IIM Amritsar awarded MBA degrees to its fourth (2018-2020) and fifth batch (2019-21) of 106 and 146 students, respectively, in the joint convocation ceremony held on 29th May 2021 in virtual mode. The students received MBA degrees on the recommendation of the academic council as per the IIM Act 2017.
The fifth batch of IIM Amritsar had the largest batch size among the third generation IIMs. Both batches witnessed a changing landscape of education and job market on account of the pandemic situation in the country. Notwithstanding the uncertainties posed by the pandemic, the fourth and fifth batch of IIM Amritsar successfully concluded their placements and, at the same time, excelled at academics.
Event, Convocation Address, Director’s Report
Shri. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., graced the ceremony as the Chief Guest and delivered the convocation address. Mr. Sanjay Gupta – CEO, Dainik Jagran, Chairman – BoG of IIM Amritsar, Prof. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy, Director, IIM Amritsar, Prof. Mahima Gupta, MBA Chairperson, IIM Amritsar, CS Nagendra D. Rao, President – ICSI, were also present during the convocation ceremony along with the other faculty and staff members of IIM Amritsar. Dr. Simrandeep Singh Thapar hosted the ceremony.
In his convocation address, Shri. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, the Chief Guest, congratulated all the students and highlighted how every new generation defines the inevitable circle of life and human evolution. Mr. Vaidya said that despite being in its nascent stage, IIM 
Amritsar had developed high standards for developing leaders with wisdom and integrity. He emphasized that each student shall emerge as worthy ambassadors of this vision in the years to come and inspire future generations. Mr. Vaidya explicated how several hopes are pinned on the outgoing batch as leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs for charting the blueprint of a more sustainable, equitable society and world. He accentuated the dire necessity of taking a pause, celebrating the present, and preparing for a great tomorrow. Concluding his address, the Chief Guest – Mr. Vaidya, reminded all the students to keep their values sacrosanct and never let them get compromised as they navigate the corporate world.
Shri Sanjay Gupta, Chairperson of BoG of IIM Amritsar, conferred the degrees on 252 students of the 2018-20 and 2019-2021 batch. Extending his greetings to the Director, IIM Amritsar, Shri Gupta, said that the online mode of teaching emerged as the new normal with the pandemic ravaging the world. He wholeheartedly congratulated the administration, teachers, and students for swiftly adapting to the virtual mode of imparting and receiving education. Addressing the students, Shri Gupta said that,“ Business administration is a demanding skill which requires not just to study different aspects of theory but also to tune your personality, build confidence and make yourself mentally strong. And this can be achieved through gaining knowledge and keeping yourself abreast with the current happenings.” He appended that the youth must imbibe the virtue of respecting others’ liberties in addition to respecting their families, older people, the law of the land, and the country as a whole. Shri Gupta emphasized the importance of staying calm and keeping one’s mind centered on taking steps that add to one’s professional glory and go a long way in helping the needy and, in the end, contribute towards building the nation.
Prof. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy, Director IIM Amritsar, presented Director’s annual report for last two years as this was a joint convocation for the two batches that passed out in 2020 and 2021. While applauding the efforts of the students and faculty, he highlighted how the pandemic could not deter the spirits of the IIM Amritsar community and how as an institute, it continued to impart the same quality of education even in the virtual mode. Professor Ramamoorthy described how IIM Amritsar has been making progressive strides and has 
demonstrated impeccable growth. From 254 students in 2019 to 358 students in 2020, to now around 500 students in 2021, he added how the institute had been one of the most rapidly growing third-generation IIM. Underscoring the rich demographic, cultural, and geographic diversity imbibed by the institute, Prof. Ramamoorthy highlighted how the MB06 batch has 35% female students, 60% students with prior work experience, and also has students representing every state of the country. Despite the pandemic engulfing the nation, IIM Amritsar witnessed 102 companies participating in Summer Placements and 88 companies participating in the Final Placements. Professor Ramamoorthy continued that there was no dearth of non-academic activities despite the pandemic, and various conclaves were held in the virtual mode. Calling the students’ achievements, he added that 47 students bagged multifarious awards during the year, notwithstanding the limitations imposed by the pandemic. With the commencement of new programs such as the Doctoral Program, Executive MBA Program, MBA-BA, and MBA-HR program, the institute has been on a continuous growth trajectory. Concluding his address, prof. Ramamoorthy encouraged all the students to stay connected to their institute no matter where they reach in their lives.
