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Solstice 2012, the annual alumni reunion, was special to two classes this year, students from the Class of 2003, who were celebrating their ten-year reunion and those from the Class of 2008, for whom it has been five years since they graduated from ISB. We spoke with Manav Futnani, Nidhi Ramachandran and Rajeev Kalambi from the Class of 2003 about their ISB experience. Here is an excerpt from the interview:
It has been ten years since you graduated. What do you still retain of the ISB learning and experience?
Nidhi: More than the knowledge imbibed in class, I think what I learned and still try to practice are the soft skills such as listening, collaborating, working with the team to build consensus on issues and having fun while working!
Manav: Top of the list is my wife, whom I met on campus and have managed to still “retain” in my life! ISB was also the year when I managed to squeeze in more into my life than I ever thought possible – I studied hard and got good grades, I had fun, and I hit the gym every single day and even started my own handbag brand! That was the perfect practice for my current life where I need to squeeze in a demanding job with long hours, a family with two kids and polo, a sport that demands a lot of practice and a high level of physical fitness.
Rajeev: I retain the ability to structure my thoughts effectively, manage my time (barely) and manage with four hours of sleep (sometimes). I also retained the love for learning from books, articles, and everyone's experiences around me. Not only that, the statistics core course that I detested at ISB is the one that has stayed with me throughout my career. From an analytics team in a consulting firm to an analytics company now, my love for statistics has never been stronger!
What does ISB mean to you?
Nidhi: Lifelong learning, excellence in everything and best friends forever!
Manav: Some of the most important elements of my current life began at ISB - I still have the same job that I got on campus, I'm married to a woman I met on campus and many of my closest friends are people I met on campus. It is almost impossible to imagine what my life would have been like if I had not elected to go the ISB! It was a year of transformation for me and I only have positive memories of my time in ISB.
Rajeev: ISB has given me a lot – a platform for my career, knowledge of subjects that I need to earn a living, insights on how to work with people, lifelong friendships and a feeling of belonging.
If you were to speak to the “you” in 2002, what advice would you give that student?
Nidhi: I would tell the Nidhi of 2002 to make more of an effort and get to know more people.
Manav: I'm fairly happy with the way my life turned out so I probably would not give much advice to give a younger “me” but I'd certainly ask him to spend much less of his time at Gachibowli studying and more of it having fun – as it turned out, the company that hired me didn’t ask or seem to care very much about my grades.
Rajeev: My advice would be to identify something to be passionate about and build a career in it. Nothing is more satisfying. Do not chase the jobs that pay the most - you are paid well only because the job is dirty, painful or dreary!