IIM Nagpur believes in creating and disseminating knowledge with the ultimate aim of impacting the practice. A line from the Upanishad expresses this belief aptly.
In Taittiriya Upanishad, ninth section (anuvaka) of Siksha Valli (Chapter-1) [TU-1.9] emphasizes the practice of various duties of human beings with learning and teaching.
In particular, we adopted the second line सत्यं च स्वाध्याय प्रवचने च [satyam cha svadhyayapravachanecha] as the motto for IIM Nagpur.
Here Satyam refers to broadly the higher truths or deeper layers of reality. Truth is eternal and context-free [not contextual]. Merely knowing is not enough; one has to try to implement.
Svadhyaya refers to self-study; profound and in-depth domain knowledge; relentless and untiring pursuit of knowledge; and expanding the frontiers of knowledge.
Pravachana refers to dissemination of knowledge (in contrast to the acquisition of knowledge denoted by svadhayaya); engaging in productive dialogue; active communication, exchange, and sharing of thoughts, ideas, insights and perspectives – all of which results in a rich, stimulating, vibrant and elevating discourse.
सत्यं च स्वाध्याय प्रवचने च [satyam cha svadhyayapravachanecha] means practice truth through learning and teaching. So, our motto can be broadly stated as towards truth through individual reflection and collective discourse; and amplified further as exciting/inspired journey towards truth through individual reflection/personal excellence and collective discourse/ engagement / commitment.
To summarize: The motto captures the spirit of constant striving for personal excellence as well as a collective quest and pursuit towards constant unfolding of ever new vistas of higher/deeper realities.
At IIM Nagpur Research and Teaching, the main activities, are aimed at the constant pursuit of truth – eternal cycles of theory building. Both the teachers and students engage in individual reflection and collective discourse in research, teaching, and learning in their constant pursuit of bridging the gap between abstract knowledge and practice.
IIM Nagpur engaged the National Institute of Design (NID) for the creation of its logo. Following an iterative process, NID has specially designed the logo to reflect the motto of IIM Nagpur.