Eyeing US? Think again
Physical location is a cliche in today's world and certainly not a barrier to innovation, say NRI achievers.
For fifteen young innovators of Indian origin who were honoured with the MIT Global Indus Technovators awards, the question of 'brain drain' has always been a seminal one.
Many of these achievers, chosen from an eclectic mix of graduate students, professors, grassroots development workers and even successful entrepreneurs, seem to think staying back in India is no longer an obstacle to success.
"The brain drain trend is reversing. Many colleagues have decided to stay in India and many of my students from India are planning to return," says Prof Vijay Pande, currently developing new methods for computational drug design. "Much of this reversal stems from the strength of IT in India."
"Physical location is a cliche in today's world and certainly not a barrier to innovation," says entrepreneur Anand Chandrasekaran, whose company Aeroprise develops desktop applications for mobile users.
But was the 'brain-drain' a bad thing in itself? Perhaps, researchers and entrepreneurs in India found it difficult to escape from the shackles of poverty and anonymity, and wanted greener pastures to feed their passion for creativity.
"Well, as far as brain drain goes, aren't we all thankful that Ramanujan went to Cambridge rather than stay in Kumbakonam," says Chandrasekaran.
