Author: Ram Kumar

Purpose, Permanence and sustainability teaching intervention by Sathyanarayanan R, Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor, Marketing at IFMR GSB, Krea University

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Sathyanarayanan R, Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor, Marketing at IFMR GSB, Krea University has been invited by the Network for Business Sustainability, powered by the Centre for Building Sustainable Value at the Ivey Business School (Western University, Canada), to present his Purpose, Permanence and sustainability teaching intervention in the Brand Management elective course of the IFMRGSB’s MBA programme. The intervention covers the idea of the economy of permanence of Gandhian economist J C Kumarappa, the deep purpose continuum of Harvard Business School Professor Ranjay Gulati, and the ENROADS climate action simulation of Climate Interactive and MIT Management Sustainability Initiative. Sathyanarayanan R will deliver this talk in March 2024, during the Global webinar on teaching climate in business schools.

A New Publication by Dr Praveen Bhagawan and Dr Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

Dr Praveen Bhagawan, Associate Professor  & Area Chair – Finance & Accounting, Quantitative Finance and Dr Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay, Associate Professor & Area Chair – Economics, IFMR GSB, Krea University have co-authored a research paper titled Does mandatory expenditure on CSR affect firm value? Empirical evidence from Indian firms, published in the Journal of Accounting Literature (JAL). 

JAL is a highly regarded peer-reviewed journal and is categorized as “A” as per the ABDC journal classification, with Impact Factor = 5.6 and SJR (2022) = 1.4 (Q1).

Find out more about the paper here

Dancing Their Way to Glory

Ram Kumar Student Spotlight


The Dance Club at SIAS, Krea University participated in Kurukshetra, the inter-college student run-fest of FLAME University. The team took part in both solo and crew dance competitions. Diya Gupta, Cohort of 2025, won second place in the solo dance competition. However, the crew, while not securing a position, was placed 4th and gained valuable insights on how to improve and excel in future competitions.

A Proud Achievement

Ram Kumar Student Spotlight


Congratulations to Harshi Shah, Ansh Bhargava, Tejas Narayan, and Krithi Raghavan from the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) at Krea University for advancing to the national round of the HSBC India Business Competition.


Out of the 12 participating teams from prestigious institutions, they were selected as one of the six to proceed to the nationals, scheduled to be held in Mumbai this month.

Prof Jayaram Ramakrishnan delivers a talk on Foundry Cost Accounting Practice & Procedure at the MSME Conclave of the 72nd Indian Foundry Congress

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Prof Jayaram Ramakrishnan, Professor of Practice of Finance at IFMR GSB, Krea University delivered an invited talk on the topic of Foundry Cost Accounting Practice & Procedure at the MSME Conclave of the 72nd Indian Foundry Congress held at Sheraton, Bengaluru on 24 February, 2024.

Krea University inaugurates Virtual Trading Floor and steps into a partnership with Zerodha Varsity

Ram Kumar General Topics, News

On 2 February, 2024, Krea University inaugurated its Virtual Trading Floor and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Zerodha Broking Ltd. Jobosco Das, Senior Associate Vice President at Zerodha Broking, inaugurated the Virtual Trading Floor, and also conducted a seminar on the ‘Building Blocks of Personal Finance’ for the students.

Also present at the event were Professor Nirmala Rao, Vice-Chancellor of Krea University, Professor Lakshmi Kumar, Dean of IFMR Graduate School of Business (IFMR GSB), Krea University, Sundara Rajan, Registrar and Chief of Staff, Krea University, Professor Srinivasan Kalyasundaram, Professor of Practice in Finance, IFMR GSB, Krea University, along with other faculty members and students.

The state-of-the-art Virtual Trading Floor provides students of IFMR Graduate School of Business (IFMR GSB) and the School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences (SIAS) at Krea University with an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge of financial securities and derivatives in a real-world, simulated trading environment. The platform simulates a real-time market environment, allowing students to test investment strategies with virtual funds, gaining valuable insights into risk management and decision-making in a dynamic market.

The Virtual Trading Floor, equipped with the latest technology and market simulation software, including Bloomberg Terminal, serves as a platform for students to engage in mock trading sessions, portfolio management exercises, and real-time market analysis. IFMR GSB has scheduled several trading workshops for its MBA students in this facility, significantly enhancing their employability and market readiness.

