Question. Please give a brief introduction about yourself.
I’m Himanshu Maahal, from Rohtak, Haryana. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Management Studies at Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies. This is my second year at graduation. I appreciate three things in life : Creativity, collaboration and experiencing new things. I’m a sports enthusiast and I like to play cricket, badminton and volleyball. My area of interests include consulting and the startup ecosystem. Being the Vice President of the NSS unit of my college, I’ve worked for various philanthropy activities.
Question. As you mentioned that you are the VP of the NSS unit of your college, can you highlight upon your journey in the organisation?
I became the Vice President last year in the month of June. After I joined as the Vice President at NSS, I’ve worked with several projects, including blood donation camps, cleanliness drive in the college, plantation drive, etc. I’ve also organised multiple sessions in the college that were conducted on Financial Literacy and awareness about numerous social issues.
Besides, I’ve also participated in the G20 University Connect event which was also marked by the presence of hon’ble pm of India, Shri Narendra Modi. I’ve also worked with the Delhi University Centenary Meet which was an event witnessed by many bureaucrats, politicians and our Prime Minister again.
Question. Considering that you were engaged in doing many social service acts and you are also a part of the social service forum of your college, i.e. Kartavya; how did it all affect your personal life?
I’ve joined Kartavya since I highly look up to doing social services. It has helped me gain perspective about how we can bring about a change in society and make impacts in the lives of people. This entire journey has really helped me learn in bringing a change and to offer a hand to people in need. So this entire journey has made me learn about how we can serve society and how we can do better for the masses. Doing the social service work made me enhance my personality as well. It helped me learn better management and develop soft skills. Apart from that, it also helped me build more connections through networking.
Question. Can you share any of your memorable experiences, something that has a special place in your heart while you were working out in the field?
During a NGO visit (NGO - Scope for Change), I got to meet children who came from poor backgrounds who didn’t have much resources in order to get a proper education. As I met them, I asked a few of them, “What do you wish to become when you grow up?” Many of them said that they wanted to become police officers. So what really touched me was the fact that these children came from a background where they didn’t have much resources, but they definitely had high ambitions and goals in life. This memory has been stuck deep in my heart. Meeting these children made me realize and question: if these children can dream big, why can’t we?
Question. After working in social services, what changes and improvements would you like to see in this sector?
Coming from a student organisation and doing social service, what I feel we can do at our level is to enhance the quality and the nature of social services at the college level. And in order to do that, we can probably organise sessions, carry out service drives in college and probably, we can educate the students placed at nearby NGOs. We also try expanding these methodologies and approaches in social service to various other colleges. I believe that doing this would be really impactful in bringing about a change in the country because the youth has a lot of power to make meaningful impacts in the society.
Question. Since you are the core committee member of the Institute of Management Accountants of your college, please tell us the purpose or goal of this student association.
Main aim : enhance the skills, providing them live projects, helping them in developing networking and providing them internships at instances too. We also organise training workshops about basic skills like powerpoint, excel, etc..
Question. Could you please describe your roles as the marketing intern at Chronicle Sporting Event?
When I joined the CSE, it was a newly established startup. I had to manage day to day operations like marketing and research. When it came to research, I mainly had to do the analysis of the competitors, what the industry was about, how the industry was performing and about the key areas where the startup can grow. Not just that, I also managed the social media handle, wherein I was planning about how we can enhance the page engagement. Alongside I also took charge of working on the financial data which included looking at the revenue generated from the previously held events. I had also worked on collaborations with other colleges and other societies too. We also got sponsorships from Decathlon Herald and Fortis Hospital too.
Question. What do you think are the main skills or qualities a student should have, to excel in the field of consulting?
In consulting, good communication skills are key factors because it’s all about telling a story. If you can communicate well and solve problems effectively, you can really excel. Once you figure out the problem a company is facing, you need to tackle it with your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Question: How have these organizations helped you in developing your skills?
As I mentioned previously, we organize multiple sessions at the IMA with our seniors, and some of them are from IIM Ahmedabad. During these sessions, we ask them how we can reach out to various companies for internships, how to secure good internships, and ask about what points to consider while joining any organization. In my case, my seniors have really helped me by providing insights into different industries and explaining what internships are like.
