Atharva - TAPMI's Annual B-School Fest: 2013

January 29, 2013

VIBES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vibes – The dance event of ATHARVA kicked off with a bang sending vibes across all present!

The setting couldn’t have been perfect; crowds thronged the WELL at TAPMI, the venue for the night. One could hear a sense of excitement and anticipation flowing through their cheers. The comperers with their electrifying voice galvanized excitement all around . The honorable judges seated, were from eminent fields of the entertainment industry sharing varied expertise.

And the participants did not disappoint the audience at all! Round 1 called the Footloose, was based on an impromptu dance for the song played on the spot. Teams comprising of “three” danced and swayed to tunes which cut across all genres. The way the teams performed, it was impossible to believe that the dances were actually conjured on the spot and weren’t rehearsed!

The next round called the ‘Two for Tango’ featured dances vying for the best couple chemistry .Couples showcased their amazing mutual chemistry in the dances which ensued .The performances were so beautiful, I must say! In fact, the graceful movements, including leaps and spins performed by a particular couple reminded one of the ballets performed by the famous Paris Opera Ballet (no kidding!).Meanwhile, the flashing lights of the shutterbugs scrambled capture every passing moment of the stage.

Peppered in between the rounds were fillers. The cheeky mimicry by made the crowd go into splits of laughter while the ramp walk and melodies sung by the onlookers gave fresh appetite to the whole event.

The final round named ‘Street Dance’ featured some truly astounding performances from all the teams. Dances featured mindboggling acrobatics, and stunts which one could appreciate only if present. Dancers where flying all over the stage like missiles! The Well reverberated with the euphoria, the performers danced like there was no tomorrow and in the process confounded the judges for requiring to rate among the best (sic).

All in all, Vibes was one of the most awaited and equally satisfying events of ATHARVA-13. It brought alive the human spirit to bring the best out of individuals, and personified the true spirit of ATHARVA-‘Survive, Revive and Conquer’.

January 18, 2013

Sankalp....

SANKALP

“Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others strive and achieve them”

Entrepreneurship has often been regarded as the last mainstay of the creative individual. A final call for freedom, a chance to escape from mundane work realities, and an opportunity to achieve a sense of purpose that is more often than not, greater than the sum of its parts alone.

Sankalp, the B plan competition of Atharva, respects this very spirit of entrepreneurs that make them unique. It serves as a platform for budding entrepreneurs to exhibit their passions and their ideas to a wider audience and earn accolades as well as guidance from like-minded individuals along the way. The competition appreciates the efforts and mindsets of men and women who are non-complacent with their efforts and have the courage to follow their heart and intuition. Indeed, it recognizes that determination and willpower are often more crucial to success than skills and knowledge alone.

This year we saw more than a 100 teams from management colleges across the country send in their applications. Each one of them is toiling to get one step closer to realizing their entrepreneurial ambitions. The final shortlist of teams who have been selected to represent their respective institutes at Sankalp comprise of individuals who have already proved their mettle through completion of a rigorous set of selection rounds. The final round of Sankalp will involve the teams pitching their ideas to a set of prominent and renowned venture capitalists who will, in their capacity, leave no stone unturned at gauging the strength of the idea, the feasibility of the causes, and more importantly, the passion and the underlining spirit driving their endeavour. The prize money of Rs. 50,000/- for the winner and Rs. 35,000/- to the runners-up serve as added incentive for the participants and in the best case, as possible seed capital to assist them in their entrepreneurial ventures.

Unleashing the spirit of enterprise has always been the underlying tagline of Sankalp through out the years. This year too, it attempts to stand true to its name and its spirit by testing the determination and creativity of those who dream of treading the challenging path of entrepreneurship, who refuse to be bound by convention, and who aim to make a positive impact on society; simply by the indomitable strength of their personal convictions, unshakable beliefs and their utmost sincerity to work towards a bigger cause, for the greater good.

The Chosen One....

Young Business Leader

e-lite

Noun

1. A group of people considered to be the best in a particular society or category, esp. because of their power, talent, or wealth.

