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Krea Communique header JULY2

IN FOCUS

News article Banners (19)

Dr Mahesh Rangarajan takes charge as Vice-Chancellor

Joining Krea University as the new Vice-Chancellor on 7 July 2021, Dr Mahesh Rangarajan expressed his thoughts on becoming a member of the vibrant Krea community. Talking about the university, he shared the ideas Krea represents while adding our collective aspirations on thinking afresh and anew about the larger predicament.

A scholar of global renown, Dr Rangarajan has a BA (Hons.) in History from the Hindu College University of Delhi, an MA and a DPhil, both from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. His wide experience in academia includes faculty positions as Professor of Modern Indian History at the University of Delhi and Professor of History and Environmental Studies at Ashoka University, where he previously served as the Dean of Academic Affairs. He has also taught at Cornell University, the Indian Institute of Science and National Centre for Biological Sciences. His first book ‘Fencing the Forest’ was published in 1996 and the most recent ‘Nature and Nation’, in 2018. His co-edited works include ‘India’s Environmental History’, and ‘At Nature’s Edge’. Having started his career as a journalist, he has also served in roles outside academia, including as the Director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. Read the Vice-Chancellor's message here.

ACTION STATION

'Kreativity in Action- upskilling workshops for the future learner' by CWP

Kreativity in Action- upskilling workshops for the future learners led by CWP
The Centre for Writing and Pedagogy (CWP) at Krea University recently organised an academic writing workshop for high school students as part of 'Kreativity in Action' - upskilling workshops focusing on Design Thinking, Writing, and Research Skills. In this two-hour workshop, participants learnt about what the simple-seeming act of description lets us do when we read and write. With a focus on perspectives, the workshop looked at examples from a science writer, an anthropologist and a visual performance artist to see how they describe what they see. The next 'Kreativity in Action' session with CWP will be curated for educators.

Women lag behind in country's vaccination drive: Soumya Kapoor Mehta shares insights

While less than 20 percent of India’s adult population has received their first Covid-19 vaccine dose, clear gender disparities have arisen in the rollout. Gender-related barriers must be addressed in the planning and rollout of vaccine distribution to reach everyone, especially those most marginalised. Hear it from Soumya Kapoor Mehta, Head - IWWAGE, in the BBC World story on gender gaps behind the country's vaccination drive and the need to address the gender barriers in COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Story can be viewed here.
Women lag behind in country's vaccination drive: Soumya Kapoor Mehta shares insights

SIAS CSO conducts 'Curious Case of Careers' - a workshop for school students

SIAS CSO conducts 'Curious Case of Careers' - a workshop for school students
As part of Legacy School Bangalore's "Bridge Course" - a skills and capacity building programme for incoming secondary students, Cambridge Assessment International Education and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - the SIAS Career Services Office (CSO) conducted a workshop for students about future careers. Through a series of contemporary business case studies across Sports, Music and Politics, the workshop titled 'Curious Case of Careers' focused on helping students navigate through various careers, their transformation and skills that new industries demand. Presented by Kala Anand, Director- Career Services (SIAS), the workshop received positive feedback and is now being delivered in multiple schools across India.

POROUS BOUNDARIES

Forensic accounting and audit with Dr Apurva Pradeep Joshi

In an interactive session with the MBA students at IFMR GSB, Forensic Accountant Dr Apurva Pradeep Joshi explored the current and future scenario of forensic accounting and auditing. From sharing its origins to highlighting the various types of corporate frauds in today's world, the session was filled with examples from the past and present narrated through case studies. Stressing on practical knowledge, Dr Joshi further shared tips for aspirants and motivated the participants to look beyond degrees and competitive exams.
Forensic accounting and audit with Dr Apurva Pradeep Joshi

RESEARCH & IMPACT

Unlocking India’s green recovery: Bridging global approaches with local priorities

Unlocking India’s green recovery: Bridging global approaches with local priorities
With the second wave of the pandemic affecting the Indian economy further, there is an urgent need to revisit stimulus packages and draw lessons from emerging green recovery practices. The adoption of post-pandemic recovery strategies in India has been low owing to several challenges, the most critical being the lack of (green) finance. In this guest piece for Shakti Foundation - Akshay M, Divyanshi Vohra, Rahul Muralidharan (LEAD at Krea University), and Vivek Venkataramani (Climate Resilience and Finance Expert) - analyse emerging global green recovery approaches and juxtapose these with policy priorities in India. Read it here.

