AvantGarde

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton

This timeless quotation has inspired several generations to realize and appreciate the importance of all the teachings, values, learnings and resources from the past. It’s often the case that these factors congregate into one unifying force for the progress of a particular society. For our nation, the linchpin of this progress lies in the strength of our foundation, our resilience in adversity and our belief in the wisdom of elders. Our progress as a country has been evident throughout the globe with a string of significant events that took place last year. Along the same line the year 2012 promises to provide us with a number of more such exciting moments. The ongoing state elections have already gathered the attention of the nation. Results are being closely monitored by the experts and masses and the whole process is being viewed as a pre-cursor to the next Lok Sabha elections. The month of January also witnessed some scintillating Republic Day celebrations. The whole of India applauded and cheered the awe-inspiring show on the majestic roads of Rajpath with an utter sense of pride which re-emphasized the blend of our military might and an incredibly diverse cultural heritage.

We, amidst a very cold and chilly IIT Kanpur, have entered the year looking forward to different set of challenges and opportunities. The current issue of Avant Garde is going to be a reader’s delight with an eclectic set of articles it has brought with it.

To set the ball rolling, we have launched a new initiative in the form of “Industry Speak” section from this time around. This section would have professionals working across various industries sharing their vast repertoire of experiences and knowledge. As a first in this series, we have Mr. Ratish Mukhoti (Deputy General Manager, Planning and Inventory Control, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals) giving us an insight in supply chain management by sharing his experience in pharmacy industry. He analyses how the processes of manufacturing, purchase and planning need to seamlessly work for more effective market catering as the overall company objective.

We also have an excellent read in form of an article by our alumni Mr. Dhiraj Kumar (Batch 2011). He has made all of us proud by publishing his first book as an author named – “The Asocial Networking”. In the article, he discusses the basic theme of the book and also presents a different take on the social networking today. The article also contains some of the selected excerpts from the book.

Nabarun Sengupta (Batch 2012) writes an informative article on his special studies course done as a part of the curriculum. He discusses the 2 global protocols used for Scope 3 carbon mapping with a brief primer to sustainability, climate change and the need for organizations to start focussing on determining their carbon footprint.

Himanshu Joshi (Batch 2013) comes up with a detailed analysis of the fall of rupee as a currency, especially in the last one year. He discusses the causes of this drop and also the several impacts it has inflicted on our economy. The article also discusses the critical role of RBI in recovering from the situation and also what the future holds for us.

Samreen Jamal (Batch 2013) comes up with an analysis of Government’s decision to bring FDI in multi-brand retail in India. She discusses the effects of allowing foreign investors in our country and its direct and indirect consequences on various sectors and segments of our industry.

Alok Jain (Batch 2013) discusses a topic that has caused a wide debate pertaining to the online media.  He analyses the issues regarding the objectionable content present on internet and the pros and cons of blocking popular websites like Google and Facebook. The article deals with the options we have at present and their respective feasibilities.

We hope that you like this edition of Avant Garde.

Do post your comments on the articles in the “Add Comment” section.  Awaiting your comments, criticism and appreciation.

Till the next issue, wish you a Happy Reading!

Team AG.