VOLUME 4 ’Chakravyuh Edition’

2 | P a g e

1. From the Chairperson’s Desk … 3

2. Chakravyuh ‘11

a. Introduction … 4

b. Article by Chakravyuh ’10 Winner … 7

c. Article by Chakravyuh ’10 Pariticipant … 9

3. Budding IMTians … 11

4. IMTG Connect .... 15

CONTENTS

3 | P a g e

From the Chairperson’s Desk

It gives me immense pleasure to present

the fifth issue of our Alumni Newsletter -

‘Sampark’, for the academic session of

2010-11.

With one of the biggest Inter B School

Sports Event - Chakravyuh, hosted by

IMT, just round the corner and its

preparations on full bloom. We would

like to update you on the same with the

help of this special issue – Chakravyuh

Edition.

I appreciate the untiring efforts of our Sampark Team and everyone

involved with Sampark, who metamorphosed this issue.

We have been overwhelmed with the continual appreciation received

every month for Sampark, and would like to thank you for your

constant support and encouragement. As always, receiving insights and

perspectives will be invaluable to us, so please feel free to contact us

anytime at alumni@imt.edu.

Dr. Vimi Jham

Chairperson

Alumni Relationship Committee

4 | P a g e

INTRODUCTION

In 1993, deriving its name from the roots of

Indian history, symbolizing the very intention of

its inception – competition, bravery and glory -

an event in its infancy made it into the academic

calendar of IMT Ghaziabad.

18 years on, becoming the envy of over 30 participating B-schools, an

attraction to over 50 participating alumni each year, that infant has

grown to undoubtedly take its place as the Big Daddy of B-School sports

events.

IMT Chakravyuh isn’t just any sports event. It is a 72 hours non-stop

celebration of a long-lasting culture at IMT Ghaziabad; an encapsulation

of a tradition of unconfined boldness, indomitable spirit, grand

organization and a hunger for competition.

It is a blend of intense round-the-clock competition producing a war-like

atmosphere, off-the-field events testing your sporting intellect,

entertaining activities recreating the air of childhood and DJ nights

providing a festive ambience. It remains the ultimate test of an athlete’s

skill, stamina, passion, strength, agility and the ability to endure

pressure and come out victorious.

The objective of Chakravyuh is simple – ‘Form a team of 25 players that

accommodates all sports in a way to target the overall trophy based on a

points system’. While it seems simple and straight-forward, the amount

of strategy that goes into the formation of a team is nothing short of a

managerial ordeal.

5 | P a g e

For IMTans, mission Chakravyuh usually begins five or six months prior

to the big event. By then, team captains are already running around to

recruit players for their teams and players have multiple offers from

different teams to decide upon. First-mover advantage, formation of

cartels, players jumping ships between rivals and the use of marketing

concepts to sell your team; Chakravyuh witnesses all these elements of

ruthless competition of the business world.

Apart from a fixed number of teams from IMT Ghaziabad, the mega

event hosts teams from B-Schools such as IIM Bangalore, IIM Lucknow,

MDI, IIFT, MICA, SP JAIN, FMS, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi and several other

top B-schools in India. It also welcomes teams composed of alumni of

IMT Ghaziabad.

While the bells of success of last year’s Chakravyuh are still ringing

throughout the Indian B-School community, this year the Sports

Committee of IMT Ghaziabad plans to take the event one notch higher.

The uniqueness of this event will further be enhanced by the

introduction of activities like Paintball and Betting Station. So, while the

extravaganza is all about sports and sportspersons, Chakravyuh 2011

will make sure it serves the people who miss out due to the cut-throat

competition.

‚Chakravyuh XI‛ will also have a huge cash prize for ‚best marketing‛ –

thus, laying the foundation for all the teams to express, innovate,

improvise and paint this event in their own style to make it even more

special.

In addition to all this, Chakravyuh’s cash-strapped online competitions

and promotions had already started at the turn of the year, on its

facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Chakravyuh11

It promises to be another significant milestone in the competition’s

eighteen-year rich history. It is a legacy that each and every IMTan is

6 | P a g e

proud of and looks up to. From Feb 11-13, 2011, IMT Ghaziabad throws

down the gauntlet to all competing B-Schools…

You may have run a marathon, but can you run a Chakravyuh?

7 | P a g e

Article Written by Uma Aiyer – Player, Kshatriyas (Winner of

Chakravyuh 10)

Chakravyuh ‘10 – the experience of a Lifetime

No… it’s not a typo; it’s exactly how the organizers wrote out the name

of the event this year. The Capital ‘C’ was lost in a circle that

encompassed the rest of the word, so for some unfortunate reason the

digital world was filled with the resounding question, ‚Yeh Chakravyuh

kya hai?‛

Chakravyuh ‘10 was one that I personally will cherish for many years to

come. Firstly, because it’s the last time I will compete in a sports event

playing with a full-strength team. And secondly, because we won it

twice in a row.

