Edu-leaders

You see a shelf with at least three versions of the Bhagavad Gita, rows of books on various topics, and statues of the Buddha interspersed with a few other memorabilia. A tall unassuming man with a not so well trimmed white beard greets you with a carefree laugh. You wonder whether you are meeting a philosopher or a management guru. Dr Pritam Singh, a Padma Shri awardee and the man credited with the turnaround of MDI Gurgaon and IIM Lucknow is a bit of both. A fan of Gandhi he firmly believes that to become a good leader one has to be passionate about a cause or have a purpose and a philosophy that millions identify with. Known to work for more than 17 hours a day he rather humbly describes himself as an existentialist and a karma yogi. “Karma Yoga is nothing but existentialism,” he says. “I don’t believe in forcing other people to work. If I work well I know that most people around me will want to work well.” It was during his college years at Benares Hindu University (BHU) that Singh decided to get into the world of academics.

“When I was at BHU,” he says, “I saw that professors had great influence on students. Some popular arts stream professors had students from engineering attending classes just to listen to them. I saw that one could choose either power or influence. You might have a powerful position but what good would it be if you could not influence lives?” He did not even think of appearing for any entrance exams or applying for other jobs, and he joined BHU as a lecturer.

Setting Examples
An amusing incident during his tenure at BHU confirmed his belief that students keep a close watch on even the most irrelevant actions of professors. One day he went to the market and had some guavas at a rather popular spot, frequented by students. The next day he went to his class and saw that each student had a guava on his desk, and they had put two guavas on Singh’s desk. “A leader and a teacher has to lead by examples. What you do is more important than what you say. There is a sloka, Yat yat acharat shreshta tat tat e vijarnah, People follow the actions of those who are in important positions,” says Singh. He has ensured that his actions match his ideologies and beliefs through his uncertain and sometimes controversial journey in the academic and administrative world. When he was the director at IIM Lucknow a new student got drunk on the first day at college. He entered the house of a faculty member in an inebriated state and assaulted him. When the management committee decided to throw him out, a top level minister called to say that they should let the student stay on. However, Singh stood his ground and stuck by the decision. “Whenever I am faced with a dilemma I go back to Gandhi and imagine what he would have done. I have seen the movie Gandhi at least 400 times. My wife and kids think I have a problem. Actually Gandhi is my solution,” he says.

Ups and Downs
He has had his fair share of dilemmas. In BHU he could not gain a permanent position. His wife advised him to leave the “cess pool of politics” and look for another job. He joined University of Rajasthan, and thereafter left for the United States on a Fulbright scholarship. He took a risk when he went to the US because he declined the position of an associate professor at University of Rajasthan, against the advice of his colleagues. His wife and six sons have been very supportive of his decisions, even when he declined lucrative offers. When he left IIM Lucknow, three companies offered him a compensation package of more than Rs 1 crore but he turned them down to pursue his love for teachers.

Teacher and Administrator
His passion for teaching is obvious from the way students rave about his refreshing style of teaching. “Power corrupts and Power Point corrupts absolutely,” he says. “When you use Power Point you kill the imagination completely. I don’t need bullet points to talk about leadership.” he adds. According to him engineers, staticians and scientists see the world in black and white, but leaders understand the greys. So, leadership cannot be taught in points. He also believes that the western world views leadership as the power of mind, whereas it is actually the power of the heart. It is his heart that he followed during the many leadership positions that he has held. During his tenure at IIM Lucknow he became famous as the man who was not afraid to use funds to invest in faculty and expansion of the institute. Instead of toeing the cost cutting line he fought to get more funds for the institute. “I said that we are still in infancy. You should give milk to infants and not to the adults. IIMs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta are adults. You need to feed us,” he reminisces. With his fearless vision to take the institute forward he managed to increase the government grant from a meagre Rs 8.5 million to Rs 85 million. His strong views earned him a reputation for using “persuasive autocracy,” but he says he would like to think of it as “director’s democracy.” He has had to take many tough decisions as an administrator, but he has always tried to be honest. “I always believe in one thing that chup chap sah kar baith rehna yeh maha adharm hai nyayat apne bandhu ko bhi dand dena dharma hai.( It is dharma to take action even against friends if they are in the wrong.)” For all his achievements, Singh still feels he has a long way to go. He goes to the seaside not just to relax, but to remind himself how insignificant he is before the grandeur of God and creation. It is not the person but the cause that is important, he reminds you.