1. MBA E & FB
March 2012
1

2. Cover Story: Young Turks ……………………………………....8
Aami Shotti Bolchi ……………………………………………..16
Industry Insights: GPI ………………………………………...20
Technology Shift Towards ERP..Is It Required..?? ………………..22
Inter– State Competition..The Only Way Forward..?? ……….……23
To Shine– Just For Her ………………………………………..24
Meet The Jain’s …...…………………………………………..26
Life After FMB-God Of Small Things ……………..………...31
2

3. Timeline ……………..………………………………….......34
Professors Speak ….………………...……………..………...39
French Connection ……………..…………………………...40
Current Batch Speak…………….………………..………...43
Achiever's Club……...…………………………………….46
Happenings Of 2010-12 …………………………………….48
Meet the Batch Of 2010-12 ………………………………….52
Inspirus 2011 ………………………………………. ……..66
3

4. Management’s Foreword
I congratulate the students of MBA-
Entrepreneurship and Family Business for
coming out with the 2nd edition of Envisage.
It is good to see the students work towards a
common objective, understanding the im-
portance of team work and gaining leader-
ship skills in the process. It will nurture them
into well rounded entrepreneurs. In a coun-
try where SME’s contribute immensely in the
nation’s economic growth, a strong academ-
Dr. Rajan Saxena
ic guidance was always needed. NMIMS as an
Vice Chancellor institution has been entrepreneurial and in-
novative and has identified the requirements
in this field. This is reflected by several academic initiatives taken by this
institution, one of which is the two years full time programme for MBA -
Entrepreneurship and Family Business. The programme’s contribution has
been widely recognized by the business owners as also by the academi-
cians. I wish “Inspirus” and “Envisage 2012” a huge success.
I, as Dean of School of Business Management
(SBM), take immense pride in the students of
MBA-Entrepreneurship and Family Business as
they continue the legacy of Envisage, their mag-
azine and yearbook, which was launched at In-
spirus 2011.
Dr. Debashish Sanyal
4
Dean

5. The theme of the magazine revolves around how one makes way for his
own destiny and I couldn’t agree more to this. SMEs have played a pivotal
role in the development of this country. I am confident that these wonder-
ful students are going to take their ventures to the next level. I really wish
them good luck in their endeavours and really hope Inspirus and Envisage
a huge success.
The level of talent at our school is remarkable. In
MBA- Entrepreneurship and Family Business Pro-
gram, we admit some of the best and brightest stu-
dents from different parts of India and around
the world. As the Director of this program, it is my
privilege to work with the talented people that
walk the halls of the School of Business Manage-
ment. It is my responsibility to nurture this talent
in a way that maintains and extends NMIMS’s
Seema Mahajan
stature as one of the most prominent business
Director, Centre of Family Business
schools in the world. We are very proud of our
& Entrepreneurship
Alumni(500+) who are doing great work and
showcasing their Entrepreneurial traits, leading towards success.
Expect to see even greater accomplishments for our family business team in
the future. I wish my each and every student good luck for their Annual
Corporate-Cultural fest “Inspirus” and “Envisage”. Here’s hoping for a
grand success. Once again, three cheers for the family of Family Business.
5

6. Khushboo Doshi Harsha Haridas
Taruna Gupta Mitalee Mehta
Hamza Puthawala Carl Louis Ward
6

7. From the editor’s desk-
It gives us immense pleasure in presenting to you Envisage 2012. The vision
which was developed last year has been nurtured and has paved way for a bet-
ter path ahead.
This year’s edition includes more of you. Your journey and experiences are
the highlights. It has been a life altering experience for each one of you at
NMIMS and its essence has been well captured in the magazine. It is a
wonderful compilation of entrepreneurial stories, industry related articles,
life experiences, fun and entertainment. We have made sure there is some-
thing for everyone. Our efforts were mainly focussed towards encapsulating
every moment you have cherished in the past one year so that you take away
unforgettable memories for life.
We hope Envisage 2012 truly captures your heart.
Team Envisage
7

8. Passion, dedication, commitment and hard work are synonymous with an entrepreneur’s
journey. As budding entrepreneurs, we look out for inspiration from everyone. Through-
out the journey from a student to a business owner, we learn certain life-changing les-
sons. During such a phase, we came across 3 young men, all of them coming from dif-
ferent walks of life but with an extraordinary ride towards entrepreneurship.
Meet Our Young Turks
Sony Joy
Nikunj Bubna
Mudit Agarwal
These young men are all a part of the Enterprising India. With their fearless attitude and
never say die spirit, they are leading the band wagon for entrepreneurs. They have gone
through so many phases, from failure to success in their entrepreneurial ventures.
Let’s have a look at their amazing journeys.
8

9. Sony Joy- The Tech Entrepreneur
It’s quite rare to hear entrepreneurs emerging
from “God's Own Country”. Yes I’m speaking
about Kerala. It’s even more surprising when the
concerned person is a tech entrepreneur. Meet
Sony Joy, the CEO of MobME, who represents the
care-free, passionate, unconventional and risk
taking generation.
The beginning
But where did it all start? Of course, in the arche-
typical ‘garage’. Or in Sony’s case, the college was
his garage.
Sony Joy hails from a middle class family in Kera-
Opportunity well identified
la which imparted in him, the conventional val-
Circa 2005, the Mobile revolution in India was
ues of working hard and getting a ‘good job’. Like
well and truly gaining momentum. The mot-
any average middle class Indian boy, Sony joined
ley bunch decided to capitalize on this trend.
the College of Engineering in Trivandram for his
They approached BPL with a unique business
B.Tech in Electronics & Telecommunications.
idea of selling customized SIM card plans to
Back then, Sony was just a regular guy who en-
students. And surprise surprise! BPL actually
joyed college life. Everything was flowing along
agreed. The group managed to sell 500 SIM
nd
fine, until he entered the 2 Sem. It was then
cards within a week’s time with their unique
that he started getting weary of it all. He was ab-
viral marketing techniques. The company was
solutely bored with his humdrum life. He realised
surprised and asked them to expand their
this is not his cup of tea and life had to have a
reach to other colleges.
different meaning, a different purpose. Fortunate-
Experiencing the sweet taste of success
ly, he had like-minded engineering buddies who
always wanted to do something that would pro- What started out as a “earn extra pocket mon-
vide them with a different kind of ‘kick’. ey-cum-get rid of college boredom” initiative,
became a roaring success. They sold the cus-
tomized SIM cards in about 84 engineering
colleges across Kerala. Ultimately, they man-
9

