The Army Institute of Management (AIM) celebrated its 25 years of founding with a grand show of unity and diversity showcasing different dance forms of India on September 19.
The students of the institute conceptualised and choreographed the show. Director major general (retired) V.S. Ranade addressed the welcome speech. General officer commanding-in-chief of the Eastern Command Lieutenant General R.P. Kalita also delivered an inspiring speech.
The Eastern Command chief on Monday said the AIM Kolkata students have imbibed values of integrity, honesty, loyalty, and character.
Lieutenant General Kalita said the AIM has been able to inculcate the values and ethos that the army stands for, among its students. “Students have also imbibed values of integrity, honesty, loyalty and character, which are integral to the armed forces’ way of life,” he said in his address.
Noting that incorporation of technology in the field of management is a must for advancement, the general said: “The way the world is changing with technology development, we also need to change.”
Kalita added that the use of artificial intelligence will become predominant in decision-making and therefore, students need to be made future-ready by incorporating these into the curriculum.
“I am sure, with the guidance of the faculty and the institute director, the course curriculum will be tweaked to meet these challenges of the future,” he said.
He told the students that they will face challenges in their personal life and professional career, and knowledge, hard work, grit, and determination for success will carry them through. “There are no shortcuts in life, it is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said, adding that they should not be afraid of taking considered risks.
He said in the 1990s, the army as an organisation felt the need for professional institutes primarily for the wards of Army personnel. “Army Institute of Management, Kolkata is one of those institutes which was established,” he said.
A faculty of the institute said that AIM admits 80 per cent of students from army families and the rest from civilian background.
Students, faculty members, army personnel, dignitaries, alumni, ex-faculty members and corporates attended Monday’s event.