A PHILOSOPHY FOR PROGRESS AND A VISION FOR DEVELOPMENT
Dr. M. K. Chaudhuri, the founder director of IIPM is known amongst his colleagues and thousands of inspired students for his iconoclastic development models – a pro poor agenda with a three pronged strategy to ensure overall economic growth – education for all, distribution of national income among the mass to increase purchasing power and improving quality of life by ensuring social security.
Born in a small city of Assam , , Dr. Chaudhuri was always focused on education as a stepping stone for knowledge. Recalling the days while graduating from Presidency College in Calcutta ("We had a very visionary system of teaching"), the former IIM Bangalore & XLRI Jamshedpur professor also recommends that the reason for existence of every individual should be to support survival of the weakest, rather than survival of the fittest.
Before founding IIPM, he was Senior Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. He also served as a Professor of Economics at XLRI, Jamshedpur and IIM, Bangalore.
A MAN STEEPED IN ACADEMIA
Dr. Chaudhuri studied in Presidency College, Kolkata and in The Berlin School of Economics. He did his MSc in National Economic Planning and management.
His Ph.D thesis was on the 'Role of Small-scale, Village and Cottage industries for solution of the Unemployment Problem in India'. His D.Sc thesis was on 'Reform plans of the International Monetary System'.
He worked in private sector organizations like Hindustan Lever, Kuljian Corporation and WS Atkins. He also worked in City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) - a public sector organization engaged in the development of Navi Mumbai.
THE SOCIAL VISION OF IIPM
IIPM wants to contribute to the creation of a movement, backed by proper education and research which will create a society where exploitation of man by man does not exist, where each individual has the scope to achieve his / her potential to the fullest extent. In other words, universal humanism is the social vision of IIPM.
RESEARCH RESEARCH AND SOCIAL INITIATIVES
Dr. Chaudhuri is credited with formulating the concept of Life Style Parity that is different from the concept of Purchasing Power Parity and looks at how two individuals living in different countries need not purchase the same items to get an equal level of satisfaction. His endeavours in developing the rural belts of India have developed into the most famous and massive network of Aurobindo Smriti Manavata Vikas Kendra (earlier known as Manab Seba Kendra – Human Development Centres). With more than a hundred such centers running in various rural belts of India, Dr. Chaudhuri has provided a stepping stone to future promises as mentioned in his best selling book, The Great Indian Dream.
AWARDS INSTITUTED BY THE FOUNDING DIRECTOR
In order to cultivate an interest, love and appreciation for art, culture and literature, amongst the students at IIPM and the common mass, who these days have grown averse to such involvement, IIPM has made several contributions in these areas apart from other academic fields.