10. 14000 connections in a mere 3 months and NRI investor which resulted in their first round of
were rewarded with Rs.10,00,000 for their con- funding, but also gave them promotional rights
tributions. That’s truly a huge amount to earn for his film “Rajamanikyam” through mobile.
for anyone still in the initial stages of college Around the same time, Sony and his friends reg-
life. Sony and his friends toasted their collec- istered a partnership firm called Torque and in-
tive success. They partied like there was no to- cubated it at Technopark, Trivandrum (India’s
morrow. first IT Park). They were the first incubated IT
student start-up in the whole of Kerala!
Time to get serious
MOBME
But now, BPL wanted something more stable
and concrete. The company threw them a new Come 2006, and the group officially launched
challenge. They asked them to build a voice “MobME Solutions Pvt. Ltd. They soon set up
server. With no knowledge of what BPL actual- offices in Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and Gurga-
ly meant, Sony and his friends quickly agreed on. Today, MobME is a young and vibrant Mobile
to deliver the same within a week’s time. The Media & Entertainment Company focused on
real test had now started. They went back, Value Added Services for Mobile Phone users and
gathered all of their tech buddies, read as many Carrier Grade Solutions for Network Operators.
tech blogs as possible and finally managed to They are a team of over 100 people with the aver-
build the voice server in a week’s time. They age age being just 24. MobME has also ventured
had well and truly pulled it off. This was noth- into M-Governance, working closely with the
ing short of a miracle as BPL itself didn’t expect Kerala and Goa government. They are also work-
them to get it done so quickly. They didn’t re- ing on powering MVNOs on Open Source Archi-
alize it initially, but BPL knew that they had in tecture, a first time initiative in India. Their cli-
front of them the future “golden boys” of their ents’ today range from Airtel, Aircel, Vodafone,
success. The wheels were now truly in motion CCD, Mid Day, IBNLIVE.com and many more. It
for something bigger. is one the most innovative and successful firms in
the telecom domain with numerous awards and
Diversifiying into other mediums
recognitions to its credit.
It was also the time when mobile content com-
Awards and Recognitions
panies like Hungama were enjoying their bit of
success. Sony realized that there was no con- They have been bestowed with the prestigious
tent available in the local Malayalam language Nasscom Innovation Awards in 2008,2009,2011.
for consumers. He started visiting various mov- They were also one of the top 100 IT Innovators
ie sets across Kerala, and networking with all in 2007. Wall Street Journal conferred them with
the leading actors. One such interaction with the title of one of the 10 best start-ups to watch
Mammootty, the superstar of Malayalam cine- for in India in 2008. They were also invited by
ma, paved the way for their major break- none other than Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam for a per-
through. He not only connected them to an sonal meeting.
10

11. Importance of team Nikunj – Born Entrepreneur
He treasures and values his employees and
team members like his own family. In his
words, “A great team is the main ingredient for We often
a start up.” Rightly so, no company would be a hear that
Marwari
successful one without the right mix of people.
community
True Inspiration are born en-
trepreneurs.
His journey is truly inspiring and an encourag- They are ex-
ing one. Coming from Kerala, which is not tra- pected to
ditionally known for entrepreneurial ventures join their
family busi-
and establishing himself as a technology entre-
ness or start
preneur, Sony has come a long way indeed. Be- something
ing at the right place, at the right time and on their own. Our friend, Nikunj decided to
pursue the latter.
grasping every opportunity coming their way
helped Sony and his friends lay a strong path A BMS Graduate from Mumbai University,
Nikunj worked in a startup as well as in a large
for their success. He doesn’t deny that there
corporate before taking the plunge into busi-
weren’t struggles. Their major hindrance was ness. Today, he is the CEO of UNIQ Consumer
their age. People wouldn’t take them too seri- Services Pvt. Ltd. that handles two brands-
‘Power Circle’ and ‘Purple Swarms’. The compa-
ously at the beginning as they were young. But
ny encourages consumers to contact them any-
their underneath their youthful faces, lay a time for anything they require and get addition-
fierce passion and determination to work hard, al discounts while purchasing almost everything
ranging from electronics, real estate, cars, ap-
which knocked off every single hurdle coming
parels, watches, restaurants, entertainment, etc.
their way & opened their doors for success. But They have correctly distinguished both their
in real sense, his journey portrays the true spir- brands. ‘Power Circle’ caters to the needs of up-
it of an entrepreneur. He is truly a Young Turk! per middle class citizens whereas they demon-
strate a rather unique concept of 'Purchase
Managers for Select Individuals' via their luxury
brand, 'Purple Swarms'. Purple Swarm is one-of-
a-kind brand that is entirely dedicated to the
needs and purchase requirements of HNI Cli-
ents. A person, once registered as their member,
can contact his ‘purchase manager’ through
phone or online and post his requirement or
send an enquiry which is then shared with their
select local vendor partners. They work together
with the vendor in ensuring that the member’s
requirement is fulfilled as per the pre-negotiated
extra discount and to the member’s satisfaction.
11

12. The aim is to provide outstanding service to of ‘Power Circle’. Similar concepts in the form of
high income consumers by constantly maxim- couponing (Snap Deal) are gaining momentum
izing value delivered and enriching their buy- in the country. But their major point of differen-
ing experience. tiation is the personalized service they are
providing to both set of consumers. What sets
The Journey
Nikunj’s venture apart is the “wow” factor in the
It all started when Nikunj entered the 15th year whole buying experience. To enhance the expe-
of his life, when he was interning at a lawyer’s rience, the company has invested massively in
office. He picked up crucial knowledge on legal IT to obtain a reliable technology platform/
aspects and implications at a very young age. partner as technology is probably a key determi-
Still in college, he started off his first venture in nant in the success or failure of a venture of this
printing where he made canvasses for a print- kind.
ing press. Later on, he worked in a start-up
The company employs around 70 employees
(www.tajonline.com). This helped him gain
which is expected to increase to 1500 in the next
immense knowledge about the working as well
2 years. The company is all set to get its second
as complexities a business faces during the ini-
round of funding from some angel investors. It
tial stage of setting up. After Nikunj graduated,
is also planning to go international soon.
he joined Edelweiss, the home-grown invest-
ment bank where he was posted in the Institu- Sometimes, one experience leads to opportuni-
tional Equities division. Soon, he got shifted to ties. Nikunj identified them and followed them
the Wealth Management division where he passionately. His various experiences are a great
dealt with a horde of HNIs. The first seeds for source of learning for budding entrepreneurs
the idea of Purple Swarms were planted at this like us. He is truly a ‘young turk’!
stage. Nikunj was clearly gaining crucial expo-
sure to the mindset & consumer patterns of
HNIs.
-Harsha Haridas
A Blessing in Disguise
During July 2009, Nikunj suffered some major
health issues and went under the surgeon’s
knife which further incapacitated him for
about 3 months. It was at this time when he
was recuperating that Nikunj gave a serious
thought to his idea. He focussed all his ener-
gies towards this and the final result was Pur-
ple Swarms. He created a buying community
for the privileged.
Due to his previous association with HNI cli-
ents, he had a ground ready and waiting for
test marketing. Some of the HNI’s were even
interested in funding his project. Slowly, busi-
ness started picking up and the concept started
showing results. Soon, the same model was in-
troduced for the regular customers in the form
12

