Interview with Akshay P. Agrawal, BEST STUDENT OF THE YEAR 2013, SIES COLLEGE SION W
- Were you expecting to get “Best Student of the Year Award”? Why do you think you won this award?
This award came as a pretty good and a pre-received Christmas present for me. I was pretty much packed up with the preparations of my college festival, when I was informed by my Coordinator and Vice-principal alike. I believe everything, I did, both curricular and extra-curricular activities, in the last three years counted up and formed a concrete base for me to stand upon and be awarded as ‘Best Student of the Year Award.’
During the orientation at the onset of our BMS degree, we were told by our Hon. Principal Dr. Harsha Mehta that, whatever we do in the next 3 years of our college life would either make us and everyone of our association proud or make ourselves ashamed. With this feat, I finally can say, I have made my people and myself proud.
- Tell us a bit about your background.
Currently I am finishing up my Bachelor of Management Studies from SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Sion (W) as am in its last semester. In the last 3 years of my college life I have done a lot of things with an intention to gain experience and learn from anywhere and everywhere possible. I am extremely involved in the socio-cultural and extracurricular activities pertaining to the college or the society at large.
Currently am associated with SIES SKYLINE as Co-Founder and Joint Editor. We run it as the official newsletter of the college, whereby we provide official internships to students working with us on the Editorial Board.
I was actively involved with RC SIES, Sion (W) {ROTRACT CLUB OF SIES COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, SION WEST} as their Sargent At Arms (one of the key conveners of the club). With them I learnt the art of managing people who were not only my juniors but seniors alike.
I was a part of Gili Gems Pvt. Ltd. India (India’s First Branded Jewelry Brand, a brand of Geetanjali Group) as Brand and Business Development Executive whereby I learnt the basic nuances of corporate working and functioning and it helps me a lot today every time I go out to give presentations.
I can assure to everyone reading this interview and every BMS aspirant that supplementing your regular academia with corporate internships would do wonders to you and your functioning style as you get a lot of practical exposure. Also it puts you a step ahead when it comes to building your image.
- Photography is not something which you learn through books and lectures. Tell us something about your passion for Photography.
I have been a mad photography enthusiast since childhood. Huge cameras and their peripherals always had me attracted to it. A few years ago when I became serious of it as my hobby, I started clicking anything and everything. My gear was my digi-cam and my mobile phone! Yeah, am extremely honest when I say that.
I want to put off a very popular myth that good photographers and good photography can be done only when you have Professional gear. Wrong! That’s an extremely wrong notion among people. All you need is an eye for objects, various facets of life and trust me, you’re sorted as an amateur photographer to start with.
My serious hobby turned into my passion when I could borrow a DSLR camera from the BMM department of my college and go about clicking anything and everything that was happening besides me. The then BMM coordinator, Prof. Shweta Bhatia, was kind and generous enough to lend me the camera and also teach me everything she could. I would be indebted to her for life for opening up a new horizon of life through camera lens.
After this I bought my own gear when I could eventually convince my dad that am worth spending 40k he was gonna spend into. It took me a collection of close to 120 odd pictures and about 2 awards won at Inter Collegiate festivals for photography to finally do him in to buy me a DSLR. And after that, there hasn’t been any stopping to me and my photography.
The journey is usually better than the destination!
- From launching a College Newsletter to leading a team of 110 volunteers for a College fest, what do you think are the essential traits/qualities required to manage the work?
Patience and Perseverance! I regard these two qualities as the most important traits anyone has to adopt for any kind of success. When dealing with people, you have to be extremely patient and an avid listener. Have an eye for detailing and perfection in it as,
I quote Vince Lombardi here, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
Whether it be SIES SKYLINE or VISIONS’12, I see proper planning and perfect execution as the only two things which can lead to a synchronized success pattern ahead in life for anything. If you meticulously plan and fail in execution, you’re doomed. And even the vice-versa.
So focus on both and chances of you failing are as slim as a strand of hair.
When dealing with a lot of things, I always felt I was biting more than I could chew. There stepped in my faculties Prof. Anita P. Agrawal and Prof. Archana S. Sanil, to motivate me and guide me. I remember the inundated motivational talks they’ve given me which kept me going.
Also remember, these are the years for you to have the most fun possible. So meticulously plan and DARE you lose out on time with friends and their banters, because this time lost would never be back again. So don’t forget to have fun and in loads, alongside your work.
- “Jack of all trades is a master of none”. Your comments.
Well I completely agree with the proverb but in partial sense. I agree with the essence of it where it means doing everything and yet mastering nothing is not something which anyone would want ideally. But on the other side, I believe, if a person doesn’t try out different things or explore different avenues, then he/she wouldn’t get the experience.
With that I mean, unless you try being a part of various activities, you cannot decide which trade you would want to have mastery in. Above that, having experiences of various facets of life would never be harmful in anyway. Nevertheless, if a person doesn’t find a true calling for himself from the long run perspective, he would land himself in soup pretty soon.
- Participating in College Fests and winning them along with managing a full-time course like BMS is not an easy job. What is your success mantra?
It never was an easy job and never would be one for anyone. But if you have to do it, then you have to manage it. If we plan our activities properly and then try to figure out time for each and every thing we want to lay our hands on, then I believe everything is possible.
And as far as success mantra is concerned, I follow this, “Imagine..Think..Plan..Execute..Have Fun!“
- What is your aim in life?
I wish to first complete my graduation followed by Post Graduation studies in marketing and then a career in Business Development through Niche Marketing and Brand Building for a brand particularly either of the retail sector or belonging to FMCG sector.
- Your message to the BMS students?
You guys don’t need any message. Quite seriously, because you all are awesome anyways. Just remember one thing guys, learn as much as possible, and try to explore every avenue at hand and then decide which one are you gonna stick to for the rest of your life AND DON’T FORGET TO HAVE FUN because you cherish memories and not marks.
- Your feedback for BMS.co.in?
I must say I benefited a lot from BMS.co.in and am sure every other BMS aspirant would because BMS Team are doing an amazing job with the site. They provide information both academic and extra curricular activities as well. This website also features career openings and listings of jobs and even internships.
A super innovative concept of this website and am really glad to be writing for it.
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