The Amrita School of Business at Kochi hosted their first-ever B-Fest during March 17-18, 2012.

Named Asthra (or weapon, in Sanskrit), the business festival exhorted over 200 student participants to arise, aim and conquer.

The asthra came alive in the fest logo that depicted an arrow and a sun.

At the inaugural function, Sampoojya Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri spoke to the participating students, many of them enrolled in MBA programs in different colleges.

Speaking also at the inauguration were Dr. M. Beena (IAS), Managing Director of Supply Co. & Cochin Vytilla Mobility Hub and Dr. K.N. Raghavan (IRS), Additional Commissioner of Customs & Central Excise.

The two-day fest saw many events, organized by different student forums viz. Manvantara (Marketing), Yukti (HR), Arthashastra (Finance), Prakramam (Systems) and Pracharya (Operations).

The most popular events included Devavrata (Best Manager), Chanakya (Business Quiz) and Naatya (Dance Competition).

The flagship event was a business plan competition named Chakravyuh. With participants from the London Business School, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the event garnered global attention.

Indian contestants represented premier institutions such as XLRI, NITs, Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and Xavier Institute of Management. Overall 53 entries were received. Many participants availed the option of receiving mentoring from corporate partners as they prepared their final plans.

Short-listed participants presented business plans; remote participants had the option to present using a web conference tool.

The top prize was awarded to Vivek Nair, PhD student at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Vivek is also the CEO of a newly established firm Damascuz Fortune, working with innovative technologies to help companies reduce their carbon footprint.

“The feedback provided by the judges gave me a lot of motivation to go ahead with my business plans,” he said.

Fest winners walked away with Rs. 2 lakhs in prize money.

Fest partners included Amrita TV, Indian Express, Deccan Chronicle, Startup Village, Innovation Lab, Twenty 19.com. Sponsorship was received from twenty-five companies including Coconut Development Board, Paragon, Seemati and Next Big Idea.

The fest culminated with a valedictory function that was graced by the presence of Sampoojya Swami Poornamritananda Puri, social activist and veteran journalist, Smt. Leela Menon and cine actor Bala.

“We hosted the fest for the very first time. It was an educative and exhilarating experience for all. We are sure that all participants enjoyed the opportunity to explore, exhibit and experience their various avatars, as they travel the path to becoming complete managers,” shared the fest student coordinators.

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March 31, 2012
School of Business, Kochi