Setting an example

by Ram V. Kelkar (B. Tech. (EE) 80 / H2)

The last few months have been exciting as Dr. Sukhatme's roadshow rolled across the US from coast to coast. I myself was especially pleased to have attended the Chicago Distinguished Alumni Forum which brought together an impressive panel of IITians who have achieved success in various fields including the computer industry, venture capital, banking and education.

One theme that Kanwal Rekhi emphasized and that Dr. Sukhatme touched upon as well was especially appealing to me ... setting an example. It is not enough to just achieve success yourself ... the real challenge is to help others around you to succeed as well.

IITians are rarely accused of being modest about their views that their college is the very best in India, and amongst the best in the world. The many success stories of IITians have proved that this is no idle boast. As we enter the new millennium, it is important that we as IITians go one extra step and make it a goal to be beacons of excellence for others - whether in our own communities in the US, or in India.

Kanwal emphasized this idea in the Chicago Summit by saying that IIT must set an example for all of India ... who else could be in a better position to do this than the graduates of India's premier institutions ?

Dr. Sukhatme laid out his dream of IIT Bombay being the nucleus of India's Silicon Valley or Route 128, just as Stanford University and MIT were for those very regions in the US. IITians from the US may be able to transport some of the excitement that is being felt all across the USA, as the entrepreneurial urge is being felt not just in Silicon Valley but all across the country.

Sudhakar Shenoy, who is interviewed in this issue of Y-Point, pointed out that in the Washington DC area, a number of corporations were so eager to attract IITians that they were willing to put up hard cash to fund their Graduate education at George Mason University, if they agreed to stay in the DC area to work or to establish start-up businesses.  The GMU initiative that Sudhakar has taken to help enhance IIT's reputation and to assist in bringing talent and future business-builders to the DC area is worth emulating.

It is easy to put down the environment in India and to conclude that change will take a long time. Yet IITians in India, such as Nandan Nilekani at Infosys, have proved that the "new economy" is growing in India as well.  IITians across the world should do what they can to nurture and support these nascent developments in India, and once again, set an example for other expatriates to emulate.

Setting an example ... trying to make a difference ... helping others succeed ... these were the consistent themes from Chicago and I hope we all can think and act on these ideas in the days to come.