Bharat Nirman – The Trump card of Man Mohan Singh

Posted on February 17, 2009 by indra

Bharat Nirman has become the symbol of Man Mohan Government, if we go by the importance given to it in projecting the achievement of this through digital media including TV ads something on line of the shining India of NDA.

Man Mohan Singh must get credit to give a name to this rural development programme. I got excited as it had a time frame that was to end with the end of the mandate given by Indians to this government in 2004. Before the government changes for a new one in 2009, the targets of the six basic rural necessities under Bharat Nirman would have been attained.

Roads: +38,484 villages above 1000 population and all 20,867 habitations above 500 population in hilly and tribal areas would have got road connections with 1, 46,185 kms of road length constructed by 2009.

Telephone Connections: 66,822 villages without a telephone would have got telephone connection.

Irrigation: 1 crore hectare of agricultural land would have got irrigation facilities-6 million hectare from major and medium projects, 3 million hectare for ground water development and 1 million hectare from minor irrigation projects.

Drinking water: 55,067 uncovered habitations and 2, 16, 968 villages affected by poor water quality would have got potable water, beside providing the same to 2.8 lakh habitations that have slipped back from full coverage.

Housing: 60 lakh houses at the rate of 15 lakh houses each year to be built by funds allocated to the homeless through Panchayats.

Electrification: 1,25,000 villages were to get electricity by grid based supply or in remote and inaccessible areas through alternative technologies

It is interesting that Interim budget presented on February 16 mentioned only about the achievements of houses built: “In the period between 2005-06 and December 2008, 60.12 lakh houses have already been constructed.” For all other components of Bharat Nirman, the interim finance minister had only data of financial allocation increase and additional allocation amount but no hard figure. “During 2005-2009, the allocation to this programme has been increased by 261 per cent. For the year 2009-10, I propose an allocation of Rs 40,900 crore for this programme.”

And this has been the modus operandi of all the governments since independence and perhaps will remain so for the next one too. Can someone, and who can be better that Man Mohan or Montek, tell the people of India the year when all Indian villages will be electrified, connected by roads and have telephone and at least safe drinking water? Should not the parties going to election provide hard data rather than giving percentage increase in allocation in crores?

Indian expects from the government a time frame to reach universal education, ensured health care, total sanitation, and social security in case of layoffs such as the one that is becoming big alarming news.

Will the voters be educated to demand this?

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India’s Priority: temple, terror, or turbine

Posted on February 13, 2009 by indra

BJP has again revived the slogan to build a magnificent temple for Lord Ram in Ayodhya. Unfortunately, neither BJP nor its allied institutions such Vishwa Hindu Parishad talk about huge lot of money collected for the temple. Even the devotees are meek enough to raise this question. Who stops them to build a temple grander than Akshardham temple that has come up near Delhi and has become a must for all the visitors to Delhi? Why should it not come up on the bank of Gomti on a suitable location with all the inputs of the 21st century and become the land mark for Ayodhya that becomes a must for all visiting the country of Rama just as TajMahal? I am sure even the Muslims of the country will provide the helping hands. The project can integrate the countrymen. As such with so many temples in the country, I am not in favour of building some more. Instead, the resources can be used for building a grand university, perhaps the largest and the best in the world. Can BJP come out with some innovative ideas to achieve universal education and healthcare for all within four years of the rule if they win?

The fight to end the terror of all sorts, be it from jihadis, naxalites, or other regional groups is a national issue and all political parties must talk in one tone to wipe that out. If the country can’t assure the peace and keep on allowing the violent protests and agitations in name of democratic rights, India must forget to have a respectful place in the world economy.

And by turbine I mean the power. The government has completely failed this basic necessity to its citizens. How can a country think of moving ahead with this shortage of power? How can a country live with one BHEL to supply equipment? The NDA failed, and the UPA has been worse. Be it nuclear, thermal, hydro, or alternative sources such as wind or sun, the people must get electric power they need. And I don’t mean to waste by providing that free as the politicians do. Will the political parties come to a consensus that hereafter no power will be given free to waste? And this free power is wasting our water resources too by over irrigating.

But who will do that? India is still to search for its Obama who can at least instill some hope. India doesn’t lack talent. If the junior Ambanis can excel after the death of the legendary Dhirubhai, why can’t so many of the young MPs who got elected, but have never done anything remarkable enough to be noticed by all with hope and pride.

