Expressnews
Chennai, September, 2023: ‘When I left, the small town of Jabalpur where I grew up, to pursue a career, I could not have dreamt that I would find myself at the vanguard of pathbreaking revolutions that would transform India.’- HCL Co-Founder, sportsman, salesman, engineer, educationist, jazz aficionado , and the Author Ajai Chowdhry said today at the launch of his recently released memoir, Just Aspire: Notes on Technology, Entrepreneurship and the Future in India’s cultural capital, Chennai. Tamil Nadu, is poised to emerge as the 3rd technology capital of India after Karnataka and Telangana.
Riding on the massive success and a rousing welcome from across Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai , Pune and Jabalpur, the book which is now in its third print run was launched by Ajai Chowdhry at the Madras Management Association (MMA), in an event jointly hosted by MMA and Konrad Adenauer Foundation amidst hundreds of alumni ,students, and start up and tech enthusiasts.
Ajai, recipient of the coveted Padma Bhushan engaged in a conversation with Sushila Ravindranath, Senior Journalist and Consulting Editor at a leading financial daily. The freewheeling chat thouched on various aspects of his personal and professional journey emphasising the hard work he has put into making a successful life at a time when the biggest asset that one possessed was ‘aspirations’.
Dr. Ajai Chowdhry quipped, “My single-minded focus to make a meaningful contribution to India’s growth helped me reach where I am today. As I look at the youth and immerse in engaging discussions with young Indians of today, I can see a lot of that ‘fire-in-the-belly’ which gives me the confidence that our country is well poised to scale the tallest of heights and achieve feats never thought of before.”
Today, Chowdhry is regarded as the ‘father of Indian hardware’ and a relentless advocate of self-sufficiency in electronics. He has served and continues to serve on several government committees working towards making India the electronics hub of the world. In recognition of his contributions, he was conferred India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, by the President of India in 2011.
The book presents a fascinating account of how India’s software industry was born out of hardware. Readers will gain invaluable insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, salesmanship, building institutions and nations, and be inspired to dream big and make a difference. Lessons on the importance of having a range from someone who is an entrepreneur, sportsperson, salesperson, engineer, educationist, jazz aficionado, singer, and investor, among others.
“It’s been a fascinating journey so far. And there is no doubt in my mind that India can surpass most nations including China to gain supremacy when it comes to the electronics and semiconductors industry. I am of the firm belief that the day is not far when India becomes a global hub for electronics and starts producing the best products for the world. My dream is to make India a Hardware Product Nation”, Dr Chowdhry concluded.
