Workshops for PGP Students of IIMI

Earlier, I was teaching a course called Personal Growth Lab(PGL) to the students of 2 year Post Graduate program. Thanks to the initiative of Prof. Ramana, we are now experimenting with workshops. I facilitated two workshops of 10 sessions each - Good health and Wellbeing; Stress Management

Good Health & Wellbeing
This is based on Wellbeing workshop. I was not sure how many students would be interested in this workshop as it is scheduled at 6:30AM. This is closer to the bed time of many of the students  rather than wake up time.  I am very happy that a large number of students enrolled for this workshop despite the challenge of waking up early in the morning.  I turned to Yoga and other good health practices when my health was bad. It is inspiring to see the commitment to good health in the people who are young and enjoying reasonable health. I am fortunate to have the privilege of sharing what has been so beneficial to me. I enjoyed conducting the sessions and very much appreciate the participation and positive energy in the workshop.

Stress Management
This is based on the many workshops I conducted for corporates. I had a very ambitious plan to cover a lot of aspects that I normally do in workshops of  longer duration.  I was not sure whether the young students would be interested in topics beyond basic stress management. I was pleasantly surprised by not only the interest but the participation, openness and interaction. It was a very joyous experience for me and I am very happy and grateful for the opportunity of working with this group – so much so that I felt sad in the last session.
I think the idea of a class representative is a good one. Panda and Fiaz  helped me in many ways and such connections are very precious for me – making young friends. Tribhuvan was the only one to be in both the workshops. In fact, he did stress management purely out of interest without actually enrolling for the course and became another young friend. It was also very heartening for me that Prof. Omkar attended most of the sessions and Prof. Srinivas attended 4 sessions. It seems to me that we are making progress in the IIM campus!
The workshops were easier from my point of view as we concentrate on one topic at a time. However, by focusing on one aspect, the workshops fragment the holistic perspective that was the cornerstone of  PGL. One challenge I faced was to set question papers for the test – first of its kind.
7th July is a day I won’t forget easily. It was the first time ever that I was late for a class.  When Prof. Srnivas called me at 6:35AM for the 6:30 session, I was sleeping! I was confused and ran for the session and started it at 6:45 I had to use every technique that I have ever learned to be present and conduct the session. I would say that I passed the test in my own evaluation.
Visiting IIMI is something I like very much. A beautiful and vibrant campus that I enjoy to be in, meet old friends, meet new people and make new friends. I look forward to my next visit. The campus and the view are especially beautiful, with fresh green carpets grown by the monsoon. I feel blessed to be here and have had the opportunity to offer the workshops to young, enthusiastic students.