E185 - How the Founder of ISB, Ashoka Uni is Changing India: Pramath Raj Sinha

Indian Silicon Valley with Jivraj Singh Sachar

In this episode, we talk to Pramath Raj Sinha, a visionary entrepreneur and academic leader who has revolutionized Indian education through founding institutions like ISB, Ashoka University, and Harappa Education. Pramath shares how his multidisciplinary background shaped his approach to building educational institutions. He offers insights into the K12 segment and reflects on the crucial decisions that led him down an unconventional path in his career. The conversation explores Pramath's learnings from his experiences, his approach to managing stakeholders, and his thoughts on navigating complex problem statements. We delve into how Pramath's initial vision for his projects compared to how they actually played out, and his observations on people throughout his journey. He discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by the transformation from offline to online education, and how he navigated various tradeoffs in his career. Pramath also shares his perspective on the India story for aspiring students and entrepreneurs, offering valuable insights for the next generation. The episode touches on his learnings from mentors like Rajat Gupta and Chandra Babu Naidu, as well as his thoughts on education centers. Finally, Pramath reflects on the role of people in his life and how he's managed to successfully wear multiple hats throughout his career. This episode offers a wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in education, leadership, and personal growth, providing a unique perspective from one of India's most influential figures in the field. 0:00 - Introduction 2:25 - Multidisciplinary background's impact on educational institutions 8:42 - Insights on K12 education 14:34 - Key decisions and outcomes in unconventional paths 19:58 - Valuable lessons learned over time 31:37 - Stakeholder management strategies 39:47 - Tackling complex problems 46:45 - Vision vs. reality 52:57 - Observations on human behavior 1:01:30 - Transition from offline to online education 1:12:05 - Handling trade-offs in decision-making 1:15:12 - Vision of India for students and entrepreneurs 1:17:53 - Lessons from mentor Rajat Gupta 1:19:05 - Insights from working with Chandra Babu Naidu 1:20:58 - Future of education centres 1:22:15 - Significance of relationships 1:25:15 - Balancing multiple roles 1:28:00 - Outro Instagram of Jivraj: instagram.com/jivrajsinghsachar #indiansiliconvalley #isv #indiansiliconvalleypodcast #isvpodcast #jivrajsinghsachar #education #leadership #entrepreneurship