse societies like India inevitably tend to pull health. But nancing is not the same as delivery. Past politics towards the centre. But there is however records clearly show that the Government has been ample room to either lean left or right, while rmly a poor deliverer of public services. There is, thus, a being planted at the centre. valid case to be made for public nancing combined A centre-right vision of India’s future gives foremost with private delivery. The government has to ensure importance to market forces and individual that everyone has access to the basic facilities enterprise, rather than the state, in determining which are needed to participate in the market. We the country’s economic future. This vision does have to replace the political culture of dole with a not obviate cultural liberalism. On the contrary, political culture of productive investment in human for a free market economy to thrive, the freedom capabilities. An e cient market comprised of skilled of its participants is a vital necessity. The forces of individuals with constitutionally guaranteed rights the centre left (and the loony left to some extent) is India’s only path to economic prosperity and have long dominated the political and economic modern society. That’s a centre-right vision. It’s a discourse in this country. On the economic front, vision whose time has truly and rightly come. the mixed up policies of Congress-style socialism Did the summer of 2014 usher in India’s centre-right have resulted in sluggish growth, in ationary spells spring? It seems so. and continuous poverty. Such policies lead to the infamous ‘Hindu’ rate of growth. Whereas, the ‘Asian Tigers’(S. Korea, Malaysia, Thailand) who were much economically worse o than India in the 1950’s are now much richer, because they embraced market forces whole heartedly. Before the historic mandate of May 2014, India stood on the cusp (of either sinking into stagnation, or rising from the dead) just like advanced economies like the USA and UK did in the late 1970s. Similar to India of 2014, the dramatic failure of centre- left regimes were partly responsible for the rise of Ronald Reagan and Margaret ‘Iron Lady’ Thatcher. In the Indian context, there are other bene ts to unleashing a market economy. Several old divisions based on religion, caste, region or language are continuously reinforced by the polity and the state. Markets, which give preference to merit rather than value these historic prejudices can help in Symphony 2015 33 The Inevitable – Shillonging! Karanvir Gupta

And then two years end in a blink of eyes and people stay there almost alive Shillonging for rest of their lives. But then batches after batches, everyone takes with them this one question Is what makes Shillong stay alive in them and them alive in Shillong. And why this all hullabaloo!

Batches after batches, they [students] walk in With their dreams and ambitions held high But gradually they blend with the institute Sharing its ideals and philosophies, sigh! The grey stone wall, which stands rm and upright keeps no count of moments which are woven beside has beautifully photo bombed and still most liked A location where get clicked the secluded and the socialites The rst gathering after the supposedly torment days It’s the ramp that celebrates the forthcoming jubilant days And how can we forget the area where slightest of sound echoes The quadrangle, which is exhilaratingly every gossip mongers’ bay Unaware, non-cognizant of the days ahead, caught in present With the moonlit nights drawing the silhouettes of those coniferous trees There are walks to remember, cherish and rejoice in life Where blossomed the friendships and forgotten all the strife Scholars path till the replace, it’s the students “favorite” uphill For exams, assignments or professors; get mention for few stills NC, as it is popularly known, is reminder of what’s happening around Glass house, the much over-hyped; where anyone is rarely found Batches after batches, they [students] walk out Carrying plethora of memories which would then clout Making people go shillonging for life, and one ne day Fables meet their end and yet kept almost alive – forever! Symphony 34 2015

A STUDENT’S MUSINGS ON SHILLONG By Varsha Poddar

Shillong presents a surreal picture to tourists – not only does it o er an irresistible appeal which it shares with the rest of the North-East but also it is set in a terrain which is made up of soft, rolling hills that are covered in fondant-smooth greenery; often topped with cottony clouds, these hills overlook a vista of colours that are rarely visible in skies elsewhere and rightfully earn the place the sobriquet of the Scotland of the East. Shillong also has much, in terms of sheer intrigue, to o er to any visitor – its reputation of being the rock capital of India, of leading from the front in the arena of Indian football, of carrying the unmistakable undertone of being a fashion gateway of sorts into the country – it is an exciting prospect to travellers looking to live a gamut of experiences that would provide them a temporary reprieve from daily life, a hiatus from the mundane. There is a marked di erence, however, in the manner in which it presents itself to students who come to know it neither as tourists do nor as the locals can.The distant hills that seem to all but drift into the classroom windows on hazy, rain-washed afternoons present a yearning that is inescapable. And under its spell when one decides to go where his steps may lead him, Shillong opens up to o er a glimpse into its personality that no tourist package ever can and which everyone who has lived in Shillong is immune to by the simple force of long- standing exposure. The lanes and by-lanes of Shillong tell its true story. Little hutments covered by roofs made out of straightened tin boxes, rain-water harvesting systems fashioned out of mineral water bottles, potted herb plants vying for space with broken toys in quaintly picketed backyards speak of the frugal Symphony 2015 35

yet ingenious ways in which the residents of not- the North-East are prone to thinking of rest of India so-well-o localities deal with the travails of life. as. Sour memories of the period of the Indo-China They speak also, of the water woes that trouble the war still colour interactions between the region wet desert that most of Meghalaya is, and they also and the Centre to a certain extent but none of this throw light on the demographics which appears is palpable in the form of any hostility towards to be constituted largely by young people and too students. The only signs of xenophobia are re ected many chubby, red-cheeked babies peeping out in the prices at the trendy garment stores which get from the folds of rough tartan slings that women in ated and open to haggling every time someone in this region carry with unbelievable marsupial who is not a North-Easterner walks in. But then that con dence. Slowly, as one makes his way into more could easily be the tourist economy setting in. An a uent localities, not much changes. True, the tin explanation that one is not a tourist but a student is replaced by concrete and the picket gives way to and has thus been around for a longer time is a majestic wrought iron, but the distinct individuality good way to lead the negotiations in such cases. that every house carries is a constant. This apparent However, one soon begins to be thankful for the persona that houses in Shillong possess points lights that go out early because it is then that the towards a dignity with which people lead their lives mesmerizing beauty of the stars in the night sky in Shillong that is absent elsewhere in the country. here can be witnessed in full. Unsettling at rst for This is better understood in the interactions one has someone who is used to the small square of smoggy with the people here. No matter what their station darkness as an excuse for a night sky outside their in life, or what background – both personal and window, the stars demand to be gazed every night professional, they come from, the people of Shillong henceforth. carry themselves with an attitude that cannot be And then there’s the time to depart. Unlike a tourist classi ed as anything but sheer happiness and one doesn’t simply dust it o as a memorable trip contentment which, by its simple nature, de es any and cross it out on a bucket list. Neither is one dovetailing with social status or wealth. assured of a return to Shillong in the future as one’s Night falls early in Shillong and the stores down home. But as a student, when one nally leaves their shutters at a time that seems outright strange Shillong, one does know that a return, if it ever is, to anyone from ‘the mainland’ as an editor of a will be no less than a homecoming. leading Shillong daily once told me most people in Symphony 36 2015

When IIM Shillong Comes Together Symphony 2015 37 Symphony 38 2015

HR – In-House Money Monger but Outsourced Expert By Eashwar Rajan

Forbes says in a recent article of theirs, “The top consider HR to not be a core competency. So if it’s not reason why many companies are turning HR over really adding anything per se to the organization, to outsourced experts is that it frees them to then why invest money and more importantly time concentrate on core competencies.” in them? On the face of it, It seems Forbes is saying that An HR department spends most of its time companies want to outsource HR as experts aren’t on administrative and bureaucratic tasks and generally hired in-house. But look closely and you’d also looksafter the legalities of the company’s see that the key part of that statement is that it functioning. Thus when it comes into looking for allows them to concentrate on ‘core competencies’. loopholes, isn’t it better to give this job to experts That says a lot. Perhaps Forbes feels most companies who look into such needs on a constant basis for Symphony 2015 39

various organizations? For one, the company’s problem may be similar to another one’s which may have already been solved which corroborates one of the rst laws of business: ‘Don’t reinvent the wheel’. With this in mind, we can clearly see that it’s better to give it to an outsider who handles such problems many times a year rather than give it to one who is perhaps coming across such a situation for the rst time. This is comparable to a re- ghting situation. Most managers know that res are a potential hazard in factories. Most big organisations take safety steps and have re engines ready in case of a re. But do they go out and employ an entire department of re ghters? think out-of-the-box. Thus, a little bit of mixing of cultures is a necessary event which an in-house Thus, rst and foremost, an in-house HR department dedicated HR team may fail to realise. Thus we can in essence is a cost ine ective approach if we look at clearly say that outsourcing HR makes more sense it from a simple business perspective. when it comes to talent acquisition. Another argument that people have in favour of Moving on, the next ‘basic’ function of an HR an in-house HR department is grievance redressal. department is to provide for the learning and Look closely though and you’ll see that HR as a development of freshers when they’re integrated department has a tinted glass approach. This is due into an organisation. The kind of money that to a basic con ict of interest in two of their functions. organisations spend on performing this function On one hand, they are supposed to provide support is around $130 billion worldwide (source: Delloite for employees but on the other, they are there to Bersin’s 2013 L&D report brief). Is this really a help the senior management in managing such necessary expenditure at a time when frequent situations. What happens when you’re against the change of jobs is more a norm than an exception? very people who are your bosses who are the main decision makers when it comes to your future in the Lastly, in-house HRs are supposed to perform and organisation? Yes, you got it right, more often than administer performance appraisals for employees not, you’ll obviously side with the people who’re and suggest a suitable reward and punishment paying you. Thus the whole question of an unbiased model. But a Hay Group report has cited that redressal is thrown out of the window. only 41% of their surveyed employees felt that these appraisals were fair. Also, only 40% felt that The next main function of an HR team is to help in companies kept hold of their best employees. These talent acquisition. The only point they have going numbers (in a survey conducted majorly in the US for them when it comes to this issue is that they where the expenditure on HR is the most amongst all help recruiting those people who’re in sync with countries) clearly suggest that something is wrong the culture of the company. But apart from this, we at the core of the functioning of the department. can clearly say that outsourcing clearly makes more sense when it comes to recruitment. Firstly, an expert Thus, whether as an administrative requirement outside the organisation will have a much larger or as a grievance redresser, whether as a talent pool to select from. Secondly, the expert, in cases of recruiter or as a developer of freshers or nally as recruitment for lower levels of management, would a performance appraiser, an in-house HR clearly have already recruited people for similar positions comes short in all these functions as compared to in other organisations, and hence would have the an expert outside. necessary experience. Thirdly, looking from the Thus it’s no wonder that organisations like Deloitte, culture point of view, if an outsider recruits, then Hay, PwC are thriving as HR consultants. Perhaps it’s it’s more likely that we’ll get di erent personalities time for the Indian companies to realise the same within the company. Sometimes people with the and start outsourcing a department that is clearly same attitude and work culture will not o er the acting as a trophy wife. necessary variety in mind-sets and the ability to Symphony 40 2015

by Rhetoric By Agnitra Ghosh

Words have always created impact. They are in no way exhaustive, and the collection here may powerful instruments, and can be used to great not do justice to the tall title of the article, but these advantage by those who know how to wield them. are speeches that are etched in history, for reasons Throughout history, words have e ected great good or bad. These speeches stand out because of changes. They have shaped the outcome of events, their content and their delivery, and of the situations brought people to their ruin and governments to that produced them. Revolution may not have their knees. Then they have been the very conveyors followed immediately after these speeches, but it of these monumental changes for generations did, eventually. ahead. The origins of oratory are not clear. Although ancient Greece was the place where oratory was 1. “Tryst with destiny” studied and practised seriously, debating was a People may well argue about the revolution that part of the ancient educational curriculum in the this much-discussed speech inspired. Amid the Gurukuls of India. But oratory is as much a product agony and bloodshed of Partition, India’s tryst of preparation as it is of passion, and such passion is with destiny seemed to be a cruel twist of Fate. At born of di cult times. “the stroke of midnight hour”, when the world was We are living in volatile times. Change is in the sleeping, a nation awoke to “life and freedom”. It was air and revolution is as commonplace as routine a gory birth. The newly born nation would continue shelling. As protest marches and candle light vigils to bleed for years afterwards. But from that moment make news daily, let us look at some rhetoric from onward, it would ensure that the world would never such other times that shaped history. again sleep to its activities. Not many gave India much of a chance as a democracy. Political scientists In this article, we will look at six speeches. The list is estimated that India, made of communities so Symphony 2015 41 diverse that Europe looked simpler in comparison, on the barracks could ever have done. Not provided would disintegrate by 1950. Britons who had been a lawyer to argue for him, Castro began his speech in the Imperial Civil Service in India shared the idea with the lines: with their wartime Prime Minister that Indians were “If I have had to assume my own defence before this incapable of self-government. Court it is for two reasons. First: because I have been “The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, denied legal aid almost entirely, and second: only an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs one who has been so deeply wounded, who has and achievements that await us.” seen his country so forsaken and its justice trampled so, can speak at a moment like this with words that Jawaharlal Nehru clung to the same dream of spring from the blood of his heart and the truth of hope that many other speakers mentioned in the his very gut.” subsequent pages did, but against a backdrop that seemed downright hostile to the harbouring of And spring from his heart the words did. From then such hope. on, in the riveting speech lasting for about four hours, Castro brought out the grave violations of “Peace has been said to be indivisible; so is freedom, law and human rights that the Cuban population so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this had been subjected to under the Batista regime. one world that can no longer be split into isolated He talked about his attack, its conception, and its fragments.” fallacies and then justi ed his actions. Sadly, secession would go on to haunt the country He talked about the announcement of the in future. “revolutionary laws” that they would have made, “This is no time for petty and destructive criticism, that would have bettered the condition of the no time for ill-will or blaming others. We have to farmers living in dire poverty. Little by little, he build the noble mansion of free India where all her brought out all the problems prevalent in the Cuban children may dwell.” society, and his solutions to counter the same. He knew that the opportunity to defend himself was Nehru was right. The repressed soul of the nation a golden chance- one that gave him a national did nd “utterance”. It came in the form of riots, and audience already dissatis ed with the ruling party. petty criticism threatened to ruin Congress. He turned those embers of discontentment into But proving all its detractors wrong, India lived. blazing  ames. And thrived. The nation might have been just the outcome of an experiment with democracy, but it was a revolution in itself, from the war-ravaged peaks of Kashmir to the sea-kissed rocks of Kanyakumari.

