Inaugural Speech delivered by Prof M.Anil Ramesh on the launch of SSIM's second shift, 2nd batch programmes on the 25th of August 2011

The age of mother earth is said to be 4.54 billion years. In that length of time 64 years of independence pales in comparison. But for a young republic like India every year is a celebrations and a thing of pride. Likewise an educational institute surviving even for 10 years in the present turbulent times has become a cause for celebration. 

In comparison a group like Siva Sivani celebrating 50 years of its existence is a source for grand celebration and lots of admiration for its founder and his vision. I am indeed very happy and thrilled to be standing in front of you in this golden jubilee year and inviting you to become members of this great family called Siva Sivani.

Last year SSIM second shift started its journey and I am very proud to say that we have grown in a year. Added more faculty and we are learning very fast and starting to do very well. The senior students are through with their three trimester are they are doing very well.

But as the Director Academic I would like to put some things in perspective. 25 years ago I too was a student of MBA. But what a difference! At that time India had only around 40-50 institutes offering around 3000 seats in the MBA space. We had no induction programmes, no extensive mentoring or training progarmmes and to be very frank we were quite innocent and were like babies in the forest.

Things have changed drastically and how! Now we have around 4000 B-schools offering 4,00,000 seats in the MBA/PGDM space and there is a Tsunami building and gathering momentum.

The students have become more street smart and are more technology savvy. At the same time they get better trained and are expected to be more employer ready. The opportunities are more and salaries have sky rocketed. On the flip side the expectations from the industry have gone up. They expect the students to be job ready from day one. Training span in the organizations has been reduced and tolerance for mistakes has dramatically comedown. In very few words the corporate mantra for survival is “perform or perish”.

I would like to advice the students to consider SSIM as a temple of learning. Not only as a temple of learning but also as a place for discussions, arguments, counter arguments, introspection, deep thinking and place for idea generation and germinations. Learn to unlearn and learn again and relearn. Challenge the holy cows and internalize concepts.

Say with pride that you are a student of SSIM and I am sure that will be your USP for a life time. It is time for putting your ideas into action. Your days in SSIM will be crammed with class work, assignments, case studies and many other activities. You will have to be a excellent time manager to manage a good performance and pass out with a good grade. You will have to adhere to rules and regulations and there is zero tolerance for any violation of set rules and procedures. But at the same time there would be a tremendous human touch and I or my faculty colleagues are always available for any suggestions or feedback at any point of time.

For all practical purposes you will be treated as if you are employees of a corporate organization on a loan to SSIM. Behave and adapt as if you are employees of a new organization and I am sure that you would be learning a lot from this institute. Every day in the institute would be a challenge in itself.

There would be ample scope to learn and to be grasp many nuances of management. It is said that management education is an art and not a science. One needs to be taut as a violin string but at the same time not loose. Over tautness would break the string and looseness would mean no music at all. You will need to learn the fine balance of what is right or what is wrong – nay what is perceive as right and what is perceived as wrong. So it is said all battles have to be fought and won and that too in your own minds, later in the minds of the customers and finally in the minds of your organizations where you would be working.

Welcome onboard strap yourself for a journey of a life time. I am sure the next two years will be the best two years of your life. A two years stay at SSIM that you will always very fondly remember as the two years that changed your life forever.

Thanking one and all.