Dr Ramdas M Pai, Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, and Padma Bhushan awardee 2011, has a powerful vision for the future: twenty years hence, in a world of shrinking distances and countries with open borders, Manipal India would be recognised as one of the largest global varsities in India.

A vision for the future:
“In a world of shrinking distances and countries with open borders, Manipal will be recognised as one of the largest global carsities in India.”
-Ramdas Pai

Achievements:

Dr Ramdas M Pai has always set a high bar for the institutions he has set up. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in April 2011. Months later, in December 2011, the Government of Melaka, Malaysia honoured him with a ‘Datuk’ Award. He was also awarded the Golden Peacock Lifetime Achievement Award for 2011 in recognition of his contribution in the field of education and healthcare. 

With nearly 60 countries already represented in the Manipal campus, he foresees an exponential growth in the international student body, as the university successfully rises to the challenge of a technologically sophisticated era. By continuing to provide excellent physical infrastructure and implementing innovative curricula and learning approaches, he believes, Manipal Academy of Higher Education will continue to produce pioneers in all fields of medicine to serve the cause of humanity in general. This can-do attitude is a legacy of his father and Manipal’s founder, Dr TMA Pai.

Dr Ramdas M Pai is an alumnus of KMC Manipal and a postgraduate in Hospital Administration from Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA. In 1961, Dr Ramdas M Pai began his career as a hospital administrator at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, and built upon his father’s foundation.

First steps:

He recounts how his father worked with fervour and devotion for what he believed in, even under the most trying circumstances.

The first cardinal rule of life for him is to have a strong belief in whatever he undertakes to do, and then to put all his effort into it, even if it means going it alone. Adversities and the fear of failure are natural, but success comes to those who overcome that fear, he asserts.

He narrates his father’s labour of love in the setting-up years:
“Today there are many educational institutions in the private sector, but my father, the late Dr TMA Pai was the pioneer in the 1950s. ... My father felt that a medical college in Manipal would benefit these students as well as others. The very notion of a private medical college was an object of public ridicule. However, undeterred and true to his innate entrepreneurial talent, he embarked on a mission to obtain land from the Karnataka government to construct a medical college, as well as permission to use the government hospitals at Mangalore for teaching purposes, and was successful on both counts. He realised that financial assistance from the government would not be forthcoming and relied heavily on the concept of self-financing, through fees paid by the students, for successfully developing the facilities over time. ... He also managed to obtain recognition from the Medical Council of India from the very first graduating class of students and the first successful private medical college in India was born. … As for Manipal, over a period of time additional colleges in dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, engineering etc., were added to the bouquet of offerings and eventually a full-fledged university was born and recognised by the University Grants Commission as such.”

Life Philosophy:

Dr Ramdas M Pai, much like his father, believes that a healthy and educated society is necessary to develop an enlightened civilization. In line with his philosophy, Manipal institutions have always taken responsibility of the community at large – to ensure public health, education and a general sense of well-being. 

"…While it would be inappropriate to cite a particular instance or an example, suffice it to say that our involvement with the community permeates to the deepest level, whether it be provision of education for the underprivileged through scholarships or the provision of health care to the most needy and downtrodden members of the society or for the provision of gainful employment to the local population. On a personal level, I feel a great sense of satisfaction, that over the many years, our family has had a role in impacting positively, the lives of people near and far, and in many ways,” he says.

Having spent his entire life working with and for the Manipal group of institutions, Dr Ramdas M Pai views his home and workplace as extensions of each other, and believes the staff and faculty at the institutions are members of his extended family.

Feeling completely at home and relaxed even when he is at work actually increases his productivity, he says. He also likes to be part of the social events that occur frequently on campus – these are relaxing and provide him with the opportunity to meet with staff and faculty, which would not have been possible ordinarily.

A sports enthusiast, cricket remains his favourite sport, and he relishes the keen competitive edge of international cricket and the action of the Indian boys in blue.

Major honours and awards:

• Padma Bhushan, April 2011, Government of India 

• ‘Datuk’ Award, December 2011, Government of Melaka, Malaysia

• Golden Peacock Lifetime Achievement Award, 2011

• Award of Philanthropy by Bunts’ Sangha, Bombay, 1992

• ‘Konkani Prathibha’ Award, 1994, Konkani Bhasha Prachar Sabha, Cochin

• Award by World Konkani Convention, 1995

• Government of Karnataka Honour, 2006

• Suvarna Karnataka Year

• Chanakya Award (National awards for achievers), 2008

• Public Relations Council of India

Dr. Ranjan Pai is an educationist, entrepreneur, institution builder and investor. 

