EVOLVING, WITH A PLAN

AS IIM CALCUTTA STEPS INTO ITS NEXT PHASE OF GLOBAL EXPANSION, ITS CORE ETHOS REMAINS FIRMLY INTACT.

- BY ANITA BABU

FOR AN INSTITUTION with a legacy spanning over six decades, IIM Calcutta holds its rich history without being weighed down by it. You feel it the moment you enter the campus—an expanse of water bodies, shaded walkways, and buildings that hold stories from the 1960s. One can't help but picture a young Indra Nooyi along the lakeside on a quiet evening stroll in the suburban Joka of the '70s.

Alok Kumar Rai, the newly appointed director of IIM Calcutta (IIMC), is well aware of this legacy. Pose a question about what he intends to change at one of the oldest IIMs in the country, and Rai responds with a measured reminder. “I think we should not start with change. We should start with comprehension, appreciation, and extension,” he says, as he cites the robust intellectual infrastructure of the institute. Collaboration is embedded in IIMC's DNA, reflected in its longstanding programmes with the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), the IITs, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.