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FROMACROPOLISwords from the wise

The Summit of Olympus//Event Report//

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Donald Trump once said, “Con�dence can get you where you want to go, and getting there is a daily process. It’s so much easier when you feel good about yourself, your abilities and talents.”

Starting o� with this aim, the Dean of Student’s Welfare o�ce, University of Delhi, which last year formed the Central Placement Cell and this year the Career and Counselling Cell, wanted in this academic year to enhance the competencies of the students. The Dean of Student’s Welfare o�ce feels most comfortable working with the students. When the Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies approached to associate itself in extending the vision of enhancing the leadership skills of the youth and the future leaders of tomorrow the idea of the Summit of Olympus was born. This created a platform for the ambitious youth of today, who know what they want to accomplish in life, and are ready to burn the midnight oil to realise these goals. To channelize these energies, and help the young aspirants hone their skills and further develop their talents, became the need of the hour. The value and necessity of good leaders in this country and worldwide, is not unknownwell recognised and therefore the Summit of Olympus, was organised.

The Summit, hoped to be a stepping stone for bridging the gap between the student and professional life of all participants. The aim made it a distinctive and unprecedented platform for the students of University of Delhi. It came as a long-awaited answer for all those driven by the unquenched desire to learn more. However, unlike the usual workshops or training programmes, which ultimately transcend into one-way-communication lectures in the name of learning, the Summit of Olympus broke away from this stereotype by making the sessions as interactive and participatory as possible. It was truly an opportunity to wake up the “leader” inside, and nurture one’s latent potential to its full extent.

The Summit was enthusiastically responded to not only by the students of the University of Delhi, but also it received response from students of other universities. Of course, it does not take long to recognise ingenuity at play, especially when you have a chance to partake of it.

The 60 participants, selected after a rigorous screening process, had the chance to mingle with some exceptional minds. This unique experience comprised of seven di�erent workshops, each concentrating on a speci�c aspect of Leadership, much required in the professional world. The sessions covered areas in communication, con�ict resolution, nurturing individuals, in�uencing people, motivating employees, leading and managing people and building an e�ective team.

All in all, the Summit of Olympus proved to be just the right kind of impetus for today’s youth, to help them make it big in this world. Fit for the gods might we add.

students of the School of Open Learning, which adversely a�ected the teacher-student ratio from 1:20 to 1:200.” He also was referring to the emphasis placed by them on technology and product development infrastructure as well as low student-teacher ratios. Apparently, the university has serious dearth of engineering research resources. “Unlike Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the Silicon valley, who have excelled in product development and scienti�c inventions, India’s leadership is highly restricted to certain domains.” Adding that India is now facing serious competition from Asian countries because of their technological aggression and thus it becomes imperative for the University to encourage greater research in scienti�c engineering and product development.

Why The Summit of Olympus?- Ishita Dasgupta

An Interview with The Vice Chancellor- Ishita Dasgupta, Dron Malhotra

Prof. Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi had a very interactive session with the participants. He expressed delight over the e�orts put in by the University to bring together the �nest minds of the future leaders, stating explicitly that more such events are healthy for our education system. In an interactive session he looked forward to answer questions posed by the students.One of the most expected questions was about the reasons for the university not featuring amongst the top in the world. To which Prof. Pental promptly replied, saying that more creativity needs to be incorporated while forming the courses. A very interesting and critical question came up from one of the delegates. He wanted to know about the factors that were pulling the University back in terms of global rankings. “Due to change in the ranking parameters of Times Review” said Prof. Pental, “the university has been .formidably pulled down. In enthusiasm he said that the data shared with the body included the 2 lakh

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An upfront question came in from a participant, who asked why some faculty in some colleges discourage student participation in extra-curricular activities and don’t even hesitate before they humiliate the students who are actively involved with the same. Responding to which, Prof. Pental said that the occurrence of this is rather sad when we are looking at holistic development of the students. Extra-curricular activities form an integral part of their development process and students need to move ahead in life, considering that they might have to face similar situations more than once. Thus they need to focus on what they do and have �rm belief in themselves.

However, a Physics student from Hansraj College came up with a pretty relevant point. He threw light on the possibility of hiking the college fee by 10 times, in order to facilitate better infrastructure, especially for science students. The VC stressed that a macro view of the situation needs to be taken. He said that infrastructure is a crucial matter and we need to look for alternate solutions.

When asked about the relevance of semester system as compared to yearly examination system. He was clearly in the favor of the former, stressing that it fosters greater professionalism and uniformity. And he predicts the Indian undergraduate course duration will witness an increase from 3 years to 4 years, similar to that of the engineering courses.

