Bangalore:
They are not in the rat race to grab plum jobs in corporate and financial sectors. And, that is why they decided to opt out of placements, held recently at the premier Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B).
Meet Amit Kumar Sikdar, Shailendra Pandey and Himanshu Meena, all 1st year post-graduate programme (PGP) students at IIM-B.
If Pande has plans to work in the social sector, Sikdar has already started his own law firm, IPJuvares in Panaji, Goa, dealing exclusively with intellectual property law, while Meena will soon work with the Congress political party in New Delhi, as part of his internship programme.
Of the 375-strong batch, three opted out of the placement season, this year, said sources at IIM-B placement committee.
"I have always wanted to do something different and challenging. So, I and two of my friends started our own law firm in Panaji. Our firm exclusively deals with intellectual property (IP) matter. In India, IP law is still in its nascent stage and a lot could be done in the field," said Sikdar, an alumnus of department of aerospace engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
"IP law in India is in its teens, unlike in the US where IP law has matured and filing, litigation, and conflicts are quite common due to very high IP law awareness," said Sikdar.
"A similar situation could be expected in India in the next 10-15 years, considering the influx of MNCs which are setting up their R&D, manufacturing and other work centres here. IPJuvares aims at tapping this upcoming legal scenario," he added. Sikdar already has almost four years of experience in IP law.
Shailendra, 24, has always aspired to contribute to the social sector, which is why after graduating in engineering in biomedicals from Shri Vaishnav Institute of Technology and Science, Indore, he decided to chase his dream.
"After engineering, I first worked at ICICI bank in Mumbai. Thereafter, I decided to join IIM to get the best management training, which I am planning to use in the social sector. I have plans to start my own NGO," said Pandey.
For summer internship, Pandey has applied at Asian Development Bank, New Delhi and Department for International Development, New Delhi. "I am waiting for their response," said Pandey.
Meena, 21, who has been dedicatedly following the Indian political scene for almost a decade, wants to have a career in politics, not by becoming a politician, but by managing and strategising election campaigns for political parties in the country. Meena, an engineering graduate from National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, wants to start a consultancy firm to manage political campaigns.
"The idea hit me when I was following the election campaign of the US presidential candidate Barack Obama, who had a well managed and strategised campaign. I have also followed Indian election campaigns. I feel they lack professionalism. I want to change it and see a huge market in the field," he said.
Meena has been helped by several IIM alumni and it was Jitendra Singh, the MP from Alwar, who helped him get his internship with the Congress.
Now, Meena will be spending his summer time in 2011, at the headquarters of the Congress in New Delhi. Unlike his peers who will be paid handsomely by their respective companies during summer internship, Meena said he would gain experience, instead of any monetary benefits.
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