FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL'S DESK

YEARNING OF INDIA’S SOUL AND THE B-SCHOOL RESPONSE A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. - Jawaharlal Nehru’s Historic Speech On India’s Winning Freedom

In the 65th year of Independence, our economy seems to be poised on the edge of settling into the take-off stage, as per the Rostowian model of growth. With percapita income crossing the thousand dollar mark, despite double digit inflation and tightening of fiscal policies, consumption is still maintaining its positivity. The dynamic middle class continues to give hope to the home markets, while the awakening of the rural consumer appears to gladden the hearts of the doubting corporate strategists. The long shadow of a weakening Euro and a shaky dollar economy seem to have given way to a spurt in rupee earnings, as IT companies
are laughing their way to unexpected surplus. This phenomenon seems to have overshadowed the impact of a stronger Yuan and a weaker Rupee, as exporters pray for further windfall, triggered by international market corrections, linked with the financial aftershocks across the Pacific.

All these signs are indicative of the emergence of a mature economy, which has broken out of the shackles of tradition and custom, thereby meeting most of the conditions of the take-off stage of growth. Undoubtedly, issues like the galloping crude/petro-product import bill, the widening gap between the rich and poor and the India-Bharat divide still haunt us. We still manage to hold a USD 300 billion plus forex reserve, while the food reserves are bursting at the seams. The significant jump in cotton production may result in us overtaking China, as the world’s largest producer in this decade; while the Auto, Pharma and IT sectors continue their romance with their stakeholders. Though there appears to be a dip in foreign investments as well as India-centric global mergers and acquisitions, the inherent strength and outreach of Indian entrepreneurs is shaped, in fact poised, to strike out at the most opportune time. “Land Ahoy!” hails the ancient mariner at the quarterdeck!

The challenge facing the business strategist and stakeholders of the economy is therefore to constantly scan the global and domestic markets and break through the windows and gaps, so as to cash in on the India advantage. Definitely, there are innumerable hurdles and deficits of trust, governance and delivery mechanisms, at home. But this is not the time to quarrel with the tools; instead one should take maximum advantage of such adversities world-over and convert them into Indian conquests. The Indian industry has to keep its bench-strength and techno-commercial apparatus in battle-ready harness, so as to take maximum advantage of fleeting opportunities world-wide. As policy-makers and strategists juggle with our global dominance package; we, the B-schools, have their task cut-out.

Our mission is simply to shape the managers of tomorrow, so that they would be ready to take on the challenges, at home and abroad, without being unduly burdened by the negativities encountered in performing the task, in the line of duty. For this, they have to be trained to be wary of the pitfalls of public-private partnerships, the typical bottlenecks twisted by the oft agonizing story of Indian logistics, the frequently powerless power system, the now surfacing menace of eco-socio-terrorism and, last but not the least, the RTI empowered consumerism. All these are not mere cobwebs of mind; they often surface as stark realities, haunting the dynamic prime movers of our double-digit growth story. Therefore, we believe that the varied classroom learning has to be proactively supplemented with a continuous dialogue and partnership, with the industry and the marketplace. And this, we are trying to achieve through e-empowered learning processes, extensive internship with the industry, case studies, scenario building, terrain appreciation and strategic response building exercises, experiential learning constituting attempts to bridge the gap between knowledge and skills. Varied techniques are thus being used to sharpen students, besides delivering inputs such as soft skills and people management capabilities. Attempts are also being made to expose students to the new leadership challenges, faced by management professionals.

What the industry needs are managers who are equipped to deal with and aid others in coping with the strains and stresses that working professionals face with increasing frequency. Through intra and inter collegiate competitions that are directed towards building Entrepreneurship, Congruence and the will to Combat students acquire team skills. Their expression both creative and critical is honed in an attempt to facilitate communication as well as idea exchange through our journals – Metaphor and Vault. This well groomed manager is thus able to rise up to the challenges posed by harnessing the latest technology, while remaining rooted in the Indian value system.

The edge that all this gives them is furthermore tempered by work-experiences with an NGO, sharing the sensitivities of underprivileged sections of the society, thus making them a complete human being sharp and sensitive. This has in fact inspired our students to take up voluntary work opportunities with UNECOSOC in New York, resulting in earning international acclaim for MET, which was awarded at the hands of the Hon. President of Italy. The involvement with the MET Seva project, for uplifting the tribals at Waliv, as they struggle to eke out a meal-a-day, undoubtedly brings them closer to the “litmus test” of Mahatma Gandhi, who urged us to help, “the most downtrodden/poorest.” We have no doubt that once exposed and sensitised to the sorrow of the poorest-of-the-poor, the professional would work life-long, to reach out to them and help build an inclusive society.

To say the least, the response of the students is heart-warming, short of thunderous, as they rise to the call of the long suppressed soul of India, as prophesied by the late Prime Minister in the 1947 address.