Know Your VP Candidate: Gaurav Garg
Q: What is your motivation behind applying for the post of Vice President? When did you finally be sure this is something you definitely want?
From childhood, I have been conditioned to value human connections and be perceptive about people’s situations and problems. IIT Kharagpur has resonated with me in that way and has made me realise the importance of human connections in life. I owe a large part of my growth to IIT Kharagpur and its people. Throughout my life, I have been inclined to lead things and create impact. My deep inclination towards our institute’s welfare and the spirit of creating impact to give back have motivated me to contest for the post of Vice President, Technology Students’ Gymkhana.
After I assumed the role of Officiating Secretary: Technology at Technology Students’ Gymkhana, I got a greater inspiration to work for the institute’s welfare after observing the impact that students’ representatives can create. The position of Vice President got highlighted in the sense that it could impact a huge and diverse number of stakeholders and better the lives of those around me. This was when I was sure that I had to contest for the post.
Q: How have your involvements with Entrepreneurship Cell, 180 Degree Consulting and The Scholars’ Avenue helped in shaping your personality?
Working in all of these diverse roles has helped me broaden my perspective and understanding of things in general. I have been able to hone skills such as time management, leadership, communication and collaboration because of these involvements. My experience with these roles has also helped me gain a better understanding of the different problems I might have to face and how to approach them. Working with E-Cell taught me to lead things and drive results. 180 Degrees Consulting bettered my problem-solving skills and improved my convincing skills when I was acquiring clients. Moreover, working within The Scholars Avenue helped me understand the importance and impact of representing the voice of the masses. All of these have played a significant part in shaping my personality to make me the kind of person I am today.
Q: You have had the opportunity to work for InfinityBox, a highly appreciated start-up. What role do you think this has played in shaping your thought process?
My role in InfinityBox involved Finance, Strategy and Operations. The role helped me appreciate and learn what goes behind getting things done on the ground. I became more versatile and confident with steep learning curves where I had to handle operations end to end from making cost structures to handling last-mile logistics. While building partnerships and acquiring customers, I also realised the importance of empathy in a professional environment. Ultimately working in a startup, I further developed the mindset of being impact-oriented and going the extra mile to get things done taking along various stakeholders.
Q: Do you think your tenure as a Gymkhana Secretary will be advantageous if elected to the post of Vice President?
Due to my experience as Officiating Secretary: Technology at Technology Students’ Gymkhana, I have had first-hand experience working with TSG. The exposure to handling and observing various operations in organising events has been enriching and gave me context-level knowledge to get things done. Moreover, if I get elected as the Vice President, this grass-root experience will allow me to quickly understand the kind of work happening even at the ground level and hence will aid me to get things done smoothly.
Q: What do you think are the most important qualities for the position of Vice President? Do you think you possess all the qualities people expect from a VP?
I believe that having an intuitive ability to connect with people and empathise is one of the most important and moreover required qualities of a Vice President. Other things include managerial and communication skills and being able to act as a bridge between the administration and students for the students’ best interests. The Vice President who is approachable, communicates with ease and is thoughtful in their interaction with the students helps create a transparent and accessible environment. None of us is perfect but I believe that I have worked and adapted to diverse roles and responsibilities hence I can deal with this role’s learning curve as well and overcome any imperfections I might have.
Q: Could you outline what you think are some of the major issues in KGP currently?
There have been a lot of policy changes that have been made to increase student opportunities when it comes to academics and general wellbeing. We have seen drastic improvements in the opportunity for students to pursue their academic interests and an increase in flexibility. While these policy changes are welcome, we have a long way to go to ensure holistic all-round development of all students.
One of the biggest issues that we face as of now would be the infrastructure on campus that will be required to sustain the entirety of our student population. Even with a partial presence on campus, we can see some teething issues, the resolution of which is a must by the beginning of the upcoming semester. Now, this infrastructure is not only physical, but also encompasses all student interactions- be it from groups, halls or even departments, whose functioning will also adapt as it reverts to the offline mode. This transition will be a challenge in itself.
