Bodh Gaya: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bodh Gaya has commenced its 10-day Orientation Programme 2026, welcoming 591 students across its MBA, specialised MBA, PhD and Executive MBA programmes.
The institute said the first two days of the programme introduced students to its academic culture while providing opportunities to engage with leaders from government, industry and academia before the start of the academic session.
The incoming cohort comprises 351 MBA students, 96 students enrolled in the MBA (Digital Business & Artificial Intelligence) programme, 86 students in the MBA (Hospital & Healthcare Management), 18 PhD scholars, and 40 Executive MBA participants.
Students have joined the institute from 23 States and Union Territories, representing diverse academic and professional backgrounds.
Diverse Student Cohort
According to the institute, the MBA 2026–28 batch includes 69 women and 224 men, including three international students.
Nearly 64.85% of the cohort comes from non-engineering disciplines, while 35.15% have engineering backgrounds. The institute said 114 students have prior professional experience, averaging 24.13 months, alongside achievements in academics, research, innovation, sports, culture and community service.
The MBA (Digital Business & Artificial Intelligence) programme has 96 students, comprising 26 women and 70 men from 19 States and Union Territories. Around 27.1% of the cohort has previous industry experience.
The MBA (Hospital & Healthcare Management) batch consists of 86 students, including 16 women and 70 men, drawn from 20 States and Union Territories and representing disciplines such as life sciences, engineering, pharmacy and healthcare. Approximately 18.6% of the students have prior professional experience.
Director Encourages Lifelong Learning
The orientation programme opened with an inaugural address by Prof. Vinita S. Sahay, Director of IIM Bodh Gaya.
Welcoming the new students, she encouraged them to embrace technological change while remaining committed to integrity, empathy, mindfulness and continuous learning.
Government And Industry Leaders Address Students
The inaugural sessions featured addresses by Pratyaya Amrit, Chief Secretary of Bihar; Vikas Vaibhav, Inspector General of Police, Magadh Range; and Devendra Kumar, Director, DBT Mission, Government of India.
Corporate leaders who interacted with students included Narayanan Ramaswamy of KPMG, Prabhanjan K. Prasoon of Birlasoft, Mussarat Hussain of Suzuki Research & Development Center India, Alvin David of Newgen Software Technologies, Vaidehi Vidyarthi of Nippon Life India Asset Management, and Vivek Bengani, Chief Executive Officer of CAMS Insurance Repository.
Healthcare Leadership In Focus
The second day featured Dr Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fortis Healthcare, as the guest of honour.
Highlighting the growing importance of management education in healthcare, he said many doctors face administrative responsibilities without formal management training, underscoring the need for professionals who understand both medicine and management.
Students also interacted with Praveen Pantula of EPAM Systems, Manisha Chetan Shah of Jupiter Hospital, Ranjan B. Pandey of Fortis Healthcare and Venkatesa Prasad of Agilisium, who discussed leadership, innovation, digital transformation, talent development and changing industry expectations.
Programme Continues Over The Next Week
The orientation programme will continue over the coming days with faculty interactions, corporate leadership sessions, alumni engagement, mentoring activities, team-building exercises, case-based learning workshops and experiential learning opportunities designed to prepare students for the academic rigour and leadership responsibilities of management education.
