Magical moments during the last one year of my Executive Program in Strategic Human Resource Management @IIM- Calcutta

Story of my 1-year Executive Program on Strategic Human Resource Management at the esteemed Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta! (EPSHRM – 2023 – 2024)

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Life is truly magical! As I read, life is ABRACADABRA. We do not know when or where we connect with the cosmos and send some messages, extend certain desires and propel our mind for the universe to conspire. We see and read many such stories and still fail to believe that the same is happening with us every now and then to which we are not even conscious of or pay heed to. But if we think about it and connect the dots down memory lane of the messages we wrote to the Universe or the desires we expressed, then we will know it’s magical. So, yes, being born and brought up in Calcutta, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta was for me dream-like, an Institution where only the very lucky ones can study and I wanted to be one of those lucky ones.?

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The more challenging and distant it seems, the more attractive it is for me. This seed of thought in my mind that one day I would like to step into the most coveted and iconic campus of IIM-C as a student, that one day I will know how the campus is like, that I can enter and learn and know what this Institution means to a student, a professional, a business aspirant, I don’t know when it grew its roots and branches. The magic happened after 20 years of professional journey in the field of Management. For me this one year has been that last leg of my walk to finally enter the gate of Indian Institute Of Management, Calcutta. I became a part of the esteemed Institution as a student. I explored the campus, absorbed all that energy of positivity, aspirations, dreams that the learners, believers, practitioners leave here before they leave the campus. It was for me, to absorb as much as I could. Patience and timing. Everything comes when it must come. A life cannot be rushed, cannot be worked on a schedule as people want it to be. We must accept what comes to us at a given time, as the prospects are truly endless.?

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We pass through different phases and there is no end as we have many dimensions I suppose. But time is not as we see it, but rather in lessons that are learned. I learned an important lesson here. I learned that I am unique and that there cannot be another me, so yes, I accept the way I am, with my shortfalls and flaws. I will truly become what I deserve to be. I also learned that I should never stop dreaming, no matter how big it is, no matter how difficult it seems to me now, since “time” is not how we see time, I should give wings to my dreams and let them fly! I also learned that I can fail, can get exhausted and time may come when I may feel like giving up, but it is up to me whether I give up or I still rise from those failures like a phoenix. I learned that it is okay to be different from others, but it is important for us to know what we are gifted with.?

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It is important I find that unique streak I have which energizes me, which gets admiration from even the person whom i barely know, a stranger. It’s up to us what we do after knowing the unique ability we have. Do we capitalize on the same and make it a source of livelihood or do we nurture at the core of one’s heart and keep it a secret? This year has been a journey of mind power. Even in this last leg, life threw challenges at me. On one hand it was the challenge of shifting to Mumbai from Kolkata and settling down into a new job, new home, new routine and then the incredible journey of student life through project deadlines, year-long weekend classes, preparation for regular exams, group presentations and the academic pressure of learning and knowledge sharing along with batchmates who are seasoned HR leaders.

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We all know how special weekends are - particularly Saturday nights and Sunday mornings - for employees working from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. even through Saturdays. Those two most attractive times of the week for the last year were devoted to live classes held by the Professors and faculties of IIM-C. We had our presentations to make, assignments to submit and most importantly be present for a minimum of three and a half hours on Sundays.?

I saw 4 distinct characteristics come out of this momentum set by the Institution. Support, Sacrifice, Self belief and Submission or faith.

?Consistency, order and discipline of regular practice. The most skilled professionals also need to up-skill and up-scale. They need to come out of the current role play and get the tutelage and classroom learning under the watchful eye of professors and explore and understand the nuances of real-time cases happening across the world with researchers, domain experts, Industry leaders to learn and get engaged to think and come out with strategic decisions, power to evaluate a case and hence contribute in the unique ability to handle challenges. During the course I came across complexities and dynamics where I could resonate with my past and present work experiences and it helped me to develop intuitive competencies and innovative solutions.?

?As if it was not enough, during the third module of the program, life threw another challenge at me. One fine morning, on November 19, 2023 I came to know that my father has lost his entire life’s savings to cyber criminals. Physical distance and living in a different city and commitment to my work acted as barriers to my immediate support to him, but I was determined not to give up. This was my biggest case study to understand the details, gather data pertaining to how it happened and make tactical moves and strategic decisions to get the problem addressed and resolved. I had an examination that was scheduled the same week and I found it so hard to concentrate. I still remember the agony and anxiety in not being able to finish my answer papers. I remember the number of calls that I made to the respective authorities and emails and followups.?

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Every time I heard from them that the case is closed and it is all verified transactions that happened. I didn’t give up! I knew we were right and could research and redefine the way to approach this case in order to get attention from the respected offices of the police, of the @Reserve Bank of India and of the government. And yet again ABRACADABRA happened! It was magical! My convocation was over at the campus and I was to fly back to Mumbai the next day and that is when the magic happened. I received the most desired call and email from the RBI, Kolkata, who after evaluating our application and reading about the case, allowed us to present our case to them. I represented my father in this case in a reconciliation meeting with the RBI Ombudsmen in the presence of a team of the entire Axis Bank senior banking officials and the verdict was passed on the spot after hearing both sides. Axis Bank was asked to credit the full amount to us and submit documentary evidence within ten days. Further, RBIO cautioned the Bank to adhere to RBI guidelines and banking practices to ensure better customer service in the future. The bank agreed with the compromise proposal!

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The story will remain incomplete if I do not mention the magical moment of self-practice that I got to do in the midst of the beautiful campus of the Institution every single day of my stay and then was surprised by the Magic!

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During our Gala Dinner, a day before the IIM-C convocation program, where you get the opportunity to meet and greet the professors, the faculty members and cohorts over a relaxed Dinner time - I had my intention to present my own creation of a synchronized format of yoga performance with powerful music as a token of gratitude to all who helped in making this dream come true. This intention was derived out of 2 strong aspirations:

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A.??? I wanted my cohorts and Professors and respected faculty members know who truly I am and my passion for Yoga and make it a memory to cherish!

B.??? Over a period of time, I have gathered that the only way of giving back or thanksgiving that I can do to all that I receive from the beautiful people out there, from the Universe is by my sharing of this art & knowledge about “Yog”!

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And yet again ABRACADABRA happened! It was just a thought, an intention, to show what I’ve learned and enjoy teaching and with the support and encouragement from my cohorts, the Idea transformed into a group performance where I had few of our Human Resources stalwarts joining in at the very last minute for practice, choreography and the final performance.?

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Thank you Shruti Jeevaraj SHRM-SCP, NLP, TA , Aparna Dinesh , Jayita Bhattacharyya , Sushma Shetty Accenture and Sonali Dutta Sarkar for having faith and I am sure we will cherish this memory of creating something out of the box, something magical at the campus, forever in our life!

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Dated: 23rd February 2024

Written by: Bishakha Patra

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