Industry Conclave 2017

CATALYST, one of the key initiatives of our energetic alumni network, has grown by leaps and bounds – from being a platform for opportunities, it has today developed into a culture that aims to curate our students’ skills to make them stand out when they step out into corporate world.

One of the more recent initiatives by the team was a first of its kind corporate – institute meetup. The objective behind this gathering of corporate minds was two fold – one for the corporates to get a feel of the institute first hand, to understand what is here that makes able citizens out of us; the second was for the institute to get a feel of what corporates want. And thus in September 2017, Puttaparthi was host to the “Industry Conclave”.

Value based education

The event began with the keynote speech, which was delivered by Sri. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman – TVS Motors. He delved into the importance of values in modern business with special emphasis on how the education system can prepare future professionals for it. He also recounted his learnings at the lotus feet of Swami and his fond association with the University.

Dr. Naren Ramji then followed it up with a brilliant presentation on the vision and education philosophy of the Divine Founder Chancellor, Bhagawan Baba and the uniqueness of the Integral System of education provided here. His talk, along with interesting visuals made a positive impression on the delegates, many of whom were visiting the University for the first time.

The next session was an executive discussion titled Criticality of Values-Based Education for Emerging Challenges in Business, Society and Leadership Development. The panelists included Sri Vivek N Gour, MD & CEO – Airworks; Sri A. Balasubramanian, CEO – Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC; Sri SG Murali, Advisor – TVS Motors; Dominic David- President KLA-Tencor India Operations; Sri Mohan Tulsidas, Global Head for Innovation – Fidelity and Sri Ram Gopal, CEO – Barclays Bank India (also an alumnus). This session was ably moderated by Sri NT Arunkumar, former MD – UBS India.

Integrity and professionalism

The panellists drew from their vast experience to emphasize on the need for integrity in the professional domain and how adherence to values could make one stand out. These conversations were laced with personal anecdotes and learnings, which kept everyone deeply engrossed. Some of the panellists also fondly recalled the lessons learnt from Swami. They also shared their experiences on working with Sai alumni. One of the panellists recalled that initially when his company hired students from the University, they noticed that there was something unique and different about them. It was their stellar performance, attitude and integrity that ensured that they continue they keep the University in mind for their hiring needs every year.

The post-lunch session began with Dr. VineetBasotia, founding member, CATALYST team. He briefly took the participants through the uniquely run initiative. The strong desire to give back to the alma mater makes the completely voluntary alumni-run placement model work year after year.

In the concluding session, participants shared their thoughts on the day long proceedings. Many participants acknowledged that the discussions were insightful, informative and relevant in today’s context. They were impressed with the uniqueness of the integral system of education. As one of the participants summed it up, “It is my first visit to Puttaparthi. I can definitely say that it is not going to be my last.” The proceedings concluded with Mangala Arati and a visit to the Super Specialty Hospital and Mandir.

Unity is Strength

The brilliant agenda, the classic discussions, the flawless execution, the quality of the event – none of it would have been possible without the drive and desire of the alumni to contribute. Led by Praveen PVS, Harikrishna Prasad, Vijay Sai Pratap, Ashok Ahuja and others, the alumni planned and executed the whole event all by themselves – right from the concept, communication, coordination with the University and event logistics. In fact, many alumni offered to drive the delegates from Bangalore in their own vehicles. The hospitality arrangements in Shanthi Bhawan was a throwback to the time when Swami would depute his boys to personally attend to the various dignitaries who visited Prasanthi Nilayam. Many alumni reached out to their professional network to solicit participation in the event. That attendees representing 30 organizations attended the event shows the magnitude of effort that went into the event.

And the impact of the zeal our brothers and sisters was felt in the reaction of the attendees – from the ‘Wows’ on seeing the facilities to the ‘Thank Yous’ for the seamless conduct of the event – each facet of the whole gathering was a constant wonder for them. The warmth and hospitality won them over as they promised to visit again – the idea behind the whole event had definitely materialised.

As the catalyst group tries its best to aggregate more and more opportunities for the students,   it is events like this that give them a boost. As the Alumni team says – ‘Events like this give    the organisations an opportunity to understand the beta factor of our institute, this prompts them to come back and hire from here. If our alumni could create/aid/help in getting just one opportunity, it could change the life of a student’.

It is an ardent prayer to Swami that such initiatives bear fruition and aid alumni brothers and sisters as they work towards giving our students the right platform for their future. As more and more alumni are pooling in their share of effort, we all should also work towards jumping on to this bandwagon called the CATALYST.