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Nitish Kumar: An Open Lette

Posted on February 12, 2009 by indra

I have been writing supporting the objective of your Vikash Yatra. However, I was shocked to hear a report on NDTV India today.(One ca see it on video on khabar.ndtv.com) It showed some farmers somewhere in Katihar and their produce totally spoiled by tractors to construct the camp for your Janata Darbar. Do you know that? Who will bear the loss incurred by those farmers? Is it the way to organize the meeting? Can’t it be avoided? Have you instructed your officers to minimize the inconvenience of any sort to the farmers? If it is being done in so poor manner, you must stop it immediately.

Every panchayat if not every village is having a lot of government waste land that historically served as grazing ground. Why can’t the waste land be used for your meeting and camp, if you can’t find some houses to accommodate your people? Even though you may be a chief minister, who has permitted you and your so-called arrogant and autocrat officers to spoil the cultivated farms?

I appeal and request to find out the affected farmers who were shown on the TV channel and get them immediately compensated sufficiently. You also must apologize for the faults of your officers. Please appreciate the misery of the poor farmers and don’t break their dreams based on the small little grains that he waits so long from harvesting to make his living. If the report of NDTV India is wrong, please be brave to drag it to the court for wrong reporting.

I request readers to respond to my letter and appeal. All the readers agreeing with me must write to the CM.

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Vedic Mathematics to Vedic Management

Posted on February 8, 2009 by indra

I understand Dr. S Kannan, a Chennai-based Chartered Accountant, has written a new book ‘Vedic Management’. I had known only Vedic mathematics. One of my old friends, MK Sharma demonstrated once the ease with which one can solve big arithmetical problems using Vedic Mathematics methodology. Perhaps writing a book on Vedic management might be easier, as the management is not as exact a science as the mathematics. One can correlate the content of old scriptures easily with the present management problems and its solutions.

I have gone through some scriptures at least partially. In my school days, I had read the Hindi version of Mahabharata. It appeared to me as one of the most interesting stories that I came across. Ramayan was equally engrossing. Later on I came to know about Kautilya’s Arthashastra that can provide some tricks about corporate governance even today.

In Chapter I of Book XI, Kautilya’s Arthashastra, one can find some guidance as to how a chief executive should conduct himself: “The chief of corporations should endear himself to all the people by leading a virtuous life, by controlling his passions, and by pursuing that course of action which is liked by all those who are his followers.”

In Chapter XV of Book 1, one can find some advice to what can be considered board and audit committees: “All kinds of administrative measures are preceded by deliberations in a well-formed council. The subject matter of a council shall be entirely secret and deliberations in it shall be so carried that even birds cannot see them.”

Kautilya prescribed severe punishment for all who do not act as per these norms: “Whoever discloses counsels shall be torn to pieces. The disclosure of counsels may be detected by observing changes in the attitude and countenance of envoys, ministers, and masters.”

Will the managers today follow the lessons Kautilya prescribed in the 4th Century BC?

Dr S. Kannan’s ‘Vedic Management’ will be an interesting reading.

Both Ramayan and Mahabharata emphasizes about truth and righteousness. “Ravana and Duryodhana, though highly learned, powerful and wealthy, faced destruction finally when they went against dharma (righteousness). Harischandra suffered a lot but emerged finally victorious as he remained steadfast and upheld truth at all costs.”

The ancient Indian wisdom inspires to speak the truth and follow the path of righteousness. (Satyam vada! Dharmam cara! – Taittiriya Upanishad i-11).

The path of truthfulness is said to be supreme (Tasmat satyam paramam vadanti – Mahanarayana Upanishad lxxviii-1). Truth is the foundation of the earth (Atharva Veda Samhita xiv-1-1). Truth alone wins (Satyameva jayate – Mundaka Upanishad iii-1-6).

The Vedas talk about the following key values as very important: (a) Satyam – Truth; (b) Tapah – Austerity; (c) Damah – Sense control; (d) Samah – Tranquility of mind; (e) Dharmah – Righteousness; (f) Danam – Charity; (g) Daya – Mercy; and (h) Nyasah – Renunciation.

