Friday 18 November 2011

Pen is Mightier...: The Journey of 50 years

Pen is Mightier...: The Journey of 50 years: Few survive, fewer sustain and the fewest can actually make the difference by leading from the front. IIM Calcutta is one such institute, w...

The Journey of 50 years

Few survive, fewer sustain and the fewest can actually make the difference by leading from the front. IIM Calcutta is one such institute, which has pioneered the concept of management education and is leading from the front. It has shown how to survive, grow, sustain and expand. Thus, the theme of the 50th Year celebration has been aptly chosen as ‘Sustainable Tomorrow.’
It’s that cherished moment again. Feelings of achievement, accomplishment and jubilation. IIM Calcutta, as it completes its 50th Year, encompasses all aspects of management education and promised to expand its horizon for coming 50 years.
Naturally, it’s a special moment for all its stakeholders. Students to Faculty, Officers to staffs- all belong to a family called IIM Calcutta. All of them have their own stories to tell. Some are good, some are not-so-good, some need to forget, and some must be treasured.
With the motto of ‘Jnanan Sarvahitaya’ (Knowledge for all), IIM-C has redefined the dimensions of management education. As IIM-C Community believes, it’s not a regular business school but a complete management education centre. It doesn’t explore the business needs only, but also brings forth the essentiality of public policy and ethical aspects of business decision making. So, it’s different and thus it sustained over 50 years as a winner in its field.
“We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time”- these words of T S Eliot is in complete tune with the journey called IIM Calcutta.
From host to guests, all have explored the various avenues of sustainability. An erudite Professor and the Chief Guest of the inaugural session Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam in his characteristically jovial manner delivered the key address on “Sustainability”, not only from the technological and environmental perspective, but also from the perspective of the management education. Over and again he focused on ‘Nobility & Management Education’ must go hand in hand. In course of his address, Dr. Kalam focused on three broad themes of Empowerment, Integrity & Leadership which are embedded in the notion of sustainability.
If one has to sustain, he has to be a good leader, this is what Prof. Kalam harped on and the essentiality for a good leader is vision, passion for accomplishment and ever-ready mentality to deal with the success & failure.
‘Empowering three billion people’ kept coming in his address and he has shown a very simple way for achieving that, ‘I can do… We can do & thus, Nation can do.’ To make it happen, two approaches can be taken, either the conventional method of top-down (the success will be limited) or the percolation method in a phased manner, but the need of the hour is ‘Out of the Box’ ideas which will initiate the process.

Sustainability cannot be perceived without integrity and leadership. For a sustainable world, Physical, Electronic and Knowledge Connectivity are needed, collectively it will be resulted in economic connectivity and in this phase Resource entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs will play a huge role.
Enterprises, Academic institutions and Entrepreneurs together will create Core Competency and competitiveness will come from economic development.
On the occasion of the completion of 50th year, he greeted IIMC by saying this is the first institute where Nehru’s vision and dream got a shape and now it has become a nodal centre for propagating the thoughts. He believes IIM-C with its student can maintain this leadership position. and he taught a new Mantra to IIMC students “I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity.”
Earlier, Dr. Sekhar Chaudhuri told, the theme of the Golden Jubilee is so because second phase of recession is already there and management education is at crossroads. So sustainability is the need of the hour. Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan drew the picture of 2061 i.e. how IIM-C would continue its leadership and sustain itself by providing consultancy services.
Luminaries like Dr. Himadri Pakrasi, Dr. Stuart Hart, Dr. Dipesh Chakrabarty, Dr. Paul Shrivastava, Mr. Juan Costa Climent have graced the occasion by sharing their thought in various panel discussions. From technology to energy, from economy to public policy- all of them have been discussed under the theme of sustainability and its quintessentiality.
Director’s conclave discussed and debated the future roadmap for management education and necessity to tie-up with other subjects and disciplines in order to make it more acceptable and sustain with ‘harmonious co-existence.’ Intellectual stimulus and innovation too are essential components for writing new success stories.
Not only stimulating debate and discussions over Management Education, but there were scintillating performances by Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt and Shobhna Narayan. Cultural programmes by students too were mesmerising.
IIM-C didn’t forget anyone to embrace again. By felicitating the long serving employees-Faculty, staff and the alumni it has shown its concern for all. They also reminiscence about their august institute. Some walked down the memory lane.

Beautiful campus looked even more gorgeous with colourful lights. Definitely a moment of pride but it’s not the time for complacency. IIM Calcutta has established itself as a brand that has a global value… but the journey has just begun!
Next 50 years would be the bigger challenge as new economic order is about to set in and already in the horizon. Challenge will be bigger, competition will be tougher… but again, IIM Calcutta will sustain as a visionary leadership is there…

Continue to be on the winning streak!!