Professor Jayaram Ramakrishnan, Professor of Practice, Finance, IFMR GSB, delivered a webinar titled, ‘Is Activity Based Costing (ABC) for MSMEs too?’ to the members of ICAI on 7 February 2026. The session was organised on behalf of the MSME and Start up Promotion Board (MSPB) of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India.
Sathyanarayanan Ramachandran,Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor, Marketing, IFMR GSB received the Best Paper Award for his research paper, ‘Value Migration in the Indian Cinema Industry and the Metaphors of Change’ (co-authored with Dr Venkatesakumar Ramakrishnan and Dr S A Senthil Kumar, Pondicherry University), at the Indian Institute of Management Ranchi (IIM Ranchi) International Conference on Indian Cinema: Social Realities & Managerial Insights, held on 20–21 February 2026.
The paper offers a rigorous analysis of the structural transformations reshaping the Indian cinema ecosystem in the post-COVID era. It delineates the strategic imperatives confronting the theatrical exhibition sector, particularly multiplex chains, amid the accelerated rise of OTT platforms, the rapid penetration of affordable digital devices, and declining data costs. The study further conceptualizes industry evolution and strategic responses through rich metaphors of change and systematically maps value migration patterns, examining shifts in consumption genres and the evolving vehicles through which cinematic content is experienced.
Dr Junaid Iqbal, Post-Doctoral Fellow, IFMR GSB has co-authored a research paper titled Cognitive Diversity, Team Efficacy and Team Learning: A Triadic Model for Enhancing Team Performance published in FIIB Business Review (Sage Publication), an ABDC-B, ranked journal with an impact factor of 2.8.
Brief
In this study we investigated how cognitive diversity influences team performance within India’s banking sector, an industry undergoing rapid digital transformation while operating within traditionally hierarchical organisational structures. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we develop a triadic framework in which team efficacy mediates the relationship between cognitive diversity and team performance, and team learning moderates the link between team efficacy and performance outcomes. The findings extend social cognitive theory by identifying team efficacy as the core psychological mechanism through which diverse cognitive perspectives translate into coordinated action, and by highlighting team learning as a key boundary condition, particularly in high power-distance environments. From a practical standpoint, the study underscores the importance for banking organisations to intentionally foster collective efficacy and institutionalise continuous learning practices in order to fully realize the performance advantages of cognitive diversity.
Management fests are often seen as a staple of business schools, a calendar fixture that comes and goes every year. But beneath the surface, these festivals represent something far more meaningful. They are dynamic spaces where classrooms extend into real-world arenas, where ideas meet execution, and where students translate theory into action. From planning and logistics to branding and partnerships, management fests offer experiential learning at its most immersive.
They also serve as powerful expressions of institutional identity. Through competitions, performances, collaborations, and conversations, such fests showcase the spirit of a campus — its creativity, diversity, and ambition. Participants not only compete but also collaborate, network, and build connections with peers, alumni, and industry professionals. For organisers, the process cultivates leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills that no textbook can replicate.
It is within this vibrant context that Abhyudaya 2026, the flagship annual management fest of the IFMR Graduate School of Business at Krea University, unfolded over two electrifying days on February 20 and 21, 2026. Now in its 16th edition, the festival brought together students, performers, and collaborators in a celebration of enterprise, culture, and community. The chief guest for this year, Vivek Sethia, President and founder of Insura Inc addressed the students and offered them entrepreneurial advice and practices to follow to become successful individuals in their personal and professional life.
Abhyudaya has steadily grown into a defining campus tradition; one that blends rigorous competition with high-energy cultural engagement. This year’s edition saw wide participation across colleges in India and student clubs of IFMR GSB at Krea University comprising the following:
The competitions were designed not just to identify winners but to simulate real-world problem-solving environments. Participants navigated tight timelines, evolving briefs, and high-stakes presentations, mirroring the pressures and possibilities of professional life. For many, it was an opportunity to apply classroom learning in tangible ways, while also building confidence and peer networks.