Students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business studies found voice in a girl who posed a question to the VC regarding the insu�cient college infrastructure. She said that the students get a sense of being segregated from the rest of the campus colleges in terms of the cultural activities taking place. Responding to her query, Prof. Pental said that the college deserves a better building which is being seriously looked into. However the roadblock is not the lack of funds, but a nexus of agencies which grant the requisite permissions.

Towards the end the delegates seemed perfectly content with the fruitful discussion they had with Prof. Deepak Pental, considering that it is an extremely rare opportunity for them to come face to face with him.

Upon being asked why there was a sudden need for a leadership conference of this scale, he replied that the summit evolved from the Central Placement Cell, because the need was felt to impart employability and leadership skills. Besides he added, “Every occurrence has its own time and takes form only when it is destined to.”When asked about how di�erent is this summit from others that occur every second day, his reply was, “Comparisons are odious.” Implying that comparisons are futile and each event should be viewed in its own set of circumstances and not in the light of its contemporaries.He appreciated the e�orts put in by Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, saying that the concept was remarkable and that a summit of this stature is a great endeavor that has been taken up by the students themselves.

The Dean emphasized on the fact that the Delhi University brand name is placed highest in the country. In fact, the DU stamp has more value than any other brand organization in the whole of India. With such an extravagant arrangement and a �ne selection process that was used to select the students attending the summit, it was only a matter of time before questions of it turning into an elitist cult would emerge.

When we questioned the Dean regarding such a turn of events, he vehemently exclaimed “I hope not!” The Dean does not believe in elitism and said that there should be more attempts to do away with formation of such cultures.

A short interview was conducted with Prof. S.K Vij, Dean, Student’s Welfare on the �rst day of the Summit of Olympus. He was upbeat about the entire idea of a leadership summit and how this would scale up the employability of the undergraduate students of the University of Delhi. He says, “The Central Placement Cell was established a year ago, as a result of which 500 undergraduate students got employed”. Thus the relevance of such a leadership summit increases because it is impossible to bring 1 lakh odd students from 80 di�erent colleges together under one roof.

The Career Counseling Cell is a new addition to the structure of University of Delhi and it is helping the students to gain employability in internationally reputed organizations. The dean says, “Talent is available in every college and we only need to encourage the students to step forward.”

An Interview with The Dean- Dron Malhotra, Ishita Dasgupta, Aanandita Chawla

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With such hype and furor associated with the summit, we wondered if the summit would evolve into a larger brand name that would be highly sought after. The dean certainly hopes it would be so. Since this summit is largely associated with the Career and Counseling Cell, there are sure to be other initiatives that will try to inculcate such skills in people that would not only help in their future careers but also help them long-term in their own personal lives as well.

Since this is the �rst summit of this sort, it was put forward only to the University of Delhi, but there was an overwhelming response to the forms received from other universities as well, thus we asked if there is scope for expansion for this summit. Prof. Vij was welcome to the idea and said that any such initiative has the potential to grow. “Although, we should concentrate on one small step at a time. Since, the Delhi University is an established brand name in itself, and it has a great educational brand value, people approach the university on their own.” He said. Which is why, the Dean said, in the matter of sponsorships, that the DU brand in itself is a great attraction to the many multinational corporations that are associated with the Summit of Olympus. On, the topic of expansion, even though it was a Delhi University initiative, it was spearheaded by Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, so we wondered if it would be handled by CBS all through. The Dean was all for handing it out to other colleges and making it more of an event that would be hosted by all of the colleges in turn.

Till now we have been working on the core corporate unit which is primarily concerned with providing jobs to the students, because that is how placements are understood. The core competency unit is just an extension of the same with a vision to enhance competencies." She further added about the con�dence that she bestow towards students. She said “when I returned from the Netherlands after doing my post doctorate, I was convinced that our students are much more capable and focused than the ones abroad and they truly deserve such a platform”.

Explaining to us why the summit has taken place now and not before this, she says, "There always is a �rst time and what better there is then the present Summit. It has only been a year since the establishment of CPC. Extending the vision of CPC and the introduction of Career Counseling Cell in DSW this certainly is a good beginning. What we have gained is also a new model where the partnership between the University and a particular college in organizing an event can go so well together. It is also a positive step towards the philosophy of decentralization”

About the Summit, she went on to say, "The summit is very di�erent and for that I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, whose students have brought the requisite energy to the summit, not only on paper but in practice. Besides, we gel well and talk on the same wavelength which has further heightened our e�orts. Akshay and his team of students have certainly further convinced me of the energy of young students which is only wanting motivation and some directions for exhibiting their inner talent. With a vast pool of more than 1 lac students in regular colleges the potential is immense."

