Think out of the box, students told

Students should think differently, unconventionally and from a new perspective to taste success in life, said V.V.M. Krishna, former chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Vijayawada zone.

Addressing participants of ‘Samanvay-2015’, a State-level management event organised by the Department of Business Management, Maris Stella College on Friday, Mr. Krishna said innovation was the buzzword, and that start-up culture was gaining momentum. “Things are changing constantly, and you need to keep pace with the change,” he said.

He said girls need not feel inferior for being in a smaller city and cited examples of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, who were dropouts, but nothing could stop them from shining because “they had that fire in them”.

He also spoke about Mansukbhai Prajapati, a traditional clay craftsman from Wankaner in Gujarat, who developed an entire range of earthen products for daily use in the kitchen and sold them as ‘MittiCool’ products. The products include water filters, refrigerators, hot plates, cooker and other such items of daily use.

“Necessity is the mother of invention. It sets in motion the innovative streak in an individual,” he said, advising students not to waste time on WhatsApp or chatting and instead, focus on doing things differently.

A series of activities were designed to provide a platform to students to prove their mettle. B-Dynamix (Thirst for quest) was designed to test the business knowledge of the contestants; Creative Crackers (crack the market) tested their marketing ability and creativity; The Exotic (out of the ordinary) brought to the fore leadership qualities of the contestants while Swing ‘n’ Swirl (rock the floor), a solo dance competition spurred them to exhibit their innate talent.