MESSAGE

From the President, NAA

DR. SUBHASH D. AWALE

President, NAA
Director, NITIE

NITIE, since its inception in 1963 has made its own mark in the industry. With over
four decades of existence, we are represented in every sector of the industry by
alumni who hold positions of leadership and responsibility. They have brought laurels
to the institute. Our alumni lead the various functions of top organizations around
the world. They epitomize growth through innovation, integrity and business ethics
and are held in high regard for their competencies in driving key initiatives.

Once a NITIEan always a NITIEan. It’s true that one learns throughout his life but
the benefits of the learning gained during academic years, that one reaps throughout
his life cannot be ignored.

We at NITIE maintain that our alumni are an integral part of the institute in its
pursuit for excellence. They are one of the biggest reasons that make us what we are.
Not only do their actions in the corporate world inspire the next generation of
leaders from NITIE, but so do their concern, care and interaction with these students.

Sansmaran is our endeavour to express our gratitude and affection for our alumni
and to keep the spirit of fraternity and belonging alive. On behalf of NITIE, I extend a
warm welcome to all our alumni and wish them a joyful ride along memory lane.

1 Sansmaran, 2010
 MESSAGE

From the Chairman, NAA

MR. DEV BHATTACHARYA

Chairman, NAA
Group Executive President,
Aditya Birla Group

In this rapidly changing scenario of global business and geo-politics, India is re-writing
a number of paradigms and Indian managers are making their presence felt
everywhere. I have been often caught unaware and often pleasantly so by the sheer
distance that our people have travelled. I recall travelling to the remote northern
regions of Canada to discover a young entrepreneur engineer from Bihar working
with a tribal Indian Chief to develop a scheme to bring a larger number of Red Indians
into the mainstream economy. He said he was using a formula that he had used
successfully in the Santhal areas in India.

I have met NITIE graduates working in the oil sand sectors in Alberta and lecturing
to students in a university in Sydney. They have travelled far and are making their
mark everywhere. We have a number of noteworthy alumni here today who have
made a difference in their fields and etched out a significant place for themselves in
India and abroad.

In the post-crisis world, where every prevalent thought process is being challenged and
there is a call for changes in regulatory regimes and revamping of processes and
practices to make markets and economies more sustainable, institutions like NITIE
have a much larger role to play. A holistic understanding of business and sectoral
issues will enable us to provide more realistic answers to these complex problems.

Over the last five decades of its existence, NITIE has produced professionals who have
sought to transform paradigms in their fields of operation. These alumni from NITIE
have continued a tradition of excellence and stand in good stead to shape the destinies
of companies and communities in the new world. The alumni have also developed a
strong bond amongst themselves. It is this tradition and this bonding that we would
want to continue to nurture in the future. With these words, I welcome all NITIE
alumni to Sansmaran 2010.

Sansmaran, 2010 2
 MESSAGE

From the Hon. Secretary, NAA

PROF. ASHOK K PUNDIR

Honorary Secretary, NAA
Associate Dean (Placement)

Alumni are what the world sees as the contribution of an institution to the society.
They are the fruits of the hard work put in by all the stakeholders of the institute.
They are our performance parameters if we would put it that way. This is a day to
celebrate the success and further resolve to scale greater heights. This is a day to
honour the achievers and inspire many more to become worthy of that honour some
day.

Alumni not only make us look good in front of the world but they also play a pivotal
role in helping us replicate the success of creating leaders for the corporate. They help
us through our various initiatives and the time they spend mentoring the young is
indeed commendable.

Alumni represent the excellence in execution of a great learning experience. They are
a source of perpetual inspiration for the future leaders and are what one aspires to
become. Alumni act as ambassadors of the institute in the organizations they lead and
demonstrate excellence in. The Annual alumni meet, Sansmaran gives our
distinguished alumni an opportunity to relive the beautiful moments of the past and to
reunite with their most cherished friends. It also provides a platform for interaction
between the alumni and the students, enabling the students to gain an insight into
industry and learn about its various facets.

I take this opportunity to invite our illustrious alumni to join hands and help the
institute in attaining greater heights. We hope that NITIE's association with its
alumni continues to flourish in the years to come. With this I warmly welcome you all
to Sansmaran 2010.

3 Sansmaran, 2010
 CONTENTS

Contents
NAA ................................................................
................................................................................................
....................................................................................
.................................................... 5

About NAA ............................................................................................................. 5

NAA – Executive Committee.............................................................................. 6

Events @ NITIE ................................................................

................................................................................................
..................................................................
.................................. 7
NITIE : the year gone by ................................................................
..................................................................................
.................................................. 11

NITIE in Rankings .............................................................................................. 10

Students’ Achievements ...................................................................................... 11

Sansmaran 2009 ................................................................................................... 12

Editorial ................................................................
................................................................................................
.............................................................................
.............................................13
.............13
NAA Initiatives ................................................................
...............................................................................................
............................................................... 14

Alumni Speak ................................................................

................................................................................................
...................................................................
................................... 15
Total Industrial Engineering ............................................................................ 15

NITIE Memoirs .................................................................................................... 17

My First Day ........................................................................................................ 18

My Odyssey ........................................................................................................... 19

An “ Arbit” Story .................................................................................................20

The Road Less Travelled..................................................................................... 22

Get Set Go ...............................................................................................................24

An Ode to NITIE .................................................................................................. 26

NITIE Days ........................................................................................................... 26

My Story So Far ................................................................................................... 27

IE – 13 Felicitation................................................................
............................................................................................
............................................................ 29

Alumni Coordinators ................................................................

.......................................................................................
....................................................... 30

Sansmaran, 2010 4
 NAA

About NAA

Developing and maintaining a strong alumni

association programme is essential for the growth
and progress of an institution. Keeping this in
mind, the NITIE Alumni Association (NAA) was
instituted in the year 1976 with the vision of
strengthening and perpetuating the bond
between the alumni and the institute.

Times spent during the two years at college result

in some of the most cherished memories one possesses. To rekindle
these and to ensure that the alumni of NITIE remain closely knit,
NAA organizes ‘Sansmaran’, the global annual alumni meet, at the
picturesque NITIE campus. It is an occasion when alumni across
batches take a day off their hectic schedules and revisit the paths
treaded years back.

NAA also organizes regional alumni meets in cities across the

country which facilitates frequent interaction among the alumni.
This year the regional meets were held in the National Capital
Region, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

In order to maintain the strong network established over the years,

the NAA keeps the alumni updated about developments on campus
and acts as a medium through which they can contribute back to
the institute.

