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.
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