Latest news with #Bhasker
Hans India
3 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
IIM-Ahmedabad's Dubai campus set to redefine India's educational soft power: Institute director
The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), one of India's most prestigious business schools, is all set to launch its first international campus in Dubai this September. The ambitious expansion, envisioned by IIM-Ahmedabad Director Bharat Bhasker in 2023, will begin operations with a one-year MBA programme and introduce two key research centres, one dedicated to case study development and the other focused on start-up incubation. Bhasker, in conversation with IANS at IIM-A, expressed immense satisfaction over the swift execution of the plan. "The Dubai campus is something I envisioned in 2023, and now I'm happy to see it materialise. I'll be visiting the campus next week," he shared. "We've curated the curriculum with a regional lens, drawing on case studies and business practices relevant to the Middle East and Africa." The move comes after IIM-A signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government in April this year. The agreement, signed in Mumbai, officially established the Dubai campus in the Dubai International Academic City, making IIM-A the first among India's management institutes to set up an overseas campus. Bhasker sees this as a moment of strategic significance not only for the institute but for India as a whole. "While Western countries are increasingly shutting their doors to international students, India must seize the moment. Education is India's most potent soft power, and this campus is a strategic tool in building long-lasting influence," he said. "Just as China uses its manufacturing and trade to build global influence, India must leverage its strength in quality education and its English-speaking workforce. If India wants to be the leader of the Global South, this is the way," he said. The new campus aims to attract a wide array of students from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, North Africa, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The first cohort will comprise around 40 to 50 students, with the long-term goal of scaling up to a 900-student capacity over the next decade. According to Bhasker, Dubai was a natural choice. "We've been offering executive education in the region for years. The familiarity and trust we've built made it a logical step forward," he said. The launch comes at a time when global applications to MBA programmes are facing a downturn. According to data, there was a 5 per cent reduction in applications to graduate business schools worldwide in 2023, the second consecutive year of decline. Bhasker, however, remains optimistic about India's prospects. "The global numbers may be declining in the US or Europe, but India is different. We have a young population, a fast-growing economy, now the third-largest globally. As opportunities grow, so does the demand for skilled managers. That's where institutions like IIMA come into play," he said. When asked what makes a good manager today, Bhasker responded with clarity: "Commitment and vision are important, but most of all, empathy. Business is often reduced to profit and loss, but empathy takes you a long way." Looking ahead, Bhasker shared an exciting next step for the IIM-A campus: the establishment of a School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. "The way we traditionally taught management doesn't work anymore. The way we teach management today is very different from the past. Today, AI, technology, and science are integral to leadership and decision-making. Management curriculum and the way institutes teach must evolve," he said. "Being proactive is essential," he said. The Dubai campus is not merely an international expansion; it is a strategic, future-facing initiative rooted in regional relevance, educational diplomacy, and an evolving idea of what management education should look like in the 21st century.
The Print
18-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
Dubai campus set for Sept launch, IIMA director reveals plans, goals & why UAE was natural choice
In April this year, IIMA and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai to establish the Dubai campus of the IIMA in the Dubai International Academic City. With this MoU, IIMA became the first among the Indian management institutes to set up an international campus. New Delhi: The upcoming Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) campus in Dubai will begin operations this September with a one-year MBA programme and will also launch two research centres focused on case development and start-up incubation in its first year, institute director Bharat Bhasker has told ThePrint. In an interview with ThePrint Monday, IIMA director Bharat Bhasker said the first batch will begin with 40–50 students, and the institute has a target to grow into a 900-student campus in the coming decade. Dubai, he added, was a natural choice for starting a campus because the institute has already been running executive education in the country. Professor Bhasker said that as of now, the plan was to launch a batch of nearly 40-50 students this September for a one-year, full-time MBA programme. 