Business Conclave - 2016

Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), a premier and prestigious institution in the fields of Commerce and Economics prepares young men and women for careers in business. Some students of our school ( classes IX and X) got the opportunity to attend the ' Business Conclave 2016 held SRCC. We were accompanied by our economics' teacher, Ms. Veena Ajay kumar.

This Conclave is an annual business event at the college and is an initiative to ignite young minds about entrepreneurship and the business world. This year it was a three day event held from 3-5 February, 2016. We went there as audience and were delighted for the chance to listen to several luminaries. These included politicians, journalists, sports' persons etc. We were also invited to participate in the open events. One such event was named ' Who is your God?'. The task was to create one's own new religion, market it and then we would be judged on our marketing skills! It was devoid of spirituality. The other open events were ' The Inquizate' , a quiz session; and the Great Initial Public Offerings ( IPO). It was a great experience trying our hands at these activities.

[gallery link="file"] The speakers' session held in the Foundation Hall was like a summit as it invited an exchange of ideas between very bright minds. ' The suit is your armour and the mind is your weapon was a discussion was about ' start-ups'. On the first day there was a panel discussion among heads of some new start ups like ' The Food panda' etc. They all emphasised perseverance, the possession of a strong idea, integrity, an open mind, continuously upgrading one's knowledge and continuously keeping pace with new technology, as key ingredients for success. We must believe in the concept and work hard to overcome the challenges. Start ups face new challenges everyday, they emphasised. The latter half saw an open debate between Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, ( Union Minister of State for Commerce) and Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai ( well known journalist and TV anchor). They both talked on Start- ups and various other current issues. The session was memorable and it was a great experience listening to such eminent speakers. On the second day of the Conclave, the speaker session was chaired by Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Union Central Transport Minister. He talked about Digital India and advancements in technology. Technology plays the role of a binding force, he said. Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder chairman of Bharti was the second speaker who discussed his experience, the obstacles in setting up his enterprises.

The concluding day awaited was a variety of speakers from businessmen to Bollywood celebrities to sportsmen. The day began with a session by GM Rao, founder of the GMR Group, who laid emphasis on the role of principles of honest business. " Talent alone will not take you far, it will open one door, but it would not open the last door. Later, only attitude towards work will matter", he said. The next session by Mr. Adi Godrej, chairman of 118 year-young ( !) Godrej Group acquainted us with his business journey and the cycle of an entrepreneur.

The most awaited session of the day was by chairman and editor-in-chief, INDIA TV, Mr. Rajat Sharma. He, with his passionate approach and humour spoke very inspiringly. Himself an alumnus of SRCC, he declared that he owes his success to the ground laid by his alma mater.

The session by David Plouffe, chief advisor and director, UBER and former senior advisor to US President Barack Obama dealt with valuable lessons of politics and business management. Mr. Anurag Thakur, member of Parliament and secretary, BCCI highlighted the importance of sports in our lives. Mr. Rishi Kapoor, eminent Bollywood actor stirred the audience with his candid opinions on various issues.

Last but not the least, we cannot help concluding without saying "The goal for you should be to invent, to challenge, to lead and to inspire, as your generation might prove to be the best generation that the world's have had." - David Plouffe By: Rhythm & Saranshika X-A