A time to relive past days

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) held its convocation ceremony for the batch of 2006/7-09 recently at a City hotel. It was a day of fond remembrances and achievements for the 165 graduates who received their degrees in the presence of their parents. The programme started with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and a Bharatanatyam performance after which the guests enlightened the students with the knowledge they had gained over the years.

The occasion was graced by Minister of State for Education Ramachandra Gowda, Justice Santosh Hegde, CEO of BrandComm Ramamnujam Sridhar and former cricketer Syed Kirmani. Ramamnujam Sridhar spoke about brands and the importance of work in getting ahead. “While it is great to be associated with a brand, after 20 years, you would only be known by the work done by you,” he said. “A balanced life with personal relationship is important,” he told the eager students, who were taking every bit of guidance in.

Finally before handing over the awards to the achiever, he asked the students to use the knowledge gained effectively. “Make good use of the keys of the kingdom,” he said. Continuing this discussion further was Syed Kirmani, who said, “The important thing is to use the right key at the right time and right place.” He also spoke a lot about the power of positive thinking through one of his own experiences. Other important issues that came up during the day were corruption, politics and society. Justice Hegde spoke very passionately about differentiating right actions from wrong.

But soon it was time to award the students, who had shone through the years they had spent in the institute. The enthusiasm in the batch was almost infectious. Gold and silver medals for the academic achievements were awarded during the ceremony for the Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter sessions for the batches. For the Spring-Summer batch 2007-09, Peony Nayak was awarded the academic gold medal while Raghavendra K was awarded the silver.

The Director’s Gold Medal for the batch was won by Peony again while Pramukhee P won the silver. While Peony was not present, the rest came on stage as the crowd started roaring. “I am thrilled about getting the award,” said Pramukhee. The respective academic medals for the Fall-Winter 2007-09 batches were won by Vasantha Lakshmi and Narendra Singh Raj Purohit. Devatha Venkatesh won the Director’s Gold while Puja Bhalani took the silver. While not everyone won something, the day was an opportunity for everyone to reunite and relive the memorable moments of the most exciting and crucial two years of their lives. The time they had spent at IIPM.
DHNS