2. “History will absolve me.” On July 26th, 1953, Fidel Castro led a band of 120 rebels and attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago De Cuba, while another 40 attacked the barracks at Bayamo. This armed uprising was aimed at toppling the then President Fulgencio Batista. However, this attack on the second largest military garrison in Cuba was poorly planned, and the rebels did not have su cient arms. Many of them were killed, while Castro, along with a few other rebels, managed to  ee to the countryside. They were caught soon after, and Castro was produced in the court. He was sentenced to fteen years of imprisonment. It was his defence speech in the courtroom that did more damage than the attack Symphony 42 2015

Jumping from one problem to another, from jewellery and hold it in trust for your countrymen unemployment and housing to education, he in India”, to the assembled noblemen. He then built a solid foundation, from where he launched a proceeded to call the people who took up armed vicious attack on Batista, glorifying the sacri ce of struggle against the British Raj “anarchists”. It was at the “priceless” lives of the revolutionaries at the altar this point that Mrs. Besant asked him to stop, but of freedom. asking for permission to continue, he went on. With his “but let us not abuse” the British rule, he gave “This is how people ght when they want to win a hint of the passive resistance that he would lead their freedom; they throw stones at airplanes and and that was to become the hallmark of the Indian overturn tanks!” Freedom Struggle. He dabbled with history, with the Declaration of This speech was a rather uninspired one. In the rich Independence, the French Declaration of the Rights and bloody history of India’s Freedom Struggle, of Man to corroborate his reasoning and drew there are many other speeches that are more parallels of the present government with the Nazi inciting, more touching and better remembered. regime. The speech was brilliantly constructed, with But this speech is signi cant for a variety of reasons. solid logic and appeals of patriotism weaved into it. It was in this speech that M.K. Gandhi made his He ended his speech with a remarkable show of ideas (and future plans) about the path to freedom arrogance, with words that smacked of erce and known. He preached little tolerance for armed burning pride: resistance and more importantly, said it was the fault of the Indians that they could not get self- “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will government for themselves. Standing before an absolve me.” army of impressionable youth, he wondered aloud: Twenty months later from the date of this speech, “Shall our temples be abodes of holiness, cleanliness he was released from prison due to public pressure. and peace as soon as the English have retired from And six years later, he marched into Havana India, either of their own pleasure or by compulsion, triumphantly at the head of the Cuban Revolution. bag and baggage?” M.K. Gandhi could not complete his speech. But 3. “There is no salvation for India” 31 years later, the British did leave India, however, we know not if it was of their own pleasure or by When Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya invited a man in compulsion, due to anarchy or passive resistance. a coarse dhoti, Kathiawadi cloak and turban to speak on the occasion of the opening of the Benaras Hindu University, there were many distinguished people in 4. “The hour of departure has arrived, and we go the audience including Lord Haringe, the Maharaja our ways - I to die, and you to live.” of Darbhanga and princes from various states. The speech that followed was not particularly rousing. Socrates was condemned to death for corrupting the It had an abrupt ending, and many interruptions, Athenian youth. He was required to make an appeal including one from Annie Besant, who happened to a jury and beg forgiveness. Instead, he spoke. And to be in the audience as well. The speaker, however, that speech stands even today as one of the nest stayed true to his claim of wanting to think aloud ever made by man. Among the many accusations rather than giving a speech. He began solemnly, heaped upon him were those of ignoring the gods apologising for the delay. Trouble started brewing and questioning their divinity. Before the sentence, when he suggested students of the University in a methodical manner, Socrates had taken apart should receive instructions in their vernacular each argument that his prosecutors put forward, languages as well. He brought out the di erence in rst by saying that he made enemies because he living standards of the people, of the dire conditions revealed that their knowledge was super cial and in the railways and inequitable distribution of then by telling them that he lived his life by way wealth. Things started getting a little out of hand of God, as prophesised by the Oracle at Delphi. when he breached the idea of “self-government”, He refused to admit that questioning people was and came to a head when he declared, “There is no wrong, and went on to assert that death would be a salvation for India unless you strip yourselves of this preferable option to him than to accept the untruth. Symphony 2015 43

With brilliant arguments and cross-questioning, never fall to the Nazi forces. techniques that later became the cornerstones of “We shall go on to the end, we shall ght in France, philosophy and many a erce courtroom battle, we shall ght on the seas and oceans, we shall ght he tried to convince the hostile and biased jury of with growing con dence and growing strength in his innocence. On being sentenced, he spoke to the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost his supporters, few in number as they were, not to may be, we shall ght on the beaches, we shall ght waver from the path of righteousness and not to on the landing grounds, we shall ght in the elds fear death. De ant to the last and convinced of his and in the streets, we shall ght in the hills; we shall own innocence, he brought the curtains down on never surrender…” his defence speech and therefore on his own life with these words: The ministers were convinced, more by the power of the speech than by reasons actual. Britain did “The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our go to war, but it needed help, desperately. Even in ways - I to die, and you to live. Which is better God this speech that called on British patriotism and only knows. ” doggedness not to bow down to unjust forces, His parting words were acerbic and proud, and Churchill ended with a note of caution that Britain his speech spurned his followers to take up his “would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good methods rigorously. What followed was revolution, time, the New World, with all its power and might, in philosophy, politics and science, by his disciples, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the primarily a rich young man named Plato. old.” His speech could not save Socrates from the The New World eventually played a more decisive hemlock, but it did make him immortal. And it made hand in the war than Britain did, but on that day, oratory as we know it today. Churchill had inspired a nation to take the ght to the Germans. 5. “We shall ght on the beaches” Winston Churchill is known for many great wartime speeches. He is associated with phrases and lines 6. “I have a dream” that have become part of the war-lore: “I have Abraham Lincoln delivered the “Gettysburg Address” nothing to o er but blood, toil, tears and sweat” on 19th November, 1863, hailing the “new birth of and the rousing “Let us therefore brace ourselves to freedom” and promising to bring equality to all the our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British citizens of the United States. About 100 years later, Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand on August 28, a man called upon the bright promise years, men will still say, this was their nest hour.” once made in the ‘Emancipation Proclamation’ and In 1940, England faced the imminent danger of lamented that equality for all was still a dream a Nazi invasion. Churchill had replaced Neville for the Black Americans. What makes this speech Chamberlain as the Prime Minister. In a speech made special is that at the end of it, the speaker departed in the House of Commons on the 4th of June, he had from the prepared text and spoke from his heart. to convince the ministers to let Britain go to war. It And history listened. was a tall task. Victory was not sure. Hitler’s forces had Martin Luther King, Jr was a civil rights activist. He already pulverized Poland, Netherlands, Belgium had led the movement against racism on the basis and Luxembourg. A combined army of French and of Gandhi’s principle of civil disobedience. This British forces was stranded and cornered in Belgium speech in discussion was made at the Washington by the Germans. Britain was hardly in a position to D.C. Civil Rights March. It was a gathering planned win the war and halt the German juggernaut, even as a show of support to the legislation proposed by if they persisted in walking the “long and hard” road. John F. Kennedy that sought to promote equality It was under these circumstances that the speech irrespective of colour. Towards the end of the was made. Churchill used his eloquence and called speech, singer Mahalia Jackson shouted “Tell them forth all his reserves of passionate oratory to deliver about the dream, Martin.” So he did. what many consider to be his nest piece. Using “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to repetition to great e ect, he declared Britain would you today, my friends. Symphony 44 2015

And so even though we face the di culties of today high principles that it was founded with. and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream “I have a dream that my four little children will one deeply rooted in the American dream.” day live in a nation where they will not be judged by The speech has been analysed thoroughly using the colour of their skin but by the content of their rhetorical lenses and all other tools of the language character.” available. But what can never be analysed is the The imagery was vivid, from the “red hills of Georgia” power in the words, and the burning agony and to the “beautiful symphony of brotherhood”. hope that they came out with on that day to a He neared the very end of his speech with 250000 strong audience. the resounding cry of “Let freedom ring”. With Each repetition of “I have a dream” was cheered immaculate modulation and pace, he ended on a wildly, enthusiastically and as King’s booming voice crescendo: quivered and rolled on to the audience from the “Free at last! Free at last! steps of Lincoln Memorial, the e ect created was akin to magic. For at that moment, those gathered Thank God Almighty, we are free at last” there had a  icker of hope, a glimmer of belief, that America will one day live as one, and true to the And the area near the Washington Monument, brimming with hope, exploded in applause. Symphony 2015 45

You May Judge An Event But Judging a Person Is a Crime By Gaurav Jain & Nishesh Bhasin

We have a weird habit of putting labels on people. the label that we put on him forced him to believe These labels are not that prominent when they are that was who he was, and that is how he is expected positive, but are highlighted when they are negative, to be all the time. and the negative label is usually, in some form, What you have done then is push that man into an almost equivalent to calling a person a criminal. abyss of darkness. No court can prosecute you for We tag such people as thieves, robbers, rapists, and making this judgement, nor for proliferating your murderers not only in the courts of law, but also in opinion, but according to us, there can be no graver our minds. Doing the latter – labelling people (and crime. not their actions) in our minds – is a crime in itself; a crime more severe than the ones committed by the We strongly believe that it is the society which o enders of law. creates criminals and leaders. While we will happily take credit for the latter, we refrain from taking Why does a person commit a crime? Is the crime responsibility for the former. committed out of ill-will, or is it situational? Is the crime a desperate measure, a last resort, or is it To make our belief clear, let us begin with mythology. the fruit of plotting and planning, with an intent In Indian epics, there is no single story where a person to repeat the o ence again and again? Do not was judged. Judgement was limited to events, and misunderstand us when we say that there are no responses to events were given. We, however, have so-called “career criminals”, who are introduced to been judgemental about many people. One critical the life of a criminal with the intent of being the example (which also happens to be one of the most best in it. But what happens when we call and treat misunderstood) is Raavan from the epic, ‘Ramayan’. a situational criminal as a criminal all the time? To that, the answer is evident – he will become a What is the penalty that the law of the land criminal with the intent of repeating the o ence, not imposes on a person for kidnapping a woman in because he chose to be that initially, but because today’s scenario? The Indian Penal Code says that a Symphony 46 2015 kidnapper ‘shall be punished with imprisonment of the opportunity to rectify himself and his ways. either description for a term which may extend to Unfortunately, society doesn’t. According to law, seven years, and shall also be liable to ne. ’Raavan, once a person has served his due punishment, he however, was killed for it. In a time when the culture is to return to society as an ordinary citizen with the allowed kings to marry by force, what Raavan did, same rights and opportunities as everyone else, and even though it was looked down upon, wasn’t is absolved of his crimes. But the society does not considered a grave crime. He, however, was killed, absolve him of his crimes. It continues to label him as even though he did not touch Sita, but instead kept a criminal, without any proof of relapse and without her with all the comforts that he could give her, and any opportunity to rebuild his life. This attitude of tried to convince her to his cause. Despite all this, the society is defensive and like a safety tool. We the world today, has created an image of him, which have created a fear of what our image in the society is widely considered as ‘evil’. What people forget is can be and how it can a ect our lives. Thus possibly, that he was also one of the most learned humans we try to, by force of that fear, curb the temptation in the history of the world at the time, that he was a for normal people to commit a crime, but we forget Brahmin by birth and a maestro of the Veena, a great that judging that person who has already paid for scholar, and a capable ruler. Yes, he did kidnap Sita, his crimes by labelling him as such is a crime too and but wasn’t it un-criminal like for him to give her all that is a crime that all of us are guilty of. the comforts of life and not even touch her, despite Judge the events that take place, but not the person. knowing that he might be killed for it? While even What would you want others to do to you? Judge Lord Ram himself did not judge him as a person and your actions and circumstances, or judge you? gave him all due respect even as his rival, we have condemned him for eternity by simply highlighting one act in a manner we wanted. *The references to any religious texts and their Most of us do not commit crimes due to the fear interpretations are our own opinions, and we do of the society, but we judge everyone, just like we not mean to o end any person, group, institution, judge Raavan, without any fear or thought. We say organisation, or religion.* that when Ram killed Raavan, it was the victory of Good over Evil; we burn his e gy, but we forget what we symbolize by burning his e gy. Instead of understanding that we are burning the symbolic arrogance in our hearts, we label the burning of Raavan’s e gies as the burning of a criminal for his crimes. We believe that Indian laws are better than us Indians in this context. Our laws always see the possibility of change in a criminal, and gives him Symphony 2015 47 Freud and his psychoanalytic approach By Nandita Choudhury Symphony 48 2015

Love him or hate him, but there’s hardly any The Id is the component of personality that the denying the fact that Freud was a giant in the eld infant is born with. A baby’s mind is full of wants, of psychology. He revolutionized how psychology want’s and wants. This is precisely why Id is said to is looked at by the layperson. Born in 1856, Freud function on a “pleasure principle”, not caring about studied medicine at the University of Vienna and the consequences and con icts that may arise from gained respect as a noted physician. instinctual instantaneous behaviours as long as the need is met. It wants no delay in grati cation and Even though he’s been gone for decades now, demands appeasement here and now, of innate Freud’s provocative theories continue to in uence desires, pleasures, aggressive and sexual impulses. psychology, neuroscience and the way society and It has no regard for social rules and conventions. its cultures are viewed. In true terms, Freud was and is the poster boy of his eld, his legacy permeating The Id, to an extent, is kept in check by the ego. This deep into western culture, impacting the world in a is the rational part of the mind which understands profound and long lasting manner. that everything one wants cannot be attained in the real world, and one often has to settle for or give up Sigmund Freud was the rst to propagate the on whims. Its primary goal is to try and gain what psychoanalytic approach to personality. He the Id wants, but in a socially appropriate manner. emphasized the role of unconscious motivations If Freud was right, the reason we don’t snatch that directing our behaviours and strongly asserted how ice cream from a stranger’s hand is because the one’s conscious thoughts and desires are only the ego forbids us from doing so. The ego vouches “tip of the iceberg”, the rest remaining outside the for rational manners of getting what one wants, purview of daily consciousness. avoiding both instantaneous grati cations as well The reasons for this residual unconscious stem as pious delaying. from our survival instincts. Being social animals and Lastly, comes into the picture, the superego. The followers of the norms that civilization sets upon moral and ethical part of all of us. It’s formed through us, it’s not acceptable to act on baser instincts that socialization, with family often being the rst to harm others for direct personal gains. Thus, they are instill the superego’s nascent seeds into ones psyche, shoved away into the unconscious. However, these and later the larger society and its social norms play instincts do not just lie there. The unconscious mind its part. Freud talked about two parts into which actually plays an active role in directing behaviour superego breaks up- the ego ideal, which includes and thought, a ecting our daily functioning, just standards of appropriate behavior, approved by not as transparently. the gures of reverence and authority around the Freud believed that the unconscious expresses individual. Second is the conscience, which includes itself in the form of dreams and ‘slips of tongue’, thoughts and actions that are disapproved of by the which are not really coincidental or accidents, person’s societal set up. but are indications of subconscious feelings that Perhaps one of the most controversial of Freudian emerge in everyday life. He considered dreams to assertions is that of the “Oedipal Complex” in the be windows into our unconscious. Fears, desires growing male child, towards the ages of three to six and emotions that we are unaware of emerge in our years. The term “Oedipal” was taken from the Greek dreams. Freud believed dreams were about wish mythological story of Oedipus, a prince separated ful lment. However, even though they contain these from his parents at birth, who later unknowingly messages, they are encoded. The unconscious mind ends up killing his father and marrying his mother. doesn’t speak any verbal language therefore it must This stage is referred to as the phallic stage of communicate with us via symbols. Some of these psychosexual development and is characterized by symbols are almost universal, while others are more sexual attraction towards the mother, and hostility personal to us and our individual life experiences. as well as fears of “castration” at the hands of the Freud broke personality down into three elements father. It ends with identi cation with the male role – the Id, the ego and the superego. Together these model and subsequent learning of masculine ways direct behaviour. It’s the scu e between the three of behaviours. Later, Carl Jung, a former follower of that causes the fundamental psychological battles Freud gave the female counterpart for the oedipal - that we face. “the Electra complex”, referring to the psychosexual Symphony 2015 49 competition between a daughter and her mother away by exaggerating how the person deserved it for the “possession” of the father. for some past actions. Rationalization is often used to create a self-serving bias, exaggerating to oneself Out of all Freudian theories, the one that is most the credit for success and discounting the blame accepted by the scienti c world is that of defence and diverting it to others in case of a failure. mechanisms. The premise is that we are prone to instincts and desires that go against the ego, super Also, Displacement is an ego defence mechanism ego and our social and personal ideals. These lead where sexual and aggressive impulses originally to intra-psychic con icts and anxiety. This is where directed to a threatening object is “displaced” to a defence mechanisms come into play. Defences less threatening one. An instance could be a child may distort, falsify or deny one’s reality, but at facing abuse or bullying, who directs his aggression a subconscious level, carrying a certain level of to say a pet or an even younger sibling. damage control. Freudian theories have been criticized for being To state a few, Projection is the association of one’s reductionist and lacking a more holistic approach, own  aws, say in terms of unacceptable thoughts paying focused attention to the human mind and impulses, onto another person or group. An and not enough to the environment in which it instance of this could be an overtly masculine functions. Also, his theories were not based on man with repressed homosexual tendencies strong empirical data and the methods used lacked beating up another person perceived as being too strong reliability, they were criticised often for being “feminine”, in a way projecting and evading his own a subject of his own whims and biases. Thus, Freud’s homosexuality. work, though makes for an interesting read, must be taken with a pinch of salt! Next, Rationalization, which is giving oneself excuses to justify thoughts and behaviours which are unacceptable. One may have been mean and unfair towards a person, and could justify the guilt Symphony 50 2015

