Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Raipur received 353 students from all over the nation for its MBA batch of 2025–27. The orientation and inauguration ceremony marked the start of a two-year journey of growth on the philosophies of leadership, inclusivity, and scholarship. The ceremony was a testament to the increasing stature of IIM Raipur as one of the top management institutes, under its #BuildingBusinessOwners theme.

Mirroring the institute’s growing national reach, the incoming batch is a vibrant mosaic of India’s population base, with 21 states and 3 union territories represented. As much as this spread also introduces a mix of opinions to enter into discussion in classrooms, it strengthens peer learning by associating students with different socio-economic and cultural milieus.

Overriding academic caliber of students is arguably the strongest identifying feature of the batch. A staggering 14.5% of the batch comprises IIT/NIT/IISER/IIIT and other IIM alumni. This is a welcome rise in high-achiever students with good academic profiles, a sign of the acceptability of IIM Raipur among top-performing applicants from top-level institutions. Specifically, 26 students (7.57%) have studied at elite colleges such as NIT Tiruchirapalli, NIT Rourkela, VNIT Nagpur, and IIT Guwahati in the past two years alone, increasing the academic competitiveness of the institute even more.

IIM Raipur’s new batch has a deliberate and balanced academic profile. While 55.5% of the batch is from an engineering background, 44.5% of the batch is from non-engineering streams of commerce, science, humanities, law, healthcare, and management. This deliberate integration of analytical expertise and contextual empathy is intended to instill a culture of multidimensional learning. The varied academic balance is intended to support classroom debate, team-based problem-solving, and critical thinking—abilities one needs to employ in order to navigate today’s complex and networked business environment.

Speaking a few words at the event, Director, IIM Raipur, Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani emphasized the significance of classroom diversity as a strategic pedagogic tool. “Classroom diversity fuels decision-making depth. We don’t teach in management at IIM Raipur; we design an environment where analytical rigor and human insight intersect,” he further added. He also emphasized that career and academic diversity of the cohort is a strategic choice to establish a greater learning experience and impart students with the changing requirements of business in the world. “This year’s cohort highlights the trend towards cross-disciplinary learning, with students possessing expertise from engineering, commerce, science, and arts. This type of academic diversity is not happenstance; it is by design.”. It enriches classroom experience, promotes collaborative problem-solving, and readies our students for tackling the complexities of today’s globally integrated world.

Students entering the program also carry considerable work experience. On average, students have about 23 months of professional exposure in major sectors like information technology, engineering, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), retail, and healthcare. Such exposure in the real world is an integral part of a practice-led learning process, which enables classroom theory to be anchored in business life experiences. The comprehensive blend of academic success, business practice, and geographical diversity forms the foundation for co-learning and enriched learning experience.

The orientation session also reconfirmed the institute’s belief in whole-person education. It was responded to by Shri Sudeep Dev, Executive Vice President and CHRO, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles Ltd., who gave an inspiring address to the new batch. Looking into the fast-changing corporate life, Dev reiterated the increasing significance of value-based leadership. Encouraging students to pursue professional excellence as much as they can but also ground themselves in ethical clearness and social responsibility. His presence underscored the growing interaction between IIM Raipur and industry leaders to fill the gap between course learning and corporate leadership issues.

One of the major highlights of the inauguration ceremony was the Dean’s Merit List Awards, which were handed out by Prof. Saroj Kumar Pani, Dean (Academics). These were awarded to the students for academic merit and were a source of motivation for the new batch. Prof. Diptiman Banerji concluded the formalities with a vote of thanks, thanking all the guests of honor, faculty members, and student coordinators for making the new academic session start on such a positive note.

In keeping with its student-centric philosophy of learning, IIM Raipur also organized a series of awareness orientations on well-being and institutional participation. A sensitization workshop on Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) was organized by Prof. Ashapurna Baruah, with invited experts Mala Thapar and Dr. C.K. Swain. The workshop sought to cultivate a respectful and secure campus culture and also encompassed a comprehensive library facilities induction at the institute.

Besides the orientation sessions, there were other orientation sections that dealt with career preparation and institutional procedures. Prof. Mohit Goswami welcomed the students to the placement process, and Prof. P. Ketan Kumar Reddy addressed opportunities in international relations as well as student exchange. Prof. Samar Singh oriented students to campus facilities and administrative support systems, and Shri Anil Ponal made a detailed presentation on national scholarships with a focus on financial opportunities available to students.

In respect of the growing significance of mental well-being in educational institutions, the orientation ended with an excellent and engaging session on managing stress and mental well-being. Conducted by counselor and psychologist Ms. Ruchika Jain, the session was designed to enable students to recognize causes of stress, embrace coping strategies, and value mental health throughout their MBA tenure.

As the IIM Raipur MBA Batch of 2025–27 sets forth on this promising academic journey, the synergy of intellectual rigour, practical insight, and all-around development will transform them into responsive, responsible, and future-ready business leaders.