13. Mudit Agarwal
Young India needs entrepreneurs to ideate, business and
explore, generate and create…and at NMIMS - within a period of
10 months the fa-
The Family Business Management programme
ther-son duo got
caters to just this need of the hour. One such the trailing busi-
young entrepreneur is Mudit Agarwal, based in ness back on
track, and it has
Goa, India, whose personality and interests in-
steadily been
dicate a bright future, not just as an entrepre- growing since
neur, but also as a global citizen. then.
Having grown up in a family with a business Somewhere in the
background, Mudit was constantly influenced final year of his
by the typical dining table conversations that graduation, Mudit
one might expect in a Marwari household! He was intrigued by the rich cultural heritage that
had his first taste of business when he was he belonged to. Having grown up in a very con-
merely 10. As a young boy he loved reading ducive atmosphere for spiritual pursuits, he at-
comics, and couldn't have enough of them. So, tended the Youth Empowerment Programme
when he asked for new ones he was told by his conducted by Chinmaya Mission and studied
mother that he could only buy new ones when the various texts from the scriptures. The course
he started earning. He took the words of his helped him to widen his vision and think be-
mother very seriously and literally. Having re- yond the conventional means of doing work.
alized that his classmates loved comics as well, These texts helped him in his business and out-
and they would often read them in their free look towards finance, economics, strategic man-
classes or the recess, he started a mini library agement etc. He studied the wisdom of the an-
of his own, where he would lend books to his cient Rishis, the great sages and philosophers,
class mates and simultaneously earn enough whose theories to him, were not merely theo-
money to buy himself new comics. He had to ries, but knowledge worth imbibing in his life.
put an end to this venture of his when his For instance, he finds “Vibhishana Geeta” as one
mother realized the source of all the newly of the best books on leadership and manage-
found comic book stacks in his room! ment that he has come across. With this back-
ground, he joined the Family Business Manage-
In 2005, Mudit’s family business went through
ment programme of NMIMS University which
a separation and the business entrusted upon
was one of the turning points in his life. This
his father was suffering from losses. At this cru-
course gave him two very important elements:
cial juncture, he decided to join his family
exposure and knowledge.
13

14. Both are equally important and they helped dustries, in and around Goa. After the comple-
him in restructuring his business accordingly. tion of his MBA, Mudit started working on the
The most important aspect of this intensive marketing of his new brand. Within a period of
course was, that it helped him direct his think- one year, “Advaitaa Enterprises” has created its
ing as an entrepreneur and have a greater vi- own brand identity in the market. Now, he is
sion. looking at new opportunities to expand the
business at a national scale.
During his journey through the MBA he was
beginning to realize the importance and ad- He is currently working on a Joint Venture with
vantages of Branding and Marketing. So, some- a company from Singapore under the name,
where in the middle of his course he had start- “Advaitaa Green Energies Pvt. Ltd.” This venture
ed thinking of a new name for his venture that deals with waste management and power gener-
could give him a pan India presence and help ation. When asked what made you think of en-
create an identity in the market. He wanted to tering into this business, Mudit says, “Where
create an “Umbrella Brand” that would cover there is man, there is bound to be waste! But on
all his future endeavours. Thus the name had a more serious note, as of now there is no proper
to be striking and something that would create system of managing waste in India and it is
curiosity at the same time. Also he wanted to simply dumped into a landfill”. So he plans to
add a touch of spirituality in the name so that install a fully automated MSW separator system
it would be a constant source of inspiration for which would separate out all the waste materials
everyone associated with it. That’s when the like paper, plastic, metal and organics. The or-
name “Advaitaa” came to him. “Advaitaa” is a ganic waste will then be harnessed to produce
Sanskrit word, which literally means “The high amounts of electricity and heat energy, e.g.
One”. He consulted a few of his professors re- a 40,000 ton plant would produce around 6700
garding this, but they asked him to find a bet- MW of power annually. At the same time the
ter name as it was too long and difficult to pro- compost that would come out would be in the
nounce. But somehow he just couldn’t give up form of a rich organic fertilizer, thus making it a
this name and stuck by it. So he began working complete “wealth out of waste” project.
with a logo designer on the name and tried ap-
He aims at creating an umbrella branding for
plying all that he had learnt so far in MBA, for
Advaitaa and diversifying into various segments
example, subconscious branding, color
in the market. He also aims at creating a com-
schemes etc.
plete eco-city, which would be self sustaining
By February 2011, Advaitaa Enterprises had and designed using recycled material.
been launched as a Partnership Firm, dealing As mentioned earlier, a dynamic and vibrant
with supplies of capital equipment to mining, persona with multiple interests; Mudit is also a
master healer and Vastu expert. His areas of
pharmaceutical, hotel, power and process in
14

15. expertise cover a wide range healing like Karu- For him, the vision of Advaitaa Enterprises, per-
na Reiki, Cosmic Healing, Prarthana Dhyan vades not only business, but every thought and
etc. He also conducts workshops on interesting action. This is the eternal message, given in the
and relevant topics such as Discovering your one of the most renowned management manu-
True Potential, Know your Mind and its Poten- als, for every individual who wishes to succeed…
tial, Be a Leader, Strategic Management, Power
“Where there is vision and acumen along with
of Thought etc. for corporates and youth. His
readiness to act with conviction, there would be
other interests include Photography, and Ad-
fortune, victory, power and virtue”
venture Sports such as River Rafting, Bungee
- Bhagvad Gita
Jumping, and Trekking.
For more details please visit www.advaitaa.in
-Tanika Naik
15

16. aami shOtti bOlchi..
Having secured a place in one of the top B- I returned on possibly the most eventful
schools of the country, the Kolkatan inside 30th March in Indian history. And if the Han-
me wasn’t exactly ecstatic about how I was uman-Chalisa-muttering lady beside me
being hailed by my peers and friends. I was anything to go by, even the gods were
could recognize in their eyes that now-that- watching [apart from the one who was
you-are-moving-out-of-this-archaic-city-you- playing for India, of course]. The pilot was
will-finally-get-your-due look. Flattery, continually providing us with the India vs.
though invariably gratifying, now seemed to Pakistan semi-final updates, each time re-
demand a tradeoff of my loyalty for my be- peating the phrase “For those interested in
loved hometown – the place where I was cricket”: more of a truism in a nation like
born and where I’d love to breathe my last. India. Post touching base, the Netaji Sub-
During my stay in Mumbai, I often used to hash Chandra Bose International Airport
wonder which dream they were referring to was its usual messy self. Methinks the rea-
when they’d named it the ‘City of Dreams’. son why the award for “The shabbiest air-
Back here during my year-break, I bore port in the world” had never been institut-
witness to two incidents which moved me to ed was because there is just one contend-
the point of breaking the cantilever beam er, nominee and hands-down winner for it.
that connected the cords of my heart to the The common sight of running
Rabindra Setu. 16

17. out of cabs in the Pre-paid taxi counter was out of my house during the fortnight of my
preceded by the rarer sight of people pick- stay, I’ve wondered what major transfor-
ing up their baggage and heading straight mation Calcutta has undergone in the past
for the seating arena where the nail-biter two decades apart from a blasphemous re-
was being telecast. And as if our neighbors christening, something which gives IIM-C a
weren’t springing enough surprises al- run for its identity. Here is a city whose leg-
ready, a cat suddenly sprang into sight acy includes the remains of a Nandan the-
from nowhere. Finding reassurance from atre – a hotbed for lovers to give vent to
the airport officials alias PETA endorsers, it their carnal desires; an overcrowded Metro
strolled around majestically akin to the train – which has been aced by the city that
head of the feline family. And in the most has rightfully succeeded Calcutta as the
Charlie Sheen way possible, I quipped: capital of India; corporate Calcutta’s apple-
“Welcome to Calcutta!” of-the-eye Flury’s - flanked by a charred
Stephen’s Court – and an Usha Uthup
On Wednesday nights, as Bandish ironical-
who’s trying a little too hard to reignite the
ly broke the shackles of the Someplace
Trincas/Moulin Rouge magic a la Parinee-
Else doors to fill my ears with nostalgia, I’d
ta. As I read the dailies submerged in re-
drive through the once-so-glorious
gionalism and feel the winds of change in
Park Street. And every time I’ve stepped
17

