ArdorComm Media Bureau
April 24, 2026
We would like to know a few highlights about IIIT Surat.
So IIIT Surat, we are a young institution, we are 8 years old, we started in 2017. And I think the journey ever since I took charge in 2024, I am just trying to grow it exponentially. So we have doubled the students, we have doubled the faculty, but infrastructure is in a great shape. We are having a new campus which will be hopefully inaugurated by the Honourable Prime Minister in December.
But I think I want to emphasize one thing, which all of our colleagues have also mentioned, including the Chair of the session. See, we have to focus today in India on quality. There is a lot of gap, the number of institutions are mushrooming. There is a serious issue on quality. And I am not saying quality casually, I am saying we have to focus on quality faculty recruitment, programs, industry partnership. Let us not do things for the sake of it, but do things that really make an impact on the lives of these wonderful students, who I believe are the best in the world.
In a state like Gujarat, where people have an entrepreneurial mindset, is it challenging for you as an institution like IIIT, or are students still willing to become entrepreneurs?
No, that is a great question. I think we are now seeing the mindset changing. First of all, hats off to Gujarat. I have been here one and a half years, and the entrepreneurial skill of Gujaratis, including our students, is world class. They beat everybody hollow. So I think we have to learn from them, and that is commendable.
What is happening now is that students at every level, right from the first year onwards, of course third and fourth year that is a given, but even early-stage students are thinking of startups. They have ideas either in the product space or in the service space.
And I think as people in leadership roles, as Directors or Vice Chancellors, it is our objective to ensure that we really help them, we hold their hands, and take them into the startup ecosystem. So for example, I am leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that a large number of our students have startups. Whatever they want, whether it is money, infrastructure, registering a Section 8 company, or advice, absolutely no problem at all. We are going out of the way.
Because I think today our success is measured, as even said by the Honourable Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, that we should not be job seekers now, we should be job givers. And I think that change I am really seeing happening around us. It is slow, but it will pick up very aggressively.
As an institution of national repute, what kind of aspirations do students bring, and how do you handle that responsibility?
The admission problem, all the students are coming through JEE, or M.Tech students come from the GATE exam. So we have the least of issues. IITs and IIITs do not have any issue about students. They are the best in the world. I say they are the best in the world, not just India.
If you look at some of my students from IIT Delhi, they are now Executive Vice Presidents reporting to Satya Nadella. So they are much ahead of us, but we feel very proud of it.
So to answer your question, the challenge that we face today is a positive challenge — how can we give back to the system? We are not here for ourselves. How can we give back to the ecosystem to make it a very high-quality, go-to institution?
There is no break. It is 7 days a week, 12 to 15 hours a day, but it is great joy because you are doing it for the best minds in the country.
But I must also say that students in India are bright. The top 25% are top-notch, they will be leaders. Satya Nadella was not from IIT, and many of them were not from IIT. They were from private institutions. So wherever you go, there is talent, there is a burning desire to do something great and become a leader. It is a great time we are living in, but we have to give it back. There are no shortcuts. We have to work very hard.
In terms of skilling initiatives, what key developments or examples would you like to share?
I think skilling, as we discussed in the last panel, requires a mindset change. You have to invite a large number of industries, start with the local region. For example, start with Gujarat and then go outside Gujarat.
When industries come to your campus frequently, it makes a huge difference. There is no week in my campus where we do not have people from industry coming. Every week the schedule is completely stretched, but students love it.
So I think this skilling aspect is very important. It is now time where we need to figure out strategies — not just problems — but strategies that we can work on to reduce the gap. I think that time has come now.
What are your key takeaways from today’s Education Leadership Summit and Awards?
First of all, congratulations to ArdorComm. This is commendable. I was even telling my students that such events serve a purpose. There is a lot of hard work involved — inviting people from all over — and you are growing. It is only 3–4 years now, but you are serving a purpose of bridging ecosystems.
You are getting people from industry, startups, academia, and government together. That itself is commendable. Such events, whether in Ahmedabad or anywhere in the country, will continue to play a very important role going forward.
We are living in times where changes are happening every day. Next month, I do not know what new technology will come. So we have to move very quickly.
We have to work along with young minds, not over them. Some of the brightest minds are among students. It is a world of cross-pollination and exchange of ideas. Age barriers have blurred. I learn as much from my students as they learn from me.
Let us enjoy this time, but also do our best to ensure that India becomes an academic and education superpower, which I think we are heading towards.
Any wishes or guidelines for ArdorComm as a growing media startup?
Great going. Again, my congratulations. I know it is a lot of work because I run two of the biggest conferences in India and Asia.
The only thing I would say is — keep going. Try to do more of bringing people from diverse ecosystems into your events — industry, state, entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs.
Diversity today is critical. Each one of us has to learn from the other. It is not a one-way street, it is a multi-dimensional strategy now.
So yes, great work. Spread all over the country. I am sure you will travel everywhere and take this event to many places. Once again, my congratulations and keep up the good work.