All the stage’s the world By Garima Kumar

If only William Shakespeare knew that his words could be slightly twisted to conclude what the stage means for a dancer. There are many things we do in life that yield a sense of liberation for ourselves. For me, dancing is one of those things. It is true what they say: dancing is ironically about nding your self as well as losing yourself, because only an ardent dancer will know the exhilaration stemming from this form of art. The joy we girls feel after purchasing a pretty dress or the euphoria felt by a football player upon scoring a goal is equivalent or on the same lines for me, as the joy of learning a new dance step, a new dance form or the adrenaline rush I get when the movement of my arms and legs are in sync with the rhythm of the music. Dancing is about shedding inhibitions. Getting ‘cold feet’ is natural only until I step on the stage, after which it’s just me and the music. I’m sure all the things above are true for anyone who is passionate about any form of art. Having said all that, I rmly believe that one doesn’t need to have a particular type of body to dance. The famous tag line of Shiamak Davar’s dance academy,”have feet, will dance”, holds true in this context. I have witnessed people with healthier bodies being more  exible and graceful than the ones who are skinny and in shape; because I think it’s the technique and the passion that decides the quality of the dancer. Symphony 2015 51

I have often been asked in personal interviews There are still other forms of dance that have been about the di erence between Bharatnatyam and vying for Olympic recognition like vertical dancing. Salsa. Since I have trained in both, that question is Vertical dancing, commonly known as Pole dancing always a cakewalk. These two forms are poles apart. which has been historically associated with strip/ Bharatnatyam is the classical Indian dance form that night clubs in Las Vegas and Thailand is now aiming originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu while Salsa to shed its sordid background and emerge onto is the Latin ballroom dance style that originated the world’s biggest athletic stage. O cials of the in various parts of America, both de ne their International Pole Dance Fitness Association strongly own cultural richness. Although these forms are believe that it meets the Olympic criteria for athletics technically and culturally very di erent, yet I derive and athletic competition. It takes agility, balance, the same kind of contentment and tranquility from poise, choreography, rhythm, physical tness, upper them. I nd them equally invigorating. and lower body strength, core strength, stamina, style and so much more to excel at this form. This There are many who underestimate the physical form of dance has been appreciated so much for demands of ballroom dancing. The various forms it’s ability to tone the upper body that there are a and variations it comprises like Salsa, Tango, few dance schools even in India that have started Foxtrot, Waltz, Jive, Rumba, etc. might seem easy training courses in Pole dancing. to an onlooker at social dance parties. However for competitions at the international level, it is a totally Probably the only regrets I’ll have in life is not di erent story. starting out early in this eld and taking a long gap in training due to academic reasons. There is so There are national and international dance much to learn in this eld that one lifetime seems organizations that have been trying to get dance too short for it,although that’s true for anything that sport (competitive ballroom dancing) an Olympic can be learnt. recognition. Owing to the level of energy expended and the rigorous training one has to go through to So, to all the people out there who have an equally be able to perform on such a platform, the World obsessive passion towards dance, ‘why walk through Dance Sport Federation (WDSF), was recognized life when you can dance?’ by the International Olympic Committee as the only representative body for Dance Sport. However, Dance Sport has not been included as an o cial event at the Olympics even after its recognition, and there are many who doubt that it ever will but it does no harm to hope that one day this will indeed come true. Symphony 52 2015 all it takes is a click Symphony 2015 53 Symphony 54 2015

Brokers and Insurance Sector

inBy Shubhabh Rustagi India

The Indian insurance market has been open for ‘Risk Management’. The broker looks at the client’s insurance brokers for many years now. More than 200 business in totality and identi es risks, plans out brokers are licensed by the regulator, the Insurance mitigating steps and recommends suitable steps for Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) in handling contingencies such as accidents, re, etc. direct, reinsurance and composite segments. Internationally most brokers work in the non-life segment, mainly in the corporate sector. A broker is an insurance intermediary, who represents the clients, unlike the insurance agent, In India, most of the brokers are in their development who represents the insurance company. Brokers stage and are looking for an independent identity, are, to an extent, bringing sophistication into the di ering from that of an agent. Most brokers start industry and some of the multinational brokers are small, usually as entrepreneurs, eyeing both the as big as many insurers in terms of the scale of their general and life insurance sectors. The job of the operations. broker is to bring value to the clients which is beyond just the best price. It needs to inform the Insurance brokers basically help their client plan client of the technicalities of the insurance scheme their insurance needs, identify the most suitable and act as an e cient consultant to the client. They insurance company as per the coverage, negotiate aim to arrange a policy with adequate coverage for prices and place the risk. They also provide post sales the client so that there is no problem at the time of services like endorsements i.e. changes in policies, making a claim, if required. negotiations with insurers and surveyors in case of claims and policy renewals. Apart from these, a very In the life insurance sector, many insurers favor an signi cant service provided by insurance brokers is agency channel over brokers for retail life insurance Symphony 2015 55

products. Infact, the insurer prefers that the broker One of the short comings in the Indian scenario is that bring business from semi-urban and rural markets the brokers may pass on some of the commission to where their agency channel has comparatively less the client, directly or indirectly, in order to seal the penetration. Brokers, on the other hand, look for deal in their favour. But this practice is unethical and corporate clients, where they can propose group against the rules set by the IRDA. On the  ip side, life products instead of retail products. Many in some countries, it is perfectly legal to give up a brokers now have their own retail wing, which portion of the commission thereby increasing the targets individual audiences for life, health, personal value for the client. Greater transparency is required accident and related retail policies. so as to control such unethical practices. Another fee-based service is ‘Risk Inspection’. The insurance industry will reach its zenith in the However, most insurers and brokers now provide coming years. As the market develops further, this service for free to their corporate clients brokers should come up with exciting opportunities because of sti competition. Brokers follow many for their clients. They can develop contingency risk modelling techniques and are actively creating planning mechanisms, post-loss surveys, design awareness about the superiority of ‘Planned Risk tailored employee bene t plans for corporates Management’ over ad-hoc insurance placements. and develop alternate risk management tools. In More focus is being laid on ‘360 Degree Analysis’ of doing so, they may even face sti competition the client’s portfolio, ‘Risk Matrix’ and ‘Audit Reports’, from consultancy rms and investment bankers. which are presented to the client for better risk Nevertheless, this is necessary for the insurance management. sector to grow in India and reach the next level. Symphony 56 2015 THE ENTROPIC WORLD ORDER By Shubhang Srivastava

India’s place in the future of a world with diffused power v;afut % ijksosfrx.kuky?kqpsrlke~ A mnkjpfjrjukarqolq/kSodqVqEcde~ AA

Humanity’s greatest strength is having a sense of its own weakness. Reading the Bhagwat Gita left me wondering why Lord Krisna would enunciate Ahimsa Parmo Dharma before urging Arjuna to ght the biggest battle of the times. Today I understand that in essence it wasn’t about materialistic kings, hostile brothers, disrespected queens or disowned princes; it was about World Order. Before the entropy of time destroyed everything, humanity needed to be recreated, its architecture reestablished and a framework constructed. Hence Lord Krsna said, “Fight not for yourself, but for Dharma”. Social scientists, anthropologists and historians agree that the last decades have been the longest period of relative peace witnessed by this world. This is good news, but for us in the punctuations lies the foreboding of the future. The U.S., with the Novus ordoseclorum created a New World Order post the Cold war with the collaboration of a phalanx of pro west regimes. It is widely accepted that the age of a U.S. led global hegemony is at its sunset, but the question is, who would take its place? Everyone is betting on the Chinese dragon with unease, or making projections far out into the future. Let us begin with a basic question, will one single nation rise to be the monarch that dictates its power throughout the world? The making of this uncertain state began post the Second World War, with nuclear weapons and globalization making conventional warfare Symphony 2015 57 unthinkable. The apparent peace was a boon, but awaits the world to recognize its true potential. at a great cost. In the absence of war we lost the The remnants of this world order will not be power of creative destruction, and instead there set drastically overhauled but will fall like little titbits of in a lethargic world refusing to come to terms with tobacco ash from an old cigar. change. India’s power locus in the Entropy Prior to the present, in almost every century a challenger rose up against the might of the extant Nehru pointed out that India was home to all that power and created a clean slate where the new is truly disgusting as well as truly noble in the monarch set in a new world order,. Post the Second human condition. Contemporary India is home to World War, for the rst time the world was truly pluralists and democrats, fanatics and secretariats, global and connected. What followed was an era of capitalists and socialists, sel ess workers and greedy unprecedented human growth.. politicians, honest and corrupt o cials, glamorous wealth and repugnant poverty. India is a nation Post the fall of Soviet, U.S. alone chiseled the way where everything and its opposite is true. it decided the world should look like. It had power much beyond it bargained for. It redrew boundaries, While the world recognizes our power and championed democracy while installing monarchs importance, our nuclear weapons, triad of military and despots. It designe da world economy with its might, a thriving space programme and bustling institutions, philosophy and practices that dictated economy, they are uncertain at best of our role in the way countries should do business. the world order. The world today is nebulous and what was India can be the nation which overcomes the essentially a chess model of power games between distance between the inadequacy of its people the established and its allies versus the challenger, and the power of the nations. Intending not to is now a multivariate game: the states, the non-state create history but to write reality. This might seem players and People. Digital revolution has given a farfetched, unreal even but what the world needs strange power to the people. Ancients must have today is not the cynicism of the naysayers who assumed that with information at our disposal we believe that history will crash hopes of the future, it would nally arrive at a truly utopian world with needs a vision, a hope so illustrious that the pains of free  ow of knowledge and equitable distribution present become the struggles for its achievement. of wealth and power. But alas! Twitter, Facebook, Reality is but a question of perspective, the past Google, e-Mails have given this strange power where seems concrete but the present appears incredible. people deter decisions, topple governments but cannot enact agendas. This leads to a general sense It is the tomorrow that we need to carve out. It of banality, where wealth of information creates a took us decades to recognize Israel, which is one poverty of attention. Modern society su ers from a of our important defense and intelligence partner, collective attention de cit disorder, which has to do we did the same with Myanmar and East Asia. We with our obsession with the present moment. need not shy away from strategic partnerships with nations out of fear of China, neither allow Pakistan Where are we? to obstruct us from doing what we do best, help nations, like rebuilding Afghanistan. ISRO, one of A debt ridden, war exhausted, economically weak the most e cient space programmes in the world U.S. is reluctant to act as the world’s policeman. can be a reason for nations to bond. As information China brought the locus of power back to the east becomes more digital we become more vulnerable. with Russian sabre gaining more prominence. EU As the third largest energy consumer, India needs remains in the shadows of the U.S., mirroring its to pioneer the energy area on a warlike scale. Its economic problems under the collective umbrella of diverse topography and climates o er and call for NATO. War never left the shores of Middle East where developments in diverse areas of energy generation. democracy has been planted and supplanted, the The next generation will belong to nations who are Arab spring followed by the autumn of sectarianism energy su cient. Only when a nation is prepared for and radicalization. Asia often throws a regional war can it dream of peace. champion to counter the west, Japan, Korea and now China, adamant to leave its mark, even if only On the national front the ‘idea of India’ as a nation as a scar. India in the hopes of its own greatness has to be a force to be reckoned with. Welfare Symphony 58 2015

schemes must work with a purpose of upliftment the religion of Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism along and not be the fodder of democracy, people must with numerous others. The reason to discuss faith be proud of the nation and its traditions and must at this juncture is that it is faith that will herald us create a knowledge economy that drives the world into the utopic age. To achieve what is seemingly and not be a growth engine of consumption. More impossible in this state of entropy you do not need importantly we must go back to our roots and the hope to walk through re but faith to jump over it. process of invention and discovery must go hand The next age of the world has to be tempered to in hand. Only a nation that is content with its past the same scenario. Religion fanaticism of who was can reach out to the future. Going forward it’s our rst and who is right needs to be replaced by the Indianess that will de ne us, as it has with the Indian appreciation of di erent forms of realizing our own diaspora. destiny. As the power di uses across states and to And it is after this process, this man than that we will people, what they do with this power will determine discover that within this land lies the future light of the future of the world.. It is the onus upon this land the world and that in our unread scriptures lies the of Bharata to constitute the next world order, not as answers that have ba ed humanity for years. In the a leader but as a guide, as a friend, not as a warrior verses of our Mahop an is had lies the text which but as a charioteer, as Krsna. is the utopia of foreign a airs namely Vasudhaiva It will be a battle, so let it be, for battle eld is Kutumbkam. A simple translation says that the where glory lies. India has to do the right things, world is a single family but its connotations are the things no nation is doing. Endeavors that scare much deeper. India has a long tradition of pluralistic us, undertakings that make us wonder how much cultures and values in our society. The predominant longer we can hold on. These are the ventures that religion of the region, Hinduism is a mosaic of many de ne us, the struggles that di erentiate a life of beliefs and faiths, di erent cultures and myriad mediocrity and that of extraordinary success. And traditions. Equivalent to the population of the success to the individual comes when the family region are the Gods we worship, di erent names, succeeds. di erent days. For the uninitiated travelling across the country they would nd it di cult to reconcile to the idea of a single faith. Then take into account

For a man is fashioned from his faith and what he believes in.

We must believe it as our destiny and work towards the cause. “When you are inspired… dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be greater person, by far than you ever dreamt of.”

