18th Week- 9th October to 15th October
9th October: I returned to the hostel yesterday. This week is mostly dedicated to Gramotsava 2011. Today, I checked a newspaper article on Gramotsava 2011 today. XIMB reaches out to masses through fair - Rural management students create a marketing base in nearly 50 villages.
Gramotsava-2011, a rural marketing fair, is organised every year by the Rural Managers' Association of XIMB (RMAX). Thus, rural management students who engage in on-field marketing and data collection supplement theoretical lessons with practical experience. The uniqueness of the event in the rural management course offered in any college
Gramotsava 2011 fair UPDATE
Venue I: Mandarbasta, Khurda, Friday,14th Oct.
Venue II: Chasakhanda, Cuttack, Saturday,15th Oct
10th October: On request of Shruti Thomas, I liked "Sustainable Housing". Suddenly, a moral dilemma arose inside me. Do I like/support the product/service/community because it was made by Jhaberite? If there is an idea branded by an affiliated college and its arch-rival, what will be my choice? Will my decision be based on merit or loyalty?
In the MEARS lecture, SP Das commented: "Every TDH (It's not Tall Dark Handsome !) wants to do MBA without knowing what it offers. Bhubaneswar Development Authority has 9 B schools 5-6 years back and now there are 38 B schools under BDA! This is called the expansion phase of the economy". I find a harsh truth in his words. I am now finding a method in his madness.
In the FSA lecture, PK Mohanty lamented the poor quality of our performance in FR end term. He insisted that wherever possible marks are given for few candidates. I assume each of us is close-minded when it comes to knowledge receiving. And lack of application and reading is the prime cause behind it.
In RPLS, it was the last lecture of Niraj Kumar. 10 lectures of this course helped me to understand the approach towards development. What I observed is that you can't expect a first grader to begin learning arithmetic by tackling differential calculus. Similarly, our batch needs many hours of lectures and field visit to really embrace the spirit of rural managers.
11th October :
There was only one class in a whole day. A day went by reading a thriller novel. I also read The Base of Pyramid distribution challenge: Evaluating alternate distribution models of energy products for rural Base of Pyramid in India; This paper from the Centre for Development Finance (CDF) – IFMR analyzes the product distribution choices available in rural BoP markets to help enterprises evaluate the key drivers of distribution for successful go-to-market strategies.
12th October: There was lively discussion and participation in the class. It was good to see so many people speaking and cross-questioning with the teacher.
13th October: A day busy in the preparation of Gramotsava. I was busy with a 'live project'. Have taken initiative for becoming POC of 1st years for 'live project'.
Gramotsava launch was too good. Dance and photo sessions were adding charm to the show. There was a temporary DJ session after the launch.
14th October and 15th October: Under the banner of the Rural Managers’ Association of XIMB (RMAX), about 150 students from the first and second-year batches visited two villages — Mandarbasta in Khurda district and Chasakhanda in Cuttack district. The fair was to promote the latest products and concepts of business and social organisations among the village folk. As a flagship event of rural management, Gramotasava is quite unique as through it we examine the mindset of rural consumers.
Hindustan Unilever is the title sponsor for the Gramotsava 2011 with Mahindra & Mahindra as the associate sponsor and Tata Motors the cosponsor. The Telegraph was the media partner for this year’s Gramotsava, which was formally launched last Thursday. Bonnie Bhaina, an olive ridley turtle, was the mascot for the fair.
Travelling on the bus with the complete RM batch was a pleasurable experience. This Gramotasava would be a part of the sweet memories of my XIMB days.
