Jaipur, March 2023.

HarperCollins India has launched JUST ASPIRE – Notes on Technology, Entrepreneurship and The Future by Ajai Chowdhry in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 30^th March 2023. Dr Chowdhry the pink city today to launch the book and signed copies of the book for youth and tech-innovators from the city.

The book elicits the remarkable journey of Dr. Ajai Chowdhry, one of the Founders of HCL (one of India’s earliest start-ups in 1975) who is recognized and known as the ‘Father of Hardware’ today. This amazing compilation covers ‘everything technology’ and will act as a booster dose for all the aspiring young professionals in this sector.

He began an exciting journey more than four decades ago, with a dream to give India its very own microcomputer. The pioneers of digital electronics in India, they scripted three major milestones of the IT industry: the PC revolution, mobile telephony and systems integration. Chowdhry, regarded as the ‘father of Indian hardware’, has been a relentless advocate of self-sufficiency in electronics. He has served, and continues to serve, on several Government committees working towards making India the electronics hub of the world. For his contributions, he was conferred India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan by The President of India, in 2011.

In recent years, Dr. Chowdhry has been nurturing and investing in startups, personally investing in more than 50 startups and serving on the board of the Indian Angel Network, the largest of its kind in India. He is also on the Investment Committee of IAN Fund, Electronic Development Fund, and Canbank Venture Capital Fund.

‘Being born and brought up in a small town like Jabalpur, I would not have dreamt of pursuing a career and finding myself at the vanguard of path breaking revolutions that would transform India,’ Ajai Chowdhry states in the book. Dr. Chowdhry mentions about his learnings and experiences and how he was able to convert them into achievements that can inspire the young industry professionals in the sector. This includes:

·         Creating a behemoth

·   Pioneering three revolutions that transformed India: the PC revolution, mobile telephony and systems integration

·        played an instrumental role in building the electronics industry in India and is determined to make India a Product Nation in electronics

·         strongly advocates developing a worldview with wide-ranging knowledge - of complementing one's chosen vocation with a broad perspective.

The book presents a fascinating account of how India’s software industry was born out of hardware. Readers will gain invaluable insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, salesmanship, building institutions and nations and be inspired to dream big and make a difference. Lessons on the importance of having a range from someone who is an entrepreneur, sportsperson, salesperson, engineer, educationist, jazz aficionado, singer, and investor, among others

Chowdhry continues to contribute to India’s growth story as a Member of the Advisory Board of India Semiconductor Mission (MEITY), as an Esteemed Member of the Consultation Group on Science & Technology and Innovation Sector (NITI Aayog), and as a Member of the Committee on the Semiconductor Sector (NITI Aayog).