Ahmedabad: On the occasion when Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is celebrating its golden jubilee year, it is very essential to gratify the contribution of its founder-director who always maintained a low profile. Prof Ravi J Matthai was the first full-time director of IIM-A.
As per sources, like cousin Verghese Kurien, Matthai built one of Gujarat's most influential brands. Both Malayalis, one headed the white revolution, while another was instrumental in bringing world class management education to Gujarat. However, while a lot has been written about Kurien, accounts on Matthai are few and far between due to his tendency to avoid attention.
Prof Ravi J Matthai was in 1927, he was the son of John Matthai, the first Railway Minister of independent India. In 1965, Matthai was invited by the late Vikram Sarabhai to join IIM-A as its first full-time director. While joining the IIM-A he was just 38 years old. After six years in the position, Matthai stepped down and stayed on as a professor. He set high moral standards for the directorship as well as members of the faculty.
Furthermore, N Vittal wrote in his book 'Roots of Effective Governance', Ravi Mathai who built IIM-Ahmedabad stepped down and became part of the faculty and allowed other successor to take over. I wonder. This sort of voluntarily letting go of power is unusual. Matthai was later instrumental in setting up Institute of Rural Management at Anand.
