Leading an institution of higher education, as it shapes into its ever evolving post-colonial present, with its “remembered” pasts traced to colonial times, is indeed a matter of great honour. It undoubtedly accompanies ineffably a sense of privilege while importantly, it gestures towards a moment of soul-searching as well. Marked by an unwavering commitment to learning, growth, common good, empathy and diversity, Ravenshaw’s lifeworld has remained animated with the quintessential spirit to educate the citizen and citizen leaders of our society. 

In crafting an inventive vision for the institution, it has committed itself to the transformative power of a liberal arts and sciences education. And in pursuing this, it has no less, critically interrogated norms, conventions and practices in the realm of ideas;  the ways of knowing and understanding underlying knowledge and human welfare since 1868. Its (infra) structural universe has continually been remapped in sync with the principle of free exchange of ideas conducted in an ethical and interdependent atmosphere. More so, its conceptual ecology has been further enlivened by the participation of diverse community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Into its teens as a University, impregnated with puzzling, and self-conflicted, yet, productive tensions, Ravenshaw today illuminates a fascinating melody of exuberance characteristic of the proto-adolescent phase of one’s life. 

How do we fashion a career frame for the institutional life from here? I think this is a project that behooves the collective – students, faculty, alumni, policy people and the civil society at large – to think through the questions and be part of a persuasive solution. As I look forward to my engagement with the idea of Ravenshaw, I earnestly solicit the participation of this vibrant collective in this journey of shared belongingness!