Mangalore: MEMG Intl'- Coastal Karnataka Leaves a Global Footprint

by Divvy Kant Upadhyay

Mangalore, Apr 30: History has always been witness to Men of great vision and valour. One such legend of this region, whom some writers describe as "the visionary who saw serenity in silence, potential in barrenness and challenge in adversity" was the enterprising Padamshri the late Dr Tonse Madhav Ananth Pai who, way back in 1953, converted a barren hilltop named Manipal into India's first non-governmental, non-missionary, privately funded institute- "the Kasturba Medcial College". The legend was born exactly a century and a decade ago on April 30, 1898. 

Today Manipal is well-known as the birthplace of what could be considered one of the largest conglomerates of Education and Healthcare Industry in resurgent India – the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG).

Eventhough, known for his legendary vision, perhaps Dr TMA Pai would still be surprised but proud to see the heights of reality his vision has been converted to, by his son, the 73-year-old energetic MEMG president Dr Ramdas Pai and grandson,35-year-old dynamic MEMG CEO Dr Ranjan Pai. 

With University campuses consisting of top-ranked colleges offering majority of the professional courses one can think of, Manipal has made a very serious impact on the changing face of higher education in the nation. Other than the massive and plush, entirely WiFi enabled headquarters at Manipal hilltop facing the Arabian sea, the group has campuses in Mangalore and Sikkim in India and international campuses at Dubai, Malaysia, Antigua, the Carribean Islands and Nepal already running successfully. Moreover plans have been drawn to set up campuses in London, Mauritius, Indonesia and Oman. The education wing of the Group has also made a foray into the world of Online education by buying major stakes in Tutorvista and U21global.

Signs of the eagerness to realise dreams of prosperity can be felt when young Dr Ranjan Pai talks of the ambitious plans for the company's projects waiting in the pipeline to be executed.

The healthcare wing of the group is the area that witnessed the actual take-off. Counted as one of India's prestigious hospitals, Manipal Hospital in Bangalore was declared recently, the most consumer friendly hospital in the country. Manipal Health Systems (MHS), the hospital offshoot of the group has several prestigious and state-of-the-art speciality hospitals in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Goa with few others planned in Rajasthan, Gujurat and North Eastern states. A super speciality hospital in Delhi is expected to be commissioned by this year end. 

With independent as well as majority stake joint ventures into the BPO Industry (Manipal), a skills assessment agency (MeriTrac, Singapore), Clinical Research and Stem Cell Institutes, (AcuNova-Ecron and Stempeutics in Germany, Bangalore and Malaysia), a chain of Health and Wellness retail centres – the Manipal Cure and Care (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai), a chain of medical stores (Manipal Pharmacy), the group is literally 'going places'

Amazingly, more than 40 years ago, author Selden Menfee wrote in the book 'Pais of Manipal', that "with new leadership in this direction, India, with its wealth of human ability and physical resources, could lead the way among all the world's developing nations, as Manipal has led the way in South Kanara, and districts like South Kanara have shown the way to the nation."

Dr Ramdas Pai, with 50 years of extensive professional experience behind him recently told excited young graduates at a convocation , "with degrees you have earned today, you are now ready to enter the workforce. Let the learning power you have acquired, be not only converted to earning power, but into instruments of social development."

There is little doubt in the appreciation of the efforts of the Manipal Family when Pro-Chancellor of the University, Dr HS Ballal tells a gathering at Dubai, UAE on the launch of the Engineering courses there last month, that, "beginning from the vision of Dr TMA Pai, Manipal today is an internationally recognized university training thousands of students from over 60 countries to face the challenges of tomorrow."

Despite challenges from several quarters and many road blocks for progress of private enterprises, the fact appears to remain that, Dr Pai's family of Manipal has created something that can be considered one of the most crucial factors for progress in field of higher education and healthcare in India- "Opportunity"- both in terms of Quantity and Quality.