;nk;nkfg/keZL;XykfuHkZofrHkkjr A vH;qRFkkue/keZL;rnkRekual`tkE;ge~ AA4&9AA Ifjok.kk;lk/kwukafouk’kk;onqId`rke~ A /keZlaLFkkiukFkkZ;lEHkokfe;qxs;wxs AA 4&8AA Symphony 2015 59 Book RULES OF THE GAME Author - Sumit Chowdhury President, Head of Enterprise Business, Reliance Jio

As management students we come across a lot who are older is that they are nding themselves of career oriented books, what is it about your again. They are realizing the things that they should book that makes it unique? have done. I’ve met people who’re very old, who were saying ‘I wish I had this book when I was young.’ The rst thing that makes it unique is that it is not I got the same feedback from the editor of Reader’s a prescriptive book at all. It doesn’t say that you do Digest, which published my book in a condensed these three things and you’ll be successful because format as cover story in August. He’s 64 and he there’s no shortcut to success. At the end of the day, wished He had this book before. you’ll have to work hard. You’ll have to go out and learn your own rules. Though the book is named What strategy did you use to arrive at the Rules ‘Rules of the Game’, right from the beginning I of the Game? What is the process you’ve followed state that there are no rules which will apply for to formulate this book? everybody. You have to nd and discover your own rules. You have to invent your own rules. It’s only The book incidentally wrote itself in the sense that when you invent and discover your own rules that the rules I’ve written about are the same rules I’ve you’ll be successful. So I guide the reader to discover applied to write, create and market the book. I’ve themselves. The other thing that is very relevant in rediscovered some of the rules while writing these this book is that the language is very simple and rules also. The examples are from people who are it does not look down upon anybody. I play along real. A lot of books are written about successful with the reader as a mentor and a coach. Therefore people. If you only look at successful people you its language is di erent and it’s simple to read. The areneglecting 95% of people who’ll never be that interviews are di erent too. Most of these people successful. Why won’t they be so successful? So, haven’t been interviewed in other books. I have looked at both successful people as well as people who are mediocre. So, I’ve tried to nd out Is the book meant for budding MBA graduates or why and what they de ned as success. And whether is it for the people who are already in their career they, in their own de nition, met or exceeded their and planning to move ahead? own expectations. To reiterate, a lot of the books are on positive space. They’ll look at the three It is for both actually. The target audience for the successful people and hope you learn from them. book are people between 20 to 35 years. That’s my But for every three there are three million who’ve target market. But what I’ve also found from people Symphony 60 2015

In a lot of interviews you’ve focused on what the person wish they had known when they were 22 years old. So what about you? What do you wish you had known when you were 22 years old? The book is a pure re ection of a lot of those things. I’ve written it because I wish I knew them. There are few things I knew which has helped me. There are few things I didn’t know that I came to know only later. The book contains either things that helped me or those I didn’t know. To validate the contents I asked other successful CEOs and other renowned successful people. That’s how I got validation of my thoughts about my own life. The content of the book is my philosophy though I have not talked about my own life in the book. What advice would you like to give to the emerging leaders of tomorrow? You’ve talked about the startup culture or getting a job. What do you think they should do to make their career worthy? The thing that I talked about most in the book is nding yourself. If leaders nd themselves rst, then they’ll be better leaders. They’ll know how to engage with people. They’ll know how to manage people because they know their own strengths and weaknesses. not been successful. What about them? My one mantra is to try to nd yourself from the day This book is about nding yourself. If you nd to day activities and try to nd your likes and dislikes. yourself, you’ll extract yourself in a di erent way. Choosing not to like or dislikes anything is also a And you’ll nd yourself through the book. That choice. If somebody asks what’s your favorite food. I much is a guarantee. would say I don’t know and I don’t care. It opens up a great space for me if I don’t have to think about food anymore. 40% of lot of people’s life go away thinking about food. I don’t think about food, I just eat and love eating. I love good food. Similarly with people, I generally don’t say whether I like or dislike anybody. I be with them. That’s what it’s about. If you want to engage. If you want to engineer the two hours or three hours extra in your life remove the list of things you like or dislike. You’ll nd extra time in your life to be better. Symphony 2015 61

A tale of two REVOLUTIONARIES By Navneet Kumar

A revolution is not merely a protest or a revolt reactions to an undesirable order of things are aimed at ful lling immediate aims. It is a radical, often a prelude to an impending revolution. In disruptive and larger occurrence, demanding an unjust situation, there are many resistors, fundamental changes in the signi cance, rebels or revolters but only a few revolutionaries disposition and identity of the entities in who cause exceptional changes worthy of being existence at a particular point in time,thereby noted in the inspiring pages of history. Two leading to the establishment of a new order in such personalities who played a pivotal role in place. It is always accompanied by an ideology the struggle for freedom of India are Mahatma and a broad vision. The early aggressive Gandhi and Bhagat Singh. Symphony 62 2015

Both these men are two of the most talked about of a peaceful protest. On the other hand, Bhagat revolutionaries from the pre independence era Singh considered adopting forceful means when he of India, inspiring a huge collection of literature, was convinced that it is a necessity looking at the acclaiming as well as criticizing their ideologies attitude of British rulers. However, his methods only and practices. While Gandhi has received received support from some of the Indian youth overwhelming appreciation from some of the which was demonstrated by sporadic occurrences greatest men of all times such as Albert Einstein, of violence in the country but it failed to take the Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Rabindra Nath shape of a mass movement like that of Gandhi’s. Tagore and Martin Luther King, Bhagat Singh He realized how these forceful means would only has been an inspiring presence in the minds of result in aggravation of the existing situation and youth even till now, with his courage, sacri ce were destined to fail. In his own admission, he said, and intellect, admired by anyone who has “Terrorism is a confession that the Revolutionary known his story. The criticism of Gandhi is often mentality has not penetrated down into the masses. linked to the partition, his alleged inclination It is thus a confession of our failure. In the initial stages towards Congress and making it a power centre, it had its use; it shook the torpor out of body politic, and his own ideological supremacy amongst enkindled the imagination of young intelligentsia, others. Bhagat Singh, on the other hand had been red their spirit of self-sacri ce and demonstrated criticised for the very same thing which has brought before the world and before our enemies the truth him reverence from certain segments, which is his and the strength of the movement. But by itself it is belief in the necessity of ‘force’. However, what is not enough. Its history is a history of failure in every unfortunate is that most of such writings position land –in France, in Russia, in Balkan countries, in these two at polar opposites often presenting one Germany, in Spain, everywhere. It bears the germ of as a rival to the other. The idea of nationalism, at defeat within itself.” In another communication with times results in the alignment of one’s thought with the youth of the nation, Bhagat Singh said, “Let me a particular approach or methodology to ful l the announce with all the strength at my command, that nationalist agenda and it is generally the subscribed I am not a terrorist and I never was, except perhaps in view which people tend to justify by quoting acts the beginning of my revolutionary career. And I am of such revolutionaries. Although Bhagat Singh is convinced that we cannot gain anything through often associated with the use of violence, he never these methods.” advocated the aggression in violence and called Something which was central to the ideas conceived it “morally unjusti able”. He believed that only a by these two great men was a vision for the legitimate cause would justify violence morally. revolutionary struggle and the future of the nation But despite the di erence in the means adopted after the sacri ces of the freedom ghters bore during their ght for freedom, Gandhi and the fruits of success. The plans during the revolutionary Bhagat Singh shared similar thoughts on the futility phase di ered, but the end objective remained the of an aggressive armed resistance, importance same. They envisaged an egalitarian society where of involvement of masses in the revolution and a class struggle and discrimination could be put to an larger vision for the post-independence phase of end. They were looking at the revolution with not India, aiming at the social and economic prosperity just the perspective of natives who were ghting of the nation. invaders but human oppressors versus human Gandhi clearly outlined right from the beginning victims. This generalised perspective helped them how non-violence was much stronger than violence, understand that it is not simply the independence since it revealed the evil resting within the oppressor from the British Empire which could liberate the or could stir his conscience terminating a chain populace, but a sense of unity and benevolence reaction of violence, thereby resulting in a much towards all the castes and communities present deeper impact. He was successful in mobilizing in India, which would result in a prosperous state. the masses and uniting them in the struggle for Their plan to generate active participation of masses freedom. His methods delivered a severe blow from all segments of the society in the struggle for to the international reputation and strategies freedom was somewhat aimed at achieving this of the imperial regime. It became increasingly objective, for nothing unites people like the tough di cult for them to justify their “disciplinary and times faced together. Gandhi’s displeasure after the correctional laws and actions”, externally in the face Chauri-Chaura incident compelled him to make an Symphony 2015 63 oft criticized remark where he said that “India is not have obscured. The engagement with the debate ready for independence.” This statement was made by about whose ideas were inherently better seems him because he saw what could happen if primeval to be attracting greater attention, resulting in the human nature continued to exist in the hearts of ignorance of the premise that alignment with either Indians and they were handed over the control of the of the philosophies would result in a better and country. His clear understanding was that with the stronger nation. The intention behind this article persistence of such an attitude, still further violent is not to outline the similarities or dissimilarities internal con icts could arise. Although Gandhi’s between the two ideologues, rather reemphasizing withdrawal of non-cooperation movement was the their long term visions. We are lagging too far behind very reason that the young Bhagat Singh decided to in achieving the social, economic and political go on a separate path, but as outlined earlier here, standard these heroes envisioned for our country. he never advocated blind aggression. He is widely The profound wisdom and intellect propagated by acknowledged as the foremost socialist, democratic these men approaches the zenith of an ideal social and rational thinkers of his time. His last message and political structure. It is virtually undebatable from jail testi es this fact quite lucidly. His message that their presence after independence would have to his fellow revolutionaries and countrymen was resulted in shaping the nation in an entirely di erent - “the struggle in India would continue so long way. Their revolutionary thoughts transcend eras as a handful of exploiters go on exploiting the and thus even after more than six decades of labour of the common people for their own ends. independence in India, remain equally inspiring and It matters little whether these exploiters are purely relevant. Therefore, it would be in our best interest British capitalists, or British and Indians in alliance, to preserve and practice the precious knowledge or even purely Indians.” He was convinced that that has been gifted to the subsequent generations independence wouldn’t mean much if the prevalent by these legends. white rule was replaced by a brown rule in India. Often appearing in contrasting light to each other publicly, these men shared a common enlightened radiance and no matter how desperately we attempt to present them as rivals, there existed a genuine mutual concern, admiration and reverence. None of them believed in being openly vocal about it because the need for that was obviated by the understanding they possessed of each other’s position. Mahatma Gandhi made this fact quite evident when he made one nal public remark on the great martyr saying “Bhagat Singh was not a devotee of non-violence, but he did not subscribe to the religion of violence. He took to violence due to helplessness and to defend his homeland. These heroes had conquered the fear of death. Let us bow to them a thousand times for their heroism.” Revolution creates a churn in the current order which is accompanied by a plan and an ideology guiding the revolutionaries. Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh shared their intellect with the nation but unfortunately, their vision seems to Symphony 64 2015

THE TRUTH OF OUR EXISTENCE

FEARBy Parsita Kundu

“Fear” is an integral part of any living being’s without the evil intentions of a monster. Babies existence. From single-celled organisms to giant are tutored to stop crying, with every whisper in whales, every creature on this planet is frightened their ears that threatens them about the arrival of of one thing or another. Be it the terror of the monsters - cultivating the feeling of fear. The fear inability to escape from enemies and getting killed, of the unknown is the worst foe of the human race. or the thought of losing habitat to advanced “homo With no disrespect to religion, the di erent Gods sapiens” or nature’s wrath, fear engulfs all. Charles that we have created as Supreme Lord are nothing Darwin had explained that the organisms which else but the mere manifestation of our anxiety. Out have the highest probability of progressing are the of our fear for the future and anything that de es ones who can adapt to the changing environment our understanding, we have created an entity who as fast as it alters. But he had skipped one important promises to protect us from dangers and show us the element, the primal instinct of experiencing fear right direction. Therefore, one is in constant search and the various measures adopted by living beings of facts and theories which con rms his opinion. A to overcome the same which eventually lead to the religious mind can rest with the consolation that success of evolution. one will be able to conquer their fear with the help of the omnipresent superior power. Fear can be Fear is ingrained in our mind even by our parents. seen as an equalizer on this earth. Come to think of it, every fairy tale has a dark side and all the heroes in our imagination are incomplete Symphony 2015 65

I am not saying that being fearful or a phobic is which is very trivial, something that you might bad. When a kid is scared of getting scolded for not laugh at. For example, a few people on this planet completing his/her home assignment, it acts as a are frightened by the number 13 as it is supposed catalyst to be more hard working and disciplined. to bring bad luck and do harm. Superstition is the Or when a child keeps away from the re in the fear other side of the fear. Being born in the land of of getting hurt, it is good for his own safety. Fear superstitions where even looking at the eyes of can be seen as nature’s way of preventing us from black cat is considered inauspicious, one is tied with doing something which might have a high risk or the chains of fear with its roots embedded in religion probability of injury. or rituals. Every failure is attributed to one of our fears viz. fear of God or the fear of not listening to At other instances, fear can also drag humans to the signs (as the people say it) that had foreseen the fatal ends. Put it in better words, they decide to disaster. Human beings are haunted by one form of end their lives by succumbing to their fears. Fear fear or the other from their cradle and it stays with of non-acceptance by a loved one or the fear of them till they rest their bodies in a co n. isolation by the society cripples the rationale of a person and he develops a fear and a feeling which But the ‘success’ lies in conquering the fear. Come he cannot escape. It su ocates and kills like a cancer to think of it, if the human race was too scared to which spreads slowly but once it matures, there is venture out, civilization would not have taken no looking back. It pains me the most to see that birth. Even Christopher Columbus could never have some of our loved ones chose to conquer their fears gathered the courage to discover America if he had by hurting themselves. Then I started to think, is dreaded the unknown. Fear comes from insecurity there any solution to this never-ending disturbing and instability and to avoid the feeling, most of us feeling? Perhaps yes - if we try. choose the safest path of following the herd and end up as loyal followers. However, there are a few As a child, I dreaded darkness. Going into a dark brave hearted who have the at uda city to overcome room or even climbing a dark staircase sent a chill their anxiety and walk into the unknown to chase down my spine. My cousins used to bully me by their dreams. Not all taste success. Nevertheless, switching o the lights in my room while I was there are a chosen few known as “entrepreneurs” studying. Now I trivialize the experience, and have a or “true leaders” who are bold enough to step out good laugh about it, but the experiences did cause from the shell of fear which leads to their victory or mild trauma back then. Gradually, courage built up in the words of Robert Frost,” Two roads diverged in within me, to help me walk a step or two alone in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And the dark during power outage, or opening my eyes that has made all the di erence.” in a dark room, for a couple of seconds waking up from sleep. Slowly, I came to the realization of my And I believe that the only way to master fear is to naivety, and all the monstrous images of devils in face it till the moment it breaks down the walls of my gments of imagination faded away. It would be uncertainty surrounding us. Dare the fear inside a lie to say that I can fearlessly walk in darkness, but you and I am sure that a change will take place. But nonetheless I have learnt to handle it in a better way. whether the change will be good or bad, is again The truth of our existence is fear and it is fear which the fear. keeps us alive and going. Those who are able to handle it, they are the courageous and lucky ones to ride the adventurous journey of life in the way they want to and others just have to make peace with it for the rest of their lives by carrying the burden of anxiousness. You might nd it amusing enough to know that human beings are so weird to be afraid of something Symphony 66 2015 Art Window Symphony 2015 67 Sports PERSONS Sujoy De

Envy resides deep inside of me, Jealousy strikes and takes over me, But above them all for you Reverence exudes out of me.

You  ex your muscles, You practice; I wonder Who is living his life! You exhaust yourself, You practice; I wonder Who is being honest with himself!

Envy resides deep inside of me, Jealousy strikes and takes over me, But above them all An opportunity of learning shows itself.

You dedicate yourself to one cause, You practice; I wonder Whom can I learn from! You have a purpose to breathe for, And you practice, And I wonder Whom do I go to for wisdom!

