Nostalgia was in the air at the Mohali campus as alumni from the ISB got together for two days of learning, fun and an opportunity to connect with their alma mater and their friends. Over 120 alumni and their families were welcomed on campus for “Equinox” - the annual Alumni learning and networking event.

 
This annual alumni reunion is intended to offer them a platform to connect with each other and with industry leaders through a mix of workshops and lecture, offering exposure to diverse opportunities and perspectives across industries while also giving them a taste of the year spent at the ISB.
 
The day began with the keynote panel discussion on “The Democracy Bottleneck and its Impact on the Indian Growth Story”. The panel represented diverse industry leaders such as Ajay Bakshi, CEO & MD Max Healthcare, Dipankar Gupta, Distinguished Professor and the Director of Centre of Political Affairs and Critical Theory, Shiv Nadar University and Nitin Pai, Co-Founder and Director of Takshashila Foundation. The session was moderated by Govindraj Ethiraj, Founder, Ping Digital Broadcast. Earlier in the day, Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, ISB addressed the alumni fraternity and urged them to forge ahead and take the school with them.
 
Interactive workshops conducted by experts from the industry were lined up throughout the day - “Stakeholder engagement for business longevity” by Nandita Lakshmanan, Founder and CEO of Practice PR, “Making a digital handshake count, as a brand and as an individual” by Karthik Srinivasan, National Lead, Social@Ogilvy, “Why business leaders must acquire public policy competencies” by Nitin Pai, Co-founder and Director of Takshashila Institution and “Leading with EQ and Political Savvy” by Sujaya Banerjee, Chief Talent Officer & Sr. VP-HR, Essar Services India.
 
The visiting alumni have plenty to ponder till they return next year. For Aditya Bhaisora from the PGP class of 2012, Equinox was an insightful experience with practically relevant workshops. For him, hearing Dipankar Gupta and Ajay Bakshi define the state of our polity and governance was the highlight. For Puneet Jain, Country Head of IHS India, an alumnus from the PGP Class of 2003, it was a great networking opportunity to meet people after all these years. On interacting with students, he felt that a lot had changed in a decade. “Talent from small cities and town are coming now. They want to make it big; they have that hunger to learn” said Jain.
 
It was not all work and no play for the alumni. In addition to the more formal interactions, social events such as networking over meals and a range of fun events were organised. The campus, themed like a traditional Punjabi village with sugarcane carts, lanterns and chat stalls hosted varied events that spiced up the evening - live band performances, theme parties, a drum circle, activities for the spouses and children, and a visit to the famous Rock Garden of Chandigarh.