The annual cultural and management fest of IIM Indore—IRIS 2017 was held on November 10-12, 2017. The inauguration of the fest took place in the presence of Mr. Kishor Kharat, MD & CEO, Indian Bank, along with huge audience consisting of various participants from across the nation. The IRIS coordinators, Harshwardhan Singh and Prabhakaran R. addressed the audience, elaborating on what is in store in this edition of IRIS.
This was followed by the address by Mr. Kharat who spoke about microfinance. Further, he took questions from the audience and spoke about demonetisation, cryptocurrency and the importance of understanding ground realities before formulating solutions. He advised the students to look for entrepreneurship as most students after passing out from the IITs and IIMs seek jobs either in India or abroad. ‘Even if it takes time to get adjusted to the environment, you will realize that you are doing a lot of good for your family and country. You will be creating many job opportunities’, he said.
The inaugural ceremony concluded with the vote of thanks by Col. Gururaj Gopinath Pamidi (Retd) CAO, IIM Indore.
The fest witnessed various flagship events including Ashwamedha, Lasya, Gordian Knot, Finance League, Drona, Advaita, Neetishastra, Beat the Market among various other events. All the events witnessed huge enthusiastic participation from the youth, who got a chance to perform their best in front of esteemed judges. The first day concluded with a Pro-Night featuring Nikhil Chinappa who enthralled the audience with his amazing performance.
The second day of the fest saw the next rounds of the events, with initial rounds of other events like Chain Reaction, Voice of Indore; etc.
The highlight of the day was a speaker series which had Ms. Madhavi Prathi, Paralympic Swimmer as the first speaker. Ms. Prathi is a National Paralympics Swimming Champion, President of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India, General Secretary of the Paralympics Swimming Association of Tamil Nadu and founder of Yes We Too Can movement. Sharing her experience, she mentioned that she was only 7 months old when a massive polio attack left 80% of her body paralysed, but that didn’t stop her from reaching newer heights every day. ‘There is no point cribbing about what we can’t have. Hence, I started the “Yes, We can” movement’, she said. She also spoke about how rebellion is at the heart of motivation.
The second talk was by Mr. Srijan Pal Singh, who is a social entrepreneur and founder of Kalam center. He shared his views about his upcoming novel ‘The History of Tomorrow’—stressing on how technology is changing the world around us. He spoke of how we have the power to change the world. ‘It is important to chase dreams and do something for which one is remembered for. In the next couple of years we will have cure for our major diseases, although new diseases will keep on coming’, he said.
The third talk was by Ms. Milee Aishwarya, Editorial Director, Penguin Random House. She opened up about her life experiences, her tryst with celebrities and the publishing scene in India to a packed audience. Ms. Aishwarya, who has worked with the likes of Karan Johar, Twinkle Khanna, Sachin Tendulkar, Sonali Bendre in the past revealed her upcoming project – a book on success mantras for students from our very own Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. When asked about what it takes to become a publisher in India, she said ‘Every day for me is an adventure. I am a person who gets bored very easily. But luckily, the job keeps you on your toes. One has to love the job in order to be able to survive in this business’.
The second day concluded on a high note with rocking performance by the band—Nalayak, from Chandigarh. Defined by its enchanting persona, the band is a first-of-its-kind independent rock band which has been applauded for its crazy acts and stupefying LIVE performances. The students at IIM Indore just couldn’t have enough of this amazing quartet and could be seen enthusiastically singing along some of the popular songs of the band.
The third day of the fest concluded with the final rounds of all the events and declaration of the winners. The fest came to a closure with a soothing and melodious concert by KK, which saw a huge crowd turn up listening to his amazing songs.