Prof. Himanshu Rai, in his address, advised the new batch to follow their dreams, stay focused and live every moment during their five years of journey to learn and build relationships. He said that you have already chosen a path to achieve a goal by enrolling in this programme, and thus, remember that realizing your own destiny is your only obligation. Stating figures about the increasing number of applicants for IPM, Prof. Rai said that IPM students have added a lot of strength to the institute by representing IIM Indore in diverse fields after graduation. “In 2011, we had 3500 applicants, which has now increased to over 22,000, out of which only less than one percent students have been selected”, he said. Emphasizing the privilege the new batch of IPM has gained by entering the course, Prof. Rai advised them to utilize their learning not only for themselves but for the ones who need help and to develop a just, vibrant and equal world for all. “Identify your purpose and have imagination in your life. After that, add a tint of vision to your imagination, compassion to passion, and resilience to your hard work, for these qualities help you become a success”, he said.
Shri Deepak Satwalekar congratulated the batch for making it to IIM Indore, the second IIM in the nation to achieve Triple Crown accreditation from three prestigious international accreditation agencies. He said that IPM is a unique programme and offers a perfect blend of management and humanities. “This robustly designed curriculum by IIM Indore will develop students into skilled managers, leaders, and entrepreneurs; and also good human beings”, he said. He advised the participants to merge their desires and willingness with focus and enthusiasm because that would help them learn and grow. Through a rigorous selection process, IIM Indore selects the brightest students, he said, and once you become a part of the programme, you realize everyone around you is intelligent. “However, you don’t need to shine the brightest, as long as you help others. Remember, this five-year-long journey is a team effort, and you all are in it together”, he said. Since many of the participants are living away from their parents for the first time in their lives, Shri Satwalekar advised them to embrace the change. “Even if you don’t like change, you can begin to build capabilities to adapt to change. Be flexible in your thinking approach and solution, and pivot the direction you are going. Let life unfold and grab every opportunity you get”, he said. He advised the participants to discover themselves, acquire knowledge to become a leader capable of creating more leaders, and build friendships. “You might be told that you should build ‘contacts’ while you pursue an MBA; however, I suggest you build deep, strong ‘relationships’ that last forever,” he said.
Prof. Shruti Tewari mentioned that with ten years of IPM, the programme has over 1000 alumni who have demonstrated an incredible journey. “This batch is an inclusive one, with students from commerce, bio, maths, art, and humanities and has around 33 percent female participants”, Prof. Saumya Ranjan Dash advised the participants to invest in the peer group learning process and gain the maximum from the peers and interactive learning sessions.
The day witnessed the felicitation of seven IPM students from the 2019-24 batch for their outstanding academic performance. They received their Certificate of Academic Excellence from the Chief Guest and the Director. These students are Anshika Gupta, P. Krithik, B Aditi Singh, Anushka Maheshwari, Abhishek Jain, Swarnima Anand and Vibhor Jain.
The new batch also received briefings on hostels and other infrastructure facilities on campus.
