By Shubhra Agrawal
After a period of 23 long years, Google CEO Sundar Pichai returned to his alma mater, Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kharagpur. The festive cheer that spread across the campus was evident by the euphoria of over 3000 students. They had all come together to welcome their campus rockstar. He engaged in a light-hearted chat with Hitesh Oberoi, Chief Human Resources Officer at Info Edge. The 1993 alumnus answered a series of questions, ranging from the ‘sambhar’ served in the mess to meeting his wife on campus. He even talked about how technology has changed student life.
How he made it to Google
[su_pullquote]Pichai said that India has the potential to be a global player in the digital economy, with more and more people getting online for the first time, especially on inexpensive smartphones.[/su_pullquote]
Google has partnered with the Indian Railways to provide free Wi-Fi services to 400 railway stations across the country. The leading technology company has also tied up with the National Payment Corporation of India for the UPI scheme, and the Government of India for Aadhaar.
Vouching for Holistic Growth
What was most inspirational about his talk was the piece of advice that he gave the young crowd
[su_quote]Academics is important but it is not as important as its made out to be.Take risks and be creative but, most importantly, loosen up and have some fun.[/su_quote]
[su_pullquote align=”right”]Pichai emphasised on the importance of all round development, encouraging people follow their interests and have unique experiences.[/su_pullquote]
This is unconventional advice in a country where most parents pressurise their students to focus on education from a very young age. Pichai emphasised on the importance of all round development, encouraging people to follow their interests and have unique experiences. Pichai described memorable moments of his college life, where he had spent late nights, as a result sleeping through the occasional morning classes- which may have even earned him a C on one of his courses.
During his visit, Sundar Pichai was also conferred with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in the Boardroom of IIT Kharagpur.
The soft-spoken, congenial Chennai native studied at Stanford University and the Wharton School of Business in the U.S, after graduating from IIT Kharagpur in 1993. He joined Google in 2004 and after working for 10 years was appointed the chief executive in 2015. From a graduate in Metallurgical Engineering to CEO of one the largest technical companies in the world, Sundar Pichais journey is certainly an inspiring one.