Hon’ble President of India launches IIM Bangalore's Golden Jubilee Foundation Week celebrations

“IIM Bangalore is committed to not only creating managers but also leaders and changemakers. Education is pivotal in all walks of life. The logo of the institute stating ‘tejasvi navadhitamastu’, which translates to ‘let our study be enlightening’, is most fitting to the ethos of IIMB. It is a window to self-development, enlightenment, and discovery of your talent. Your vision and mission are the noblest, which will allow you to be a robust force of change and rectitude,” said the Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, at the inauguration of IIM Bangalore’s Golden Jubilee Foundation Week, on 26th October 2023.

The event held at IIMB’s Bannerghatta Road campus was attended by Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIM Bangalore, Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, the four Deans, former and current faculty, students and former and current staff of the institute. IIM Bangalore is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a grand Foundation Week, and a host of events are being held during the weeklong celebrations.

The President of India congratulated IIMB for being a key player in addressing national challenges and driving economic growth and employment. She spoke at length about the institute being a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship through NSRCEL, its global recognition in the Positive Impact Ratings, the programs and activities conducted to celebrate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ – 75 years of India’s Independence, the Data Centre and Analytics Lab (DCAL) and its impact on business and economy, and IIMB’s digital learning initiatives. “You are serving as a bridge to the digital divide, helping students who are not able to join the mainstream knowledge economy through MOOCs.”

Hailing IIMB’s specialized Centres of Excellence, the President of India said, “The Centre for Public Policy, along with its work in the domain of public policy research, also supports skill development in the districts of the country through the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship programme.”

Taking note of the increasing number of women enrolling for programmes offered by the institute, she said: “I am told that during the pandemic, NSRCEL ran an online programme for women which was supported by the National Commission for Women. It is great to see programmes designed for women to grow into leadership positions. NSRCEL has impacted close to 3000 women entrepreneurs to date, and that is a huge achievement.”

The President had a special word of advice for IIMB’s student community. “Your presence in an institute of such repute is a recognition of your merit. Do remember, with the accolades comes responsibilities. Being conscious of inequality in access to opportunities, and adopting a sense of humility, are your moral responsibilities. IIMB is an institute of national importance and hence a lot of trust is reposed in it – this is where talent meets aspirations and good intentions. Your country and society are proud of you and look forward to your contribution to the country’s journey of being a thriving and well-functioning economy. In a world that is challenged by issues like climate change and deteriorating moral values, we Indians as a community inspire the world. You are the future wealth creators of the world, so do not ever be complacent. Your aims should never be narrow. In all this, imbibe a strong sense of ethics and aim for excellence. Do not complain about the world you inherited. Leave a world where the future generations can live in harmony and prosperity,” she said.

Flagging off the 50-hour relay run

The President of India also flagged off ‘Swarna Twaran’, the 50-hour Golden Jubilee relay walkathon on campus by students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the institute. The flag was handed over to Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development. 'Swarna Twaran' aims to communicate the message of healthy and sustainable living as well as discover the capability of endurance that we all possess within us. The event will conclude on 28th October 2023. This is an IIMB community event where anyone connected with the institute (faculty, staff, students, alumni, pensioners, and their family members) will walk, jog, or run, to express their commitment to fitness and feel one with the IIMB community and its Golden Jubilee celebrations. While the event is being held at the IIMB campus, alumni chapters from across the country and the world have been encouraged to organize marathon events at their respective locations during this 50-hour time window.

Address of the Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka

The Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, in his address, congratulated IIMB on its Golden Jubilee and said, “IIM Bangalore’s innovative ideas, the achievements of its students and alumni in diverse fields, the contributions of the world-class faculty, the research collaborations and industry partnerships, and the extensive range of Executive Education programmes impact our growth and progress as a nation and help uphold the reputation of our country. Your students are all leaders who are instrumental in transforming the world. Your start-up hub NSRCEL has given a boost to entrepreneurship in the country. Your digital initiatives such as designing and delivering MOOCs on Hospital Management and Business Analytics are addressing the need of the hour. IIMB, through its programmes, has helped Bangalore grow into the IT hub that it is today and has also contributed towards India’s economic progress,” he said.