IIM Amritsar Gold Medals
Two gold medals were awarded for scholastic and all-round performance during the convocation in each of the batches. Mr. Keshav Gupta of the PGP04 batch and Mr. Puneet Kakkar of the MBA05 batch were conferred the gold medal for scholastic performance.
Mr. Puneet, who belongs to a business family, hails from the town of Rudrapur in Uttarakhand. Describing his experience of 2 years at IIM Amritsar, he deemed IIM Amritsar to be a cornerstone in his life, which molded him into an industry-ready professional and contributed profoundly to his personal growth. Talking about his learnings from the pandemic, Mr. Puneet accentuated the need to imbibe the virtues of mutual support, empathy, patience, and humanity in our everyday lives. Lastly, he added that he looks forward to becoming a domain expert with multi-faceted knowledge across several disciplines.
The gold medal for all-round performance was conferred upon Mr. Mathew K J of the PGP04 batch and Mr. Arvind Singh Bakshi of the MBA05 batch. Mr. Arvind, who comes from Chandigarh, explained how the various opportunities offered to him at IIM Amritsar helped him build a diverse skillset and shaped his personality in a way that would support him throughout his life. Turning a challenge into an opportunity to develop oneself and make it one’s strength was his learning from the pandemic. Talking about his plans, Mr. Arvind added that he wants to contribute to nation-building activities and give back to society.
ICSI Gold Medals
In addition to this, ICSI conferred three gold medals upon the top 3 performers of the MBA05 batch. The ICSI Signature Award for standing first in the order of merit was conferred upon Mr. Puneet Kakkar. Mr. Aditya Arora bagged the second ICSI Signature Award for standing second in the order of merit. Mr. Rathod Ganesh Suryakant received the third ICSI Signature Award for standing third in the order of merit.
CS Nagendra D. Rao, President – ICSI, extended his heartiest congratulations to all the graduating students to enter the real world as of tomorrow’s leaders. Mr. Rao highlighted that convocations have always held special ways in every society. They mark an end to classroom learning and a beginning of life-long learning towards serving the nation. Quoting one of his favorite Sholkas, Mr. Rao said, “There is no relative equivalent to knowledge, there is no friend equivalent to knowledge, there is no wealth equivalent to knowledge, There is no happiness equivalent to knowledge.” He enumerated how a true professional is a continuous seeker of knowledge and when leaders guide societies with integrity can the ultimate goal of good governance be achieved. Concluding his address, Mr. Rao accentuated the importance of strength, perseverance, and grit as when going gets tough, the tough gets going.
A note on Placements
Despite the copious challenges and vicissitudes posed by the changing landscape of the job market and education in 2020, IIM Amritsar clinched a befitting conclusion to the academic year 2020-21 by achieving 100% final placements its MBA05 batch. One hundred percent placements for our students are a testament to the continued faith reposed by the recruiters in our students.
Notwithstanding the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Institute ensured relevant placements for the fifth MBA batch, which has the largest number of students among the third generation IIMs. “Since international recruiters didn’t participate in the placement process this year, the highest annual package of INR18.16 LPA was received from a domestic firm,” reported the Placement Committee of IIM Amritsar. The Committee also shared, “The average package for the top quartile of the batch was INR15.94 LPA, and the overall average CTC stood at INR12.68 LPA.” Submitted by IIM Amritsar PR
