From Cabinet to classroom: Keralam Ministers in student mode for two-day session at IIM-K

Revisiting their student days, the Council of Ministers of Keralam turned up at the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) on Friday (September 4, 2026) for a strategic two-day leadership retreat that brought the State’s political leadership together with academics and international experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping Keralam’s future.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and his 20 Cabinet colleagues took part in the first day of the two-day residential retreat, titled ‘Reimagining Keralam,’ organised by the IIM-K. Mr. Satheesan who lighted the traditional lamp to kick-start the programme also shared a glimpse of his “back-to-school” moment on social media.

Posting the photographs on X of the Ministers seated in an IIM-K classroom, Mr. Satheesan wrote: “I am back to the classroom after years.” He said: “we are becoming students again to learn lessons for tomorrow, including governance, leadership, climate resilience and financial reforms in the AI era.” The first day’s sessions focussed on a range of topics, including artificial intelligence, governance, health care and wellness, climate resilience, disaster preparedness, ageing and future economic opportunities.

IIM-K Director Debashis Chatterjee opened the retreat with a session on ‘Transformational Leadership in the Age of AI: Engaging People with Purpose and Impact.’ The session was coordinated by Anandakuttan Unnithan, Dean (Programmes), IIM-K.

A special session on ‘Positioning Keralam as a Health Care and Wellness Destination’ was led by Aravind Srinivasan, Chief Medical Officer, Aravind Eye Hospital, Chennai. The discussion examined the potential for Keralam to build on its strengths in health care and wellness.

Climate adaptation and disaster preparedness were discussed in a separate session titled ‘Living with Risk: Climate Resilience and Community Preparedness.’ Rajib Shaw, Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan, and IIM-K faculty member Anupam Das led the session.

Another session, ‘From Policy to Behaviour: The Science of Making Governance Work,’ examined how policy decisions could translate into sustained changes at the community level, drawing on evidence and international experience.

The session was led by Sanchayan Banerjee of King’s College London and IIM-K faculty member Siddhart Padhi. The Ministers participated in more than five hours of sessions and discussions with faculty members and experts.

According to the training coordinators, the second day of the retreat on Saturday will focus on Keralam’s economic, employment, education and global positioning priorities. The sessions will include discussions on rebuilding the State’s economic and fiscal foundations; moving from job creation to entrepreneurship and strengthening the enterprise and skills agenda amid disruptive technologies; developing Keralam as a destination for higher education; managing the generational transition; and building a global brand for the State.

At the valedictory ceremony, Ministers will be given certificates by the IIM-K marking their completion of the two-day strategic leadership retreat.