When asked to comment on whether this summit could become the most sought after event in near future her reply was full of hope, saying, "I am a die hard optimist and certainly hope for more varied events to take place." She mentioned that every pilot project tends to be comprehensive and seeks to not only impart necessary leadership skills but also enhance the personalities of students in every way possible. ”.On how she foresees the future of the summit, she gave an instant reply saying that this was a good pilot test. She added," If today the Summit has witnessed the participation of 60 delegates, it would be lovely to see 60 di�erent countries representing themselves one day at this summit."

An Interview With The Deputy Dean- Dron Malhotra

Dr. Seema M Parihar, Deputy Dean, Students’ Welfare and Chairperson of the Central Placement Cell (CPC) has been the prime reason for establishing an interface between the industry and the University of Delhi. The Summit of Olympus has taken a lot from the initiatives of the CPC under her grand vision. Just as she has always spared time for Olympus she was kind enough to spare some time to talk to us. Throwing light on the inspiration and purpose of the summit, she said," Last year when the CPC was launched by the O�ce of the Dean, Students’ Welfare the �rst objective was to evolve the competencies of the students. The CPC has two units, one is the core competency unit and one is the core corporate unit.

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She also spoke of the 3 pillars of the University, namely the Students, the Faculty and the Administration. And how 4 institutions came together to make this event a grand success. However she also expressed the possibility of other colleges coming forward to organize the summit in the future, while retaining the glorious partnership with Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.

Commenting on why this summit didn’t take place earlier, Dr. Verma says,"There is a right time, a right place and the right people for every idea to take form." A synergy of dynamic waves work in synchronization to transform such ideas into realities.

However she vehemently denied a comparison of this summit with others that might have taken place in the past emphasizing that every conference has a purpose to serve, but the basic motive always remains to widen the mental horizons of participants attending it. "This could be achieved well through activity based interactive workshops like the Summit of Olympus" she said, "because if students were to lend ears to one way lectures, they might as well do so by reading books or through the internet."University of Delhi of which we are an integral part."

When asked whether she sees the summit creating an elite cult among the intellectual cream of the University of Delhi, she retorted saying."I hope not." But she de�nitely wants the summit to spread its wings beyond the University, quipping that, "Good things are as contagious as bad things."

She wrapped up the conversation by saying,"This summit might have been inititated by Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, but that doesnt imply they have a copyright or patents for the same. The world of knowledge has to be borderless for an inclusive society. And we have to realise that the event is under the umbrella of University of Delhi of which we are an integral part."

Dr. Poonam Verma is one of the premier forces behind the tremendous success of this summit. In the capacity of the Principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, she has played an exceptional role in laying out the path for the core team, thereby exposing them to a plethora of opportunities. She was kind enough to let us peek into her thoughts about the summit.

She ardently believes that a summit of this kind will contribute heavily in broadening the mindsets and capabilities of the participants and expanding their outlookt She ardently believes that a summit of this kind will contribute heavily in broadening the mindsets and capabilities of the participants and expanding their outlook. "It is both an obligation and the greatest reward for teachers and students." She feels that teachers take pride in imparting learning to such enlightened minds and it is also the responsibility of both set of people to take a step ahead and take advantage of such an opportunity.

An Interview With The Principal of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

- Dron Malhotra

- Prishit Agarwal

Interview with the Joint Dean, Students Welfare Association

I got the opportunity to interview Dr. Verma who has been a massive aid to the core team and organization committee since the summit got underway

Q.) Sir, what responsibilities have you been ful�lling so far?A.) You could say that I’m in an academic advisory position, or an o�cer on special duty. I am involved in admissions of the reserved category and we are currently in the process of bringing changes in the examination system.

Q.) What do you think of the summit and the way it has gone so far?A.) The concept of the summit and the idea behind such initiative is novel and demand of the current situation. As the �rst initiative in this regard it clearly

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has a lot of potential and it would be our e�orts to support such initiative in future and hold such student and corporate interfaces at regular intervals.

Q.) What do you think of the organization?A.) The organization has also been very good. The summit has been organized professionally and the enthusiasm and the zeal of the students’ team in particular have to be appreciated. Exercises such as these bring together the vast potential of the students of the University of Delhi and provides an opportunity to enhance the organizational capability of students.