18. change in the political theatre of West Ben- similitude with erstwhile East Pakistan, an
gal, I wonder what metamorphosis can pos- analogy that comes to mind is that of the
sibly occur in a place which is caught be- Gentlemen’s Game. Calcutta – a lost lega-
tween the devil and the deep blue sea. cy to take heart from – resembles the Bang-
A sentimental Bengali often retorts that in ladesh Cricket Team: we all know it has po-
today’s time, it is one of the safest cities in tential; we all know it has a positive slope;
the world. This may very well be the case but we also know deep down that it will
but could it also be because Calcutta is also never make it beyond the quarters in
the most un-happening city in the a World Cup.
world? May be it has not been fortuitous in Recently, I saw the Kolkata episode of CNN
escaping terrorists’ attention but been pur- IBN’s special edition on different cities.
posely ignored as irrelevant. Ask a celebrity Much to my surprise, it also featured a sen-
what they love about the city and all you’d ior from my college representing the fates
hear is the stereotyped "warmth", "K.C. of millions of fresh graduates for whom be-
Das’ roshogolla" and "Tewari’s samosa". The ing held back in Kolkata was a euphemism
same old celebrated names: L.N. Mittal, for being trapped. The PWCs and Wipros of
Bipasha Basu, Amartya Sen, Arundhati Roy, Sector 5 being the only glimmers of hope
Sourav Ganguly, et al. Here’s a city which of industrialization, Kolkata is more like the
makes you wonder whether it deserves the Jama Masjid: splendid yet ancient. Apart
Metropolitan tag. Our cinema reeks of pla- from an overstated IPL franchise – glamor-
giarism and melodrama, we have merely St. ous on account of ownership rather
Xaviers’ as the sole custodian of good col- than performance, a bad customer service
lege education; Sabyasachi Mukherjee department astride of the city and a sizea-
seems to be the lone flag-bearer of fashion ble number of Facebook users, the modern
in the international arena. We’ve gladly cho- Bengali has little to rejoice about and even
sen mediocrity over development in a bid to little to choose from barring medi-
retain a fast-waning culture and yet prefer cine, engineering, journalism and now
Pink Floyd to Tagore. And apart from all the modeling as a career.
18

19. And now for the last nail in sound of water dripping. malls of the city.
the coffin. Having not had As I stirred out humming the This was like taking water
enough of lady-long-legs
soulful “Jiyein Kyun”, I saw preservation to a whole new
combo-pack Bips & Deeps
level. As I stormed out vigor-
in Sippy Jr.’s latest whodun- in the middle of the mall
ously nodding my head in
it, I stepped out of Saltlake two soiled buckets juxta- disillusionment, my Mumbai
City Centre’s Inox to find
posed to prevent spillage of friend’s innocuous ques-
that it was drizzling. My rev-
tion sounded more sarcas-
water that was dripping
erie of the Shovabazar
tic to me than funny: “So
lounge ghat waters swelling from the top-floor ceiling.
what does your Kolkata
was interrupted by the That; in one of the premier have?”
P.S.: Recently a close friend of mine was dumped by his girlfriend and the reason she
gave him was that he was “all heart and no brains”. For once, I was scared for my dear,
dear city, Kolkata!
-Ayush Agarwal
19

20. Industry Insights: Global Pharmaceutical Industry (GPI)
The GPI has always been at the forefront of led to extinction of well known firms, and created
drug discovery and has been responsible for behemoths who have lost the drive for innova-
improving the quality of life in the last 100 tion, a key ingredient of pharmaceutical success
years. This is vindicated in the fact that aver- in the past.
age life expectancy has almost doubled in
Research shows that 4 key factors drive GPI
the last century, and diseases like small pox
growth- new drugs, existing drugs, price increase
and polio have been eradicated while diseas-
and new geographies.
es like cancer and TB are being successfully
Growth from new drugs- Lack of innovation
treated. Hence, the GPI clocked very high
and stricter regulatory
growth rates and
scrutiny have ensured that
profitability till
the number of new drugs
the nineties but in
discovered has drastically
the new millenni-
reduced from 30 per year
um it has sudden-
to 20 or less in the last
ly lost steam. In
decade despite doubling of
the nineties the
R&D expenditure in the
GPI grew in
same period. Patents of
healthy double
major drugs worth $300
digits but in new
billion are slated to expire
millennium
in the period 2010-2015
growth has always
thus causing a huge gap in sales unlikely to be
been in single digits with the last 3 years av-
filled up by revenues from new drugs. Generic
erage growth being only 5%.
drug players from emerging nations who enjoy
The current GPI stands at $850 billion sales
cost advantages have huge opportunity to play in
growing at 5%. North America accounts for
the void created by patent expiries. However
45% global market share followed by Europe
newer class of molecules like biologicals are driv-
30%, Japan 12% and rest of the world 13%. A
ing growth in new products with their versatility
consolidation is evident with the Top 10
to address multiple indications like cancer, rheu-
firms accounting for over 50% of GPI sales
matoid arthritis, psoriasis and hepatitis, and com-
from less than 30% in 1995 due to a spate of
mand premium prices.
acquisitions which has blurred geographies,
20

21. Growth from existing drugs- Existing drugs The younger generation, due to higher incomes,
yield growth from various stages of their affluent but stress filled lifestyles and westerni-
lifecycle as also by being approved for newer zation of food habits, are contracting serious
indications and in newer markets. A recent diseases like cardiac problems, diabetes, obesity
trend is observed towards combination of and depression. A significant increase in the
drugs especially in cardiovascular (Caduet), number of working women in urban areas is re-
Diabetes (Janumet) and respiratory segments sulting in an increase in cardiovascular disor-
(Advair) which can drive sales of existing mol- ders, mental health issues and diabetes among
ecules. Also, there has been a huge increase in women.
the number of drugs recalled due to safety
The future lies in strategic alliances with innova-
issues and side effects causing concern among
tors and quality conscious players from emerg-
consumers and prescribers of such drugs, as
ing markets, targeting new technologies, inten-
well as the regulatory authorities.
sifying research in unmet needs and under-
Growth from price increase- While there is standing demographic changes and disease pat-
free market pricing in the US, there are strin- terns, to attain pole position.
gent price controls on drugs across EU, Japan
-Dr Amit Rangnekar
and India which results in erosion in the sales
value. However new drugs command premi-
um prices.
Growth from new geographies- The emerg-
ing markets (BRIC, South Africa, Mexico, Tur-
key, South Korea) account for less than 10% of Dr Amit Rangnekar is an MBA and PhD from
GPI sales but are responsible for 50% of GPI NMIMS with 2 decades of pharmaceutical
growth as they grow at 3 to 4 times the GPI industry experience and 1 decade of teach-
growth. Key drivers include growing penetra- ing and research experience across India
tion of drugs due to increasing incomes, ac- and Europe. His PhD research was on the
cess to markets and medical insurance. Better business strategies of the world’s leading
nutrition, medical facilities and health infra- pharmaceutical firms.
structure are resulting in significant increase
He can be contacted on amitrangne-
in life expectancy which is exposing the senior
kar@gmail.com or on his website
population to newer and rarer forms of can-
www.dramitrangnekar.com
cer, as well as kidney, brain and ophthalmo-
logical diseases and disorders.
21

