XPeerience 2013/14 Edition 3

After a two month hiatus, Xpeerience is back with its third edition, and boy! do we have a lot to cover. Since the last edition, XIMB has been choc-a-bloc with activities coming up one after the other. First there was Xuberance, then came battle of the X’s and finally, Maxinations.

A steady stream of companies had been flowing in and out of campus even before Xuberance was underway. The image of students suited and booted in business formals walking with a purpose to company processes had become a common sight. The exultation of joy, the disappointment of a dream job missed and nervous energy flowed through the campus in the second week of January, when a week long Blitzkreig swept most of the 2012-14 batch away into the arms of awaiting head hunters.

This was followed some days later by TBX, the inter-section sports meet. Held over a period of ten days, this event pitted friends against each other, in opposing teams to see which section has the best sporting might. True to tradition and the sheer coincidence of having the highest number of able sportspersons year after year in their section, section B came out on top by 20 points over section C.

Then came the mother of all grudge matches – Maxinations! After three days of exhilarating events, endless preparations, tireless practice and sleepness nights later, C block, once again following tradition, came out on top. From setting up retail stores, promoting their own product, singing, dancing, quizzing and debating, to head-banging and air-guitaring to their favourite band’s rock number, Maxinations 2014 had it all!

This edition of Xpeerience covers all of these events and features interviews of Neha and Sumit, two of our friends who have achieved more than just academically here at XIMB .

We wish theoutgoing2012-14

batch

All the Best!!!

For a longand

fruitfulcorporate

life…

Section B ruled the roost at TBX

NehaEnergetic, compassionate and always with a smile on her face, Neha opened up to Peerie in a candid conversation about XIMB, competitions, sports, friends and life.

Here’s what she had to say…

•How was the Valhalla experience?In the second year, I remember the last match in badminton in the finals against XLRI. I was playing their champion. I went down in the first set but came back to win the match. There was a huge support from the travelling XIMB contingent and it spurred me on.In the first year, I particularly remember the basketball match. Seniors came up to me and said that we would have won if we had had ‘Two Nehas’ in our team. That was a big compliment. Also, I remember the all-nighters we pulled while at XLRI.

•Which event at XIMB made you feel like you had come to the right place?I made it to XIMB at the nick of time. The session began on 18th June, 2012 and I got through on 14th June! I was very happy to have gotten through. The summer internship experience at Godrej was enriching. It taught me a lot. Also, XIMB gave the opportunity to play my favourite sports, for that I will always be grateful.

•Name the person/ people without whom you think your XIMB journey would be incomplete.The MTR girls. I've had great friends in every block of GR-1. It started with the notorious B-Blockers! Then C, and then A. And it took me some time to realize that D-block is the best of them all! :-D

•How much has XIMB lived up to your expectations?It has in many ways. Firstly, it made me realize my love for Marketing. I took most of my electives in Marketing subjects and am a double major in Marketing. I fell in love with it here, especially the FMCG sector. XIMB has also provided me with the wonderful SIP opportunity and a good placement. XIMB has also given me great friends

•On being called ‘The Iron Lady’ of XIMB after Valhalla.Thank you SportsComm! I think it was Prameet Ghosh who coined that phrase. I’m flattered.

•Describe the RB experience. When I read the first mail about the event, I was in Mumbai for another event conducted by XLRI. I was very excited and we registered as soon as I got back to college. We started working on the case immediately.Calcutta being my hometown, this was a very special occasion for me. The event had teams from IIM-A, IIM-B, IIM-C, IIM-L and NITIE, besides us. We were quite surprised when we got shortlisted. There was tremendous support from the audience, even for us, after we had presented. There were top-notch panelists from RB at the event. All in all, it was a great experience.

•Did you at any point feel that you were in the lead? What was the reaction to winning?The format of the event was 20 minutes presentation followed by a 10 minutes Q&A session. In the Q&A, we pulled off an impromptu advertisement for RB showcasing how we would project the brand to the audience. To tell you the truth, we had planned to include this in our presentation itself, but left it out at the last minute. The judges gave a huge round of applause to this and at that point we started feeling that we just might win this event.When the results were declared, I was completely numb for some time. Before the announcement Debidutt was nervous and surprisingly I was the one who was calm. On being declared winners, we were very happy. Also, my father had come to pick us up after the event and he too was elated. This was the first time I had discussed topics like Durex and condoms with my parents, so it also helped me open up in this regard.

• How often do you take time out to pursue sports?When I was in St Xavier's, I used to be very fit and have college team

practices at 6AM and after classes at 4PM. That was the time I was at my prime. At XIMB, I played a lot in my first year. But now, my flat feet condition has completely worsened, they are perpetually swollen. So I have almost stopped playing. It is a pain that will haunt me life-long.