5 Sansmaran, 2010

NAA – Executive Committee
PRESIDENT
Dr. Subhash D. Awale
Director, NITIE
CHAIRMAN
Mr. Dev Bhattacharya
Group Executive President,
Aditya Birla Group
VICE CHAIRMAN (PGP)
Mr. K. Subramanian
VICE CHAIRMAN (MDP)
Dr. P.R. Kondekar
HON. SECRETARY
Prof. Ashok K. Pundir
Associate Dean (Placement), NITIE
HON. TREASURER
Dr. R. Prem Kumar
Registrar, NITIE
NAA
ZONAL REPRESENTATIVES : PGP
NORTH ZONE: Mr. Akhilesh Tuteja
WEST ZONE : Mr. Narasimha Rao
EAST ZONE: Mr. Apurva Thakur
SOUTH ZONE: Mr. Anoop Rao
ZONAL REPRESENTATIVES : MDP
NORTH ZONE: Mr. N. P. Nirantar
CO-OPTED MEMBERS
Dr. K.M. Madrecha
Mr. V. Subramanian
Mr. Meer Abdulla
Mr. Aseem Khanna
Mr. Amit Shah
Mr. Sabyasachi Ghosh
Ms. Gauri Harne
Sansmaran, 2010 6
EVENTS @ NITIE

2010 Events
LAKSHYA
22nd-24th October 2010

Lakshya, the three day annual corporate cynosure,

is a unique endeavour which nurtures industry-
institute interaction to keep students up to date
with the current requirements of the corporate
world. The Hon’ble Former CM of Maharashtra,
Shri Ashokrao Chavan was the Chief Guest during the Inaugural Ceremony. This
year ‘Lakshya Business Visionary Awards’ were presented to Shri Subrata Roy
Sahara, Chairman & MD, Sahara India Pariwar and Dr. F.C. Kohli, Former Deputy
Chairman, TCS. During the event, elite corporate contested in one of its kind ‘On the
Job Achiever’s Contest’ to win Lakshya Best Project Award. Sparsha – a CSR
initiative of Lakshya witnessed excellent projects showcased by NGO’s. Students also
proved their mettle by participating in Lakshwiz - a case study competition.

PRERANA
28th–30th October 2010

Prerana, the three day management fiesta at

NITIE, is a conglomeration of the best from the
industry and the B-schools across India. It aims to
promote managerial and business excellence. It has
graduated from its flagship event Summer Project
Contest in the 1st edition to a diverse mix of ground-breaking contests in the current
15th edition. Prerana 2010 was held on the theme ‘Redefining Boundaries: From the
light within to the light beyond’ and was an astounding success. The Prerana Business
Meet witnessed eminent business leaders deliberate on the topic- ‘Game Changers:
Leadership lessons for turbulent times from India Inc.’ The esteemed speakers were
Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman, Board of Governors, NITIE; Mr. B. Prasada Rao,
Chairman & MD, BHEL; Mr. Ravneet Gill, MD & Head-CCG & DCM, Deutsche Bank;
Mr. Lamon Rutten, MD & CEO, MCX; Mr. V. Vaidyanathan, Vice Chairman & MD,
Future Capital Holdings.

7 Sansmaran, 2010
 EVENTS @ NITIE

15TH CONVOCATION
13th February, 2010

This year, a total of 214 students from the four post

graduate programmes received their diplomas in the
esteemed presence of the Chief Guest, Padma Vibhushan Dr.
Anil Kakodkar – Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, Government of
India and other eminent dignitaries including Shri Adi Godrej - Chairman, NITIE
Board of Governors and Dr. Subhash D. Awale - Director, NITIE.

LITMUS
13th August, 2010
LITMUS was the perfect amalgamation of the IT Industry
and dynamic business management and its high potential to
portray India as a consumer. It consisted of Biz Talk (panel discussion), Biz Warz (B
Plan competition), Sync Quest (case study competition) and Enigma (online quiz).

ENVISION
20th August, 2010

EnVision, NITIE’s annual Carbon Neutral Event is

organized by the students of the Industrial Safety and
Environment Management programme. It is a unique platform where corporate and
students come together to discuss the vital role of environment and sustainability.

B-GYAN
8th, 20th October, 22nd November 2010

B-Gyan, a corporate interaction initiative at NITIE, is an

endeavor to amalgamate their rich experiences with the
academic acumen of the students to create meaningful insights into the world of
business. It has been conceptualized as a series of extramural lectures on varied
management related topics which draws enthusiastic participation.

Sansmaran, 2010 8
EVENTS @ NITIE

EMPRESARIO
22nd-24th October 2010

Empresario is an endeavour to spread the wave of

entrepreneurship everywhere. It provides a platform to
empower the enthusiasm of the youth with the experience
and knowledge of industry mentors. The Most Inspiring Entrepreneur, 2010 was
awarded to Mr. Rana Kapoor, Founder/MD and CEO, YES Bank Ltd. and the Best
Start up Entrepreneur, 2010 was awarded to Mr. Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO,
MakeMyTrip(India) Pvt Ltd. Under aegis of Empresario, series of events like
D'apprendre, Navkriti, B-Plan,Spardha and Elevator Pitch were organized.

MAHAMANDI
31st July 2010

Mandi, the pride of NITIE, integrates the theoretical

principles of managerial economics, marketing and basic
market research with their practical application. Aiming
at branding NITIE amongst the common public, many publicity programs and street
plays were organized by NITIE students. This year Mandi grew to MahaMandi by
involving students from other colleges like TISS and KJ Somaiya. Students marched
through the streets of Mumbai and sold toys manufactured by Navnirmiti, an NGO.

SAMIKSHA
5th Feb, 24th Feb, 18th Aug,17th Sep 2010

Samiksha is a series of panel discussions which attempt to

promote industry-student interaction. This year the
topics covered were: ‘GST - Strategies Re-Strategized’,
‘Lean Supply Chain Management’, ‘Indian Banking - An Evolving Landscape’ and
‘Indian Telecom: The Next Wave’. Samiksha also organizes Case study competitions
and Business Quizzes.

9 Sansmaran, 2010
 NITIE: the year gone by

NITIE in Rankings

Ranked 5th best B-School

in the country, 2010

Ranked in Super League

in AIMA B-School Survey,
2010

Ranked 6th best B-School

in CSR– GHRDC best
B-School Rankings, 2010

Ranked 6th in MBA uni-

verse B-School Rankings,
2010

Ranked 7th in Wall Street

Journal B-School Rankings, 2009

Sansmaran, 2010 10
NITIE: the year gone by

Students’ Achievements
NITIE triumphs in HUL and CNBC-TV18’s
Lessons in Marketing Excellence

NITIE once again stamped its credentials as one

of India’s premier B Schools by winning the
‘Lessons in Marketing Excellence’, the highly
prestigious, inter-college marketing case-study
competition held by Hindustan Unilever Ltd.
(HUL) and CNBC-TV18. Team ‘Front Runners’
from NITIE, comprising Abhijit Kamra, Jeeta Das and Jitin Sharma, all first-year
students of the PGDIM course, beat off stiff competition from IIM Ahmedabad to
emerge as the winners at the glittering Grand Finale held on 19th March 2010 at Taj
Colaba, Mumbai.

NITIE wins YES Bank Businessworld

Transformation Series 2010’

The students of National Institute of Industrial

Engineering (NITIE) once again proved that they
are a force to reckon with, by emerging
Champions in the ‘YES Bank Businessworld
Transformation Series 2010’. The case for this
series was based on the theme of ‘Transformation’
and in the end, the team ‘Strategic Bankers’ comprising Pooja Pande and Rahul
Gandhi, both first year students of the PGDIM course of NITIE, emerged as the win-
ners beating off competition from students of the IIMs, MDI and others.

