4 Padmabhushans on Campus

I was compiling information for TAPMI's UPDATE 2010 last month; it was a great feeling that a top-class B-School in the country originally conceived by late Shri Padmabhushan T A Pai was visited by four Padmabhushans during a span of less than six months in 2009-10.  Galaxy of other visitors on Campus include Dr V S Acharya, Home Minister of Karnataka, Shri Salman Khurshid, Union Minister for Corporate Affairs, Shri Leeladhar, former Deputy Governor of RBI, Shri Alen Pereria, CMD of Bank of Maharashtra, Shri Mallya, CMD of Bank of Baroda, Dr NK Thingalaya, former CMD of Syndicate Bank and others. 

These four Padmabhushans are Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia (noted Economist and Deputy Chairman-Planning Commission, Government of India) to inaugurate the Knowledge Centre on Campus, Dr Isher Judge Ahluwalia (Chair-Person ICRIER, New Delhi) to deliver key note address at the National Conference on Banking & Finance in November 2009, Dr Valiathan for addressing the Workshop on PGDM in Healthcare Management and Dr MV Kamath to inaugurate the Centre Indian Culture & Management.

Like the Indian PSUs being classified as Navaratnas (and now being elevated to MahaRatnas); I suggest that B-Schools in India should also be ranked by an absolutely authorised agency - be it a private or public organisation with all authenticity.  Multiple agencies, magazines, organisations and others are releasing their own typical rankings of B-Schools in India based on their own survey methods, research methodologies and perception surveys and confusing the MBA aspirants.  Misleading claims are made by these mushrooming B-Schools in their advetisements to lure the applicants.  Instead, a highly standardised exercise should be in place.  The measure should be after an academic year is over say April each year; data should be collected in June-July; visits to campuses be made at least in random cases; interviews be carried out with Directors / Deans / Alumni / Corporates who recruit these MBAs and so on in August-September and after thorough scrutiny, these results be announced in October.  Around this time the most popular entrance test in India viz., CAT is on and candidates can have a fair idea.  Such Surveys be restricted to three or four only.  I counted the number last year; it touched almost between 15 to 20 (including publishing of Directories).