Nostalgia – Reminiscences from Abhyudaya 2008!

With just 5 more days to go for Abhyudaya 2010 (the 5th edition of Abhyudaya), We will be featuring stories by IFMRians about what they have to say about their own Abhyudaya.

In this edition, Ganapathy Krishnan, IFMR Alumnus and student of class of 2009 shares his memoirs.
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We came to know about this wonderful part of B-School life from our seniors on the very first day. Yet it kick started somewhere in the mid of august.

All I knew about an inter college festival is sponsorship, events and fun. Then came the biggest challenge- The Theme! The way our seniors and super seniors had molded the event was truly professional. When we took up abhyudaya it was a 2 year old precious child that has a bundle of enthusiasm and learning. I can still remember those numerous discussions and debate we had to arrive at the theme BODMAS. We connected it with the previous theme such that in the 2nd edition (theme: See the Big Picture) after seeing the big picture, it’s time to project what was happening during that point of time in the big picture. And hence we arrived at mergers and acquisitions to be the most happening thing in the 3rd year of the child.

Then we had the next challenge to formulate events that goes with the theme yet different from not only other b-school events but as well from our own previous editions. I can’t forget those memorable nights spent in the Bhagirathi hall in deciding the events, names, write-ups etc. The greatest learning of any event will be from sponsorship. We had seed money of Rs.50K. Nevertheless it was a booster. We struggled daily for almost 2 months. I can remember generating and compiling a big list of potential sponsors, the phone calls we used to make even in breaks, missing classes and meeting potential sponsors and roaming for cold calls. Our first sponsorship came from our alumni, Gagan Patnaik of Batch 3. That made us proud and provided extra energy to live up to the expectations of the alumni. And in the next couple of months we got enough sponsorship to run the show (though it was less than our pessimistic budget).

Simultaneously, events were designed in full flow. Maximum concentration was on M&A event which was our flagship event. We underwent a lot of brainstorming sessions at the computer lab at every stage of the event development.

The next important challenge was hospitality. We heard from our seniors that Abhyudaya is known for its Theme Based events and Hospitality. We had a huge responsibility to live up to the expectations with the limited budget. And as a member of PR and Hospitality team, I am proud that I kept up the trend.

And when it was just a couple of days away from the D-Day (Feb 2nd 2008) the entire campus, everyone of batch 8 and many from batch 7, joined hands in full swing, from arranging halls to decorating the campus, to deliver the expectations. The entire campus conveyed only about BODMAS (Business of Demerger, Merger, Acquisition and Spin-off).

And we celebrated the 3rd birthday party of the precious child in a grand fashion which concluded on the evening of 3rd Feb at Deccan Plaza.

My experiences during the period of 6 months, ranging from discussions to fights, hardships, sleepless nights, agony, tears, cheers, failure and success will remain unforgettable during the rest of my life. It taught me several lessons that no classroom can teach. I learnt how to face critical situations, sponsors needs, participants' problems and decision making under financial constraints. I wish to thank my seniors, especially Anand Sampath and my batch mates for providing my so many insights in the course of Abhyudaya. It was indeed an Abhyudaya for my mind.

If not for Abhyudaya I could not have written so much :)