BMA Outstanding Management Student of

The Year Award

Mr. Mayank R. Khandelwal, student of the PGDIM

course received the BMA Award for Outstanding
Student of Management for the year 2009-10 from
Mr. M. Damodaran, ex-Chairman, SEBI.

11 Sansmaran, 2010
 NITIE: the year gone by

Sansmaran 2009
“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: You find the present tense and the past perfect”
Any institution of repute and legacy boasts of an illustrious and diversified alumni
network and NITIE, being one the centres of excellence in the country is no different.
Having started with its first Post-Graduate Programme in 1971, NITIE today has a
distinguished alumni base of over 4000 people.
To enable the alumni and their alma mater to connect with each other, the NITIE
Alumni Association organizes ‘Sansmaran’, an annual alumni meet, at the
picturesque NITIE campus. Last year, Sansmaran’ 09 was held on the 28th of
November and was attended by more than a hundred alumni from across the globe.

The day’s events started off with the Campus Tour

when the students escorted their seniors on a walk
down memory lane during which they also
planted saplings.
Graffiti wall, adorned with nostalgic messages,
paved the way for the next highlight of the event
“Felicitation of the Silver Jubilee batch”. The batch
of 1984, which turned out in huge numbers was
felicitated by the director of the institute, Dr. S. D.
Awale. During the ceremony, Ashwin Rangan,
former CIO of Walmart.com and representative of
the Silver Jubilee batch spoke of the institute during their times and the space it still
occupies in their hearts.
After the felicitation ceremony, the cultural programme ensued and the alumni,
many of them approaching 50, matched the students song after song. The Annual
General Meeting (AGM) of the NITIE Alumni Association (NAA) followed, which
selected its office bearers for the following year. The day concluded with a sumptuous
dinner.
Sansmaran ’09 has been etched firmly in the
memories of those who attended it. In the words
of an alumnus “It’s a funny thing that the
human heart is! While we were in college, we
found excuses to complain just about everything
here, but today we yearn for the same. Thank
you NITIE for inviting us to Sansmaran ’09 and
helping us revisit our memories.”

Sansmaran, 2010 12
EDITORIAL
Editorial
Life is a journey, not a destination. We
develop numerous bonds in the course of this
journey and some of the strongest bonds we
have developed in our lives are inarguably
during our stay at this great institution called
NITIE.
NITIE which started in 1963, with the
assistance of the International Labour
Organization (ILO) and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), is a centre
of excellence of the Government of India.
Having started its Post Graduate programmes
in 1971, NITIE today boasts of an illustrious
alumni base of over 4000. These alumni have
made a mark for themselves in the corporate
world and have acted as able ambassadors of
this distinguished institution. They have
scaled great heights and conquered
innumerable peaks. The path has not been
easy but their alma mater and their fellow
alumni have supported them all throughout.
NITIE’s alumni are driven by a sense of
belonging and it is exactly this feeling that we
are trying to inculcate and portray in this
inaugural edition of ‘AlumNiti’ – NITIE’s
annual magazine dedicated exclusively to its
alumni.
NITIE today is a global brand. With the
alumni touching new highs and reaching
diverse sectors and geographies, we realized
the need for a tangible platform to capture
their lives and achievements. At the same
time, there was also a need for the alumni to
remain abreast with the latest happenings at
their alma mater. We felt that an annual
Alumni Magazine would be the perfect place
13 Sansmaran, 2010
Gaurav Bajaj
PGDIM Batch of 2011
On behalf of the Alumni Committee
to chronicle the lives and accomplishments of
our alumni. The magazine was christened
‘AlumNiti’ which literally means the ‘Policy
or Opinion of our Alumni’.
Sansmaran 2010 is slated to be bigger and
better than ever. An initiative by the Alumni
Committee this year is the ‘Distinguished
Alumnus Award’. The award has been
initiated to honour, recognize and applaud
alumni who have excelled in their chosen field
of endeavour, made outstanding contributions
to the society and in the process brought
laurels to NITIE. The NITIE Alumni website
has also been redesigned and the new website
is now up and running. The highlights of the
website include a searchable Alumni directory
and a dedicated forum for job postings. To
add to this list, the NITIE Alumni Association
is now formally and actively present on social
media like Facebook and LinkedIn, to aid
connectivity amongst the alumni.
Finally, as we get ready to welcome our
esteemed alumni to Sansmaran 2010, inviting
back to the very campus which was their
home for a full two years, we would like to
use this platform to reiterate what you already
know. AlumNiti, Sansmaran and the institute
are all yours. Create, participate, innovate.
Improvise, mesmerize, criticize. But do
involve yourself with your alma mater, in any
form you deem fit. Nothing but your
indifference can knock us down. For, there is
this common bond that runs through all of us.
Remember,
“Once a NITIEan, always a NITIEan”
 NAA INITIATIVES

Distinguished Alumnus Award

Over the years Sansmaran has always applauded the achievements of our exceptional alumni.
Who have made the NITIE flag fly high in the corporate world. This year, going a step further,
the NAA has decided to institutionalize their contribution thereby introducing the
’Distinguished Alumnus Award’.
This maiden endeavour garnered an overwhelming number of nominations. The awardee will
be selected by an eminent jury and felicitated during Sansmaran on 27th November, 2010 at
NITIE.
Waiting for the first Distinguished Alumnus awardee to take center stage!

NOSTALGIA - The Souvenir shop

The NITIE Souvenir shop "NOSTALGIA" situated near the
entrance of PGP Hostel No. 3 & 4 at NITIE Campus, was
inaugurated by Dr. S. D. Awale, Director NITIE, President
NAA, Prof. A. K. Pundir and Mr. Dev Bhattacharya on 28th
May, 2010, to cater to the needs of alumni, students and
faculty. The items on sale include t-shirts, bags, souvenirs,
mugs, stationery and many more.

The Guest Lecture Series

On 27th August 2010, NITIE Alumni Association set in
motion an initiative called ‘Guest Lecture Series’. The Guest
Lectures Series – our connecting link aims at creating ageless
opportunities for the alumni to shape the future world, and
for the students to broaden their knowledge on diverse
fields.

Under this initiative Alumni committee at NITIE was

honoured to have Wing Commander Surendra Malhotra an
Alumnus of PGDIE 09 batch, who enlightened the students on “Evolution of Telecom Industry
and Infrastructure Opportunities”. Also, NITIE had an opportunity to host eminent
personalities like Mr. Chandrashekar Kaluskar, Head, Pharma Operations, Sandoz & Mr.
Pavan Soni, an Innovation Evangelist at Wipro.

