19th century, it is said, was the best time to be a British and 20th century to be an American. No doubt, 21st century is the best period to be an Indian. Never before was the level of confidence in us so high, in spite of the rich heritage and past glories, as it is today. With budgets at an all time high, capital being pumped in at a dizzying pace by foreign investors, Indian companies reaching out to and buying out iconic business firms and India making a huge presence in every international political equation, there are no doubts that India is the next big superpower. Gone are the days when India was seen as a country of snake charmers, rope tricks and pompous maharajas; it is now being seen as a country producing entrepreneurs, efficient doctors and IITians.
IITians have, by and large, been the biggest brand in recent times to reach out to the world and heralding the coming-of-age of Indians. While pondering over the role of ‘the titans’ in nation building, we must first ask to ourselves, is the situation in India as rosy as it is painted? India ranks 126th on HDI index prepared by UN this year, has a high incidence of starvation deaths and an ever-increasing number of educated unemployed youth. There hasn’t been much improvement in quality of education and research within the country.
IITians can, and have, helped in nation building in many ways. We have set new benchmarks in the fields of technology and management and have made significant contributions to the IT revolution in the country. The Indian Diaspora, led by IITians, have become a huge presence in the world over and have helped in making huge bargains in the country’s interests, so much so that both democrats and republicans came out in support of the civil nuclear treaty.
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