First things �rst, why the Greek God theme? Well �rstly, it’s a di�erent idea, it’s never been done before. I thought, “As far as leadership is concerned, who better than the Greek Gods?” We didn’t want to restrict it to a certain industry, you know, we didn’t want it to be exclusively industrial, political or social. We needed something that would be common to everyone and at the same time would be something that everyone would approach the same way

According to you, what are the goals of the Summit ?First and foremost, to cover a di�erent way of imparting knowledge– skill building. I think it’s really important because once you’re out of your college realm you have not only your classroom education but a certain set of skills to count on. Basically it’s a more practical approach.We picked “Leadership” because it’s well known and well established. There are a few people who moved the world and if they sit down the world will collapse. These are the leaders. They could be leaders in the political realm, the corporate realm or any other �eld they’re in, but they are the ones who run that system. And in today’s age, it’s required for these people to not only have the amount that they do in terms of creativity, intelligence, initiative, in pure passion but to also enhance their skills because of the number of people in this rat race. Earlier if there were 10 people, 2 of them would emerge as leaders. Now there are a hundred people and 20 people emerge as leaders. But amongst these leaders, there are superleaders. That’s what we aim at.

How di�cult was your job and what did it involve?Involved everything to sta�ng the organisation to dealing with the authorities. Right from planning how a production’s going to happen to actually plugging in the laptop wire. It has its moments of strategizing and it has its chaotic moments of frantic panicking but ultimately it’s something that I love to do.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced during the organisation of the summit?It wasn’t exactly an obstacle but something that put me o� I mean we had some supportive people like Seema ma’am and Poonam ma’am, Prof Vij sir. They’re excellent people who have invested in us based on that trust but when you go to other people, to sponsors, to partners? For them we’re just a bunch of kids trying to organize something. They don’t take us seriously. And I think that’s where it really hurts you because when you know that you can pull it o� but someone else is actually impairing you. I think that was the biggest obstacle we faced.

What is your personal view about the summit?My personal view is that has been a very interesting journey to see myself grow. There are two things I love to do, I like to learn, I like to impart learning and thru this sumit ive got to do both. Impart learning to the �rst year members that I have, even core members we learn from each others ma istakes, experiences but for me it was also a learning experience

Speaking of leadership…- Pritish Agarwal and Taruni Kumar

Akshay Sharma – Managing Director, Summit of Olympus. This is the 20 year old man whose name you would have heard very frequently in the halls of the Conference Center in North Campus, University of Delhi. What makes him so special? He along with his team of dedicated students (yes, students) organized a massive Leadership Summit – The Summit of Olympus. Ask anyone about him and you’ll hear nothing but words of praise. He’s a charming young man who inspires many around him. He worked tirelessly to build the Summit that you see around you. He took some time out of running

“The evaluation criteria was comprehensive and designed to test the need and potential of the applicant to be a leader. The application process evaluated the applicants comprehension of the question and seriousness towards the summit. The process involved understanding the applicants’ leadership potential, their ability to receive criticism and be open to other’s opinion. Aspects such as priority to work, punctuality and ability to give credit where due were tested. Last but not the least questions were put to test the applicants’ ethics and morals. In all the process covered all the issues/concerns that in�uence the e�ectiveness and e�ciency of leaders.” Anuja Mathur, Associate Professor, S.S.C.B.S

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it was the �rst time I was spearheading an event that was my own, you know, not belonging to an organization, not to another institution. Something that me and my friends created and we set out to achieve it. So a maternal instinct towards this Summit was aroused.

How were you selected for the post?Well we were a group of and we thought we should go ahead and make this happen, using our collective experience. I ended up being voted MD unanimously, and I think that’s because the other 5 knew that if I were in charge, I’d be calling the shots for them too. They knew that I’d guide them through it. But, at the end of the day, there’s something more than that that you o�er. I think they voted for me because they knew that that’s what the summit needed and that’s a sacri�ce not many people are willing to make.

How did you choose your team members ? How did you place them ?2 things – skill and interest. We’re completely departmentalized. When we started making the organisational structure I took out all the areas we need to look at. Being a business student that’s not too di�cult for me. Departmentalization we can do in our dreams. I developed the departments. And then I had to look at two things; I had to look at skill and I had to look at interest. It’s a very weird combination because you actually cant say what’s more important. But one thing is for sure and that is both skill and interest HAVE to be in a person before he can handle a job. In events like this, which run on a very limited time period and include high level of stress, you don’t have time to nurture skill even if there’s interest, and if there’s no interest, then the skill becomes redundant too. So we need both and I look for people who can �t the bill. Thankfully, I found plenty of such people in our organization.

