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How to win RPG Blizzard 2019 -By Shoumik & Siddhant from IIM Indore
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The various elements of surprise
The element of surprise kept us on our toes. Our conquest started off with the online treasure hunt which was one of the most complex yet engaging set of brain teasers we had faced. The rush of quickly solving the answer while keeping our eyes on the leaderboard to stay among the top 200 was exhilarating. We stayed up all night brainstorming, researching and trying because frankly, it was just too much fun.
The next round tested us on a completely new competency which was on our General Knowledge. We dived right into it, racking our brains to remember all our lessons and readings within 20 seconds that the platform gave us. After having gone all in for 2 days it was time for a short break as we waited for the result. The wait was not long.
How we made it to the national finals
After all the effort, the very same night we were happy to find out that our hard work had paid off and we had reached the next round. But there was not too much time to celebrate as the upcoming round was supposedly the most challenging. We were given the task of solving one of the three business challenges that the company was facing. I chose to tackle the case on KEC International whereas Siddhant solved the one on Zensar.
Delivering an insightful and comprehensive solution, all in one page, was an interesting challenge. We juggled our B-School lives and researched over the next few days. The pace intensified as the deadline neared and we submitted our solutions in the nick of time. For the next few days, we waited nervously for the results and to our delight, we had made it. We were going to Mumbai for the national finals of RPG Blizzard 2019 and our joy knew no bounds.
The 'grand' Grand Finale
Being among the top few minds in the country was an amazing feeling. And thus, began the countdown for the finals. The theme for the grand finale was finally revealed and it was going to be a General and Business Knowledge Quiz. As the day finally arrived, we had butterflies in our stomachs. We reached the RPG House on the day of the finale. We were thrilled and amazed at the mere sight of it.
Before we even entered the building, we got a taste of how RPG is geared for the future as we saw the motion-controlled experience zone in wonder. Soon all the national finalists gathered in the “Shakespeare room”. We tried to gauge our competitors as everyone tried to fit in some last minute prep.
After lunch, the grand affair was set to begin. 9 teams were to be put in 3 groups who would be competing against each other in a semi final. We entered the grand hall and to our surprise, there was an audience present to cheer us. We took our seats in front of the stage and quizmaster AK Rahman took to the stage. His fun and jovial attitude put us all at ease. Soon it was time for the first semi final and IIM Indore was one of the teams called. After an extremely close round, we ended up in 2nd position. We were disheartened as we knew only the top team went through to the finals.
The unexpected twist
However, RPG Blizzard 2019 had been a bundle of surprises since the beginning and another twist was to be revealed in the competition. The quizmaster informed us that the ones losing the semi finals will get another chance to qualify. Relieved, we waited with bated breath for the wild card round to come.
2 more semi finals took place and 2 more winners emerged. Then it was time for us to take the stage again. A series of 10 buzzer questions were to be asked and the stage was full of whispers as all the teams discussed their strategies. 15 minutes later we could not believe our luck as from an up and down affair, we managed to come on top of the wildcard round and make it to the finals. We quickly calmed our nerves. It was time for the final battle to begin.
The final round
The final quiz was going to have 3 rounds and as had become a feature of the competition, the last round was going to be a surprise. The audience roared and cheered as the finalists took the stage and soon the quiz was underway. We managed to take an early lead in the first 2 rounds but IIM K was right behind us. Going into the final round, we were required to declare a bidding strategy to score future points.
As we were the leading team, we went last. As our chance came, we had a tough call to make. We decided to back ourselves and go all in. We bid the highest points. 3 questions were asked. 2 were given a calculated miss. But 1 was answered. That made all the difference. The music started to play and people started congratulating us as the realization of what had just happened dawned on us. After multiple rounds, heartbreaks and comebacks, we were on top of the world. The title of National Winners of RPG Blizzard 2019 had a nice ring to it after all!
