THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, DELHI
Director, IIM (Rohtak), Prof. Dheeraj Sharma Ji,
Dean Academic Affairs, IIM (Rohtak), Prof. Koustab Ghosh Ji,
Distinguished members of the faculty, guests, parents and dear students.
Today’s induction, marks the beginning of an academic journey, for a new cohort, entering one of India’s, premier management institutions. An induction ceremony, is not only, a welcome into an institution, but also an introduction to a way of thinking.
Management education, occupies a unique position, in higher education. It does not train students, for a single domain, but integrates decision-making, under uncertainty, organisational behaviour, economics, technology, leadership, and public policy. Traditionally, management was associated, with optimisation — efficiency, cost reduction, resource allocation, productivity. These remain essential, but today’s leaders operate in a world, shaped by geo-political shifts, techno-logical disruption, demo-graphic change, environmental constraints, and rising public expectations. Institutions are expected, not only to perform economically, but also to demonstrate, resi-lience, adaptability, legitimacy, and social responsibility.
Management is no longer, about technical solutions alone. It is about judgement — the ability to balance, competing priorities, navigate uncertainty, and make decisions, where efficiency and sustainability, may not align. Judgement cannot, be taught directly; it develops, through exposure, to complexity, engagement, with diverse perspectives, and repeated encounters, with situations, where no obvious answer exists. Institutions like IIM Rohtak,
Provide precisely, this environment—encouraging students, not only to acquire knowledge, but to interrogate it.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, has remarked: “To be a leader, you have to believe, in yourself first, leadership is about clarity, of thought and communication, not about, imposing authority.” This insight, is central to management education — leadership emerges, from conviction, adaptability, and the ability to inspire trust.
India’s development trajectory creates distinctive responsibilities. We are simultaneously building, infrastructure at scale, expanding digital systems, strengthening manu-facturing, deepening financial inclusion, and responding to the aspirations, of one of the world’s youngest population. In India, a managerial decision is rarely, just a business choice; it can affect, employment, social mobility, urbanisation, and public outcomes. The distinction, between public and private domains, is increasingly blurred — technology, health-care, logistics, education, governance, and business, inter-sect constantly. Institutions therefore need individuals, who can think across sectors, rather than, within silos.
This ability is nurtured, not only through coursework, but through conversation, disagreement, and exposure to, unfamiliar perspectives. The diversity of backgrounds, regions, and experiences, within your cohort, is not incidental — it is central, to the learning process. Some of the most enduring lessons, will come, not from formal instruction, but from understanding, how others approach the same problem, differently.
To the incoming students, I would say: use this period not only, to prepare for a profession, but to expand the way, you think. The next two years, will move quickly. Use them to cultivate, intellectual discipline, engage with complexity, and develop the ability, to make decisions, without reducing, every problem, to immediate outcomes. The true value of, an institution, lies not only, in what it teaches, but also, in how it shapes the way, its students think. I am confident, that each one of you, will contribute, through your knowledge, innovations and integrity, to the making of a Viksit Bharat, by 2047.
I wish all of you, the very best, for the path ahead.
Thank You.
Jai Hind.