22. Technology shift towards ERP solutions-
Is it required. ..?!?!
Have you ever wondered why technology is so I have a Student management system custom-
important once you start own your business ized on my Tally ERP9 series and it has made
and most of all which accounting system to things a whole lot easier. It gives clear infor-
OR- use? The answer would depend on your initial mation about everything from outstanding fees,
ACL investment budget. The best solution would be to library records, to student information, to W
E ??
to install SAP or one of ORACLE’s ERP system payrolls, etc and arranges it month-wise. It also
? H
would also work fine. Unfortunately these pack- provides features like online integration &
ages cost a bomb and aren’t exactly affordable online SMS. I
for every business. However, let there be no C
The whole idea behind switching to an ERP
doubt that once installed they will solve a major H
solution is to make things easy, but most im-
technical requirement issue. There are a num-
portantly it saves up so much of your valuable
ber of companies in India such as JILIT, In-
time.
T fosys, TCS and a lot of other software providers
E
The key towards investing in technology is to
A that offer better deals but whom do you go to R
know the areas of requirement which you un-
L remains a perplexing dilemma. It all depends P
derstand once you have started your business.
on your investment amount and specific re-
L Previously an entrepreneur would think of as-
quirements.
Y pects such as land, labour etc. and only then S
The lowest investment required for a decent
would he think about technology but nowadays Y
ERP system is around 1-2 lakhs that will pro-
you have to think of technology at the same
vide you a whole lot of features. You could start S
time.
with one of the local players in the market who T
has a good record in the ERP customization In the United States, Microsoft has become the
E
business. It could also be the installation of a ERP darling for SMB (small and midsize busi-
M
Tally ERP system and then getting it custom- ness) organizations. Since 2000, Microsoft has
ized by one of the private partners. So far, Tally acquired Great Plains (which was previously …..
has focused on the small office and home of- acquired by RealWorld and Solomon) and ?
fice (SOHO) segment. Hence it is not surprising Navision (who previously acquired Axapta). Ep-
?
S that of the 250,000 companies using Tally icor and Infor are the middle market kings in
ERP, a majority of them fall in the SOHO cate- America while SAP and Oracle are the world
A
gory, while the remaining are large enterprises. leaders in the ERP business.
P
If you are looking at a low budget good ac-
-Carl Louis Ward
counting system along with other minor require-
ments then Tally ERP9 is the perfect choice.
22

23. Inter-State Competition the only way forward...?
While visiting my father's factory He had a very successful policy This maybe considered a sin by
in New Delhi sometime back, I for corruption in place, wherein if some, but if you look at the big-
observed something out of the assets could not be accounted ger picture it was benefiting
ordinary. The complex that was for by an official, they would be somebody else. A loss of one
usually bustling with factory work- seized by the state and then be was the gain of another!
ers and labourers, working hard used for making a hospital or
to earn a living, was nowhere school. More importantly he was This competition that was hap-
close to what it had always been. doing something that pulled back pening between states clearly
The sun was out but the machine Biharis spread all over India. He shows that if every state com-
noises and sweaty workers were was creating jobs! Real estate petes with every other state, In-
gone. The eerie feeling brought development was in full swing dia as a whole will pros-
with it many thoughts, but I decid- and MNC's were being invited to per. Looking from an economic
ed to settle my nerves by blaming take the state away from its dark point of view, if there are new
it on "Recession" and "Slowing past. jobs, the purchasing power of
up of the Industry". people increases, the state bene-
Both these men were doing great fits and the masses get uplifted.
On coming back and giving it a service to their state, but how
thought I tried exploring in my was it all connected? Delhi pri- Whatever was happening in Sin-
head "What's going on?" Think- marily depends on workers and gur and whatever was the out-
ing over what had happened and labourers from Bihar and facto- come, one thing is for sure that a
browsing through channels on ries like my father’s run because whole lot of potential new jobs
TV, I saw what was unfolding in of them. Now, due to home were lost. The state will now
Gujarat and Bihar. The Tata grown job creation in their home have to wait a while till it gets an-
Nano project which was initially states, a major chunk of these other opportunity as lucrative as
planned in Singur, West Bengal, workers had fled back to their the Tata Nano Project.
was shifted to Gujarat by none hometown to earn their liveli-
other than Mr. Narendra Modi. In hood. As a result, Delhi was get- -Anshul Sood
Bihar on the other side, Mr. Nitish ting deprived of its primary
Kumar, Chief Minister of a state source of labour. Hence, compa-
most Indians had little hope from, nies were always on a lookout for
was rising like a phoenix from the workers and wage demands had
ashes. gone up.
23

24. To shine – just for her
(This article was published in March 2010 in Chicken Soup for Indian College Students)
I was barely 18 when I got into college. I was the youngest in my family and had always heard
about college life from my elder brother and sister. Infact much to my sisters dissatisfaction and
dismay I had taken her to buy me a whole new wardrobe for the ‘ahem’ college days!
And I was the same 18 when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, a type of stomach cancer so
rare and aggressive that it could not be cured or reversed. Despite all this we hoped and were posi-
tive that it would go back. This had happened to the person I loved the most in this world, who
was there for me whenever I needed her and even when I wanted to be left alone. My mum was
my best friend.
College began and at the same time mums surgery took place. Despite all the pain and
trouble she was going through she smiled back and told me that “We are fighters and we
should shine -come what may.”
She began with her chemotherapy and radiation sessions all the while smiling and giving us
all this immense hope that all is going to be just fine. There were times when I would be deeply
distressed seeing her condition and she would tell me to be hopeful and carry on with my life as I
would otherwise. My first college exams came and she told me to not worry about her and give in
my full 100%. She told me to remember to shine. She asked me to get into all extra curricu-
la's that were in college which I did, to try being the class representative which I became, to com-
pete in all programmes of college in which I could and there too I did well.
24

25. All because she was asking me to shine de- We lost mum just after 4 months of didi’s wed-
spite what trouble there was at home. Post her ding. Just when my exams were close at hand.
chemo and radiation she started to do a little needless to say it was the most difficult time of
better, only for the demon to come back. And my life, but this time I had to prove some-
this time there was nothing that could be thing to my mum. Despite being the youngest
done. Not even chemo or radiation to post- and the most spoilt I was going to prove to her
pone the spreading of the tumour. It came just that I am her son and so I had to shine -come
6 months before my sisters wedding. The doc- what may.
tors advised us to prepone the wedding and
keep it a low key affair. I tried to put away all the pain that was in me
and gave in my energies to concentrate for my
But my mum was determined that she shall do exams. All the while remembering my mums
the wedding as it was decided and she would word to shine. This time I wanted to shine for
also see to it that it be just the way she had her –only her. The exams came and they went
planned her daughters wedding to be. Very well. Infact the results proved that they went
close to the wedding she had told me that it is very well. I got a distinction and a rank to
your sisters moment to shine and come what match. I was awarded for many curricula's I
may we will not take it away from her. We all participated in that year.
will shine with her.
Now 19 years of age, and I still give my best
The wedding came and it was beautiful. My shot for doing everything in my college days.(I
mum would rest the whole day and in the still have to again go buy my new wardrobe for
evening during the ceremonies would come the years ahead in college!). I participate wher-
out smiling despite her pain in her best ever I can and try to keep shining so that she
clothes and jewels. And together my whole can smile and shine from where she is and this
family would work to make my mums dream I shall continue for the rest of my life.
come alive of a great wedding despite of what- To shine- just for her!
ever pain she was having. She would play the
perfect host-smiling, mingling and entertain-
Miss you always…
ing. In the end it did go down as she had
Hamza Puthawala
planned it to be.
25

