ISB Day was celebrated on December 3, 2006, to mark the five year milestone for the ISB. Enthusiastic participation by students, staff and faculty, reinforced the idea that is essentially ISBian in spirit – that learning and working together is fun. Hip hop dances to remixed medley tunes, rendering of memorable “hits” by students and their spouses (the Tamil version of the song from the movie Roja went down very well with the gathering), and a well choreographed fashion show, where students showcased a Vinita Pittie collection, were some of the hungama highlights of the evening. While the adults were captivated by the celebratory mood, the youngsters had their share of fun in a magic show, tattoo tinting and face painting activities, etc. organised specially for them. The post dinner dance had the ISBians letting their hair down and taking to the dance floor with trendy steps. The mood was upbeat and the atmosphere was fun-filled. The DAI (Drama at ISB) Club at the ISB was, this time, inspired with the gung ho Rang de spirit. They put up a 15 minute skit, Rang de exam, to lend a dramatic flavour to the celebrations. The skit was a witty script about the toils of the night before the exams. Assistant Dean, Business Affairs, Shiladitya Das welcomed everyone, and thanked them for “acknowledging and participating in a historic event.” He recalled the genesis of the ISB from an idea in excellence to an institute which was “research driven, internationally top ranked and independently managed. It requires conviction, courage and an ability to steer such a mission to success,” he noted. Founding Dean, Dr Pramath Sinha traced the journey of the ISB with nostalgia and pride. “One monsoon morning, we walked down from IIIT, up a mud track, and saw this striking landscape. We knew this was where we wanted to see the ISB,” he recalled. It was, however, not an easy journey, recalled Sinha. Trepidations were plenty and trials galore as the School handled one crisis after another as it hiccupped through the initial years. But despite everything, “June 25, 2001, was a key date in the ISB’s history. On that day we started our first MBA programme with two classrooms, a make-shift library, a dining area in the faculty housing block, and no housing facility for the students.” The next testing time, recalled Sinha, was post 9 \11. “Faculty from the US declined to make a journey to India. Companies from abroad declined to recruit our students. Placing 120 students was a real challenge. Today, each of these students holds key positions worldwide, and is the School’s best ambassador. Sinha urged everyone to keep in mind and preserve the three values that the ISB stands for - openness to ideas and people, driven by the fact that we serve a global corporate world, and lastly, being innovative at every step. “The best days for the ISB are yet to come,” he said sharing his optimism for ISB’s future. ISB Song Released The debut of the ISB anthem set the anniversary mood musically soaring. The ISB song was officially released on December 3, 2006 as part of the cultural celebrations, to bring in the fifth year at the ISB. Team ISB comprising students Sindhu Shanmugam, Megh Kalyanasundaram, Arun Dhar, Sandhya Babu and Shelton Martins, set the stage on fire as they sang ‘ISB - dream to see - place to be’. “The thought of composing an ISB jingle occurred the day I received the ISB admissions package CD containing a video, capturing moments from the previous batches”, recalls Megh, the composer of the jingle. The execution of the jingle accelerated with Arun Dhar joining in, who arranged the vocal harmonies for the jingle. “We executed the song right here in campus, in less than 20 hours, and full marks to the synergy in the team,” adds Arun. The lyrics of the ISB jingle, written by Sindhu and Megh, will henceforth be a part of the Admission Road Shows. “It was great fun writing the lyrics and singing this jingle. Seeing the entire production happen in-house was a great experience,” said Sindhu. It is always a great feeling when the work one puts in “resonates”. The ISB Jingle team’s euphoria caught on with the entire gathering, and everyone echoed the same upbeat mood. The First Wave - ISB Radio ISB Radio, an initiative driven by the student body and the SFA (Spouses & Families Association), was launched with great fanfare on December 3, 2006, as a part of the Fifth Anniversary Celebrations of the ISB. Dean Rammohan Rao, Deputy Dean Ajit Rangnekar and founder Dean Pramath Sinha, did the honours in officially launching the in-house radio. “We have been working hard for the last few months to get this started, and it feels great to have finally launched it. Radio is on a comeback, and we at the ISB wanted to be a part of this new wave,” said Sindhu Shanmugam, the tour de force behind Radio ISB. The radio, unlike FM, is going to be an online streaming radio, which can be accessed within the ISB through the intranet. Initially, there would be a one hour programme on air. A new recording studio has been set up for this purpose, and content building is in process. “We want this to be a single platform where students, management, staff, alumni and even other companies can communicate with the current batch of students. There are around 20 of the most amazingly creative and talented students and spouses who are working on the shows right now. We are experimenting with different types of shows and plan to bring in people from the industry and even alumni to join us on our shows,” said Sindhu. |
