Final Year students of the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) and the Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) of IIM Indore recently visited numerous locations along the Himalayan range under the Himayalan Outbound Programme (HOP). HOP is an opportunity available exclusively at IIM Indore, with an objective to promote learning by reflection from live experiences.
A total of 483 participants of the IIM Indore and Mumbai campuses trekked to mystique locations including Dayara Bugyal, Bedni Bugyal, Kedarkantha, Kuflon and Nainital. With the help of activities aimed at providing managerial exposure, students were exposed to the odds of working in teams while learning their lessons of acting and decision making at the right moment. Adventure sports was the main agenda for the trip with the participants trying their hand at rafting, rappelling, cliff-jumping, river crossing, paragliding, rock climbing and bouldering.
Braving sharp dips in mercury levels to as low as -120C, the managers of tomorrow learnt to strategise, act in teams and the act of survival in the mountains. Tasks including cooking and collection of firewood enabled them to live the life of trekkers and mountaineers for the span of their stay in the laps of the Himalayas.
Participants interacted with local residents and learnt about the problems they face. They did their bit by coming up with suggestions to tackle one of the biggest problems that lies ahead of the ranges- Waste Management.
A breathtaking view of the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas, mountain steeps that were trekked and conquered, an opportunity to bond with peers and lessons in Management were the highlights of this unique course at IIM, Indore. The experience was one that imbibed in them important skills before they would take off their careers as managers.