The Governor of Karnataka also released the book, ‘The Making of a Campus: IIM Bangalore’, authored by Kiran Keswani, which tells the story of the architecture of IIM Bangalore and of the people who have inhabited its ‘spaces’ and made it into the ‘place’ that it is. It shares how this campus came into being and how it has been experienced over time. The book includes narratives built from talking to IIMB’s faculty and staff as well as tells the story of the design and planning efforts of Chief Architect Dr. Balkrishna Doshi, architect Achyut Kanvinde, and architect Sanjay Mohe towards the making of this campus. The book is designed as a visual commentary on the architecture of the IIMB campus and is illustrated with color photographs.

The Governor also launched a film on IIMB titled, ‘IIMB: The Journey Towards Excellence’, to mark the institute’s Golden Jubilee Year. Documenting the IIMB journey from its inception to the present, the film portrays the challenges and triumphs, the accomplishments, and the future directions of the institute through the voices of its many stakeholders, past and present – the Directors, members of the Board, faculty, alumni, and administrative staff who have been part of the 50-year journey. The audience had the opportunity to watch glimpses from the main film in a three-minute trailer.

Professor K Kumar, former faculty in the Entrepreneurship area, who now leads the History Project of IIMB, offered a brief overview of the book and the film.

Chairperson’s address

Earlier in the evening, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIM Bangalore, welcomed the Hon’ble President of India and the Hon’ble Governor of Karnataka. “IIMB is on a mission to shape leaders and pioneers and the school is grateful to the Government of India and Karnataka for helping craft the mission. With this kind of support, our commitment to excellence remains unwavering and is sure to soar to greater heights,” he said.

Director’s address

Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, highlighted the various accomplishments of IIMB, its programmes, centres, faculty, students, and alumni, during its glorious 50-year journey. He described the evolution of the institute adding how it has managed to adapt very well to the changes in the broader environment. “Ours is a story of adapting to the environment, enhancing capabilities, deepening research output, at the same time, maintaining our core values like very high-quality teaching, and essentially meeting the needs of different stakeholders,” he said.

About the road ahead, he said that the institute aims to have a greater impact on areas like the healthcare industry which would benefit from better managerial capabilities and processes, as well as the MSME sector as MSMEs are important growth engines of the economy and some of the greatest sources of employment. “The third area where we are keen to make an impact is in undergraduate education. We all know that there is a huge demand for high-quality undergraduate education. We plan to launch an undergraduate programme in four disciplines to start with – Economics, Behavioral Science, Data Science, and Sustainability. We would like this to have a liberal arts flavor in the sense that it will have a lot of focus on critical thinking, leadership skills, thinking across disciplines, etc. We look forward to creating the next set of world-class leaders in the next 50 years.”

A host of activities, led by the institute’s students, alumni, and staff, are in store to commemorate the momentous occasion of IIM Bangalore’s Golden Jubilee. American Economist Professor Rebecca Henderson of the Harvard Business School will deliver the Foundation Day Lecture on, ‘Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire’, on the 50th Foundation Day of IIM Bangalore, on 28th October. The day will also feature the IIMB Director’s special address. Other highlights include ‘Suvarna Sangeet’ – a grand music presentation by IIMB’s PGP alumna and noted classical vocalist Manasi Prasad and her troupe later on the same day. A Hindi play titled, ‘Gagan Damama Bajyo’ will be presented by the troupe ‘TheatreNama’, on 29th October, written by actor-playwright-poet Piyush Mishra and directed by Aashish Rana. The celebrations also include scholarship awards, achievement awards, felicitation of former employees, Staff Recreation Club (SRC) prize distribution, cultural programs, quizzes, alumni events, and more.