I grew up in a large joint family in Kolkata (then Calcutta). The family was into business but my father was an advocate. My mother was a strict disciplinarian and her sense of right and wrong was grilled into me. But it was my grandmother - an extremely traditional, yet a very pragmatic woman - who played a major role in helping me take a practical approach to solving problems.

My paternal grandfather was a reformist. Whenever Hindu-Muslim tension flared up in the city, he went out and extended a helping hand to the Muslims. He along with his friend who was a judge worked hard towards maintaining communal harmony in the locality.

My maternal grandfather lived in a village in Bihar and was a Gandhian and a disciple of Vinobha Bhave. I spend most of my vacations with him, and he had a great influence on my life.

While I was still a schoolboy, India and China went to war and I remember my teachers speaking about patriotism and our duties towards the nation.

Soon after, the dreaded Naxalite movement started in West Bengal and once again one of my teachers helped me understand the various social issues from a wider perspective.

I was a good student and by the time my schooling ended, the joint family - the concept of which is still very close to my heart -- had started breaking up. It was my dream then to set up a factory so that the family remained and worked together, and there was peace, happiness and money in the family! With this plan in mind, I decided to be an engineer and like my maternal uncle, wanted to join IIT.

A traditionally decorated idol of the Goddess Durga displayed at a makeshift community worship place in Kolkata.
Photograph: Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images

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