Mohnish Shah

Athlete, Foodie, Student

I am a former internationally acclaimed lawn tennis athlete, and a current business and marketing enthusiast pursuing an MBA from BITS School of Management, Mumbai where I am currently serving as the Vice President of Committees in the Student Executive Council. While pursuing my MBA, I recently got featured in the "Best 50 - The Most Employable MBA Graduates - Class of 2024" by the leading MBA community in India- InsideIIM. One of the most important parts of my life has been Lawn Tennis, I started playing when I was 9 years old and still continuing the sport at the age of 23 years. During this journey of 14 years, some of my key achievements are: • Winning a bronze medal for India at the “World Gymnasiade 2016 Turkey” where 40+ Countries participated while being selected among the 2 player-Indian lawn tennis team. • 5 times National and 4 times state level champion. • Selected twice in the Centre of Excellence (COE) scheme by the Sports Authority of Gujarat, recognizing me as a national-level athlete and sponsoring my future development. My professional journey has been as diverse as it gets. In recent years, I have collaborated with esteemed organizations such as Aditya Birla Group, Pilani Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Society (BITS Pilani), Devam Industries, and Saath Livelihoods NGO. The highlight was Aditya Birla Group’s leadership program where I was a summer intern during my MBA, at the end of which I was offered a Pre-Placement offer due to my significant contribution. My role spanned across market research, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and business development, showcasing my versatility and adaptability. This rich exposure fueled my passion for the advertising industry, leading to the inception of my entrepreneurial venture, "Smarketising Solutions," which earned the privilege of incubation in Cohort 2 & 3 at BITS Pilani's renowned incubation center. During the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, I combined my love for sports with academic rigor to author a research paper titled ‘The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sports Industry and Athletes.’ This paper was a deep dive into the impact of the pandemic on athletes, blending insights from seven research papers through a mixed research methodology. My findings offered novel perspectives on the intersection of infrastructure, mental health, and motivation, enriching the knowledge pool of athletes and academia alike. Beyond the realms of sports and business, I have nurtured a passion for trekking and hosting events. I have successfully ascended the peaks of Kedarkantha and Har ki Dun in Uttarakhand which are around 12,000 ft. These treks were not just physical feats but also journeys of self-discovery and endurance. I realized my love for hosting events when I got selected for the Events and Cultural Committee of BITSoM in year 1. We successfully organized 8+ events throughout the year ranging from diverse festivals such as Diwali, Christmas, Holi, etc. to year-end seniors’ grand farewell. With this experience, I nurtured my spirit of collaboration and learned to leverage individual skills for a greater team goal. My life so far has been this incredible mix of sports, academics, entrepreneurship, and a bit of adventure. With these diverse sets of experiences and my deep interest in extracurricular activities, I am striving towards holistic development and being the best version of myself.

In the words of Michael Jordan, “I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” But what if some famous entrepreneur said the same in an interview? I believe it would still be inspirational to most of us, just the context would change from Sports to Business. This attitude of not being afraid of failing and believing in your capabilities is constant across the 2 domains- Sports and Entrepreneurship, for which I am extremely passionate. My first love was sports, I started playing various racquet sports at the age of 8 years and eventually over the next few years realized my interest in Lawn Tennis, which was even my father’s favorite game. Initially, I started playing regularly with him and after a few months, I joined a Tennis academy. I started playing it for fun and as a hobby but at the early age of 12 years I started winning state and national-level tournaments. Over the next few years, this hobby developed into my passion, and with the focus and determination to be a professional player one day, I started competing and eventually winning National and International level championships. Being brought up in a traditional business family, from a young age I have seen my parents talk about topics related to business. With this mindset, learning environment, and support provided by my B-School, I have developed an interest in pursuing entrepreneurship and have already started with my first venture “Smarketising Solutions” which is in the creative Out-Of-Home advertising space. This venture after getting incubated by Cohort 2&3 of BITS Pilani’s incubation centre further motivated me and increased my self-belief towards my start-up. Although I left playing Lawn Tennis professionally due to multiple series of injuries over the course of 2 years, that experience of playing at that level and the hustle of conceptualizing and building a startup myself, made me a firm believer in a big intersection in the set of qualities required to excel in either of them. These qualities are mostly mental, such as being resilient, striving for continuous improvement, and having a growth mindset.