Sansmaran, 2010 14
 ALUMNI SPEAK
Total Industrial Engineering
Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao
Professor, NITIE
PGDIE Batch of 1979
I do not remember exactly how I came to
know of NITIE as the place to apply along
with various IITs. The entrance test paper of
NITIE in 1977 was very tough according to me
as well as some of my classmates. I was
overjoyed on receiving the intimation that I
was selected for the course. I had no reason to
write any other test and came to Mumbai and
joined the institute. Reading room, music
facilities and TV right in the hostel made life
luxurious. I joined Gujarat Steel Tubes Ltd. in
Ahmedabad in inventory control area. Within
ten months I moved from there to a small
company in production planning and control
area. After two years in that position, I shifted
the career to academic institutions. At
Engineering College, Kakinada, Andhra
Pradesh, I taught Operations Research,
Production Planning and Control, and
Management Science. Industrial Engineering
was not a subject in the curriculum. During
that period, I developed interest in stock
market activity and pursued doctoral research
in a topic related to stock market at IIT,
Bombay. In 1994, I joined NITIE as a faculty
member. I was assigned more work in the
area of accounting, especially cost accounting
and management accounting.
Suddenly a strange twist occurred. I was
invited and offered a position in a stock
broking company. For six years, my PhD
work was not put to any real use in my teach-
ing. I took up the job in stock broking firm
and started some stock market related work.
The cyclical nature of the stock broking indus-
try showed its negative state in 2001 and
therefore I moved to private B-schools. My
teaching interests were in the area of stock
15 Sansmaran, 2010
market.
On the other hand, whereas I was told in 1994
that there was no industrial engineering in
Japan, somewhere in 1995, I came to know
that Industrial Engineering contributed
immensely to the progress of Toyota Motors
through the book of Taichi Ohno. But, in
contrast, even in some meetings of NITIE,
some speakers had said that IE was dead. I
protested in those meetings and wrote articles
in Udyog Pragati on the basic role and
purpose of Industrial Engineering. Human
Effort Engineering emerged as a concept that
could explain the purpose of IE in my thought
during the period. I developed the paper
suggesting a different way of defining IE in
2005. In 2006, I joined back NITIE as professor
and submitted the paper for publication. It
was published in Udyog Pragati.
I started writing study materials in blogs in
May 2007 on Google’s blogger platform. In
July 2008, Google opened its wiki-based arti-
cle writing platform http://knol.google.com
for public posting. I posted an article on
Industrial Engineering as my first article on it.
I came with an explanation of IE as Human
Effort Engineering and System Efficiency
Engineering. I started writing some
introductory material on various techniques
identified. In March 2010, Industrial Engineer
Magazine of IIE (With HQ in USA) published
a summary of discussion on 'What is IE?'
which had my explanation also.
There was a revision in IE curriculum which
was implemented from 2010 batch. I also
presented a paper on role of IE during system
design phase and advocated that system
 ALUMNI SPEAK

engineering textbooks have to recognize

Just two days back, a senior academician
that role of IE as one of the specialized
associated with IE said, “IE is dead”. But I
engineering disciplines in an international
said ‘No’, one more time.
conference organized at Keio University,
Japan in July 2010. The presentation got The Total Industrial Engineering initiative
enthusiastic response. is on. We will highlight achievements of IE
techniques and encourage companies to
At the moment, we are strongly advocating
take up IE projects and set up IE
that IE is an important function that makes
Departments. There are many professors in
great contribution to economic
various countries promoting IE. I have
organizations. Effectiveness and efficiency
right now some global level success. On
are two important dimensions of the
Google’s article writing platform Knol, I
success of any organization and efficiency
am the global number one individual Eng-
is the focus of IE. Yamashina is an engi-
lish language author. There is competition
neer, and his concept of Total IE provides
from authors all over the world and there
us leverage to promote IE in organiza-
are authors from Ivy League institutions of
tions that have even closed IE departments
USA also contributing articles. But for a full
because they are not having supply of
year, I occupied the position and this
industrial engineers. In India, IE is a
makes me conclude that we can create
discipline at post graduate level whereas in
paradigm change ideas by our efforts in
USA, IE is a discipline at undergraduate
Indian soil also.
level. What needs to be done in India? Is
there a need to provide PG qualification to After USA, Japanese practitioners made
still larger number of persons so that some significant contributions to industrial
persons join as managers of IE departments engineering. Can Indian academicians and
and provide IE services to companies? Is practitioners aspire now to break some new
there a need to start undergraduate IE in a ground in IE theory and practice? A
big way so that industry will get IE services mission to do it will be fitting for a national
from undergraduate IEs? The issue needs institute of the discipline.
exploration.

Sansmaran, 2010 16
 ALUMNI SPEAK
NITIE
Memoirs…
Dr. (Mrs.) Sadhana Ghosh
Fellow NITIE
I joined NITIE way back in 1975 and have been
associated with the NITIE family in various
capacities. I am one of the few faculty members
with such a long association with the institute.
The alumni coordinators requested me to
contribute to the magazine that they are
launching for the first time during Sansmaran
this time – I was wondering as to what to write
about? There are so many different unrelated
topics and I am not a writer – how could I put
a thread across! At the same time I could not
deny the earnest request from them. So here
are the few instances which come across my
mind every now and then.
It is a delight to come across the old students.
Sometimes it is just a coincidence that NITIE
accepts an assignment from the organisation
and one of the executives happens to be from
NITIE. On another occasion a HR manger had
been looking for a trainer in statistical tools
and it is then that my students remember me.
I stayed in the NITIE campus for a long time.
We used to celebrate Vijoya every year
( wishing the victory of good over evil) inviting
NITIE families at one of the Bengali homes
with sweet meats and the home made
delicacies. Now this social gathering is only
with family members.
17 Sansmaran, 2010
I had also been the professor-in-charge of
placements and by default convenor of Prerana
and Lakshya. It gave me the opportunity to
interact with the students. This has been the
most memorable period for me at NITIE. Once
when the placement got over, the placement
team invited me for dinner. After the dinner
we were still in the party mood and were
talking on some interesting topic. My husband
reached the venue on the scheduled time to
pick me up and was waiting for us to disperse.
It was very touching to see that one of them
realised it and kept my husband engaged and
entertained till we departed.
From my personal experiences, I find that
NITIE alumni are helpful and committed. At
times I fall back upon them to know more
about their company at professional level.
Every year the senior batch communicates to
the new batch of students, “Statistics is the
most difficult subject and top grades are
difficult to get”. Some of the past students
happen to tell me that they are doing what
they had learnt in Statistics. I am humbled to
say the least!