Question: Could you please tell us about your theme for research at Compounding Dreams?
My internship at Compounding Dreams lasted for one month, where I worked as a financial research intern and got to collaborate closely with the CEO. My primary responsibility was conducting fundamental analysis on companies. For example, I analysed Hero Motors and Bajaj Auto, focusing on their financial ratios. My job was to evaluate these companies and provide recommendations on whether the company should invest in them or not.
Question: Could you share details about a research project that you've previously worked on?
Yes, I’d like to share about one of my research projects that was published in the Ramjas Finance Magazine. The paper was on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). And, one thing I'd like to state here is that, last year the European Union introduced CBAM, which imposes a tax on Indian exports to Europe based on carbon emissions during production. My research highlighted the consequences of this mechanism for India, ways India can tackle this issue, and whether the EU's approach is fair or not. I also detailed how the tax is calculated based on carbon emissions.
Question: While conducting such in-depth and extensive research, are there any challenges that you face in the process?
Yes, there were several challenges. One major challenge was finding specific numerical data because most sources only reported the news without detailed numbers. I had to do extensive research to gather the necessary data to make my report systematic and presentable.
Question: How do you manage all of these extracurricular activities along with your academics?
In college, we have classes from 9 to 5, and sometimes from 9 to 3. After classes, I prioritize my tasks for the next day. I stay in the college hostel, so after classes, I first focus on society work and any major tasks I need to complete. I plan my day the night before to ensure I complete priority tasks first. After dealing with society work, I work on internships, and then study for my academics at night. It's all about prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively.
Question: What advice would you give to someone who wants to achieve like you?
Work hard and be determined. These are the keys to success. During my school days, I had a lot of stage fear and couldn’t speak in front of ten people. But recently, I represented India in Hong Kong for the HSBC business case program, where my team was the global third runner-up. I achieved this through hard work, improving my communication skills daily, and putting in a lot of effort in everything I do.
Question: Could you expand on the case program you mentioned?
Sure. The HSBC organizes the world's largest business case program every year. It started in October last year, and we participated as a team of four. The first round was a quiz, which we cleared. One interesting aspect of this competition is that we receive a case study of around 15 to 20 pages, and then have 6 hours in the Indian rounds, but only 3 hours in Hong Kong, to make a handwritten PPT and present it to a jury, followed by a Q&A session.
The first round in India was online, followed by the regional round in Delhi. After clearing these rounds, we went to Mumbai for the national round, competing against multiple teams from across the country. Our team won the national round, and along with Jay Hind College, we represented India in Hong Kong. There were 24 teams from all over the world, including America, China, and Australia. In the first round, our team was the only one to qualify for the finals with a perfect score of 14 out of 14. In the finals, we secured the rank of third global runner-up.
Question: Are there any particular strategies that you and your team used to achieve such a high level of success?
Time management was crucial. We had to read, discuss, and create a presentation on the case study within tight timeframes. In the Hong Kong round, there was no internet access, so we had to rely entirely on our critical thinking and teamwork. We developed strategies to read the case study in a specific time frame, discuss solutions quickly, and then work on the presentation. Managing time effectively and thinking critically were essential. Over seven months, we did seven presentations for different rounds before top executives, which greatly enhanced our skills.
Question: Do you have any particular vision for the future or any goals you're aiming for right now?
Currently, I am aspiring for CAT and aiming to pursue my master’s from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, or Calcutta. In the long term, I want to start my own business while also focusing on social work. I aim to establish an NGO or a non-profit organization to help society.
HIGHLIGHTS :
● Vice President, NSS
● Core Committee Member, Kartavya
●Core Committee Member, IMA SSCBS
● Global 3rd Runners Up - HSBC/HKU Case Program
●Marketing Intern, Chronicles Sporting Events
●Project Intern, BetaFin Partners
●Published Research paper on Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in Ramjas Finance Magazine.
● Participation in G20 University Connect and DU Centenary Meet
● Research Intern at Compounding Dreams
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