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 mindset 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. "