26. Meet The Jain’s
Have you ever wondered what makes people think out of the box?
What drives them so crazy about their work that they leave everything
else aside and put their heart and soul in pursuing their dreams?
It is the passion that encompasses every other emotion in an entrepre-
neur.
This is a story of two home-grown entrepreneurs who went ahead and
pursued their dreams. One dared to think different by starting some-
thing so unique of his own, while the other did things differently and
took his family business to new heights.
So lets meet the dynamic duo - Nipun Jain & Mayank Jain and know
how it all started.
26

27. N Their second line of business is Real Es-
tate Development, which is looked after by
I
Nipun since its inception in 2009. He was
P involved in the business since his engi-
neering days. He had already planned his
U
future course of action right after complet-
N ing his Bachelors. He fulfilled his father’s
dream of setting up the Real Estate Devel-
opment division.
J
Nipun shares his experience with us.
A
I Remembering the times of struggle he
says, “At first, it was completely going hay-
N wire. I had a hundred myriad things
planned, but I didn't know where to start.
For days, I did nothing but sit and think on
how to go about it and what should be the
line of action. I’m sure every start-up and
Nipun much like his grandfather and father every individual who gets into business
has done his civil engineering. He is on the faces this in the initial stages. The chal-
verge of completing his masters in Family lenge at that point of time was how to go
Business Management from NMIMS. Nipun ahead and join all the different pieces to-
has planned to follow his father’s footsteps gether. I struggled a lot initially as I was
and take on his 25 year old strong family busi- new to the business and the business was
ness to give a new meaning and scale it up also new to me.
to greater horizons.
But I appreciate my dad for believing in
The Business my potential. He left me completely on my
own, didn't help me when I was clueless
Jain Engineers Pvt. Ltd. are a well known
and made me run around and find out
group in the construction industry.
things on my own which I think is a very
important learning for every businessman.
Nipun’s primary business is of landing con-
I even made mistakes that cost the com-
tracts from real estate developers for con-
pany financially but was never questioned
struction of residential colonies, commercial
in the family, was just made aware about
development and IT parks. They currently op-
them.”
erate from Mumbai with a second office in
Hyderabad and have plans to scale up in
This inevitable ‘journey’ is what every en-
South and East India in the near future. All
trepreneur goes through - from being
their major projects are in line to start soon.
clueless about everything to making
27

28. errors, from taking responsibility of the mis- He thus enquired about different courses in
takes to rectifying them and finally achiev- management and finally found that an MBA
ing success. It is very crucial for an entre- in Entrepreneurship & Family Business from
preneur to make a wise decision with mini- NMIMS would meet his criterion. He be-
mal choices in hand. Likewise, it is very im- lieved that the course would provided him
portant for an entrepreneur to work on the with perspectives of different businesses
nitty gritties of the business to take it to the that will help him differentiate and under-
next level. He has to learn to explore things stand his business more efficiently. Not to
on his own. There’s one such experience mention, it opens up new avenues and pro-
that Nipun shared with us. vides newer business ideas.
“My first real test came in 2010 when we
were in talks with a developer who wanted
The Balancing act
to sell his land. But at the same time, my
dad already had plans of going abroad. So
Nipun says, “Since developing the Real Es-
I had to take up the work. We completed
tate Division was my complete responsibil-
the initial rounds of negotiation and final-
ity, I had to manage work and education to-
ized on the commercials. I, along with my
gether. It was difficult at first due to the hec-
solicitor, had to interpret the legal drafting
tic schedules that we had. But since we got
of the documents that they had prepared,
the weeks’ schedule in advance, I planned
give our views and had to negotiate with
my work accordingly. I tried to fit the working
them on many points. The whole process
time in the empty slots that we had.”
was extremely crucial because it was a big
deal for us and a lot of money was in-
volved; so even a little mistake here or
there, could have had a negative impact on Our Take
the deal. Fortunately, everything went
smooth and perfect. That particular phase Sky is the limit if you really have a burning
taught me a lot about legal implications of desire to succeed in life. Failures and mis-
a business and how to effectively deal with takes are an inevitable part of an entrepre-
it.”
neur’s journey but learning from them and
It was the experiences that Nipun had dur- taking the responsibility are the signs of a
ing these crucial periods in business that good entrepreneur. Don’t be afraid of com-
compelled him to look for a good manage- mitting mistakes as it teaches more than
ment education. Also, the major work that what success ever can. It takes an extra mile
he had projected for the next 1-1.5 years
to reach the pinnacle of success.
involved legal work and liasoning, i.e clear-
ing the land documents and getting various
permissions for starting the project. He be-
lieved he could manage this work along
with his education.
28

29. M
A regular guy from Lucknow
A
who managed to carve a niche
for himself. Mayank has done Y
his Maths Honours from
A
Hansraj College, Delhi Univer-
sity. Post his graduation, he N
worked with Edelweiss Capital
K
as an Investment Advisor &
then with Aon Hewitt as an As-
sociate. He is currently pursu-
J
ing his MBA in Entrepreneur-
ship at NMIMS. A
I
Mayank has always tried to They spoke to family and friends in order to
stand out in whatever he does N gauge their comfort level about donating
and one can always expect online. They also contacted a few NGOs
the unexpected from him. After and realised that this idea would definitely
a two year stint in the corpo- work if executed well. “We started working
rate world, he was convinced that he was on the website. Simultaneously, we started
meant to do something more meaningful in building a database of NGO’s and
life. launched the website www.e-daan.com
A presentation which was meant to be on a on May 15, 2011”, reveals Kosal. Mayank
management book took a wild turn when joined the operation as the third co-founder
Mayank presented his version of when the website was launched.
‘Madhushala’ in a completely “new avatar“.
But what was so different about it? He de- E-Daan
rived management interpretations from the
various verses of the magnum opus that It is a portal that serves as an online plat-
was written by the legendary Harivanshrai form for anyone who wishes to make some
Bacchan. Impressed by his work, Prof. Re- contribution towards the society. The portal
bello asked him to give lectures in various acts as a bridge between the under-
management colleges in Mumbai and Delhi. privileged and those willing to help them. If
you have any item that could be of use to
Despite pursuing an MBA, his life hardly re- the needy, the website will provide you the
volved around PowerPoint presentations. He means to reach them.
was always involved with various activities The basic question for the trio was - ‘How
like theatre, business events etc. He wanted do you find someone who needs exactly
to do something out of the league. He was what you no longer need?’ People have
lucky to meet like minded people like lots of items lying around that they would
Deeksha and Kosal who were already work-
29