Envy resides deep inside of me because You know the secret of life; Jealousy strikes and takes over me because You have your purpose of life. Symphony 68 2015 Relevance of Greek Literature in the Space Age

By Mohammed Fahd

Change is supposed to be the unequivocal truth of humanity. The one rule of life that must be heeded regardless of how much men may dget and ght against it and yet there are some aspects of life that remain immutable. The core ideologies derived over an age by the greatest minds of a civilisation are almost always relevant regardless of the period man has progressed to. The fundamental aspects of human nature in one civilisation or another have roughly remained the same. If one were to scrutinize the cultures that  owered throughout the history of mankind, they would nd an indelible similarity between each of them and it is through this scrutiny of the greatest civilisations that mankind has progressed, as the core knowledge derived from any one about the human species is applicable to all. The Ancient Greek kingdom is one such example. The study of Ancient Greece, its culture and mythology has been exceptionally relevant for psychology and medicine. In fact, the teachings of the Ancient Greeks continue to be or prime importance even today. The Ancient Greek Empire, which existed between the 8th century BC and AD 600 displays remarkable similarities with the modern day. The eagle is still the symbol of the most powerful nation in the world and the columns in British architecture are inspired by the Greeks. Two important psychological complexes have originated from Greek fables: The Oedipus complex and the Electra complex. Moreover, many terms such as Achilles heel, mentor, Symphony 2015 69 tantalising, Pandora’s Box, arachnid and even the in the wax wings melting and Icarus falling down to phrase “a Herculean task” owe their existence to his demise. The fable of Icarus also gave birth to the Greek literature and mythology. The disciplines of neologism of the Icarus paradox, a phenomenon astronomy and astrology are hugely endowed to where a business suddenly wanes after a period of Greek literature as each of the 12 zodiac signs are extraordinary success. derived from a character in Greek mythology. In fact, The teachings of Greek mythology are not just the Orion’s belt constellation was discovered by the restricted to warning us against the follies of human Greeks and has a dedicated tale detailing how it nature either, but also aim to inculcate salubrious came into existence. According to Greek mythology, values. The tales of Theseus and Prometheus strive Orion was a great hunter and a friend of Artemis, to achieve this objective. Prometheus was a Titan the Greek goddess of the moon who had also taken who had sided with the Greek gods in their war the pledge of chastity. Orion’s proximity aroused the against the Titans. Following the war, Prometheus suspicion of Apollo, the sun god and twin brother was deeply disturbed by the e ect the war had of Artemis, who believed that Orion was attracted had on the humans. In order, to help them he stole to his sister’s immense beauty and intended to spoil re from Mount Olympus and presented it to the her chastity. As a result, Apollo murdered Orion. humans. Prometheus knew that this was a crime Appalled at the actions of her brother Artemis of the highest order, however in order to achieve threw the spirit of Orion into the night sky so as the greater good he submitted himself to Zeus’ to immortalise him through the constellation of punishment of eternal torture thus becoming an three stars that came to be known as Orion’s belt. epitome of self-sacri ce for all ages. The tale of Similarly, there are many tales in Greek mythology Theseus highlights the importance of wisdom that remind humans time and again about the and composure even while facing one’s demons. hazards of human nature. Theseus was dropped into a never-ending labyrinth However, the importance of the ancient Greeks to kill the monstrous Minotaur, a half-bull-half-man in today’s world is not just restricted to grammar, creature that used to kill anyone who entered the architecture or astronomy. There are many tales labyrinth. In order to ensure that he didn’t get lost in within Greek literature that warn us against the the labyrinth, The seus tracked his path using a ball basic  aws of human nature and their repercussions. of wool and when he came upon the monster, he These myths or stories are of crucial importance waited for it to sleep and then executed it. Thereafter in the modern world where it is all too easy for an he used the ball of wool to track his way back to the individual to indulge in an emotion to the point of entrance and safety. catastrophe. The tales of Icarus and Narcissus are Thus, the ancient Greek civilisation grants a plethora two such instances that serve to mentor us in this of knowledge and enlightenment for anyone regard. Narcissus, who was the son of a river god inquisitive enough to wade into the texts of their named Cephissus, was an incredibly handsome most brilliant scholars. Almost every discipline man who fell in love with his own re ection while currently known to mankind owes the Greek culture staring into a pond. Due to his passionate attraction gratitude for its overwhelming presence in all arts to the image Narcissus sat and stared at the pond and sciences. In fact, not just the Greeks but almost for many a day. Unable to leave his re ection every major culture in the history of mankind Narcissus drowned in the pond. Thus, the story possesses this ability and therefore continue to be warns against too much fascination with oneself, of great relevance even in today’s space age. an all too common occurrence in the modern world and also led to the spawning of the term narcissism. The story of Icarus warns against vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other. Icarus was the son of Daedalus, the chief engineer of King Minos of Crete. In order to let his son  y, Daedalus invented a  ying apparatus that employed wax wings which empowered his son to  y. Icarus used that apparatus to achieve the desired  ight however in his desire to  y higher than the highest eagle Icarus  ew too close to the sun which resulted Symphony 70 2015 I’m Not An ATHEIST Pratik Chakrabarti

Don’t call yourself an atheist. that 2.01% of the overall population are explicitly atheists. This number has signi cantly grown from Religion pervades all. Gods abound. We live on a around 100 years ago when a very small percentage planet where every culture follows some or the other of the population would have thought it t to label faith system. Social systems and norms, national and themselves atheists. international laws, value systems and morals are de ned along the lines of ancient religious writings. What could make rational humans take so drastic a It stands alongside sex and war as the major shapers step as to forsake that great binder of humanity and of human civilization. provider of faith that we call religion? After all, don’t the majority of people celebrate festivals, leave There is a disturbing trend being seen nowadays. aside their normal routine to worship in mosques More and more people are identifying themselves and churches and temples, draw strength from as irreligious, or even worse, atheists. Globally, their belief in a God or Gods, who would make their the gure stands at 16% of the world’s population wrongs right, tell them what the correct thing to do who do not identify themselves with any religion is? Don’t the atheists need this belief system? That according to a study published in 2012 by the Pew would imply they are unlike normal human beings. Research Centre. The CIA World Facebook estimates How would people ever trust them? Symphony 2015 71

In the rst place, why would anyone even think of de nite proof that God does exist. Maybe not. The rejecting religion? Look at the world around you. human brain works in weird ways. Its basic function It is so beautiful and so perfectly in sync. Atheists is to make sense of the inputs it receives from the say that this universe came to be the way it is now sense organs. It does that by trying to interpret the purely by chance. That sounds absurd. Indeed, the signals into forms it has already experienced. Many odds of the universe just coming together the way a time, and I am sure this has happened with all of it is now is comparable to a gust of wind blowing us, we perceive shadows, silhouettes as persons or through an airport and assembling an airplane from monsters and construe naturally occurring sounds its components strewn around the airport. It is an as arti cial and sinister. Studies have shown that impossible event. You need a Creator to create, just by applying magnetic elds to particular areas of as you need a human to assemble the airplane. the brain, it can be coaxed into seeing or hearing things that are not actually present. Now, those of Look at the long list of experiences and revelations a religious turn may be quick to construe that these that people have had. There have been well misinterpretations are actually divine interactions. documented instances of people receiving messages This argument rings hollow too. from God or even catching a glimpse of Him. Paul of Tarsus, an initial critic of Christianity, became a Consider the question of miracles. People talk about complete convert on a journey to Damascus. The ancient examples, cite modern examples and o er Buddha likewise attained Nirvana under a peepal them up as de nitive evidence that God does exist, tree near Gaya. God has even communicated his else how could such supernatural events come to doctrines to humans from time to time. The Quran be? There have been examples of miracles witnessed and the Ten Commandments are glorious examples. by thousands of people, such as the Milk Miracle and the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, Portugal on There have also been instances of miracles and October 13, 1917. The event was witnessed by other supernatural events reported all around the between 30,000 to 100,000 people and corroborated world beginning from ancient times. The Parting by news reporters actually present at the sight. How of the Seas during the Exodus led by Moses, Jesus’ does one explain that? resurrection have all been certi ed as miracles by the Christian establishment. Closer home and our This word, physics, comes to mind. Can there be time, the Milk Miracle that occurred on September a physical explanation? It turns out that there can 21st, 1995 in many Hindu temples around the world be one. In the case of the Milk Miracle, a spoonful was o cially called a miracle by the Vishva Hindu of milk mixed with food colouring was o ered to a Parishad. Ganesha idol. As the level of the liquid dropped, it was noticed that the statue was coated with colour. Atheists are a queer breed. They refute such This was a prime example of capillary action. The overwhelming arguments in favour of the existence liquid was being pulled into the porous material of God. They say they go about it logically. What that these idols are usually made of because of di erence could that possibly make? surface tension before dribbling down the sides of Let’s apply some logic to the rst argument. Allowing the statue. for the existence of a Creator God straight away At Fatima, the people were present at the spot in serves up a counter argument: Who created the such large numbers as three kids had claimed that Creator? And if you then provide for the existence they had seen visions of the Lady Fatima and at noon of a creator for the Creator, you fall into an in nite the Sun would perform a miracle. The crowd, being regress. Thomas Aquinas tried to address this quite impressionable, duly saw what they expected anomaly by providing for a First Cause which did not to see when the sun began to dance around in the require anything to cause it. This argument naturally sky and change colours. This can be related to the sounds hollow. It brings into the picture an arbitrary Orson Wells incident when the residents of New rst causer, which is contrary to the very thought Jersey went into mass hysteria due to a staged process followed in arriving at the conclusion. broadcast of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. The So that argument doesn’t work. What about all Fatima event was explained by scientists by taking those spiritual experiences and revelations that into consideration atmospheric conditions at the people have, those moments of clarity, when they site which sometimes can cause the Sun to change feel God’s touch or presence? Surely, they must be shape and act in di erent ways. None of the sun Symphony 72 2015 observatories around the world could corroborate humans. Throughout history this unfortunate the event which would obviously have been tendency of humans has been exploited to the expected had such an event actually occurred. hilt by organized religions, to control the masses, wage wars to capture territory, poison the minds of The belief in miracles is contrary to one of the people to ensure its continued supremacy. Occam’s greatest principles ever promulgated by a human, razor tells us that God is rarely, if ever, needed to namely Occam’s razor, devised by William of explain any occurring or event that has any e ect Ockham in the 14th century. It states that when on us. The scienti c laws are quite enough for that. considering multiple alternative hypotheses, we Taking this argument further, the burden of proof should choose the one that makes the fewest of existence of God now lies on the believer. It is number of assumptions. When explaining events their prerogative to o er de nitive evidence that that seem supernatural, we rst need to examine there indeed is a God (or Gods, for that matter). whether every scienti c principle fails to explain This brings me back to my original statement. We the phenomenon. Only then can we consider do not usually call believers Theists; instead we call the assumption that the miracle was caused by a non-believers Atheists. It should be the other way supernatural entity. Applying this principle results around. The burden of proof being on the believers, in many “miracles” falling by the wayside as they are calling them Theists makes sense. Calling the rest of explained through scienti c concepts. Even if they the rational folk as Atheists does not. They should can’t, before xing on a supernatural concept, we take it as an insult. Wonder why they don’t? should wait for our scienti c knowledge to grow and come up with new explanations. Considering the evidence which directly contradicts almost all instances of Divine Intervention by a God, it seems almost redundant to actually believe in a God. The God most believe in is an Interventionist God, one who is concerned with human a airs, answers to prayers and generally looks after Symphony 2015 73 The Space An unexpected Journey By Rupam Thakar

The world isn’t in your book or atlases, it’s out there…

2014 was a pretty exciting year for space enthusiasts. founder of Amazon, Je Bezos’s space company, ‘Blue Not only did we witness two great movies – Origin’, too became a part of NASA’s commercial ‘Interstellar’ and ‘The Theory of Everything’, but crew development program. Other players in this for the rst time, humanity has landed something space are Armadillo Aerospace, XCOR Aerospace on a comet. Though the probe Philae didn’t land and Masten Space Systems. It thus signi es a new perfectly, the idea of having a robot collecting data era for commercial space transportation. on a celestial body,containing materials dating from The number of private companies continues to the origins of the Solar System, is fascinating. The grow. Most of the companies are private players curiosity to explore and unravel the secrets has led passionate about exploring space for adventure as us to successfully put the ISRO’s Mangalyaan and well as for pro t. The competition thus is intense NASA’s MAVEN into Mars Orbit in 2014. but there’s ample ‘space’ for the players to grow. This Democratization of access to space decade can thus play out in a manner similar to what the late 1990s and early 2000s were for Internet. NASA’s space shuttle  eet retired in 2011 after 30 years of space ight and more than 130 breathtaking Billion Galaxies, Billion Dollars missions. It now relies on Russia for access to low The spur in competition is bound to produce cost earth orbit. But that’s about to change with private e ective, innovative and practical solutions to players like Boeing and SpaceX bidding for NASA venture into space. It’ll end the monopolistic space contracts to taxi cargo and humans to and from the business run by Governments and Space Agencies International Space Station (ISS). Orbital Sciences, through taxpayer money. SpaceX for instance has another such company, secured a $1.9 billion already reduced the launch price, in some cases by contract from NASA to ferry cargo to the ISS. The as much as half. Symphony 74 2015

Up until now rockets were designed to be used Fasten your seatbelts, we’re about to land on only once and then they were dumped into the sea. Mars Fishing out the used rocket was a time consuming Amid criticism, ‘Mars One’ has unveiled an ambitious and complicated operation. But not any longer! The plan to establish a human settlement on the red next-gen rockets and capsules won’t get wasted in planet by 2024. 200,000 people had signed up for the oceans but will vertically soft land on precise this mission, aimed at colonizing the planet, out landing pads. These rockets will then be refueled of whom a few would be chosen for the mission. and reused again. SpaceX recently unveiled the Those fortunate enough to make it through (or reusable Dragon Capsule that would be able tol unfortunate, as one might think of them) will have and anywhere on Earth and ocean-based launching to live their entire lives on Mars as it’s not feasible pads for its Falcon rockets to soft land without any to develop a fully functional rocket on Mars to carry danger of sinking. Such initiatives are changing the the crew back to Earth. From 2018 the process of economics of getting into earth orbit by saving the sending cargo to Mars would begin. This would cost of building a new rocket (around $300 Million) ensure that life-support systems for the crew would for every mission. already be present when they start arriving on Mars The nal frontier – To boldly go where no one has from 2024 onwards on SpaceX Mars Transit Vehicles. gone before The mission isn’t sponsored by the government. Currently, ISS serves as the only permanent manned Mars One plans to cover costs by creating a media outpost in space. That’s about to change too. event around the project. It surely would be more Bigelow Aerospace is planning to put in atable exciting to watch 24x7 coverage of astronauts, space habitats in earth orbit. These commercial researchers and scientists struggling to survive on space stations can then serve as scienti c outposts Mars under unimaginable conditions in a bid to and can be leased to government agencies or private expand humanity’s frontiers, rather than watching players. Or they can be converted into space-hotels a bunch of celebrities carrying on with their daily which would allow space tourists to spend time routines on ‘Big Boss’. away from home, in orbit around Earth! If everything ”I’d like to die on Mars, just not on impact” - Elon works out, these hotels would pose a serious threat Musk to royal palaces in Rajasthan as the most favorable marriage destinations for Hollywood stars and the Though several frontiers in space have opened up in like. Such stations however would require supplies the recent past, the rockets that take us there are still and shuttling of tourists, sta and researchers to and risky to operate. Orbital Sciences unmanned rocket from orbit. These services could then be provided recently exploded seconds after lifto in Virginia. It by low cost solutions devised by private space rms. was meant to carry supplies to the ISS. Within a few days, Virgin Galactic’s space plane, meant to house Home is now behind you, the World ahead. passengers for space travel, exploded during a test Space travel has long been the fantasy of sci- writers  ight killing one pilot. These incidents underline the and futurists. Not any longer. With just $250,000 you hurdles facing private companies in their bid to enter can get a reservation with Virgin Galactic for the space. But there’s a great incentive for the private journey in space. Celebrities like Justin Bieber, Paris sector to get things right. Thorough investigations Hilton, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have already would provide lessons for the future. Sometimes we registered. It might seem a tad bit exorbitant but learn by accident. it surely would be more enthralling than watching an IPL match of the team you own. For most of the eccentric billionaires from Dubai to China, Space travel would qualify as the craziest thing they have ever done. No wonder 700 tickets have already been sold. Afterall, there’s nothing like a few minutes of weightlessness and why should only astronauts have all the fun? Symphony 2015 75

