Students Give Emotional Farewell To Professor After 33 Years Of His Academic Service

An emotional farewell marked the last session of Professor Venugopal Pingali at XLRI Jamshedpur, bringing his 33-year academic career at the institute to a close. Students, staff and faculty members gathered outside his classroom to express their admiration, affection and respect for him. Professor Manish Singhal shared the emotional moment in a post, recalling his long association with Professor Pingali and the support he received from him after joining XLRI.

Singhal recalled that when he joined XLRI on April 13, 2006, Professor Pingali was Dean (Academics). He recalled that his thesis was not complete before joining the institute. After completing his first course, Professor Pingali advised him to return to IIM Calcutta and complete his thesis.

When Singhal expressed that he did not have enough leave, Professor Pingali assured him that the leave could be accommodated in the next year's quota. 

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According to Singhal, one of the things he remembers most about Professor Pingali is his ability to make administrative decisions while understanding people's individual circumstances.

Professor Pingali is also known among students for his frameworks based on the real conditions of the Indian market. Through these frameworks, generations of MBA students have gained a better understanding of marketing.

Singhal said he learned at the last minute that students, staff, and faculty members had prepared to gather outside Professor Pingali's classroom to bid him farewell. He said the respect, affection, and admiration shown by the people during this time was remarkable.

Social Media Reaction

The post received several reactions on social media. 

One user commented, "Special moment to witness."

Another user noted, "Nearly two decades ago, I had the privilege of being his student."

"Indeed a legend," added a third user.

A fourth user noted, "He was genuinely surprised."