Jalpa Priten Shah

ENC 2006, MSc IT Management and Organisational Change, Lancaster University (Batch 2007), U.K.

Currently working in Kantar Group, London, UK.

“Happiness keeps you Sweet,

Trials keep you Strong,

Sorrow keeps you Human,

Failure keeps you Humble,

Success keeps you Glowing,

And God keeps you Growing,

But only Faith & Attitude keeps you going...”

I believe in this credo and it is to this belief that I attribute all my accomplishments to date.

Hello folks,

I am Jalpa A. Maniar, B.Tech in Electronics and Communication, UMIT Batch 2006. Some of you might remember me as Ex- CSI Chairperson or Ex- Creative Head for Arcane Illusion or Ex-Captain of Throw Ball Team etc…

However after engineering, the desire to gain an insight into the management aspects of technology i.e. to study a cross-disciplinary programme, prompted me to take a decision to pursue MSc in IT Management and Organisational Change, Lancaster University Management School, U.K.

Shortly after successfully completing post graduation, I started working for CRAC: The Career Development Organisation in Cambridge, UK, as I wanted to get work experience in the field of consultancy and gain some international experience. Also I wanted an opportunity to get to know the practical side of working life in U.K. and be able to apply and develop what I had learnt during my studies and further both my professional and personal development.

My first impressions of this college were that, for the first time, I was in a completely different academic environment. As S.N.D.T. Women’s University is Deemed University, the Engineering course and exam pattern was very different from other universities. I was very much unclear and sceptical about my decision to study at ITW. The concepts of Viva’s internal as well as external in each term, mini project, major project, academic referencing techniques, Grade Point Average etc, were very new and worrisome for all of us. However the best part of UMIT was that the teaching and non-teaching staff was helpful, which made life in new academic environment smooth.

I had held the post of CSI Chairperson and this really helped my in my future endeavours. Each time when I have to talk about my post of CSI Chairperson, a smile appears on my face. I believe that it was a very fruitful year (2004-05), which affected my way of thinking and interpreting, as I started questioning things that I used to take for granted. I gained a deep insight into how technology affects current managerial trends. It was a year of innovation and experimentation…

The first ever Intra-College Technical Festival ABHIVYAKTI, an Annual Inter-College Technical Conference cum Festival REZONANCE’05, an Annual Technical Magazine ‘Paradigm’, An Industrial trip for the benefit of students to Bangalore, a Educational cum Fun trip to Goa, along with a host of Seminars, Workshops and daily classroom Activities were some of the initiatives being undertaken at CSI-UMIT in the year 2004-05.Above all the CSI-UMIT Student Chapter won, The Best Student Chapter Award 2005.

All this was possible only because of a great CSI-UMIT 2004-05 Team and our dedication, devotion and determination to be the best and to deliver the best…

We at CSI-UMIT believed every student cherishes a dream …..

the dream to succeed,

the dream to achieve more,

the dream to learn more about each n everything happening in the field of technology,

the dream to gain that extra edge in today’s world of competition,

the dream to do justice to their education………

By holding various competitions n seminars, we aimed at bringing the best in every student, at inculcating a sense of healthy competition, at helping them achieve their dream in at least some small way…..!

Overall, it gave me great exposure to learning technology and business across boundaries and opportunities, to interact with students from various parts of India, from different disciplines and with varied skills. Also, it enlarged my vision, enriched my knowledge and gave me an opportunity to make many new friends.

Regarding the changes I witnessed in UMIT, I can only say, ‘Change is only one thing which is constant…’ so was the situation at ITW/UMIT. Not only was the Institute learning from it peers but also it was growing to compete with them. The single storey UMIT building is now seven floors high…

Moreover, the girls studying or passed out from UMIT contested bravely with the male dominated engineering society. We believed in ‘If you set your sights far and desire is strong, your feet will carry you there’.

When I think about my 4 years in college, I can think of these lines…

Yeh Master’s ke degree bhi lelo, yeh naukari bhi lelo,

Bhale Chheen lo mujhse UK ka Visa...........:0)

magar mujhko lauta do college ka canteen, vo panchayat (tree)....

kadi dhoop mein apne ghar se nikalnaa,

vo lecture mein doston ki proxy lagaanaa,

vo without any reason common off pe jaanaa…

vo pedon ke neeche gappe ladanaa,

vo bhole freshers ko hamesha sataanaa…

vo workshop mein din raat pasinaa bahanaa,

vo raaton mein drawing sheets banaanaa…

vo submission ki raton ko jagnaa jagaanaa,

vo doosron ke assignments ko apnaa banaanaa…

vo tech fest (Rezonance ‘05) ko organize karnaa,

vo Arcane I ke banners banana aur Inter college Throwball khelnaa…

vo seminar ke din pairon ka chhatpatanaa,

vo project ki Khatir shahar bhar bhataknaa…

vo final year ka Monday to Friday project karnaa,

aur phir vo Saturday – Sunday college attend karnaa…

vo orals ki kahani vo practical ka Kissaa,

bimaari ka reason de ke time badhanaa,

vo exam ke din ko bechain honaa aur maa ka vishvas dekhanaa…

……………….This is what I miss most about my four years at UMIT!!!