IIM Shillong Golf Cup Season 7

Khlur-Thma Khlur-Thma is the annual B-School fest of IIM Governance and the Woodland Hospital, Shillong Shillong that is usually scheduled in the rst two were some of the major partners of the event. This weeks of October. It got conceptualized and was season, the event saw participation of students rst organized in 2012 and literally means the War of from more than 80 institutes and colleges from all Stars in Khasi, the local language of Shillong. What over the country totaling 4500 plus teams. Prizes started o as a case study competition became a worth INR 5 lakh were distributed to the winning full- edged two month extravaganza this year. The and the runner-up teams. Khlur-Thma is a one of a launch of the event was done on 15th August with a kind competition across all B-Schools in the country  ash mob performed by the students of the institute where the participants walk out to the golf course on and an online event. It marked the onset of the two the concluding day, where the results are declared. months of online events before the main event that With the kind of response and participation that took place on 10th and 11th October 2014. has been received, Khlur-thma is expected to touch new heights year on year and carve a niche place for The Shillong Times, Jabong.com, ShopClues.com, itself in the years to come. the Central Bank of India, Meghalaya Institute of Symphony 76 2015

Golf Cup The Golf Cup is the  agship event of IIM Shillong. The Honourable Chief Minister of Meghalaya, In its 7th year of inception, the Golf Cup has been Dr. Mukul Sangma, was the chief guest for the expanding year by year both in terms of exclusivity valedictory function where he shared his vision and grandeur. The Golf Cup is a two day event that of seeing the Golf Cup grow to become a bigger was held this year on the 11th and 12th October platform for exchange of ideas and ways to facilitate 2014. It acts as a platform where corporates from the development of the north-east. His vision of various sectors, people from political circles and having a Business Conclave was brought to fruition avid golfers from varied backgrounds interact in a by the institute and the rst chapter was held in relaxed atmosphere. IIM Shillong takes this privilege consonance with the Golf Cup this year. to be a host to such stalwarts in their own arena and provide them a holiday like experience away from This year the 3 Day Annual Fest was  agged o by their busy routines while they mingle with people a Marathon – Run For Shillong, in order to show with similar interests. At the same time, students solidarity to preserve the culture and heritage of get to interact with these people and learn from the place and at the same time to pave the path their experiences and the stories they have to share. for growth and development. The event concluded Season 7 of the Golf Cup was inaugurated by Mr with a cultural programme and a grand luncheon A.L. Hek, Cabinet Minister, Govt. of Meghalaya. The at the Shillong Golf links thereby already raising sponsors for the Golf Cup Season 7 comprised of expectations for the event next year. Meghalaya Tourism, State Bank of India, Business Standard, Ballantine, mbaSKOOL, TNT Magazine, and others. Symphony 2015 77

Udaan – The Business Conclave Mr. Mudit Agarwal, Founder, We-Agri; Mr. Vibhor Laddha, Manager - Projects, Archer Daniel Midlands; Last year, the Honourable Chief Minister of Mr. Samrat Deka, CMD, SRD Group; Mr. Avni Bader, Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma envisioned the Director, Nezone Industries; Ms. Bandita Banerjee, Business Conclave to be held in conjunction with State Coordinator, NERAMAC; Dr. Arnab Sen, the  agship event of IIM Shillong, the Golf Cup. Virologist, ICAR and two fellows from the PMRDF, After months of brainstorming and contemplation, Mr. Nyatum Doke and Ms. Rinchui Raman. the students of the institute came up with the idea of Udaan – The Business Conclave: Wings to a Better The Finance Conclave was themed ‘Indian Banking Tomorrow. This will be conducted as an annual Sector: Driver of the Indian Economy’ and the event wherein a theme and areas of interest will be panel included Mr. Ashvini Bakshi, VP, Credit & Risk selected in context. Analytics, Credit Suisse; Mr. Sanjiv Bhuyan, SVP, HDFC Bank and Mr. Dipak Kumar Lalla, GM, SBI. The This year the business conclave was conducted panel covered a number of topics that covered the on 11th October 2014 with the theme ‘The future scope of nance in rural and semi urban areas Way Forward: Transforming Opportunities into and the challenges faced by the Indian banking Reality’. It focused on two important aspects of system in today’s scenario. economic development: Finance and Agriculture & Agribusiness, with a focus on the food processing The institute intends to take Udaan to greater industry. heights and project it as a platform of interaction for tomorrow’s businesses and entrepreneurs. It will The food processing Conclave saw participation pave the way for ideators and industrialists to come from distinguished and successful entrepreneurs, together and plant the  ag of economic and social local industrialists, multinational corporations and progress in the north-east. members of the government. The panel discussed the challenges and opportunities in the Food Processing industry in India, with a speci c focus on the Northeast. It witnessed a discussion by Mr. Vivek Chowdhary, Divisional Manager - Dairy Project, ITC; Symphony 78 2015 EmergE 2014

Envision. Engage. Evolve. The three words that a rapid change in the way Media communicates epitomize the annual Entrepreneurship Summit of with people, whether the Indian ecosystem is in IIM Shillong. Aimed at promoting entrepreneurship need of a regulatory body to oversee the content – both as a career option as well as a way of thinking and/or the ownership of all the media platforms, – among the students of IIM Shillong, EmergE should government control content through censor involves a number of interactions of the student boards or should there be self-control exercised by community with entrepreneurs from across India. viewers towards the content that is being shown on These interactions take the form of a number of television. conclaves, expert talks as well as competitions and their evaluation mechanisms. SPEAKERS EmergE 2014 was conducted successfully on the 13th and 14th of September 2014. This year, it was • Ms. Harini Calamur – Digital Content, Zee organized around the central theme- “Take Risks Media Corporation and Conquer Fears”. Dr. Amitabh De, Director, IIM • Mr. Samir Chaudhary – Co-Founder, The Shillong started the event with the opening remarks Media Ant “We need a transition from being job-seekers to job-creators”. The focus was on igniting the re of • Mr. Aditya Gupta – Co-Founder, Social entrepreneurship among many and inspiring them Samosa to start something of their own. The Honourable Governor of Meghalaya. Dr K. K. Paul, inaugurated • Mr. Anshul Tewari – Founder, Youth Ki Awaaz EmergE 2014 with the remarks “Entrepreneurs can drive India to the top of the Global Innovation Index in today’s knowledge economy.” MODERATOR i-Cube greatly values the e orts of entrepreneurs • Dr. Sanjeeb Kakoty – Historian, Writer, towards the betterment of the economy and the Documentary Film Maker, Founder (North society of the north-eastern region of India. We East Data Bank) were honoured to felicitate their years of service. Prof Dr Helen Giri, Founder of La-Riti Foundation at Mawroh, Shillong was felicitated by the Honourable Edupreneurship Conclave Governor of Meghalaya, along with Mr. John There was a discussion on the speakers’ views on Marbaniang, the promoter of Sharawn Tea and what is lacking in the current education system and Readington M. Marwein, the proprietor of Mawphor the way of teaching that would motivate students Khasi Daily Newspaper. for developing an entrepreneurial mindset. The Media Conclave speakers for the conclave were: The theme of the conclave was “Evolution of media- sharing jurisdiction and power to in uence masses SPEAKERS: with the masses”. The discussion primarily revolved around the challenges faced by the Media industry • Mr. Arun Raveendran, CMO – India, in the present era, how social media has to lead to Foradian Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Symphony 2015 79

• Mrs. Uma Shanker, Founder Uma’s Academy Pre Events & EduConTra EmergE 2014 was preceded by a number of • Mr. Jagdish Repaswal, Founder and CEO, pre-events that heralded the summit. i-Cube, in Mango Reader association with various clubs of IIM Shillong, organized a number of online competitions. Ace 3.0, • Dr Deep Lodhari, CEO, Mytestbuddy.com the One Slide Challenge organized in association with the Marketing Club, saw some very interesting submissions and was a huge success. Apprentice 3.0, MODERATOR conducted with the Finance Club, was a case study • Mr. Rohit Dwivedi – Associate Professor, IIM competition that was very well received. Ops Merge, Shillong, Behavioural Scientist an online quiz and case study competition, was organized in association with the Operations Club. Antra-Prerna was organized in association with the Investors’ Conclave Consulting Club. i-Cube itself conducted Blog FEAST 3.0, an inter-college blog-making competition. The discussion was on the investment scenario for social enterprises. The speakers highlighted the INCUBATOR, the annual entrepreneurship magazine need for socially responsible investors who are of IIM Shillong was also launched during EmergE more concerned about directing their money to 2014. make a social impact rather than solely looking for At EmergE, i-Cube has always promoted local talent. pro t. There was brainstorming on the di erent This year was no di erent, as they engaged Mr. aspects of Indian start-ups in the Information and Shanborlang Kharbudon, a local artist to make Communication Technology sector and how these sketches of all the esteemed speakers and presented start-ups can make a mark in the global arena those sketches as mementos to them. through innovative products or services. EmergE 2014 was a grand success and EmergE is now a well-established event in IIM Shillong’s annual SPEAKERS calendar and we look forward to it being a success for years to come. • Mr Ashwin Raghuraman • Mr Sanjay Anandaram • Mr Soumyajit Ghosh

MODERATOR • Mr Abhishek Mishra- Founder, Xeopia Solutions, Second year participant, IIM Shillong

Competitions: Various competitions studded EmergE 2014. R€VO£U$N, the B-Plan Competition, saw participation from more than 50 B-Schools. Judged by the panelists of the Investors’ Conclave, the nal round of the B-Plan competition saw some impressive plans. REVEAL, the case study competition, involved a live case study provided by the Royal Wahingdoh Football Club of Shillong. Symphony 80 2015 Podium Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”, with this very ideology at heart, IIM Shillong rst started its Podium Seasons. The Podium is an initiative to invite corporate leaders to interact with students and share their views, ideas and experiences, and in this process spark a desire for innovation and intellectual revolution, inspiring the future change makers of the country. The rst season of Podium was inaugurated on the 23rd of July, 2012 and was a huge success. Many eminent and inspirational speakers graced the event, and saw the likes of Prof Anil K. Gupta, IIM Ahmedabad, Ms Judy Manners Executive Director, Asset Management, JP Morgan and Mr. Chandra Balijee, CMD, Royal Orchids Hotels and many more. After 2013, 2014 saw the third successful Podium season, which kicked o on the 23rd of July, 2014 and continued till 21st August, 2014. The speakers who were part of this year’s season were

1. Sumanta Ray, CMO Manager Narayana Health Group of Hospitals Cisco Systems 2. Sujan Roy, Head, Marketing & Product 12. Anil Goel, VP - Media and Planning Intertainment Tata Motors Accenture 3. Chaitanya Aggarwal, Founder & CEO 13. Deepak Malhotra, VP - HR, Juvalia & You IL & FS Group Environmental Infrastructure & Services Ltd. 4. Rishab Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO LetsIntern 14. Yogi Sriram, SVP, Corporate Human Resources 5. Swapnil Kamat, Founder L&T Work Better 15. Sridhar Iyer, Director, E-Business 6. Abhimanyu Sahu, Head - Business Citibank Development Schneider Electric 16. Samyak Chakraborty, Chief Youth Marketer (DDB Mudra Group ) 7. Arup Gupta, Sr. VP, HR, Mohit Gupta, Co-Founder (Social Quotient ) Manager, HR Reliance Communication 17. Ashutosh Chadha, Director - Corporate A airs South Asia 8. Arun Khetan, Regional Head, Fin & Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd. Commercial Birla Carbon 18. Sumit D. Chowdhury, President, Head of Enterprise Business 9. R. Suresh, VP, Sales Reliance Jio Ultra Tech Cement Ltd. 19. Ramkumar R, Founder & Managing 10. Sajith Chakkingal, Director, IT Director PTC Pears Capital 11. Akshat Sharma, Technical 20. Ashutosh Tiwari EVP & Head, Marketing Engineer, NOSTG International Marketing & Inovation Pavan, H.S., Business Operations Godrej Consumer Products Ltd Symphony 2015 81

Dr. Sumit Chowdhury initiated his talk with a Through the discussion, Mr. Yogi Sriram discussion about the dilemma of choosing between encouraged participants to develop competencies entrepreneurship and a corporate job. He put in accordance with the future business trends. He forth the similarities between both career choices, suggested that the structure of the corporate world highlighting how challenges and success tricks remains feudal with strong existence of referral which apply to both choices, are identical. He shared power and knowledge power and emphasized with the audience, a number of aspects from his the importance of practicing egalitarianism with a book like the ART - Action, Reaction, and Thought compressed hierarchy. Mr. Sriram also laid focus on - cycle which talks about controlling your actions, development of risk management skills, especially reactions and thoughts and channelizing them in a in domain of talent management, for potential positive way to create an impact. He ended his talk strategy managers. He stressed on the relevance of by motivating the participants to set high targets equipping oneself with knowledge of global issues for themselves, and reiterating the signi cance and own culture. of focus, determination and putting heart into everything one does. Mr. Sumanta Ray started the discussion with the vision of Narayana Healthcare which incorporates Mr. Rishab Gupta shared his journey from three leaves of Belief of the group: Compassion, the conceptualization to the establishment of Quality and A ordability. He then introduced the LetsIntern. LetsIntern is a Pre-Linkedin for students topic for discussion “Customer Experience (CX): to connect to organizations, career services and The Heart of Today’s Organizational Strategy”. He each other. By drawing references to his own success spoke on the evolution of Customer Experience, story which saw both ups and downs, he motivated as the essence of management, from Marketing the participants to adopt entrepreneurship as a and Branding. He stressed upon the importance possible career choice. He tried to drive away the of CX by explaining how it builds brand preference preconceived notions and mental blocks that are through a di erentiated experience which in turn generally associated with building up a start-up. allows the organisation to charge a premium and results in incremental revenue for the same volume of business. He also reiterated the essence of CX by elaborating how it generates word of mouth and gets new consumers. Symphony 82 2015 2014 IIM Shillong hosted its second TEDx event on 15th the Aroha choir, weaved magic with music as she February 2014. The event had nine esteemed talked about the power of music educators. Next speakers sharing their ideas and experiences on the up on stage was the duo of Rocky Singh and Mayur theme “Riding the Eclectic Bandwagon”. The event Sharma, hosts of ‘Highway On My Plate’. They talked saw enthusiastic participation from the students about Indian food and eating habits-‘from evolution and faculty of IIM Shillong, students from other to revolution’. The talk was eclecticism personi ed- local institutions and government o cials from the for the palate! Dr. Dinabandhu Sahoo, inventor of the Government of Meghalaya. The wheels for this event “Carbon Dioxide Capture Box”, was the next speaker, had been put into motion months back. Several and talked about ‘farming the sea’, using the algae promotional activities, such as ‘Know Your Speakers’ for a greener and better world and fostering a ‘Blue contest and ‘ECLECTICLICK’ generated great Revolution’ in the process. enthusiasm among the students, that culminated The last speaker of the day was Mr. Roshan Abbas. in the event held on Saturday at Pinewood Hotel. He talked about an often discussed term, although Nine speakers, from a variety of elds like science, in a di erent way. Talking about the ‘Roadless’ social service, food & travel, business, entertainment travel instead of the road less travelled, Mr. Abbas and music, shared their experiences on how they emphasised on the need to ‘fail fast’ but ‘learn faster’ charted their own paths on grounds thought to be and to aim high all the time. He captivated the familiar. The rst speaker Dr. B.N. Suresh, Director audience, urging them to look for newer goals to of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), explained conquer every time, using instances from his own through his own experiences at the IIST, how to face life. challenges and create opportunities from them. The The talks were powerful, evocative and in line second speaker to take the stage was Mr. Sridhar with the theme of ‘Riding the Eclectic Bandwagon’. Rangayan, a lmmaker and LGBT activist. In a Speakers, from elds as di erent as food and music, powerful and thought-provoking talk, Mr. Rangayan gave talks that somehow seamlessly fused into one shared with the rapt audience the social taboos and another. Notes found their way to taste, freedom problems faced by people with di erent sexual of expression to concern and the need for action, orientations. He talked about laws and societal as the audience soaked in the questions raised norms that impose perceptions and challenge the and the answers o ered. The event ended on a freedom of individuals. resounding note of success, with a promise for the Prukalpa Sankar, founder of Social Corps, took the TEDxIIMShillong of the next year to do the same- stage next and charmed the house with the tale bring people together to share their ideas-albeit on of her journey, from being a concerned citizen a larger scale. to becoming a founder of a technology social enterprise. She urged the audience to challenge themselves in the ‘Game of Life’ and defy the conventional rulebook. The next speaker, M. Robert Lyngdoh, analysed the reasons for the alienation faced by the people of the North-East with the rest of India, and the possible remedial measures for that. He pointed out Eco-tourism and inclusive tourism were the way forward for the North-East states. Later, the hall at Pinewood Hotel burst into melody. All the attendees were literally on song, as Ms. Pauline Warjri, freelance musician and founder of Symphony 2015 83 Committees

