Adieu IIFM…

This is the Last post from IIFM. So much I have said about my Life at IIFM that I do not have any words to say anything new. That’s why this post is dedicated my Batch...The Great PFM 2008...
Abhishek: "One Man Show"
Email Id: abhishek.iifm@gmail.com
Abhinav: "Deep and Dependent"
Email Id:abhinaviifm@gmail.com
Amit: He stresses too much on "M"
Email Id: amit.mandale@gmail.com
Anurag: "Matrix Trilogy"
Email Id: anunis@gmail.com
Arjun: "....in between Optimism n Pessimism "
Email Id: arya.arjun@gmail.com
Atul : "Life is Beautiful"
Email Id: atul84atul@gmail.com
Gitesh: "Feel Good"
Email Id: giteshg@gmail.com
Garima: "Searching Books in which She will be able to find something about Her"
Email Id: garimabajaj@gmail.com
Jitendra: "Right Hand of God"
Email Id: jitendra.upadhyay@gmail.com
Kallol: "All-rounder"
Email Id: kallolkumarmandal@gmail.com
Kalpana: A Tigress in a bowl
Email Id: kalpanapfm08@gmail.com
Kanika: Here's my question...
Email Id: kanika07@gmail.com
Kshitiz: "To Be Or Not To Be"
Email Id: ksanadhaya08@gmail.com
Vaibhav : "On the Rocks"
Email Id: vaibhaviifm@gmail.com
Lalit: "To love at all is to be a vulnerable Lover"
Email Id: lalitsori6@gmail.com
Manish: The Devil God
Email Id: findmanish0@gmail.com
Neha: "Illusion of Life"
Parul: "Chocolaty Life "
Email Id: parul1411@gmail.com
Pranita: "Emotional Recycle Bin"
Email Id: pranita.bhagat@gmail.com
Prashant: "if u cant convince people...confuse them"
Email Id: luvprasha@gmail.com
Priyanshika: "I am what I am"
Email Id: priyanshika@gmail.com
Rahul B. : "My History Can Beat Up Your Politics "
Email Id: rahul.bharadwaj.18.02.1983@gmail.com
Rahul K.: "Living My Dream"
Email Id: @gmail.com
Ranesh: How's That....?
Email Id: rahul259@gmail.com
Ravi: "Honest Reflection "
Email Id: ravipan4u@gmail.com
Sameer: "Success lies in dream....so go and sleep"
Email Id: samsays19@gmail.com
Shakshi : An Individualist trying hard to change life
Email Id:groversakshi@gmail.com
Shail: He says "I can kill anyone for the Nobel Peace Prize"
Email Id: shail.iifm@gmail.com
Shweta : Its not about "Age", its about "Mileage" :D
Email Id: shweta.bhagwat@gmail.com
Shreshtha: "I think I am the Best....and...... I believe that I will be "The Best" One Day"
Email Id: shreshtha.bhardwaj@gmail.com
Siddharth: "Marketing with Style n Brands"
Email Id: sids617ster@gmail.com
Sonal: "A Protected Candle Light and A Beautiful Mind "
Email Id: sonalpfm08@gmail.com
Me : :)
Email id: callmesoumik@gmail.com
Srey: The Lost Soul ; Am I what I am ?
Email Id: sreyamsa@gmail.com
Sunil: "Cool Tunes of Life and Nature"
Email Id: rajagopal.sunil@gmail.com
Sudeep: "Our first and last love is....Self-Love"
Email Id: sudeep.kodialbail@gmail.com
Varun: Life is short, Make the most of it!!
Email Id: drvarunbangia@gmail.com

Director's Prize fo The Best OT

Every Year, during Kalpataru (IIFM's Annual Fest), IIFM awards Director's Prize for the Best Organizational Training work . Students are judged on the basis of Host Organization’s recommendation, IIFM faculty's evaulation and vote of batch mates.
This year, I along with Ravi got the award for the training we did in Development Credit Bank Ltd, Mumbai. The project was on Urban Microfinance.
We got the award for Second Organizational Training where as Dr. Varun Bangia got the award for First Organization Training work which he did at Dabur Pharma Ltd. (up to PFM 06-08 IIFM had 2 Organizational Trainings, PFM 2009 onward IIFM is having One Organizational Training i.e. Summer Internship).
Life at IIFM once again proved to be full of surprises and once again echoed the expression “These are the Best Days of My Life“.
I thank everybody specially my batch mates who voted for me (and also to those who did not), dearest alumni, faculty and most importantly Kartik Sir, Deepika Mam, Vidya Sir and Sandeep Sir of DCB.


[Post Contributed by Soumik Ghanta, PFM 08 batch]

What makes an entrepreneur?

What are the traits and factors which decide whether somebody is going to be an entrepreneur or not? Are there some factors/traits which are more important than other for being a successful entrepreneur?

A research paper by a team of researchers from The World Bank, CEPR and CEFIR, provides good insight on above question on the basis of data collected on 400 random Brazilian Entrepreneurs.  