Our Sponsors- Dron Malhotra

To a great extent the success of the event could be attributed to the partners they have cooperated with. Apart from the requisite luster and visibility for the event, they provided them with the expertise and in-kind support. If the summit has been able to attract vast amount of attention from the targeted student audience, needless to say it is because of the brands they established relations with.

The knowledge partner for the Summit of Olympus was Blanchard International, which is a global leader in workplace learning, productivity, performance, and leadership e�ectiveness solutions. They help institutions and companies improve their output, e�ciency and bottom line results. Majority of the sessions saw Blanchard certi�ed trainers coming in to disseminate invaluable learning among the participants. They expressed keen interest in establishing a partnership with the summit, since it was an o�cial seminar under the purview of the University of Delhi. As a company, Blanchard saw the business rationale behind collaborating with the event, in terms of the public exposure accruing. Besides, interacting with the youth was another major advantage.

The hand of Core Excellency was also present in arranging some more mentors for sessions and cannot be left without a mention. When the question of publicising the brand Olympus arose, the University found an appropriate Radio partner in Big FM. They assured the delivery of the message to the right people, which is the youth, at the right time and the right place. SMS Gupshup, a social messaging service provided feasible mobile marketing solutions for the Summit. Flexes for the venue were supplied by Sardana Art Centre, which was the promotion partner. They gave a corporate look to the surroundings to match the Greek theme.

Seeing that every leadership seminar requires the circulation of relevant books and journals, the Summit of Olympus had Harper Collins as their support partners.

Reishabh Kailey was the Design partner for the event. Based in Pune he did a fabulous job, designing the merchandise for the summit, ranging from teaser posters to award certi�cates to �exes to everything Olympus. He branded the conference.

Café Co�ee Day, owing to its youthful appeal, acted as the café partner. Their role in keeping the delegates alive with their co�ees in the midst of a hectic brainstorming session was crucial.Playing the role of Beverage partners was PepsiCo International. The reason for their omnipresence in this area is self-explanatory.Though some prospective sponsors pointed a �nger at the company policies acting as roadblocks during the year end, but a word with the Finance team gave a reasonable idea that all the current sponsors have expressed the desire and hinted at the possibility of joining forces in the future.

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A capsule report of the entire Summit of Olympus conducted over the 3 days 24th, 26th and 27th of December 2009 conducted by O�ce of the Dean, Students’ Welfare; Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Career and Counseling Cell and Central Placement Cell, University of Delhi

Opening CeremonyThe ceremony began with the lighting of the lamp by Chief Guest, Mr. Sanjay Dhawan, CEO and Director, Acme Telepower Ltd., Prof. Nayanjot Lahiri, Dean Colleges, University of Delhi, Prof. S.K. Vij, Dean of Students Welfare, Dr. Seema M. Parihar, Deputy Dean, Student Welfare, University of Delhi, Dr. Poonam Verma, Principal, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi and Dr Yogesh Sood, MD Blanchard International. Dr. Parihar especially called on the Managing Director, Summit of Olympus, Akshay Sharma, to be a part of the proceedings, owing to his instrumental role in the working of the Summit. The Executive Directors of the core committees then facilitated the panelists with �owers and mementoes.

Prof. S.K. Vij, Dean, Students’ Welfare, was �rst called upon to welcome the participants. He expounded on how it is not enough to make students academically sound, or even get them a job, it is the foremost priority to also make them competent and increase their potential through Summits like these. He also talked about how such workshops help both the teachers and the students learn more.

The Principal, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Dr. Poonam Verma in her opening remarks emphasized on the importance of broadening the horizons of the students. She also emphasized through the learning that she had from the 12th century Chinese philosophers wisdom, that if we approach any problem with an open mind, the solution is more likely to be found.

The ceremony continued with Mr. Sanjay Dhawan, the Chief Guest who stressed on the importance of having an open mind, along with a questioning spirit, like that of a child. He encouraged the students to be innovative and analytical whenever they get a chance. He emphasized that entrepreneurship is within each one of us and it should not take a back seat ever.

