Professor N. S. Ramaswamy joined as the first Director of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) on June 4, 1973 and was responsible for establishing the Institute. He held this position till July 1983 and retired in April 1986. He served on the IIMB Board of Governors from March 2006 till March 2011.

Professor N. S. Ramaswamy was born on March 2, 1926, in Thrissur, Kerala. His father, N. R. Srinivasa Iyer, IPS, was a renowned police officer, who retired as Inspector General of Police of Kerala State in 1960. Professor Ramaswamy obtained his BSc. and BE degrees from Madras University. He underwent postgraduate education in Glasgow, Lehigh and Stanford Universities as well as short term training in several institutions in the US and Europe. Throughout his education in India, he was actively involved in the student movement, social service and public affairs.

Professor N. S. Ramaswamy started his academic career at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, University of Mumbai, and went on to become Director of the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai. In 1972, he was appointed as the first Director of IIMB.

IIMB was entrusted with the distinctive vision in the 1970s, consistent with the dominant political and economic philosophies of the time, to take formal management to the undermanaged sectors of the economy – Agriculture, Energy, Transport, Health, Infrastructure, Education, and Habitat & Environment. Since many of these sectors at that time had minimal private involvement and were catered to directly by the government or public sector, IIMB was associated with the public sector from its inception. Professor N. S. Ramaswamy, as the first Director, is credited with articulating and operationalising IIMB’s distinctive foundational vision as he strove to take management to the various sectors.

The faculty recruitment in the early years was also reportedly unconventional, with the Director Professor N. S. Ramaswamy touring the United States to scout for scholars of Indian origin and inviting them to join IIMB.

Professor Ramaswamy was known for his significant research on livestock and its role in development. Through his research, he illustrated that by modernization of the livestock system, rural India can be transformed. He authored the books “Management for Rural Development” published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, and “The Management of Political Systems” published by the Newman Group of Publishers for the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

Professor N. S. Ramaswamy started a non-profit, Centre for Action, Research and Technology for Man, Animal and Nature (CARTMAN) in 1983 to promote application of appropriate technology and relevant management to the vast unorganized sector and the rural sector. He was known to be a crusader for the environment and he actively campaigned for animal rights. He also set up the Indian Heritage Academy that promoted Indian cultural traditions. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, appointed Professor N. S. Ramaswamy as a National Professor in recognition of his contribution in the field of management.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2006 for social service.

Following is a link to Professor N. S. Ramaswamy’s essay, ‘IIMB – Contributions and Achievements: The First Ten Years’ which first appeared in the IIMB Silver Jubilee commemorative publication titled, ‘Management Perspectives – Essays on Managerial Priorities and Management Education’, and was also carried in the IIMB Golden Jubilee publication, ‘The Evolution of IIMB: Directors’ Perspectives’.

Prof NS Ramaswamy -- IIMB -- The First Ten Years