Teaching is in my blood. My family has been in the teaching profession for three generations. I took to teaching naturally and find I enjoy it immensely,” Professor Kulbir Singh says about his career IMT Nagpur.
W hen he first came to IMT Nagpur, he found teaching a bit more challenging than it was in the past. “The students at IMT are totally different. They come with experience and are deeply curious. They seek knowledge related to the latest happenings in the finance sector and economy, and want the newest findings in financial research. The logic behind almost every event in the market needs to be explained to them,” he says, totally charged up. “It challenges me too and I thoroughly enjoy every moment of my classes.”
With such aware and vibrant students, Prof. Singh puts a lot of effort into each lecture. “I read original journal articles as they introduce students to the ongoing process of research, including its miss-steps and controversies. Apart from the usual preparations, I use many more resources, including books for fun reading related to the subject, magazines, journals, case studies, websites, video, project work, etc.”
Teaching itself is a learning process. With each set of students, Prof Singh finds he is continually upgrading himself. Every new day presents something to be excited about. “There are instances where students question the assumptions/conclusions of research papers or theories and their applicability to actual situations,” he says, adding, “In finance, what seems to be easy is actually complex and what seems to be complex has an easy background to learn.”
As Chairman of student affairs, he keeps a close watch on all non-academic activities, including B-School fests. His is the authority that permits or disallows student participation in competitions and contests in B-Schools across India.
Professor Kulbir Singh bagged the Ruth Greene Memorial Case Award, 2010. He and his co-author did a lot of homework and research as the paper was to be presented at a very prestigious conference. It was an international conference with participants from the US, Canada and Spain. “It was clear the analysis and defending of our case was not going to be easy. The criticism for various cases was harsh. But our homework did the miracle. I defended the case from every perspective raised by the panel members. In fact, they appreciated my acumen for the finer details for every case,” Professor Singh is modest.
The award was announced. He had won it. Rather, his thorough nature and the long hours of homework had. Thorough knowledge always pays.
Orange Diary 