Anisha Kumari

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

“A storyteller whose mantra in life is to live through wit, wisdom and kindness.”

Hometown: Muzaffarpur, Bihar

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love to cook cuisines from different regions of India.

Undergraduate School and Major: Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College (Delhi University), BA English Literature

Ambedkar University (Delhi), MA English Literature

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Moneycontrol (Network18), Senior Sub Editor – Social Media

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of IIM Ahmedabad’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The wide variety of electives offered by IIM Ahmedabad. Even before I had received the admission letter, I would head over to IIMA website and look at the electives and daydream about sitting and learning all about them one day. The electives on offer cover a wide array of specializations and focus on application-based learning as much as conceptual learning.

What has been your favorite course or extracurricular activity at IIM Ahmedabad? What has been the most important lesson that you have learned from it? My favorite extracurricular activity has been working on the first-ever PGPX newsletter – ‘Xperiences’. From conceptualizing the look and feel of the newsletter to handpicking and editing the content was a rewarding experience in itself.

What makes Ahmedabad such a great place to earn an MBA? The rich history of the institute that inspires a strong alumni connect! It ensures that learning won’t stop after the program is over. There are constant opportunities to interact with alumni and learn from them about the most current trends in different industries, and to receive guidance about anything under the sun. You state the problem, and there will definitely be someone with an insight to help you navigate and come up with a solution.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment in my career has been the seamless transformation from being an editor-reporter to a social media marketer. Being an editor-reporter was an easy choice as I had been writing both professionally and personally for a long time. However, handling social media for a news organization was a different ball game. There’s the pressure to be the first one to break a news on social media while making sure that any kind of misinformation is filtered out of the system. Becoming a social media professional helped me understand social media platforms, their user base, and the types of content that work well with each combination. Learning this emerging form of marketing on the job was intimidating but also exciting.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: My greatest achievement has been my personal growth since joining the program. The campus offers endless learning opportunities from professors, peers, and students in other courses. The program prepares you for any challenge, both professionally and personally. You become aware of the larger world around you in a true sense, and your analytical skills become heightened with each discussion that happens within or beyond the classroom. My experience here has transformed my mindset to be both creative and analytical.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? The most popular hangout for my batch is Bhavesh Bhai’s (BBs). BBs is the perfect place to grab a cup of tea and old favorite Maggi and de-stress. Anytime you stroll to BBs you will find someone or the other from your batch sitting and sipping on some tea or coffee. It’s a great place to meet people from your cohort and know them beyond the classroom, on a personal level.

What do you hope to do after graduation? I have an affinity for tasks that involve some kind of storytelling, and after graduation, I hope to put it to good use. I hope to become a brand manager and capture the audience’s attention through compelling stories. There have been several home-grown brands with a focus on sustainable products that have come up in recent years and are vying to make their presence felt, so there’s a lot of opportunity for impactful storytelling. It will provide me an opportunity to elevate the presence of individually-owned brands that are working to produce consumer goods and fashion products keeping environment concerns in mind. In our journey as evolved human beings, we have reached a stage where mindfulness, and sustainability have become the need of the hour, and I wish to incorporate these principles in my professional journey.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Ahmedabad? It is very important to be truthful and honest about who you are and what you want out of this experience. Clarity of thoughts and vision about the path you have visualized for yourself helps during the application and interview process and is a great way to stay focused when you finally arrive on campus. IIM Ahmedabad is a place where you will find an opportunity to hone any skill you can think of. The plethora of electives and activities available makes sure you will never have a dull day. So know what you want and you’ll be surprised at the number of options available for you.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AHMEDABAD MBA CLASS OF 2024