Sam Pitroda - A journey from Orissa to Orlando

A journey of a 1000 miles begins with first step. Small steps lead to giant leaps. You start at the base and climb the peak. This is the story of a boy raised in a poor village, a place with kerosene lamps and no running water. At the age of 38 that boy became a US citizen and a self made telecommunication millionaire.

Yes, this is the story of Sam Pitroda. Internationally respected development thinker, telecom inventor and an entrepreneur. He has brought information and communication technology revolution to India and spurred its economic growth.

By bridging the digital divide he has led from the front by leading technology missions in telecommunications, water, literacy, immunization, dairy and oil seeds in 1980s. in this first decade of 21st century, his contributing by heading the knowledge commission to secure India’s place in the knowledge world. The power shift will take place from west to east if we Indians excel in cybernetics.

The journey which began from Titligarh passed through a Gujarati medium school in Vallabh Vidyanagar and then on to Faculty of Technology in MS University, Vadodara. Then for Masters he joined Illinois Institute of technology, USA where in spite of very less dollars in his pocket he worked and not only learnt to use a telephone but to make one. And that made his life.

Endowed with intelligence and quest for excellence today he owns 100 patents. With the help of technology he has crossed caste, race, and economic barriers. Truly the technology empowers.

The man has become the role model for emerging India.

This technology man has his heart in the right place. He wants to reach out to the poor and along with machines he tenders to fine arts. He has held exhibitions of paintings.