IIM Indore celebrated the 72nd Republic Day with patriotism and fervour. The celebration began with flag hoisting by Prof Himanshu Rai, Director, IIM Indore, in the presence of Col Gururaj Gopinath Pamidi, CAO, IIM Indore, and the entire IIM Indore community who attended the event virtually with provisions for a few, keeping in mind the Covid-19 guidelines. This was then followed by the National Anthem, which echoed in the Central Lawns.
True empowerment
Extending the greetings of this auspicious occasion, Prof Rai shared his views on C.A.R.E. (Character, Accountability, Responsibility and Excellence) in his Republic Day address. He explained, “Character is what you do when nobody is watching and doing the right thing.” He emphasised that the institute is accountable to its participants, to make sure they get world-class academic standards and the right values, to its employees by ensuring right care for them, and to the world — making sure that the degrees which IIM Indore students hold reflect integrity. “And when these three virtues come together, it leads to excellence,” he said.
Citing the Swarn Singh Committee’s recommendation and the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, ProfRai discussed the fundamental duties of citizens — like respecting the national symbols, promoting equality and brotherhood, and doing away with practices which go against women’s honour. Stressing on women empowerment, he continued, “Everyone must be treated with dignity. However, there has been a historical mistake as far as treating certain sections of the society is considered. It is our duty to correct this historic wrongdoings.” He pointed out that when one empowers a man, only he is empowered; but when one empowers a woman, her entire family is empowered.
Social responsibility
Mentioning the institute’s Annual Cultural and Management Fest IRIS’ national record of distributing more than 18,000 sanitary pads, Prof Rai talked about breaking the taboo around menstrual hygiene. In extension to that, he announced that under the institutional social responsibility, all women working at the institute would be able to receive sanitary pads free of cost, as long as they are working for the institute. This welcome announcement adds to the institute’s many initiatives towards tackling this societal taboo.
The address was followed by felicitation of IIM Indore’s staff and security personnel who performed extraordinary tasks during the lockdown and the entire year full of various challenges. The IIM Indore community members shared patriotic songs, dance and poetry videos on this occasion. These videos were then shared on social media as a part of digital Republic Day celebrations.