My First Day....
Today, when I was climbing our NITIE steps it was
a flashback of my journey of the past 25 years.
With every step, I was recalling few exciting, few
memorable, some sweet, some harsh incidents of
my life. Let me begin with my first day.
It was a hot summer in the month of May in the
year 1984. On 28th, I had come to NITIE for joining
the institute. I had started my journey from Khar,
where my uncle was staying. I had travelled by
local train upto Andheri Station. It used to be a
reasonably fine train journey in late mornings, as
heavy rush hour traffic was not there. It was a new
experience to travel by local train, as I had never
travelled in Mumbai. I was staying at Ahmedabad
before joining NITIE, where local trains do not
exist. I boarded a bus from Andheri station and got
down at Powai garden. Soon, I realized it will be a
long journey to travel from the bus stop to the
main building. I reached the arch where “NITIE” is
prominently written on the outside gate. As I
walked through the gates, there were small
shanties on the left side of road. I passed through
the slums and reached the main gate. Here I could
feel the pulse of happiness. The cool breeze of
wind gave me great pleasure and excitement.
After walking for a few meters; I came across a
steep slope which was testing my endurance. As
soon as I was done climbing the slope, I realized
that I have to climb a further, hundred more steps
to reach the main building! On initial steps of
NITIE, I did not feel any pain but swiftly started
climbing the steps. I reached the office of the
Deputy Registrar (DR) and gave my joining report.
He accepted my joining report but I realised that
there were a few questions in his mind waiting to
be answered. After a conversation with him for a
few moments, I realized that I was probably the
youngest to have joined as a faculty member at the
age of 24. But for me, ignorance was the best
medicine as I was yet to foresee the challenges that
awaited me at NITIE. Instead, I was brimming
ALUMNI SPEAK
Prof. (Mrs.) R D Chikhalkar
Fellow, NITIE
with confidence and excitement!
My next visit was with Dr. Ramani, who was the
then Director. He was a true academician & a
tough administrator. My interaction with him was
a result of a protocol wherein the DR would
introduce the Director & the section heads to the
new faculty member. Each faculty member greeted
me with a pleasant surprise. What was amusing
was that they mistook me as student of the
incoming batch!
Lastly, I was taken to classroom on first floor of the
main building. I visited MDP classrooms and
observed the executives were attending classes. I
then visited PGP classes, observed the faculty
members taking class. My first MDP class was in
Syndicate 2 having an audience of 33 participants.
PGP lecture was in Syndicate 1. It was a nostalgic
event for me, when I had entered the PGP class 25
years back and met the first batch of my academic
career. It was IE-13th batch. After 25 years, I will be
meeting them again for unfolding the memories of
the initial days of my career. I am not sure how
many of them will be able to recognize me or how
many of them I will be able to. But I look forward
to meeting them again after 25 years.
Frankly, while deciding to join NITIE, I knew that,
I was treading into unknown waters. I had never
realized that I will spend a large part of my life in
NITIE. Today, even though I have taught for 25
years in the same but renovated Syndicate rooms, I
am unable to wipe out the memories of my first
day. Time has passed; everyone has grown in age,
in stature, in maturity. During these years, there
has been a sea change in everyone’s personal &
professional life. I pray to God to give everyone
enough peace and harmony to be able to face
challenges. I will end this article with a quotation:
“One should not just add a day in your life, but
one should always aim to add life in every day.”
Sansmaran, 2010 18
 ALUMNI SPEAK
My Odyssey
Nitin Sadana
Trade Marketing & Distribution, ITC LTD
PGDIM Batch of 2010
In the quest to reach the pinnacle of success,
we run, we work hard and in the path we tread
we cross various milestones that are really
close to our heart.But in this race to win, we
seldom get time to cherish those achievements
and relive those moments. The golden period
which once was our life has now degraded to a
vague, dizzy picture.
The way we used to collect at the mess or
watch cricket matches in the common rooms or
that friendly banter that laid the foundation for
the edifice of everlasting friendship, or
sleeping and watching movies in the hostel
rooms or climbing those 96 steps of success to
attend the classes, the list goes on & on..I
always wish to go back and live one more day
of the golden past but rarely get time because
in contrast to entropy which is ever increasing
we have deadlines, an ever decreasing entity.
When I think of NITIE right from the inception
of a dream till the end of the course, I can
commemorate three instances specifically
which will form the structure of this article.
NITIE: National Institute of Industrial
Engineering. I can say it loud, with full force as
now I am a part of it, it’s my college and I
belong to it. It’s not a dream come true because
I had never even thought of getting in to it, it’s
more than a dream, a kind of once in a lifetime
opportunity which you get when God bestows
his blessings on you. This was the feeling I
experienced when I saw my name in the final
list of selected students. Since then it has
stayed with me. Everyone I came across then
told me two things. First one was: “NITIE is
one of the best colleges in the country, you are
lucky to be selected there” and I used to give
them the expression of ‘I know this, why are
you wasting my time’. And after looking at my
19 Sansmaran, 2010
face the second was imminent “Dude, you
have to study there, will u be able to do that?”
After entering in to the portals of NITIE I felt
like a star if not a superstar . It was a whole
mix of feelings with nervousness, excitement,
homesickness, adventure and confusion for
what lay ahead. First thing I noticed was
NESCAFE. The peculiar voice of Vijay
pronouncing maggi as maaiigyy and saaaar
juuuice can’t be forgotten throughout my life.
Though I had many night outs during Engi-
neering with my friends in hostel but the best
part in NITIE was that you don’t even know
which night you are going to be out and in case
someone was continuously falling short of
sleep, he could catch up on sleep in class by
sitting at the last bench, at least I did that.
Then life became predictable with classes,
assignments, presentation, mess, exams,
summer placements, final placements, case
studies, etc. The most exciting times were those
of Batch meets. But the time I miss the most is
the Sansmaran time. I somehow got through
the selection process of Alumni Committee. It
was the same time last year when we were
preparing for the function. Inviting the alumni,
planning the event, talking to vendors,
everything and every that moment makes me
realize what I am missing today. If I were to
name one thing that I will always cherish, it
would be being a part of this wonderful
committee.
After passing out from NITIE life has changed
a lot. I can foresee exciting times ahead, every
second of which will b a great learning
experience blended with fun and frolic.
There is only one thing that makes a dream
impossible to achieve--- FEAR OF FAILURE.

