My Story of Cyber Gold at IIM Ahmedabad
By Pramod Kunju, PGP 1999
You know how some moments in life stick with you?
Not the big, flashy ones, but the quiet ones that change everything without you even realizing it at the time.
For me, that moment came on a lazy Sunday morning back in 1998, during my second year at IIM Ahmedabad.
I was lounging in the dorm, nursing a cup of chai, scrolling through my thoughts more than anything else. The campus was alive with all these fantastic events – Finance Fair, Marketing Fair, you name it. Every stream had its showcase, its chance to shine. But for us IT folks? Nothing.
It felt like we were the overlooked kids in the family, even though tech was starting to explode everywhere.
That nagging feeling wouldn’t let go.
And in that slow, unhurried moment, a simple question popped into my head: What if we created our own IT fair?
Just like that. No thunderbolt, no grand vision – just a “why not?”
I couldn’t shrug it off, so I called up two of my closest batchmates: Joydip Mukherji and Vijay Anand Verma. I half-expected them to laugh it off or say we were too busy with placements and classes.
But no – they jumped in right away.
“Hell yes, let’s make it happen.”
Their energy was infectious. In that instant, it stopped being just my random thought. It became our thing.
The real test came when we pitched it to Professor B.H. Jajoo.
Walking into his office, my heart was pounding. I mean, who were we to propose something like this? But he listened, really listened, and then lit up. He didn’t just approve; he poured his wisdom into it.
He suggested the perfect name: Cyber Gold.
It captured the magic of technology becoming something valuable, like digital gold, in a world just waking up to the internet boom.
And then he went further—he connected us with COMPAQ, which came on board as a sponsor. Suddenly, this daydream had funding, legitimacy, and momentum.
What came next was pure chaos and joy rolled into three months.
Sleepless nights designing posters that actually looked cool.
Cold-calling top MBA colleges across India to invite their students.
Rallying volunteers from every dorm.
Begging media partners for coverage.
There were doubts – tons of them.
“Will anyone even show up?”
“Are we biting off more than we can chew?”
But we pushed through, fueled by late-night Maggi sessions, endless debates, and that stubborn belief that this mattered.
And then the day arrived.
Buses rolled in from everywhere – students poured onto campus, eyes wide with excitement. The energy was electric.
We built the whole event around three themes that still give me goosebumps:
• Learning — workshops and talks that opened minds to tech’s future
• Networking — connections that could change careers
• Inspiration — reminding everyone that tech wasn’t just code – it was an opportunity. Seeing it all come together?
I was overwhelmed.
We were just three guys with an idea, and somehow, we’d created something tangible. The cherry on top came at convocation, when Cyber Gold got a shout-out in the official address. Standing there, exhausted but buzzing, I felt this surge of pride.
What started as a fleeting thought on a lazy morning had become part of IIM’s legacy – a spark for future batches to dream bigger.
Looking back all these years later, Cyber Gold taught me something profound:
The world doesn’t always need revolutionary geniuses.
It needs ordinary people who notice what’s missing, gather a few friends, take that scary first step, and keep going even when it feels impossible.
One small act of courage can inspire others, create opportunities, and leave a mark that lasts way beyond you.
If something is burning in you right now—a gap, an idea, a “what if”—don’t wait for the perfect moment.
Just start.
You never know what Gold you might uncover.
Author Bio:
Pramod Kunju (PGP 1999) is the Founder and CEO of Nakunj Inc, a boutique Data Analytics and AI firm. Pramod is based in Los Angeles, California, and serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.