30. never use in day-to-day life and they do not One does not necessarily need to be
know what to do with it. At the same time, working on the field or even be physically
there are people who do not have the privi- present somewhere to give back to socie-
lege and purchasing power to own such ty.
items. With e-daan, they have tried to fill the
gap between the two. With the technological advances in mod-
ern times, it has become extremely easy
e-Daan allows people to donate with just to even operate via a mobile phone and
one click on the website. As the portal is do something for the underprivileged.
very convenient to use, people need not go
out of their way to reach out to the needy. Mayank works for 10-15 hours every week
Since then, e-Daan has been receiving very depending on the number of requests and
good response from the youth across the also works towards new collaborations.
country. Coordinating with prospective donors and
NGos are all done over conferences and
“In fact, we are looking to partner with vari- emails. With time, their area of operation
ous schools and colleges to seek students’ has only expanded and e-daan will soon
involvement in donating as well as volun- reach out to many more cities.
teering”, says Deeksha. Elaborating on the
inception of this unique venture, the trio This venture is a true example of an adage
says “The database was built by both ‘Where there is a will – there is a way’. The-
online and offline resources. We contacted se three youngsters wanted to make a dif-
NGOs in various cities to understand their ference and give back to society. With a
material requirements and get their ad- few brainstorming sessions and the Inter-
dress details. Also, we were in touch with a net, they have achieved what many of us
few NGOs even before we started operat- can only dream of. So if you ever want to
ing. Every time we get a request from a donate, you know where to go. Making a
new location (based on the pin code), we difference is just a click away.
identify an NGO in that location to whom
we can donate the necessary items and
then facilitate the transaction.”
-Khushboo Doshi
Charity crossing boundaries -Mitalee Mehta
-Harsha Haridas
“e-Daan has made us realise the im-
portance of meaningful charity – getting the
right resources to the right people at the
right time,” says Deeksha. Even a small
step towards a meaningful charity can
make a big difference.
30

31. Life after FMB dodging all along. The turn of events startles you.
You either start feeling short-changed and enter a
The God of Small self-reassurance spree. You extract help from hy-
things! potheses one and/or two. 1. Life is fair (a pre-
sumption whose validity is highly subject to de-
bate). 2. God is on my side (this one’s for ‘the’ be-
lievers). In the wake of this (biased) logic, follows
the most clichéd girlfriend line that has ever been
Now that the death knell has been sounded off on
devised: “There are better things in store for you.”
our academic voyages, we get ready for the cus-
The other side to this escapist coin is the possibil-
tomary yet never-ending goodbyes. Nostalgia
ity of you having been lucky to bag a job which
seeps in slowly, numbing the senses a little...a
your heart knows you were under-qualified for. In
much-needed tranquilizer before being injected
such cases, you use either of the following falla-
by the “The-umbilical-cord-has-been-cut-off”
cies for solace. 1. People have no clue how much
needle.
I’ve been through in the past. 2. Mom was right,
But before we resume with renewed fervour, a
hard-work can indeed do miracles.
word! Look back a little! So, in retrospect, who
However, these rationalizations are just that: ra-
won? On hindsight, was it really about winning? I
tionalizations; mere notions, which don’t change
remember some of my ambitious batch-mates,
facts. The fact is that in life it won’t matter even-
who’d ‘arrived’ at this premier B-school with the
tually if you win or not. Because, newsflash - win-
burning desire to make it all count: the best
ning is but a myth! A winner is one who has
grades, the best jobs, the works! I’m all for ambi-
something that stirs him to get up every morning;
tion and winning spirit. May be it’s easier to com-
one who still has something to live for. If you
ment sitting at the fence, when the stakes aren’t
have nothing that keeps you going, how does that
as high for you. That being said, guess who had
make you a winner? And if that’s true, by extrap-
the last laugh? Ironically, the rhetorical question
olation, you can never really win, in absolute
gives us a lot of answers.
terms. And yet we spend the lion’s share of our
As you sit down to introspect in one of those Ar-
lives thinking about winning; trying every trick in
istotle poses that could give The Thinker a run
the book to race ahead of the herd: which ironi-
for its money, you realize that some who appear
cally makes us such an integral part of it...placing
lucky to you might have deserved it throughout;
the destination above everything else; even above
some others who were always the frontrunners
the journey that leads us to it. Being ungrateful,
might have taken their lead for granted, while
nonetheless, isn’t all that new to humans, after
some dark horses had it coming all along but you
all.Remember your first few months post break-
were too myopic to see it; maybe because you
up. What did you miss most: the inconsequential
never wanted to. And once the selfless human
good-night texts, the flirty wake-up calls, the
practice of judging others before ourselves sub-
31 sweet nothings. Unless you’re a Gujrati or a
sides, you reach the Achilles heel that you’d been

32. Madwadi, you seldom miss the moolah that you
invested in buying a ring for her or the little cash
that you sneaked out of your dad’s wallet to buy
him a shirt. In fact, these are the things that you
pride yourself in. Ask any corporate hotshot, how
many times in a day he thinks of his profile or
remuneration. Except in bonus meetings or at
parties/weddings where every father is out to
prove that his ward turned out better than Shar-
maji and Guptaji's sons, designations provide lit-
tle comfort but for the fact that assigning num-
bers to posts would’ve made life difficult.
And the winner at such social dos has little to do
The relationships that spur growth are based on
with his son’s actual credentials. More often than
mutual respect born out of sheer hard work and
not, it is a victory of the boaster’s convincing abil-
time-tested trust. Why else would somebody, how-
ity (yet again, GD skills come in handy). Once in
ever close, put their own credibility at stake by re-
a while, when you bump into an old friend – who
ferring you?
had the same starting point as yours – or when
Although, now we judge the veracity of these
your chauffeur does the door for you, you derive
claims in our mad bid to succeed, one day we’d
momentary satisfaction that you’ve persevered
agree that it was ok to be stupid. Goofing up was
your way above some other mortals. However,
absolutely normal; in fact innate to humans, but
most of the times, the thought that drives you
we just needed someone else to tell us that. And
mad is why your secretary thinks your manner-
just like a value investor pays most of his attention
isms are gay-ish. The one that makes you cuddle
to the kinks of the yield curve, we’d remember on-
in your wife's arm for a little mommy love is:
ly the silliness and the insanity. Akin to the remi-
“Why does Boss never greet me in the morning?”
niscence of childhood, we’d miss the innocuous
Death or divorce, it’s always the little something's
spontaneity the most, one that maturity would’ve
that keep us ticking. Human beings are percep-
long devoured. And if you’re a true future CEO,
tive creatures: the trivia takes up a lot of our
you’d have the foresight to peer through the mist
mindshare. So what really counts? Euphemistical-
and sit atop the post-retirement armchair now,
ly speaking, a pair! Being what you truly are. As a
when the dusk of life would be at hand and you’d
great man (read: yours truly) once said, “I don’t
know that it was all so true. The E, at the centre of
want to make everyone happy. I prefer being hon-
CEO, is for execution, after all. I’m not really an LP
est!” Just because some douche bags, who’re inca-
fan, “But, in the end. It doesn’t even matter!”
pable of hard work, told you that networking
helps you jump rungs in the corporate ladder,
-Ayush Agarwal
doesn’t make it true. 32

33. NMIMS E & FB
Presents
Year B K 2012
33

34. Some snippets of the longes
Induction day:
new faces, new
names,
accommodation
jugaads, some fu
nny in-
troductions, so
me totally absu
rd. some
geeky students
, some showy a
nd some
utterly bratty.
a-
cip
:
ad arti
ps
c
e
ou
so th e emi
p
on
gr
of ass
ry
g
ve
ic
cl
rin
ac
s
em
las
of
e.
du
ad
on
yc
ek
rm lot
us e wi
ull tion
es
me
Ac
we
an
a
cis
y
M
a
e
st
se
er
ok
h
fir
ex
ev
fo
/p
e
tb
't
t
th
ull
bu
dn
hi
op
“ Life is
di
n,
ps
tio
gt
ou
yin
gr
you take , but th
tr
Class representative: People
bre
thought only these two would
contest- a want to be popular
Mumbai Yatra: primarily
delhiite and an overly participa-
targeted to acquaint out-
tive senior student. Who wins? A
jack-in-the-box with a fake ac- station students to Maya
cent who is atleast 30 minutes nagari but it compelled the
late for class. localites to see tyanchi-
Mumbai in a new light.
34

