Prabandhan'20, the ninth edition of Annual Management Fest of the Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, IIT Kanpur, in a first for management conclaves, hosted its leadership talk, 'Reflexions' on the Topic: "SELF RELIANT INDIA - AN OPPORTUNITY IN MAKING" virtually and streamed it live.

Esteemed Industry Experts carried out the discussion moderated by Mr. Rudra Shankar Roy, GM, Process Automation, Industrial Products & Supply Chain Thought Leader, IBM GBS-CIC. The panel consisted of dignitaries, namely, Mr. Jayant Menghani, CFO, Company Secretary & Board Member, DHL Supply Chain; Ms. Suparna Mitra, CEO, Watches & Wearables Division, Titan Company Ltd; Mr. Puneet Jain, MD, IHS Markit; Prof. Anoop Singh, Founder, Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) & Energy Analytics Lab (EAL), DIME, IIT Kanpur; Mr. Arul Shanmugasundaram, Chief, Innovation & Business Collaboration, Tata Power.

The Students of MBA, IIT Kanpur, were jubilant on hosting such esteemed thought leaders. The discussion commenced by signifying the requisite of an 'Atmanirbhar' India. The panelists acknowledged the fact that self-reliance is the first step towards India becoming a developed Economy. With the current state of the global economy and a pandemic adding to its woes, the world is looking for an alternative manufacturing hub. The panelists discussed the need for India to grab this opportunity and rise as the next world leader in the manufacturing sector. The interaction highlighted the role of manufacturing industries in India's growth, wherein the panelists particularly pointed towards the energy sector, where India should emphasize the usage of renewable resources.

Towards the end, the discussion steered towards the necessity of industry and academic integration. The discussion ended on the note of highlighting the role of budding entrepreneurs in shaping the future economy. Students were advised to focus on their potential and interest rather than just finding ways to fit into booming industries.

Events such as these, hosting eminent industry leaders, provides a pool of experience to learn from and to broaden ones horizons. The audience which included students, faculty members, and corporate employees left the discussion inspired and ready to work towards a self-reliant India.