Sitting attentively on the couch while interacting with school students and other participants at the fourth edition of Financial Express and Yuva Unstoppable initiative, SD Shibulal said that one should “not forget the value of values” in both corporate and personal life. Held at a government school upgraded by Amitabh Shah led Yuva Unstoppable in the national capital region, the session saw Shibulal, one of the founding members of Infosys, a business executive and a philanthropist, engaging with school children, sharing life lessons, and reflecting on critical facets of societal change. “I think it’s extremely important to remember that you need to be honest, transparent, fair, merit-based and transaction oriented in your life,” he said while answering to the question of the importance of values.
The fourth chapter of Financial Express and Yuva Unstoppable initiative is aimed at getting the achievers in the country to interact with thousands of government school children and motivate them towards better things in life and career. After Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, BK Sister Shivani of the Brahma Kumari spiritual movement and Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, this edition was graced by SD Shibulal.
Technology and education
When quizzed by Amitabh Shah about how the advent of AI and other technologies will impact Indian education, Shibulal advocated technology’s pivotal role in revolutionizing various sectors. However, he stated that education is a “contact sport”. “That means there has to be human contact in education; it cannot be left to technology alone. Technology will be an enabler as it can enhance your ability to teach, it will make it more democratized so that people can access education from anywhere at any time. All that is possible but still the human touch is important because education is not only about teaching physics or chemistry. It is also about building character, it’s also about building citizenship,” he explained.
Balancing work and personal life
Highlighting the indispensable role of family support in professional success, Shibulal advocated being fully present during family or personal interactions, despite the interruptions ubiquitous in modern-day life. “I have never seen a professional succeed without great support in the family,” he said, adding, “It is very hard (but) in my case I was extremely lucky to have my wife (Kumari Shibulal). She has been part of this journey from day one. He also mentioned that it is important to combine hard work with smart work to create a true impact.”
How to ensure the right kind of fundraising that makes the right impact?
Drawing from his rich experience, Shibulal emphasized the importance of aligning the purpose while seeking funding, emphasizing impact visualization, and prioritizing transparency as key factors in fundraising. “The number one advice while seeking funds for any philanthropic or business venture is to have an alignment of purpose. When we reach out to people, we try to connect with those who are interested in higher education (of) children. Hence we try to build that alignment of purpose. Secondly, I think in today’s world, everyone is interested in impact. So the next important thing during fundraising is to create and maintain a consistent line of sight towards the desired impact. And last but not least, one has to be fully transparent while raising money and while utilising funds,” he elaborated.
Amitabh Shah added another element to fundraising, ‘It is important to do friend raising and not just fundraising. People do more business or philanthropy with people they like. When we add value in the lives of others we make friends and they will always have you on the top of their minds for any opportunity.’
The session with SD Shibulal was a platform where wisdom met youthful curiosity, fostering profound insights and a motivational beacon for the young students of Yuva Unstoppable, highlighting the invaluable confluence of values, technology, and ethical governance in shaping a brighter future for India.