About

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon, held its 10th Annual Convocation for the PGDM & PGPM Class of 2021 in Online Mode, on 20th November, 2021, from the Gurgaon Campus. The ceremony graced by Chief Guest, Mr. CK Ranganathan, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, CavinKare, and President, All India Management Association.

The graduating class of 2021 was elated to receive their convocation address from Mr. Ranganathan, who is also the Chairman of CII Southern Region for the year 2021/22 and the President of TiE – Chennai Chapter. He was conferred the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Economic Times in 2004. Mr. Ranganathan is one of the founding members of the Ability Foundation – an NGO working towards the rehabilitation of the physically challenged. He also instituted the CavinKare Ability Awards in 2003 to celebrate the exemplary spirit of individuals who have risen above their physical limitations to display great achievements in life.

Mr. Ranganathan addressed the graduates by sharing his own personal and professional journey of overcoming challenges as a student himself, the sheer hard work of rising up in the industry, the risks taken along the way and his sources of motivation. The narrative inspired the graduates to make the most out of the elevated launchpad that they are at and make a difference in the society. Mr. Ranganathan's also reminded the graduates that by graduating they have completed their '100-metre run', and 'now begins the marathon'. The direction that they take from this point will determine their altitude in the future. 'You define your own governing values', was one of Mr. Ranganathan's key messages as he described how different the real world will be in comparison to what it was before they graduated, and how they would need to lead their lives in an impactful way.

Dr. Debashis Sanyal, Director, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon, presented the Director's Report by listing the highlights of the institute’s developments during the academic year 2020-21. Successful completion of the NBA Accreditation process for PGDM, AACSB Business Education Alliance Membership, and numerous Research Publications by the faculty were some of the key achievements that Dr. Sanyal listed out. Dr. Sanyal began by paying homage to Padma Shri Late Dr. Bala V Balachandran, Founder & Former Dean of Great Lakes Institute of Mangement. His message to the graduates was to be the torchbearers of revolutionary changes in the industry, never back down from their goals, and always do more not just for the organization, but also for the society, and he conculuded his address by urging them to always live by one of Uncle Bala's strongest philosophes - 'Your Network is your Net Worth'.

Mr. Mohan Lakhamraju, Chairman of Great Lakes Institute of Mangement, Gurgaon, and CEO of Great Lakes Institute of Management, began his address congratulating the graduates, by thanking the Chief Guest, Mr. Ranganathan for sharing his message with the graduates, and by commending the faculty and staff for the execution of the Convocation ceremony. Mr. Lakhamraju emphasised on how Mr. Ranganathan's message appealed to him and to mangement professionals, and expressed how inspiring the address was. His message to the graduates was, 'Progress happens with little steps,'  was the message that Mr. Lakhamraju began his address with, as he spoke about the importance of intentionality, dedication, discipline, and initiative - the compunding power of little things. He also mentioned that the effort that one puts into an opportunity determines whether that opportunity has a major impact on the individual or not. With this Mr. Lakhamraju drove the message of owning the responsibility of making things happen.

As a part of the convocation ceremony, a number of academic honors were handed to the meritorious students. From PGPM 2021, gold medals were awarded to Girish Venkataraman for Academic Excellence and to Tathagata Mukherjee for being the Dr. Bala V Balachandran Best Outgoing Student. From PGDM 2021, gold medals were awarded to Karimikonda Sai Divya Sree for Academic Excellence, and Surya Jain for being the Dr. Bala V Balachandran Best Outgoing Student.

CLICK HERE to watch the Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2021.