The Bhagavad Gita specifies twenty values (Chapter XIII -8 to 12), which are immensely relevant for any manager in the modern day corporate context as well:(a) Amanitvam – Humility; (b) Adambhitvam – Pridelessness; (c) Ahimsa – Non-violence; (d) Kshanti – Tolerance; (e) Arjavam – Simplicity; (f) Acaryopasanam – Service to the teacher; (g) Saucam – Cleanliness (internal and external); (h) Sthairyam – Steadfastness; (i) Atma vinigraha – Self-control; (j) Vairagyam – Renunciation; (k) Anahankara – Absence of ego; (l) Janmamrityu jaravyadhi duhkha dosa anudarsanam – Reflection of the sufferings of life-death, old age-disease, and distress; (m) Asakti – Non-attachment; (n) Anabhisvanga putradaragrhadishu – Detachment towards son and wife; (o) Nityam samacittatvam istanistopapattishu – Equanimity amidst pleasant and unpleasant happenings; (p) Mayi ca ananyayogena bhaktih avyabhicarini – Constant and unalloyed devotion towards God; (q) Vivikta desa sevitvam – Love for solitary life; (r) Aratir janasamsadi – Detachment towards company of people; (s) Adhyatmajnana nityatvam – Understanding the importance of self-realisation; and (t) Tattvajananartha darsanam – Philosophical search of the ultimate truth.
There are verses to encourage and motivate us to maximise wealth so that we can take care of those dependent on us. (Annam bahu kurveta! Tad vratam! – Taittiriya Upanishad iii-9). At the same time the Vedas guide us to earn wealth only through deeds of glory (Rig Veda Samhita vi-19-10). They advise us to take care of our wealth as well as welfare. (Bhutyai nappramaditavyam! Kusalanna pramaditavyam! – Taittiriya Upanishad i-11).

One shall not blame wealth and that’s the vow (Annam na nindyat! Tad vratam! Taittiriya Upanishad iii-7). They encourage us not only to possess wealth but also enjoy the same (Annavan annado bhavati! Taittiriya Upanishad iii-7). The rich have to satisfy the poor (Rig Veda Samhita x-117-5).

The Vedas insist on proper distribution of wealth. Wealth earned by 100 hands has to be distributed to 1,000 hands (Atharva Veda Samhita iii-24-5). They encourage us to give charity in plenty with utmost faith and humility (Sraddhaya deyam! Sriya deyam! Hriya deyam! Taittiriya Upanishad I-11).

The Vedas also inspire us to innovate and improve upon (Rig Veda Samhita i-31-8), and also to succeed in trade (Atharva Veda Samhita iii-15).

Importantly, the Vedas caution us to take care of the ecology and environment as well, in the process of development and growth.

In the Bhagavad Gita iii-21 it is said, “Whatever a great man does, others follow it.” (Yadyat acarati sreshtah tad tdeva itara janah. Sa tat pramanam kurute lokas tadanuvartate.)

One shall emulate the best practices of others (Yan yasmakam sucaritani! Tani tvayopasyani – Taiitiriya Upanishad i-11).

Action has to be done whole-heartedly without attachment to its fruits. (Karmanyevadhikaras te ma phaleshu kadacana – Bhagavad Gita ii-47).

Most of the institutions including my own IIT, Kharagpur (Yogah karmashu Kaushalam) gave importance to the old scriptures by using some phrases from there. I wish the institutions give importance to the values. It should not be discarded and neglected to prove our secularism. Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, Upanishads, and many other ancient books including the very important Arthshastra are full of such the self improvement tips for individuals and institutions of different sectors.

Let me end this with a sloka from Gita that talks of all the elements for success in any project.

Adhisthanam tatha karta karanam ca prthahvidham
Vividhas ca prthak cesta daivam caivatra panchamam Chapter 18-14

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Made in India: Car or Laptop

Posted on February 7, 2009 by indra

It appears Tata Motors will soon launch its most talked about ultra cheap car, ‘Nano’, the small car seen as a symbol of India’s expertise in frugal engineering. Some says it may be as early as on the next March 3. The media has been covering some unnecessarily negative coverage of the company. One such was related to the delayed payment to the vendors. That is not a usual thing in a period of such an unprecedented slowdown. Surprisingly, the vendors have denied that too. Perhaps, the media men are looking for some favours from the Tata management that it doesn’t offer.

Interestingly, another news regarding the launch in media talks of the celebrities whom Tata will offer Nanos. The list includes President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Opposition Leader LK Advani. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, where it was to be made initially, and Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, who was instrumental in attracting the Nano plant to Gujarat after it failed to take off in West Bengal may also get the offers. Is it Tata’s way to get the political support for Nano? How many of these politicians will be driving the car themselves? Tata Motors must offer the cars to those who drive themselves and seek their feedbacks.

Others preferred stars for getting Nano may be Sania Mirza, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni or actors Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgan and Kajol who endorse Tata products. I wish the stars don’t look down upon Nano because of the huge luxury cars they keep and take pride in driving.