Chakravyuh ‘10 taught me some valuable lessons too.

1. NEVER underestimate thy opponent. Even if it’s a 5-feet-something

waving a second-hand tennis racquet in your face. (This is no reference

to any person in particular. It’s just a point I’m driving home)

2. This is the golden rule of the sporting world. You are only as good as

your LAST game. No matter if you were the champions last year – THIS

year depends on nothing, but this year.

3. Keep your team close. You never appreciate the value of a whole team

until the moment you simply cannot take the court and a teammate

steps in to take your place – unprepared, yet completely willing. This

actually happened to me, and a big thanks to the whole team for

8 | P a g e

carrying that one off brilliantly (Bravo Sonica, Divya, Monica and

Ankira).

4. An ocean is made up of little drops – don’t lose out on the little drops

in the sight of the big ocean. It might not always be possible to win

EVERYTHING all the time – but at least settle for winning a little of

everything. You never know how the little drops add up to that ocean.

5. Age is not a true reflection of your sporting ability. Our Alumni team

beat the shit out of us at some sports, and made us realize that all that

really counts is the spirit.

Another thing that I hope I can drive home here is our OUTSTANDING

sporting culture. Anshul Sir from the Alumnus team made us realize the

fact that we have a brilliant sporting culture at IMT, Ghaziabad and all

we need to do to defend the title each year is bring that spirit together

across the college.

The last but not the least bit that made Chakravyuh ‘10 special for me

was the reminder that college life was ending, and that the big bad

world will be out to get me – when the rest of my team won’t be around

to save me. It makes me realize that this wonderland is about to vanish

and only the memories shall remain: I, Alice, will have to emerge from

the rabbit-hole that I so lovingly dove into.

Thank you IMT, for this awesome event. Thank you SportsCom, for

making it so awesome. And thank you Kshatriyas – for making it so

memorable for me.

9 | P a g e

Article by Ankur Bhatia – Fore School of Management (Participant

Chakravyuh 2010)

Chakravyuh, the sports festival organized by IMT Ghaziabad is nothing

short of spectacular. It was my first time there and the three days spent

were really some of the best days of my life. I have written in my blog

about how many days of your life you can remember

(http://ankurbhatia23.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/days-you-remember-

30-or-more/). Well, lets just say that I added three more to my total.

I reached IMT after a two-hour drive from my college on the eve of 4th

Feb and was totally exhausted. As you drive into the campus you can

see the parking right away but I did not. My eyes were fixed on bright

lights coming from around the corner right opposite the parking lot. As I

drove round the corner, the scene appeared in front of my eyes. A

football ground all decked up and ready for the first kick and over 300

students dressed in their respective team kits waiting for the opening

ceremony to start. For a few seconds I was dumbstruck as it just looked

like a dream, too good to be true. After the opening ceremony and

dinner all the teams were called to the amphitheater for …well..a

welcome of sorts, like no other. So all teams filled the amphitheater and

the welcome started. All team captains were asked to introduce their

teams and others including the very witty hosts made fun of anything

and everything that was being said. By the time the insult session was

over, the fixtures were out and it was down to business.

Over the next three days all teams battled it out for the top spot in

various sports. Our team had major heart breaks in Cricket and

Badminton and we failed to win anything. As a sportsman I hate losing,

really hate it. However, for some reason i did not mind it that much.

That was the beauty of those three days as it was there that I learnt- it’s

not always about winning or losing, at times its just about doing what

10 | P a g e

you love. Imagine three days when no matter what time you got up,

there was always a sport happening, no matter where you went, people

were talking about who won or who lost and no matter how tired you

were, you still wanted to play more. I didn’t understand all this while I

was there. It was only when I was leaving that these thoughts came to

me. That is why as I left after three grueling days of non-stop

competition, taking back nothing but my bruised and battered body

with me, my heart refused to leave. I was already thinking about the

next Chakravyuh even before I left this one. It was very addictive and it

had me totally hooked.

Some teams that deserve a special mention for their performances are

The Titans and Kshatriyas of IMT who were just spectacular in multiple

games, K.J. Somaiya – underdogs who won Cricket and made it to the

finals of basketball, MDI who played some special Table Tennis and

Football, FORE School of Management whose Basketball and Badminton

teams made a real fight of impossible matches. On top of that there

were a few players who were a joy to watch- Rajinder from Amity,

Gladson from XIMB, Pulkit Garg from MDI, Vishal Mehra from Titans,

Vikram Walecha and Rahul Sood from FORE for being great sportsmen

and Sumit Arora again from FORE (comeback of the tournament after

being down 1-11).

