Shravan Pandit’s story is one of resurgence. It’s about a young man who got a second chance to pursue his first love of MBA and made that count by grabbing every opportunity coming his way. FLAME Vice-Captain (PG); President - FLAME Entrepreneurship Lab (FEL); Chair - PG Peer-Mentor Program; Chair - PG Student Place-Comm; and Senior Associate - VAJR (the business consulting club) – Shravan has been on a mission at FLAME University. He used that same drive during his internship with Sharekhan to meet his end goal.
Shravan tells us that soon after graduation and starting with the CA course, he had made up his mind to make a career in the stock market. The hiccups he faced along that path brought him back to his first choice of pursuing MBA, which further unlocked the door to a career in equity. It also helped to unleash his true potential and build confidence leading to the bold move of opting out of placements and choosing his own career path. Talking about one such dynamic, character-building initiative – VAJR – he says, ‘It’s a Management Consulting Club started by a batch-mate. It’s great that FLAME University gives students platforms to launch their own initiatives. Membership to the club is by invitation only, and shortlisting is done by distinguished faculty members of the university. I personally worked on a project for a company that wanted to open its first outlet in the country in Pune.’
Listening to Shravan you may think you are in conversation with a seasoned professional. That’s because his experiences have already shaped him into one. He says the two-month-long VAJR project gave him real-life experience with handling data, market research, designing a financial model, working on minute details, and answering questions from clients. What made the project more challenging was that he had to balance it with academic pursuits and engagements. Proving his mettle through the project gave him the confidence to take on the next challenge – the internship. ‘Sharekhan, which has been taken over by BNP Paribas, was the perfect opportunity for me’ he explains.
Shravan picked Finance as his Major but reveals that he had his eyes set on the equity market or the world of investment banking. So, when he started his internship with Sharekhan, he remained focused on people trading in the field rather than marketing. He reveals that though he wasn’t allowed to directly communicate with clients, he was given enough insights on trading. ‘I was always intrigued with technical analysis, reading the charts, and making recommendations to clients. Sharekhan also offers its own software, which is a bit complicated. But being on the ground with professionals trading, I could get hands-on experience with it. At the end of the trading day, I would think about the mistakes that happened, and why they happened. I would always focus on the “Why”,’ he emphasizes.
Shravan believes in the importance of analysing any situation deeply – be it a day in the stock market or his future career. You just know that he carefully reviewed his prospects before opting out of placements at FLAME University. ‘My father invests in the stock market. That’s exactly what I want to do; I will invest my own capital and multiply it. It’s something I had decided when I had started my CA, and I have kept my option open to go back and finish it as well. But right now, after my MBA, I want to find my own place in the equity market,’ he puts it simply. Now that’s one way to put your money where your mouth is. And backed by his determination, effort, drive, and the experience he has gained, Shravan is ready to pull off the feat.