But it is pretty clear that the company is in financial crisis. The customers will have to book Nano by paying Rs 70,000. It is a very high amount for a product that plans to sell at Rs 1, 00,000. Moreover, with limited production from the existing plant at Pantnagar, the customers will have to wait to get the cars. It is certainly not a very customer friendly decision for the lower middle class for whom it has been created. However, I still eagerly wait for the Nanos to be on the road.

Tata’s Nano is expected to be the best for the value plus a little more. Let the skeptics of the India’s manufacturing might be proved wrong. Let Nano be accepted all over the world as the second car in the house.

Tata Motors has been credited as the first automaker in the world to embrace the concept of design-to-value to some extent. Tata Motors gave a great deal of thought to what first-time car buyers in India were looking for as it designed Nano, Let its launch be outstanding in its category and tell a different story than one that the $10 laptop did.

The recent launch of India’s $10 laptop on February 3, at Tirupati has come to many as crude joke and to me as shock because of my emotional weakness regarding the achievements of the country’s young scientists and engineers. I still wish the technocrats associated with the project take up the challenge to solve all the queries raised by the users before the commercial launch to make the competition over the world cry in envy. Let the $10-laptop vastly undercut the cheapest laptops currently available, be it the Massachusetts Institute of Technology XO-1 or Taiwanese Asus’s Eee PC net books, or that anyone do plan in future. Let the no-frills laptop effectively act as Web portals rather than storage device. Let every Indian young man and women crave to have one. Let the $ 10 laptop not become ‘flop top’.

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Challenges of American Carmakers: Technology vs. Management

Posted on February 6, 2009 by indra

Many a times I wonder why US automakers have failed to maintain the leadership and remain contemporary in technology and management. Why couldn’t GM, Ford, or Chrysler, at least the former two, establish a brand GM Production System or Ford Production System that Toyota or Honda could do? Japan might not have the management schools of the ranking of Stanford, Harvard, or Wharton, but Toyota Production System (TPS) certainly has become something to envy for any global enterprise.

And perhaps Toyota’s built-in strength could make achieve what it did recently. As reported, ‘Toyota has surpassed GM to become number one in auto industry of the world. Toyota ended GM’s 77-year grip on the crown in 2008, according to numbers that came out on Jan. 21, and the Japanese juggernaut did it with authority, selling 8.9 million cars to GM’s 8.35 million. The margin of victory is two auto factories’ worth of production’.

Interestingly, it is not the same GM that had gone ahead of Ford in mid-1930s. Are the people associated with GM morose with the downfall of GM? At least I felt bad, as I was also nearer to GM because of my 37 years of professional career in auto sector with Hindustan Motors that had various collaborations with GM and its associates such as Vauxhall Motors, UK, GM Europe and Isuzu Motors, Japan. I had spent quite some time with the companies and learnt many things.

Surprisingly, Toyota also faced quality problems time and again, but overcame it fast and sustained it. The people working for Toyota develop the products using the inputs from the end users, techniques such as Quality Function Deployment and Quality Engineering. It has all the weaknesses of a big globally spread company, but it has overcome its problems successfully in time. Its response to the market requirements- be it style, price, technology, or quality– has been speedy enough to keep the spirit of continuous improvement alive at all the activity centres of the enterprise.

Its hybrid car Prius is the maximum sold cars with its leadership in the technology for fuel efficiency as well as emission.

It would have been an interesting comparative study if one could study in depth the production systems of Toyota, Honda, GM, and Ford.

Every auto enthusiast has a question today if the bailout to US car makers will succeed to bring them back on the right track. Unfortunately, the US automakers always resist and oppose the basic and necessary reform such as one by California’s emission norms for long years till it is imposed and the compliance is made mandatory. I am sure it must be having a demoralizing effect on the technocrats responsible to work for the reforms and to take proactive steps.

Ford has promised to raise its fuel-economy standards 26 percent above 2005 levels by 2012, and 36 percent above the same baseline by 2015. General Motors, for its part, has vowed fleet-wide fuel-efficiencies of 37.3 miles a gallon for cars, and 27.5 mpg for trucks, by 2012. Will they be able to comply with that? It will be interesting to watch if US automakers survive and lead or go down like the big US machine tools and equipment manufacturers.

Perhaps one sure way out for US with its superior R&D capability and great research institutions, may be through leading the innovation for powering autos through alternative sources of energy. Can Obama, the latest American hope, make US automakers change and win?

