Vacation…one of the loveliest words in the English dictionary. It’s a time when students seriously get ready with all the text books and references…and pack them away so that they won’t be discoverable for one whole month. Instead, it is the best time to relax at home or plan trips with family and friends, to forget about everything important and saying to oneself “chill maar yaar!!!

The month of December at SOM seemingly comes up with the same prospects. One full month for chilling out and do all sort of frivolous activities. But that’s where life is SOMewhat different at SOM. December or the “Nouvelle Vague December” as we prefer to call it, is a time for change. It’s a time to have a break from the regular management Gyaan and try out SOMething different. It’s a time for the SOM junta to differentiate themselves from the herd and ride a new wave.
This December wasn’t much different from the underlying theme of “nouvelle vague December”. The SOM guys went on to explore different avenues ranging from entrepreneurship to social activities to adventure sports to B-school competitions. They made their presence felt everywhere be it in startups, corporates, other B schools, non-profit organizations or NGOs.

Entrepreneurship: Innovation, Leadership and Entrepreneurship are the three guiding principles of SOM. The rendezvous with entrepreneurship doesn’t end with lectures and classes on entrepreneurship but actually, it just starts from there. Entrepreneurship is not a buzz word in SOM but it is a reality entrenched in the heart of every SOMite. The onset of December saw many students taking up challenges from the Entrepreneurship Cell of IIT Bombay, SINE (Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship) for a tryst with budding entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ventures. While some got busy identifying potential markets, others were busy devising operational and marketing strategies for these ventures. The students got valuable exposure to the real dynamics of running a start-up.

Initiatives: Taking a step towards social responsibility, SOMites ventured out to help NGOs and not for profit organizations. In some cases, they contributed by taking up teaching assignments, working as community health service workers etc. and in other cases they used their managerial acumen to help these organizations better formulate their financial, operational and marketing strategies. 

This December was also used for planning the launch of the Film Club and the Fun Cricket League of SOM. The film club was formally launched in the month of January with the official screening of the first film named “The Corporation”.
The Fun cricket league was also launched on popular “demand” of the enthusiastic junta. Though, it shows “team building exercise” initiatives at SOM, SOMites are content with calling it a pure –fun event.

Sports & adventure: December saw the hosting of the inter-IIT sports meet in IIT-Kanpur and as usual the SOM guys proved their mettle by helping the IIT-Bombay’s badminton team retain their top spot and the gold medal.
There is a deep rooted relationship between adventures and SOMites. Apart from the everyday adventures at SOM (though of a different type) where students regularly experience high adrenaline levels in order to meet one deadline or the other, some students went on hiking to explore nature and wildlife in the treacherous terrains of Wayanad, Kerala.

Certifications: If you think vacations are not meant for “academic purposes” then it’s time to have a paradigm shift. This December saw students taking up tests for certification courses such as APICS, FRM and CFA along with their winter internship assignments. This shows the versatility and strive for excellence that burns inside each student at SOM.

Winter Internships: Some of our budding managers were offered winter internships for one month in leading corporate firms like Ernst & Young, Dun and Bradstreet, Ambuja Cement Ltd., ITC etc. which they took up as a challenge. As expected, they did not fail to deliver the best. While the corporate firms got a sneak peek into SOM’s talent pool, the students got an opportunity to apply their skills in real life business problems.

Competitions: This December saw SOM junta conquering other B Schools in all kinds of B School events like case study competitions, B-plans etc.  To name a few, SOM students won at IIM Indore, FMS, Great Lakes, TAPMI, IBS Bangalore, NITIE, IIM Kozhikode, IPE Hyderabad and IRMA. The list continues to prove that SOMites were not content with only whiling away their time at home.

Mood Indigo: If it is December, then IIT Bombay is the place to be thanks to the phenomenon known as Mood Indigo, the annual cultural fest at the campus. This year, the scale was much bigger with 50 global artists (the highest for any college fest) gracing the campus. The cherry on the cake was exhilarating performances by the rock band Porcupine Tree and the trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.  As if this wasn’t enough, a mass hypnosis of 200 students was conducted by Prof Nagesh, a highly acclaimed hypnotist. There were lots of other events to keep one engrossed throughout the four day extravaganza.