Indian Institute of Management Bangalore celebrated its 41st Foundation Day today with a special lecture on ‘Living & Acting Creatively’ by Mr. Ramji Raghavan, Founder and Chairman, Agastya International Foundation, the world’s largest hands-on mobile science education program for economically disadvantaged children and rural teachers.
“Unlocking the creative potential of children, adults and communities – rich, poor and downtrodden – around the world, I believe, is one of the central challenges of the 21st century,” said Ramji Raghavan.
Sharing inspiring real-life stories of children from rural India like Rani and Roja, who won a prestigious Intel-IRIS Science Award competing with the best and brightest from urban schools, for their science project on whether different leaves have different cooling effects, and Sai and Pavithra, two kids in North Karnataka who made paper from groundnut shells, Ramji Raghavan emphasized the value of curiosity, the spirit of enquiry, the magic of wonder, and the power of passion.
“Curiosity has transformative power and you must find new ways to see, unlock and unleash your own creativity,” he said.
Responding to Ramji Raghavan’s address, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIM Bangalore and Managing Director, Biocon Limited, said:, “IIM Bangalore as an institution stands for those who are trying to create a new future for this country and those fortunate enough to graduate from this great school of learning. I do believe that the whole national agenda of inclusive economic development is about creative thinking. It is about problem solving and finding new solutions to the challenges that confront us and have confronted us since decades. I think for all of us who have been involved with the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, it is about scripting an agenda for IIMB to shape not only the lives of those who graduate from these portals but also shape the economic agenda for the country.”
Presenting a detailed report on IIMB’s achievements, Dr. Sushil Vachani, Director, IIM Bangalore, said: “On Foundation Day, we celebrate the contributions of people here who work untiringly to create an intellectually stimulating environment and revisit our commitment to educate leaders and entrepreneurs who truly make a difference in the world.”
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIM Bangalore and Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon Limited, gave away the Distinguished Alumni Awards. This year’s recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Awards are Mr. Rajeev Bakshi (PGP’79), CEO, Metro Cash & Carry India, and Professor Das Narayandas (PGP’84), Senior Associate Dean, Harvard Business School.
Rajeev Bakshi, Managing Director, METRO Cash & Carry, India, in an email, said: “It is indeed a pleasure and a great honor for having been recognized for my contributions in the fields of Business & Economy and I wish to thank the Alumni of IIM Bangalore for conferring upon me the Distinguished Alumni Award. My batch mates, coworkers and my great family who have been my constant support, I would like to say that you all have given me the chance to live my passion, I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart.”
Das Narayandas, Senior Associate Dean, HBS Publishing and Executive Education, and James J. Hill Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, said: “The time I spent learning from my classmates and the faculty during my two years at IIM Bangalore has been invaluable in shaping my career. It is an honor to be conferred the Distinguished Alumni Award by this esteemed institution. I am grateful to the PGP Batch of 82-84 for considering me worthy of this recognition. My deepest thanks go to my foundation – my family.”
Rakesh Godhwani, Head, Alumni Office, IIM Bangalore, added: “The biggest stakeholders of an institute are the alumni. We take great pride in our alumni who are doing very well in the industry, academia and society and come back and support their alma mater.”
The Distinguished Alumni Award was instituted in 2007. IIMB’s Distinguished Alumni Awardees have included ISRO Chairman Dr. K Radhakrishnan (PGP’76), Former Chairman of Bharat Petroleum Ashok Sinha (PGP’77), CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Focus Network India Malavika Harita (PGP’82), Founder-MD of Sabre Partners India Rajiv Maliwal (PGP’85), Chairman of India operations at Goldman Sachs Sonjoy Chatterjee (PGP’94) among others. Each recipient of the DAA receives a citation and his/her name is engraved on the wall of fame at IIM Bangalore.
Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw also presented mementos to faculty and staff on their completion of 20 and 30 years of service at IIM Bangalore. Dean Academic Devanath Tirupati invited the recipients on stage.
The event came to a close with the national anthem rendered by the faculty and students.
Photo Caption: Ramji Raghavan, Founder & Chairman, Agastya International Foundation, delivers the 41st Foundation Day lecture on October 28, 2014. (L-R) Professor Devanath Tirupati, Dean Academic, IIMB; Dr. Sushil Vachani, Director, IIMB, and Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIMB, look on.
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