An “Arbit” Story
Shubham Choudhury
Nikhil Kulkarni
Hemant kumar Jain
PGDIM Batch of 2005
Every institute for educational excellence aims
to foster innovation amongst its students.
Platforms such as events and competitions
help students generate new ideas. A B-school
also provides an environment of camaraderie,
exchange of opinions and synergistic
development of ideas. In such an environment
innovation just happens!
This is the story of 3 of us, Shubham
Choudhury, Nikhil Kulkarni and Hemant
kumar Jain - students from the PGDIM – batch
of 2005. All of us had different lineaments
Shubham with his uncanny pun and artistic
inclination, Nikhil with his (extreme) passion
for technology, and Hemant with a jolly
attitude and entrepreneurial zeal.
In the summer of 2004, all 3 of us came
together to conceptualize the first edition of
MastishK, India's first online business
simulations games event for B Schools and
Corporate. During the conceptualization stage
of the event, we were looking for a viral idea
that would catch the attention and
imagination of B-schoolers across the country,
an idea that would attract any MBA to
MastishK, irrespective of whether he/she was
participating in the games or not.
It was then that we hit upon the idea of a
comic character which would reflect the
idiosyncrasies of the management and
B-school world. Though Dilbert was known
for his office work humor, Calvin for his
cynical outlook and Archie for his approach to
student life, there was no comic character who
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would be an icon for the MBA's of the world,
and aspire for the 'intellectual glamour' of the
highly competitive corporate arena.
We realized that there was a latent demand in
the market. This niche segment was not only
un-served but also un-recognized. We decided
to plug this hole in the comic world. This
realization of the latent need led to the
creation of Arbit Choudhury - the World's
First B-School (MBA) Comic Character.
The vibrant environment in NITIE provided
us the perfect hotbed of ideas for our comic
creation. Various characters, their
idiosyncrasies and comic ideas were inspired
from real life goings on in our B-school. Even
the name “Arbit” was suggested by a batch
mate. Without PGDIM – batch of 2005 and our
Professors, Arbit Choudhury would not be
what it became. MastishK ' 04 became an
appropriate launch pad for a comic character
dedicated to the MBA and management
community.
However, we had not braced ourselves for the
instantaneous impact Arbit Choudhury
comics would have. We had planned to use
the comic character only for MastishK. But the
constant stream of appreciation mails pouring
into our mailboxes asking when the next issue
was coming out, forced us to rethink.
Hence on 1st January 2005, Arbit Choudhury
became a regular webcomic, with new
editions released every 15 days on our
Website (www.arbitmba.com) and Mailing
Sansmaran, 2010 20
 ALUMNI SPEAK
List (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
arbit_mba)
Since then, Arbit's popularity has increased
exponentially. Arbit Choudhury comic strips
are being forwarded by fans to their friends,
batch-mates, colleagues etc across B-schools
and the corporate world. Arbit Choudhury’s
fan base criss-crosses the entire spectrum of
corporate and social strata today. CEOs to
freshers, NRIs to house wives, working
professionals to MBA aspirants, B-school
professors to PSU executives, we have received
fan mails from every class of the society.
Arbit’s fan mails have even come from
countries like Cyprus, Oman, South Korea,
Switzerland, UAE, Singapore, USA and UK.
Some B-school professors have appreciated
Arbit's take on management education, and
21 Sansmaran, 2010
have gone on to the extent of distributing Arbit
comic strips in their class.
Over the years Arbit has received many kudos
from across the globe like the Manthan Award,
selection in British Council’s Creative Future
contest and mentions on online portals like
Brighthub and Wikipedia as well as print
media. However, the most satisfying part of
the journey is the appreciation received from
numerous fans, several of which are from the
commuNITIE.
Although the 3 of us graduated from NITIE in
2005 and have worked in various parts of the
world over the last 5 years, we have continued
to be in touch through electronic means to
continue creating Arbit Choudhury.

The road
less travelled…
Mr Pavan Soni
Innovation Evangelist, Wipro
PGDIE Batch of 2005
People often get intrigued by my rather
unusual title - “Innovation Evangelist”, when
I first introduce myself. While I start explain-
ing how I make a living, most don’t under-
stand and others just give-up. I am not sure if
many students grow up during their college
days dreaming to take up roles which don’t
sound typical of a corporate high-flier. Institu-
tions galore are studded with students aspir-
ing to make it big in the roles of Market-
ing, Operations, Human Resources, Finance
and General Management. They all want to be
managers. A path travelled for years, by sev-
eral managers. First, it is the struggle to make
it to a good institute and then to retain oneself
in the top bracket of a class, followed by a
‘day zero’ placement. This is the sort of career
that most of us lead, and many aspire to. But I
chose to take a different path, and I am
really happy for myself.
After graduating from NITIE, I got a job with
Wipro. The very first thing that I realized was
the huge chasm between the world we are
taught about and world that exists. While
higher education orients us towards a
specialization, the problems in the real world
don’t limit themselves to any specific area.
Every problem has an element of operations, a
dimension of people and fund management,
utilizes technology and finally the solution
has to be sold to the stakeholders. Which
specialization do you think one needs to have
to address such a typical problem? None. Or
rather, All. So it didn’t take me a lot of time to
realize that in an organization if I need to
bring value I must have an appreciation of
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multiple areas and interest in more than a few.
The second realization was that of the virtue
of freedom. My career has taught me that
often the freedom that you earn is more
valuable than the money that you make.
Freedom may buy you money, but money
may not always buy you freedom. Wipro gave
me that leeway to experiment with my career
and I am grateful towards this company for
showing faith in me. That’s the reason that I
have stayed back, while seeing almost all of
my batch-mates hopping jobs. This courage,
coupled with active nurturing by the
institution, allowed me to chart a different
path for myself in the space of innovation. Not
only could I now choose my role, but also
shape it and evolve it. Today as an Innovation
Evangelist, I have three charters. Conduct
client facing workshops on innovation around
new product innovation and process
enhancement; facilitate problem solving for
Wipro employees by using creativity
techniques; and engaging with educational
institutions on building an Innovation
Ecosystem. This role doesn’t surely fit into any
of the silos, such as Sales, Marketing,
Operations, Information Technology or
Finance. It has all the elements into it. That is
what freedom can do.
The third realization is that of the vitality of
learning and sharing. As we grow older, our
learning system changes. It morphs from a
passive learning system to an active one,
where people replace books, and incidents
replace case studies. But often we stop learn-
Sansmaran, 2010 22
 ALUMNI SPEAK
ing new and diverse things. We strangle
our learning system and its evolving na-
ture. I have always strived to keep myself
aligned to both the academic field and
practices in the space of my choice - inno-
vation. Through a consistent flow coming
from various sources, such as books, maga-
zines, conferences, social media and col-
leagues, I kept my learning system vital.
But learning is not merely about knowing.
It means implementation and sharing as
well. Hence writing and teaching also came
along. I got my first article published in
the magazine- Industry 2.0 when I was at
NITIE. There wasn’t any looking back from
there. Though I didn’t have a great aca-
demic record at NITIE or years of experi-
ence under my belt, my writing and publi-
cations aided me. It started as a hobby and
grew into more serious writing for aca-
demic journals and research papers, all this
while working at Wipro. Further, I started
spending my week-ends teaching at vari-
ous B Schools in and around Bangalore. I
visit several B Schools and engineering col-
leges every year and enjoy furthering the
23 Sansmaran, 2010
spirit of learning and sharing. My blog has
become the umbilical cord between know-
ing and doing.
When I look back at my career, I find
myself deeply satisfied. I have been able to
give shape to a nebulous concept and
create a whole new profession out of it,
inspired a few in the course and gave value
to my ecosystem. It was NITIE that
exposed me to such a different field,
because it is not an ordinary management
institute. NITIE made me dwell with the
best from across the country and across
streams to learn and think deeply, yet
giving me a rich corporate exposure. If I
would only leave you with one thought, it
would be- You are worth more than what
you are doing currently. Apply Yourself!
Pavan Soni is an Innovation Evangelist with Wipro
and a graduate from NITIE, PGDIE Batch of 2005.
He is reachable at pavan.soni@wipro.com and
writes at www.pavansoni.net

