Description
About the Book: Manipal And Beyond : Ramdas Pai And The Landscape Of Indian Education
As a young man in the immediate post-Independence era, Ramdas Pai was captivated by the nation-building fervour of the times and the opportunities for enterprise. The old-school entrepreneurs of those days envisioned their endeavours as contributory to nation-building. A fine example of this patriotic mind-set was Ramdas’s own father, T.M.A. Pai, who dotted the landscape of the then South Canara district with his educational institutions. Undaunted by sceptical bystanders and numerous obstacles, the elder Pai contrived a community-based, participatory model for the funding and sustainability of these institutions and then offered them to Morarji Desai, the then prime minister, as a gift to the nation.

As heir to these early accomplishments in private-sector education and healthcare, Ramdas ushered in an era of professionalism, revamping concepts and systems, developing colleges and hospitals into institutions of excellence and consolidating them into his father’s dream of a university in Manipal. Ramdas leads a committed group of over 20,000 colleagues in seventy institutions, including six universities, in five countries. Bold, pragmatic and upright, Ramdas is the role model for Team Manipal.

This book is more than just the story of an institution builder. It highlights the harsh regulatory environment of education on the one hand and the temptations of profiteering in a suppliers’ market on the other hand.
About the Author: Glenn Christo Kharkongor
Glenn Christo Kharkongor is a graduate of Christian Medical College, Vellore. After completing his residency in paediatrics at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, USA, he joined Kasturba Medical College as a lecturer in 1986. He worked in various academic and administrative roles in the Manipal group for eighteen years. In 2006, he returned to Shillong, his home town and to his Khasi tribal roots, taking his mother’s clan name in their matrilineal society. He was the founder vice-chancellor of Martin Luther Christian University, the first private university in Meghalaya. Glenn was named a Times of India fellow in 1995 and a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, in 1996.

Ramdas Madhav Pai (Konkani: ರಾಮದಾಸ್ ಪೈ) is the current Chancellor of Manipal University. He also serves as chairman of the Manipal Education and Medical Group.