35. st vacation of our life….
Corporate social responsibility:
This course was taken literally by
a bunch of students who wanted
to save the class from a bossy
professor. It was a 'Simon-go
back' of sorts with daredevils
walking out on the professor and
proudly labeling themselves as
“Krantikaaris”.
not the number of breaths
he moments that take your
eath away…!!!
Statistics class:
Lecture timings - dreadful ( 10
minutes or locked doors)
Professor - brilliant
Student’s grades - awful
Before the class- practice sums kiya?
After the class - cheeky mimicry
Most heard dialogue - stats mein toh
lagi padi hai !!!
35

36. Inspirus: the annual business fest saw
great level of commitment of each mem-
ber of the (actual) working committee.
Inspirus was a perfect blend of team-
work, sincerity, high voltage drama, fun,
mood swings, tantrums, opposition and fi-
nally a sense of triumph. It all began from
paisa nahi hai, speakers nahi hai, permis-
sions nahi hai to some great events
and seminars. Rule of thumb: everything
happens at the last moment!!!
Parties: the most vital part of a typical
family business student’s life. Freshers party, fare-
well party, luncheons, house parties - the list shall
never cease.
Catalyst: Alcohol and some more Alcohol
Complementing Element: Tobacco
Capacity: Tankers
Effects: a certain someone with a bro-
ken tooth, one with a lost cell phone,
shattered cocktail glasses, some got
kisses, some got bruises, some puked
through the night and some
laughed through the night.
36

37. Outbound trips: The outbound trips at Karjat
and Neral were a welcome change. Perfectly or-
ganized tasks that challenged the body and the
mind saw immense involvement of the students.
But the one activity that saw emotions scaling
from complete reluctance to extreme excite-
ment was the mud obstacle task.
Key result- Adrenaline rush !
Examinations: Examinations were done to
death with them cropping up in every 45
days. Students spent more on photocop-
ies than books. And heck! Your grade de-
pended on the mugging parrots, the in-
betweeners and the block heads.
Not to forget, we remained a nightmare
for the invigilators. The exam hall was a
live circus and will always be cherished.
Interesting fact- nobody studied before
the impending night and nobody remem-
bered a thing after the exam.
37

38. Attendance: Proxies were the law of the land
and D* was a consolation prize. Attendance
sheet scrutiny earned itself the title of a RIT-
UAL. Physical attendance slumped during the 9
am class (thanks to the healthy habits of the
students) and gradually increased after lunch.
Mental attendance-Never mind!
Presentations: It is easy to lose the count of
the number of presentations made. In most
probability, only one or maximum two mem-
bers in a group made the presentation
while the rest just jumped in. All presenta-
tions ended with an uproarious applause
which meant “Thank you for shutting up”.
It has been an eventful journey throughout, so event-
ful that all can’t be printed. But one thing that is
certain is that these two years will be cherished for-
ever and no matter what there will always be one day
when you would again want to be here.
Just here…!!!
-Urja Padwal
38

39. Professors Speak...
Dr. Amit Rangnekar
(Visiting Faculty)
I have been teaching the FMB students for six
years now and it has been an excellent experi-
ence. Many of the students are born entrepreneurs
raring to go, while others become 'business ready'
through the course. What is important in reaching
out to them is to convince them how your subject
would help them effectively manage and grow their
business. Once you win their confidence they put in their best efforts in every presenta-
tion and examination. Personally it is quite enriching as one gets an insight into various
businesses across industries- small, big, as well as old and new economy, which widens
my perspective.
Prof.Cajetan Dsouza
(Visiting Faculty)
The course has been designed keeping the model
of family business in mind. I have been teaching this
course for the last 6 years and it has been a won-
derful experience for me. They have a laid back atti-
tude but they do absorb what is being taught to
them. Some of them have come to gain knowledge,
some to get a degree and some to learn from experience from the faculty here.
Their courses include Entrepreneurship, understanding business in changing global envi-
ronment, growing business in changing global environment, B2B Marketing, developing
business plans, CSR, besides the usual subjects of a MBA course.
39

40. French C
What a wonderful city Marseille is! The first friends, studying in completely different
few days of my visit to France were a combi- environs. If I could, I would like to go to
nation of utterly exciting and equally terrify- an exchange program like this again
ing experiences. Often it is the little things and again.
that surprises one the most. They are the
Throughout my time in France, I have
things you don't think about just before you
learnt more about myself and the
leave for some place new. Moreover, study-
world around me than I ever could
ing in international settings is a whole new
have done in a classroom and I have
experience. I honestly can't think of some-
no regrets whatsoever in regards to my
thing better than this.
decision to go on an exchange pro-
This entire experience has been challenging gram. It’s important to be open to new
as well as entertaining. It has also opened ways of doing things. You gain pre-
my eyes to an incredible culture. It surprises cious memories, friends and
me that during the entire trip, never once did knowledge that last a lifetime. The only
I feel homesick! thing I can say is don’t enjoy yourself
so much that you forget to take photos!
Exploring every nook and cranny of Europe
was just marvellous and compelling.
-Jitenjal Kanti Sinha
People keep asking me what was the high-
light of my trip and I honestly am left unable
to answer. Isn’t this akin to asking a mother
of 3, who is her favourite child? I have so
many great memories to choose from, like
going skiing for the first time, skydiving, mil-
lions of funny conversations that resemble a
game of charades, going exploring with my
40

41. Connection...!!!
First of all I would like to exposure to different
thank NMIMS for giving People, Cultures, Prac-
us the opportunity of stud- tices, Infrastructure,
ying one Trimester in Languages and Disci-
France. It was an amaz- pline. Those four
ing experience which not months gave me some
only included study but of the finest moments,
also gave us a chance to unforgettable memo-
visit several European ries and excellent learn-
Countries. This foreign ing opportunities.
exchange program is a
perfect package of Study,
-Yogesh Mandhani
Fun and Practical
I was a part of the Exchange This exchange program was
program to visit Rouen Busi- a booster for my self confi-
ness School, France for a tri-
dence as well which helped
mester. It was indeed one of
the best learning experiences I me broaden my perspective
ever had. The inter-cultural ex- towards the world at large. I
changes along with world
thank NMIMS for giving me
class education helped me de-
this wonderful opportunity to
velop my knowledge and per-
sonality. It gave me the chance be a part of this exchange
to explore different opportuni- program to France.
ties and understand business
-Ankita Jain
on a larger scale.
41

42. My 4 months at EUROMED were one of the
best days I ever had in my academic career.
The first few days were really confusing and
tiring as I was not well versed with
French. But as the time passed by, I had ac-
quired enough skills to make myself clear to
say on behalf of all them that “We had
the French, though not through words but
the time of our lives”.
actions. This exchange programme not only
Words merely cannot reflect my expe-
gave me an opportunity to study abroad but
rience but to sum it up I would just say
also explore their culture and their beautiful
"FRENCH WINE AND FRENCH BEAU-
and scenic locations.
TY IS SECOND TO NONE".
I had been there along with 9 other
friends from the course and can surely
—Tejas Jain
42