Technology is the greatest social leveller: Sam Pitroda

AHMEDABAD: "Technology is the greatest social leveller, second only to death", said Sam Pitroda, telecommunications wizard, technocrat and a social thinker. No one can testify it better than Pitroda, the son of a carpenter, who is at present the CEO of WorldTel, which is an organisation dedicated to narrowing the global communications gap via commercial ventures in developing countries.
Pitroda was here to deliver the first Prabodh Raval memorial lecture on ''Leadership in the 21st century''.Addressing a huge gathering consisting of corporate big-wigs, politicians, entrepreneurs, lawyers and students, Pitroda gave a spellbinding and crisp 30 minute talk on ''Leadership'', encompassing a gamut of related topics like Information Technology and India''s sustainable development.
"Leadership is about performance, vision and the ability to communicate that vision across forcefully and effectively. The larger the problem, the larger the leader", said Pitroda citing examples of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
It was apparent that Gandhian ideals and values impel this person towards excellence. Throughout the lecture, Pitroda referred to Gandhi as the greatest communicator of all times and a leader par excellence.
Talking further about effective leadership, he presented the idea of a leader''s ''eco-system''.
"It''s always lonely at the top", he said adding, "That is exactly why every leader should have his own eco-system." The eco-system as Pitroda sees it is the colossal network of people from every field, who can guide the leader through expertise in their own niche area.
"At last count, I personally know about 25,000 people in the world", says Pitroda. "These are people from every imaginable field -- from Technology to Tourism, Music to Medicine and Sports to Science. Whenever I face a problem, friends from one of these networks take over and the best solution is mine to keep!" Pitroda adds convincingly, "A healthy and growing eco-system is a prerequisite to being a successful leader."
Talking about the constant conflict between leadership from the mind versus leadership from the heart, Pitroda favours the latter. He sincerely believes that leadership starts and ends with ones own self.
"Character, values, self-esteem, responsibility, honesty, loyalty, energy, enthusiasm, humility, hope, love for self and people, perseverance, courage... I can go on and on. To be a true leader, you should have not one, but all of these qualities." Pitroda stressed.
A Masters Degree holder in the field of electrical engineering, Pitroda was the Chief Technology Adviser to the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The emergence of the Indian telecommunications revolution was brought about by Pitroda, when he successfully networked remote villages with 600,000 STD/PCO phone booths, providing employment for a million people at one go.
"I hadn''t used a telephone till I went to America in 1966", he smiles and adds, "But, change is the only constant and after understanding the immense power of this tool, I always had a vision to create the same telecommunication revolution in India."
When asked whether he was satisfied with the growth that the country has made after his tenure, Pitroda says a spirited, "Yes!" He adds, "India''s progress is inevitable with such a great brain-pool that we have in our country. We just need to focus our attention on its biggest problems -- Illiteracy and population explosion. Once we tackle these problems we will have the power to lead the world."
"What separates leadership in the 21st century from traditional leadership is simplicity. In this increasingly complex world, where we are bombarded with information, I think it''s a challenge to derive knowledge out of information. A leader of the 21st century needs to be open, accessible and a believer in simplicity", averred Pitroda.
He added seriously, "Leadership in the 21st century will be very demanding. We need a new young breed of leaders who have a new mindset and the required competence to lead the country in all spheres with conviction."
Pitroda received a standing ovation from the audience, when he finished his lecture on an optimistic note, saying "I am sure, we can and we will do it!" "Technology is the greatest social leveler"- Sam Pitroda
Rujul Pathak
AHMEDABAD: "Technology is the greatest social leveler, second only death", said Sam Pitroda, telecommunications wizard, technocrat and a social thinker. No one can testify it better than Pitroda, the son of a carpenter, who is at present is the CEO of WorldTel, which is an organisation dedicated to narrowing the global communications gap via commercial ventures in developing countries.
Pitroda was here to deliver the first Prabodh Raval memorial lecture on ''Leadership in the 21st century''. Addressing a huge gathering consisting of corporate big-wigs, politicians, entrepreneurs, lawyers and students, Pitroda gave a spellbinding and crisp 30 minute talk on ''Leadership'', encompassing a gamut of related topics like Information Technology and India''s sustainable development.
"Leadership is about performance, vision and the ability to communicate that vision across forcefully and effectively. The larger the problem, the larger the leader", said Pitroda citing examples of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
It was apparent that Gandhian ideals and values impel this person towards excellence. Through out the lecture, Pitroda referred to Gandhi as the greatest communicator of all times and a leader par excellence.
Talking further about effective leadership, he presented the idea of a leader''s ''eco-system''.
"It''s always lonely at the top", he said adding, "That is exactly why every leader should have his own eco-system." The eco-system as Pitroda sees it is the colossal network of people from every field, who can guide the leader through expertise in their own niche area.
"At last count, I personally know about 25,000 people in the world", says Pitroda. "These are people from every imaginable field -- from Technology to Tourism, Music to Medicine and Sports to Science. Whenever I face a problem, friends from one of these networks take over and the best solution is mine to keep!" Pitroda adds convincingly, "A healthy and growing eco-system is a prerequisite to being a successful leader."
Talking about the constant conflict between leadership from the mind versus leadership from the heart, Pitroda favours the latter. He sincerely believes that leadership starts and ends with ones own self.
"Character, values, self-esteem, responsibility, honesty, loyalty, energy, enthusiasm, humility, hope, love for self and people, perseverance, courage... I can go on and on. To be a true leader, you should have not one, but all of these qualities." Pitroda stressed.
A Masters Degree holder in the field of electrical engineering, Pitroda was the Chief Technology Adviser to the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The emergence of the Indian telecommunications revolution was brought about by Pitroda, when he successfully networked remote villages with 600,000 STD/PCO phone booths, providing employment for a million people at one go.
"I hadn''t used a telephone till I went to America in 1966", he smiles and adds, "But, change is the only constant and after understanding the immense power of this tool, I always had a vision to create the same telecommunication revolution in India."
When asked whether, he was satisfied with the growth that the country has made after his tenure, Pitroda says a spirited, "Yes!" He adds, "India''s progress is inevitable with such a great brain-pool that we have in our country. We just need to focus our attention on its biggest problems -- Illiteracy and Population explosion. Once, we tackle these problems we will have the power to lead the world."
"What separates leadership in the 21st century from traditional leadership is simplicity. In this increasingly complex world, where we are bombarded with information, I think it''s a challenge to derive knowledge out of information. A leader of the 21st century needs to be open, accessible and a believer in simplicity", averred Pitroda.
He added seriously, "Leadership in the 21st century will be very demanding. We need a new young breed of leaders, who have a new mindset and the required competence to lead the country in all spheres with conviction."
Pitroda received a standing ovation from the audience, when he finished his lecture on an optimistic note, saying "I am sure, we can and we will do it!"