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1. Tell us about your role and
responsibilities at your college?
Being the very first batch of the newly formed
Economics department, we were a small family of just 100 students. There already existed 6 departments with a well- built legacy. It wasn't easy for a
new department to get recognition- we had to earn it.
With the help of our
professors, we built Arthvidya- the Economics society of VIPS.
My role from the beginning was more towards organizing and checking on the technicalities of
the events. The first edition of our fest Sankaran, I was
the student coordinator. In the very first edition itself, I got the amazing
opportunity to create an event from scratch.
Then, I got elected as the President and have been serving since then. This came with
both responsibilities and opportunities. Since then, we've hosted conferences
with eminent personalities from business and economics sphere. Two economics
fests, panel discussions, routine debates and quizzes.
One thing that has been
my ultimate duty as a president is to have a clear vision towards what the
society represents, guide my team members, identify and encourage their talents.
2. What it’s like to juggle between a
leadership role and a normal college life?
The normal in a normal college life is really
subjective. If you're in a leadership role your normal isn't something a
conventional college going kid might relate to, however, it becomes a part of
who you are. It becomes your normal.
The transition is a process that keeps
taking place subtly in the background. As and when responsibilities grow, you
grow along, without even realizing it. It does take a toll on you though.
On one hand,
you are somewhat distanced from the social life, you feel accountable all the
time, you feel vulnerable to failures, you feel responsible for the entire team
but on the other hand, you get to meet so many people from different backgrounds,
different thought processes, you get to learn, you gain experience and all of
it makes you realize of the potential you didn't know you treasured.
So, to me,
it is a kind of 'normal' which helps you explore yourself more and build
something valuable from scratch.
3. What have been some of your biggest
challenges and learning’s from what you do?
Like any other student leader I too have an
impressive list of challenges I faced but there was one common learning
from all- to adapt to the situation and bring out the benefits which the
society can reap as a whole.
To
give you an insight- sometimes, frequencies of the organizing team and faculty
do not match. As the president of the society it is my responsibility to
provide a balanced platform on how plans could go forward.
When a whole team of
both students and faculty are working tirelessly to add value to the society, I
feel it is my duty to make the two ends meet. Sometimes it works, sometimes it
doesn't. But that provides a sense of experience and learning.
Being the
President of Arthvidya, where the basic motive is to experiment with the basic
concept of economics, it is really important that we don't get too
repetitive with our approach.
One thing which we keep in mind is to
not put a bar to what the society can offer. Ideas of all kinds are welcomed
and I, especially, feel it is my role to keep encouraging students to bring out
innovative ways of putting economics and human behavior to test.
One major
challenge which I would like to highlight upon was keeping the team motivated.
Students are not rewarded much for organizing events in a way which appeals to
them, the hidden benefits of it are not seen by all.
Obviously no marks are
awarded for working for a society, and neither were we provided with attendance
as in the case of many other college societies. Few students are willing to
join the society and some of them even leave.
New students are added before
every event- as a leader I have to keep them motivated, boost their morale and
build up their confidence & loyalty towards the society. This is very
essential for ensuring that they feel that it is their own society for which
they are working.
4. What are the top skills you’ve learnt with
what you do?
Being in the
position of a leader persuades you to think like one and be like one, it gets
inherited in you. After organizing so many events, skills like effective
communication, delegation, management and administration became my key
accomplishments.
Most importantly I learnt multi-tasking and time management
which were the necessary tools to manage both my college society and my college
life. These skills helped me to make it to the top 10 in the
University along with being able to organize successful events.
5. What was your biggest achievement
which you’ve got through this responsibility?
Being the first batch of this department, we
considered it our responsibility to provide VSE with a society which has a
path breaking future, a society which grows as we grow. It was not easy to
start from scratch, as guidance from seniors was not available, we struggled to solidify
Arthvidya.
From brainstorming sessions, to discussions with our teachers, from
similar ideas to clashes, from just two events in first year to 8 events in
second, we have come a long way.
Today, as a proud president, my biggest achievement
is to be fortunate enough to start from scratch and create something this
special out of nothing.
6. What’s your message to encourage students to do internships and attend conferences?
When we enter into college from mundane school life, we experience a new sense of freedom and independence. This is the time where we get to explore all the alternatives we can look forward to.
But this cannot be done by restraining ourselves to academics. Internships and conferences build our confidence & personality which determine the course of our life.
Almost each & every field has two future paths- research/corporate. It is during the course of our college life that we are able to choose our path.
Internships & conferences lay what all we can expect in the two career paths.
After attending various conferences I feel that I'm more inclined towards research. But even if you end up choosing otherwise in future, the experience always comes in handy!
Interview By - Sanya Harjai
Interview By - Sanya Harjai
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