Parents are ruthless taskmasters. They may take a precious breath or two to recognize your achievement but within the blink of an eye they’re back at it raising the bar higher for you. Throughout the awkward teenage phase of high school you are told to study hard and do well in the board exams. This they said would hold you in good stead and give you the luxury of relaxation. Some gullible souls took their parents’ word for it and did just that. But in the meantime their parents updated the list of minimum achievements expected from their child. Now it was all about doing well in those precious 2 years of classes XI and XII so that you get in to a good engineering college.

Student: Get in to a good engineering college. Check.

Parents: Don’t rest on your laurels now beta, all these years of effort will go to waste if you don’t work your socks off to do well these four years. That’s all you need in order to secure a good job. Then it’s your life, live it to the fullest!

Student (Works hard for the next 4 years. Inevitably gets placed in an IT firm) There you go. Now I can put my feet up and relax as the money flows in.

Parents: Good beta you’ve earned it. We’re proud of you. (One blink of the eye later) But if you give up now there won’t be much career growth. Perhaps you should consider going to a B-School. It’ll give you an edge.

Student: *SIGH* Fine I’m game.

Give or take a few points this is something several of us can relate to. So here we are years after our awkward teenage years still working hard so we can someday relax and savour the fruits of our labour. Most of us have the satisfaction of looking back to see trail of smoke we left behind us as we blazed our way to great graduation schools and great B-Schools. CAT, XAT, been there, done that. We’re now the cream of the crop. Sadly such is greed that merely being the cream of the crop doesn’t cut it for B-schoolers anymore. They now want to be among the elite. Young Business Leader (YBL) is a platform that pits the cream of the crop against each other.

YBL is a showcase showdown between 10 worthy managers in the making picked from some of the most eminent B-schools in the land. These contestants are put through 2 days of gruelling stress in the form of various events designed to test their capabilities to make world class managers.

10 managers to be with their backs to the wall.

1 elite shall rise.

While the rest shall crumble; Fall.

January 17, 2013

InFINity

The markets today are too competitive to survive with a single USP. Multiple competitive advantages, being profitable in every undertaken venture and operational efficiency together ensures meaningful survival to any organisation. The sheer financial management and the ability to prudentially undertake financial requirements of the organisation are alarming in recent times.

Atharva today has reached its 26th year of testing and challenging managerial brains round the nation in every realm of corporate arena. The new requirement in the carte du jour of market is Financial Intelligence. To tickle managerial brains in a completely new way Atharva launches infinity, a Financial Management event.

inFINity aims to foster financial acumen in upcoming managers by the way of connecting the dots between strategic significance of financial management and the organisational growth.

Also, the participants get a glimpse into the real world scenario by means of a HBR simulation game. The simulation pilots in the arena of capital budgeting, valuation and overall financial management. Final evaluation will be a comprehensive picture of a team performance in the case solution as well the simulation game.

The wittiest can’t guarantee it, the nerds of all can’t come near to it, the derring-do fail too often. It is an unbeaten arena, come conquer it.

January 15, 2013

Abhivyakti

The International Paper Presentation by ATHARVA

And alas..the ball has started rolling….First the whole of Manipal ran for a cause on 13^th...Then..On 14^th evening, a Road show and a spirited Flash mob conducted in association with Chill Maadi magnified the buzz….So Atharva is officially on air now….The enthusiasm and the Atharvan spirits are seeping in exponentially now….a signal for a much awaited spirited beginning!

Like the first rays of the sun, Atharva gradually steps into business with Abhivyakti : The International Paper Presentation Contest. It is one of the most unique contests held across the country with a focus to take the buzz words and topics in the field of management a step further by urging the budding managers to probe deeper and construct their own kaleidoscope of knowledge . ‘Abhivyakti’ in Hindi means “Expressing Onself”. Management as a social science invokes a lot of debates based on the myriad unique viewpoints posed by prospective managers and Abhivyakti serves as a perfect platform for the creative expression and demonstration of these stances. Students are allowed to choose from a array of topics based on their interest in the various sector in management and provide greater insight and solutions into the burning issuses plaguing the world of business.

The Competition would be in two phases with an initial short listing of the submitted abstracts followed by the presentation of the white papers submitted by the finalists over a video-conference to a judging panel consisting of experts from the various fields of management.

No learning should go unrecognized and hence apart from the scholastic laurels , there is also a prize money of $ 250 that will be awarded to the winner.

