U’ to Us

"Stick to Basics... Hard work Alone Pays" Mrinal Kanti Nayak

An alumnus of INC Durgapur (2007), Mrinal is a Branch Manager, ICICI Prudential, Asansol. He has a passion for work. Here are his views on life, career and post- INC experiences. He can be reached at mrinal.nayak@icicipruamc.com

Mrinal is from Durgapur. He pursued his B.Com from South City College, Kolkata and then joined INC Durgapur for his management program. His father is a Project Incharge of Manaksia Ltd and is posted in the North- East region.

Mrinal is a person of great resolve and is ready to take up any kind of challenge that he comes across in his life. In his own words, "I have the grit to work hard and a passion to take up challenges. We have to work day and night, because the more we learn at this age the more it is useful to build up a bright future."

Mrinal is firm in saying, "to manage high pressure situations, one should be more focused towards targets; but a weekend relaxation that can rejuvenate both body and mind is a must."

He says "At the entry level it should be 80% work and 20% family. However, I keep Sundays for myself and my family and I make it a point not to receive any official calls on that day, unless it is very urgent. I take it as my privilege to keep Sundays exclusively for my family."

When we asked him about the secret of his success, he says, "Be composed and stick to basics...the thumb rule is, hard work will always pay...but if one bluffs, then he is out...always remember that someone is watching us."

The direction he wants to give youngsters is quite illuminating, when he affirms, "Having sound subject knowledge is important; but along with it one should know what is going on in the outside world. Keep updating your knowledge constantly and, as I always believe, hard work definitely has its reward."

Mrinal has an ideal way of spending his leisure hours. He says, "If at all I find any free time, I love listening to music and reading the biographies of great people."

Regarding contacts with his INC friends, Mrinal says, "Yes! We do meet once in a month. Last month we went to Digha, which is the most popular sea resort in West Bengal. Apart from that, we often interact at the 'alumni meets' and kudos to INCAS for providing us that opportunity."

Mrinal concludes by saying, "We need not wait for any lessons to acquire from life. We will get them in due course. We just need to have passion in whatever work we do or in whichever field we are in, and success will automatically be ours."

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"Be Proactive to Learn New Things"

Akshat Verma

an alumnus of INC Bhilai (2008), is an HR Manager in Shree Shivam Ventures Pvt Ltd.(Retail) at Durg. He has a high esteem for INC and strongly believes that it has brought about a momentous change in his life. He shares his views on life, career and his post-INC experiences with INCAS Network.

He can be reached at akshat_royaltouch@yahoo. co.in

Akshat hails from Durg, a populous district of Chhattisgarh. His father, Dr. A.K.Verma, is an ENT surgeon. His mother is a homemaker. He has two elder sisters who are well-settled in Bhopal.

Akshat's schooling was from St. Xavier's High School, Durg. He is happy to say, "I spent my entire childhood at Durg and enjoyed my school days thoroughly."

After his graduation, he pursued MBA from INC, Bhilai. He is placed in Shree Shivam Ventures Pvt Ltd. (Retail) Durg, as an HR Manager.

Akshat is all praise for INC, as he says, "INC has changed my lifestyle. Now, I have a positive mindset and am much more confident to deal with any kind of situation I come across."

Akshat, as an HR Manager, has to face high pressure situations. When asked about it, he says, positively, "I believe in the axiom, 'work is worship.' So I do not feel pressurized in the work and nothing and nobody can disturb my peace of mind."

Because of his busy schedule, one may wonder whether Akshat finds time to spend with his family. Akshat is confident when he says, "I think that I am capable of juxtaposing both personal and official lives. I look after my parents as well as my organization with great care."

Akshat is a passionate reader and he wants to spend his leisure hours by reading good management books and also some literary classics like Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. To relate his passion in his own words, "I am a passionate reader and enjoy reading books related to management, literature, etc. One more thing which keeps me in high spirits is listening to music."

Regarding his friends at INC, Akshat recalls, "INC taught me the value of friendship and I have quite a good number of friends at INC."

Akshat, when asked a question about his experiences in life, says, "If it is inevitable to face a problem, the best way is to face it with confidence."

When asked to give some guidance to his juniors at INC, Akshat says, "Positive attitude is the best way in life. Always be proactive to learn new things. Be confident to tackle any kind of situation."