The post-finale events
The sun had set outside but the day was still alive at RPG House. All the participants of RPG Blizzard 2019 were asked to take a half-an-hour break and return for celebrations. And the folks at RPG really did know how to celebrate. A grand treat of snacks and drinks was laid out, and there was a great DJ to keep the vibes going. We interacted with multiple senior leaders and employees of the group companies to understand what they do and know more about their lives. The lightness of the conversations spoke volumes of the culture of the company - it was a family get-together!
The long day had tired most of us out. We finally headed back to our hotel near Nariman Point, about 40 minutes away from RPG House. The Bandra-Worli sea link was a perfect setting to look back at the day, retrospect about how well it went and calm the excitement down for the next day. Soon after checking in, a few of us decided we should end the day with a walk along the sea. A hunt for the famous South Bombay Vada Pav also transpired briefly, but only in vain.
After a peaceful late-night stroll by the bay at Marine Drive, we headed back to our hotel to call it a night. Next day, we were told that we will be meeting the senior leadership of the group and also have the much-awaited lunch with the group chairman Mr Harsh Goenka.
The amazing House of RPG
We had 6-something-hours of peaceful sleep, more than typical in our B-school lives. All the participants hopped on to a traveller-bus back to RPG House after grabbing some quick bites at Astoria's breakfast buffet. Upon reaching RPG House, we first got to visit the Locker Room, a museum of various sports memorabilia from across the world. The day kicked-off thereafter with a brief introduction of the group companies by Mr Vinayak Talwar, the campus relations lead at RPG Group.
The session was followed by meetings with the participants being split into groups of 6 to meet three prominent leaders of the group, Mr Sachin Nandgaonkar - Head for the Speciality Businesses, Mr Vimal Kejriwal - MD/CEO of KEC International Ltd and Mr S 'Venky' Venkatesh - President of Group HR. Shoumik and I were in the group that would meet Mr Sachin. We quickly brainstormed what all we could ask during our upcoming chat.
Fruitful discussions
The talk with Mr Sachin began with a quick round of introductions, followed by the setting of agenda. Everyone in the group was eager to know more about the speciality business, Mr Sachin's transition from consulting to business and his thoughts on various leadership aspects. He familiarized us with the speciality businesses of the group and gave us multiple industry insights and history of these businesses.
In addition, he went on to talk about his transition to the RPG Group leadership and how his passion for solving business problems brought him to work for the group. He concluded the chat with his two cents on prioritization in a modern-day workplace setup, something all of us closely related to. What struck me most about his personality was how calm and patient he was, despite the heavy responsibilities he had.
The much-awaited lunch
Next was the moment we were all waiting for, a lunch with the group chairman Mr Harsh Goenka. We were taken to his personal lobby, which was nothing short of a modern art museum, braided with paintings, sculptures and books. The lunch, as we entered, was ready and we were soon joined by the man himself. As we sat down for the meal, we discussed his typical day - which he told us was very dynamic, barring his morning exercise routine.
The discussions spanned across multiple topics such as social media management for business leaders, the current economic status of India, and the B-schools in India. He also shared multiple anecdotes from his life, featuring multiple other popular personalities, piquing our interest in the grand life he lived - yet absolutely grounded in narrating the instances. As we finished the delicious meals served by his chef, we closed the discussion by sharing our literary interests. After a quick round of photos, we headed back to the lobby, where we would meet other participants.
Wrapping the two days
The two-day extravaganza came to close with a debrief with Mr Supratik and Mr Vinayak, where we talked about the great time we had. We had to head back home thereon, taking back a final goodbye gift from the group, symbolic of the exhilarating memories that we had wrapped in the preceding two days. The best moment of the entire competition for us was meeting the leaders and getting immersed in the culture of the RPG Group. As we took back the RPG Blizzard 2019 trophy to IIM Indore, we came to a splendid close of two days, which would definitely stay etched in our memories as one of the biggest highlights of our MBA life.
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