Edu-leaders

His mother was Zimbabwe-born Indian, and a pucca lady. His father migrated from Saurashtra. Ashok Ranchhod is as cosmopolitan as you can get! He was born and raised in Zambia, worked in London and is now temporarily based in India. Talking to him, one gets the feeling that this academic-cum-entrepreneur-cum-administrator is fascinated by the puzzle that is India, and surprised by the binary opposites that exist here. He knows that Indians are capable of more— much more. He remembers the hard-working Indian families in Zambia and reminisces about the two schools that he and his friends were sent to. “One started from 7.30am and continued till 12.30pm—that was the English school. The other, a Gujarati school, began later.

Our parents made sure that we learnt about our roots,” he says. Proud, hard-working, educated and ethical—that’s how he knew Indians. Coming to the country of his origin, he found the same people turn a bit, shall we say, slow—to think things through. “There is little time spent on reflection— on what are we doing and why. Why should we critically examine something, why are we learning or teaching this?” It is this lack of introspection that bothered the man—both inside and outside the classroom. Thus, when he took over as the director of the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), he set out to change that. “I will like to get away from timid teaching—where a teacher is like a sage on stage. I would like to improve the quality of assessment and set a target for my staff as far as research is concerned. I would like to see MICA become a little more of a continuously improving institution. I think students deserve that—a vibrant, rather than a viable, atmosphere,” he explains.

Ranchhod’s road to MICA was colourful and varied. When he was just 16 years, Ranchhod left Zambia for the UK to complete his A levels. Then, it was off to Sheffield University. A “scientist by nature”, Ranchhod completed his masters in geochemistry hoping to get back to Africa—however, political tensions prevented that. Instead, the student of science ended up getting a work visa in England. He conducted research, taught, and somewhere in the middle, began a bio-tech company that cloned plants, and sent them off for replanting. “The company was featured in Financial Times and on television, but we didn’t make money. My children were young. So, while running the business I did a parttime MBA and went into a safer job, lecturing at Nottingham Business School.” Pure science to the science of business— he was then at the Sheffield Business School where he ran an MBA programme with 500 students.

Afterwards, he joined the Southampton Business School where he began to “understand marketing”. “I sort of became the head of marketing, then moved to research, while finishing my PhD in it. I became a research professor with loads of international links and visiting chairs in France, Scotland, etc. Along with that I began to publish, and completed 50 papers and books.” So, the lessons never stopped? With him, not really.

“For a teacher, continuous learning and research is essential—and having some sort of industry link. That gives a practical twist to any programme. Let’s say when I take a class on marketing strategy students will trust me more if they know that I have written a book on the topic, or say, have published papers. When I became the director I was particular that I wanted my staff to be ‘eligible’ to teach in a class. It was tough for several who were not used to such demands.”So, is he a task master? “I am kind and fair,” is what Ranchhod leaves you with.

“I have been blessed with the opportunity to stay in three different, but amazing countries. Indians in Zambia were mostly in busines —most were prosperous. When I came to England in the 1960s, it did feel dull at first. But, it soon got better, the university had a great library, it was also an exciting era with great songs and poetry.” Poetry is something that is close to Ranchhod’s heart—he often uses poems to express his despair, hope and desire. As for the future, MICA is Ranchhod’s soul—a project in which his wife, too, is lending a hand. “Nilanta is a qualified deep tissue therapist. She involved herself into raising our three children. Now, she is involving herself with the school.”

“At MICA, we are trying to collaborate with Winchester School of Art (University of Southampton). Through the collaboration I am trying to boost research projects. That’s the only way.” If you believe him—it’s all advantage India now. “Here, a person is allowed more freedom. If they give you the director’s post, there are things that you can do. On the flip side there are people who promise a lot, but do not deliver! Another habit that miffs me, is that people personalise everything—instead of looking at the job, they look at the man at the helm.” Then it becomes like a “little coterie of arguments and discussions”.But if MICA is his soul, swimming is that one passion that Ranchhod discusses little and engages in more. “I play tennis and I do yoga, but, yes, swimming is my passion. There is a company called Swimtrek in the UK. They train people for swimming holidays. With them, I travelled to the Greek Islands, Cyclades. We covered between two and five kilometers,” he remembers with a smile.

The other thing that makes this “kind and fair” man smile is the thought of his two daughters and son—all settled in the UK. There’s one more hush-hush project that Ranchhod is looking forward to. “I had learnt to play the flute, while I was in Sheffield. Since I am here now, I would love to learn again,” he admits. A strict administrator with a soul—here’s hoping that the MICA man continues to make a difference.