Technology, Communication and Creativity Take Centrestage

[caption id="attachment_5566" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Mr Madhavan Satagopan"][/caption] Mr Madhavan Satagopan, Chief Technology Officer at Altmerik, stood talking to the students offering a peek into his feelings . In a candid confession he admitted being a bit nervous when asked to interact with the young professionals seated before him. But the feeling was no way unalloyed. It was a mix of emotions. He was delighted to be there, talking to them and was excited when Welingkar, Bengaluru invited him to address the incoming batch on the forum of Neev 2016. Such occasions bring along the opportunities of mutual learning. He was as much a learner as them. And as the new batch warmed up to their speaker the mood got further upbeat. And soon the ideas and pearls of wisdom filled in the air. There should be consistent endeavour to improve and fine tune on-self and the tendency to blame others for once fumblings should be chucked. Satagopan underlined the importance of knowledge of one's surroundings, and the need of being grounded in reality. Citing the classic example of Steve Jobs – who pursued his dream for art and innovation and never pursued money, he told them how business in modern times is a blend of art, technology and engineering. He further advised students to have an analytical mindset. He has observed lot of ‘Individualism’ in today’s youth and advised student to develop ‘We’ mentality as followed in WeSchool. Speaking further on management education, he advised the students to read case studies and understand the context and strategy . They should work towards perfection, worthy enough to be studied and emulated. Talking of the changing trends in the software industry, he shared his conviction in the strong prospects, ‘Design Thinking’ and Consumer -centric’ approach hold. [caption id="attachment_5571" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mr Madhavan, Dr Anil Rao and Prof Mohan Chandra"][/caption] He cited the example of ‘Whatsapp’ which initially would ask for details like location which didnt go down very well with the users. Responding to the consumer feedback, the company had to edit out the feature. Consumers today have immense power.While speaking on the fast paced technological advances, he said the same can be used constructively for solutions to numerous challenges on hand. He asked the students to adopt immersive learning strategy which can be further facilitated through industry and academic collaborations. Responding to a question on the qualities he looked for while hiring , Satagopan said he looked for 'Attitude & Team Work’. In his closing remarks, he advised students to nurture a vision that will have societal impact. Also he expressed he would like to interact more in future since he loved to be with youngsters. [caption id="attachment_5572" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Ms Geetha Ramanujam "][/caption] The second session of the day was with Ms. Geeta Ramanujam, Founder Kathalaya Trust. The child in us is always keen for stories. The advance of technology coupled with web may have changed the medium and format of storytelling but the love of story telling has not waned. Growing popularity of social media reflects the trend. And the youngsters are known for their penchant for the same. The child in us never grows up. It so evident that we human beings love stories. We also love telling our stories to people with whom we connect.The audience were excited as the international story teller took to stage. In her opening remarks, Ramanujam said, story telling is an art which helps to awaken people’s mind and heart. She narrated to the audience a story where in the mother cat saved her litter from a lurking dog as mimicked the bark of a dog which scared away the dog. It is always good to know a second language. The art of storytelling banks on emotions like empathy and compassion. And their can be some 40 ways of listening, she shared. A communicator has to use the right tone while telling the story, if he really wants to connect with his audience. Ramanujam has conducted story telling sessions for the visually impaired, where in they have very well connected with the her, simply on the basis of sound with right emotions and intonation. Her acts of mimicry left the audience, entertained and impressed. Ramanujam very well yet naturally brought out the significance of the art storytelling and how the same can be used to engage and bond with communities. It is about understanding emotional core of other person. Later in the day Prof Anuradha Mahesh, Head- Career Management Cell familiarized the students with the Career Management, Executive Placements and other support systems that would be accorded to them at Weschool .