Yet, Abhyudaya has always been more than a competitive platform. As the sun set each evening, the campus transformed into a vibrant cultural hub. Live concerts and performances drew enthusiastic crowds, creating moments of shared joy and celebration. Music, lights, and an electric atmosphere ensured that the fest resonated far beyond auditoriums and competition halls. This year the fest witnessed two high-performing bands – Elfe choir, a renowned Chennai-based vocal group and Miraazz, a Delhi-based Sufi band. In addition to this, stalls, games, and informal gathering spaces added another layer to the experience, turning the festival into a lived, collective memory. Students, families, and visitors mingled across spaces, reinforcing the sense of togetherness that defines the Abhyudaya spirit. These quieter moments punctuated by laughter between events, spontaneous conversations, and late-evening reflections, often became the most memorable.
What makes Abhyudaya truly significant is the ecosystem it creates. By bringing together organisers, participants, and audiences, the fest becomes a microcosm of the professional world. Students step into roles as planners, marketers, designers, negotiators, and leaders learning to manage complexity while maintaining creativity.
Such platforms also open doors to meaningful engagement beyond campus. Interactions with guests, judges, and collaborators provide exposure to industry expectations and evolving professional landscapes. For many students, these encounters spark new aspirations and directions.
Sixteen editions in, Abhyudaya continues to evolve while staying rooted in its core purpose: building a community that celebrates initiative and shared growth. It reflects the ethos of a new-generation management education: one that values not just academic excellence but also creativity, collaboration, and social connection.
As the final performances concluded and the lights dimmed, Abhyudaya 2026 left behind more than memories. It reaffirmed the enduring value of student-led spaces that inspire learning, belonging, and possibility, reminding everyone that the true impact of a management fest lies not just in what unfolds over two days, but in the experiences that shape the journeys beyond them.
Information credit: Nikhil Agarwal, MBA Cohort of 2024-2026, IFMR GSB, Krea University
Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS delivered an invited talk titled ‘Physical limits to the circular economy’ at the XIth Biennial Climate Conference at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai on 20 February 2026. The conference is titled, ‘Climate action, sustainability, and equity in a VUCA World: Development Pathways for India and the Developing World’.
A chapter authored by Dr Avinash Ediga,Teaching Fellow, Sociology and Social Anthropology, SIAS titled, Becoming ‘Serious Men’:Politics of Emotion and the Disciplining of Desires in an Indian Coaching Town, has been published in an edited volume titled Classed Emotions: Navigating Social Class and Emotions in the Urban Indian and Diasporic Contexts.
Sathyanarayanan Ramachandran, Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor, Marketing, IFMR GSB and Professor Chandrasekaran Nagarajan, Professor, Operations and Strategy, IFMR GSB have authored and presented a case study at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM Nagpur) Case & Research Conference 2026, held from 7-8 February 2026. The case study, ‘Deepak Cell City: Serving with heart,’ tracked several business and ethical dilemmas the founders faced and examined them through various management frameworks, including the effectuation theory of entrepreneurship, service-dominant (S-D) logic, business ethics, and strategic alternatives.
Dr Anannya Dasgupta, Director, Krea-CWP and Associate Professor, Literature, SIAS, and Sayantan Datta, Assistant Professor of Practice, Krea-CWP facilitated multiple sessions at the Alliance Literary Festival, organised by Alliance University, Bengaluru, on 19 and 20 February 2026.
Sayantan Datta moderated a conversation with Kalki Subramaniam, transgender-rights activist, writer, and member of the National Council for Transgender Persons, and also conducted a Science Writing workshop on 19 February 2026 introducing participants to communicating scientific findings to non-specialist audiences.
Dr Anannya led a workshop titled ‘The Long and Short of it: Writing Haiku’ on 20 February 2026 introducing participants to the rules of Haiku writing and how it invites play in its imagistic word formations.
Dr Rakesh Sengupta, Assistant Professor, Psychology, SIAS, has published a new preprint on Research Square titled The Topology of Truth: Structural Asymmetries in the Spread of Fact and Falsehood.
Dr Vivek Radhakrishnan, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, SIAS presented his paper ‘Kant in India’ at International Seminar on Celebrating 300 Years of Immanuel Kant organised by the Centre for Philosophy, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in collaboration with Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) on 14 February 2026. In the presentation, he traced the reception of Kant’s philosophy in India historically.