Catalysing policy action to support women entrepreneurs

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women-led enterprises in India, and there is an urgent need to improve awareness about relief measures and improve their offtake. Findings from a survey of over women entrepreneurs by LEAD suggest that while almost 90 percent of respondents were aware of government schemes, nearly 60 percent had not applied for any scheme. Read these incisive pieces by Economists Sumita Kale, Prashant Girbane, and Vidya Shah (Executive Chairperson, EdelGive Foundation) on policy implications of the findings from LEAD’s study here and here.
Catalysing policy action to support women entrepreneurs

Impact of COVID-19 on microbusinesses

Impact of COVID-19 on microbusinesses
An ongoing longitudinal survey by LEAD at Krea University and the Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (G.A.M.E) examines the impact of COVID on microbusinesses in India, across various dimensions – business operations, income, employment, and resilience. Data from four survey rounds conducted between May 2020 - January 2021 is now available on this interactive dashboard.

SPOTLIGHT

'The Hindu' publishes a timely article by Prof Anil Srinivasan on brand management, technology, and the digital divide among artistes

Prof Anil Srinivasan, Associate Professor of Practice at Krea University, has authored an article on the apparent digital divide that seems to leave out traditional craftspersons and folk artistes in the age of audio chat rooms and online concerts. Published in The Hindu, the article, titled 'Divided by technology as well?', explores the various musical offerings enriched by technology and innovation, while touching upon the growing disparity between the denizens of the performing arts world and the commerce and business platforms that market them. Read the article here.
'The Hindu' publishes Prof Anil Srinivasan's timely article on brand management, technology, and the digital divide among artistes

'Economic & Political Weekly' publishes a special article by Prof Jyoti Mukhopadhyay

Economic & Political Weekly publishes a special article by Prof Jyoti Mukhopadhyay
IFMR GSB faculty member, Dr Jyoti Mukhopadhyay’s article titled ‘Determinants of Digital Technology Adoption and Financial Inclusion in India: Some Empirical Evidence”, has been published as a special article in Economic and Political Weekly — a highly cited journal in social science research. Prof Mukhopadhyay is Associate Professor of Economics at IFMR Graduate School of Business at Krea University. Read the article here.

The state of Sundarbans amidst a pandemic, calamity, and ecological crisis - Prof Kalpita Bhar Paul pens a thought-provoking article for ‘Mongabay’

Prof Kalpita Bhar Paul, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Krea University, has authored a powerful piece on how Covid-19, cyclones and conservation programmes in the past 18 months, have altered the economy, ecology and occupations of people in Indian Sundarbans. Highlighting the biodiversity conservation and the developmental activities that have changed the livelihood patterns there, this article was published as an opinion piece on Mongabay - a US-based conservation and environmental science news platform.

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The state of Sundarbans amidst a pandemic, calamity, and ecological crisis - Prof Kalpita Bhar Paul pens a thought-provoking article for ‘Mongabay’

MBA office announces Merit Scholarship winners

MBA office announces winners of Merit Scholarships from the MBA batch of 2023
We are delighted to announce the winners of the Merit Scholarships from the MBA batch of 2023. This year, IFMR GSB offered three full scholarships to the top three candidates. The scholarships are given based purely on merit, assessed through school and college academic records, work experience, standardised test scores, writing ability, and the candidate’s performance in the personal interview (PI) round with the faculty. The Winners are Akhil Arengath, Parasaran Sarangan, and Sivacharan Peruri. They hail from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh respectively. Congratulations to the winners!

Is sustainable tech like EV really sustainable? - Prof Chirag Dhara co-authors an opinion article for 'Scientific American'

Prof Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Krea University, co-authored an opinion piece on sustainable technology. In this analysis, the authors delve deeper into the EV paradigm and question its 'sustainability'. Originally published in the popular science magazine Scientific American, the article was republished in the digital news site Scroll.in.

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Is sustainable tech like EV really sustainable? - Climate Physicist and Professor at Krea University, Chirag Dhara co-authors an opinion article for 'Scientific American'

'The Telegraph' publishes opinion piece on Covid phobia authored by SIAS professors

The Telegraph publishes opinion piece on 'Covid phobia' authored by SIAS professors
Prof Soumyajit Bhar, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies (full-time), and Prof Kalpita Bhar Paul, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, have together authored an important article on rediscovering the human touch amidst a global pandemic. The article elaborates on the importance of collaboration during such an emergent crisis, and how we, as a society, need to find a way to tackle our fears.

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