Alumni Association IIM Shillong with the current batches so as to provide a platform for the alumni to share their industry experience The Alumni Association of IIM Shilling intends to either through video-conferencing or campus visits. be the permanent chord connecting the institute To leverage the industry exposure of the alumni, with the global alumni-base of the institute, in order the Alumni Association assigns mentor(s) to every to ensure an engaging, enriching and mutually student of the junior batch. Along with the PR Cell, bene cial relationship among all past, present and the association organizes ‘Nexus’, the meet between future stakeholders of the institute, and to derive the current and incoming batch which is conducted the maximum synergy, networking, camaraderie in all metro cities. The committee constantly keeps and success out of it. the alumni updated and well informed about the The committee handles all communication between happenings in the institute. the alumni and the institute. The committee conducts The committee comes out with a yearbook for the an annual Alumni Meet – Mélange, which sees outgoing batch that contains brie ngs of all the participation of alumni, the Director and members events conducted during that academic year along of the committee. The meet intends to increase the with the details of the outgoing batch. Apart from interaction within the alumni as well as to gather this, the committee also comes out with a newsletter important feedback for the development of the every quarter with the highlights of all important institute. Mélange 2014 was organized in Bangalore activities and events held during the period. The on 2nd February, 2014 and was a huge success. The Alumni Association plans to revamp its Web Portal committee arranges for alumni interaction sessions to enable the alumnus for networking with their batch mates better.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Symphony 84 2015

Cultural Committee students feel at home, with rangolis providing a touch of colour in the lives of the students and the The Cultural Committee of IIM Shillong aims Bon re night, heralding the arrival of the winter. to attract and motivate the student community Christmas spreads enthusiasm in the air as it is to explore and exhibit their creative and artistic the most auspicious festival of Shillong. After the sensibilities through talent shows, sessions, winter break, Lohri euphoria takes over, engaging workshops and competitions. The students nd a everyone in the tradition of  ying kites. Colours are reason to relax and enjoy campus life amidst rigorous splashed on everyone’s faces and hearts during Holi academics and the hectic work of di erent clubs, celebrations in February and March, followed by the committees, competitions and other activities. grandeur of Dasvidandiya, the farewell event of the senior batch. The committee celebrates the di erences, as well as common interests. Starting with Janmashtmi The committee understands the importance celebrations with Matki in August, which unites the of cultural sensitivity and celebrations, given entire batch in celebration, in October, it organizes everyone’s hectic schedule, and it aims to brings the Dandiya night and Waltzzz dance workshop people together and bind them in a cultural that energizes everyone after the examinations. relationship, creating a home away from home. It In November, the greatest festival of India, Diwali, brings out the talents of an individual, weaving all is celebrated, where the campus is lit up with into a colourful thread of unity. lights and diyas. The engaging events make the

Hostel Committee maintaining and improving the laundry system, gymnasium, revamping the volleyball, basketball The Hostel Committee of IIM Shillong makes sure and badminton courts and organizing the grand that all the participants of IIM Shillong feel as and exciting “Rann Bhoomi’14”. In addition, the comfortable as they would at their home during Hostel Committee made sure that none of the their stay here. The committee looks into the day participants missed their home too much especially to day operations of the hostel, from the basic during the festivals with special festive menus and necessities including food, clothing and shelter other initiatives. in the form of mess, laundry and room facilities to the recreational facilities like sports, gymnasium, The ambitious future plans of the committee include television room, etc. The club also organizes “Rann revamping the hostels with improved and new Bhoomi: The Annual Sports Fest of IIM Shillong” with facilities for the coming batches, making their life at participation from all stakeholders of the institute. IIM Shillong even more comfortable. The committee is here to make the stay at IIM Shillong a memorable The committee had their hands full throughout the experience. year, allocating rooms for the increased batch size;

HOSTEL COMMITTEE Symphony 2015 85

PLACEMENT COMMITTEE The Placement Committee at IIM Shillong strives of the committee. The committee realizes the to provide the students with the opportunity to immense potential that corporate interactions interact with the doyens of the corporate world and have in augmenting the knowledge quotient at the same time showcase to the corporates the of the students and thus aid and promote The immense capabilities of students here. On top of its Podium: A guest lecture series at IIM Shillong, along agenda is acting as an e ective interface between with many more corporate interactions. Through the students and the companies and building long avenues like live projects, summer internships and lasting corporate relationships. nal placements, it provides the companies with the best of talent available and to the students the To promote a mutually bene cial and symbiotic opportunity to realize their dreams and shape their working environment for all is the main endeavor careers.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CELL, IIM SHILLONG The Public Relations Cell of IIM Shillong acts as the the seventh batch of IIM Shillong. interface between the institute and external entities such as corporates, other business schools and the The mandate of the PR Cell is to boost the visibility media. It aims at creating, fostering and managing of IIM Shillong among corporates and educational professional relations with these entities. institutions nationally and globally. In this regard, it organized the second edition of TEDx IIM Shillong It is responsible for providing guidance and an independently organized TED event. The mentorship to MBA aspirants seeking admissions to event featured prominent speakers from various IIM Shillong on popular forums like PagalGuy.com domains like Mr. Roshan Abbas and Ms. Prukalpa and MBAUniverse.com. On these lines, it conducted Sankar among others. The event received global the sixth edition of Synapse, the mentorship program recognition and one of the members, Ms. Prachi for the incoming batch. Working in collaboration Agarwal,was selected to participate in the TED with the Alumni Committee, it organized Nexus, Global event held in Brazil in October 2014. Notably, the annual Senior-Junior meet across various cities TEDx IIM Shillong was also appointed as the mentor in India. Along with the Student Council of the for TEDx IIM Lucknow. institute, it played an instrumental role in welcoming Symphony 86 2015

The Public Relations Cell, in association with awaited by corporates and participants alike. The the Placement Committee, played a vital role Annual B-School Fest, Khlur-Thma, which means in organizing The Podium Season 3, the Annual “War of Stars” witnessed participation from over 80 Corporate Lecture Series at IIM Shillong, which colleges comprising some 4500 teams and prizes featured 22 corporates from various established worth INR 5 lakh being distributed to the winners. companies like Tata Motors, Schneider Electric, and The response to the event has been overwhelming Cisco. The PR Cell also conducts video conferencing and in only 2 years the event has captured the sessions to interact with corporates from various imaginations of students and created a place for business domains. itself in the annual calendar of B-school activities across institutes. The Student Council nurtures the Other activities that fall under the purview of spirit of partnership and co-operation between the Public Relations Cell include expanding the all the stakeholders and ensures that entrenched presence of IIM Shillong on social media platforms values as well as pillars of institute are strengthened (like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin); publishing articles with every passing year. on prominent forums such as Inside IIM; and other events like the annual candle light march in the memory of Manjunath Shanmugam, an alumnus of SYMPHONY IIM Lucknow, in collaboration with the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust. What’s in a word? Quite a bit and then some, would be the answer of this committee. Symphony, the Literary Committee of IIM Shillong, serves to provide STUDENT COUNCIL the students of the institute a platform to wield this awesome power that the written word contains The Student Council works under the slogan “Take and mesmerise its readers. It aims to bring together the Lead”. As the apex student body of the institute, various views on myriad topics and create a harmony the Student Council has the responsibility to among these apparently disparate elements. integrate the academic and co-curricular spheres of all participants. O ce bearers of this non- The primary function of the committee is the hierarchical team act as an interface between the design, development and publishing of the annual student community and the administration. They magazine of IIM Shillong, which is the committee’s play a key role as a channel of communication namesake. The magazine serves to showcase the between the institute and external parties as and keen writing acumen of the participants of the when required. Members of the Student Council institute on various subjects related to management are elected by the students themselves and are and otherwise. The magazine is distributed to responsible for addressing and resolving student management schools throughout the nation to grievances as well as managing con icts, if any, o er readers a feel of the outstanding quality of within other student bodies of the institute. The participants that the institute harbours. mission of the Student Council is to enhance the Apart from the magazine, the club also conducts reputation of the Institute not only among other various events that aim to bring out the creative management institutes but in the corporate world personas of the participants. These include Terribly as well as in society. It also monitors the activities Tiny Tales, wherein participants have to come up on campus and ensures that they are in line with with stories around a central theme within an the Institute’s goal of becoming a world renowned astoundingly small character limit, photography, centre for management education. sketching and the like. This past year it has also The Student Council organizes the annual fest of the conducted screenings of critically acclaimed movies institute that comprises of the  agship event, the IIM for the students of the institute to inculcate in them Shillong Golf Cup; Khlur-Thma, the Annual B-School a healthy appreciation of the cinematic medium. The Fest and Udaan, The Business Conclave that saw screenings also serve to o er the students a short its inception this year. The  agship event provides break from the rigours of the draining management a great platform for corporates and B Schools to curriculum. battle it out on the greens and provides a hands- Symphony also maintains a healthy online presence on experience to the students on management, on various social networking portals on which who learn nuances of management by organizing creative contests are conducted year round. It also an event of such grandeur. In its seventh year in a comes up with an informal yearbook that preserves row, the Student Council has been instrumental in the memories of the outgoing batch of the institute. transforming the event into a magnum opus eagerly Symphony 2015 87

IT Committee

The IT infrastructure of a reputed B-school, that The Committee had its hands full this year catering too an IIM for that matter is presumed to be robust to the increased requirements of comparatively and unfailing in its nature. The responsibility for larger batch. Be it handling the timely repairs of ensuring this falls squarely on the shoulders of the the LAN network across the hostels, setting up the IT Committee. Active-Boards in classrooms or con guring the The IT committee sees to it that every student across audio-video system for the various events held on the campus has access to the IT infrastructure they campus, you may always count on the IT committee are entitled to. They also ensure the timely setup to extract the best out of the available infrastructure. and availability of infrastructure for conducting the Although the committee does not have any  agship various student-organised activities across the year. event of its own it is almost always an un inching The members of this committee will ensure that presence backstage for the events conducted by adequate setup is in place for the various Podium any other club or committee throughout the year sessions, Video-conferencing sessions, guest- lectures and Placement related activities so that the participants are spared the hassles.

Symphony 88 2015 Clubs bITeSys The club has activities round the year attracting student participants from over 65- B-schools The Systems Club of IIM Shillong, has a vision to pan India. ConQuest reached greater heights provide a platform for the seamless dissemination last year with its annual magazine Collector’s of knowledge between the corporates and students Edition inaugurated by honourable Dr. APJ Abdul and to provide professional opportunities beyond Kalam. Besides this the monthly newsletter- Ezine, the traditional avenues, in the elds of technology received articles from both students and corporates and systems management. The primary purpose of like Infosys, Accenture, etc. We had eminent the club is to engage the systems enthusiasts of IIM personalities like Ms. Rama Bijapurkar (Leading Shillong and enhance their knowledge regarding thought leader on market strategy and consumer the domain in the process. economy), Munish Chawla (Founder Director, bITeSys progresses towards the aforementioned NRVESTIN & Virtuoso Sales Solution), Mr. Sandip vision by organising various activities throughout Biswas (Director, TMT, Strategy and Operation, the course of the year. It helps in building a bridge Deloitte Consulting) sharing their thoughts with between IIM Shillong and corporate, as well our students. ConQuest successfully completed live as, government organisations by acquiring live projects for Airtel, Deloitte, Knowledge Faber, Biz projects for the participants on a regular basis. Such Research Lab & Zenesys consulting through which live projects give them the opportunity to apply the the students imbibed tremendous learning. The theoretical knowledge learnt within the con nes of tri-annual event Battleground 2.0, received huge the classroom, to real world business scenarios. The response with over 400 participants and more than club is currently working in collaboration with NIC, 1300 likes on Facebook. Consulting Club’s  agship Meghalaya. event “VainQueur”, in annual management festival of IIM Shillong, was sponsored by ONGC and bITeSys also hosts a number of events, such as received participation from 350 teams. SosIT and Decrypt, wherein contestants ideate an app that addresses a social issue and provide the In future, ConQuest aims to grow bigger with more solution to a systems based case study, respectively. reach and initiatives, facilitating greater interaction Furthermore, the Qubit magazine and Knowledge between corporate stalwarts and students building Bytes, give participants an exposure to global a long term symbiotic relationship. information technology trends and current industry developments. ECoBiZ

ConQuest ECoBiZ Club is a student body at IIM Shillong that aims for societal development through sustainable ConQuest, the Consulting Club of IIM Shillong social and business practices. It’s vision is to become was founded in 2008 with a vision to be a Centre leaders in the eld of sustain ability through thoughts of Excellence in delivering sustainable solutions to and actions. During the past years it has been society by acting as a forum for information sharing involved in several activities like Youth Leadership between the industry and students passionate Summit, Prayas, Chetna, Ecoweek, Ecotrek, Blood about strategy and consulting. It strives to equip Donation camps, Live projects and the like. One of the students with knowledge and skills to help the major milestones achieved in its journey last year them assimilate classroom learning and solve real- is conducting the Pioneer Leadership Summit along life industry problems. with the Environmentalist Foundation of India. For it’s continuous e orts towards bringing out societal Symphony 2015 89 development through sustainable practices, the Its near future plans include closely studying the club was felicitated by Meghalaya Aids Control investment opportunities in North East India and Society (MACS) for its Annual Voluntary Blood documenting its work in the form of a magazine Donation Camp. The club has actively participated dedicated to its mission of achieving sustainability. in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, right from its launch, The club also plans to undertake live projects with with the support of participants of IIM Shillong. local enterprises and the government of Meghalaya.

Finance Club The past year proved to be bigger and better for the club, as it organized various events like Established in 2008, the Finance Club of IIM Shillong Celebratio, Findrishti, Apprentice and Dalal Street, has progressively evolved into a strong platform to facilitate the learning of the students in the for building long-standing and mutually bene cial domain of nance and economics. In Khlur-Thma, relationships between corporates and the student the annual management fest of IIM Shillong, the community. The primary activity of the club is to club conducted a national level nance case study publish ”Niveshak” – a monthly nance magazine, competition called Vishleshan, a multi-stage event which is highly respected for its innovative style that saw participation from a large number of teams and o beat articles. It is a student driven magazine from across the country. and is widely circulated to all the major B-schools, organizations and nance enthusiasts from the In association with ICICI Direct, the club conducted industry. a Virtual Trading Contest – StockMind, which encouraged students to learn the nuances of the Finance Club also manages a diversi ed equity stock market. The club also partners with various portfolio, the “Niveshak Investment Fund (NIF),” that online training academies to encourage students aims for growth through a focused and optimally in grooming their knowledge by registering for diversi ed portfolio strategy. The fund aims to nance certi cation courses like Flip Challenge, optimize the risk-adjusted return by building a Corporate Bridge, YMO etc. portfolio of large and mid-cap stocks across sectors, selected as per the “Sector Choice Methodology” developed by the club.

