The brand Manipal, which is synonymous with medical education and health care, has had a B-school with nearly three decades of history. T. A. Pai Management Institute, popularly known as TAPMI, is a well-known name in management education.

The late T. A. Pai, a nephew of T. M. A. Pai, founder of Manipal-based institutions such as Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Institute of Technology and Syndicate Bank, was a former Union Minister in Indira Gandhis Cabinet in the 70s and held the portfolios of heavy industry and railways.

He was also a Chairman of Food Corporation of India, LIC and Syndicate Bank. T. A. Pai founded Manipal Institute of Management in 1980-81. This was later renamed as TAPMI.

For almost two-and-a-half decades, the institute operated from its own campus in Manipal town. It moved to a new spacious 5.5 km away from the town, in 2009.

TAPMI is one among the two management schools in the country to get accreditation from the international body Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business for its postgraduate programme, the other being ISB, Hyderabad.

R. C. Natarajan, who heads TAPMI as its Director, graduated from IRMA (Institute of Rural Management in Gujarat), and has more than 13 years of experience in the dairy sector. Natarajan shared his thoughts and plans for TAPMI with Business Line. Excerpts:

Are you worried that with the proliferation of B-schools, TAPMI brand is getting diluted?

No, in fact our brand is getting strengthened day by day. Our brand is getting noticed.

In that case, is the location an advantage or a disadvantage?

Compared to metros, yes, there is a disadvantage in terms of conveyance of guest lecturers. Otherwise, there is no problem. Our airport is one-and-a-quarter hours from here.

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Manipal, TAPMI brands are getting noticed