Alumni Speak: BITS Embryo Lecture Series

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The students of BITS Pilani K. K. Birla Goa Campus recently had the chance to interact with two successful young BITSians, courtesy the BITS Embryo initiative.

The first speaker was Abhishek Humbad, EEE (2005) from the Pilani campus. Abhishek is the founder of the Wall Street Club at Pilani, and has done an MBA from IIM Bangalore. Presently he works at NextGen, a company in the energy and environment space, which he co-founded coming out of b-school. He is a part of the Prime Minister’s Team on Climate Change, was selected as one of Asia’s Best 100 Entrepreneurs, and is a part of a policy team at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India.

Abhishek shared his journey, explaining how from having a mere idea and a zeal to multiply money, he went on to start his own company, ‘NextGen’. The idea of NextGen germinated during his undergrad days at BITS where he published a couple of research papers, won B-Plan competitions and did research projects for organizations like the World Bank. He talked about how NextGen helps companies go green by estimating their carbon footprint and reducing it through various energy and waste efficiency solutions. He shared some valuable experiences with the audience, advising them to invest in themselves in the initial stages of their careers. He urged them to concentrate on learning, put in every possible effort, and try to be the best in the world at what they do. He talked about his stay in Pilani, and the story behind the hugely successful ‘Wall Street Club’. He also shared how he was one of the youngest men almost everywhere he worked. He would be surrounded by people more than twice his age, and he recalled how he gained new perspectives working with them. He also talked about how during the course of his four years in Pilani, his ambitions changed from the 4F’s of Fame, Fortune, Ferrari and Female to the 3I’s of India, Impact and Innovation. The session, like the speaker himself, stood apart to motivate fresh brains to do something that adds value to the nation.

The second speaker was Harshad Deshmukh, a 2006 batch BITSian who graduated with M.Sc. Mathematics and B.E. Computer Science last year. He worked at Cisco Systems, Bengaluru for a short while before going on to pursue higher education in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Harshad spoke at length about the application aspect of pursuing MS and PhD abroad. He emphasised that going for higher education is a life-changing experience and should be chosen only after careful and thorough deliberations. He talked about the MS-or-PhD dilemma, and how to choose between the two. He also advised on how to decide which universities one should target. He mentioned the amount of time that should be devoted for preparation of GRE/TOFEL, statement of purpose and getting recommendations. He highlighted the need to remain informed of various application and fellowship grant deadlines. Harshad also talked about BITS2MSPhD as a platform where students can discuss and seek advice for the same.

BITS World 5k Run: A word with Karthikeyan Vijayakumar (KK)

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As a run up to the 4th edition of BITS World 5k Run, we interviewed Karthikeyan, who has been a regular feature of BITS World 5k Run for the last 3 years. He shared his experience from the past editions and a few tips for the first-timers.

Background info: 

Name: Karthikeyan V

Batch: 2000

Location: Chennai

Profile: Has been a sportsperson all through school / college and actively run / cycle / play cricket etc. Has officially run 3 marathons & over 25 half-marathons. Has cycled Bangalore to Chennai (350 km) in 2 days. Regularly plays cricket for his club team.

Q1. Could you briefly tell us about your BITS 5k run experience last year?

I have been running BITS 5k in Chennai for the past 3 years. Last year, 15 of us from different batches from the 70s/80s to the recent graduates came together to run. Some of us ran, some walked but all crossed the finish line . The post run camaraderie was fantastic, with the seniors telling us tales about their days in Pilani. I went back with many new friends!

Q2. How was running for BITS2MARATHON different from any other formally organized running event?

The BITS 5k Run helped me know the BITSians in my city better. This run has space for everyone, from the fast finishers to the walkers. I look forward to the post run discussions with everyone on ‘runner’s high’. The best part about this run is the ease with which all the BITSians come together, break ice and meet over the run.

Q3. Any tips/ message you have for the first-time runners participating in the 4th edition of BITS 5k run this year?

Don’t worry about the finish time. Run, Walk or Crawl…but finish 🙂 and stay regular with running, the rest of the year.

Making Sense from Numbers: Our Mario Bros

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The Alumni Membership team at BITSAA International have been looking at a lot of numbers in the past few months – numbers about registrations on the portal across demographics. The team decided to publish some of the stats, and come with some insights on these numbers. If you have ideas on how we can improve these numbers and bring in more registrations, we are all ears – Shoot out an email to membership-team@bitsaa.org and we will be happy to learn from you.

 

Analysis Period : June 22 – August 22 (2012)


Batch – Wise data

The batch-wise data looked much like the prior months, except for one batch which stood out. No points for guessing here, as to which batch it was. But we didn’t understand the reason initially, until we realized that this was a special year for the batch of 1983.  If you do some simple arithmetic, you would have realized that It is their Silver Jubilee year, 25th year post graduation. It is wonderful to see that they are making a step towards having their batch members register in BITSAA.org, and towards the goal having one repository for all BITSian.

 

A special congratulation to the ‘Batch of 1983’! Do share some pictures with us, once you are done with your Silver Jubilee Reunion (SJR). 

 

Campus- Wise data
 
Now from the campus-wise data. Looking at the trend of the prior months, things look quite healthy, and very similar to the prior months. Goa seem to have been gaining some steam more recently, increasing their month over month membership count. I am sure, that the other campuses aren’t going to sit and watch.  Are you? Let us make sure we make some noise, and have all our friends registered. Now, you know, what to ask, when you talk to them after a next time. 😉
Have fun people until we see you in a few weeks.

