IIM Sirmaur’s Eighth Annual Convocation

The 8th Convocation of IIM Sirmaur was held today, April 06, 2024, at
the permanent campus of IIM Sirmaur in Dhaula Kuan. Shri. Pushp Kumar Joshi, Chairman &
Managing Director, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) graced the occasion as
the Chief Guest. Hon’ble Chairperson of the Board of Governors (BoG), Shri Ajay S. Shriram
presided over the ceremony.
The ceremony started with the academic procession of the largest-ever batch of IIM Sirmaur
entering the venue. After declaring the convocation open, Shri Ajay Sriram, Chairperson of
BOG, addressed the audience comprising students, faculty members, dignitaries from the
industry, parents, and other key stakeholders of the IIM Sirmaur fraternity. In the address, he
highlighted several achievements of IIM Sirmaur. Specifically, he had discussed how organizing
the convocation in the permanent campus was ‘momentous’. He appreciated the contribution of
the Director, members of the Board of Governors, and other key stakeholders in the growth of
the Institute. He stated that IIM Sirmaur would go on to be the most picturesque and
environmentally sustainable campus in the country. He expressed his confidence that the next
academic year would commence in the permanent campus. Mr Sriram also shared his insights on
the significant trends in the global economy and India’s rapidly changing and supportive
regulatory environment in which prominent sectors, including chip, defence, and mining, are
growing.

Addressing the gathering, Professor Prafulla Y. Agnihotri, Director, IIM Sirmaur, presented the
Institute’s report on the occasion. He presented a snapshot of the milestones achieved by faculty,
staff and students in the last academic year. He shared that 85% of the construction of the
permanent campus is complete. The Institute currently hosts 39 full time and 2 adjunct faculty,
doctorates from IIMs, IITs and prominent international Institutes. In the last year, 10 faculty and
30 staff members joined the team from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, IIM Sirmaur had also
set up various MoUs with universities in France, Mauritus and Germany. In the coming year, it is
expected that some of the second-year students will be taking courses from these locations as a
part of their academic requirements. Further, strengthening ties with the Industry, Management
Development Programmes were conducted with seven organizations in the last academic year,
including IOCL, HPCL, Healthcare Pharmaceutical, Steelmint, I-Metro, Technical Education
Department of Himachal Pradesh and the National Stock Exchange.

He apprised the gathering about the students’ achievements along with their placement record.
He stated that the IIM Sirmaur had completed 100% summer placements this year, including
international placements in organizations from countries like Russia, UAE and Mauritius. He
reminded students that they carry responsibility on their shoulders to maintain the dignity and
honour of their education, and they should be mindful of their responsibility towards society.
Shri Ajay S. Shriram, Chairman, Board of Governors awarded MBA Degrees to the graduating
students. The families of graduating students were also present on the occasion. A total of two
hundred and ninety seven students graduated. Two hundred forty-six students were conferred the
degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA) and fifty-one students were conferred the
Master of Business Administration in Tourism and Hospitality Management (MBA T&HM).
Among the graduating students, there are eighty female students. Dharshini P, received
Chairman’s Gold Medal for the MBA and the Director’s Medal was awarded to Haris
Subramanian S. Rahul Goyal received the award for the Best All Round Performance while
Dharshini P and Chetanya Nanda received gold medals as toppers in Finance and Marketing
areas respectively. Jatin Sharma, received the gold medal for best academic performance in
MBA in Tourism and Hospitality Programme.
Shri. Pushp Kumar Joshi delivered the graduation commencement (convocation) address. He
congratulated the students at this significant milestone as they transition from the Institute
(gurukul) to the outside world. Emphasizing the importance of introspection, he emphasized that
life is bigger than the jobs that we do. He said, “we tend to run on a treadmill, but we can’t
expect to move forward on a treadmill. After a period, there would be a phase of soul searching
for you”. He highlighted the importance of skills beyond Intelligence Quotient (IQ) – Emotional
Quotient (EQ) and Spiritual Quotient (SQ) – that would help students navigate through decisions
in life. He concluded by narrating the story of three questions that highlight the importance of
being in the present.
With IIM Sirmaur aiming to provide management education of high quality and promote allied
areas of knowledge as well as interdisciplinary studies, the institute strives to undertake
initiatives in varied activities related to academics, research, corporate interface, social inclusion
and community engagement.