Get Set Go...
Nikhil S. Gurjar
President, Consulting Connoisseurs
PGDIM Batch of 2002
They say that every long journey starts with a
single step. For me, it started with 96!!!
I used to be fascinated by our Institute right
from my days at IIT. We used to come over
along the pipeline road to visit our ‘neighbor’!
Things changed with time, I got formally I
ntroduced to NITIE during my summers at
Siemens (when at IIT) giving me my first
publication in IJIE for productivity
improvements of over 300% at some stations.
Then after IIT, stints at Indian Oil, Robotics
Research at IIT, a short entrepreneurial stint
and finally a partnership at a management
consulting firm in the area of project
management, I decided to move into the
world of management.
Mumbai, Sapanon ki nagari… the perfect
choice for the perfect Institute. And my
passion for systems thinking made the
Industrial Management program the best
choice; starting with technology and
operations, and slowly graduating to strategy;
making a smooth transition in its course.
Different schools of thought existed for the
program structure. Different schools focused
on different starting points. Like 'What
needed to be done' at IIMA, 'Who needed to
do It' at HBS, this one focused on the 'How
Does it Work' paradigm – ideal for the
engineering thinking. So, being a
technological ‘super achiever’ with quite a few
publications and a couple of patent-able ideas,
NITIE was the ideal choice for me. So, I took
only one entrance – the NITIE entrance, and
lo, I was home.
ALUMNI SPEAK
The biggest selling point of the program was
the amazing flexibility it offered. The institute
believed in developing the style of thinking
among students and ensuring that each
product had the quintessence of the concepts
of management. The program was flexible in
that it enabled students choose the depth or
the level to delve into specific concepts. With a
regularly updated and customized curriculum
by the faculty and freedom from
administrative hassles, there were
opportunities all around to explore
unconventional and unchartered territories.
Coupled with some of the best faculty and
probably the best management libraries, this
was any student’s Heaven.
And like any graduate campus, this was
always bustling with activity - wing fights,
water wars, traditional rivalries, student no-
tices after notices, policy issues, and a lot of
mugga (studies!) and masti and keeda. There
were a whole lot of other things too like
sports, and the IT committee. Then there
were the formal events: C2K, Prerana,
Rotaract, etc. The list seemed endless. It was
like a festive calendar with events and people
coming from all over and sharing their views.
There was just too much to do.
Each day started with the long flight of 96
steps, just like the students attaining newer
heights with each passing step. And then,
there were those assignments that I got to
work on:
(a)Analyzed Business Models in the Internet
Industry
Sansmaran, 2010 24
 ALUMNI SPEAK
(b)Studied IT products for a futures pricing
model
(c)Looked at functional synergies in
mergers and acquisitions (took shape as a
paper that is now being used in curricula in
some B- Schools globally) and
(d)Evaluated techno-legal frameworks for
software.
Little did I know then, that just the sheer
mention of the titles, a few years down the
line, would send jitters down the spines of
the counterparts of the best B-Schools
globally. It looked like the only mantra in
my mind was - 'To strive to ingrain
management principles'.
But the world was not enough, at least, not
for the NITIEans. We decided to aim
higher, so, towardsthe second half of the
first module, we started an initiative called
'The Round Table'. This was unique as it
revolutionized the way we applied
principles. It was a body aimed at
promoting the principles of ‘value-added’
and I, with my little consulting experience
at that time, had the responsibility to steer
it. We got guys from different companies
and discussed complex and challenging
issues with them, providing solutions that
beat the covention… In other words, it was
a small intellectual factory! In a year's time,
we had a commercial proposition at hand
with several training and consulting offers!
This forum gave us a lot of insight into
modern management consulting.
The drive to do something different was
still on. By the end of the second year,
months of sleepless nights had paid off. I
had four excellent international
publications to add to my tally (it currently
stands at 15). I was also a columnist at two
magazines expressing views on
management and technology. And the
most coveted achievements were saved for
the last - the Gold Medal, the Best Student
25 Sansmaran, 2010
Award and the Best Project Award!
NITIE definitely has left an impression on
us. And today, we NITIEans are making a
foray in different spheres of life.The one
thing that confuses people most is the
question: What are we guys??? We know
technology, management, strategy, finance,
you name it!!! We know the convention, yet
we easily 'beat' the convention, in short, we
are the guys who excel in whatever we do.
Take a look at the accolades won by NITIE
at any inter-college competition. I
remember, even as first years, we were at
IIM Indore for IRIS and we gave the
home team a run for their… well more than
just the money! To sum it up, probably the
fundamental distinction we have is our
thinking, our ability to define the world
through the niche area of Systems
Thinking.
Well, after around 8 years of corporate life
post NITIE, I felt the need to go again for
entrepreneurship. Today, we are the only
company that is exclusively operating in
the systems thinking area of management
consulting in India, an extremely popular
methodology in Europe and the US. And as
a business, the response is hardly
surprising, instead of matching customer
expectations, we deliver customer delight
in whatever we do. Our innovative
methods in delivery, using a combination
of modeling and simulation methods
working and intricately designed
conceptual thinking frameworks, have
helped us provide out-of-the-box
solutions to client issues in several areas.
Our zest and our successes in breaking the
frontiers in management sciences keep
telling us just onething: Lets do it again!
And just like every other NITIEan in this
world, we are all ready to Get, Set and Go!
 ALUMNI SPEAK

An ode to NITIE NITIE days..

Kartik Vyas Kanimozhi S.

PGDIM Batch of 2010 PGDIE Batch of 2010

25 months back we went to a place grand
A B-School one of the best & and a big brand
A crowd of a dozen dozens with not even a score
of girls
Spent two years in heaven like countesses and
earls
More friendships were forged, yet there were a
few foes
The 'time of our lives' went by with hardly any
woes
The Age of empires never went off despite the
counter strikes
Where FIFA world cups were won even without
wearing spikes
The groove yard blossomed into Mandi, two
Preranas went by
Before we could even realize we were flying out
in open sky
All that remains now are memories and a special
bond
All those calm starry nights and those walks
around the pond
The Saturday chole bhature, the Happy Singh
Sunday lunch
Those weekends were so lavish despite the cash/
credit crunch
Few Facebook comments have replaced those
hundreds of multi-casts
Chats that would last for hours then, now not
even two minute lasts
Life past NITIE is exciting and will continue for
sure
But NITIE Nostalgia is recurring and it has no
cure
NITIE life at 22, was nonetheless a dream come
true !
In not more words, can I tell, the world
The moments I spent in this school of times,
Where I cracked many puzzles but failed some
riddles;
Where I got many claps but also some blows;
Where I met many legends, I had dreamt from
distance;
Where nights full of action surpassed days full of
dreams;
Where I got many friends, who stood my times;
Where I fell down more which taught me more;
What should I call such a place full of LIFE?
How will I speak those days of PRIDE?
Those rains over the lawns that drenched our
worries;
Those trees so dark that cooled our summers;
Those rooms tho’ small, that nurtured wishes so
big;
The nights though cold, that never got over
With a walk around the pond & a talk about the
land
Together I saw, the duo of beauty & power!
What should I call such a place full of LIFE?
How will I speak those days of PRIDE?
Plain is the land for minds that are plain;
Power house It is for the brains in trigger !!
Is’nt it a magic ?

