S. Vishnu Sharma
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM-C) will be holding the annual ‘IIM Calcutta Debate’ in the memory of Bobby Saldanha every year starting from 2020.
According to a press release, A Memorandum-of-Understanding was made between the PGP 16th batch (Class of 1981) of IIM-C and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in this regard recently. The PGP 16th batch has also gifted an endowment towards instituting the annual debate.
IIM Calcutta Annual Debate will be hosted in association with the student run IIM Calcutta Debating Society. Debating Society conducts The Freshers’ Debate, Mock Debates, Vidyasagar Memorial Debate and Open Debate every year.
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
Bobby Saldanha was an alumnus of IIM-C and was from PGP 16th batch and was known to be a regular at college quiz and debate circles in late 1970s Calcutta.
His debating skills were known far and wide and represented the best in the art of persuasive brinkmanship at the podium. Bobby’s major contribution to academics was his ‘theory of nerves’ which merely stated that all you needed for a group project was strong nerves, the chaps with weak nerves would do it for you.
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
Sandip Bhatia, a student from PGP 16th batch recalling Bobby Saldanha said his debates were a treat. ‘If you were his opponent, you would have to resign to excruciatingly painful defeats.
His arguments were flawless and combined with his sense of wit and spontaneity, he was virtually unbeatable.’ Professor Anju Seth, Director, IIM Calcutta thanked the PGP 16 batch for their gift and hoped that other batches too would come forward to contribute meaningfully in keeping IIM Calcutta’s tradition of excellence higher.