This year, the battle ground at Abhivyakti is a good mix of national and international participants.. The most sought after topics are from the Marketing and HR domains ranging from Social Media Marketing – Boon or Bane, Employee ownership or Employee Satisfaction – Which is a greater driver for productivity, Retention strategies in the Hospitality industry and other topics pertaining to Operations and Finance domains. The abstracts revealed a lot of interesting insights into the topics as portrayed by the participants and hence Abhivyakti 2013 will definitely prove a treat for the audience!

Laughter Riot by PAPA CJ

When did you ROGL last???

Manipal – the land of students; made by a great soul for all we gyanis………….. ;)

It was a cool January evening when these very gyaanis swayed away to the rocking music of Bollywood duo of Salim-Sulaiman. An unforgettable musical memory imprinted forevr thanks to ATharva, the b-school fest of TAPMI.

This time around it’ll be these very lush green lawns of KMC that will be the place you’ll fall down laughing when the master of comedy will test your sanity. Beware all serious faced guys n gals, Papa C J, the daddy of comedy, will be at KMC greens on the 20^th of this month. We bet you’ll forget how to make a stern expression.

We invite all the gyanis n specially the anti gyanis to come and roll on the greens laughing (ROGL) at KMC greens this Sunday. Don’t forget to collect the free passes for the day from any of your favourite hangout places in Manipal………… c u at the greens

Now you have a plan for your ROGL ………..

all action sponsored by PAPA C J ……………..

January 14, 2013

The waves awaiting the winners.....

Quiz on the Beach

Reaching out to the customer increases business...

but, for us it was the overwhelming number of entries from across the country which took us from Manipal to Bangalore and Mumbai.

Quiz on the Beach is back with a bang!!!

Entering its tenth year, QOTB as it is popularly known is pulling crowds like never before. We are also trying to keep up with its pace and are transforming ourselves. Prelim rounds have been conducted in the metros and the winners are eagerly waiting to prove their mettle at the finals. Come 19^th of January and warriors from IITs, IIMs and colleges all across the country will fight to reach the summit.

It is going to be a tough battle and to host the event we have the best in the field, Giri ‘pickbrain’ Balasubramanium. Giri hosts India’s biggest business quiz – 'TATA Crucible', has seven Limca book of records for brilliant quizzing to his credits and heads a quizzing company, Greycaps India Pvt. Ltd.

We have set the ground for a thrilling action. Kaup beach with all its peace and serenity awaits the event. The thunder is about to strike and the sands of time will bring out the best brains .Lets catch all the action in nature’s lap at ATHARVA 2013.........

Yes ,we did Make a Difference!!!!

The hamlet of Manipal witnessed an event of magnitude never witnessed this Sunday evening. The town first was literally painted red. With Volunteers in their red tees running around the track that encircled the heart of Manipal making sure that everything was picture perfect to make the coastal region run for a cause.

The cause, the inspiration, the need of the hour to which over a thousand people supported was the education of underprivileged. Atharva in association with Make A Difference (M.A.D) organized this feat so as to contribute all proceeds from sales of the passes to this concern. The response was truly humbling with people coming forward to contribute with passes being bought for friends and family to increase their contributions.

The stage was set to start the run at five ‘o’ clock on a wonderful Sunday evening. The blazing hot sun had set on an afternoon of rigorous preparations from all quarters. The participants started pouring in at the start line at Kamath Circle as early as 4’o’ clock. There was of course an added incentive of the running kit being given out to the first three hundred participants who reported to the desk that was setup in front of the MIT food court. The air was abuzz with excitement, the atmosphere electric, the mood a mix of benevolence and vigour.

The registrations wrapped up, the chest badges pinned, the t-shirts with ‘Hercules Roadeo” emblazoned were reflecting the orange of the sunset. The participants gathered around the stage for a thank you note for the support and concern shown. The appreciative representative from M.A.D. spoke about the cause and also resonated the feelings of those gathered about the importance of education.

And then, finally, the moment that the 300+strong crowd awaited with bated breath. The flag-off. The esteemed director of TAPMI Dr. R. C. Natarajan declared the start of the four and half kilometre race with his usual starry flair.

The participants set-off with fervour worthy of a top shelf athletic meet. A common train of thought drove the feet of the whole contingent. The energy ran right through. Volunteers at each check point were energised by the waves of crowds that they supplied with liquid energy to. Manipal stood still. The marathon was its shining moment of glory. Public servants, the common jay-walker, the volunteers and the participants all ensured the smoothest functioning of a race.