Finance Club Symphony 90 2015

I-CUBE: ENTREPRENEURSHIP CELL i-Cube is the Entrepreneurship Cell of IIM Shillong. from more than 50 B-Schools in the Case Study and Conceived as a club, i-Cube exists for the sole purpose Business Plan competitions. of fostering and encouraging entrepreneurship among the students of IIM Shillong and in the local This year also saw the publication of the second community. edition of INCUBATOR, the annual entrepreneurship magazine of IIM Shillong, developed by i-Cube, i-Cube conducts the annual entrepreneurship featuring a number of sections, including a number summit of IIM Shillong – EmergE – in September. of entrepreneurs writing about their experiences of EmergE 2014, the third edition of the E-summit was running start-ups in India. a grand success. A number of entrepreneurs and investors spoke in the various conclaves conducted On the cards for the future is the goal of setting up and in individual talks. The students got invaluable a functional incubation center to provide support to insights into the challenges that entrepreneurs face local entrepreneurs and to our own students during as well as the things that investors look for in the the initial critical years of their entrepreneurial business plans that come to them. The competitions ventures. Improving participation of local were also very successful as well with participation entrepreneurs and students from local colleges in EmergE is also another goal.

I-Cube: Entrepreneurship Cell

IIM SHILLONG AMATEUR GOLF CLUB

After its inception in 2012, the IIM Shillong Amateur in the event, along with many dignitaries from the Golf Club (IIMSAGC) took it up as its mission Government of Meghalaya and the Armed Forces. to increase the interest of students, the faculty members, and the administrative sta in the game IIMSAGC organized a poster-making competition of golf and make the IIM Shillong Golf Cup, being related to Golf in ‘Khlur-thma’, the annual held since 2009, a bigger success in the coming Management Festival of IIM Shillong, under the years. name ‘Saksham’, which saw great participation from B-schools all over the country. In addition to holding regular practice sessions for the students of the college, the Golf Club, along with The club also released the second edition of its the Student Council of IIM Shillong, was responsible annual golf magazine ‘Albatross’, which included this year for the organization of the annual Golf inspiring words from Col. Divakar Nagarajan, in Cup, which was an even bigger success than its addition to tit-bits about Golf Cup Season 6 and predecessors. Several corporate houses took part the sport of golf. It showcased many updates from Symphony 2015 91 the world of golf and contained tips for learning The Facebook page of the club is widely followed by and improving one’s game juxtaposed with the students and quizzing clubs of other management connection of golf with life in general and business institutions. On top of that, with the recent stellar in speci c. performance of two members of Koutuhal in the TATA Crucible Campus Quiz, the visibility of the In the near future the club plans to host the Institute, through the Club, has grown. Its  agship second edition of “Anubhav” - an intra-college golf event, Ariadne’s Thread, sees participation by tournament and “Paganica”- an online golf event students from b-schools all over the country. for participants of all B-school across India, as well as many smaller pre-events. The 1st edition of With ambitious plans to take more competitions ‘Anubhav’ saw some real talent come out among national, Koutuhal is the mouthpiece of the the students of IIM Shillong, and was full of fun and institution when it wants to showcase to the world follow-throughs on the course. what a treasure trove of knowledge this college on a hill-top is. So far, it has not disappointed. And we All in all, IIMSAGC has come a long way from its well hope Koutuhal and IIM Shillong will be known humble beginning, and it continues to strive to far and wide for celebrating the most striking reach new heights by way of promoting the sport of characteristic of the human mind: curiosity. golf among B-school participants.

IIM Shillong Amateur Golf Club

KOUTUHAL OPERA- THE OPERATIONS CLUB Koutuhal used to be the Quizzing and Debating The Operations Club of IIM Shillong is at its core a Club of IIM Shillong, until it was rechristened as the special interest group comprising of individuals Activities Club. The activities under Koutuhal, from committed towards promoting the academic Konclave to various quizzes, from discussion forums disciplines of Operations Management and to knowledge transfer sessions, all aim for the same Operations Research. The members of this Club, thing: to aid the growth of knowledge through peer through their publications and activities round the to peer learning. A management institute honing year, try to spread awareness and ignite interest in the leaders of tomorrow needs a club which can the various advancements and trends in the eld of ignite minds. Koutuhal does that, and a lot more. Operations. They organise a host of competitions Symphony 92 2015 and other exciting events both online and o ine to summit of IIM Shillong. In the event participants had this e ect. to propose a marketing solution to a given problem in only one slide. The Club organized ‘Touchstone’ Some of the major activities undertaken by this club (its  agship case study competition) in association during the course of this academic year were with Shillong Lajong FC During Khlur Thma 2013 Oper8: A fun lled week long series of events (the annual B-School fest of IIM Shillong). Another consisting of various Operations related popular event by the club is God Sellers. It is designed competitions that both entertain and educate to test the selling skills of students in a real market participants about the plethora of concepts used simulation. War of Brands is another amazing event, in the domain of operations and their practical organized by the club in February. It requires teams applications. to come up with an advertisement concept, in the form of print advertisement presentation or TVCs Optimus: This was held multiple times throughout for various brands. the year and was basically simple easy-to-participate online Operations related event. The club is driven towards achieving its goal of infusing and sustaining the spirit of marketing Pravaha: The biannual magazine that is a treasure and encouraging students at IIM Shillong to be trove of interesting insights and editorials by innovative marketers through knowledge sharing, students from across all the premier B-schools hands-on projects and networking opportunities. across the country. Various live projects that help students gain valuable and real-time insights into the working of industries usHR, the HR club: and the application of concepts. usHR, the HR club of IIM Shillong stands for Union of The club strives to convert the domain of Students for Human Resources. Operations Management often perceived to be It focuses on: of very technical and sombre nature by students of Business Management, into a very fun- lled, • Bringing IIM Shillong to the forefront in the practical-applications based subject. eld of Human Resource Management • Developing an atmosphere conducive to interaction between corporate and THE MARKETING CLUB academia The Marketing Club of IIM Shillong comprises of • Keeping HR enthusiasts engaged with the marketing enthusiasts and is driven to expand contemporary trends and best practices in knowledge about the marketing function beyond the industry classrooms and thereby aid students’ interest in shaping a successful career in the eld. It publishes a bimonthly magazine named ‘TogetHR’, which focuses on recent trends in the domain of HR As part of its activities, it releases a monthly and includes articles from intellectuals all over the marketing magazine - MARKATHON, which caters country. Interviews of eminent personalities feature to a subscriber base of over 5000, with readers from in the magazine and it constantly stays in tune with premier B-schools and corporates. Its exclusive progress in the eld of human resources. section Vartalaap has featured interviews of eminent personalities like Mr. M S Nageshwar Rao It also organizes events such as: ‘Winner takes it (Chairman and MD, Real eT Matrix), Mr. R. Suresh all’, an event where teams experience the di erent (Vice President - Sales Ultra tech Cement Ltd.) and facets of management and human resources, ‘HR Mr. Ashutosh Tiwari (Executive Vice President and ADDA’, where debates and discussions were carried Head, International Marketing and Innovation out on important issues ranging from the political Godrej) among others. to the business world, the Podium, the annual corporate interaction session of the institute and The Club also organizes various competitions to the HR conclave with eminent speakers gracing the hone the marketing acumen of the students. Ace occasion. A poster designing contest - ‘EntHRal-us’ - The One Slide Challenge was conducted during was organized to stimulate creativity in the minds EmergE 2014, the third annual entrepreneurship of the students about di erent facets of the domain. Symphony 2015 93

For the annual management fest of IIM Shillong, engaged in bringing in live projects and lectures the club had organized ‘DecipHR’- an event with from renowned organizations and speakers to two engrossing rounds for HR enthusiasts from keep the interest in the eld of human resources all management institutes in the country. It is also  ourishing.

usHR, the HR club: Symphony 94 2015

Students’ Achievements

L’Oreal Brandstorm From TEDxIIMShillong to TEDGlobal A team comprising of Balakrishnan M, Ninad Shukla TEDxIIMShillong was listed among top 15 TEDx and Ramanathan K were declared the winners of events across the world. It was an event shortlisted the  agship international marketing game - L’Oreal from lakhs of TEDx events organized across the Brandstorm 2014. The team went on to compete globe. Prachi Agarwal, a second year student of against teams from 44 countries at the international IIM Shillong bagged the scholarship to attend nals held in Paris. L’OréalBrandstorm 2014 TEDGlobal 2014, a week long conference consisting partnered with Kiehl’s, one of the top brand’s in the of talks by speakers from varied elds. She was world. Teams had to keep in mind the brand’s growth the only University Event organizer from India in the men’s category and also focus on the brand’s and among the 2 Indians who had bagged the 3 pillars of charities : HIV/AIDS research, Children’s scholarship this year. The focus of the conference Causes and the Environment. Team IIM Shillong won was culture and it was aptly depicted by the theme the nals for their out of the box creativity, excellent ‘South!’ where it was interpreted in as many ways team work and innovative product ideas. Panel as possible. A scholars dinner was also organized consisted of experts from L’Oréal India comprising by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where the of Jean-Christophe Letellier - Managing Director, executives from the foundation and TED explained Mohit James - Director-HR, Marco Riggio - Director the reason for starting the scholarship, its purpose - Luxe Division, Anurag Tyagi - General Manager and a scholar’s role in making an impact on his/her - Kiehl’s, L’Oréal India and Anuradha Sengupta - community. “It was opportunity of a lifetime and I Broadcast Journalist & Producer. am proud to have represented IIM Shillong and my country at TEDGlobal 2014 in Rio” says Prachi.

Aditya Birla Scholarship Gaurav Jain, a rst year PGDM student at IIM Shillong, has been awarded the Aditya Birla Scholarship. IIM Shillong bagged the scholarship for the 4th consecutive year. The 16th Aditya Birla Group Scholarships program was held at ITC Grand in Mumbai from September 19, 2014 to September Symphony 2015 95

CFA Institute Research Challenge A team comprising Gaurav Bhardwaj, JatinSethi, Gautam Jain, Saket Hawelia and Gaurav Pilania of the PGP 2015 batch was declared to be the winner of East Zone nals of CFA Institute research challenge. The competition was held on January 4, 2015 at Hyatt Regency Kolkata. The achievement became much more special as IIM Shillong won the competition for the 5th time. IIM Shillong blazes a ery trail at TATA Campus 21, 2014. This year only 15 students were awarded Crucible the scholarship among a few elite students studying Giving a llip to the growing prominence of quizzing in premier educational institutes like IIMs, XLRI, IITs in the institute, two students of the second year and BITS Pilani. The selection process for Aditya Birla batch of IIM Shillong stood rst in the Tata Crucible scholars is quite rigorous but well structured. These Campus Quiz 2014 for the Guwahati edition, held students had to submit a write up of their academic on March 8. Ks Rahul Gupta and Debarun Majumdar and extra-curricular achievements. The shortlisted then went on to qualify for the National Finals in the students from Round 1 were interviewed in Mumbai. Eastern Zone Quali ers held in Kolkata, garnering The panel of judges comprised of Ms. Chitra even greater laurels for the institute. All the quizzes Ramkrishna, MD & CEO, National Stock Exchange were conducted by Giri Balasubramaniam, popularly of India Limited, Mrs. Kaku Nakhate, President & known as Pickbrain, a prominent quizmaster, who Country Head of Bank of America, India, Mr. Rajat has conducted quizzes all over the world. The Gupta, Director, McKinsey and Company and Mr. performance of the two students has served to put N. Ravi, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu. The award was IIM Shillong’s quizzing culture on the map. presented by Mrs. Rajashree Birla. Symphony 96 2015 Faculty Speaks

Sharad Nath Bhattacharya (Finance Department) Assistant Professor Faculty in Finance and Accounting Indian Institute of Management, Shillong

Joining IIM Shillong has been an enriching experience. The Institute’s community is really unique: the campus was a summer palace of the Mayurbhanj Kings and is both beautiful and varied. To work here is an opportunity to be a part of a community that is passionate about what they do with a turn towards sustain ability. We are fortunate to straddle the worlds of academia and business, in the abode of clouds, the so called Scotland of the East. From clouds to water falls, deep gorges and other virgin places of the wonderful state of Meghalaya, the curiosity to experience them is possibly the greatest motivation of living and working here. My silence above about my students is just because they deserve a special paragraph. Excited by the possibilities that these two years can provide, they really work round the clock juggling both class learnings and co-curricular work, winning laurels at various competitions and nally rewarding themselves with a decent job. I am especially happy with the intellectual curiosity exhibited in my elective classes. I feel that there is a continuous demand from the student community to improve the postgraduate programme which provide a llip to the research activity on campus. Our community events, including the prestigious Golf Cup, are conceptualized, coordinated and organized really well by the students. Kudos to all of them! On the personal front, my choice of joining IIM Shillong was primarily for addressing professional needs of joining an Institute that had an open system of functioning with a minimal level of bureaucracy and hierarchy and an environment that is conducive for teaching and research. The Institute has done commendably well on those counts and continual e orts are being made by every stakeholder towards taking the institution to higher levels of excellence. The new campus, slated to come up shortly, would certainly enhance the overall experience and we eagerly look forward to this progress.

Neeti Shukla OB & HR Department “Every individual nature has its own beauty” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Management education aims to shape individuals to become the leaders of enterprises. Amidst rigorous training and grooming, the beauty of individualism should not get lost or compromised. It is easy to create prototypes but nurturing an individual’s unique capacity becomes challenging for the institute and the educators. It has been an overwhelming experience with IIM Shillong in just a few months of my association. The level of enthusiasm and commitment displayed by students inside the classrooms and during activities is admirable. It is unbelievable to observe the level of support provided by the institute to nurture the unique capabilities of students, faculty and sta despite several limitations and challenges. Creation of a high performance work environment that supports a climate of autonomy and team work in just a few years of establishment of the institute is certainly an achievement. We all are chasing some dreams and these dreams evolve as we evolve professionally and personally. IIM Shillong is providing all possible support to facilitate achievement of our goals. However, it would be an achievement in true sense only if we are able to attain excellence and maintain our individualism. Let’s grow in our unique capacities! Symphony 2015 97

Alumni Speak

Nishanth Shourie Almost a year passed by from the moment we left IIM Shillong, but not a single day passes without thinking about the beautiful two years that I have spent there. From being a hardcore hater to becoming an extravagant proponent, I have had the extreme level of transition possible about the campus. Not with standing the all-year-round competitions, classes, assignments, group work and what not… Now, when I look back all of that hectic lifestyle that I had just passes on as a blur and makes me want more of it. Being in a company of people with such diverse backgrounds and getting to know the nitty-gritties of management has added a lot of personal and professional perspectives. From having a late night cup of tea with friends at the quadrangle to getting the opportunity to see and meet Mr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, I heartily cherish each and every moment that I have lived there.

Vaibhav Annam A thought of Shillong is always accompanied by a wave of nostalgia. Playing in Bamboo Cup, BPL and Ranbhoomi; working for Markathon and Symphony; trips to Mawphlang, Cherrapunjee, Kyllang, Living Root Bridge, Pobitora and Sikkim; cycling in the hills; capturing the beauty that Shillong is in a lens; getting to know peers; giving and taking treats in the Center Points and Ri Kinjais; rooting for SLFC in JLN Stadium; getting used to a “nickname” my batch so “lovingly” presented to me; representing the college in numerous events; interacting with residents of nearby villages for a live project; breakfast sessions in the “Jhopris”; dancing in a “special attire” to “special songs” during the farewell; fond conversations with Kong and Momo Mama - are some things I would crave to do over and over again. Every memory about the place that  ashes past my mind feels like a throwback to a bygone halcyon era. IIM Shillong has been an experience which most certainly cannot completely be expressed in words. It is this institute that gave me a platform to perform, it is this institute that taught me to think di erently and it is this institute that I owe a lot to. Symphony 98 2015 Symphony 2015 99

PGP 2013-15