Mosaddique Rafi

Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta

“In pursuit of attaining my goals without forgetting to enjoy the journey.”

Hometown: Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: Once, I finished 8 ball pool on my break turn; I’m still waiting for something to trump that joy I experienced, when I potted all the balls without giving my opponent a chance at the table.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelors of Technology in Electrical Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia University

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Ciena, Senior Analyst

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of IIM Calcutta’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? IIM Calcutta is one of the best B-schools in India, so it was always in my mind when I started thinking about an MBA. IIM Calcutta offers a vast variety of electives to choose from, so you can tailor your MBA in any particular direction or be a generalist by picking some subjects from all areas. Even though I wanted to move into the technology industry post-MBA, during my MBA, I wanted to focus on all aspects of the business at a level higher than a rudimentary level and this is what IIM Calcutta provided.

What has been your favorite course or extracurricular activity at IIM Calcutta? What has been the most important lesson that you have learned from it? The quality of courses offered as a part of the curriculum makes it difficult to pick one. Since I have to choose one it’s going to be ‘Human Behavior at Work’. The depth at which the course looks at the interaction between humans and the organization gave me a new perspective on looking at things. Discussions on the inherent biases, sexism, ageism, and blind spots laid bare a myriad of subtle issues that one never even bothers to introspect. The key takeaway from the course was that before anything else humans are humans shaped by the environment that they reside in.

What has been the best part of studying business in Calcutta? You have to be here to dive into the rich traditions of food, festivals, art, and language. It feels like just the right combination of modernity blended with its unique culture that dates back centuries. True to its eponymous, City of Joy!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: In my work in the IT consulting industry, I turned around an almost failed automation project for a client and delivered a successful implementation of end-to-end process automation. The key to it was to build a relationship with the people involved in the process being automated and get their confidence to work towards the objective. More than anything else, this gave me the confidence to seek challenging tasks and leadership roles.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: A classmate was dealing with feelings of imposter syndrome and was reluctant to apply for a committee that he was interested in joining. He had a few discussions with me on it and went ahead and applied for it. Cut to today, he is a member of that committee. Sometimes, you just need to listen to people so that they can resolve their doubts themselves. The joy of sharing someone’s happiness is an underrated pleasure and I consider that my biggest accomplishment in the short time I have been an MBA student.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? All my career, I have been working in the technology sector. The advent of digital and disruptive technology has changed the world we live in. Be it any organization, car manufacturer, or FMCG, they have to be an organization focusing on technology. The endless possibilities of transforming businesses with technologies excite me. To be at the cusp where these decisions are made, I needed to have a holistic view of the business environment itself and hence an MBA was the perfect way to round up those skills.

After graduation, I plan to continue in the technology domain in strategy or consulting either internally or externally.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Calcutta? IIM Calcutta is all about people whether it’s the professors, the administrative staff, or the students. Likewise, your application needs to reflect the person in you. Attend the admission webinars for the program, it’s a great way to get a peek into how things run at IIM Calcutta. Professors, current students, and alumni are present in the webinars who give you a perspective on what to expect in terms of its culture, pedagogy, and outcome.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CALCUTTA MBA CLASS OF 2023