And a race it was. It was over as soon as it began. Mr Gangadhar an ardent athlete finished the race in just under twenty minutes, followed closely by TAPMIan Arvind and Shyam Kumar. Over a hundred participants ran across the finish line in the following minutes. The joy of having completed a race that meant a better future for the nation shone across every face at the end of it all.

The prize distribution ceremony, quite an illustrious affair, with prizes worth Rs 20,000 given away, thanks to our partners T.I. cycles, with broad smiles and much cheer.

The crowd faded away from the spot, the scene of Kamath Circle quickly returned to its normal youthful centre of activity. But what remained was the spirit to survive the current dire times, revive the spirit of secular and safe democracy and conquer the darkness that prevails with the light of education.

Photo Credits: Team ATHARVA,Pankaj Parasar

January 12, 2013

POLEMIC - The Ultimate Corporate debate

We like listening to corporate executives and their professional experiences. In management they call it vicarious learning. A writer on the other hand might end up giving us a different perspective. He may introduce us to the new realms of thought process. At the same time, entrepreneurs and their tales have always occupied a special place in the hearts of the audience. Students, especially the budding entrepreneurs who are in continuous search for motivation and footprints to follow, get excited by the idea of listening to a successful entrepreneur. What if 'vicarious learning', 'new realms of thought process' and 'the essence of entrepreneurship' come together? Discussions, arguments and disagreements are bound to happen. This year, Polemic is all about these. Wait, it is more than this! It is a battle, a battle of intellect and perceptions. Who will end up becoming the winner? The answer is: All of us.

Polemic 2012-13 has come up with a question, a question that has surfaced in the mind of each of us, “Who should lead the march to unleash the creative genius of the billion?”

The question becomes infinitely relevant for a country like ours. Our country is home to unlimited creative genius and unleashing this genius is the responsibility of its citizens in various fields. The need of the hour is to set this as our goal and march towards it to conquer! So, who will be the geniuses who are going to lead this progression of the billion?

Listening becomes a sheer pleasure when the speakers are not only the best in their fields but also great orators. Polemic is bringing together the great minds of the various spheres:

Mr M S Sriram - Academician and Writer: Mr Sriram is a Visiting Faculty, Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur; and Distinguished Fellow, Institute of Development and Research in Banking Technology. He has written many books and his articles are regularly published in esteemed newspapers.

Dr Anbu Rathinavel - Senior Vice President, Polaris Financial Services and Dean, Nalanda Corporate University: Mr Rathinavel has taken ground breaking initiatives including the grooming programmes for project managers to curb attrition. His golden words have been captured by reputed newspapers regularly.

Mr Naveen Lakkur - Co-founder, Compassites: Mr Lakkur is an entrepreneur, an enabler, and an energizer. In his 20 years of professional work, he has been instrumental in fostering over 24 concepts that have become global commercial realities.

His latest book ‘Inseparable Twins’ has been termed as “labor of love” to inspire innovation & enable young minds to become entrepreneurs.

Dr.R C Natarajan - Director,TAPMI: Dr.Natarajan is an academician with 15yrs of experience in the field of Sales and Marketing with the Indian FMCG industry.He was conferred the Dewang Mehta Best Teacher Award by the 17th Business School Affaire in 2008.His research interests lie in writing cases and papers in the areas of Distribution Management and Marketing Strategy.He has published a textbook on Marketing Channels, jointly with Coughlan ,Anderson , Stern and El-Ansary [Pearson -Prentice Hall].He has many publications to his credit ,which include articles in peer-reviewed journals and three case analysis in Vikalpa of IIM-A.

This battle of words will be moderated by Mr. Ravi Subramanium.Mr Subramanium is referred to as the John Grisham of Banking by none other than The Wall Street Journal.He is the award -winning author of four best selling books - 'The Bankster'(2012) , 'If God was a Banker' (2007) , 'Devil in Pinstripes' (2009) and 'The Incredible Banker' (2011).He also writes popular columns for well-known magazines and has his own personal column in The Economic Times.

Lets witness the illustrious speakers battling it out for ATHARVA 2012-13.

Atharva - TAPMI's Annual B-School Fest