A New Beginning: TSCFM Welcomes the PGDBM Class of 2013-15!

September 2 marked the Commencement Day of the PGDBM Batch of 2013-15. The event was hosted and conducted by students of the incoming batch themselves, during which they got their first set of life lessons from three eminent guests, each from very diverse backgrounds: Vijay Mansukhani, co-founder and MD, Onida; Jaya Row, founder of Vedanta Vision, and Aaba Vitthal Ranaware, BEST bus driver and Mumbai Mirror’s Green Hero. The event was also attended by many proud and eager parents.

The session opened with a welcome address by Chairperson, Centre for Management, Maya Shahani who emphasized repeatedly that CFM is a B-School like no other and that the incoming batch is soon to find out why. Talking about one of the differentiators, she said, “We aren’t just known for our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives that are a vital part of businesses now, but also for our Corporate Readiness Score (CRS), which no other B-School has.”

She also elaborated on one of the four Is that CFM holds close to its heart – individual attention. “When we started our school, we thought we aren’t just going to look at domain knowledge but ingrain that something extra in our students – compassion. We want them to become heart-centric leaders because it’s only through the heart that you can touch the sky.”

After this encouraging, warm welcome, it was time for some tough advice from someone behind an iconic Indian brand – Onida. Vijay Mansukhani’s message to students eager to enter the real world of numbers and performance-orientation was loud and clear: You are adults now and things are going to get really tough from now on. “You don’t get what you deserve,” he said, “You get what you negotiate.”

Jaya Row, Founder of Vedanta Vision, who has been researching on Vedanta teachings for over 40 years and regularly talks on the Vedanta philosophy at international economic fora and top MNCs, urged students to take a more holistic view of where they are going by raising a basic question: “Why is it that despite technological advancement, we are bored, unexcited?” Her advice to the students was: “Forget about working 24 hours a day. You just need that one idea – a vision beyond oneself.”

Ms. Row also asked the students to spread the word that you can save the diving Rupee by refusing to buy gold, a thought that found resonance with many students.

The final speaker – who was also honoured by CFM at the event – was Aaba Vitthal Ranaware, a BEST bus driver who while on duty on his daily route saw a number of trees missing. Pained by this, he followed up and brought the perpetrators to book. For this feat he was chosen by Mumbai Mirror as a Hero. Ever since, he has joined hands with green societies across the city and is currently working to save Mumbai’s mangroves. Today, after having taken up many green causes, he shared one learning worth sharing from the experience: “Achche kaam ke liye sabka support milta hai; yeh mujhe pata chala (I have learnt that everybody comes together to lend a hand for a worthy cause).”

For more photos from this event, visit CFM’s Facebook page.