First peek into IIM Ranchi - Part I

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ranchi is still not a landmark in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The word IIM itself is a wringer to the ears of auto drivers and cyclewallas. But if you say Suchana Bhavan (the building that houses IIM Ranchi), they are more than willing to ferry you there as it nets them a cool Rs 100 one way.

From the outside, Suchana Bhavan looks like a typical freshly-painted government building. Inside, it is buzzing with activity, simply because it has the first batch of students at the newly opened IIM Ranchi — those who are writing history for generations of students to come. And that too for none other than an IIM-level college. For the students, it is akin to constructing the college building brick by brick.

New pinch

According to Shubhankar Rai, (PG nickname bkd.exe) a student from the Placement Committee of IIM Ranchi, everything that the college students are engaged in right now is being done for the first time in the college.

“We are creating a legacy for the institute. We have been working on the logo, the website, the placement rules, club names and these are things that would stay with the college forever. It does give one goosebumps thinking about all this once a while. We do face hardships at times when not having an established system creates problems but then IIM Calcutta has been a really great support," he says.

For Aditya Somani, another student, the experience is fulfilling because students are enjoying the challenge of establishing a new college.

“We are getting to practice what we learn in class first-hand while establishing the college. I learned the concept of SAAS (software as a service) as new paradigm in IT and was able to implement it for the college all in just one semester. I think it may not give us the starting jump that the existing IIMs have but in the long run the learning here will be at par with the best if not better."

Kumar Abhishek, (PG name jumpjack) says that being the first batch of students keeps them on their toes.

“To get to the solution of every problem that we face, we need to think out of the box and be innovative. We are learning new things almost everyday," he says.

Age profile of the first batch

Less than 23 years of age - 50%

Between 23-25 years - 30%

25 plus - 20%

An energetic bunch

Is the reason behind the teeming energy in the college the fact that more than 50 per cent of the batch is less than 23 years of age? Or is it the reality that 50 percent also have had no work experience?

Shubhankar defends that in fact IIM Ranchi"s wide mix of student profiles and ages contributes to the diversity. “We have someone who has worked close to 45 months with Vodafone to someone who is a fresher from St Xavier"s, Mumbai. Because there is so much diversity in thought processes, the work output is actually better."

Those with work experience at IIM Ranchi have held fancy posts and worked with renowned companies prior to joining. For instance, Kumar Abhishek, who has done his Dual Degree (integrated B.Tech and M.Tech) from IIT Kharagpur, has worked as an analyst with HSBC Global Analytics for two years. Aditya himself has 45 months work ex with IBM.

Background of students

Computer Engineering - 30%

Electronics Engineering - 27%

Mechanical Engineering - 11%

Electrical Engineering - 11%

Commerce -7%

Arts - 7%

Biology - 2%

Others - 9%

Read: First peek into IIM Ranchi - Part II>>