Prof. Nayanjot Lahiri, Dean Colleges, University of Delhi in her inaugural address appreciated the initiative of the Central Placement Cell in facilitating industry and student interface. She further elaborated that approximately 8,000 undergraduate students of University of Delhi have registered with the Central Placement Cell this year. She spoke of the initiative of the University of Delhi in enhancing the academic and research potential of the University through international collaborations – such as Emaradus Mondus scholarship for faculty of post graduate and undergraduate students; new M.Tech program in nanotechnology and chemical synthesis. She also urged that such summits were the need of the hour and thus more such sessions should be organized on a regular basis. Dr. Yogesh Sood from Blanchard International, intrigued the audience with a unique example of a peon who encouraged the boss to use coasters for his teacup, and in this way kept him from staining the tablecloths, acting as the Leader in this situation. He then elucidated upon the direction and values to leadership through a short presentation.

Dr. Seema M Parihar having been involved in the process since the beginning took this opportunity to express her gratitude to all those involved in bringing together the summit along with the participants and those who applied for the summit. She brought forward the symbolic learning’s from each of the guest. Whereas Mr Sanjay Dhawan represented moving forward and never give up attitude, Prof. Lahiri represented humility, and passion towards expanding academic resources, Prof.Vij always ready to think beyond and make a di�erence. . She appreciated the astounding e�orts that the students of the Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies had put in towards making this event possible.

The opening ceremony was thus concluded with a hearty round of applause and palpable excitement that could be felt amongst the participants. The ceremony was conducted by Sargam Sardana.

Zeus’ Realms – Leading and Managing PeopleThe sessions got to an immediate start post the opening ceremony. The �rst one has been named after Zeus, who is the King of the Gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder. Since he was the one who introduced the concept of leadership to the world, the name was apt.

The �rst session was an ice breaker. It was very crucial for the delegates to shed their inhibitions and get to know each other in order to facilitate a smooth �ow during the Summit. The exercise that followed was conducted by a Blanchard certi�ed trainer, Mrs Seema Seth. She distributed questionnaires amongst the delegates containing 10 questions each. The participants were supposed to �nd answers to those questions from people within the four walls of the room. The questions for example were ‘Find someone in the room who has been issued a speeding ticket’, ‘Find someone who has experienced a miracle in his/her lifetime’ and ‘Find a person whose name starts with 'B'’.A time limit of 15 minutes was set for the participants to complete the exercise. As expected, the house suddenly went from calm to chaotic. But it wasn’t all bad. People who were extremely poised a moment ago suddenly began jumping about as if they were in a �sh market, but extremely gleefully. Thus, the basic idea was make the participants comfortable with each other.

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Every table in the room was organized to form a team. Their names were rather interesting. Like, The blue lagoon, The Black Beauty, The Green Earth, The Snow Whites, The White Paper, The Red wine etc. Each team was supposed to derive an interpretation of their name and present it as artistically as possible on a chart paper. They were provided with the required stationary and were supposed to come up on the stage to explain their interpretation to the entire house.

The rationale behind this activity was to incorporate the varied views of all the team members in their presentation and make sure it found its place harmoniously. It was all about fostering and integrating vivid views and perceptions.The next segment of the session was an extremely interesting one. Essentially, it was based on how e�ectively orders are conveyed and how smoothly a team can function. All teams were divided into their leaders, sub-leaders and remaining team members. These 3 groups were then kept apart from each other. Instructions were given to the leaders, along with the necessary materials. The objective was to get the (blindfolded) team to make a kite. The catch was that the leaders could not under in any circumstances directly speak to the teams; instead, their orders were relayed to the sub-leaders, who subsequently passed on the orders to the team itself.There was mass chaos despite the best e�orts of the leaders to give the most precise orders, but in the end most teams managed to present something commendable. As one of the sub-leaders said, it was a “very creative exercise, one that engaged the students”.

Hermes’ Hour – Creating Breakthrough Communication The theme of the second session was one of the important tenets of modern day business – successful communication. According to the presentation shown to the participants, successful communication depends on; self-awareness, clarity of expression and shared understanding.

After the initial introduction of the session, the trainer asked the participants certain questions about the concepts and the importance of communication. For example, what are the important aspects of e�ective communication and what is the purpose of communication? Many answers where given, mostly centered around focusing on the target audience of the communication, the clarity of speech and removing the ambiguity of what is said.Following this Q&A round, the trainers introduced an ingenious exercise to test the delegates’ (with the chocolates as a motivating factor of course). The activity involves the group leaders being given certain pictures with the task of describing these in vivid detail to their teams. The remaining members of the team then had to draw the picture painted by the words of the leader. The prize, of course, was for the team with the most accurate representations of the actual picture.

