Convocation Speech by Shri Shashi Ruia, Chairman, Essar Group; Chief Guest for the 9^th Convocation of EDI's Post Graduate Programmes held on 09^th June 2007.

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen,
I find it exciting and energizing to be here among a group of students aspiring to be the tomorrow of the entrepreneurial world. This is a subject close to my heart and one that I have been doing my best to propagate to say the least. Nothing can be more satisfying and exhilarating than to see the success of an entrepreneur who has been mentored by you.

There has not been a better time in India to reach out and touch the horizon. The Indian economy is booming and there is a paradigm shift in the way things were being done even as late as the nineties to the way they are being done now – whether it is manufacturing, service or if I may say the way business itself is being conducted. We have finally arrived on the global economic map and we will be among the top three economic powers within the next few years, if pundits are to be believed.

I am particularly happy to see a diverse mix of students here. This tells me that entrepreneurship is no more limited to Family Managed Businesses in India. The fact that there are students in the field of New Enterprise Creation, Agri-entrepreneurship and services besides family managed businesses indicates the diversity as well as the direction of our economy. What impresses me most is that almost 30% of you are from the NGO sector, and I am going to spend a little time later talking about this new class of entrepreneurs.

It is customary to start with the definition of an entrepreneur and his or her role in wealth creation and business enterprise. But, I am sure you have heard definitions and re-iterations in your classrooms all the time and I do not want to labour the point. May be I can learn something new from you!

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