Actor, Reality Show Star & Social Workers At Iims

A reality show participant, an actor, an ex-Army man, a social worker, sportspersons, and entrepreneurs: that's the class of 2009-11 for you at the IIMs. An eclectic mix of aspirants have qualified for India's premier B-schools this year, busting the stereotype that only people with great academic records crack the IIM entrance test.

Shubhajeet Mazumdar (27), an ex-Army man, managed to get into IIM-B in his first attempt. He had joined the National Defence Academy after class XII, but could not continue in the Army due to medical reasons. He then decided to pursue management. ``The course will help me prepare to work with society,'' says Shubhajeet, who got calls from four IIMs.

Adamya Chandra (23) was a participant at a reality singing talent show. This mechanical engineer from Lucknow UP cracked CAT in his first attempt and has joined IIM-C. ``Music soothes me. If I need a break from a hectic study schedule, I switch to music. But pursuing MBA was my main goal and studying at IIM is the first step towards a successful career,'' he says.

His batchmate, Abhimanyu Girotra (26) from Delhi, is a talented actor who has done various serials and ads. A BTech grad from NIT-Kurukshetra, he played the boyfriend of Priyanka Mehra, better known as `Chhoti' in season 1 of `Hum Paanch', produced by soap queen Ekta Kapoor. In another serial on missing persons produced by Jackie Shroff, he played Salem, a real-life missing boy. Abhimanyu has also acted in serials like `Yug' and `Ghar ek Mandir'.

Vikram Khaitan, 25, an economics grad from Gujarat worked with World Bank for a year at the Delhi office. ``The reason for not continuing with World Bank was that I would have had to do a PhD to survive in the place for long,'' he says. Khaitan has taken admission at IIM-C.

His classmate Shekhar Chaudhary, 28, worked in RBI for five years. He has taken study leave to join the course. from RBI. ``Studying management will help to gain more information and knowledge about the financial world,'' he said.

As for acting, it's more of a creative vent. ``Even when I had to bunk classes for shooting, I would take my books along. I enjoyed every moment of it but when it came to choosing between education and acting, education was my priority,'' he said.