Navya Naveli Nanda is mostly known for being the granddaughter of Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan. However, recently, she courted some controversy after her admission to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad became public.
As with anything, people did bring up the point of nepotism or how this could be the misuse of some privilege given her influential background.
Nanda, who is currently 26, joined the prestigious management institute’s online MBA course, which is different from their flagship MBA programme. Navya Nanda has been admitted into the Blended Post Graduate Programme (BPGP) as per reports.
The Trolling
Navya Naveli Nanda after securing an admission in the Blended Post Graduate Programme (BPGP) at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad posted about it on her Instagram.
She wrote “Dreams do come true !!!!!! The next 2 years… with the best people & faculty! Blended Post Graduate Programme (BPGP) Class of 2026,” along with several images from the campus.
However, this saw a lot of trolling it with one user writing “Corruption at its peak (Not even given the entrance exam).”
Many others raised questions about when would she have had time to take the CAT exam, and how those who scored much higher on the entrance exam could not get admission to an IIM whereas Navya got it.
One wrote “On 25 nov you were having vacation and 26 nov was cat exams” while another said “One who clear with 98% percentile score did not get admission in IIM but you have money institute always wait for you??? So money is more important than talent.”
Some defended Navya or didn’t get the trolling against her for this matter.
User @vinit_ab wrote “On the contrary it’s a win for IIMA that it is attracting rich celebrities. Going to US was a natural and easy option for these kids, byt she chose IIMA IIMA shud have a separate course for kids of politicians and celebrities to retain future power influencers in India.”
Read More: Are The Concepts Of Reservation And Nepotism The Same In Indian Context?
IIM Professor Defends Navya Naveli
A professor from IIM-Ahmedabad, however, did post on X/Twitter clarifying if Navya Naveli’s admission was through quota.
Promila Agarwal, who is an associate professor at IIM-A, replied to a user who asked if Nanda had her admission through some other channel like the NRI or management quota
She dismissed any such allegations, stating that IIM-A doesn’t have any quota for any programme writing “Don’t insult IIMA by assuming that we have any quota for any program, cut off & interview for this one.”
She added “The acceptance rate for this program is low, like others. Even if people want to discount her interview & CV. She, dammit, cleared the cut-off. For a long time, India has been debating why elite families move out of India for higher education. Why don’t they study in Indian colleges? One lady makes it to IIMA for an online MBA & everyone is worked up.”
For another tweet that asked, “Did she really got those crazy 99.99 percentile?” Agarwal responded with “She got solid CV btw*. U don’t necessarily need CAT. Link**. Irrespective, hats off to everyone for being courageous enough to sign up for rigorous program. PS: Just like other students, looking forward to her posts cribbing abt hard life at IIMA.”
In another tweet’s response, she wrote “majority making to IIMA are privileged including me. So many cant even make bcoz they did not have money to prep for CAT. I know of women, who turned down admission bcoz family did not allow. All have to fit in for success. Nothing beats generational wealth. But I won’t dismiss dt all students of IIMA met cut off requirement+interview+ good CV.”
Rashi Pandey, an IIM Ranchi student also posted a tweet on X/Twitter about Navya Nanda’s admission.
She wrote “Half of the internet is applauding her for this achievement while the other half is bashing her for using IIM A tag without being in their flagship MBA program. Blended PGP is also a two year program just like their flagship one, but in blended mode(online and on-campus).
Admission Criteria: Admission can be based on scores from an Online IIMA Admission Test (IAT), a valid CAT score from the past five years, or a GMAT/GRE score.
Final selection involves a personal interview. She didn’t just give them money to get admission, the girl worked hard to score well in the entrance exam and did well in the interview.
If any of us were doing a 2-month program from IIM A, we’d flex the exact same way.”
What Is The Eligibility Criteria For This Programme?
The Blended Post Graduate Programme (BPGP) programme has been introduced just this year, as a hybrid course, which means it’s a mix of on-campus sessions with live interactive online classes.
It is said to help working individuals to both work and study at the same time. According to the eligibility criteria, the candidate must be
- “Working Professionals and Entrepreneurs with a minimum of 3 years of full-time work experience, after completion of graduation, as on June 30, 2024.
- Minimum Age of 24 years as on June 30, 2024 (i.e. must be born on or before June 30, 2000.) There is no upper age limit.
- Holding at least a bachelor’s degree/CA/CS/ICWA or equivalent in any discipline. (Minimum 15 years of study as per the education system in India i.e. 10 + 2 + 3 or 4 as the case may be.), with at least 50 percent marks in aggregate or equivalent CGPA, awarded by any of the recognized universities.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Economic Times, India Today, The Indian Express
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Navya Naveli Nanda, Navya Naveli, Navya Naveli iim, iim, Navya Naveli iim Ahmedabad, iim Ahmedabad, nepotism, quota, iim Ahmedabad online mba, online mba, iim Ahmedabad admission, indian colleges, indian institutes
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