MICA’s 29th Annual Convocation: Co-Founder of Affle, Anuj Kumar, inspires students to Dream Big and Execute Bigger
BILKULONLINE
Ahmedabad, April 8: MICA Ahmedabad on Sunday hosted its 29th annual convocation ceremony for the 29th batch of its flagship PGDM- Communications Program, the 4th batch of its PGDM Program, the 33rd Batch of the Crafting Creative Communication (CCC) Course, and the FPM Batch of 2018-2021. Anuj Kumar, Co-Founder, Chief Revenue & Operation Officer of AFFLE, was the chief guest for the event.
Delivering the convocation address, Anuj Kumar, a MICA alumnus from the 2001 batch and Co-founder of AFFLE, a mobile marketing platform, said, “Today, India has the right environment for a lot of entrepreneurial successes to boom. VCs are investing more in the Indian market than in any other country; there have been some successful IPO exits in India, and a lot more will happen. The time to dream big and execute bigger is thus now. However, while you do that, stay real, follow your passions, and understand that each journey is unique, so take pride and enjoy your own journey and avoid comparisons as that adds just pain and take away from all the fun. Speaking of the skills, he said, “In an era where technologies like AI are transforming all jobs, it is this power to think, adapt, communicate and connect that will be valued more than many other hard skills”.
A strong sense of pride and accomplishment was palpable as the 225 graduates received their diplomas and certificates. The event celebrated their achievements and acknowledged the journey that had brought them to this moment, highlighting their resilience and commitment to excellence.
Shedding light on the complexities, Kumar said, “If economic forecasts are to be trusted, then India should rise to become the world’s top 3 global economies soon. However, while that will happen at an aggregate level, the vast inequalities in our society and challenges faced by our environment might only become greater. Thus, as educated professionals in this fast-changing world, we all have a greater responsibility to drive change that will hopefully also benefit society and help create change while addressing sustainability issues.
He further urged the students to stay open-minded and embrace change while pushing for excellence in whatever they are pursuing. He ended his address by saying, “Pursuing happiness will lead you to success.”
In his concluding speech, Dr. Shailendra Raj Mehta, President and Director of MICA, said, “The entrepreneurship journey is the most interesting yet challenging one can face Gone are the days when creativity alone would suffice. You need creativity and numbers to back up that creativity and the whole world has pivoted in that direction.
“Take with a hundred hands but give with a thousand hands – this is one of my aspirations for you,” he concluded.
The dignitaries present included the MICA Governing Council Chairman, Dr. Tridip Suhrud, MICA Dean, Dr. Githa Heggde, and other Governing Council members along with faculty.
Award Ceremony:
For the PGP course, Ananya Sharma was honored with the Gold Medal, Harshi Urmil Shah received the Silver Medal, and Swati Gangadhar Lambat was awarded the Bronze Medal, all part of the A G Krishnamurthy Award for Academic Excellence. Additionally, the A G Krishnamurthy Award for Academic Excellence in Crafting Creative Communications (CCC) was presented to Karanpreet Singh (1st position), Priya Baldwa (2nd position), and Manjusha Nair (3rd position).