SumitTaking responsibility for perhaps the most difficult committee to handle on campus is no mean feat. He made sure all of their activities made a difference. Sumit sat down

with Peerie to share his thoughts about himself and the work he did over the past year……

•Which event at XIMB made you feel like you had come to the right place? The day I had got my SIP would qualify for the same. Also add to that the classes held by Prof. IC for FMGD.

•That one moment when you first felt you were an XIMBian? The Game committee launch last year (2012) and the JLT which happened in the auditorium on the last day of Xpressions 2012.

•Name the person/ people without whom you think your XIMB journey would be incomplete.There are so many: Amit Kumar Dash, Srikanth (Mr. Treasurer), Digvijay Singh (Diggi), Santwana Panda(Santy), Sulabh (Gujju), Tulika, Poulomi Kuila (Poulo), Anand (Agarwal), Debadutta Patro, Natarajan, Akanksha, Ayesha, Sana, Anand Tiwari, Manish(Ji), Advaita (Adi), Sumanjeet (Suman), Rishab (Punjabi) and some very awesome first years . . . . the list goes on and on (Don’t kill me if your name is not here). Everyone played an important role in each step in their own special way.

• Please tell us about some of the initiatives of SRC.At SRC we try to be at any place where we can be of any help (as

long as our curricular rigor allows us to). That’s the idea behind any initiative. YAE and Shiksha Kunji are two of our core initiatives. As a part

of YAE, we teach the mess boys and recently, we have got two more students joining us who work at a garage in Salia Sahi. Another piece of good news is that 7 of the mess boys have recently cleared a few papers in the NIOS exam. In Shiksha Kunji, we sponsor under-privileged students for a year that takes

care of the uniforms, books and stationaries. We thank a number of faculty members and alums who have helped us in the same. Besides this, we have small year round events during important Nationally & Internationally marked days like Independence Day, Republic day, Children’s Day, the Joy of Giving

Week, Women’s Day, World Aids Day, etc. Rotaract Club is also a huge supporter of our activities along with Goonj. We have also got help from the students this year, arranged by the shadow team from the first years (for children’s day). Next time we hope this to grow bigger.

•Please describe any event or events that immediately spring to mind in your two years working with SRC.It was a World Aids Day awareness program we were conducting in Salia Sahi. There were a lot of operational issues from the beginning. By the time it ended, we realized that there was a Handia (local liquor) store next door, and that things could have gotten out of hand very easily! The point is to overcome difficult circumstances and spread the message, and at the same time keeping everyone involved safe.There was another event at Harsha Memorial which I remember vividly. We had distributed gifts to the speech and hearing impaired people there. The irony was, they could not express their happiness with us even when they wanted. First of all, it took an interpreter (the caretaker) to get our message across, so the reaction came late. They would clap and shake their raised hands to show that they are very happy and thankful – all the while there would be complete silence otherwise. That is unforgettable.

•How has SRC helped you grow as an individual?One of the biggest lessons would be that the adulteration in happiness decreases as you go down the bottom of the pyramid. Financially and physically inadequate people value your help more than others and when they smile they really do so without having any ulterior thoughts to it. Apart from that like other committees, it helped me understand group dynamics, managing team-mates (when most of them are good friends), work with differing egos, differing arguments. Basically, it helped me understand different people behaviors. Also a “We” is always better than an “I”.

• Tell us about your other hobbies and interests. Photography is my biggest hobby nowadays. It has probably grown

in the past two years (with so many beautiful people around). I click pictures whenever I get a chance. Ever since I got my Lumia 520, I take

10-15 pictures every day. I click pictures of whatever feels right. Personally I do not own a DSLR, but sometimes I borrow one from a friend and start shooting. I also love to write. Writing is a form of expression for me and it is mostly spontaneous. However, I hardly get any time for it these days due to

which a little blog of mine is dormant for the past couple of years.

Send in your entries to [email protected]. The first two entries will get a mention in the next edition.

As we near the end of our academic session, the time for fond farewells has arrived. While one batch will take on the challenge of their first industry exposure as managers in their various internships, it is time for another batch to bid adieu to the hallowed walls of XIMB as they step into a full time corporate life. With hardly a few days left for the same, we at XPeerience would like to wish you all the best and hope to see all your names alongside the shining stars of Indian corporates. And remember, this is not Goodbye! This is a promise to meet you in the future and share the belongingness then like we share now, of XIMB, of work and of friendship.

The correct answer of the last edition’s ‘Who’s That X-Peer’ contest is Abhijit Rout. The names of the early bird entries are:

Rashmi KulkarniMayank Tabeck

CONGRATULATIONS!!

XPeerience will be going through some changes in personnel going forward. We would like to thank Meenakshee, Amit and Pranay for all their efforts in making this newsletter a success. There would have been no XPeerience today without your help. THANK YOU

I l l u s t ra t i ons : Ami t Kumar J ena