Xavier School of Rural Management (XSRM) hosted its annual business conclave, Abhivyakti’20

Bhubaneswar:14/10/20: Xavier School of Rural Management (XSRM) hosted its annual business conclave, Abhivyakti’20, on the10^th and 11^thof October 2020. It was organized by The Rural Managers’ Association of XSRM (RMAX). Theconclavewentonline for the first time and created a huge impact in the minds of the students. The theme for this year was “Disruption driven green shoots: An antidote for development”

The event was evenly spread over two days with two sessions each day. Eminent industry experts addressed the theme and shared their valuable knowledge and experience with the students. It was the first time Abhivyakti went online, yet, it was nothing less than the legacy it has carried offline. Mr. Anurag Dwivedi (Vice President, Midland Microfin Limited) gave us a very nice lesson in one line, “Either you come up with disruption or face a disruption,” Mr. Vishal Wadhwa(Head, Rural Business, Fullerton India) gave us an overview of the technological, banking and online aspects whereas Mr. Ashim Sarkar(National Product Manager– MSME Finance, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank) mentioned the use of virtual simulation and virtual KYC as an innovative measure. The post-lunch session saw some really insightful information being distributed among the students. Mr. Madhab Adhikari(Associate Vice- President, Coromandel International Ltd.) mentioned how government policies work in tandem and not in isolation; Mr. Sanjeev Chadha(Managing Director, NAFED) and Mr.Savesh Kumar(Strategic Business Unit Head, UPL) put special emphasis on the need for FPOs and Co-operatives.

Day 2 of Abhivyakti started on a high note as Mr. Kumar(Vice President & Head, Human Resources, JSW Group) made us think twice about COVID being “the new normal” and how innovation has helped companies cope with it. Further, Mr. Bajaj(Marketing Head, Dairy, Britannia Industries Ltd.) gave the students a holistic oversight about consumer behavior and how COVID has taught India to be a healthier and cleaner nation. The last session of Abhivyakti’20 saw Mr. Narendranath Damodaran (Executive Director, PRADAN), Mr. WG Prassana Kumar (Chairman, MGNCRE)Mr. Pranav Kumar Choudhary (Director-Operations, Dr. Reddy’s Foundation)and Mr. Kumar Saket (Head of State, UNDP, Madhya Pradesh)share a lot of information and insights with the students. The topics covered varied from the difference between the rich and the poor to the importance of skilling for students. The need for being productive during the lockdown and the importance of the informal sector was also touched upon.

Xavier University Bhubaneswar has been a pioneer in steering thought-provoking discussions in the mind of every student. This event maintained the legacy as discussions on a number of topics took place and the students interacted with the speakers by asking pertinent and rational questions.