Birmingham-based Anurekha Ghosh performing Ruins in the Bagbazar home of Pashupati Bose last week. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Reminiscence 2005, the IIM Calcutta annual reunion, was an event to remember for the 1980 batch, held on January 7 and 8. The silver jubilee reunion batch took a trip down memory lane, re-living memories of 25 years past. Their love for the campus was clear, with almost 200 turning up for a weekend of nostalgia, revelry and a chance to catch up with former batchmates.

The Joka B-school recognises its alumni as a valuable resource, encourages their participation in shaping the institution?s future. Focusing on the need to foster relationships between ex-students and the institute, the alumni cell hosts the annual reunion on campus, which, judging by the response, was a success.

B.B. Chakraborty, professor of finance at Joka and an alumnus of the 1980 batch, said: ?This has to be the best and the most organised reunion I have had the opportunity of attending.? Alumni from the ?80 batch included the likes of World Bank consultant Mandeep Singh, Bharti Telesoft CEO Sanjiv Mittal and CIANT Corporation CMD Aniruddha Basu.

IIMC?s managers in the making welcomed the ex-students in style. The institute?s alumni cell members handled the organisational nitty-gritties. Accommodated at the executive hostel Tata Hall and the IIM Calcutta guesthouse, each alumnus had a student buddy assigned to him or her, who was always available for assistance.

The student effort was evident in the cultural show. The evening was inaugurated by Anup Sinha, dean of programme initiatives, who welcomed the alumni. Next was a performance by the dramatics club. The choreography club presented Moksha as the fitting finale for the evening?s event.

The alumni contributed a large sum of money to the institute?s gymnasium. They inaugurated a plaque at the gym on Sunday morning at the dedication ceremony. Shubhendu Agrawal, alumni affairs secretary, said: ?In the changing scenario, with more financial autonomy being expected of the IIMs, contribution from the alumni is more important than ever before.?

Emotions surfaced as the weekend drew to a close, but a common opinion was that such events would increase interaction on a regular basis between the institute and its alumni. ?I?m really thankful to Team Alumni for having taken care of all the organisational aspects of the event. They are going to make great managers,? noted Anup Sinha, chairperson, alumni affairs, IIMC.

Biswarup Gooptu

 

Carnival capers

The St Paul?s Cathedral grounds came alive on Saturday to the stamping of tiny feet and the chirping of excited voices. The occasion was the Anandamela Carnival and the majority of the audience members were from Anandamela Club.

After a morning spent in treasure hunt, creative writing, sit-and-draw and a fiercely fought Harry Potter quiz, the children settled down for a fashion feed. Go-as-you-like had 28 kids lined up to take the stage. First up was little Aishwarya, covered to her crown with a stalk and a leaf. ?Ami ekti gachh. Gachh katben na,? was her plea.

If brevity was her strength, Samarpita, playing Gautam Buddha in saffron, made a virtue of a lengthy discourse with even Sanskrit quotations thrown in. Mausam Sharma chilled out on stage as a rock star and left only after tossing his shades, jacket and cap to the crowd.

There were quite a few newsreaders, reporting both fact and fiction. If they had the advantage of having their script in hand, Ayan, the priest, did not and left with his blessings unsaid. Soumyadeep?s role, the most demanding physically, required silence. So the giant tortoise crawled across the stage carrying a huge green-and-black shell on his back.

After a burdened coolie, a brave eunuch, many Santa Clauses (who distributed toffees causing scrambles to the foot of the stage) and a Bharat Mata, the one who shone through was Anusha Dey as Beder Meye Jyotsna. With her rustic accent, stylised walk and basket of snakes, the Class III student of BD Memorial School was the clear winner.

Soon after, there was a rush to meet Sanya. In case you wonder ?Sanya who?, the kids had all the answers to the quiz that followed, conducted by the star of a show on Hungama TV. ?What is my favourite dish?? she asked. ?Rajma-chawal,? came the pick. No wonder both giver and receiver were all smiles at the prize distribution.

 

Training tips

The central government?s initiatives to improve infrastructure in sectors like national highways, power and ports prompted the Future Business School ? Future Institute of Engineering and Management, Calcutta, and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute for Development Banking, Hyderabad, the training institute of IDBI, to jointly conduct a five-day training programme on ?Infrastructure Financing for Road, Port, Power and Telecom?, from January 16-20.

The main objective was to provide understanding and appreciation of the nature and role of long-term financing operations and also sensitising the participants to various issues related to financing in these crucial sectors.

Twenty-six participants from 13 banks and three corporates joined in the discussions, including Allahabad Bank, Canara Bank, Central Bank, IDBI Bank, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, NEDFi, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Syndicate Bank, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, UCO Bank, Union Bank, United Bank of India, CESC, SREI and South Asian Petrochem.

Aniruddha Lahiri, president of TCG, delivered the valedictory address. Mousumi Ghosh, director of Future Business School said: ?We will organise more such programs in association with various national and international expert organisations.? A state-of-the-art 30-room residential Corporate Convention Centre has also been set up.

nCorrection: In ?Equity push for anti-AIDS campaign? (Young Metro, January 17), it was mentioned that NGO MANAS Bangla?s outreach workers were allegedly abused by officials of Bidhannagar police station (south) on December 5. They were, in fact, roughed up outside Lake police station, allegedly by officers.

Another spring in their step

(From top) The dance party at Perpz; DJs from Bhawanipur College; student band Faith rocks the crowd. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Over 7,000 people on campus. Activities appealing to everyone, from the most studious in the classroom to the fittest on the dance floor. And a sense of freedom like no other for those who crave it the most. All adding up to a four-day festive frenzy called Springfest 2006.

This year?s edition, presented by IIT Kharagpur in association with The Telegraph, came to an end on Sunday. Music was the mantra on the final day as Sargam and Wildfire, the eastern and western music competitions, saw a battle of bands and the night came to close with a performance by Skinny Alley.

There was action aplenty on the first three days of the inter-college fest.

Highlights of a relatively light Day One was IIT?s house band ETMS and a performance by Euphoria. Despite their second outing at Springfest within a few years, there was a decent turnout to see Palash Sen and Co.

Day Two was packed with events like debate, music competition, play and a guest lecture by IIT alumnus and social worker Krishan Khanna.

But the show-stealer was the evening show featuring Shankar Mahadevan. ?There were at least 8,000 people at the Tagore Open Air Theatre, where usually 5,000-6,000 fit in,? recalled a student.

Day Three and more events such as the Mary Bucknell Trophy Quiz and Cyber Quiz. Fine Frenzy, the fashion show, also drew a huge crowd as the latest trends and styles were sashayed down the ramp.

Besides the crowds at venues like the open air theatre and the various auditoriums, the Perpz area was also a hub of activity.

The makeshift dance floor thumped to the beats churned out by a group of students from Bhawanipur College. ?It?s a wonderful feeling to be playing here,? said Sonia of the five-member DJ team.

But all the fun had its months of preparation, too.

?A core team of 21 members and 11 leaders started work for Springfest in July 2005,? said Neel Lohit, a member of the organising team. Getting funds for the Rs 29 lakh-fest was also a tough task.

But in the end, everything fell in place for another successful Springfest.

Subhajit Banerjee