AHMEDABAD: A year of separation looms ahead for Ankit Dakhane and Mamta Chiniya, a couple that works with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), as they embark on a unique journey of personal and professional growth. Dakhane, a senior project manager for telecom and instrumentation, and Chiniya, a project manager for city gas distribution, have been accepted into MBA programmes at two of India’s top B-schools simultaneously.
It’s rare for a couple to pursue courses at two premier B-schools at the same time, say officials at IIM-A.While Dakhane started his one-year PGPX (postgraduate programme in management for executives) at IIM Ahmedabad on Thursday, Chiniya’s EPGP (executive postgraduate programme) at IIM Bangalore began earlier this month.
Couples earning IIM degrees together isn’t unheard of, but it usually happens with a gap of a few years and often not at top institutes. “You would think with ‘A’ and ‘B’ close alphabetically, we would be close in distance too? However, there is a 1,566km between us. Also, due to our hectic study schedules, we will need to find some mutual time to meet each other,” says Dakhane.
The couple, both telecom and instrumentation engineers in their 30s, met at an IOCL office in Rajasthan in 2013. Their decision to marry led to an intercultural union in 2018, with Dakhane hailing from Maharashtra and Chiniya from Rajasthan. For the couple, who have been inseparable in their careers and interests since they met, the impending separation is a new experience.
“The feeling is still sinking in. I felt the impact of our separation when I returned to Noida after dropping her off to Bengaluru,” he reveals.
For this duo, the dream of B-school glory blossomed during the pandemic. They decided to give management studies a shot to improve their career prospects and broaden their horizons. “I started preparing for GMAT (graduate management admission test). Slowly, Mamta also got hooked and we decided to appear for the exam together,” the 35-year-old recalls.
Although the couple initially secured admission to the same IIM, fate intervened, leading Chiniya to opt for a better opportunity at IIM-B while Dakhane received a call from IIM-A shortly after.
As they look forward to their ‘IIM experience’ so they can relive their student days, Chiniya emphasizes the benefits of pursuing MBAs simultaneously. The 33-year-old says, “Academics is rigorous. I don’t think we will get much time to miss each other but doing the MBA simultaneously is beneficial for us. We have two different and diverse peer networks now and get to live the life in top management institutes through each other’s experiences.”
An ex-soldier, an engineer, a CA: Diverse mix begins PGPX journey
For Manish Kohli, it has been a journey from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) to the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A). This entrant to this year’s batch of the premier B-school’s PGPX is a former soldier with postings in the Himalayas, in Congo as part of the UN peacekeeping mission, in counter-insurgency operations and experience in the Indian Army’s human resources policy.
“When I decided to pivot, IIM-A was the natural choice for PGPX. It was surely not easy to take to books again, but my perseverance paid off and I am here with my wife and 16-month-old son,” Kohli told TOI. Kohli is among the 158 students who began their one-year PGP for executives (PGPX) journey on Thursday. Prof Amit Karna, chairperson of the PGPX course, said that at 158, this batch is the largest for the course. “At 43, it also has the highest number of women students,” he said.
Diversity has remained the USP of the course, with students from diverse fields ranging from academia to FMCG and govt service to ecommerce attending.
Prerna Luthra, a Delhi native with a computer science degree from the US and work experience with IBM’s Watson program, wanted to amalgamate her technical knowledge with understanding of management for her entrepreneurial journey, and found the course to be the perfect gateway to the Indian business ecosystem. “With experience of diagnostics in Covid, I intend to work on health tech,” she said.
Likewise, Anjali Maheshwari, a chartered accountant with experience in diverse fields ranging from FMCG to real estate, found a perfect fit in management for her finance background and wants to build a career in strategic management.
The average working experience of the batch is 7.6 years and average age, around 31 years. More than one-third of the batch has international exposure in either academics or work. Arpit Srivastava, an official with the central govt’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, comes with vast experience gained at NTPC to Madhya Pradesh’s forest department through various competitive exams. Coming from a rural background and schooling in Hindi medium, he sees this one year as ‘transformative’.
“Here, I will hone my skills and emerge equipped to tackle upcoming professional and personal challenges that come my way,” he said.
“My mother’s determination to give the best education to all her children saw us achieve heights in our respective fields. After my education at NIT and IIT, I joined Indian Railways as senior section engineer and worked there till 2022,” said Avinash Kumar Singh. “I worked on projects including an introduction to AI. But the education bug bit me and I prepared for PGPX.”
With his experience in e-wallets and with design firms for large projects that have impacted millions of users, Jai Prakash Thakur feels the degree will be a step towards realizing his dream of getting into product management.
