How can IIT graduates contribute (more) to India? Here is a timely interview for Rediff by Dr. S. Rajagopalan, one of the successful IIT graduate and the founder of TIDE, a not for profit organization devoted to promoting sustainable development through technological interventions.
Some interesting observations from the interview
What is it about IITs that sets its graduates apart from others?
IIT promotes three qualities: Skeptical inquiry, creative irreverence and a respect for quality. Skeptical inquiry makes us question, prod and explore everything and find for ourselves. Creative irreverence makes us to focus on “what is said” rather than on “who said it”. Respect for quality pushes us always to deliver the best.
In case you are one such graduate, whether from IIT or not, the above traits are very much essential for a rational pursuit of excellence in any field of interest. Unfortunately, it is exactly such traits, in my opinion, most of us Indians fail to hone. Read a related advice from Santiago Ramon y Cajal.
Could you tell us 5 things that young IIT-ians, entrepreneurs must do to succeed?
- Don’t underestimate resources required ( money, people, time)
- Under promise, over deliver
- Focus on customer experience and customer value add
- Always care for your staff
- Be prepared to exit. Don’t be possessive.
Instead of cribbing about the million ways in which an IITian’s dream could turn sour in India, or simply vegetating the life with the I-am-an-IITian-and-that-is-a-life-purpose-in-itself chest-beating rigmarole in its various forms, every IITian could dream or revise a older dream into a smaller (to be realized if necessary, by a single man’s effort), realistic (to be realized in one’s lifetime) one contributing also back to the society.
