Q/ The duality of being an Indian and an American at the same time; what are the positive aspects of this?
A/ I was born in the world’s largest democracy, and I thrive in the world’s oldest democracy. So, I think I have always been in the free market, where capitalism has yielded tremendous opportunities and I have been the beneficiary of all of that. The great thing is that I have brought to the US all my family values from India. And the creativity, the innovation and all of that I have imbibed from here.
All of us live with a duality, of work and family and trying to juggle all of that. So, in some shape or form, we are all struggling with duality. That is what makes us richer people, that is what makes us more grounded.
Q/While in the US, were there some features, some of your ‘Indianness’ that helped?
A/ I grew up in Madras in a simple, conservative family where the emphasis was on hard work, doing well in school, and being respectful of elders. All of those values I brought here. In every job I had, I worked hard, I really understood the material, I wanted to do my best to make India proud of me and the US proud of me.
Because I felt that as an immigrant, I was invited into this country, so I wanted both countries to be proud of me. So, I brought all those values I learned while growing up, and those are the values that stood me in good stead. Because, had I not worked hard, had I not studied everything I was working on, had I not had a respect for the system, I am not sure I would have been very successful. So, I credit both sides for who I am.
Q/Which are the elements from both ways of life where you feel one could learn from the other?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 24, 2021 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 24, 2021 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