'Since it is a new market with new connections to build, we do not want to overburden ourselves initially. Unlike many global institutes, we also take responsibility for career planning, not just classroom education,' the IIMA director added. Another plan, he added, was to introduce two research centres on the Dubai campus in the initial year. According to Professor Bhasker, the first centre will focus on case writing and development. The case method is central to the pedagogy of IIMA and something the institute has mastered—approaching lessons through real-world scenarios happening around it. The second, he said, will be a branch or spin-off of the existing IIMA Ventures, integrating incubation, innovation, and entrepreneurship. 'IIM Ahmedabad has developed nearly 5,000 cases, and while we use both our own and others', the Dubai market presents an opportunity to create localised cases relevant to its fast-growing economy and corporations. That is why we will start a case centre there in the first year to ensure the classroom content has strong local context,' he said. 'We are also exploring tie-ups with local technology laboratories supported by the Dubai government, where Artificial Intelligence and robotics ideas are under development,' the IIMA director added. Also Read: Sustainability courses are the new MBA. IIMs are taking a cue from market forces Programmes & faculty A course for professionals will start on the IIMA Dubai campus in the first year, Professor Bhasker told ThePrint. IIMA offers a range of programmes for working professionals, including online courses, blended learning, and executive education programmes. 'We have already surveyed and engaged with the market, and there is a huge demand for a weekend MBA programme for working professionals. It will be a physical, weekend-only programme, as many executives we spoke with during masterclasses and seminars expressed their interest but said they could not leave their jobs,' the director said. According to him, the Ahmedabad campus has already transferred one of the professors to Dubai, and he is now based there. Some more faculty members will make Dubai their permanent station. 'The first batch will be taught entirely by IIM Ahmedabad faculty. Our faculty will commute; some will go for 10–15 days, deliver part of the course, and return. We do not want to lose our culture or create a new one. That is why the dean of the Dubai campus will always be from IIM Ahmedabad,' he added. 'Over time, local faculty may take on those roles, but initially, we are taking the IIM Ahmedabad culture and placing it there. We will also hire faculty directly for Dubai, but they will also come back and teach at the main campus.' Building international campus The IIMA director said that it would take some time to build awareness about the new campus in Dubai and to attract students from a wide range of nationalities. 'We have already hired agencies to advertise in North Africa and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. But since the physical campus won't be visible until the end of July, I don't expect a lot of students from other nationalities just yet,' he said. The IIMA Alumni Association organised and hosted a pan-IIM event last week in the Middle East, the director added. Given the short time between the April MoU and the September launch, the inaugural batch will have a strong Indian presence, Professor Bhasker acknowledged. 'The first batch will have a strong Indian presence—largely due to the short runway. But we are getting very high-quality applications, including from people with GMAT scores of 750 and above.' However, looking ahead, the professor expressed confidence that the Dubai campus would increasingly attract a diverse student body from across the countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, North Africa, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Encourage IIT, IIM graduates to work in smaller towns. Decongest big cities like US, Japan, Spain do
Indian Express
18-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
IIM Ahmedabad welcomes 2025-27 PGP batch of 414 students
The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) on Wednesday welcomed its 62nd batch of its two-year full-time Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in Management. The batch has 414 students and half of them have engineering backgrounds, the institute stated. The 2025-27 batch has 30.6 per cent female and the rest male, with students having an average work experience of 25 months. While 27 per cent are freshers, the rest have worked in various sectors, according to the institute. A total of 460 students joined two of its flagship programmes on Wednesday, including 46 students who were inducted into the 26th batch of the two-year full time PGP in Food and Agribusiness Management (PGP-FABM). Highlighting the diversity of the new cohort, IIMA Director Prof Bharat Bhasker encouraged the students to adopt a spirit of cooperation and emphasised the importance of peer learning. Students are from a variety of backgrounds, including commerce, liberal arts disciplines, engineering, chartered accountancy, company secretaryship. Out of the 46 students in the PGP-FABM batch of 2025-27, 45.65 per cent are female, while the rest are male. All the students in the cohort come from agriculture and allied agriculture disciplines. The students have an average work experience of 20 months, with 40 per cent of them having work experiences. The average age of students is 23 for both the said programmes. A significant number of differently abled students have joined the PGP class of 2025-2027, IIMA also stated. Delivering an inaugural address on Wednesday, Prof Bhasker said, 'You have arrived at a platform that has been producing leaders for six decades. During this time, IIMA has not only produced leaders, but also the methodology that enables this transformation in people.' 