The MOU signing between Krea University and Zerodha Varsity signifies a significant collaboration between academia and industry. The partnership enables Krea University students to have free access to all online training modules and, at a nominal fee, certifications offered by Zerodha Varsity. This includes courses on various aspects of investing, trading, and financial markets, all delivered by industry experts and practitioners. The partnership aims to integrate practical experience with academic learning, bridging the gap between theoretical financial knowledge and its practical application, and preparing students for successful careers in the world of finance.

Emphasising the importance of practical learning in finance, Professor Lakshmi Kumar, Dean of IFMR GSB, Krea University, stated, “The Virtual Trading Floor will provide our students with an invaluable opportunity to experiment and learn from their mistakes in a safe environment. Coupled with access to Zerodha Varsity’s comprehensive online training material and certifications, this initiative will equip them with the skills needed to thrive in the competitive financial landscape.”

View the highlights of the event here.

Dr Srajana Kaikini and Dr Vivek Radhakrishnan to deliver talks at the Workshop on Reason, Feeling and Experience

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Srajana Kaikini, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Dr Vivek Radhakrishnan, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at SIAS, Krea University will deliver talks at the Workshop on Reason, Feeling and Experience. The workshop is co-organised by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Tirupati and the Philosophy Department, SIAS, Krea University. The event is set to take place on February 10, 2024. 

Dr Kaikini will present on the topic Life-Images: Curatorial Transcendence, while Dr Radhakrishnan’s  talk is on Feeling and Moral Agency: Recalibrating Kant towards Okin. 

For details about the workshop, click here

Shimmering Whispers from a Kanakambaram Summer – Art Exhibition by Shivapriya, curated by Dr Srajana Kaikini

Ram Kumar Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Srajana Kaikini, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at SIAS, Krea University has curated Shimmering Whispers from a Kanakambaram Summer – A tribute to time and space, 2018–2023, a debut show by Shivapriya, a self taught visual artist mentored by artist Ravi Kumar Kashi, residing in Chennai. 

The Inauguration, followed by a conversation between the artist and the curator, took place on February 3, 2024, at Alliance Française of Madras. The art exhibition is open from February 3–7, 2024. 

“Shivapriya’s works made assiduously over the past five years from 2018 to 2023, lyrically entwine mindscape and landscape through the magnanimity of content and fragility of form. A manner of flow can be seen in these works. The refusal to indulge in the artifice or techniques of an academic painter and an almost childlike yet grandmotherly vision percolating her mindscapes – taking the form of alter-egos, mythical characters, allegorical shadows or just exuberant and uncontrollable beings. The works range from almost photographic to almost abstract, resisting complete formations, many perhaps trying to catch in-betweens caught in the state of becoming or just taking shape. These stories and moments are as if tamed and set free by the most agile and tenacious of mediums in art history – the watercolour. Watercolours take on a very unusual form in Shivapriya’s works – offering a different kind of strength promised by paper as opposed to canvas. Through all these works, a witness figure may be seen – a subject that looks on, alongside the spectators yet appearing twice removed; with us but not quite, within the painting but not quite. What follows these witnesses? Glimmering ruptures that disrupt and shine forth.” 

Excerpt from the text by Srajana Kaikini 

Click here for more information about the show. 

Dr Namrata Sathe co-edits a special section for the academic journal Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

Dr Namrata Sathe, Postdoctoral Fellow at SIAS, Krea University has co-edited a special section titled Media and the Police State for the academic journal Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media. This special section brings together the works of several international media and film scholars focused on examining the relationship between media representations and the legitimisation of police violence and brutality in society. 

The entire section is available as part of the current issue of Jump Cut, here: https://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/index.html

Also read Namrata’s co-authored editorial to the special section, titled Media and the police state: defining the contemporary police state, here: https://www.ejumpcut.org/currentissue/Sathe-Pal/index.html  

Definition, measurement and determinants of energy poverty: Empirical evidence from Indian households

Ram Kumar Research Spotlight

Manasi B, PhD student at IFMR GSB and Prof Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay, Associate Professor, Economics and Area Chair, Economics at IFMR GSB, Krea University have co-authored a paper titled Definition, measurement and determinants of energy poverty: Empirical evidence from Indian households. The paper was published in Energy for Sustainable Development, a peer-reviewed journal classified as Q1 journal by Scopus, with IF=5.5 and SJR (2022)=1.2. 

Link to the publication