The fledglings of the IIIT-A family- the MBA freshers have finally come into their own. With so many activities and events going on in the institute, they have had spectacular opportunity to showcase their talents and have also got ample chances to mingle with the IIIT crowd and be a part of it. Having gelled well with everyone around, they are now having a blast being an integral part of the IIIT -A family. To sum up in their words, IIITA just rocks not just technically but also culturally.

MBA TEAM CROWNED BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS

The combined MBA 3 rd and 1 st Semester teams joined hands to lift the Annual Basketball Tournament held at IIIT-A during August. Pre-tournament favorites B.Tech. 5 th and 7 th Semester teams were made to struggle in the league phase and couldn't make it to the finals. Instead the finals pitted the MBA Team against the dark horse M.Tech-Faculty mix team. In what was being billed as a gripping and pulsating finale, that turned out to be quite an anti-climax, the MBA team outclassed their lackluster opponents 52-31 in a one-sided affaire. The captain of the winning team, Manu Sharma was deservedly named the most valuable player of the tournament for his consistent and awe-inspiring performance.

INTERACTION WITH MR. SANJIV BHIKCHANDANI, CEO NAUKRI.COM

Mr. Sanjiv Bhikchandani, CEO of the Naukri.com portal shared his vast knowledge and experience during his visit to the IIIT-A campus on 23 rd September, 2005 . An IIM-A alumnus, Sanjiv apprised the students of how the recruiters make use of naukri.com to provide jobs, apart from briefing about his newly established ventures- Jeevansaathi.com and 99acres.com. The gathering was amazed to know that a business started with 2000 rupees and a friends computer could become a 45 Crore business, expected to cross 100 crores by the end of this financial year. Responding to the queries from the students regarding intellectual property rights and domain name disputes, he explained to them the technical nuances and the nitty gritties involved.

FRESHERS ENTHRALLED AT GRAND FRESHERS PARTY

The much awaited MBA Freshers' Party (affectionately nicknamed Camaraderie) for the MBA freshers was held on 28 th September, 2005 at Hotel Milan. They had a gala time on the evening of colours and light. The event was superbly organized; with the dance floor changing colors so fast that it would have put a chameleon to shame. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and partied hard, as the deejay churned out songs and beats that pepped up the revelry. After dancing to their hearts' content and stuffing themselves with food, some hit the hay, or rather hit the grass, although exhaustion did not have any role to play in that. However, every good thing has to end sooner or later, and the party had to be wound up. But it was not before the senior students, constituting a panel of judges, had adjudged Mr. Neeraj Singh and Ms. Manisha Sharma as the Mr. Fresher and Miss Fresher, respectively. This recreational activity was an ice-breaker with the new students and was certainly a remarkable experience.

INTERACTION WITH MR. K. VAITHEESWARAN, COO FAB-MART INDIA

Mr. K. Vaitheeswaran, COO, Fab-Mart India shared his personal experiences and opinions about Entrepreneurship with the students on 29 th September, 2005 . They were made aware of forced vs. chosen approach, business model evaluation techniques, team building challenges, sourcing of capital, short term and long term challenges, issues facing scalability, emotional vs. business involvement, clear goals facing organization, when to step in and step out. Mr. Vaitheeswaran, along with his 5 partners, 5 years after they started their venture, today stand in front of a façade they had never even dreamt- A 220 crore venture poised to become 1000 crore in a couple of years.