Another issue that has been brought up is the sheer number of obstacles that our students are facing when it comes to pursuing their interests in ventures, research and development. Our CDC interns and placements are one of the best in the country, but when it comes to non-compulsory projects and ventures, there are quite a few issues faced. I believe this is one of the deterrents to the creation of successful ventures. I also believe that collaboration and innovation amongst KGPians must be encouraged to keep IIT Kharagpur at the forefront and make our campus a hub for successful ventures.
Q: Why do you think that the aforementioned issues have not yet been dealt with satisfactorily?
It is difficult to quantify the issues that we will face while resolving the first problem implying that we must be quick to act on all issues that arise. We will have to analyse all the issues faced by students on campus right now (implying that a lot of complaint registers will have to be checked) and will have to extrapolate these issues to all the academic complexes on campus.
Again, the pandemic has been a huge disruptor in all active proposals and policy changes made on campus. The Placement Committee has been able to weather this and has shown its versatility in these trying times by getting record numbers. I believe that active student participation in the decision making to propagate active student ventures will go a long way to improve upon the present scenario.
Q: Why do you think you need to become the VP to solve some of the problems you previously mentioned? In other words, how much power, in your opinion, does the VP yield and what will be your approach in dealing with the power of the office?
The post of Vice President derives its power from the community of students, as a result, the Vice President has the ability to act as the nodal point between the students and the administration. This gives the Vice President the ability to represent issues that have been identified and push for swift action regarding the same. We have seen time and time again how the predecessors to the post have brought about changes in the students’ lives. This ranges from the introduction of the Technology General Championship, the bus services available to everyone to the recent open house.
As a result of this, it is the Vice President’s duty to be approachable to all the students and be attentive enough to identify problems that are being faced. The Vice President must always maintain decorum that suits the post while standing by KGPian ideals and standing for the student community.
Q: With the election moving online on ERP, do you think it makes the process more or less transparent, in the sense that do you think students could be more influenced by others in this case?
This election will be just as unique as its predecessor, in the sense that it will cater to KGPians both on campus and at home, with the election campaigns making use of all modes of communication to reach out to students.
If the voting procedure is kept fair and all students are able to cast votes based on their own understanding, the sanctity of elections will be maintained.
Q: What differentiates you from the other candidates? Why do you think you are the #right_choice?
I think the amalgamation of my proposals, credentials, and the intent for my candidature should ultimately help make students an informed choice (whatever it may be). I believe that my experiences like working at Technology Students’ Gymkhana as a Secretary, G.Sec: Students’ Welfare at Nehru Hall of Residence, Assistant Editor for The Scholars’ Avenue and as a Consultant at 180 Degrees Consulting have given me sufficient perspective, skills and experience to do justice to this position.
Q: The position of VP demands a lot of time. Do you think you would be able to work on your other commitments and hobbies if elected?
I recognise that this position is unique in terms of the commitment and responsibility it demands, so it is very possible that I might have to cut back on some things I like, but I am more than happy and willing to do that as my primary passion lies towards the betterment of IIT Kharagpur and its students. That being said, if I get time I will surely indulge in activities like cricket etc. which I surely enjoy a lot.
Q: What is your opinion on the Open House conducted on the 21st of March? What would you have done differently, if anything, to better handle the situation?
With a significant number of our peers at home, recall in such a short period had put everyone in a frenzy. Legitimate concerns- from logistics to finance-had been raised by our representatives in the Senate but had been brushed aside.
The open house was a demonstration of the solidarity between the student community. With such short notice, the solution that was effective and moving with the momentous events that took place on the 21st.
It instils in me the trust that the voice of all students will always have weight in IIT Kharagpur and the community will always care for its peers.
Q: Anything else you would like to convey to your fellow KGPians
KGP is our home away from home. The friendships that we have built, the opportunities that we have seized and the memories that we have made along the way not just made us better, but it also gave inspiration to the batchies around us, the juniors who look up to us and the seniors who keep faith in us. To this wonderful KGP which helps us shape ourselves, it’s not a choice but a moral obligation to give back to the wonderful community in your own ways. It can be something as simple as guiding students with their academic bottlenecks to serving this community of people by being a part of Gymkhana.
While we may have differences of opinions, it is this common drive that helps us move KGP as a community and drive the process of inspiring communities among us. But to lead this KGP community is a huge responsibility in which you have a major role to play. By making sure that you use your power of vote to elect the right representatives, you ensure the future of KGP for the people to come.
