GROWING UP in a small village near Vijayawada, with no electricity connection at home, as night descended, the flickering flame of a kerosene lamp was the only source of light for a young Chennupati Jagadish to study.
On Sunday, as he recalled his humble beginnings, Jagadish, now an accomplished physicist and neurotechnologist based in Australia, said only “equal access” to individuals and “openness” in a society can script such unlikely stories.
Among the 27 recipients of the 2023 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, India’s highest award for overseas Indians, Jagadish described the recognition as a “humbling experience”.
In 2016, Jagadish, who is currently the President of the Australian Academy of Science, became the first person of Indian descent to receive Australia’s highest civilian award – Companion of the Order.
“What is the probability that the boy from a remote village in India will become the President of the Australian Academy of Science someday? It is close to zero, but you can turn it into one,” Jagadish told The Indian Express on Friday on the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention.
Jagadish affirmed that the success story he represents was also made possible by a society that rises above cultural differences.
Asked if he feels that a shadow has been cast over India’s plural character, he said the credo of “unity in diversity” has been the country’s strength.
“You know we talk about unity and diversity in India. So, human beings are the same everywhere. This much I can say after having worked with people from over 30 countries across the world. Human nature is the same,” he said.
“By staying positive and giving opportunities to every individual irrespective of how they look, what gender they belong to, what caste they belong to, what religion they belong to, we can open the doors for everyone,” said Jagadish, currently a distinguished Professor at the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering at Australian National University.