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Developing India: Through Ultra Low Cost Products

Posted on February 3, 2009 by indra

While there is no dearth of stories telling the gloom in economy all over, there are individuals and institutions in India that are keeping themselves focused working hard to make a difference.
Is it not amazing that India is set to market low-cost laptop at $10 to bridge the “digital divide” between rich and poor? The prototype is already in testing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out the details of its demonstration scheduled for today, February 3, 2008 at Tirupati according to the media reports.

It is another example of ultra-cheap engineering from India that has already given the world a 100,000 rupee (£1,420) car, the Tata’s ‘Nano’ and a super-basic £10 phone.

I wish many more innovators and entrepreneurs take inspiration from these success stories of India’s smart frugal engineering, as this may be the way to compete with the Chinese head on. And these products with some changes may find favour among relatively affluent Westerners too as the global economic downturn bites.

As reported, ‘the launch of a viable computer that costs less than most paperback books would herald a startling new era in thrifty manufacturing’. When I first read about it I didn’t believe. I had written about $100 laptop, the ‘one laptop per child (OLPC)’ initiative of MIT’s Nicholas Negroponte extensively. But at one tenth of the price of OLPC, the Indian initiative is really a great answer by a poor country for its children in millions. It will help millions to get connected to the vast pool of knowledge available through Internet.

The $10 laptop of India is the result of the joint endeavours put in by students of Vellore Institute of Technology, scientists in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT-Madras and involvement of PSUs like Semiconductor Complex. The secretary, higher education has said, “At this stage, the price is working out to be $20 but with mass production it is bound to come down.” The Indian laptop is part of India’s new National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology, a scheme to boost learning in rural areas through the internet.

And it is not only the $10 laptop but there are many other areas, where the innovators are working hard to help the needy. One such example is the India’s celebrated Jaipur Foot, which has kept afloat hopes and aspirations among millions of handicapped people around the world by allowing them to walk again. Interestingly, researchers at Stanford University in the US and the non-government Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Sangh of Jaipur are working on an artificial hand (perhaps ‘Jaipur Hand‘) that is likely to be in production within the next six months. Surprisingly, the Sangh is the world’s largest producer of artificial limbs.

Let the there be no gloom. Let the global slowdown not deter the Indian talents from innovating new and necessary products at affordable price for the billions at the bottom of the pyramid in this world.

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From Noida to Salt Lake- Some Great Experience

Posted on February 2, 2009 by indra

India is perhaps one of the best countries so far the digital connectivity is concerned. Rajesh’s call that I received from New York in Rajdhani was one confirmation of the connected and transforming India. But a little before that, I was surprisingly pleased to get a call on my cell phone almost as soon as our train left New Delhi railway station. That was from my old acquaintance and very close friend SK Singh who has now settled in Jamshedpur after a long stint in Tata Motors. As he informed, he has now subscribed to Internet connection, as I suggested and so can be in touch with me.

Even after our very bad experience at New Delhi Railway Station, we got delighted after finding very nice co passengers. Surprisingly, it was a group of so called minority with one family from Bangladesh with two host families from West Bengal. The two daughters of Bangladeshi family in their early teens were speaking very good Hindi, and as they and their parents claimed, that was all because of Hindi cinemas on TV. Unfortunately, the two brothers of the family from Burdwan, West Bengal were not so fluent in Hindi. The four had the latest information about Hindi films and its actors and actresses. The group had visited all the places of tourists’ importance near Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Vrindavan and Mathura. As I could gather clearly from their conversations, they had visited all the temples too. I could also conclude that the children from the West Bengal were missing their Sarswati Puja, as they were in train. They also offer puspa-anjali to mother Sarswati. The whole atmosphere around us in the compartment got very pleasant. Yamuna and I enjoyed the conversation with them and that included my counseling to those girls and boys about education, learning, and career. I talked about the learning of maths, science, language, and even engineering through videos already available through internet. Their parents also got impressed and were enjoying our conversations, though they were businessmen dealing in rice trade. In the morning, the little Gauri joined the Bangladeshi girls with all her naughty actions. Gauri never bothered about the communal difference with the girls. Why can’t the whole India live in this sort of amity? Why should there be conflicts among the people based on caste, community, religion, and language?

