IMI-Kolkata celebrated its Third Annual Convocation Ceremony for their PGDM batch of 2013-2015 on Wednesday, September 9th, 2015. Mr. Sanjiv Goenka, noted industrialist and Chairman of IMI-Kolkata’s Board of Governors and Member IMI Board of Governors, presided over the event.
Dressed in academic regalia, the faculty of IMI-Kolkata and its Board of Governors marched towards the Auditorium, with the sound of triumphant music at the backdrop, marking the commencement of the Convocation.
The solemn occasion began with the lighting of the lamp as a mark of reverence dedicated to “Knowledge that lights up the world”. This was followed by a Vedic invocation by the students of IMI, Kolkata which truly empowered us to unify our minds.
The welcome address was delivered by Mr. Sanjiv Goenka who encouraged the congregation to not be restricted by conventional paradigms but to rise above all oppositions to achieve ones ambition. He stressed on the importance of education by quoting his late father, Late Dr. Rama Prasad Goenka, who used to say, “Lakshmi ke hum sab upasak hai, par Saraswati ke bina Lakshmi bhi nahi aati hai” (Wealth is always preceded by Knowledge). He concluded by advising that one may take inspiration from the great minds we have around us but must avoid benchmarking against them, else we will always find ourselves wanting.
Chief Guest for the convocation, Shri Jawhar Sircar, CEO, Prasar Bharati delivered the convocation address, wherein he asked, “Is Kolkata losing its Charm as a Knowledge centre?” He began by highlighting how Kolkata gained its status as a Knowledge Capital. While the rest of the country lay shackled in the chains of orthodoxy and backwardness, Kolkata broke free and surged ahead in rational thinking and scientific development. However, constant political controversies and instability over the years has proved detrimental to Kolkata’s image. Over the years the priorities of the Government has changed, taking a toll on its education sector. Bengal’s strained relationship with the Central Government did not help matters either.
Despite such a gloomy picture, Kolkata is still synonymous with Culture. Mr. Sircar is hopeful that Kolkata’s sun hasn’t set just yet and one can only hope it will regain its lost glory in the days to come. He concluded his address by congratulating the IMI team for setting up such an excellent institution and wished the graduating students the best for their future.
The PGDM batch of 2013-2015 were conferred with their degrees by Mr. Sanjiv Goenka.
Mr. Jawhar Sircar felicitated the rank holders and best performers from the outgoing batch. Dr. Rama Prasad Goenka Award for Excellence and All Rounder Gold and Silver Medals were presented to Medha Saha and Supratik Das respectively. For consistent Superior Academic Performance, the 1st Rank was awarded to Medha Saha, 2nd to Supratik Das and 3rd awarded to Deepak Bokaria. Best Participant as regards Academics, Corporate interaction and Discipline was awarded to Medha Saha, who also won the Best Lady Participant Award. Based on the summer internship placements, work done by the graduating batch and feedback from the corporate, accolades were given to Mohammed Danial for interning at IMRB International and Abhijeet Kasliwal for interning at ACC Limited.
At the end, when Mr. Sanjiv Goenka declared the convocation close, the Board of Governors, Faculty members of IMI-K and the Graduating class of 2015 proceeded out of the Auditorium in the ceremonial march. The convocation was followed by lunch for all the Board of Governors, faculty members, distinguished guests, representatives of the public and private companies, friends from the media, parents and friends of the graduating class of 2015 and the current students of IMI-K.
As the graduates tossed their caps in the air amidst much aplomb and gaiety, a sense of pride and achievement was palpable among the students, their families and the faculty and staff of the Institute.
The graduating students were also witness to a gala Musical Evening, hosted by IMI-Kolkata where popular artiste Angie Miller of the American Idol Fame, mesmerized the audience with her soulful performance.
As the students step into their professional lives, they look back to the bittersweet moment in their lives— a degree in one hand, goodbye to campus life on the other and echo the popular sentiment “the tassel is worth the hassle”!
