The Outsider: Building global opportunities from Gurugram

Fifty-four-year-old Sajjan Deswal always believed education wasn’t limited to classrooms, degrees, qualifications, or even geographical boundaries

Published on: Sep 12, 2026, 07:32:20 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Fifty-four-year-old Sajjan Deswal always believed education wasn’t limited to classrooms, degrees, qualifications, or even geographical boundaries. It meant creating opportunities and helping young people step out of their comfort zones and build their careers.

Sajjan, who shifted to Gurugram in 2006 from Jind, said he has witnessed the city’s transformation from a scattered town into India’s most sought-after urban hub. When he moved here, he dreamt of establishing a polytechnic college and a business school in Gurugram.

Sajjan said his goal is to support young students seeking opportunities to study and work abroad. Through his association with Kingsmead International, a study abroad and visa consultancy in Sector 44, Gurugram, he said he sees the city as a hub for connecting Indian talent with global opportunities.

“The world has become an opportunity for the young generation, and it is our responsibility is to help them make informed decisions about their future,” he said.

According to him, international education is not just about securing admission or processing an application. Students need to understand the right course, institution, destination, as well as the costs, eligibility requirements, career prospects, and long-term implications of their choices.

Sajjan said that the growing interest in destinations such as the UK, Europe, and Australia reflects a broader change in aspirations.

However, Gurugram’s global ambitions must extend beyond its corporate towers and business districts, he added.

According to him, better civic services are directly linked to Gurugram’s ability to attract and retain businesses, professionals and families. A city aspiring to compete globally must offer not only jobs and investment opportunities but also a dependable quality of life, he said.

Gurugram has already shown that it can create opportunities on a remarkable scale. Its next challenge is to build the civic ecosystem around them, said Sajjan.

For Sajjan, the city’s next chapter should be about connecting with the world while making Gurugram a better place to live.

Sajjan Deswal, a resident of Sector 44 is an educationist and director in one of Gurugram’s private universities

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More

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