The students of the final year of the PGP-IPM programmes at IIM Indore visited numerous locations along the Himalayan range. The Himalayan Outbound programme is an opportunity available exclusively at IIM Indore. The course is aimed to promote learning by reflection from their experience.
A total of 483 participants of the IIM Indore and Mumbai campuses trekked to mystique locations which included Dayara Bugyal, Bedni Bugyal, Kedarkantha, Kuflon, Nainital. In what was supposed to be activity aimed at providing managerial exposure, students were exposed to the odds of working in teams while learning their lessons of acting at the moment. Adventure sports was the main agenda for the trip with the participants trying their hand at Rafting, rappelling, Cliff-jumping, river crossing, paragliding, rock climbing, bouldering. The experience was one that imbibed in them important skills before they would take off their careers.
Braving sharp dips in mercury levels to as low as -120C, the managers of tomorrow learnt to strategise, acted in teams and excelled at the act of survival in the mountains. Tasks including cooking, collection of firewood enabled them to live the life of trekkers and mountaineers for the span of their stay in the laps of the Himalayas. The participants interacted with locals and learnt of the problems. They did their bit by coming up with suggestions to tackle one of the biggest problems that lies ahead of the ranges- Waste Management. A breathtaking view of the snow-clad peaks, mountain steeps that were trekked and conquered, an opportunity to bond with peers and lessons in management were the highlights of this course.