Commencement Day: TSCFM welcomes back its Semester III PGDBM students after their summer internships!

It was an exciting day for Centre for Management’s (CFM) PGDBM students who are set to begin Semester III after completing their 3-month summer internships in the finance, marketing and human resources departments of top Indian and multinational companies.

hands out diplomas to Marketing Management students

With plans to deepen industry connect through weekly corporate visits, CFM kick-started the semester with an inspiring talk by Makarand Khatavkar, Managing Director – Human Resources, Deutsche Bank. Mr. Khatavkar shared with students three life skills or ‘mindsets’ which he said ensures success no matter what field one chooses to pursue.

Emphasizing the importance of developing a strong sense of integrity, Mr. Khatavkar stated, “In India, we don’t respect systems, we respect individuals”. He gave the example of our propensity to jump traffic lights but stopping if we see a traffic constable. Later in his talk, Mr. Khatavkar also explained why receiving feedback from your colleagues and those close to you is always the best way to identify blind spots in one’s self and change for the better. (For a detailed post on Mr. Khatavkar’s talk, keep watching this space!)

Akhil Shahani, Managing Director, Centre for Management, reiterated the sentiment of integrity while telling students their final year was going to be packed with industry interface and a unique mentoring programme. “However, each student needs to make the effort,” he said, likening the potential of each student to the Samurai katana sword that is the finest forged sword because of its constant exposure to heat and pressure.

Chief guest Makarand Khatavkar speaks to the crowd
(See more photos at http://on.fb.me/1aYuneA)

Unraveling the spiritual connotations of characters from the Mahabharata, Maya Shahani, Chairperson, Centre for Management, warned students against the dangers of being swayed by the personal ego and in the process, missing the big picture of one’s life and purpose.

After the session ended, the students shared their summer internship experience with Krishna Ram, Campus Head and other members of the faculty. They also received some final words of advice from their mentors before their interaction with guest judges from the industry on Friday.