The test was not only for the leaders but for the group as well as comprehension is a fundamental part of successful communication. Obviously, maintaining your attention and concentrating on the content of the communicator are vital facets of communication.Though the Leaders could be seen stamping their feet and pulling out their hair during the exercise, by the end there were generally encouraging results; Once again showcasing the amount of talent and potential present in the Summit of Olympus.

Themis’ Order – Identifying Your CallingThe 3rd session concentrated on enabling the participants �nd their inner calling in the session named after the Greek god Themis, the goddess of “good counsel”. This session was conducted by Mr. Prikshit Dhanda, who is the CEO of MIE Pvt. Ltd. He has coached and mentored a quarter of a million students in the last decade. The discussion conducted with the delegates centered on the MBTI model of personality classi�cation, as per this model there are 16 types of personalities and it says that every person has a set of personality attributes.Mr. Dhanda talked to the participants about the di�erence in personality between introverts and extroverts. He made them attempt several activities that pitched both the characteristics against each other and tried to elicit a response from the participants in favor of one character attribute. Also, by assessing the comfort levels of the introverts and extroverts in both favorable and unfavorable situations, he evaluated the participant’s reactions. Participants were encouraged to look deeper within them to identify their innermost inclinations and thoughts so that their future career and life options would be in harmony with their personality. He made the participants identify themselves in the light of 4 set of personality characteristics. Namely; Extroverts v/s Introverts, Sensing v/s Intuitive, Thinking v/s Feeling, Judging v/s Perceiving.A choice made in con�ict with the heart can never give complete happiness, which is why, one must �rst identify one’s calling and then love what one does.The trainer also made the delegates aware of their basic characteristics so that they could choose well in the future and make better and informed choices. The participants were made to evaluate themselves when they were pulled out of their comfort level so that they could have an idea as to what their reactions to real life situations might be. In this way the participants were brought a little closer to their inner selves through this session.

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Dionysus’ Teamwork – E�ective Team and Relationship BuildingThe 4th session was conducted on the 2nd day of the Summit of Olympus, and targeted the values of motivation. The session, named after Apollo, the Greek God of light, concentrated on the games of motivation that a leader needs to be well versed in, to have an e�ectively functioning team. This session was conducted by Ms. Jaspreet Singh and Mr. Hemant Dewani. Mr. Hemant Dewani has the experience of training over 20 batches on varied subjects such as soft skills, selling skills, language skills, voice and accent, employability skills and process training. Ms. Jaspreet Singh is an alumnus of our university and has more than 2 decades of experience in helping organizations with customized learning solutions.Motivation is the inspiration to achieve. It is the incentive to perform. It is the impetus to work for group goals. It spurs people to gain greater heights.Motivation plays a key role in the aspiration and achievements of everybody. Without motivation, none of the goals, whether long term or short term, would be achieved. As a leader, one needs to provide constant motivation for e�ective team work. This session was elucidated with the help of several video clips and activities that emphasized on the requirement of adequate motivation that anybody requires to function in totality and with vigor.

Apollo’s Torch – The Game of MotivationThe 5th session to be conducted was aimed at E�ective Team and Relationship Building. This session has been named after the Greek God of merriment and wine, Dionysus. This session was conducted by Ms. Jaspreet Singh and Mr. Hemant Dewani. E�ective team and relationship building is the most essential component that a leader needs to pay great attention to. Without an e�ective team dynamic, the team cannot function in harmony. A leader can only be de�ned when he has people who are willing to follow him, and people will only be willing to follow him, if he functions e�ectively as a team leader. The leader needs to function responsibly and listen to his team members before making any key decisions; this is one of the most essential things that the leader needs to know. These key lessons were being related to the participants in the form of few key activities that the Ms. Singh had devised. Participants were told to create shapes, like stars, with long lengths of rope. The activity established the importance of team work and an e�ective relationship because a shape like a star cannot be constructed if even one of the participants at a corner slackens his hold. Thus it teaches that the participants need to concentrate and function as equals on every level even though the leader heads the group. The leader might be the decision maker but the decision needs to be made in consensus with the rest of the group. The group can only function together if the leader gives equal opportunity to everybody.

