How Dr. Kamla, the ‘Founding Mother’ of IIMA Battled Sexism With Her Sheer Grit

Dr. Kamla Chowdhry was IIM Ahmedabad’s first faculty member. She effectively ran the institute from its bungalow office in Shahibaug in the early years — taking key administrative decisions, recruiting the first set of faculty and closely coordinating with the Harvard Business School and Ford Foundation.

In a country with relatively few elite institutions of higher learning, the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad (IIMA), Gujarat, has carved out a unique place for itself.

(Image above of Dr. Kamla Chowdhry in the middle of two students during the first convocation ceremony on 10 April, 1966 courtesy the IIMA Archives)

For many middle-class Indians looking to climb up the economic ladder, an MBA from IIMA offers a genuine stepping stone into the higher echelons of corporate India. An institution of excellence, this is the place where India’s brightest gather.

But how many know about the history of this institution, founded in 1961? Those with a cursory…