'You are among the select few who have made it here from the lakhs of applications we received, and are now part of programmes, which have been consistently ranked number one in the country and are among the top in the world. Over the years, we have continuously evolved these programmes to ensure that those graduating from this Institute represent the very best the country has to offer,' he also said. Encouraging the students to make the most of their time at the institute, Diptesh Ghosh, Dean (Programmes), IIMA, said: 'This place is demanding, and many of the courses will be new to you. Our motto — 'Development through the application of knowledge' — reflects our belief that management is an applied discipline. What matters more than knowing facts is your ability to apply them in practice. This comes alive in our classrooms through real-world business scenarios that require you to make decisions, which is the essence of the case methodology that IIMA is renowned for.' Professor Ankur Sinha, Chairperson, PGP, emphasised the importance of human values and encouraged the students to uphold them.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
State govt plans to revive Vedic-era Dhristavati River
Jaipur: Officials of water resources department (WRD) said Tuesday that the state govt is carrying out a study on how to revive Dhristavati River , a paleo channel in the state that is assumed to be part of the Vedic-era Saraswati River system . A team from Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB) is in Jaipur to discuss this project. Confirming this, Bhuvan Bhasker, chief engineer of WRD, said, "We are sure that there exists a paleo channel known as Dhristavati River. But we cannot officially confirm whether it was part of the Vedic Saraswati River system. We are carrying out a study to see if we can revive the channel." WRD officials are relying on some research works of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Central Ground Water Department, and IIT BHU to study the mythical Saraswati River basin. "The govt of Rajasthan has signed an MoU with the City of Aarhus in Denmark to rejuvenate rivers in the state. The City of Aarhus has implemented a few projects related to paleo channels. We will take advice from their engineers who worked on those projects," said Bhasker. HSHDB vice-chairman Dhuman Singh Kirmach stated that the Haryana board has enabled water flow along nearly 400 km of the Saraswati riverbed during the monsoon season, completing the first phase of Saraswati River rejuvenation project. The rejuvenation was done based on a map drafted by ISRO of paleo channels of Saraswati River, he said. "During the flood of 2023, when we opened the gates of Sirsa Barrage, the water overflowed in the same direction as mentioned on the ISRO map. So, we approached the Rajasthan govt to link the Sirsa Head of the barrage with the Luni River," Krimach said.
Express Tribune
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bhasker condemns latest Gaza attack
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) recently, Indian actor Swara Bhasker condemned Israel for breaking the ceasefire agreement set under the Biden administration and resuming the airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in Palestine. "We live in a world where it's apparently acceptable to slaughter 400 children in one day because they are Palestinian. What an utterly despicable act of terrorism. I will say it again and again: Israel is the terrorist," Bhasker wrote. This isn't the first time that the Veere Di Wedding actor has expressed empathy for Palestine. In February last year, she quoted a clip of a father holding her daughter after surviving bombardment. "Everyday, I hug my baby girl a little tighter and pray I never experience the helplessness of Palestinian parents," she wrote. Back in October 2023, she pointed out the hypocrisy of social media users denouncing Hamas and overlooking the atrocities committed by Israel over decades. "If you have not felt shock and horror at Israel's unending atrocities on Palestinians, the forcible occupation of Palestinian homes, the forced evictions, the bigotry and violence of settler Israelis, the murder of Palestinian children and teenagers, the decades long blockade and bombing of Gaza and civilians in Gaza, including bombing of schools and hospitals (not to mention the apartheid and occupation), then I'm afraid your shock and horror at Hamas' attacks on Israel seem a bit hypocritical." Bhasker's stance has remained consistent in the past, even before the Hamas-led attack in October 2023. Back in 2021, she wrote, "Israel is an apartheid state. Israel is a terrorist state. Enough said. Free Palestine." In another tweet around the same time, she wrote, "The cause of Palestine and justice for Palestinians isn't an Islamic cause, at least it shouldn't solely be that. It is first and foremost an anti-imperialist, anti-colonial and, anti-apartheid cause and that's why it should concern us all, even non-Muslims."
