Students' Day

 I just learnt that today is World Students' Day. It is important to note that Teachers' Day is in September, and a different day! Anyway, irony apart, it's nice to celebrate students, if you are a teacher. 

My first students were Undergrads in Business at Clemson University. The thing I most remember about them- around 25x3 students each semester was that they were courteous, ignorant about computer usage- I was teaching them that- and usually nice to me though I was a Ph.D. student from India. There was a giggling duo of girls, in one of my classes. And Melinda, one student walking past a vintage car parked on campus, modeled for me when I asked her.. I was clicking the car, and she posed alongside.

My last full time teaching assignment was at IIM Indore. I taught a variety of courses there to PG and Ph.D. students, and also Executive MBA students. There were also a few MDPs for specific companies, such as Trent of the Tata Group (Retail) or Hindustan Petroleum.

In between were students at Lander College, USA, Xavier Institute, Bhubaneswar, Vignana Jyoti Hyderabad, Kirloskar Institute Harihar, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IFIM, PESIT (occasional teaching), IMT (very little teaching, but met lots of students, and continue to do so). 

At Prestige university I really did not teach much, except a few classes of Marketing Research along with Sunil Gupta.

And at JIS University, even less, just one or two guest sessions in our Management programs.

Mostly these were wonderful experiences, and I keep following Facebook and Linkedin updates on what many of them are up to, globally. Makes me quite happy. Also meet a few occasionally, on my travels.

What I Got From my Employers- 4

 IIM Kozhikode or Calicut was my second IIM as a workplace, and third overall- I was a student at one.

It is the prettiest campus of all campuses I have seen. It has greenery all around, and great views from offices of faculty, hostels and elsewhere- guest houses included.

I made some new friends there, like SSS Kumar, and renewed old ones - Uday and Suma, classmates from IIMB. The students were good, and I managed to write my second book- Services Marketing, while I worked there. We also did a couple of events- a Marketing Conference with NASMEI, and an FDP for faculty.

The beach was a novelty, in town. We also had visits from friends and alumni like Jogeswari (of KIAMS) and a few relatives while we lived there. The rains took some getting used to, but it was generally a nice experience. Also bought a small Maruti 800 while I was there.

Left for a leadership position at PES Bangalore, and also because daughters' (higher) education was an issue.

2023 Year End Musings - 2

 Ok, in March I got an invite to speak at Calicut Management Association's annual convention. Met a few interesting people, and revisited IIM Calicut, my employer at one time. Spoke about Technology and how it ca change marketing. Made use of CANVA for the first time.

At Calicut.. among friends there, below

Met colleagues from Prestige group at Jalgaon.. Tarika Singh, Amrita Baid and Ashima Joshi. I named them Spice Girls, as the pic was taken at a Spices plant.

Met friends in Bangalore- Rimjhim Verma, above, with Dheeraj. Savitha, and Khao Suey, below..

Shatakshi and Varun, above.

Vandana Kumar, above, and Muthu, below.

Random Stuff-Here and There

 Just a collection of random clicks from here and there- last few months..

Mementoes

 One gets a lot of mementoes as a part of events. Two such which had originality of thought, and nice execution..

From Calicut Management Association.. at their Convention in IIMK.

From NIFT Gandhinagar, made by a professional. It's their campus facade, done with innovative materials..

Review of Jan-April 2023

 This is a four-monthly review of 2023- the first four months. There was action, reunions, plans made and some fructified. 

Prestige University -my new workplace- saw construction gathering pace, towards start of a new batch of MBA and Integrated Programs. Our new registrar joined, and another couple of team members too, in the non-teaching side. We also had an outing to Jalgaon, where we strategised for the Prestige group-includes the older institutions, and industry - soya bean related. The resort at Jain Agro was a great place, with a Gandhi exhibit, and lots of Mango plantations.

Went to IIM Kozhikode  as a Chief Guest of the Calicut Management Association annual convention. It was a great trip, and I got to meet many new people from different fields. And visit the beautiful campus too, where I taught earlier from 2003-2005.

Also was invited for a keynote speech at NIFT Gandhinagar, and met a few of their students doing Masters too. Made friends with a couple (Mehak, Dhanali, Sneha), who are as bright as any I have encountered anywhere else. Met Manjari Mundanad, my old friend and Ph.D. student at Nirma, now a prof. at Adani. Know her from IMT Nagpur days.

More recently, made a trip to Bangalore for Good Friday, and met Shatakshi, Savitha and Muthu. Had some Burmese food thanks to Savitha, for the first time.. it was awesome. Also met Meghana Khadilkar in Pune for the first ever time.. yet to meet her daughters and hubby. Soon, maybe.

Shafique Gajdhar (ex-IMT N) visited and met up. Also met a few Ph.D. students from IIM Indore, now friends of mine, a couple of times. None of the new ones were from Marketing area, funnily! Also saw a play starring a couple of them in February- called Knives Out! 

Calicut Management Association's Convention

 A pic with the awardees of various awards including Young Entrepreneur, Woman Entrepreneur, and other categories such as excellence in areas like Health and Education.

The organisers are also in the pic, and so is the Director, NITK. It was a memorable evening. I was impressed with a doctor who runs a palliative care centre, a tough thing to do, and very socially relevant in my view.

Calicut Biryani and More

 You wouldn't associate Calicut with biryanis. But thanks to my friend Ravi, who was my culinary guide, we tasted the Kuttichira biryani, a speciality of a locality near the beach there, and lots more. This is what friends are for, right? Pics from a couple of eateries that we visited. And more.. 

A dhow.. these are made at Beypore near Calicut, and were used for trade with the Gulf countries.

At IIMK.

Views from my hotel 7th floor.

IIMK, above and below

Second Visit to IIMK

 This time, I am speaking as a Chief Guest/Keynote Speaker to the audience at Calcut Management Association's convention. In December, it was as a delegate that I attended another Management Convention. The opportunity to visit the campus where I worked is welcome. It is one of the prettiest campuses I have seen anywhere.

Meeting People in Person

 You could say, it's a great feeling. Say that again. Even if you have met online for years. I have been meeting many people recently who I mostly met online before. Past students, or colleagues. Met a few recently at IIM Kozhikode and IIM Raipur, where I had been on a scouting trip to recruit faculty tow ork with us at Prestige University. Also met some who gave me an endorsement for my Marketing Research book- even non-marketing faculty. Anyway, we hope to meet again, somewhere.. a while ago, in Bangalore, I met Divya Sisodiya and Meenu Mynam, and in Mumbai, met Swati Jain, after a decade or more, and it was fabulous catching up.

Some old and new friends from academia, Calicut airport.

Calicut Beach with Ravi, above, and with Payal Anand, IIMK.

Former colleagues, and current doctoral students (below), IIMK.

Indira, a colleague at a sister institution at Gwalior

Above, IIM Raipur faculty in marketing. Below, Saumya, my former teaching assistant at IIMI.

Ishita and Anurag, in Indore recently.

Divya Sisodiya, at Bangalore. With her creation she gifted me.

Pratima Gaikwad in Hyderabad, above, and Meenu Mynam in Bangalore, below.

Below- Swati Jain, of IMT N and BoB, in Mumbai