Highest number of students from the batch have background in IT sector, followed by govt and PSUs, consulting, engineering, banking and financial services and energy among others. It is the 19th batch of the course.
It’s rare for a couple to pursue courses at two premier B-schools at the same time, say officials at IIM-A.While Dakhane started his one-year PGPX (postgraduate programme in management for executives) at IIM Ahmedabad on Thursday, Chiniya’s EPGP (executive postgraduate programme) at IIM Bangalore began earlier this month.
Couples earning IIM degrees together isn’t unheard of, but it usually happens with a gap of a few years and often not at top institutes. “You would think with ‘A’ and ‘B’ close alphabetically, we would be close in distance too? However, there is a 1,566km between us. Also, due to our hectic study schedules, we will need to find some mutual time to meet each other,” says Dakhane.
The couple, both telecom and instrumentation engineers in their 30s, met at an IOCL office in Rajasthan in 2013. Their decision to marry led to an intercultural union in 2018, with Dakhane hailing from Maharashtra and Chiniya from Rajasthan. For the couple, who have been inseparable in their careers and interests since they met, the impending separation is a new experience.
“The feeling is still sinking in. I felt the impact of our separation when I returned to Noida after dropping her off to Bengaluru,” he reveals.
For this duo, the dream of B-school glory blossomed during the pandemic. They decided to give management studies a shot to improve their career prospects and broaden their horizons. “I started preparing for GMAT (graduate management admission test). Slowly, Mamta also got hooked and we decided to appear for the exam together,” the 35-year-old recalls.
Although the couple initially secured admission to the same IIM, fate intervened, leading Chiniya to opt for a better opportunity at IIM-B while Dakhane received a call from IIM-A shortly after.
As they look forward to their ‘IIM experience’ so they can relive their student days, Chiniya emphasizes the benefits of pursuing MBAs simultaneously. The 33-year-old says, “Academics is rigorous. I don’t think we will get much time to miss each other but doing the MBA simultaneously is beneficial for us. We have two different and diverse peer networks now and get to live the life in top management institutes through each other’s experiences.”
An ex-soldier, an engineer, a CA: Diverse mix begins PGPX journey
For Manish Kohli, it has been a journey from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) to the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A). This entrant to this year’s batch of the premier B-school’s PGPX is a former soldier with postings in the Himalayas, in Congo as part of the UN peacekeeping mission, in counter-insurgency operations and experience in the Indian Army’s human resources policy.
“When I decided to pivot, IIM-A was the natural choice for PGPX. It was surely not easy to take to books again, but my perseverance paid off and I am here with my wife and 16-month-old son,” Kohli told TOI. Kohli is among the 158 students who began their one-year PGP for executives (PGPX) journey on Thursday. Prof Amit Karna, chairperson of the PGPX course, said that at 158, this batch is the largest for the course. “At 43, it also has the highest number of women students,” he said.
Diversity has remained the USP of the course, with students from diverse fields ranging from academia to FMCG and govt service to ecommerce attending.
Prerna Luthra, a Delhi native with a computer science degree from the US and work experience with IBM’s Watson program, wanted to amalgamate her technical knowledge with understanding of management for her entrepreneurial journey, and found the course to be the perfect gateway to the Indian business ecosystem. “With experience of diagnostics in Covid, I intend to work on health tech,” she said.
Likewise, Anjali Maheshwari, a chartered accountant with experience in diverse fields ranging from FMCG to real estate, found a perfect fit in management for her finance background and wants to build a career in strategic management.
The average working experience of the batch is 7.6 years and average age, around 31 years. More than one-third of the batch has international exposure in either academics or work. Arpit Srivastava, an official with the central govt’s Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, comes with vast experience gained at NTPC to Madhya Pradesh’s forest department through various competitive exams. Coming from a rural background and schooling in Hindi medium, he sees this one year as ‘transformative’.
“Here, I will hone my skills and emerge equipped to tackle upcoming professional and personal challenges that come my way,” he said.
“My mother’s determination to give the best education to all her children saw us achieve heights in our respective fields. After my education at NIT and IIT, I joined Indian Railways as senior section engineer and worked there till 2022,” said Avinash Kumar Singh. “I worked on projects including an introduction to AI. But the education bug bit me and I prepared for PGPX.”
With his experience in e-wallets and with design firms for large projects that have impacted millions of users, Jai Prakash Thakur feels the degree will be a step towards realizing his dream of getting into product management.
Highest number of students from the batch have background in IT sector, followed by govt and PSUs, consulting, engineering, banking and financial services and energy among others. It is the 19th batch of the course.