Hi all,

Have been going through the threads of different IIMs & what I observed was that the janta wants to know what's unique to each IIM and what makes it different from the others. In case of IIM-A, although there are hazaar things to talk about, I'll talk about some "soft" courses, which as per my knowledge are unique to IIM-A (would appreciate if any student from other IIM can share experience regarding any course similar to this in their respective institute). These courses have helped a lot of students for more than 2 decades in becoming a better human being. These are elective courses and can be taken in 2nd year.

The 1st being CRI (Career, Role & Identity)

In this course, we talk about the different subjects of life. It is conducted by our dean Prof. Indira Parikh and she is just marvelous in it. We are given assignments like writing another person's biography, perception about men & women, expectations from spouse, expectations from work place, expectations from marriage & finally one's autobiography. All these are compulsory, but the onus to learn is on the students as usual.

We have a frank discussion in class with exchange students actively participating in discussions. We are asked to talk about different issues in groups and then discuss in class. We also read a book based on research on IIM-A grads who passed out in 70s & 80s, about their experiences in different facets of life. It has a vide variety of experiences on all fronts (both professional & personal). There were alumni with 20+ yrs of work experience who came and talked about their personal experiences and told us about common mistakes IIM-A junta makes at work (yeah, that also happens).

Frankly, this has been one of the best courses I've taken in my life. Although it is not a technical course, its learnings are of even more importance in working field and personal front as well.

The 2nd being ERI (Exploration in Role & Identity)

This is a sister course of CRI & the main difference is that it is not a classroom subject. All students who have taken the course go to a far off place in a wild life sanctuary with Prof. Parikh and her associates. They are totally cutoff from the world for a week or so. Then they are distributed in small groups and everybody talks about their life and other issues. People have their meals together and then have a night session where they talk about different issues under moonlight in open. Although I could not take this course, but still can very well say, it is another jewel in the courses that IIM-A has to offer.

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* Contributed by -
Anuj Arora,
B.Tech. Elect. & Comm., Kurukshetra University,
PGP2, IIM-Ahmedabad.

Send your comments about the write-up at anuj005@rediffmail.com