Happy teachers’ day to all my mentors. Today also happens to be the birthday of my late grandfather, Padma Shri Dr. Shyamnandan Kishore, who dedicated his life to teaching and writing. My mother, Dr. Anamika, takes after him. I try in my own small way.
For me, this is a day of gratitude toward the teachers and institutions that shaped me. Building Network Capital is my way of taking their ideals forward.
I was blessed to receive the Torchbearer Award at the first graduation ceremony of Ashoka University’s Young India Fellowship from our beloved sociology professor, Dr. Andre Beteille.
Thereafter, I went to INSEAD, Microsoft, and the University of Oxford. Teachers and mentors made learning a lifelong pursuit, one that I am dedicated to every single day.
Connecting mechanical engineering, liberal arts, business, and applied philosophy has been an adventure of a lifetime, enabled by the warm glow of my mentors who made failures bearable and successes worthwhile.
Best,
Utkarsh