Microsoft, Intel, PCs, Sun Microsystems, McKinsey, Citi Bank – you name it, and you will find Indians steering the sails of all the most influential global giants of the corporate world, particularly in the field of science and technology. Two common factors in most of these examples would be-the companies are based in the US, and the illustrious Indians playing captain is most likely IITans.
India has always attracted the interest of people around the world. Right from its exotic spices to the vibrant dyes and semi-precious stones, from gold and ivory to the most intricately woven fabrics, to now finally, the real treasure, Indian youth, and intelligence. For a long time now, Indian graduates have been a coveted community. Mostly popular among western nations, particularly, the USA.
Between the years 1992 and 1999, the USA witnessed its great Silicon Valley boom with several hundred thousand of jobs created during the time. Although the USA is upheld for its grand “American Dream” and as the land where dreams are made, we often overlook that the very engine of growth for the country was the massive influx of immigrant workers from Asia, particularly, India.
That trend has continued till date as we see illustrious Indians in key positions at some of the most famous and influential global brands that America is home to. Be it Padmasree Warrior, Rajat Gupta, Sundar Pichai, or Vijay Khosla – these are just some of the names that come to mind.
One facet that stands common among all these names is their education from the Indian Institute of Technology or IIT group of institutes – the best institute in India known to produce world class chemical, mechanical, and computer science engineers. In fact, it is a known fact that most Fortune 500 headhunters are always on the lookout for IIT graduates.
Starting with the very first IIT that was established at Kharagpur in 1951, the institute chain has mushroomed into a 23 institute-strong group. They are hands-down some of the most prestigious in the country. In recent times, they have also been garnering global acclaim thanks to their line of celebrated alumni.
Eight Indian institutes led by IIT, Bombay have been ranked among 400 best QS World Universities Rankings in 2022. The best-ranked among them was IIT-Bombay followed by IIT-Delhi and IISc-Bangalore. IIT Bombay, with a joint global rank of 177, retained its position as the best in India for the fourth consecutive year.
In India, getting admission to an IIT is considered far more prestigious than a Harvard, MIT, or a Princeton put together. And rightly so, the stakes are indeed that high when it comes to this institute. While Harvard is known to accept close to 10% of the applications it receives each year, the entry rate for IITs is a staggering 3% or less.
To get there, students have to undergo the rigorous selection procedures of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), which comprises the Preliminary and Advanced exams followed by interview rounds for the most noteworthy branches. In 2019, out of 11.47 lakh JEE Main candidates, only 2.45 lakh students qualified for the JEE Advanced which is the main qualifying examination for IITs.
It is worth noting that of the 2.45 lakh who were eligible for JEE Advanced, only 1.73 lakh registered for the same. This can be attributed to the fact that students are often well aware of the ferocious competitions that precede admission to IITs. It is so tooth-and-nail, that many don’t even attempt it and settle for other leading institutes. There also exists a hierarchy among the IITs, which is why most students prefer metro IITs and metro non-IITs over non-metro IITs.
So why is there so much of a fuss over these institutes? As the premier institutions in India, the IITs and IIMs are known to receive 50% of government funding while admitting a meagre 3% of the Indian student population, as per the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
Therefore, even the students here are well aware of their worth and value across the world. They are aware, from the examples set by their alumni, that western companies are forever vying their intelligence and innovative, enterprising mindset.
The students here certainly get an upper hand over their peers. The faculty in these institutes comprises eminent professors, scientists and Nobel laureates. Students here also get the opportunity to pursue fellowships, scholarships and receive financial assistance on projects.
IITs are known for their holistic approach to education, keeping students on their toes with quizzes, projects, and competitions. They have state-of-the-art laboratories and are known to lay greater emphasis on the applicability of knowledge rather than plain theory. Most alumni have lauded the freedom that is given to the students in terms of campus life, projects and innovations, which drives them to their true potential.
Sharing his thoughts on the IITs, Narayan Murthy, the founder of Infosys, famously known as India’s Bill Gates, once said in an interview that such is the brilliance of the students that aim for IITs, that they often have Ivy League institutes such as Caltech or Princeton as their backups!
Talking about his alma mater, Vija Khosla, an Indian-American billionaire businessman, and venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems said that there is a “pre-assigned credibility to IITians” giving so much value to the institute and its degree around the world today.
This assurance is the reason why so many young boys and girls today start preparing as early as in their higher secondary years, to secure admission in an IIT. It then invariably becomes their ticket to American shores. It is interesting to know that despite this being the ongoing trend with graduates of the institute, the vision with which they were established was quite contrary to the trend of “brain drain” that prevails amongst its graduates today.
At the very first convocation address of IIT in Kharagpur in 1956, then PM Jawaharlal Nehru envisioned the IITs as a representation of a growing India’s urges, symbolic of the hopes and changes coming its way. In fact, IIT was declared an Institute of National Importance by the IIT Act on 15th September 1956! The foundation to it was laid down with the hopes that it will help in setting India on the path of self-reliance, scientific advancement, and industrial development.
For a number of reasons, this has changed today. The Silicon Valley boom meant more opportunities, greater remuneration, better living standards and the social security that comes with living in countries such as the USA (more recently, Canada) which are more welfare-oriented, and all these “pull” factors attracted our able IITans out of India. In recent times, the government has taken several measures to reverse this tendency but we still have a long way to go.
