MBA course to teach yoga, performing arts

FLAME believes B-school students must be socially and culturally aware and be well-grounded in ethics and values to make a difference.

They think budding managers of the generation next should know William Shakespeare as much as they know Peter Drucker. And they are sure Shivaji Maharaj is as important as Jack Welch when it comes to strategy.

It is precisely for this reason that the promoters of the Foundation for Liberal and Management Education (FLAME) have planned a generous dose of culture, history, yoga or performing arts in the course content for its Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) programme that rolls out in June 2007.

Founder chairman Parag Shah says, "FLAME would ensure that in addition to formal knowledge in the chosen subject, a student here will also be grounded in values and ethics, will have a broader perspective and context, will be culturally and socially aware and will have excellent communication skills; all one needs to 'make a deference.' "

FLAME's School of Business, along with a School of Communication and a School of Liberal Education, is taking shape at a sprawling campus 13 km off

Pune to set another example of the Gurukul Parampara where the students and faculty members will reside together and interact closely. Needless to state the campus will have all physical and recreational facilities, in addition to health assistance.

Significantly, the students will be exposed to knowledge not strictly academic in nature, such as creative writing, visual art, theatre music and dance, or literature.

Says Indira Parikh, Founder President and former dean at IIM-Ahmedabad, "Education must provide tools that help students to constantly enquire, explore and discover new ways of thinking, critically analysing and creatively conceptualising. The idea behind FLAME is to help students free from the traditional ways of looking at things and instead to constantly question and challenge themselves, society and the world at large."

Shah says 40 per cent of the faculty at FLAME will be international besides six faculty members who are former teachers of IIM-Ahmedabad and two with long academic and industry experience.

The students can choose the two year MBA programme anchored in liberal education or MBA in Mass Media that combines the principles of professional management and the craft of mass media including journalism, cinema and television.

FLAME in fact has a four year undergraduate programme which makes the foundation for an entry to the management programmes. On completion of this programme they will get a BA or B Sc degree and a Diploma in Liberal Education. Parikh says such pattern of education is being introduced for the first time in India.

The fees structure for the different programmes - including hostel and full board as well as academic fees - is Rs 3 lakh per year for the undergraduate programme and around Rs 7 lakh for the management programmes.

According to Shah the institute has applied for affiliation with the Pune University for the bachelor degree courses and with Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth for management programmes. FLAME has also sought a Deemed University status from the central government.