“Dr. Ranjan Pai firmly believes that the Manipal Group’s universities, spearheaded by MAHE, should continue to build quality, and focus on excellence, while being affordable, to attract the best of students and faculty.”

Dr. Pai is deeply passionate about education and its ability to transform lives. He serves as Chairman of the education trusts of not-for-profit preeminent educational institutes that have shaped and moulded human capital for India.

These include Manipal Academy of Higher Education – MAHE (Manipal & Bengaluru), a Top 10 ranked multi-disciplinary university and an Institute of Eminence decreed by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and Manipal TATA Medical College (Jamshedpur, Jharkhand). He firmly believes that the Group’s universities, spearheaded by MAHE, should continue to build quality, and focus on excellence, while being affordable, to attract the best of students and faculty. He has already created endowments in the universities in India that will be continuously augmented with the intent to make them strong financial pillars that these institutions can take support from in their mission towards achieving and maintaining excellence.  

His singular focus on providing quality education led him to build Manipal as a trusted education brand in international markets too. Today, Manipal’s education initiative has a presence across Malaysia (Melaka Manipal Medical College and Manipal International University), UAE (MAHE, Dubai) and in Americas through the American University of Antigua.

Dr. Ranjan is also the founder and chairman of the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG). He set up MEMG in the year 2000 and is the holding entity for businesses spread across health care, education, health insurance, research, and private investments. In the last two decades, his work across education and health care has broken new ground and redefined these sectors.

Dr. Ranjan Pai is a medical graduate from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and has completed his fellowship in hospital administration in the United States. 

Dr. Sudhindra leads a team consisting of permanent and adjunct faculty and supporting academic staff that designs and delivers high-quality graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs. Among other things, his role includes driving industry and academic collaborations, research, student progression, and development of industry ready programs at MAHE Dubai. He believes that innovation and continuous improvement are absolute necessities to creating value for the key stakeholders.

Dr. Sudhindra has a Master’s in Technology from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), and a PhD, also from IIT Madras. Prior to joining the academic career, he served in the Indian Army in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering from where he retired as a Colonel. Thereafter, during his academic career, he has held faculty and administrative positions at Christ University, Bengaluru, and at T. A. Pai Management Institute Manipal. 

Prior to joining the MAHE Dubai team, Dr. Sudhindra was the Dean of T. A. Pai Management Institute, Bengaluru.

Dr. HS Ballal is Pro Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (formerly known as Manipal University) and has contributed in a big way to MU as it is today, the first private university to be included among the BRICS university rankings at 100th position.

Dr. Hebri Subhaskrishna Ballal’s association with Manipal goes way back to 1953, when he was a grade 7 student at the Christian High School in Udupi. Dr. TMA Pai was setting up the Kasturba Medical College building in Manipal then, and he would frequently visit high schools in the region to share his dream of a medical college for the local children. Dr. Ballal, whose association with Manipal goes back to his school days, believes that teaching is as much about creation of new knowledge as it is about imparting existing knowledge in text books The school children traveled to Manipal for ‘shram-daan’, or to ‘contribute one’s labour’, and more often than not, Dr. Pai would be found working side by side with enthusiastic students like the young Hebri Ballal.

Mr. Niranjan Jayakumar is the Chief Executive Officer for Manipal Middle East and Africa and Senior Vice President at Manipal Global Education Services. He is responsible for student acquisitions across Manipal Global’s international operations. Niranjan is the CEO - Manipal Global Education Services, Middle East, and Africa. 

With a career in business development and operations that spans over three decades, Niranjan has been associated with Manipal Global Education Services for over sixteen years. His Manipal journey started in 2005 as part of the marketing team, moving on to various roles: sales, branding, fulfillment, HR, and business operations positions. In his current role, Niranjan leads a team focused on establishing Manipal’s international campuses as the preferred destination for a student aspiring to study abroad.

Niranjan is an alumnus of the Madras University, Chennai, where he did his Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and MBA. He also holds a certification from MICA in Communication and Branding.