Chandrababu Naidu attends ISB's 20th anniversary, recalls institute's early years

Hyderabad: No country can beat India on digital and information technology because the country has the largest number of youth, said former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP national president here on Friday.

Addressing the valedictory function of the 20th anniversary of the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mr. said, "India is going to become number one on the global economy. Things are happening across the globe only because of Indians, particularly the youth. Indians are wealth creators globally and things are happening positively in the world only because of Indians and because of the youth."

Of the total number of Indians who have migrated to various countries for either employment or as entrepreneurs, 30% are Telugus, he claimed.

The elite gathering for the meeting was drawn from across the globe, including all the ISB alumni and faculty, both in service and retired. The meeting was chaired by the founder dean of ISB, Dr. Pramanth Raj Sinha, while Mr. Naidu was the chief guest. The first batch of ISB who are now either employed in India or abroad while some have become entrepreneurs, too, were present at the meeting.

In a close interaction with Dr. Pramanth Raj Sinha, Chandrababu Naidu recalled how he turned Gachibowli into a technological hub and how the Financial District was formed. Stating that Hyderabad initially did not figure in the list of cities where ISB was to be set up, he recalled how he got the prestigious institute to establish here. "I convinced them to come to Hyderabad and I knew pretty well that once they came to the city, they could say no to setting up the institute here," Mr. Naidu said.

He said that even at the recent G-20 preparatory meeting, he stressed the need to encourage technology. "My vision for 2047 is that Indians will be wealth creators globally and Indians are going to dominate the global economy and ISB is going to play a major role in this," he added.

Nothing is impossible if you have a proper vision, the TDP supremo said and predicted that when India is going to celebrate 100th year of Independence, ISB, too, will have its share in that. Maintaining that the youth is a great asset for India, he called upon the entrepreneurs to bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots. "You have to work on this. Otherwise, the wealth will be in the hands of a few people which is not good for society," he said.

Indians are doing extremely well in all sectors, Mr. Naidu said and wished the ISB comes out on top in the world in business schools. He wanted the ISB graduates not to be employees but "be employers and provide jobs to others."

Earlier, Mr. Naidu visited the tree that he planted in 2011 on the ISB campus. He even recalled how he planted the sapling that has now grown into a tree and wished that the ISB and its graduates too grow similarly.