HarperCollins India has launched JUST ASPIRE - Musings on Technology, Entrepreneurship and Just Aspire by Ajai Chowdhry.
Ajai Chowdhry, one of the six founding members of HCL and a native of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, set off on an adventurous trip more than forty years ago with a vision to provide India with its very own microcomputer.
They created three significant milestones in the IT industry: the PC revolution, mobile telephony, and systems integration. They were the forerunners of digital electronics in India. Chowdhry, known as the "father of Indian hardware," has always pushed for electronics to be self-sufficient. He has been on and is still serving on a number of government committees aimed at making India the global centre for electronics.
He was given the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, in 2011 by the country's president in recognition of his accomplishments.
Dr. Chowdhry has been developing and funding companies in recent years, having invested personally in more than 50 of them while also sitting on the board of the Indian Angel Network, the biggest organisation of its type in India. Also, he serves on the investment committees of the Canbank Venture Capital Fund, the Electronic Development Fund, and the IAN Fund.
The book tells the incredible story of Chowdhry, one of the founders of HCL, who was involved in one of India's first start-ups in 1975 (at a period when the phrase "start-up" was not yet in our lexicon).
Review of the author
One of the six founding members of HCL, Ajai Chowdhry, set off on an adventurous adventure more than forty years ago with a vision to provide India with its very own microcomputer. They created three significant milestones in the IT industry: the PC revolution, mobile telephony, and systems integration. They were the forerunners of digital electronics in India. Ajai, known as the "father of Indian hardware," has always pushed for electronics to be self-sufficient. He has been on and is still serving on a number of government committees whose goal is to turn India become the world's electronics powerhouse.
Story
Entrepreneur, athlete, salesperson, engineer, educationist, jazz fan and investor-meet Ajai Chowdhry, the HCL cofounder who dons several hats, all with equal grace. Ajai had an engineering degree, a good career, and a pleasant life planned for him as he grew up in the peaceful town of Jabalpur with a family that had moved there from Abbottabad after India's Independence. However, that was for the year 1975.
Ajai abandoned his position at DCM Data Products in this year and co-founded HCL with Shiv Nadar, Arjun Malhotra, Yogesh Vaidya, Subhash Arora, and D.S. Puri amid the unexplored seas of entrepreneurship. It was absolutely insane in the 1970s to quit a secure career with one of India's top businesses. Also, few Indians were familiar with computers. Years passed before the term "start-up" entered everyday speech.
HCL would later develop into one of the biggest IT businesses in India and a well-known brand over the course of the following 40 years. Ajai reveals in Just Aspire not just the tale of a hugely prosperous corporation, but also the hopes, goals, and accomplishments seen through the eyes of a young man from a tiny village. He imparts timeless knowledge about business, technology, and the future while on this tour. This book has a wealth of inspiration for all dreamers and doers.
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