IIM Indore has been in the news for various reasons. We managed to convince Prof.Ravichandran, Director of IIM Indore to do a Google Hangout with us!
In part 1 of this exclusive interview, he talks about various initiatives at IIM Indore and the rationale behind them.
He speaks very highly of his team that managed to build top-class infrastructure in record time.
He also talks about the challenges of maintaining academic quality across the many programmes offered by the institute and how he plans to address them.
When asked if the unique experiential courses offered to the PGP/EPGP/IPM students could be marketed better, he says that the current focus on execution has probably not allowed enough time to focus on promotion. He also believes that in the end students are the institution's best ambassadors and they should ensure people know about it.
Prof. Ravichandran elaborately explains the much talked about IPM programme after Std XIIth. He speaks about teaching management in a social sciences setting. He also says that it is far better to work with younger minds and influence them with the right mix of subjects across various disciplines ranging from study of civilizations to literature combined with traditional management subjects.
He shares his point of view on placements and career opportunitites and believes that IIM Indore will be at its peak in 2 years. He also said that while he hopes that students at IIM Indore get the best possible career opportunities, the institution is in the business of imparting education and not in the business of being a placement agency. According to him, the best schools in the world do not have a placement process and Indian schools need to rethink the concept of a formal placement process.
He also said that IIM Indore will soon be accredited by AACSB (
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). ISB is the only top school to be accredited by AACSB in India.
Prof.Ravichandran was accompanied by the Chief Administrative Officer of IIM Indore
Colonel K Thammayya
Udupa (Retired) for the hangout. He is also the Chief Vigilance Officer. He can be seen on the left of the screen during the hangout. The hangout was conducted by our founder and IIM Indore alumnus Ankit Doshi.
Watch Part I below (Edited)
Text Transcript to be available soon.
Watch Part II below (Edited)
Text Transcript to be available soon.
In the part - II of this interview, he reaffirmed his committment to establishing IIM Indore's presence in the Middle East and Gulf region and also believes the PGP programme at Mumbai will bring great benefits to IIM Indore by connecting to industry in the financial capital of the country. In true Ravi C style, on being told that there is a lot of confusion among potential applicants about the two programmes at UAE and Bombay, he says "Confusion is the prerogative of an individual and they should be allowed to have that!"
On a personal front he shared insights on how life is different as a professor and as an administrator. He says that the toughest part of his job has been to bring about a change in the minds of the people.
He refused to talk about the achievements of his tenure and he mentioned that his vision is to be among the top schools in Asia in the next 5 years.
On the burning issue of high EMIs and the restriction on graduates to be able to take risks, he agreed that it was a real problem and that steps need to be taken to simplify this situation. He suggested that students should take up fields that they really want to enter even if it means taking a lower pay packet at the start. He said it is better for the individual in the long term. In a ligther vein he suggested that PGP participants should marry fellow participants to ease the pressure on loans!
At the end, he wished all Interview call getters of IIM Indore luck and asked them to come and experience IIM Indore!
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