LEADERSHIP SPECIAL.................... In Search Of A Leader

 In Search Of A Leader 

One needn’t go to a top school or college to become president or a leader. This is certainly true for some of our leaders in India

    Recently, I read an article in T h e H u f f i n g t o n P o s t titled, “Colleges that Produced the Most US Presidents and V-Ps”. Harvard University, College of William & Mary, Yale University and Princeton University were listed in the top four. Harvard has produced six presidents and four V-Ps, both William and Yale have produced three presidents and two V-Ps each, and Princeton has produced two presidents and three V-Ps. I was intrigued and decided to dig even further to see if schools in the US would have similar data. In 2007, the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. opened a new exhibit called “School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents”. The exhibit charted the educational experiences of President Hoover to President Clinton. Interestingly, it was a mix; some attended public schools, some prestigious private schools and a few were even homeschooled under their parents or tutors for a short period of time. Like all of us, these presidents were regular kids trying to keep up with homework, make new friends, pursuing multiple hobbies, participating in extracurricular activities, preparing for college applications and asking themselves or being constantly asked the age-old question, “What do I want to be?” The common thing all these schools did do marvellously well was to prepare them for that list of colleges and provide them with a solid foundation for the many leadership roles they would assume along their journey to the White House. Not just them, but many others who graduated from those same schools and colleges have gone on to become leaders in varied fields. Having said that, I do admit that leadership abilities are intrinsic and not all who go to the top colleges become presidents and neither is there an obvious correlation between the two. The counter argument also holds merit: one need not go to a top school or a top college to become a president or a leader. This is certainly true for some of our leaders in India. But no one can deny the value and power of education. I wonder, are we creating enough leaders? Does our school system provide a solid foundation? Are leadership development and opportunities available only to a few? Is it mostly urban? Does rural India have access? There are exceptions, but the truth is that more than 50% of our nation is rural and most do not have the basic tools to be an educated and ethical leader. With these thoughts and questions in mind, the Shiv Nadar Foundation launched two initiatives — the VidyaGyan Leadership Academy in UP and the rural scholarship programme at our SSN College of Engineering in Chennai. Every child today, irrespective of his or her socio-economic status, has the potential to be a leader. The key is to identify and nurture this potential and
provide a level playing field. Our initiatives are driven by the power of inclusive leadership development that will contribute to nation-building. We cannot solve the problem of education in India, but in our own humble way we are attempting to address the problem of leadership. Perhaps there are other foundations and institutions trying to do the same, but clearly we need many, many more. Last year, Ankit participated in the Duke University Talent Identification Program at the Infosys Mysore Campus and selected forensic science as his course. His inspiration — Sherlock Holmes! Manvi is in the last leg of selection for the globally-conducted Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme that is funded through the US department of state and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA). She will spend one academic year in the US, live with an American family and attend high school there. This summer, Mehul will attend a summer programme at the Pennsylvania School for Global Entrepreneurship at Lehigh University. Sakshi & Gulsanawwar, too, will attend a summer programme for high school students at the Brown University Leadership Institute. All these are our children from VidyaGyan. Prabhakaran G is in his final year of engineering at SSN. His father is a farmer and his family’s annual income is 18,000. Through on-campus placement he has been offered a job by Infosys
at 3.25 lakh per annum. Venila V is also in her final year. Her father is a ‘tree climber’ and her mother is a coolie. Her family’s annual income is 24,000. She, too, has secured a job in Cognizant at 3.25 lakh per annum. The success of these students again validates our belief that given an equal opportunity platform, they have a chance at leadership. We don’t know if our rural students from VidyaGyan or SSN will go on to become leaders, prime ministers or presidents; but we do know that the day they stepped foot into our institution, wearing their first pair of shoes — we knew they had taken their first steps to a great inspiring journey.
B Y Roshni Nadar Malhotra  (The author is CEO of HCL Corporation and  a trustee in Shiv Nadar Foundation)