Gratitude & goodwill mark the 43rd Foundation Day celebrations of IIMB
Distinguished Alumni Awardees Ramesh Srinivasan, CEO, Ooyala Inc., and Haragopal Mangipudi, CEO & MD, finUNO, pay rich tributes to their professors and alma mater; IIMB director incharge lauds faculty for world-class teaching & research
October 28, 2016, Bengaluru : “Keep accumulating great karma and good things will happen to you; help others because the best way to achieve your goals is to help others achieve their goals,” urged Ramesh Srinivasan, CEO of Ooyala Inc. in Santa Clara (Silicon Valley), California, during IIM Bangalore’s 43rd Foundation Day celebrations here today.
Ramesh Srinivasan (PGP 1984), along with Haragopal Mangipudi (PGSEM 2001), CEO and MD of finUNO, received the Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) 2016, presented by SN Agarwal, Member of the Board of Governors, IIM Bangalore, during the celebrations.
IIMB celebrated its 43rd Foundation Day with an inspiring special lecture by Magsaysay Award winner Dr. Harish Hande, the DAA awards and a plethora of sports and cultural events.
In his acceptance speech, Ramesh Srinivasan remarked that admission into the premier management school, for him, was a dream come true. “This institute prepared me for business and for life. Many great teachers left a lasting impression on me and I would like to thank them individually,” he added.
Stating that his was the first batch that moved into IIMB’s Bannerghatta campus, he had plenty of praise for his batchmates. “The best friendships in my life were made here. Calling my batch star-studded would be an understatement as my batchmates have gone on to make a mark in academics, manufacturing, business, government, finance, and, above all, work that has deep social impact,” he explained.
He had words of wisdom for students in the audience. “Work hard, be relentless with your efforts and enjoy the journey. Listen well, over-prepare for opportunities which are sure to come your way, get the basics right, be people-centric, and remain curious, humble and self-aware,” he said.
Expressing his desire to give back to his alma mater, he said he would gladly sign up for any mentorship program.
Distinguished Alumnus Haragopal Mangipudi, CEO and MD of finUNO, said: “This recognition from IIMB and from my beloved teachers is very precious to me. IIMB has been a launch pad for many illustrious careers. In my case, IIMB fostered my leadership journey all through.”
In his acceptance speech, Haragopal had special words of thanks for his peers at IIMB, his family and industry partners worldwide for helping him accomplish globally celebrated achievements.
Earlier in the evening, Professor Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Academic Programmes, introduced the Distinguished Alumni awardees. In keeping with the institute’s tradition, each recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award received a citation and his name was engraved on the Wall of Fame at the institute.
In the Foundation Day lecture, recipient of the Magsaysay award and Co-founder SELCO India Dr. Harish Hande spoke stirringly on ‘Social Inclusiveness and our Education System’. An IIT Kharagpur and University of Massachusetts, USA alumnus, Dr. Hande is recognized as a pioneer of rural energy service across the world.
Opening his lecture with a clarion call to IIT and IIM graduates to convert India’s numerous challenges into opportunities, he urged them to work towards creating social equity, sustainability and inclusiveness. “Your generation needs to make the change and create a level playing field for all. Because the financially poor are not necessarily of poor intellectual capability.”
He recommended that we relook at what the country can offer to create solutions for the government to replicate. “Issues pertaining to poverty and sustainability need to be solved. We need to be inclusive in the thoughts, processes and business models that we create. We can showcase our country as a leader of sustainability. Our education system needs to be designed to solve complex problems of our country.”
Urging students to use their years in graduate school wisely and well, he said: “We need to strive to make this world sustainable financially, socially and environmentally. Relook and rethink…you are at an apt position. You can make this country a superpower of solutions. Do not be ‘one-exam wonders’; prove yourselves.”
IIMB Director Incharge Professor Raghavan Srinivasan presented a report on the institute’s achievements in the year 2015-2016. He highlighted the school’s global rankings, research endeavours and partnerships, social impact work and faculty accomplishments. Highlighting IIMB’s contribution to social impact by delivering world-class education to all, through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), he said: “While we continue to offer MOOCs on the Harvard/MIT edX platform, we are also on the GoI SWAYAM platform. We have agreed to coordinate management courses on SWAYAM.”
Hailing the contributions of the alumni, Prof. Srinivasan said: “Our alumni are a key part of our success story. They support us in very many ways for which we are grateful.”
