Back

Next

This IIT-ian has dedicated his life to rural folk

December 24, 2008

Making difference as an IIT student

I grew up in an era when there was a lot of talk about nation building, and I was influenced by that. There were some of my family members who had been involved in the freedom struggle. So I thought it is my job to carry on the nation-building process.

I was born and brought up in Mumbai, in a city. . . but my heart beat for rural India. I also went to some of the elite schools of Mumbai, then to the Indian Institute of Technology and then to the United States. But my passion has always been development.

When I was very young, about 15 or 16, I knew that I wanted to do something different. That was before I joined the IIT. While I was in the final year in IIT, I helped set up an organisation called Front for Rapid Economic Advancement of India. This has been my vocation, all my life.

Image: Boats sail during an international boat show in Mumbai. | Photograph: REUTERS/Prashanth Vishwanathan