Thank you Cornelia Sorabji. You were the first Indian national to study abroad, but more importantly you were the first lady advocate that inspired so many Indians – men and women alike – to follow in your footsteps.
Now we have the likes of Indra Nooyi, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Vinod Khosla, Salman Rushdie, Raghuram Rajan among hundreds upon thousands of other Indians making India proud.
Isn’t it a great feeling when the chap you had chai with leads the biggest global IT giant? Or to see the next door girl leading a behemoth cola company? Well, we can thank them and their decision to pursue higher overseas education.
Studying abroad gives students an international edge. It not only exposes them to multicultural mindsets, but also helps them with first-hand experience of what it truly means to be in the midst of a global setup. International education transforms the song ‘wings to my dreams’ into reality.
Let’s not take away anything from the scores of Indians who have studied abroad and made India proud. They would have made many sacrifices. Leaving the comfort zone of family and country is not easy. The euphoria of living in a ‘foreign’ country soon comes down. Homesickness kicks in. Insecurities set in. But with great sacrifices, come great victories!
Did Sundar really thought he would be CEO of Google one day? Or Satya heading Microsoft? Was leading IMF and then RBI Raghuram’s dream? Perhaps not.
What they probably believed in though was that they wanted to make themselves proud. Be it at a university or college of UK, USA or any other country, higher overseas education was an important decision in order to fulfill their aspirations.
As we read this, scores of young Indian students have made the same decision. Or are in a process of making one. To pursue their ambitions through overseas education. To fulfill their potential. To make themselves proud.
India cannot wait for more brilliant young Indians taking helm of the global corporates and world affairs!