A CUPPA OF LEARNING...

IIM-A class on Rambhai’s chai

Rambhai at his kitli  Ahmedabad:

 

The view that he gets of the IIM-Ahmedabad campus is from a tiny hole in the boundary wall through which he delivers cups of tea to the students and faculty inside. But when Rambhai Kori (51), who runs a tea-stall near the IIM-A gate, sat in the classroom on Thursday on a chair meant for professors, the chaiwalla had arrived in life. The moment captured the strong bond with Rambhai’s Kitli (RBK, for short) still cherished by every individual who has been to this premier business school in the last 25 years. The bond got cemented on Thursday in a case-paper titled ‘RBK - A Role to be Understood’ presented in the Faculty Development Program-08 at IIM-A. Rambhai, who still remembers his first customer Omprakash Manchanda, seemed at 

home in the classroom when Umesh Neelakantan, Sonal Katewa and Jaspreet Ahulwalia made a presentation on him. He made interventions during the discussions and spoke confidently. The comfort level came from the fact that there’s hardly anyone on campus he doesn’t know by name. And its not without reason that alumni have been staying in touch for years together on www.rambhai.com.Students described him in the presentation as light hearted, simple and loveable. “His way of talking and mingling with students and delivering products to clients says so much about his time management,” observed Katewa. “Rambhai is a great human being and a great brand by himself. Relationships are the life and blood of his business,” said Ahulwalia. “We have made some suggestions to Rambhai to expand his business if he wants. Let us see, he seems to satisfied with his existence,” remarked Neelakantan.