(From top) Indian cricket team manager Ranjib Biswal on the ITER campus, participants of a face painting competition and cultural programme at ITER. Telegraph pictures

Yes, we can win World Cup!

The Indian cricket team manager for the forthcoming cricket World Cup, Ranjib Biswal visited the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) campus on February 7 and interacted with students and faculty members. Exuding confidence that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team has the ability to repeat the 1983 saga of the victorious Indian team led by Kapil Dev, he shouted, “Yes, we can!” and the crowd echoed him. Biswal, a former India Under-19 skipper and president of the Orissa Cricket Association, was speaking to students as guest of honour during the conclusion of their two-day cultural extravaganza, Genesis-2011, on Sunday night. He told the large gathering of cheering students that the Indian team valued their good wishes. The faculty and students of the college had earlier launched a signature campaign to wish the Indian team success in the World Cup. “Yours is the first university to wish the Indian team victory. Your wishes will be conveyed to the team members,” Biswal said. He also promised that if the Indian team won the World Cup, he would bring it to ITER. A thunderous applause greeted this announcement. The chief guest at the function, Abhijit Sen, head of Infosys in the state, chipped in by saying everybody hoped India would wrest the cup because this 11-member team is competent enough to bring home the cup. Sen said the students should look forward to a bright future as the industry was undergoing changes. Biswal and Sen gave away the prizes to winners of various events in the tech fest - Chakravyuh ‘11 — and a cultural fiesta held earlier. The fiesta consisted of a wide array of activities such as ramp shows, face painting, dance and music band competitions.

Songs, dance and more at BJB

The highlight of the dramatic society of BJB (Autonomous) College’s annual function was songs sung by veteran Oriya singer Swaroop Nayak. The artiste, who also inaugurated the function that was held on February 3, had students cheering when he sang a few lines from his famous songs — Odisha mo Odisha, Tu kahile mu kahibi and Mu Romeo. Besides college principal Dusmanta Sahoo, the guests included minister Ashok Kumar Panda. The event concluded with a prize distribution ceremony. The guests gave away certificates and trophies to winners of various competitions that were held during the past year. Students then put up a colourful cultural programme.

Managers learn ‘what’s not taught’

On February 4, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), hosted the ‘Learning what’s not taught’ programme conducted by the executive director of Tata Sons, R. Gopalakrishnan. The objective of the programme was to stimulate reflection by managers through interaction with senior leaders who shared interesting anecdotes. The highly interactive programme held over five sessions of one hour each was aimed at enhancing the learning of young managers by reflecting on experiences of senior leaders. The guest speaker drew inferences from various cases and published articles, about the importance of intuitive and experiential learning, and provided the students with much food for thought. The engaging discussions were further enriched by his narration of his own anecdotes and experiences, and ended with a feedback session. Gopalakrishnan is also the author of acclaimed books The Case of the Bonsai Manager and When the Penny Drops: Learning What’s Not Taught.

Jobs galore at GIFT

As many as 30 final year BTech students of the Gandhi Institute For Technology (GIFT) bagged jobs during campus placement drives held recently. While 28 final year students were selected by software giants, Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra, two electronics and electrical engineering (EEE) branch students were short-listed by hardware company Adani Group during the placement tests held on January 21 and February 3 respectively. The software companies have offered Rs 3.07 lakh per annum to each of the 28 candidates. A total of 47 students had cleared the written test held for 80 minutes and 200 marks comprising two subjects — general English and general knowledge. Out of them, 28 were selected in the final round of the interview that included a technical interview round and an HR round. Two fourth year BTech (EEE) students — Biswabhushan Panda and Chinamayee Sahu — were picked by Adani Group in the off-campus placement test that was held on February 3 at Gandhi Institute for Technological Advancement. With an annual pay package of Rs 3.5 lakh, these two students were selected for the positions of graduate trainee engineer by the Adani Conglomerate along with 10 other candidates from three other city-based engineering colleges. The rigorous test process included pre-placement talk, written examination that comprised technical and mental ability test, group discussion and personal interview. In total, 40 candidates from GIFT sat for this campus test out of whom four were selected for the group discussion and personal interview and finally two candidates got through. Other multi-national companies have also evinced interest in campus recruitments, said S. Pattnaik, GIFT placement officer.

CEO speak

Students of the drama society of BJB (Autonomous) College at the annual function. Telegraph picture

A CEO talk was organised at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, on January 31. Bishnu Charan Khatua, chairman of commodity markets regulator Forward Markets Commission, was the guest speaker. About 100 students attended the talk. The XIMB students were from the post-graduate diploma in management (PGDM), PGDM in rural management and post-graduate programme in banking and financial services. Khatua spoke about the commodities market and current regulations. Speaking on the derivative market, he provided a comparison between commodity market versus equity market and how both markets impact each other. He also talked about the nuances of speculation versus gambling perspectives to drive home the point that derivatives and equity cannot be equated with gambling as they are speculation which is hedged on specific leverages of risk and return. The students asked several questions. Khatua answered them and later spoke about his experience at XIMB. “The interest shown by students and incisive questions raised by them made it a great session,” he said. At the end of the session, student coordinator Himmanadini Mohanty offered the vote of thanks.

CAT out of the bag

The CAT results are out and it’s time to convert the calls. Bhubaneswar this year has witnessed outstanding results in the country’s top-level examinations — CAT, XAT, JMET — and the FMS, TISS and IIFT selection tests. This was the first round of selection whereas the second round, slated to begin later this month, would consist of essay writing, group discussion and personal interview (GD-PI) rounds. In this context, the Institute of Management Studies (IMS) organised ‘Achievers Workshop’ on February 5 for all students who had received calls from the top 20 B-schools. The workshop was a high-intensity training session with features such as super-tough simulations, meeting with expert panelists on industry, economy and current affairs, smart GD-PI strategies, essay writing and more.

Challenges facing us

Apart from environmental challenges, terrorism and nuclear wars have emerged as serious threats to mankind in the 21st century. Sustainability, therefore, is important not only for development but adequate efforts need to be initiated by governments and citizens to protect the environment. This was the focus of the discussion during a seminar on “Governance and Sustainable Environment” organised at Ravenshaw University recently. The seminar was organised jointly by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Orissa regional branch, in collaboration with the department of political science. The speakers including former state chief election commission Sanjiv Hota, former DGP Bipin Mishra, social activist Sudhir Pattnaik and professor Luna Samanta. “Ten per cent of plant species in the country are under threat and 150 species of medicinal plants have already disappeared in recent decades while 10 per cent of flowering plants, 20 per cent of mammals, five per cent of birds are in the threatened category,” said Samanta. Besides the government, citizens too should also work to protect the biodiversity which is essential for sustainability, said Sudhir Mishra. “Democracy in our country is weak, as we have never fought for democracy; it has evolved through a number of stages. Our model of democracy is growth oriented and the emphasis is on resource exploitation,” added the noted social activist. Other speakers, including Sanjiv Hota, deliberated on the country’s growth, governance and key challenges in the 21st century.