Samanvay, the annual corporate symposium of Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) was recently held at its campus. Over the years Samanvay has hosted many luminaries and this year was no different. Mr. Ninad Karpe, MD and CEO of Aptech and Mr. Rajiv Naik, a Scotland based consultant were the guests of honour this year. The theme this year was "Renaissance – The Time for Re-Awakening".

The symposium was flagged off by Mr. Karpe. A chartered accountant by profession, he has donned many hats -- financial consultant, author, and educator. He has played the part of entrepreneur equally well, setting up the Indian operations for Computer Associates (CA) from scratch and garnering a huge presence for CA in a span of 10 years before taking over the reins at Aptech. 

Mr. Karpe spoke about the Indian education and training sector and pointed out that it had not received the attention it deserved. He said that private players should be allowed to participate and contribute to this sector in a more unfettered manner. While institutes of higher learning were needed, the real requirement was at the primary level. The number of dropouts, nearly 40% of the country’s school-age children was a major cause of concern. 

Constant monitoring and improvement in the quality of education imparted will surely help raise the literacy levels in the country. He reiterated that if the necessary steps were taken, it would have a domino effect on the entire education and training industry and India could re-awaken to a literate and empowered populace. He also exhorted students to free their minds of biases and inhibitions, especially in light of a situation where corporates need young managers to spearhead their rural forays. Lastly, he reminded the students never to let go of their ethics, nor to forget the thrill of creating something new. ,

The second speaker for the event was Mr. Rajiv Naik. In addition to being the co-owner and a partner of Sumati Global Partners, he has over 18 years of experience with originating, structuring and executing business development propositions for blue chip organisations. His stint with corporates includes an eight year stretch with Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. He is a member of the Edinburgh Chambers of Commerce and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE (UK)).

Having been closely involved with both blue chip firms as well as the top business colleges in Edinburgh he was able to impart his insights on the competencies that constitute a global manager. He noted that the students with their keen understanding of the changing economic scenario, reflection of positivity in their thinking, advanced social behavior patterns and their capability to connect with reality and thinking would surely go a long way.

He emphasized that this was the time for re-awakening and moving away from the economics of greed and fear, and instead focusing on wealth creation. The need of the hour was young entrepreneurs. He urged the students to understand, explore and do something original. He also shared his thoughts on what he felt had helped young entrepreneurs start successful ventures, drawing on his association with TiE, the global non profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship.

The event ended with an elaborate round of Questions & Answers with Mr. Naik. The audience was witness to an extremely informative and inspiring session. Samanvay 2009 was indeed an event to cherish.