Life often surprises you by gifting you the things you never imagined and sometimes by taking away that one thing you always wanted to have. So far, my life has been generous enough to give me the best, and right now, I believe I am given the opportunity that many dream of having. Started off as an Instrumentation and Control Engineer and then worked for two years in the Information Technology industry. Handled various positions of responsibilities, Class Representative, House Captain, Placement coordinator, are a few to name. From all these to now the president of the Students’ Affairs Assembly, the journey has never been easy. It was always rife with the happiness of the victory and the learnings of the failure. Victories engender motivation, and failures engender the wisdom that would be the key to success. Both are different facets of the same idea. Being the president, it would be my sole responsibility to get the best out of them and leverage it for the well-being of the students of the Indian Institute of Management, Nagpur.
Amidst the uncertainties we had due to the ongoing pandemic, like many, I was also dubious about joining any college, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made so far in my life, and choosing IIM N over the other colleges now gives me a feeling of righteousness about the call I made. The institute’s growth over a span of seven years since its inception is noteworthy, and something all of us can be proud of. The peer institutes trail behind us in many aspects, and our institute is now competing with the B schools of the higher league, which have decades of legacy to back them.
Going forward, the old status quo will never be restored. The hybrid online-offline mode will be the new normal, and the institute has already given us exposure to the future. The classes have been online, hybrid and offline, which gave us the taste of all the potential status-quo in one year. Knowing to manage the events, clubs, committees, interactions, etc., in all modes has made the students resilient and future-ready.
Students’ Affairs Assembly is the students run body that comprises all the executive members of various clubs and committees in the institute. The different clubs and committees of the institute make life at IIM N further exciting and lively. Their scope goes far beyond academics. This is where the students are cut loose to explore their favourite domains, both academic and non-academic, including Sports, Arts, Social Outreach, etc. The activities organized by them are often career-defining. They give proper direction and room for contemplation to figure out the students’ interests.
As the president of the students’ assembly, my eventual aim is the well-being of all the students in the institute by rising up to their expectations, echoing their voice in the places they want me to, and being an effective interface between the students, administration, and the faculty. It is also my responsibility to plan and execute student activities, then review and scrutinize various policies related to students with an emphasis on upholding the institute’s values. The challenges ahead wouldn’t be easy to tackle, but I firmly believe that I, along with my team, have the resolve to confront any problem thrown at us.
After more than two years of the pandemic, the campus will brim with students’ energy and enthusiasm. The new campus and now that everything is back offline, the road ahead is not easy but promising. The onus will be on this students’ council to set precedence for the future batches, and it would be my pleasure and privilege to do everything possible in my capacity as the president of the Students’ Affairs Assembly.
Dev Das V
President, Students’ Affairs Assembly