Our biggest surprise was for the ticket checker who happened to be Hari Sankar of village Arthu near Madhukarpur, Yamuna’s birthplace. I had once given Hari Sankar a job in Hindustan Motors when he was very young and unemployed some thirty years ago. Later on, he appeared in some examination and got selected in Indian Railways, the biggest employer of the country. Hari Sankar could recognize me and then Yamuna. It is quite unlike the young men of these days who hardly care about the elderly people once they become of no importance to them. Hari Sankar managed to provide the best of services to us through the pantry staffs. One of his men also took our luggage down at Howrah. We had by then become important persons in the eyes of the co-passengers.

Unfortunately, Kolkata remains still a dead city so far the development is concerned. The famed Calcutta taxis of Ambassador Brand of old era remain as eyesores, and so is the filth all around and the small dirty stalls that have mushroomed everywhere, be it just in front of the Howrah station or around the administrative offices in Salt Lake. I could notice deterioration, particularly in Salt Lake. It appears all construction works have stopped. Roads have not undergone resurfacing. As I smell Buddha has lost his interest in development works after Singur episode when Tata Motors packed up from West Bengal. Perhaps the hope that Buddha’s aggressive initiatives to development in West Bengal have died prematurely. West Bengal is standing still. The people don’t want any change. And as usual, if there is no development and progress, there can only be deterioration. And there are plenty of signs of that in the stories of abductions and strikes at Haldia and dyeing Hindustan Motors that I started hearing as soon as I got into West Bengal.

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From Noida to Salt Lake

Posted on January 30, 2009 by indra

The anxiety of a travel schedule for any purpose has always been troublesome for me. With growing age, it is more. But Nageswar whom I have called to look after my Noida house during my absence really provided an inexpressible delight when he told his age. He is older than me. I bet no one will agree with this after seeing him. I know some more persons, who have not changed significantly over the years I am seeing them.

Digital connectivity has made life easy. I was thinking of asking Anand to send his passport size photographs through courier when my former assistant KP Bose asked for one from Kolkata for getting some document from registry office. It never came to my mind that Internet can help. Shannon sent one fast enough an e-mail with Anand’s photograph as an attachment. Sunny Studio in Brahamputra Shopping Complex allowed me to access my G-mail and printed the photographs within minutes.

For keeping myself connected at salt lake I bought a Tata Indicom data card yesterday. Perhaps Kajol’s ad was the reason for selection of this technology for maintaining connectivity. However I can’t say about its efficiency unless they connect me, and that they will do only after verification of the address by some third party in next 24 or 48 hours. It is all because for the security reasons. I had to spend Rs 2770. That is perhaps more. For senior citizens, it must be less in era of Nano, or when a lap top can cost Rs 500.

If it doesn’t work, perhaps I shall not be able keep my blogging going. But let me hope for the best. For next few weeks we are shifting to salt lake, may be for the last or last but one time.

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ISB vs. IIMs

Posted on January 29, 2009 by indra

As reported, ‘for the second year in a row, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad has been the only Indian management institute that has made it to the

‘Financial Times Global MBA Ranking’ of the top 100 B-schools across the world’. ISB bettered its ranks and moved to 15th this year from No 20 last year. The top three slots are occupied by the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton; the London Business School and the Harvard Business School.

ISB may be the costliest business school in India with a fee of Rs 20 lakh for the one year programme. ISB has increased its intake numbers really fast. While in 2001, its first batch, 126 students graduated, the number will be 440 for 2009 increasing to 560 in 2010. It will soon start a new campus in Mohali.

Surprisingly, none of the IIMs make into the Financial Times Global MBA ranking. According to one of the faculty of one IIM, it is because the Financial Times rankings only considered executive MBA programmes where the students admitted to the programmes had work experience. IIMs admit freshers and have begun the Postgraduate- Diploma courses for executives only recently.

I have been one who all over these been writing again the MBA courses for freshers. MBA is basically an application based education. The student must have working experience as prerequisite for admission. Unfortunately, IIMs don’t have the autonomy, the resources and perhaps the incentive required for getting into the list of the best B-schools of the world. With recent increase in the remunerations, the salary of the faculty may become respectable. However, it will hardly ensure the improvement in research works that adds to the brand value. Why can’t IIMs take up a research work on Satyam Swindle to go into the root cause of the story and to suggest the ways and means to avoid such scams? Going on International issues, will IIMs take research work on the recent US melt down that has been caused by the crooked minds of some top executives and is making the whole world suffer today?

For ISB, I have a request if it can publish a ‘Harvard Business Review‘ type magazine for the industry and the people interested in keeping themselves updated with the art and science of management.

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