Ahmedabad, Sep 18 (IANS) Clad in dhoti-kurta, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad was far from the image of a typical management guru but he did not fail to mesmerise students of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) with his witty one-liners and out-of-the-box business models.
In his eagerly awaited visit of the top business school, Lalu Prasad charmed the students and faculty and delivered a talk on the turnaround of Indian Railways, giving the management students something different that "usual management lessons".
After the three-hour session, the students were all praise for the railway minister who also complimented them saying, "The students here are more informed than my officers."
"I am surprised at his insight. I liked his down-to-earth approach. He is a very good manager, a good combination of human approach and management expertise," said Akshat Khare, a student.
If the final year student Swati Nigam was amused with "one-liners" that Lalu Prasad continued to produce, Krishna Tomande came to see Indian Railways in a new light.
"I had the impression that our railways is a lethargic organisation. But now my perception is changed. What is more important is that he was open to our ideas too," said Tomande.
Although students remained divided on the contention whether it was really a turnaround for the railways, they all agreed that the situation had indeed improved under Lalu Prasad's leadership.
"The discussion was a great learning experience. Lalu is a good teacher; he was really well prepared today. His approach of getting maximum benefit was enchanting for us," said Lokesh Dadhiar, a student of the executive programme.
Accompanied by Minister of State for Railways Narayan Rathwa, Lalu Prasad announced a chair for the studies of Indian Railways at the IIM-A.
"I am very much impressed with the students here. Seeing their interest in Indian Railways, we have decided to set up a permanent chair devoted to the study of the railways,' Lalu Prasad said.
"The railway board will bear the expenditure of the chair, but I wish this activity should continue in future. Institutes like this should interact more and more with people in Indian politics who have done some good job," he added.