tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post115786757088249220..comments2024-03-27T17:16:12.789+05:30Comments on The Leap Blog: The first sound attempt at doing a good university in IndiaAjay Shahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03835842741008200034noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post-1159622692297107742006-09-30T18:54:00.000+05:302006-09-30T18:54:00.000+05:30* Yes, Bombay is not a nice place to live, but ISB...* Yes, Bombay is not a nice place to live, but ISB would not have been <I>within</I> Bombay anyway - it would have been a few kilometres into the mainland. That'd have been an excellent scheme.<BR/><BR/>* I believe what went wrong with that effort was the Shiv Sena which did not want this to come about as a meritocracy. Generations to come should remember this contribution by the Shiv Sena to Bombay's growth.<BR/><BR/>* Yes, to run a pure-teaching MBA program, based on 80% visiting faculty, you can be anywhere. But I don't think anyone would be satisfied at that outcome. What is really exciting is not a teaching shop - what is really exciting is the creation of a research university. This requires full time faculty, and a sustained engagement with India at all three levels of research -- consulting -- policy. These issues are impeded by being away from Bombay or Delhi. Getting top quality faculty is harder, getting the engagement with India is harder, which hurts the research -- consulting -- policy.<BR/><BR/>I will be very happy if ISB succeeds, but these are difficult hurdles and it will be hard solving them.Ajay Shahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03835842741008200034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post-1159321639371430972006-09-27T07:17:00.000+05:302006-09-27T07:17:00.000+05:30Ajay:Good set of posts generally.I was raised in H...Ajay:<BR/><BR/>Good set of posts generally.<BR/><BR/>I was raised in Hyderabad. I lived for a year in Bombay and now in Australia.<BR/><BR/>I do understand the importance of having a environment for the university to flurish.<BR/><BR/>The reason ISB was there was because of Naidu. That was it.<BR/><BR/>Bombay would have been the best place, but it did not happen.<BR/><BR/>I guess the research university part is just coming around in ISB. it is doing the MBA part well and it does not matter where it is located especially 80% of its lecturers are guest lecturers.<BR/><BR/>However, in the long run, living environment matters and Bombay is a hell hole. I would not be surprised if Bombay and Delhi lose their preeminence to B'lore, Hyd or Chennai in the coming decade or so.<BR/><BR/>You do have a point, lets wait and see.<BR/><BR/>Cheers,<BR/>SuhitSuhit Anantulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02018640396863387150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post-1158871225755207672006-09-22T02:10:00.000+05:302006-09-22T02:10:00.000+05:30Two puzzles need to be attacked.The first is: How ...Two puzzles need to be attacked.<BR/><BR/>The first is: How do you get the critical mass of good faculty? On day one, a new campus doesn't have faculty. Smart people cluster to where other smart people are, so starting up a cluster from scratch is very difficult. Being close to Bombay or Delhi makes it easier to recruit, for intellectual reasons, for other work reasons, and for personal reasons. Until ISB has a core of faculty going which is strong enough to pull in new recruits, that argument will be in play.<BR/><BR/>The second point is the "engagement in India". It is no fun having a great university which is cutoff from India - in that case it might as well be in North Carolina. The story gets interesting when the university starts getting <I>engaged</I> with the country - through consulting, board memberships, participation in policy debates, writing in the media and appearing on TV, etc.<BR/><BR/>All that would happen in Bombay or Delhi - but not in Hyderabad. The last time I looked, practically all of India's firms and media and policy making happened out of Bombay and Delhi. For a university to get engaged with real world India, it makes much sense to be near Bombay or Delhi.<BR/><BR/>These are not insuperable problems, but as of today, they are genuine problems.Ajay Shahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03835842741008200034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19649274.post-1157906376850134122006-09-10T22:09:00.000+05:302006-09-10T22:09:00.000+05:30Hey....Hyderabad is wonderful place - it helps tha...Hey....Hyderabad is wonderful place - it helps that I grew up there. Too bad you don't seem to travel to Hyderabad. It's your lose.<BR/><BR/>I think it is silly to compare horse cart age of 1860s (when Chicago was a small village) and 1890s to 1990s. Sure Indian highways are pretty bad, but one can get to Hyderabad in couple of hours from anywhere in the country by the ever increasing jets - connectivity is just not an issue.Chandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04763671243428875888noreply@blogger.com