If I have to choose one, the main idea I would like to share with the world is what I have learned from comedians and comedy shows - an idea to change your point of view. Usually, it goes unnoticed that comedians are modern-day storytellers, who have a unique knack for crafting narratives that evoke laughter and provoke contemplation. The light-hearted gags often are borne out of real-life pain points. The presentation of these issues via the capacity of a comedic act provides a dynamic catalyst for social change. It can make the audience think about certain topics in a different light later, if not during the act. I believe that is an immense talent to navigate people's thoughts into a different viewpoint. One may hold some opinions extremely strongly and may become aggressive in that trust. A comedic premise challenges that as a vehicle to give crucial messages to the masses, thereby initiating a paradigm shift in attitudes and behaviors of the society. I want to emphasize that the comedic premise can offer the community a perceptive and provocative look at how comedy, when skillfully chosen and woven together, can become more than just a form of entertainment. It can lighten, uplift, and advocate for positive social change and challenge cultural norms and perceptions. One way to look at it is as a chance to explore the uncharted territory of humor and move the community in a wave of a more understanding, conscious, and welcoming society. A comedian may effectively showcase how comedy can be a powerful tool to question deeply held societal beliefs and promote a more inclusive and progressive society through their understanding and engaging style. Changing the lenses through which you see the world is the ultimate concept.

Business, Communication, Marketing, Public Speaking, Sports

Navigating Life's Courts with a Dreamer's Spirit From the courts of international lawn tennis to the strategic plays in the world of business, let me take you on a journey that's been as thrilling as a high-stakes tennis match. Today, I am not just an ordinary student of the BITS School of Management; I am also the head of 7 Committees such as Placements, Academic, Operations, Events and Cultural, etc. I am also someone who's been recognized as one of the "Best 50 - The Most Employable MBA Graduates - Class of 2024" by InsideIIM. But let's rewind a bit and start from where it all began – the tennis courts. Chapter – 1 The First Serve: A Child with a Racquet and a Dream My love affair with lawn tennis started when I was just 9 years old. To me, tennis was never just a sport; it was my first teacher and it defined me. It taught me discipline, focus, and how to chase a dream. During my journey, I racked up some serious accolades – like bringing home a bronze medal for India and dominating multiple National and State-level championships. Chapter – 2 The Rally: From the Court to the Classroom Life's like a game of tennis, it's full of unexpected turns. My curiosity led me to expand my horizons and transition from an international athlete to the world of business and marketing. My MBA journey at BITSoM is not just about academic excellence, it’s also about channeling my determination and leadership skills by being one of the student leaders on campus. Chapter – 3 The Net Play: Entrepreneurial Ventures and Research Contributions In 2022, I founded “Smarketising Solutions”, it's a playground for me where my passion for advertising meets innovation and creativity. This journey of building something from scratch and nurturing it at the BITS Pilani's incubation center has been an exciting chapter in my life. My love for academics and research led me to explore sports psychology, writing a research paper on ‘The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sports Industry and Athletes’ was my way of staying connected to the sports world. Chapter – 4 The Crosscourt: Exploring Personal Passions There's more to me than tennis and business, I am also a trekker by heart. Scaling peaks like Kedarkantha, Har ki Dun, etc which are around 12,000 ft isn’t just about the physical challenge, it's more about pushing my limits and discovering myself. These treks taught me that every path has its ups and downs, but the view from the top is always worth it. Chapter – 5 The Match Point: Embracing Life's Challenges My TED story from tennis courts to business school classrooms to mountain peaks is about following the relentless pursuit of dreams, no matter how diverse they are. During this journey, every challenge faced, every success achieved, and every dream pursued is a point scored in the game of life. As I continue to navigate this journey, my message is clear – embrace every serve life throws at you, rally through the challenges, and never lose sight of your match point because, in the end, the final victory is the journey itself and what matters most is how passionately we play this game of life.

I have been an international-level Lawn Tennis player and have won several trophies in the game. I have done decently in cricket, table tennis, and badminton. That's the sports side everyone knows about me. But what most folks don't know is that I've got this other side hustle—cooking. Many people wouldn't expect this side of me when they meet me, and I still wonder if it is a surprising fact to have multiple interests in a person. I am ethnically from Gujarat. From a young age, I have seen people around me bond over dance and food. The joy of colors, music, and togetherness within the family, friends, and the entire community brings around extreme positivity and confidence that has made me who I am today. My family has kept this happy culture alive, and because of that, I am highly inspired by my home. My mother has always been a talented cook, and I often have been in awe of how she manages to make great dishes in very little time, especially during festive times or large family gatherings. I would often roam around the kitchen - the culinary sounds and smells were always so enticing. I finally found the time to deep-dive into experimenting with this skill during my work-from-home period. And I was immediately enchanted! While it took me quite some time to understand the flavors and strike the right balance of spices, my closest people were very happy to see the results of my hard work. Over time, I also took up some continental dishes that can be baked or made in the oven, which helped when I moved to a new city to live alone for my MBA education, which is a very rigorous course. Food, I feel, really binds people and enhances relationships. In a new city, I found new friends. And, on a surprise visit to my room, my new friends loved the vegetable lasagna I baked the first time here. Now we keep a monthly potluck dinner where we all eat together. Sometimes we all get cramped in the little kitchen to chop the vegetables and talk about the day. I am glad to have found this new family in such a busy life which brings me solace and happiness. It makes me feel complete - along with a hot plate of fresh curry!