IIM Bodh Gaya hosted its third convocation on 20th April

Bodh Gaya: “For a business leader, it is paramount that she or he is prepared to change, ready to explore new possibilities and open to new ideas.” Said Shri M. Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, in the convocation ceremony at IIM Bodh Gaya.
IIM Bodh Gaya hosted its third convocation on 20th April (Tuesday), 2021. The ceremony took place in an online mode owing to pandemic-related safety concerns. A total of 66 students from MBA 2018-20 batch and 109 students from MBA 2019-21 batch were conferred with their MBA degree. IIM Bodh Gaya awarded the Chairman’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold medal, and Best Student Award to the meritorious students for their scholastic performance. The winners of respective medals are as following:

MBA Batch IV (2018-20)
Chairman’s Gold Medal- Anchit Kumar
Director’s Gold Medal – Abhishek Panda
Best Student Award – Ravi Shankar Baranwal

MBA Batch V (2019-21)
Chairman’s Gold Medal- Kunj Tripathi
Director’s Gold Medal – Mohit Mittal
Best Student Award – Manudhane Abhishek Praful

Shri M. Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, graced the event as Chief Guest for the convocation. Shri Uday Kotak, Chairman – Board of Governors, IIM Bodh Gaya presided over the event in the presence of Members – Board of Governors, Ms. Falguni Nayar, Founder & CEO, Nykaa.com, Mr. Damodar Mall, Chief Executive Officer, Grocery Retail, Reliance Retail Limited, Mr. L Ramkumar, Chairman Shanthi Gears Limited, Coimbatore, Chairman Great & Creative Cycles, Colombo, President- Madras Management Association, Mr. Gaurav Gupta, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, MyLoanCare, Mr. Sandip Ghose, Ex- Director, National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM), Navi Mumbai, Mr. Rituraj Kishore Sinha, Group Managing Director, SIS Group Enterprises, Security & Intelligence Services Ltd., Delhi, Dr. Vinita S. Sahay, Director, IIM Bodh Gaya, Dr. Sabyasachi Mohapatra, Assistant Professor, IIM Bodh Gaya, and Dr. Mohammed Laeequddin, Chairperson – MBA Program, IIM Bodh Gaya along with other faculty members.

After the arrival of the dignitaries, the ceremony began with the lighting of the lamp and Saraswati Vandana. The convocation was declared open by Chairman, BoG – IIM Bodh Gaya. It was taken forward with the Director presenting the institute’s Annual Report and briefing the audience about the performance of the institute over the academic year 2020-21.

Chief Guest’s Address:
In his convocation address, Shri M Rajeshwar Rao, Deputy Governor, RBI, shared valuable perspectives on opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties in life. He encouraged the young audience to embrace uncertainties and differences of opinion in the workplace and accepting change, which makes one resilient in handling difficult situations and weathering the storms. Shri Rao drew examples of various successful MNCs to highlight the importance of customizing their products to suit the local environment they serve in. He also spoke about the financial crisis of 2008 and how he learned that despite everything being global, adapting to local needs is essential.
Shri Rao focused on the importance of collaboration and teamwork at various levels and emphasized the need for group discussion in decision-making. He said, “Being a part of various committees, discussions, and forums at the G-20, BIS, Global Markets Group, etc., we, at RBI, have seen immeasurable value in a collaboration-led policy approach. G-20 did some stellar work while dealing with the aftermath of the global financial crisis by ensuring a coordinated approach between countries.” Lastly, he emphasized on the importance of communication in one’s professional and personal lives. He highlighted how as a central bank, balancing the needs of transparency and the sensitivity of information is a crucial challenge. Focusing on communicating is not enough; listening to others is an equally important facet of communication. In the end, Shri Rao wished the graduating students success in all their future endeavors.

Chairman’s Address:
Shri Uday Kotak, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIM Bodh Gaya began his address by welcoming the Chief Guest and congratulating the graduating students. He classified the world into Before, During, and After Corona and appreciated the students graduating during these challenging times. He mentioned how education today is changing, and new trends are emerging concerning the COVID-19 era. He highlighted how the institute is consistently growing and breathing in the essence of enlightenment in its entire existence. The institute is building socially enlightened and morally mature business leaders year by year. He also shared how the institute focuses on academic excellence and contributes towards creating a mindful business space. The Chairman also shared his vision of seeing IIM Bodh Gaya carry high quality research and support the nation. He briefed the audience on the campus construction and shared that the construction is scheduled to progress in two Phases I and II, out of which the Phase I is to conclude by last quarter of 2022. He also expressed his gratitude towards all the eminent members of the Board of Governors who are contributing to the institute’s growth. Shri Kotak welcomed the Chief Guest, Shri M Rajeshwar Rao, and expressed his pleasure of knowing him as a successful and passionate central banker. He appreciated how institutes like the Reserve Bank of India are recognizing the challenges of the new normal and adapting to the new world. He urged the Chief Guest to share his valuable thoughts and inspire the students embarking on a new journey.

Director’s Report:
Dr. Vinita S. Sahay shared various accomplishments of IIM Bodh Gaya, such as an increase in the batch size to 180, phenomenal growth in gender diversity, welcoming full-time residential Ph.D. students, and the launch of the IPM program. The five-year Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) is going to commence from the academic session 2021-22 to prepare the foundation of future business leaders. The institute collaborated for student exchange, faculty mobility, and research with renowned business schools and universities across the globe. Students have been hired to work for prominent brands for their summer internships and final placements, McKinsey & Co, Tata Power, MuSigma, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., BNY Mellon, Ultratech, to name a few. The institute initiated its mindfulness center, Samatvam, with the blessings of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, on 14th January 2020. It believes in nurturing and developing socially conscious managers and hence took several steps like adopting villages under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan to instill a sense of responsibility towards the community in its students. The Director addressed the graduating students at the cusp of a new journey and motivated them to embrace learning as a lifelong mission and carry IIM Bodhgaya’s badge with honor and pride. She urged the students to reflect on the values that can guide their actions and contemplate their experiences to emerge as a true leader.

The event was attended by all the Faculty members, graduating students, and media representatives. The convocation was declared closed by the Chairman – BoG, IIM Bodh Gaya.