In July 2012, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow welcomed 300 new students with a two-week orientation programme. An energising mix of classroom activities and Talash – a collection of post-classroom activities – made the 2012 orientation a perfect beginning to the academic year.
Jaipuria Lucknow had invited several eminent professionals from various sectors of management to interact with the students during the orientation. There were panel discussions and talks that helped students understand industrial trends, employability criteria and discipline in working life. The speakers included Ankit Khandelwal, Ex Chairman, Bank of Baroda; V. K. Srivastava, Principal/Deputy General Manger, Punjab National Bank; Majush Garg, an entrepreneur; P. N. Sharma, Principal/Deputy General Manger, Allahabad Bank, Staff College, Lucknow; Lord Justice Bhanwar Singh; Anshumal Dikshit, Head- HR, IGATE; Akhilesh Sharma, State Head, Hero Moto Corp; and Sanjeev Jha, AVP, Magma Finance Corporation.
The students were thrilled to have their queries regarding working life addressed by these industry stalwarts. “I really appreciated the orientation programme conducted by the institution. It gave me an opportunity to glean a lot of knowledge from various industry leaders,” said Lalit Saxena, a 2012 batch student.
The orientation was, however, not only about industry sync but also included a series of fun and sports activities. These helped the senior and junior students to get acquainted and develop an appreciation for each other’s talents in the area of extra-curricular activities and sports. Rahul Jaiswal, another new student, appreciated the initiative, “Talash as the name suggests, was ‘KHOJ’. The institute has been successful in exploring new talent among freshers in dance, sports and various extra-curricular activities.”
Several events were held under the banner of Talash during the two-week orientation and preparatory programmes, featuring both extra-curricular and co-curricular activities like creative writing, HR games, marketing games, debates, JAM competition, business quiz and finance games. The students felt recognised and appreciated. Ishita Sehgal, a newcomer, says, “I always had inclination towards badminton and anchoring. During Talash, I got the opportunity to showcase my talents.” Fashion Fiesta was a favourite with the students. “I was on cloud nine when I was announced the best female model during Fashion Fiesta!” gushes Divyata Singh. There were prizes for the competitions and Sajal Chaturvedi bagged the first prize in solo singing while Ajay Wadhwa bagged the solo dance prize for his extraordinary and versatile classical dance performance.
Talash was designed to create energy and synergy between old and new students and it seemed to have met both its goals!
“The event helped to bridge the ‘stranger-anxiety’ between freshers and seniors,” said Radhika Chaturvedi, a senior at Jaipuria Lucknow.
The orientation ended on a high note with students raring to learn and begin the course.