Some interesting findings from the paper:

• Brazilian entrepreneurs are coming more from rural areas than urban areas and they are more likely to be married and less likely to be overweight. They are taller by one cm (approx) than non entrepreneurs.
• Entrepreneurs were more patient than non-entrepreneurs and they expect lower returns on their investment than non-entrepreneurs (18% against 24% expected by non entrepreneurs).
• Entrepreneurs put more value on children's education than non-entrepreneurs.
• Entrepreneurs show more trust than failed entrepreneurs do.
• Exploring the sociological characteristics of entrepreneurs, the paper shows that entrepreneurs are more likely to come from a family of senior managers, officials than workers. They also have more relatives and friends running their own business compared to non-entrepreneurs have. Though the social network has some role in deciding whether one is going to be an entrepreneur, but does not affect whether one is going to be successful entrepreneur.
• Entrepreneurs are also more likely to come from a large family.
• Mother's education seems to have some impact on entrepreneur's success. The mothers of failed entrepreneurs were less highly educated than the mother of entrepreneurs.

I do not know to what extent we can generalize the findings of this report, but surely it makes an interesting read. :)

GD/PI Shortlist for PFM 08-10 batch is out

The list of candidates shortlisted for Group Discussion and Personal Interview for PFM 08-10 batch is available on IIFM website.

Click here to see the list.

You can also get some insight about the admission process and the program from the discussion on Pagalguy Forum. Click here to visit the forum.

Technorati Tags: IIFM Bhopal, IIFM, PFM, Forest Management, Admission

The 'Imapatient Optimist' calls for'Creative Capitalism'

Mr. Bill Gates has already divulged his plans to move from 'active role at' Microsoft to 'full time role at' Bill Gates and Millinda Gates

Foundation, the world's biggest philanthropic foundation. The man who changed the way people work and think, is now gearing up for some 'noble' cause. The self declared 'impatient optimist' commented ""In the coming decades we will have astonishing new abilities to diagnose illness, heal disease, educate the world's children, create opportunities for the poor and harness the world's brightest minds to solve our most difficult problems.".

Read more in this article here

IIFM Placement 2008

I cannot believe myself that I am writing this post. I am going to write about our Placements (PGDFM 2008). Last time when I wrote about our seniors’ placements, it was more of Information Sharing. Now I have realized the process and the ecstasy, smile, pain, desperation, tears attached with the process. Yes, Placement Process itself is great learning experience. Though I was out of the process (because of PPO from OT-II organization) still I felt the heat and now most happy like all other batch mates.
Placement 2008 is over and like the previous years, we achieved 100% placement in no time. PGDFM 2008 rocks!! We started where our seniors had left and with great satisfaction. Our batch’s placement is more precedent in a sense that almost everybody got the job in the sector they wanted. Be it Microfinance, be it Corporate or Environment, every one has gone to his or her desired field. IIFM is best in this aspect that it offers equal space to everybody and our batch has been able to fit itself in the desired space.
The placement process was over in two days as almost the whole batch was placed in those two days. Though one org. delayed the declaration of result but surely when it confirmed the celebration got intensified and more “spirited”.
Microfinance is most buzzing word and being a specialized institution, IIFM has been able to maintain this niche area that has been built up over the years. This year almost 16 people are directly dealing with Microfinance. Fourteen students in SKS Microfinance and two students in Development Credit Bank Ltd. Package for SKS is Seven Lac while it is Six Lac for DCBL. On corporate arena, one is joining ICICI Bank while five are joining HDFC Bank. FINO, the technology provider for financial institutions, selected one.
Thanks to our seniors, Marketing Research Organization like International Market Research Bureau (IMRB) came down to campus and recruited four students with package of 5.6 Lac. Apart from DCBL, the organizations who made inroad this time to offer diversification in placements are Indian Oil Corporation, IMS Learning Resource, Emergent Venture India (EVI) and Cantor C02e India. IOCL took two for its Biofuel operations. IMS and EVI each selected two. Consultancy firm Cantor C02e India has recruited one for Carbon Trading related operation. Another research institute, IFMR (Centre for Development Finance) selected one. The only oversea placement was offered by Global Timber Trading Org. Olam International with package of about 25 lakh and in the forestry sector the only Job was offered by Harihar Polyfibre (Part of Aditya Birla Group).
Prof. Biswas as Placement Chairperson has done amazing work for our placement and a large part of placement success can be attributed to his efforts. Kudos to the Placement Committee, especially Abhinav (placement Cordi) and Prashant (OT Cordi) for their hard work. Guys, we are thankful to you and you both deserve treat from each of us. Now its party time, so getting ready for the blast!!!!!
[The figures are approximate and exact figure will come on Official site of IIFM- www.iifm.ac.in]

In the forest of night

"In the Forest of Night" just stumbled upon this blog somehow in the blogosphere.. okey not somehow .. but out of my knack for finding IIFM related blogs on web. So here is a blog not that regularly updated but written passionately about 'Forest'.. written by an IIFMight.

IIFMight, who is "happy in his work, happy enough in the knowledge of his friends moving on to much better paying jobs, yet expressing their wonder at his work and how meaningful it is, he is also happy enough to somehow fob off the jibes of those who attempt to show him at his lowly place as compared to others of his qualification and background."

A glimpse of what is there..

"Renaissance for nothing less would do to save the ecosystems people that we used to be – from the impending doom looming large over us.
Ecology shall be soon ingrained in the heart of the neighbourhood friendly person. Ecology would no longer remain a subject taught at premier institutes and researched upon to gain innumerable doctorates, nor would it relegated to a handful of professionals who find it difficult to disperse the idea of a sustainable ecology to the so called teeming millions. Ecology would be instead the basic understanding through which we understand and appreciate processes of the ecosystem we live in."

And before that I had stumbled acroos one more blog, that too, by an alumnus and all I can say that was somewhat not the kind of blog I would like to see as an IIFMight. Though the blog was self defeating and the post can describe more about the author than the things he seemed to describe.