Sansmaran, 2010 26
 ALUMNI SPEAK
Mr. Mandeep Manocha
Co-founder & Director, ReGlobe
PGDIM Batch of 2009
Some would say 2009 was not the best year
to pass out from a B-School and if I was
writing this piece back then, I am not sure
if I would have been able to judge it as one
of the best years of my life so far. Like
many to-be MBAs, I too wanted to bag a
comfortable job in an MNC, work for a few
years and then start my own venture. But
as they say, life does not go by your
planning, it dictates its own. The best you
can do is, enjoy the Chaos it brings along
and try to make the most of it.
After a wonderful 18 months at NITIE, the
time to leave the beautiful campus finally
arrived and as everyone was moving
towards their homes or their respective
cities to join their winter internships, I too
packed my bags and headed for home.
Without a job nor a winter internship, the
first hurdle and the major one, was to
explain my parents of my future plans. As
most of us in the great Indian middle class
would know, a job is more than a job.
1. It’s what your mother would proudly
announce to her neighbors, even
though she would hardly have any idea
about the company, its business and its
pronunciation.
2. Your ticket to getting married and
finding a beautiful wife.
3. And many more….
At that time I had no specific business plan
or idea, just a burning desire and passion to
start on my own.
27 Sansmaran, 2010
My Story So Far
Thankfully my parents were supportive (at
least they portrayed so) and it was a very
big relief. For any start up, I guess the
biggest thing is the support from family.
So the next question was: What Business?
Which industry? etc. With a natural bent
towards issues relating to environment, I
started my research broadly into the field
of Environment Management and related
topics. Waste Management and Recycling
was something which seemed very
interesting and the research narrowed
down to some extent. By this time I had
decided that as a part of my Winter
Internship, I would submit my
Entrepreneurial research and used the 3
months to extensively formulate a business
plan. During this time, I met a lot of people
from the industry, attended conferences,
visited Waste Management and Recycling
facilities. Being a student from a reputed
institute really helped and gave easy access
to conferences, factories etc. which
otherwise would have been very difficult.
Thus, one thing led to another and I was
ready with my business plan on E-waste
management and my winter project report
to be submitted in college, though it’s a
completely different story that our current
business is not what I had submitted then,
but broadly it is in the same field.
During this time, I met a friend from my
undergrad school who was also looking
forward to start his own venture and we
decided to do it together. Hence in May

2009, we founded ‘Manak Waste
Management Pvt Ltd’ (visit
www.reglobe.in). We have hopped from
one business plan to the other since we
have started and have really enjoyed the
journey so far. Contrary to what we had
heard in the fancy entrepreneurial summits
and conferences that you should have a
concrete and defined B-plan, we have
realized that it’s not mandatory to have The
Idea and a concrete b-plan but the resolve to
stick to this zeal of Entrepreneurship and
never give up attitude. You refine your
thoughts, change plans, learn and in due
course design a decent business model
which can be continuously upgraded and
tweaked as you move ahead. All you need
is the initial courage to take the plunge and
to stick around for a couple of years.
Last one and a half years have been a really
amazing experience and have provided a
steep learning curve. Though the journey
so far has not been easy but it has been
quite satisfying. The biggest challenge so
far has been keeping the internal
enthusiasm levels high and to keep
working towards our goal, steering clear
from the short term desires of taking up a
well paying job and leading a normal life
devoid of these daily challenges and fire
fights. Every Monday in the first 6 months,
we would feel like giving up and looking
for a job but by the end of the week we
were pretty sure that the path we have
chosen is the right path for us. I guess this
is a natural phenomenon which most of the
entrepreneurs face. The fact that it is an
ALUMNI SPEAK
enjoyable “rollercoaster” ride is one of the
prime reasons to stay buckled. When we
compare our happiness and work
satisfaction levels with our peers settled in
hefty paying cushiony jobs, our intent of
staying put strengthens. Strong belief in
our abilities and inherent desire to succeed
and make a difference makes this
rollercoaster ride all the more exciting.
If I had to point out the major lessons I
learned in the last one year, these would
be:
1. Your educational background has
nothing to do with your business idea
though you might have to apply what you
learnt during engineering only to realize
what a fake engineer you are and that you
need to get back to books.
2. Google and Wikipedia are the biggest
advantage you have over the people who
started successful companies 50 years ago.
So if they can do it, you can too.
3. Enjoy the chaos that everyday
challenges bring along.
4. “Too much Research & Analysis” is
fatal and leaves you confused. Follow your
gut and take the plunge.
5. Relationships with people are of
supreme importance in business. Meet
people regularly and maintain a good PR.
The views are personal and any resemblances to
the ideas of any person dead or alive are highly
coincidental and may be the result of endless
gyaan sessions I have been subjected to during
MBA, Engineering and life in general.
Sansmaran, 2010 28
 IE-13

Silver Jubilee Celebrations

Felicitation of PGDIE Batch of 1985

National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)

PGDIE – 13 (1983-
(1983-85)

(Top to bottom) Standing 1st row(L to R)

N. Arun Kumar, Kishore Mohanty, Nagendran R, Narendra Mohanty, Sai Kumar
Bajana Neeraj Garg

Standing 2nd row(L to R)

Rajasekar Siva, K B S Ramachandra Rao, Raman Midha, T V Seshadri, Srinivas
Chivali, Vasu Ramanujam , Mohan P, K Raja Kumar, M Srinivas Babu, Milind Joshi,
Sunil Luhadia

Standing 3rd row (L to R)

S Krishna Kumar, Anindya Ghosh, Sushil Rathi, Sandeep Karmarkar, Satish Anand,
Ramesh R G, Subashish Dasgupta, Govindarajan S, Madhusudhan N, Saji Oommen,
Vinnakota Prasad

Sitting row (L to R)
Kaustabh Gokhale, Amitabha Dasgupta, Ritwik Burman, Narsimha Nayak, Srinivas
Vadali, Dr. T Mathew(PGPC), Wg Cdr Subhash Sindhwani, Murthy Neti, Shiva
Kumar V, R S V Narasimha Rao, Shankar G, Sudarshan Murthy

29 Sansmaran, 2010
 ALUMNI COORDINATORS

IM-
IM-16 IE-
IE-39 IM-
IM-17 IE-
IE-40
Aditya Kaul Bhavik Sanghavi Khalil Ahmed Pathan Allwyn Kingsley M
Ankit Kala Bhushan Rao Kunal Gulati Anupam Gupta
Ankur Singla Chandra Prakash Maulik Desai Aashish Arora
D Santosh Samuel Deepika Malhotra Prateek Joshi Mahesh Subhash Hase
Gaurav Bajaj Harsh Khanna Sakshi Sinha Minakshi Thakkar
Gaurav Malhotra Mayur Prajapati Sandeep Duvvuru Piyush Agarwal
Neha Arya Shubham Agarwal Shruti Gupta Sapanjit Mohanty
Prashasti Shukla Srinivasulu Juru Shubhin Puri Shubham Jain
Rahul Rajan Tarun Bansal Sonam Gupta Sumit Guha
Simran Kataria Ujjwal Kejriwal C Ushma
ISEM-
ISEM-10
ISEM-
ISEM-09
Santosh Singh
Ruchi Ajmera
ITM–
ITM– 05
Anupam Jaiswal

Sansmaran, 2010 30