New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- There is a small puzzle I have been sitting with for some time. When I invite alumni to a flagship programme event-one meant to celebrate learning, community and shared journeys-it is not the most recent graduates who sign up first. Instead, registrations tend to come from those who attended classes many years ago.

This is puzzling because, on the surface, everything points the other way. Faculty relationships with recent alumni are warm and conversations are ongoing. If loyalty were a simple function of proximity, they should be the first to respond. Yet, getting recent alumni onboard for such events often proves harder than engaging those who graduated a decade or more ago.

Over time, I have realized that this pa...