Athena’s Wisdom – Problem Solving and Decision MakingOn the 3rd day of the Summit of Olympus a session was conducted on Decision Making and Problem Solving by Capt. Jolly (retd). Capt Jolly served in the Indian Army for 5 yrs and he is a certi�ed trainer for Crucial Conversations and In�uencer for Vitalsmarts (U.S.A.). This session has been named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, she was reputed for her strategic warfare and her name has been invoked to lend inspiration to the future leaders in time of decision making.In any team, no matter how well the members get along or how well the o�ce machinery is oiled there is always bound to be di�erence opinion. Whether in the initial stages or �nal, across the same level or across di�erent o�ces, di�erence in opinion is always present. Whether such a di�erence in opinion leads to con�ict or not is another issue, something which the leader needs to deal with, in addition to everything else. Capt. Jolly used the techniques of lateral thinking using Edward de Bono’s concept. Lateral thinking is a term coined by Edward de Bono, for the solution of problems through an indirect and creative approach. Lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.The activity that was conducted in order to encourage this approach was called ‘Colorblind’. This activity forced the participants to unconciously follow the lateral thinking approach that would help them in the future to handle situations. Decisions need to be made with the consensus of all involved in the process, the leader needs to be aware of all the people involved, take all of their opinions, keep regard of them, yet arrive at a conclusion that is acceptable to all and appease everybody.

The Arch of Ares – Con�ict Resolution and Negotiation The last seesion that was conducted at the Summit of Olympus was named after Ares, the Greek god of bloodlust, his name has been invoked in this session to assist the process of Con�ict Resolution.This session was conducted by Ms. Seema Seth, who has 25 yrs of experience in the corporate world, and loves to train as it gives her an opportunity to learn along with the people she interacts with. In any creative workspace, when several minds are at work, there is bound to be a con�ict of interest. Con�ict in the o�ce space is ineveitable, however, handling them well is a good leaders trademark. Keeping his team happy and satis�ed, without any kind of manipulation is the key objective. Ms. Seth examined the reasons for the occurrence of con�ict, as to why should a con�ict in opinion and thought arise. More importantly, Ms. Seth expounded on the strategies for managing con�ict. The pros and consof con�ict were disciussed among participants. With equally mixed answers, it was healthily debated amongst the gathering with neither side emerging victorious. The activity used to illustrate the points stated above was called ‘Cave Rescue’. This gave all the participants a perspective on what the trainer had elaborated on earlier. The leader needs to know how to handle con�ict in thought and action that might arrive in the o�ce space, a cool head and calm mind is essential for handling of such situations.The sessions came to a close with a �nal activity that tested their team communication and all aspects of leadership at the end of the 3 days, in an activity called ‘Balloon’s key’.

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PATRONProfessor Deepak PentalVice Chancellor, University of Delhi

TEACHER ADVISORYProfessor S.K. VijDean, Students’ WelfareDr. Seema M. PariharChairperson, Central Placement CellDeputy Dean, Students‘ WelfareDr. Poonam VermaPrincipal, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business StudiesDr. Suman VermaJoint Dean, Students’ WelfareDr. Gurpreet S. TutejaDeputy Dean, Students’ WelfareAnuja MathurFaculty, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business StudiesMr. Gopal KrishanAssistant Registrar (DSW)

STUDENT ADVISORYManaging Director: Akshay Sharma

Logistics:Keshav Anand - Executive DirectorAchint Singh GulatiDhruv BahlNavkaran Singh ChadhaPranjal KanwarShakshi Malik

Finance:Manvi Kathuria- Executive DirectorChitra Singh- Associate DirectorDisha SharmaSanya Talwar

Marketing:Mehak Kharbanda - Executive DirectorVasundhara Jain- Associate DirectorAnanya GambhirSargam Sardana

Content:Sanchita Arora- Executive DirectorJigeesha Nayyar- Associate DirectorOnaiza DrabuVanshaj aggarwal

Recruitment:Ridhi Mahendru- Executive DirectorReetika Bir- Associate DirectorAkanksha CPalakshee Chakraborty

Team

Note from the Editor-in-Chief - For the uninitiated, Acropolis means the highest city, which is where we consider our editorial team to have originated.

THE EDITORIAL TEAM

Editor-In-Chief -Taruni Kumar“I want it done. NOW.”(Indraprastha College for Women)

Editors – Aanandita ChawlaShe might be sleepy but that doesn’t mean the work doesn’t get done.(Kamala Nehru College) Ishita DasguptaShe might be sleepier but the work still gets done.(Kamala Nehru College)

Reporters – Pritish AgarwalHe claims to be awesome, and when he manages to show up, he’s not all that bad.(Hindu College)Dron MalhotraHe’s as e�cient as a drone but thankfully has a mind of his own.(Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies)

Photographer – Saman QuraishiSaman. She’s brilliant. She even made our Ed-in-Chief look pretty.(Indraprastha College for Women)