A bunch of 537 aspiring managers took a big step towards realising their career goals on their first day at XLRI, Jamshedpur, which kicked off its 2017-19 academic session on Monday.

The B-school welcomed the freshers with an introductory programme at Tata auditorium that began with an inaugural prayer followed by a short speech on the values of the institute and the importance of keeping one's integrity intact on the path to excellence.

A total of 537 students have enrolled for the three flagship programmes - business management, human resource management and general management - this year. While the business and human resource management courses have 181 students each, the general management programme will accommodate 109. Apart from this, 51 students have enrolled in the three-year PG diploma in management (part time), nine students in fellow programme in management and six in executive fellow programme in management.

XLRI director Father E. Abraham, who addressed the welcome ceremony, said, "Besides being a higher learning institution, XLRI is also a social institution. We have to carry out our responsibilities as a social entity. A strong connection with the society will provide the edifice for value-oriented learning. This will instil in future business leaders a sensitivity that will inspire you to search for solutions to vexed socio-economic problems in the environment in which we are living."

He went on to say that XLRI had always been socially responsible and its green campus would bar the entry of bikes from next year. The institute has set a target to be a carbon-neutral campus by 2020.

The first-year students will have to take part in compulsory village exposure and outbound programmes that have been designed to create awareness about the realities of rural India.

Dean (academics) Ashis K. Pani introduced the students to their faculty members while Jerome Joseph, chair professor of Industrial Relations, spoke on the "Future of Management Education."

The newbies, from across the country, sounded excited.

"The guiding motto of XLRI 'magis' attracted me. The institution offers an excellent work-life balance. The HRM course is considered to be the best in Asia. I expect to learn a lot during two years," said Paul G. Wilson, an HRM student from Trivandrum.

Business management student Vijayamadhav R.S, also from Trivandrum, said, "The institute is one of the oldest and has been empowering students since 1949. Some of the brightest minds in the corporate sector hail from this B-school and like all, I am here to gain a varied perspective from my interactions with students and learned faculty members."