Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) commenced classes in online mode for the 42nd batch (2021-23) of its flagship Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Rural Management), the PGDM (RM).
The classes began after a week of induction and orientation. Amidst the on-going pandemic, IRMA adapted to the challenge of online induction and orientation process by gearing up with its IT infrastructure, enabling a seamless process through online platforms.
IRMA organised the “Shiksha Aarambh Vyakhyan” – Commencement Speech to welcome the new batch.
The speaker for the “Shiksha Aarambh Vyakhyan” was T V Narendran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Steel Limited.
In his address, Narendran implored the young minds of IRMA to live up to the vision of Dr. Verghese Kurien, who established IRMA 41 years ago with the dream of professionalising rural management. He also stressed on the need for more inclusive development and strengthening the trust in the community with regard to development interventions.
The orientation included interaction of the new batch with Dr. Umakant Dash, Director, IRMA; Prof. Pratik Modi, Programme Chair, PGDM (RM); the first term course instructors, and respective Chairs for Placements, Village Fieldwork Segment (VFS), Alumni Relations, as well as the Mental Health and Wellness Advisor and a few esteemed alumni of the Institute.
In his message to the new batch, Dr. Umakant Dashtalked about the legacy of Dr. Verghese Kurien, the Founder of IRMA, who is renowned as the Father of the White Revolution in India. Calling the participants the “Legatees of Dr. Kurien”, he expressed his hope that through their hard work and dedication, they would be able to take IRMA’s name forward. He also talked about the importance of constant learning and continuous reflection.
Prof. Pratik Modi, in his interaction with the batch advised them to look at Rural Management as a discipline that is ‘Management +’, because IRMA’s curriculum not only includes courses that are found in any other reputed management institute but also courses that are unique to IRMA, thereby making it more rigorous and demanding.
IRMA has begun classes in hybrid mode (a mixture of online and physical sessions) for the 41st batch (2020-22) of the PGDM(RM). The Institute hopes to have the same in the near future for the incoming 42nd batch (2021-23) as well.
Like last year, IRMA has equipped 8 classrooms with state-of-the-art IT infrastructure to facilitate learning.
The 42nd batch of the PGDM (RM) has 252 participants. The batch represents regional diversity with representation from 21States and UTs, which reflects a healthy combination from different parts of the country. The participants represent a healthy academic diversity, coming from Engineering, Commerce, Science, Management, Humanities, and Dairy Engineering backgrouds, from reputed institutes like School of Planning and Architecture, Madras University, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, G.B.Pant University of Agriculture and Technology,University of Delhi, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Maharashtra, University of Calcutta, Vinoba Bhave University, Jharkhand, among others. Nearly 27% of the batch has previous work experience.