For me this Chakravyuh 2010 was about the electrifying atmosphere,

making friends, appreciating fine sportsmen, watching some truly

remarkable matchups, sleepless nights, realization that I need to lose

weight if I want to compete and above all doing what I love the most,

play till I drop. Hats off to IMT for giving us these three days every year

over and over again.

11 | P a g e

In India “Cricket is a Religion”, which is all very good but what about the other sports? India has a host of talented sports persons but the ecosystem to support and nurture them is nonexistent. Fulfilling this gap in Indian sports is the business idea that Bipul Kumar has manifested in his startup, Tatsam sports.

Bipul has just completed his MBA from IMT Ghaziabad and is the proverbial example of an entrepreneur who chose to pursue his passion over other things. In conversation with YourStory, Bipul shares his entrepreneurial journey so far and gives us an insight into Tatsam Sports.

Tell us about Tatsam Sports?

Tatsam sports is an end to end sports solution company with an expertise in Sports consulting, Sports infrastructure planning and development, Sports training & support, equipments supply & installation and Sports events. Right from diagnosis to providing the customized solution to the clients, Tatsam takes a 360 degree approach. From sportsmen to educational institutes, from government bodies to business houses, we have services and solutions for all stakeholders in the sports field. With global partners and a big team of experts from all the areas of sports, Tatsam caters to the whole value

Budding IMTians

Bipul Kumar, Founder, Tatsam Sports Pvt. Ltd on

building a 360 degree Sports Enterprise

(yourstory.in)

12 | P a g e

chain of the sports ecosystem. We promise to deliver a holistic, unique and completely synchronized solution which meets all the pertinent requirements of our clients.

Reason behind the launch of Tatsam Sports?

First let me share what I believe are the reasons for India’s poor performance in sports:

Poor sports infrastructure Lack of scientific training methods and support mechanism for

players Lack of latest equipments and technology

Tatsam Sports is an effort towards building a sustainable sports ecosystem in India by strengthening the three pillars of the ecosystem viz. sports infrastructure, training and support and equipments, thus solving the above three problems. The scope is huge as we are working with schools/colleges, Government bodies, sports persons, other businesses and individuals.

Business Differentiators

Ours is a unique pedagogy through which we are bringing best in class solutions to our clients- a first in our industry. By bringing the best practices around the world to India, we are providing a platform to the Indian sports ecosystem to get the world class training, equipments and surfaces thus enabling a better and competitive ecosystem. This will eventually help in improved performance of Indian sportspersons and a change in level of acceptance for sports as a career in the Indian society.

13 | P a g e

What do you need to do in order to level up in your segment?

We are focusing on building a strong team, defining the processes clearly and moving forward with a vision. Innovation is the key for us when it comes to processes. We are trying to organize a sector which is largely unorganized and would like to keep doing that to maintain the competitive advantage. We are strengthening each of our five verticals. We will scale up by acquiring more clients and offering best in class services and solutions. As India’s first integrated sports solution company, we are working on bringing the world’s best services and solutions to India and help in promoting sports at the grass root level.

What made you become an entrepreneur, was it a practical

decision or a passionate one?

It was a passion that turned into a business for me. I have always been actively involved in sports. Identifying the problems at the grass root level, I decided to work towards strengthening the sports ecosystem in India. I started researching on it in 2007 and the plan got refined during my MBA at IMT Ghaziabad. I finally decided to opt out of placements and focus completely on the venture.

Its still early days for Tatsam,but any challenges that you had to

deal with?

Sports industry is largely unorganized. The biggest challenge has been to convince the stakeholders to take a different approach towards the industry. We had to educate the market. We have overcome it by defining our processes clearly and working collaboratively with our partners and clients to implement them.

14 | P a g e

What is the reason behind your great start and fast growth?

We have acquired a client base of nine, including a government of India body in a short span of two months. We have been growing steadily and our partners and clients have shown great trust in us. We are determined to provide the best in class services and solutions to our clients. We have sixteen employees and three branches.

Acknowledgements, Recognitions in the market for Tatsam?

Tatsam sports have been recognized as one of the top 30 promising startups in India by NEN first dot. We have been showcased during the orientation week at IMT Ghaziabad. We have also received accolades for our CSR activity in association with IMT Ghaziabad in which we have adopted sixteen underprivileged children with a mission to transform them into successful sportspersons. Young E-leader award from NEN for promoting and supporting a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem in campus.

What is your first priority as a company in 2011?

To become a partner of choice to our clients and deliver value to them. In the process, grow with strong fundaments and ethics.

15 | P a g e

Compiled By:

THE SAMPARK TEAM

Alumni Relationship Committee

IMT Ghaziabad

For Queries and Suggestions

Please feel free to mail us at

alumni@imt.edu

Register now at www.imtgconnect.com