Jhunjhunwala said of his plans, "Today, India has changed drastically and it is a very confident country. But this self confidence and growth is only urban. If you look at rural India, it is far behind. It is one of the biggest challenges for those of us who are dealing with science and technology. We believe when science and technology support business, it can change the face of rural India."

That was how he helped Saloni Malhotra start Desi Crew, one of the success stories of the TeNet group. Another one that has its roots in rural India is ROPE (Rural Outsourced Production Enterprise).

ROPE has outsourced work to rural Tamil Nadu for big companies through Information and Communication Technologies. The man who runs the company is N N Sreejith.

Sreejith was first exposed to rural India when he worked as an expert in the microfinance industry for a Self Help Group in Kerala. Trips to the villages made him aware of the business opportunities that are there but he also found that rural India was totally disconnected from urban India.

Text: Shobha Warrier

Image: Rural craftsmen display their products