A thought provoking ideas book , a social and political commentary, an idealist  and inspiring dream of a renewed nation—audience members at MIT experienced all of these when Infosys founder turned author Nandan Nilekani  discussed  his new book ‘Imagining India’ on March 27th, at the MIT campus. A packed audience of  AIF supporters, MIT- India  students and the general public attended.

Nilekani clearly is an intellectual who envisions the potential of a country of one billion people.  A man enjoying almost celebrity status in India, he set the concept of ideas in motion of what India is, can be and should be. According to him, India will be the only country in the future which will have the largest population of young people and such a ‘demographic dividend’ will be a cause of its growth and development. English that was once viewed as a British legacy is now viewed as critical for education and jobs.

In his riveting and clear cut presentation to the audience, Nilekani discussed issues of identity, national history, politics, environment and education. The power of ideas remained foremost in his discussion, from those that were resisted but accepted later, to ideas in progress such as those in the classroom, ideas that are battling their way into reality like those of jobs and educational institutions and ideas that one can anticipate in the future in areas of health., environment and clean energy solutions.

The event was hosted by MIT- India and the Boston Chapter of the American India Foundation. Professor Banerjee of MIT welcomed Nandan Nilekani while Ravi Mantha of the Boston leadership Council of AIF  introduced Nilekani. Dr Sanjay Sinho, CEO of the American India Foundation talked about AIF developmental efforts in the areas of education, livelihood and public health. The talk was followed later by a invigorating question and answer session.

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