 

PS: Mario Bros arcade game was created in 1983. Now how can we forget them!


BITS World 5k Run 2012

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“I’ve learned that finishing a marathon isn’t just an athletic achievement. It’s a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible.” ~John Hanc

After 3 successful editions and over 200 BITSians sweating it out on the road together each year, BITS World 5K Run is back! The 4th edition of the BITS World 5K Run promises to be bigger and better than ever before. So put on your running shoes and brace yourselves for the adrenaline rush!

This year, the BITS2Marathon run will happen in the memory of  Prof. Suresh Ramaswamy. One of Prof.  SuRa’s distinctive traits was his constant encouragement of the aspirations of his students. This year’s run will celebrate his legacy, and champion the adoption of a healthy lifestyle among BITSians around the world.

A few tips for the first-time runners:

  • Eat right – Have a diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins and a little fat from all food groups.
  • Get a good night’s sleep before the race – Also, stay off your feet as much as possible the day before the race.
  • Always do the warm-up –  Dynamic warm-ups are the most ideal to facilitate blood flow to joints and muscles which help in early running
  • Drink lots of water – It is highly advisable to drink plenty of water before, during and after the race.
  • Be patient – Don’t get pulled along by stronger runners. Run at your own pace.
  • Lastly, remember the race is more about the fun than winning! 🙂

 Key information:

 •Date: September 23, 2012, Sunday

•Registration: http://www.bitsaa.org/?bits5krun_2012_reg

•Certificates: All runners who register on the BITSAA website will get a participation certificate on completing the run.

The run is completely virtual. You are your own judge. You can run wherever it is convenient for you. If you don’t want to miss out on the laccha session, you can run with fellow BITSians in town. Your local coordinator will get in touch with you once you have registered.

Feel free to spread the word and invite as many BITSians as possible. If you have non-BITSian running buddies, feel free to invite them to jog along.

Scenes from previous runs around the world:

Runners at Singapore striking a pose

The student runners at Pilani

Run at Minneapolis

Mumbai Run

Delhi

The Delhi team at the run

Bangalore

Bangalore team after the run

About BITS2Marathon :

The BITS2Marathon group is a group for fellow BITSians and alumni to promote running within the BITSian community.  The main goal of this run is to motivate BITSians all around the world to bring running into everyone’s life and thereby a healthy lifestyle. You can find out more about the group at www.bits2marathon.com . Join our Mailing Group!

What I learnt at Stanford GSB….by 2003A7PS012

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After I graduated from Stanford this year, a favorite question at social gatherings is ‘What were the two years at the GSB like?’  As I start fishing for the right word to describe the two years – fantastic, awesome, enlightening, …, the only one that shouts out from the swirl of adjectives running through my mind is ‘transformative’. It is hard to capture all the ways that the two years at the GSB have been transformative. Sometimes you go through an experience and you come out of it a changed person and it’s hard to pinpoint what in that experience caused the transformation. However, I will try to list down a few that I think have impacted me the most.

Know thyself

I started business school thinking I would learn about strategy, balance sheets, sales and marketing, … but I came out of it learning much more than just that. I learnt about myself. I learnt what my strengths are, how good a leader I am, what holds me back from being the best I can be, how do I impact  and influence others around me.  By understanding myself better, I understood others better.  Courses such as Interpersonal Dynamics (popularly known as ‘Touchy Feely’), High Performance Leadership and Paths to Power, provided me the opportunity to look into the depths of my personality, churn through those layers and emerge a better leader at the end of it. It was like I learned a whole new language that I never knew existed before. While you can learn how to read a balance sheet or write a marketing plan from a book, I couldn’t have learnt how to read myself from any book, and am thankful to the GSB for this skill.

Take risks, follow your heart

As you enter the GSB campus, you see a quote by Phil Knight (Stanford GSB’ 62) founder of Nike and the donor of the new Knight Management Center in the courtyard. He says, “There comes a time in every life when the past recedes and the future opens. It’s that moment when you turn to face the unknown. Some will turn back to what they already know. Some will walk straight ahead into uncertainty. I can’t tell you which one is right. But I can tell you which one is more fun.”

The dean, the professors, the top honchos of the world who visit the school, in fact every part of the school, through subtle yet constant exhortations, encourages you to embrace change, to take risks and follow your heart. The fact that your classmates and alumni are some of the most accomplished people in the world, from founders of companies to creators of social change only reinforces the message. In an amusing way, you follow the herd at Stanford by taking risks. The fact that 16% of the class last year started companies right out of school is testimony to it. And, the numbers are even higher a few years out. Anecdotally, I have heard that 50% of the class starts a company within 5 years of finishing school.

Trust

“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A.A.Milne, author of the Winnie the Pooh series, wrote. These could very well have been words that Stanford tells its students.  Stanford reposes a lot of trust in us.  Stanford doesn’t question if each of us is going to be successful or not after we graduate. They assume so. And, it is this trust reposed in us that goads us to try harder and fulfill the promise that we have made to the school – to change lives, organizations and the world, for the better.

I know a lot of people who question the value of an MBA. I did too. But the two years at the GSB couldn’t have proved me more wrong. Stanford was truly transformational.

Uzma Hussain Barlaskar graduated from BITS, Pilani in 2007 with Bachelor’s degree in Comupter Science Engineering. After working with DE Shaw for close to 3 years and being associated with BITSAA as CMO for 2 years, she joined Stanford GSB in 2010 to pursue an MBA.