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Advice Request
Rahul Choudhury
Rahul Choudhury

Rahul Choudhury

Professor

IFIM B-School, Bangalore

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My Advice
Subject knowledge is of paramount importance. Industry oriented practical knowledge ad employability of students will be the primary focus area. So, we have to bring to the classroom knowledge generated through our very own research, consultancy and general industry interactions. We have to develop more industry oriented knowledge, skills and attitude among us and then impart it to our students. Competencies and skill sets will have to be honed on industry requirements. As a result, we have to practice more academic rigour and discipline, vis-a-vis our students. At a point in time we have to amalgamate the traditional guru-shishya relationship with the western concept of mentoring the students. The approach has to be more holistic as we take charge of the overall learning and development of our students. Teachers are best positioed to influence the overall lives of the students and hence should be aware of their responsibilities at all points in time.
Favorite Non-Academic books
I regularly read the newspaper - general as well as business. Sometimes, i read business magazines as well. My choice for non-academic book is mostly fiction. I read novels and articles of Indian as well as foreign authors. Articles by Joseph Steiglitz or Amartya Sen is my favourite. I even enjoy the books of Chetan Bhagat and similar writers across the world.
Most Challenges facing by students
The biggest challenge for students is to get quality inputs. In case of MBA students, the challenge also is to garner inputs relevant to the corporate world and make themselves industry ready. Another format is to stay employable at all points in time. A general deficiency in our system of education is the gap between theory and practice. This requires them to go through cycles of unlearning and relearning, which is stressful and very often undermines the students/executives confidence level.
Most Rewarding Moment
The most rewarding teaching experience is to see one's students succeeding in life. This becomes special when students appreciate my contribution in shaping their lives. Recently, in Teachers Day, many ex-students called me up and expressed their gratitude and respect. This is really motivating and rewarding.
My priorities
Teaching and students' interest is always the first priority, since shaping minds and building character for the future is more important than any other task at hand. I attach maximum importance to what i believe is enhancement of learning and development for them. Research is the second most important activity in my life at this point in time. All other activities and responsibilities comes after the fulfillment of these priorities.
About Me
I have done my B.E. from NIT, Durgapur. Then I did my PGDM from IIM, Lucknow. I am also a Fulbright scholar to Carnegie Mellon University in USA. I have worked in the corporate world for fifteen years and for the last nine years I am teaching. I have taught primarily in Business schools.
Important Lesson
I have learnt that to be successful in life, ability to form positive interpersonal relationships is a must. Offcourse, there is no substitute for hard work and perseverence.
Way to motivate Students
The key is to add value to the life of a student - particularly, in academics. What is important today, is to involve the student. So, learning takes place in the interactive mode. Rather than one way lectures at all points in time, I try to make my sessions more interactive. Abroad, many institutes require students to take part in teaching as well. I plan to adapt this mode on an experimental basis, here as well.
Outlook about increase students’ participation
Grounding in the belief system of social commitment and nation building begins here. Students are involved in Corporate Social Responsibility areas and sometimes, they even work for NGOs. Since my students are corporate oriented, they learn about how to be socially responsible corporate citizens. Apart from ethics, they learn about corporate contributions of development of wealth, prosperity (distribution) as well as creation of employment. They are taught to appreciate how they are really in the business of improving people's lives.
Strongest Subject
My strongest subjects are Sales and Distribution Management, and Marketing Management. This is probably because of my corporate experience in these fuctions. Also, I have taken Marketing as my thrust area during my PGDM study in IIM.
Future of Indian Education System
Foreign Universities will be entering India, thus increasing competitiveness. So, content being delivered has to be world class. Local universities and institutes has to benchmark themselves with the best in the world. Classrooms is here to stay for a long time to come, but E-learning will gain in importance. Students will be offered more flexibility and choice in their selection of courses as well as timings. Value addition will take place along the entire chain, from curriculum development to delivery. Students taking admission into MBA courses will start shifting from being freshers to possessing some years of industry working experience. Imparting knowledge will become more industry and practical oriented. Hence, industry-academia interaction will become extremely important. The focus of the educational institions will be shifting towarsd the creation of knowledge. Research and publications and generation of country specific research based knowledge will become imperative.
Unique way of teaching
Teaching becomes more practical and effective by updating our knowledge through involvement in research and interaction with industry. We may supplement our classroom teaching with visits by industry experts. Another necessary input for faculty is forthe Institute to organize Faculty Development Programmes for them.
Family Background
My father belonged to a Zamindari family in Bangladesh. He retired (now expired) as an official from a PSU in Durgapur, and then settled down in Kolkata. My two uncles were doctors, but mostly studied and worked abroad. My mother was a school teacher, now retired. My wife, though professionally qualified, chose to be a homemaker.
My inspiring personality
In these challenging times, it is difficult to choose a role model. So, i will delve into the past and come up with two names: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Sarbapalli Radhakrishnan. I respect them for their academic brilliance, self-righteousness and sacrifice towards a larger cause for their country and countrymen.
Outlook about way to raise quality education
India has to work on both the fronts: spread education (broadbase) in the primary and secondary level, and simultaneously set up and augment higer education institutes/universities of world standards. For that to happen, more investments has to be made in the education sector. Research orientation and the culture of publishing and patenting has to be encouraged. Industry-academia interaction has to improve tremendously. Teachers and Professors and Researchers working in top universities worldwide, has to be encouraged to return to the country and contribute directly to its development. There is tremendous scope for setting up incubation centres across the board. Another factor that needs to be looked into is the competitive remuneration of teachers - especially, if we want to attract talent from the industry.
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