With her MBA from IIM Ahmedabad in the bag, Navya has put one of India’s most well-known surnames in the mix of an important educational decision. If you are on the fence about juggling work with some campus life, she has shown how the institute’s route for working professionals can be a way to change your trajectory without having to hit the brakes.
The post she put up to mark the occasion was more than just a few photos. You could read between the lines what it is like to put in the hours for hard study, make some connections, and have the poise to do something a little different from what is expected.
Then there is the matter of her moving into management when there has been no end to the talk of a movie role. Navya has been clear there was never any nudge from home to head to Bollywood. That sort of latitude, she has said, is what let her get on with business and the idea of being an entrepreneur.
Why this graduation matters for students and IIM Ahmedabad
It is good for IIM Ahmedabad to have some of this attention on its blended offering. The message is that you don’t have to put your job or a side project on hold to get a top-tier education. The way the programme is set up, you end up in a room with people from all walks of life, and as any student will tell you, that is where the real learning happens, not in the books.
She put it on social media: the campus has given her more than she can ever put back. It is a feeling you see in a lot of people who have come back for an academic refresher. In the end, it is the company and the conversations with them that stick with you.
Clarity on admission and merit
You had to have some people on the internet wondering about the process. Promila Agarwal put it to rest on X: Navya got in on merit, having met the cut-off. For anyone with an eye on these kinds of programmes, that is the kind of reassurance you want to hear.
When she came on board for the 2024 intake of the blended MBA, which is made for the likes of her, she was open in an interview about the fact that it is no easy task to pick up the reins after a while. But once you are in the thick of it with the other students, it is worth it.
There is more than one way to be put through the wringer. Put simply, they will look at your test scores. Here is what you are up against if you plan to put in for a spot:
– CAT, GMAT or GRE (from the last five years)
– The IIMA Admission Test if you don’t have those
– IAT means you are tested on Quant, Analytical and Verbal
– 45 questions in 90 minutes for the IAT
Who can apply
IIM Ahmedabad says you need three years of full-time experience under your belt since you graduated. And you have to be 24 or older. A bachelor’s, or a CA, CS, ICWA or the like with at least 50 percent is the ticket in.
How selection works
They run the IAT out of various centres in India and even in Dubai, so you don’t have to make too much of a production of getting to a test site.
As for the price tag, the website will tell you it is 20 lakh for the programme.
Costs and policy to plan for
You won’t find the cost of travel, a place to stay for the on-campus parts, or any international immersion in the fee. We have the programme set up so you can pay in instalments over time; it’s an easier way to handle your finances when you’re still in the workforce.
As for the institute, we are in line with the Government of India’s reservation rules. You will see seats put aside for NC-OBC, SC, ST, PwD and EWS as the norms dictate. It’s something a lot of our applicants look for to be sure they are on the right track with their eligibility and plans.
Navya has made her own way, even if her brother Agastya Nanda is making waves in the film world with The Archies. With parents like Nikhil Nanda and Shweta Bachchan Nanda, she was no stranger to the kind of talk that happens in boardrooms. “It put me on to what I found interesting,” she says. In a way, being an entrepreneur was the only option.
A different kind of career and some lessons from the classroom
If you look at her pictures from the red-brick campus, you get a sense of the whole mix: the hard work in the lecture hall and the good times on the walkways with the friends who have your back during a tough assignment. She puts it down to the people and the place making an impact on you – any alumnus will tell you how it feels when you put a heavy chapter behind you.
She’ll be the first to admit that after six years out of it, getting back into the swing of things wasn’t simple. But the way we do it here, with a bit of online and a bit of in-person, has been, in her words, a good challenge. More than anything, she has found that you learn from the people around you in a way a formal class can’t teach.
What this means for those looking to make a move
Navya’s story is proof you don’t have to follow a straight line from school to a job. If you are in the middle of your career, it makes a case for going back to school to put yourself in a leadership position, even with all the juggling that entails. For women in the field, it is a case of showing you can be both clear-headed and tenacious.
On paper, she has a BA in Digital Technology and UX Design from Fordham and was at Sevenoaks in London. Before IIM Ahmedabad, she was living outside India and had put off formal education for a while. That makes her a good example of the type of person our programme is for.
Then there is what she does outside of it. There is Project Naveli to put some teeth into gender equality, and a health tech brand for women that she co-founded. And of course, the ‘What The Hell Navya’ podcast with her mother and grandmother, Jaya Bachchan.
In a way, she shows us why the blended model works. When you have professionals in the room who don’t have to put in their notice to be here, the quality of the cohort is better. You get real-world problems on the table and the learning has a point to it.
The bottom line
In short, Navya Naveli Nanda has put in the two years for her MBA at IIM Ahmedabad and is thankful for the campus that has been part of it. But the point is bigger: the best of India's institutes are now putting in place options for those who want to study at the top without leaving their jobs.
Now it is on to you. If you are eligible and have the 20 lakh and some change for the fees and travel, and you are ready for the commitment, the blended MBA is a solid bet. As you will see from the people in her year, the ones you sit with in class can be just as much of a game-changer as the syllabus.
Here is what you can take from her experience:
– The rules on who can apply are open and based on merit
– There is more than one way to get in
– Do your homework on the costs and the time you’ll need
